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. 
  
  • 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.
• 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. (Earn 10 Orientation Bolt Points by giving us a follow and DMing us your union email address!)

We’re excited to officially welcome you to Union and help you settle in. If you have any questions while preparing, please email firstyearexperience@union.edu, call (518) 388-6061 or visit our first-year website. 

AILEEN SCHATZ

Director of the First-Year Experience

403E Reamer Campus Center

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

Many of the tasks below can be found on the Enrolling Student Checklist on your Applicant Portal!

PAST DUE

Submit your ID Card Picture

August 4

First-Year Parking Request deadline

August 7

Summer Visit Day

Fall Term Tuition Due

August 15

Academic Integrity Training Due

August 17

Incoming Student Modules Due

September 4

First-Year Move-In Day

September 15

Health Insurance Waiver Deadline

 *Additional tasks, keys dates and deadlines will be added here throughout the Summer! 

RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION AND HOUSING

Catie Straube, Director of Residential Education and Housing 

All students should have received an email with their Fall 2026 housing assignment. You can view your assignment in your student housing portal. As you prepare for your arrival, you’ll need to prepare to select your move-in time slot in your student housing portal. First Year Move-In takes place on Friday, September 4th, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.  

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. As you're packing, 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 as they assist with getting items from you car to your room on September 4th. 

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 September 1, 2026 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 4:30pm.
• 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 Housing@union.edu or call us at (518) 388-6117. 

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 campussafety@union.edu or (518) 388-6911. 

WELLNESS RESOURCES 

Marcus Hotaling, Executive Director of Health & Wellness 

Coming to college is an exciting transition, but it can also bring unexpected challenges as you adjust to new academic demands, relationships, and independence. As the Director of the Counseling Center, I want you to know that you do not have to navigate this experience alone. It is normal to feel overwhelmed at times, and seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Our goal is to provide a welcoming, confidential space where you can talk openly, build resilience, and develop the tools you need to thrive both personally and academically.

The Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center can help make the transition smoother as you begin your time at Union, or at any time throughout your college journey.  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 counseling@union.edu or call (518) 388-6161.  

Christine McGovern, Medical Director 

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 uchealthcenter@union.edu or call (518) 388-6120.  

TimelyCare

In addition to services provided on campus, we are pleased to announce that Union College has a partnership 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.  

Sign up for TimelyCare now by clicking 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 ZION!

Hi! My name is Zion Schlussel, and I’m a rising junior on the Orientation Committee! Outside of orientation, I’m a double major in Music and English, a part of the Jazz ensemble, and the Early Music ensemble. I am also a part of Hillel, Chabad, and the theater department. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out, or say hi when we pass each other! My email is schlussz@union.edu. So excited to meet everyone!

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Tom Jordan, Director of Academic Advising and Enrichment

Fall course schedules will be released in Self Service in mid August. Please continue to check your Union email for updates.

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, 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.

SCHAFFER LIBRARY STUDENT SURVEY

The folks at Schaffer Library are so excited to see you on campus in a few short weeks! At the library, we provide research assistance, resources for courses, books for fun, and so much more.

We would like to get to know you a bit better so that we know how we can serve you best. We ask that you complete a brief survey, to help us assess your research capabilities. 

Participants who complete the survey will have the opportunity to win $50 worth of merchandise from the Union Campus Bookstore. 

Thank you!

FINANCIAL AID

Meredith Tower, 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 finaid@union.edu or call 518-388-6123.

BRIDGES FIRST-GEN PROGRAM

Niamaya Canady, 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 2:00 - 3:00 pm Move-In Day, September 4th (location TDB)! Bring your family or anyone who’s supported you on your journey so far, this is a moment worth celebrating! Keep an eye on your Union email for more details on both the program and meet and greet event. 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 us at bridgesfirstgen@union.edu.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

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 ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@union.edu or click here for additional information.

Union College has partnered with Boldyn Networks to provide high-speed internet access through the residential network. Support is available around the clock through MyResNet, so help is always there when you need it. For additional information, including support resources, please click here.

Switching to a new phone? Here's how to transfer your Okta access before you make the swap. Please follow the information below to transfer your access.

Before getting started, there are a few important things to keep in mind. You'll need both your old phone and your new phone with you throughout this process, as well as access to myapps.union.edu on your device. For step-by-step instructions on setting up Okta on your new phone, click here.

If you no longer have your old phone, you'll need to visit the ITS Help Desk in the library to reset your Multi-Factor Authentication — please bring a valid form of identification (Union ID, State ID, or Passport).

You can also reach the Help Desk ahead of your visit by emailing helpdesk@union.edu, calling 518-388-6400, or submitting a ticket online.

STAY CONNECTED WITH UNION: 

First-year student webpage

First-year students on Instagram

Parents & families

Athletics

News & events 

YouTube

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