Union College Family Newsletter

Fall Term Recap

November 2025 Office Spotlight: Religious and Spiritual Life

Union College values religion as a crucial part of cultural diversity and our social identity. We recognize the diverse religious worldviews and beliefs we have amongst our Union community members and we are dedicated to building religious fluency among students, faculty and staff. Our goal is to provide students with the opportunities to explore their faith and spirituality as well as offer students multiple platforms to learn about other traditions through programming and dialogues.

Multiple religious and spiritual groups thrive on campus, and the College has several faith leaders/advisors to offer guidance and support to students. There is an Interfaith Prayer Room in Reamer Campus Center which serves as a dedicated space for our students and employees to pray, meditate or practice their spirituality.

Additionally, to continue our goal to be an inclusive campus, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life has worked closely with our faith leaders to create a comprehensive list of religious holiday observances for the academic year. The Religious and Spiritual Leaders can be found on the web page where you can get contact information for each of them.

November 2025 Question of the Month

In each newsletter, we’ll highlight one of the most common questions families have about supporting their Union student. From navigating academic deadlines to encouraging independence and managing challenging circumstances, this section will provide clear, practical guidance you can use right away.

How to Support Your Student When They Come Home for Break? 

When students return home for break, they finally have the time and space to breathe, reflect, and process their first months on campus. In that quiet, the experiences that once felt like “small annoyances” can begin to feel much larger and more significant. This period of reflection is both natural and important — it’s how students make sense of their growth, challenges, and evolving independence.

As a parent, guardian, or family member, your support during this time can make a tremendous difference. Your student may come home full of mixed emotions — pride, frustration, exhaustion, or uncertainty — and will look to you for understanding and reassurance.

We’ve created a conversation guide to help you navigate those meaningful conversations, de-escalate tense moments, and help your student feel heard, understood, and supported while you guide them toward healthy next steps.

November 2025 Advice for Helping your Student Thrive

Supporting your Student Through Final Exams

We’ve asked our campus experts to share their best advice for families as the term winds down and your students begin preparing for final exams.

From Marcus Hotaling, PhD, Director, Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center 

As final exams approach, students often experience heightened stress, fatigue, and self-imposed pressure to perform well. Parents can play a crucial role in supporting their child’s mental well-being by encouraging balance and perspective. Remind your child to take breaks, eat regular meals, and get adequate sleep.  Simple habits are often the first to go when workloads increase, but are so important during stressful times. 

You may get a lot of calls and texts from your child during this time.  Offering empathy rather than advice can also make a big difference; phrases like “I know this is a stressful time, and I’m proud of how hard you are working” can validate their effort and reduce anxiety. Checking in with an open-ended question (“How are you holding up this week?”) can invite conversation without adding pressure. 

Think about sending a care package or Uber Eats/GrubHub giftcard.  Every student would love a taste of home - some homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies will be a great late-night treat. Helping them remember that their worth is not defined by grades reinforces resilience and self-compassion during challenging moments.  By emphasizing well-being, balance, and perspective, parents can help their students navigate finals not just with academic focus, but with emotional steadiness and care for themselves.

From Lesly Clay, Director, Office of Student Success

It is that time of the term again – the end is in sight! Although we are getting closer to finals, the next couple of weeks will be very busy for your student. These 2/3 weeks can be overwhelming as they may have another round of exams this week in addition to finals in two weeks. Careful planning and time management will be very impactful. Encourage your students to begin studying for final exams now. The earlier they begin, the easier it will be to move at their own pace. Most final exams are cumulative so it is very important that they begin revisiting topics from earlier weeks now. Remember – slow progress is better than no progress. If they are confused about certain topics – this is the time to ask questions and begin making progress.

I always encourage students to use the weekend to their advantage. This can be a great time to catch up or get a head start on the work for the upcoming week. It is also a great time to actively practice what they learned in the previous week. It is important for students to remember that studying is not just about memorizing. Active application is crucial for understanding! Knowing what to do with the information they are learning/memorizing is imperative for deeper understanding. Exam questions require deeper analysis that requires the student to have in-depth understanding. Memorization is not enough. The more they practice questions, problems, etc., the more familiar they will be with different types of questions on the day of the exam. Creating mock exams can be super helpful, especially if your student is worried that they may run out of time. The more they practice questions under a similar testing environment, the easier it will become for them to pace themselves accordingly on the day of the exam. 

