Community and campus culture are at the heart of our residential experience. I hope you enjoyed hearing about them today from our current students in this week's featured video.
Living on campus is one of the building blocks of the student experience. It’s a time to meet and connect with people, starting with your roommates and the people living right around you.
And there are many ways to meet your classmates and fellow students. You can make new friendships in everyday places like the dining centers, your classes, the gym, and by attending events sponsored by athletics, campus life, the identity centers, and the chaplaincy, to name just a few.
You will also find opportunities to get to know and build connections with faculty and staff.
The pace and style for building relationships will look different for each one of you. And it will look different from that of your friends back home, siblings, and your parents.
Some of you may connect with others right away, while others may take more time.
Sometimes these differences can feel like pressure or cause anxiety, so try to keep perspective and trust that friendships will happen. There is no one way or timeline to find those with whom you will build good relationships.
What is true for everyone is that it takes effort and intentionality. Think back to other times when you have joined a new community, and remember that, for many of us, it’s often awkward at the beginning and it takes time to find your footing.
That is why I encourage you to keep an open mind and a generous heart. When you made the decision to come to Tufts, you chose an academic and residential environment that brought together people from many different backgrounds and experiences.
Those differences are one of the ingredients that make our community vibrant, and that allow us to always learn and grow. At the same time, I encourage you to look beyond those differences, and search for the things you share with others that give you common ground. That common ground may be in the shape of deeply held-values or simply a shared love of ice cream. It is with those common threads that we continuously weave a sense of belonging for each and every one of us, which is our shared responsibility as members of this community.
I know this may sound basic, but just following the golden rule can take us a long way: treat others the way you want to be treated.
One of the many ways that the Student Life team supports relationship and community building is by integrating restorative practices into the student experience and our own work. This fall, there will be even more opportunities for building strong relationships, and I look forward to sharing those with you when the year begins. Our aim is to empower your ability to thrive in this community and beyond by developing skills that prepare you to be part of and lead other communities and organizations throughout your lifetime.
Through the webinars and these weekly messages, you've met me, the Orientation team, Residential Life and Learning, and Health and Wellness. Today you'll be introduced to the Student Support and Community Standards offices.
Once you are here on campus, I hope you'll regularly drop by the Dean of Students Office to meet me and my immediate colleagues to share your thoughts or ask us anything!
Yours in happy anticipation,
Dean L
Camille Lizarríbar, JD, PhD
Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer for AS&E
