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NOVEMBER 2017, ISSUE NO. 11
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Our Thanksgiving Break is only two weeks away, which means that the end of fall semester is also drawing near! While most students will spend Thanksgiving with family, many students find it difficult to get home for the holiday. If you and your student are willing to share your holiday, please consider encouraging your student to extend an invitation for a friend or classmate to join you.
This issue of Miami Family Focus focuses on the upcoming break (and Winter Break), including articles about setting expectations, "the Crunch" that happens after Thanksgiving, and common signs of depression. As always, review previous issues on our Stay in Touch page.
Love and Honor,
Mark W. Pontious
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| Setting a Positive Tone for Thanksgiving and Winter BreaksStudents have been at Miami for a few months by the time Thanksgiving arrives (or Winter Break if your student is not coming home for Thanksgiving). Taking time to have a conversation about expectations - yours and theirs - in advance, rather than over a family dinner, will go a long way! Below are three common sources of tension worth discussing before the upcoming breaks.
New Rules and Old Rules
Your student has likely gotten used to making many of their own rules and may expect different house rules than when they left in August. If the rules are the same, make that clear. If you are open to changing rules, know where you draw the line. Regardless, it is important to have the conversation beforehand. Thanksgiving is a good test run for the longer Winter Break, if your student is coming home for both. One option is to give your student substantial freedom and watch how they handle it. Another is to slightly adjust the rules that were in place before they left for Miami. As always, you know your student and family, and what's best for you will likely fall somewhere in the middle.
Family Time vs. Friend Time vs. Down Time
Your student may have already made plans for reuniting with old friends. Ask your student how much time they plan to spend with friends and how much time with family. Make your expectations for time commitments clear and offer your willingness to be flexible on friend time in exchange for time with family. Try not to overschedule your student for the time they are at home. While you may want them to see family members, it is also important for them to have down time and some control of their break.
Homeward Bound
The time between Thanksgiving and the end of fall semester is often called "The Crunch" (see the next article) for a reason - there's a lot to do in a short amount of time. Before you and they know it, they will be heading home after final exams. Planning and working with your student ahead of time will save everyone added stress with tying up all of the loose ends. Topics to discuss may include:
- What about their car (if they have one)?
- How are they getting home or to the airport?
- What should be brought home?
Information about break transportation was discussed in the September 5 issue of Miami Family Focus. Deciding what to bring home is more dependent on your student, but a basic list includes laundry, laptop/tablet, and personal items. Your student can leave everything (non-perishable) in the residence hall, but should take valuables home. Students will not have access to their halls (unless they pay for University Break Housing) until they return after each break.
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| Thanksgiving, "The Crunch" and Final Exams"The Crunch" is the time between Thanksgiving and the end of fall semester, when your student will (and should) devote more time to studying than anything else - including watching Netflix and socializing. If your student comes home for Thanksgiving, expect to see class materials along with the laundry bag. Your challenge is to enjoy your student's free time as much as possible without inadvertently making your student feel bad about choosing schoolwork over family activities. Just before or after Thanksgiving Break is a great time to send a care package with some favorite snacks or a handwritten note of encouragement. Visit our Greetings from Home page for a few care package options if you do not want to create your own (although goodies from home are always enjoyed!).
Easing The Crunch
If you find your student buried in school work, encourage them to take frequent short breaks and approach the material with a study plan and clear goals. Keep in mind that Miami resources are available and designed to help students succeed during this time:
You may feel some distance between you and your student, especially during this part of the semester. Consider reading You're On Your Own (But I'm Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years by Marjorie Savage. This text provides insights into those disconnected, "empty nest" feelings, and has tips related to negotiating the changing relationship between you and your student.
Logistics of Final Exams at Miami
The Fall 2017 Final Exam period is December 11-16, though Oxford campus classes do not hold exams on Saturday. Exams do not always occur at the same time as when the class met during the semester. View the Fall 2017 Final Exam schedule and encourage your student to consult the syllabus for each course, which typically lists the exam date and time.
Students living in the residence halls are expected to leave by 7pm on Friday, December 15, although we encourage students to leave within 24 hours of their last exam to minimize distractions for students still completing exams. Students who need to stay past 7pm on Friday should submit a Break Housing request through their myCard account ($29.50 nightly rate applies). Break Housing requests are currently being accepted for both Thanksgiving Break and all of Winter Break/Winter Term.
Students who have a car on campus are able to leave it in any of the parking lots for which their permit is valid. Fall semester parking permits expire on January 29. We recommend that students who park in the Millett Hall west and Chestnut Fields lots leave their car in the Ditmer Field lot (adjacent to the Miami University Police Department) while they are away over break. Students who wish to leave their vehicle in a campus parking garage over break should contact parking customer services in the HOME Office (513-529-2224) to purchase garage parking.
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| Depression: Warning Signs and ResourcesAccording to the National Institute of Mental Health, major depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. The cause of depression is unknown, but various theories point to a complex interplay of genetics, environmental stressors, and life circumstances. Symptoms of depression vary from individual to individual, but common signs include feelings of sadness and/or irritability, isolating oneself, not enjoying things that used to be enjoyable, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, sleep disruptions, unintentional weight changes, and suicidal thoughts or feelings.
Some of these symptoms are also common in first-year college students experiencing the significant the life transition of going to college. For example, loneliness can be mistaken for depression, or it could be one symptom of depression. This article provides observations on how to interact with your student about loneliness. But when might loneliness or sadness be a sign of depression?
When someone does not feel better or feels worse after one or two weeks and the symptoms are significantly interfering with their daily life, that person may be depressed. It is important to remember that a qualified mental health professional should make the determination whether someone is depressed. If there is any question whether depression is present, it is important to seek professional assistance. If you are concerned about your student, the best thing you can do is connect them to available resources.
Resources for Miami students include:
- The Student Counseling Service (513-529-4634), which offers a full staff of counselors, as well as online self-assessment resources to help determine the need to seek professional treatment.
- The Psychology Clinic (513-529-2423), which is the training clinic for doctoral students in the Clinical Psychology program. Students conduct psychotherapy and psychological assessments under the supervision of licensed clinical psychologists.
- The National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800-273-8255.
Follow the Student Counseling Service on Twitter and Instagram (@MiamiOHSCS) and on Facebook for more information about depression, coping, and suicide prevention.
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