Lastly, please encourage your students to take breaks! It is very important for them to not skip any meals and hydrate regularly. The better they feel mentally and physically, the easier for them to focus and retain information.

From Sharif Rosen, Class Dean for the Class of 2029

Many stages within the college experience entail transitions that can present both challenges and opportunities. At Union, particularly for first year students, their first fall break might be one of those periods. At over six weeks long, the fall break can be a time of much needed rest after the fast-paced term that preceded it, and yet, it can be long enough to interrupt the productive and healthy routines many students will have grown accustomed to.  

Wherever your student will stand in adapting to the fall break, it’s good to be aware of how they’re experiencing it. It can serve as an opportunity for you to encourage them in areas that support continuity. Staying in touch with their Union peers can help friendships sustain, rather than feeling as though they’re starting over when they return to campus in early January. On the academic side, perhaps your student would benefit from starting to review their winter course syllabi, doing pre-reading for some of their classes, or finding their own creative, meaningful ways to stay intellectually engaged and curious.  

For all students, fall break is an ideal time to review and refresh among family and friends.  As your student likely arrived at Union with certain goals and expectations – regardless of their class year, consider taking time to understand their fall term experience and what if any adjustments they’re planning to make in preparation for winter term. As always, if it’s helpful for your student, their Class Dean is available to meet and engage with them over the break to discuss or plan for a successful return and transition back to their life and studies at Union. 

Updates from Campus Offices

Accommodative Services

Special housing accommodations are available to students with a qualifying disability that substantially limits their ability to function daily in a residence hall environment. Such accommodation is not based solely on a diagnosis, but rather on a comprehensive analysis of a student’s disability and how that disability directly and significantly interferes with one or more major life activities as would be encountered in the residential setting.

Students who have not previously been approved for a special housing accommodation and who wish to apply for such an accommodation must submit to the Director of Accommodative Services a completed and current Special Housing Accommodation Request Form. Our Special Housing Committee will meet to review each application and email students to inform them whether they have been approved. 

Current students with approved special housing accommodations will be emailed a Special Housing Accommodation - Returning Student Information/Renewal Form in December.  Students must complete and email the form to accommodations@union.edu by January 23, 2026. We ask that returning students complete and return the renewal form, even if they are not planning on renewing their special housing accommodation for the 26-27 academic year.

Deadlines: To be considered for a special housing accommodation, all students must submit required information by the following applicable dates:

All students must still participate in the Housing Deposit and/or General Housing Application processes while they are going through this Special Housing Accommodation Request process, to be eligible for housing.

Additional information can be found on the Accommodative Services webpage.

Athletics

Union Men’s, Women’s and Club ice hockey teams kicked off a new Era with the opening of the M&T Bank Center, with the women winning the first-ever hockey game played at the facility on 9/26. The new facility will provide many of the amenities needed for and expected by both current and potential student-athletes at the Division I level. Student-athletes will enjoy upgraded locker rooms and lounges for both teams as well as dedicated strength and conditioning and athletic training spaces. Additionally, Achilles Center is in the process of being converted to an indoor turf facility. A $1 million gift from Andy '78, P'13 and Sana Brooks P'13 will support the reconfiguration of Messa Rink into a new 27,000-square-foot indoor turf facility, to be named Brooks Field at Achilles Center. It is set to be completed by January 1, 2026.

Career Center & Undergraduate Research

As students begin thinking about summer and post-graduate plans, the upcoming winter break is the perfect time to connect with the Career Center.

We are open during winter break from 8 am to 4 pm. Students who are back home can schedule virtual appointments with our advising team via Handshake. This is a great time for your student to begin progress on the U Ready Career Accelerator. 

Juniors and Seniors are eligible to participate in the LAUNCH virtual interview days on January 15th and 16th. This recruiting consortium, with several Ivy League schools, offers job and internship opportunities in fields including finance, law, education, marketing, and healthcare. The application deadline is January 4th.

Important Note for Internships: If your student has an internship start date that conflicts with the end of Union’s spring trimester, they must proactively speak with their spring term professors, as flexibility is not guaranteed.

Summer Research Program

The College funds Summer Research Fellowships for Union students doing scholarly work with faculty mentors. Students build technical, collaboration, and communication skills while delving deep into their field outside of the classroom and contributing to human knowledge and understanding of the world. We support projects from all disciplines---see the highlights from last summer's program. 

