FYE SUMMER NEWSLETTER EDITION 7!

Move-in is just weeks away! We’re looking forward to welcoming you to campus for a great fall term and an engaging orientation experience. Updates and additional details about orientation and other events will be posted on the first-year website.

This is an exciting time, and we can’t wait to see you. As you prepare to join us, please remember to:

• Check your applicant portal to confirm all materials are submitted. 
  • Complete your Shared Experience ranking form on your enrolling student checklist. This form is now overdue. If it is not completed by the end of today, you may be placed in a Shared Experience that does not align with your interests.
  • Submit your ID photo through the applicant portal if you haven’t already, and confirm it meets all requirements.
• Check your Union email regularly. Important updates are sent to this address. You should already have your housing assignment, and soon you’ll receive a welcome from our Orientation Team and additional information.
• Review move-in day procedures. More details can be found in the housing and move-in sections below.
• Label all belongings with your name, building, and room number. Review our list of what to bring and what to leave at home.
• Follow @UnionFirstYears Instagram to meet the Orientation Leaders.

We’re excited to officially welcome you to Union and help you settle in. If you have any questions while preparing, please email, call (518) 388-6061 or visit our first-year website. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @UnionFirstYears and check out our Charging Up Your First Year podcast series (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio) to help to ensure a smooth transition to life at Union.

AILEEN SCHATZ

Director of the First-Year Experience

403E Reamer Campus Center

firstyearexperience@union.edu |  schatza@union.edu  |  518.388.6061

TOMORROW: VIRTUAL WORKSHOP FOR INCOMING STUDENTS

Ask Us Anything: Thriving in Your First Trimester

Join licensed therapist and alumna, Jennifer Teplin '13, on Wednesday, August 6th at 7 PM EST for a candid, supportive chat designed to help incoming first-years feel more grounded heading into college. Jennifer and her team of relatable, highly-trained therapists have supported hundreds of students navigating this exact transition, and now they’re sharing what they’ve learned.

In this virtual student-only workshop, we’ll break down the most common mistakes new students make, how to avoid them, and what it actually takes to thrive (not just survive) your first trimester. This AMA (ask us anything) style talk enables you to anonymously submit your questions, worries, or just your curiosity, we’re here for all of it.

Students, if you’d like to join us for this live workshop, please register here!

RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION AND HOUSING

Catie Straube, Director of Residential Education and Housing 

Move-in day is almost here. Excited? We are!

We’re working hard to make move-in easy and fun, while maintaining a smooth and comfortable experience. Before finalizing the design of your living space, we recommend that you plan and talk to your roommate(s) to coordinate who is bringing specific items. We recommend taking a look at our preferred vendors as you plan. We partner with a variety of vendors for renters’ insurance, microfridge rental, and storage/shipping. 

International student and pre-season athletes will receive specific arrival instructions from the housing office about where to arrive and pick up keys on their early arrival date. 

Don’t forget to select your check-in time slot before August 24th at 11:59 pm. As you select your check-in time slot, we ask you to keep the following in mind:

• To select a Move-In time slot, you must have a confirmed room assignment.
• Time slots are first come, first serve. Don’t worry about not having enough time to move in if you choose a later time. There will be plenty of time to set up your room before our official welcome at 6:00pm.
• If you are unable to select a time slot because you will arrive after the last check-in time slot available, please reach out to us at housing@union.edu.

Questions? Visit the Residential Education webpage, email or call us at (518) 388-6117.

MOVE-IN

First Year Move-In takes place on Friday, August 29th, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If you have not already, now is the time to log into your student housing portal and select your move in the time slot. 

Check-in and key pick-up will take place at your assigned residence hall. All transfer students will receive individualized directions for their check in to their residence hall. 

As you prepare for your arrival, we recommend reviewing our arrival instructions for each first-year residence hall. These instructions and First-Year Move-in maps are available on our website for your convenience. To check-in students will need to arrive with some form of photo ID for identification purposes. 

At each check-in location, there will be an unloading zone where our student leaders and student athletes will be waiting to unload your belongings. The driver of your vehicle must stay in the vehicle while it is in the unloading zone. Once your vehicle is unloaded, the driver will be required to relocate the vehicle to one of our additional parking lots for the remainder of the day so others have easy access to unload. 

We encourage you to label all of your belongings with your name, building, and room number; masking tape and a permanent marker work great. Labeling will assist our move-in volunteers in getting your items where they need to go.

CAMPUS SAFETY & TRAFFIC

Thomas Constantine, Director of Campus Safety

During move-in day, Campus Safety personnel will be stationed at various points around campus to assist in directing traffic and answering questions. Please be cognizant of others when unloading and do not leave your vehicle unattended for extended periods. As stated above, once you unload your vehicle at your residence hall, please be prepared to move your vehicle to a different lot to allow other students to move in.

For general safety, please consider getting insurance to cover loss or theft of personal belongings. For more information about Campus Safety, visit our website. Students, we encourage you to add the Campus Safety phone number, (518) 388-6911, to your cell phones now. 

Questions? Email or (518) 388-6911. 

WELLNESS RESOURCES

Angela Stefanatos, Director of the Health Center 

The Health Center provides a wide range of confidential services; many are free and not billed to insurance or have a nominal fee or charge.  Visit our website to learn more.  

Questions? Email or call (518) 388-6120.  

Marcus Hotaling, Director of Counseling

As students begin college, the Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center can help make the transition smoother.  There is no cost for counseling center services and we provide 24/7 on-call crisis coverage.  All services offered at both the health and counseling center are confidential.  Visit our website to learn more.  

