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Feb. 28, 2023
Mental Health Season! Daylight: 10:00:43
Welcome to Week 7!
I hope and trust this finds you well. As we transition out of February and into March
(YAY!), it's important to recognize that we are entering the season when we traditionally
struggle with increasing mental health challenges. It can be the toughest time of
year.
Now is a good time to take an inventory of how you are doing. Are you sleeping well?
How are your relationships? Are you looking forward to events and activities? For
a number of very real biological and physiological reasons, our burdens can feel their
heaviest in the coming weeks. Balancing coursework, extracurricular activities and
life’s obligations can feel overwhelming. It is important to be mindful of your own
mental health and to be aware of how those around you are doing. Take care of yourself.
Once we start to struggle, it can be hard to find a positive perspective. How is your
perspective? Are you standing solidly on terra firma? Or are you swimming toward that
next island of joy? Take a minute to recognize and appreciate the things that are
helping to get you through - your islands of joy. Make sure to look for joy in the
little things. This morning’s sunrise here in Fairbanks was amazing. The sunset last
night was great and I hear the northern lights were awesome. Treat yourself to that
cup of hot beverage and a pastry before class. Share a laugh with a friend. The daylight
is rushing back. Here in the interior, it looks like an amazing weekend ahead with
warm temperatures and clear skies. March can be glorious.
If you are struggling, remember that you are not alone. Seeking help is a sign of
strength, not weakness. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need support. There are
many resources available on campus to support you, including counseling services. The Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities is a good place to start if you don’t know where to go. The amazing people at CSRR
can just plain help!
Additionally, there are several things you can do on your own to promote good mental
health, such as practicing mindfulness and self-compassion, maintaining a healthy
lifestyle, and seeking support from friends and family. Reach out. Find joy. Take
care of yourself. Spring is coming!
Things to do (there are always some things to do!):
Do your UA Title IX Training. This is important for so many reasons. It will take 5 minutes and you’ll be done.
It feels good to get things done. Do it.
UA Online is moving to the ‘cloud!’
UAOnline and other Banner Applications will be offline beginning Thursday, March 9, at 5 p.m. UAOnline is expected to be back online no
later than Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. If you have particular questions, there is
a great FAQ linked here.
UNAVAILABLE
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Your UA Online account will not be accessible.
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Advising software like Degreeworks, transcripts, and other student data will not be
accessible.
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Payment tools will only be accepting payments before the outage begins on March 13
at 5 p.m. and after March 14.
PARTIALLY AVAILABLE
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Blackboard and Canvas for UAF will be fully available for coursework during the outage
window, though updates from Banner will not occur during this time, so changes to
enrollments or courses by Faculty will not take place during this time. Blackboard
and Canvas for UAF will be back to normal on March 14.
AVAILABLE
Career Fair Week
Join UAF Career Services for this semester’s Job & Internship Fair on Thursday, March
2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Wood Center! All UAF students and alumni, regardless
of major, class year, or degree level, are welcome to attend. Check out the list of
all our attending employers. More information can be found on our events page.
Have a great week! Enjoy what looks to be an amazing weekend ahead and we’ll see you
next week for the last week before spring break!
Let me know what we can do better. As always, I’m at obguthrie@alaska.edu.
— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management.
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