Summer Research Important Deadlines

Fellows are paid to work full time with their faculty mentors between 4-8 weeks, most at the beginning of the summer between June 15 - August 7, 2026. 

Class Deans

Students can access their fall term grades through Self-Service at the end of November. We recommend asking your student to log in and show you directly, since grades are not sent to families. Regardless of the grades, ask your student what they’re proud of, what challenged them, and what they’ve learned about themselves as a student this term. This is also a great time to discuss what they might do differently in the winter term. 

Each term, the College reviews all student academic records for both achievements and areas of concern. Once grades are posted, student performance is evaluated to determine eligibility for academic honors and to ensure satisfactory progress toward graduation. Dean’s List is awarded at the end of each academic year to students who meet the criteria outlined in the Academic Catalog. The Subcouncil on the Academic Standing of Students reviews the records of any student whose cumulative or term GPA falls below 2.00, or whose academic progress raises concerns—particularly within their major. If a student receives an academic standing outcome, their Class Dean will reach out after receiving the Subcouncil’s decision to help students understand the decision and develop a plan for future academic success.

Residential Education & Housing

Fall Term Closing: November 19, 12 pm

All residence halls will close at 12:00 PM on November 19. Students who are not approved for Winter Break housing must vacate their rooms by this time. The application to be approved for winter break housing closed on October 30.

To prepare a room for Winter Break, students are asked to:

Returning Student Housing Application: October 15 – November 5

The Returning Student Housing application will be available on the student housing portal until November 5th, 5pm. All returning students, including those who are returning from a leave or studying abroad, must submit the Returning Student Application.

Winter Term Move In: January 4, 2026

All residence halls will reopen at 10:00 AM on January 4. The application to request an early arrival closed on October 30. 

Housing Selection and Senior Release Process – February 2026

Housing selection for the 2026-2027 academic year will begin at the start of Winter Term. This process will include all returning students for general housing, senior release, Minerva Houses, theme housing, and fraternity and sorority life chapter spaces. Official selection will take place at the end of February. More information will be available on our website and emailed to students in January.

Important Reminder: Students should not sign any off-campus leases before receiving official written approval for release from campus housing. Signing a lease does not guarantee release and students may risk having to break the lease or pay for both on-campus and off-campus housing.

Union Dining’s Culinary Corner: Launching the Union College Dining Cooking Lab

We are delighted to share some exciting news from Union College Dining! We have successfully launched our brand-new Cooking Lab series, and the initial response from students has been overwhelmingly positive.

At Union Dining, we believe that food is at the heart of bringing people together - it sparks conversation, builds community, and creates lasting connections. Food plays a key role in many gatherings across our campus, and the new Cooking Lab is another way we're fostering that spirit.

The Cooking Lab encourages students to overcome their fears of cooking and explore new culinary experience. In our first session, students learned how to bake apple tarts from start to finish. Excitement filled the air, drawing the curiosity of peers passing by our new lab space on the first floor of the Reamer Campus Center.

We are thrilled to keep this campus buzz going! We are already looking forward to our next class, where students will learn the delicate art of rolling sushi with our very own sushi chef, SiThu. We look forward to sharing more updates on this exciting program throughout the academic year!

Contact Information for Emergencies and Concerns

In case of an emergency, parents and families are encouraged to call Union College’s Campus Safety Department at 518-388-6911. In addition to responding to emergencies, Campus Safety can also activate Union’s on-call system. The on-call system operates in the evenings, after College offices are closed, on weekends, holidays, and College breaks. The on-call system includes student and professional residential staff, the Counseling Center, Health Services, and other College administrators. 

During regular business hours, parents and families should contact their student’s Class Dean, with questions or concerns about their student.

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Visit Union’s Academic Calendar and Residential Education’s Dates and Deadlines for more details and upcoming dates.

College Relations

It was a delight to meet so many families during Homecoming and Family weekend. We hope you all enjoyed time and memories with your student. 

This fall, Union alumni and families are stepping forward with the Illuminate the Future of Learning Challenge. This challenge ignites momentum for The Union Fund and ensures students have the resources they need to thrive. We greatly appreciate all the support families share, and hope you will participate in this important Union Fund effort.

Look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events - families are always invited! For College Relations questions or information please contact Noelle Marchaj '05 at marchajn@union.edu.

Additional Campus Resources

Find additional campus resources and helpful information for families below.

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