Questions? Email or call (518) 388-6161.  

TimelyCare

In addition to services provided on campus, we are pleased to announce that Union College is now partnering with TimelyCare to provide 24/7 access to telehealth medical and mental health services.  TimelyCare providers work exclusively with college and university students and visit notes become a part of students’ electronic medical health record at the Wicker Wellness Center.

Every enrolled Union College student has access to unlimited scheduled and on-demand medical visits, unlimited health coaching and unlimited TalkNow on-demand emotional support.  Additionally, all enrolled students can schedule up to six telehealth counseling appointments per academic year with a mental health provider.  

To sign up for TimelyCare, click on the link here.

MEET THE MEMBERS OF THE ORIENTATION COMMITTEE!

Today we introduce you to the sixth and final member of our Orientation Committee (OC). These dedicated upper-class students work closely with the Office of First-Year Experience to help plan Orientation and support your transition to Union. They’ve been in your shoes and are here to make sure you feel welcomed, supported, and excited for what’s ahead!

MEET TALYA!

Hi! My name is Talya, and I am a rising junior on the Orientation Committee. I am a double major in Political Science and Sociology, with an English minor. Outside of the OC, I am a member of the Women’s Club Soccer team, Greek Life, and a tour guide. I am so excited to see you all on campus so soon! If you have any questions, feel free to email me at hambergt@union.edu. 

Fun Fact About Me: My favorite restaurant in Schenectady is Simone’s.

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Tom Jordan, Director of Academic Advising and Enrichment

Fall course schedules will be released in Self Service next week. 

We will develop your schedule based on the answers you provided on the Advising and Course Registration Form in the spring. We are careful to choose courses that align with your major interests, our Complex Questions: Global Challenges & Social Justice Curriculum, and your preferred list of elective options. In cases where it is not possible to assign a class from your list of preferred options, a similar class, or a class that meets your suggested interests, will be assigned.

If you have questions or concerns with your schedule, please contact Dr. Tom Jordan, our Director of Academic Advising and Enrichment, at academicadvising@union.edu. Again, we will plan your course schedules very carefully, and Dr. Jordan can help explain why certain courses are selected based on your interests and how they relate to your degree plan moving forward. 

FINANCIAL AID

Linda Parker, Director of Financial Aid

First-year students participating in the work study program must complete new student hire
paperwork prior to starting work. If you have received and accepted an offer for a work study
position, the forms will be located in your Workday account. Please be sure to bring original
forms of ID with you (passport, ssn card, license) when you arrive to campus; copies are not
acceptable for the I-9 form. A member of HR will be present at move-in day to receive these
documents.

International students will need to apply for their social security number once they are on
campus in order to be cleared to work. More information about this process will be
communicated to you during orientation.

Questions? Email or call 518-388-6123.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Robin Olinsky, Class Dean and International Student Advising

August’s drop-in Zoom advising sessions will take place on August 7, 14, and 21 from 8:30am-9am Eastern. No pre-registration is required, join here.

Global Orientation Leaders will be available to share their experiences and answer your questions about arrival.

BRIDGES FIRST-GEN PROGRAM

Niamaya Canady, Assistant Director Office of Intercultural Affairs

Aileen Schatz, Director of the First-Year Expereince 

Welcome to Union! If you’re the first in your family to go to college, take a deep breath, you’ve already done something amazing. And you don’t have to do it alone.

Bridges First-Gen Program, is here to support you every step of the way. We’re a community of students, staff, and faculty (many of us first-gen ourselves!) who are all about making sure you feel seen, supported, and connected.

Here’s what you’ll find in Bridges:

• Mentors who are intentionally matched with you 
• Workshops to help you navigate college life
• Social events and spaces to build community
• People who are here to cheer you on

In addition to the program, we invite all first-gen students to join us for our First-Gen Meet & Greet from 3:00 - 4:00 pm in Reamer Campus Center, room 305 on Move-In Day, August 29th! Bring your family or anyone who’s supported you on your journey so far, this is a moment worth celebrating! Whether you’re feeling excited, nervous, proud (or all three), just know: you belong here. And we can’t wait to welcome you in person.

Questions? Want to learn more? Reach out anytime, we’d love to hear from you, email Niamaya or Aileen. 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

We’re excited to welcome you to Union College! As you prepare for this exciting new chapter, we want to make sure you're ready to connect safely and smoothly to our campus network.

Before accessing the campus network, we strongly recommend that you have your antivirus software updated to the latest version. Completing this and other important steps before you arrive will ensure a smooth connection to the network and help you avoid any complications.

If you have questions or need recommendations for antivirus software, please feel free to reach out to the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@union.edu or click here for additional information.

Additionally, Union has partnered with Boldyn to provide high-speed internet access through the residential network, supported by 24/7 customer service via MyResNet. For more information, please click here.

UNION PARENTS & FAMILY PROGRAM

Noelle Marchaj '05, Director of Family Philanthropy
Ashley Breslin, Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, and Advancement Events 

Parents, welcome to the Union community. Your student is creating a lifelong relationship with the College and we invite you to be active partners in that experience. Check out the Parents and Families website to learn more about how you can create your connection to Union. Save the date for these upcoming events: 

• Friday, August 29th: Move in Day Family Picnic 
• Friday October 10 - Sunday October 12: Homecoming and Family Weekend! 

Wishing your U’s an amazing start to their Union experience and we look forward to meeting you!
For questions, please contact Noelle.

STAY CONNECTED WITH UNION: 

First-year student webpage

Charging Up Your First-Year Podcast

First-year students on Instagram

Parents & families

Athletics

News & events 

YouTube

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