Sept. 24, 2024

Welcome to Week 5!

Wherever this finds you, I hope you are doing well and feeling strong and confident in your progress. You are already one-third of the way through the semester – not that you want to live your life counting your days away, but when working hard toward a distant goal, it can feel good to put some significant mile markers behind you. You are doing great and making excellent headway on our journey. Congratulations! I am so proud of you!

If you were in Fairbanks this weekend, I hope you caught a glimpse of the 61st running of the Equinox Marathon. Maybe, you ran in it yourself or know someone who ran? It was a cold and rainy day, with some snow accumulating on top of Ester Dome. While watching the runners, I thought of you on your journey. The Equinox Marathon is a long and arduous race. To complete the race is a huge achievement, but it is over in hours. Your journey is longer – your travels in this semester will take you through weeks and weeks of challenges. Amazing. Talk about grit and determination! You have so many more opportunities to turn aside or falter… yet you keep going. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back!

Here we are with nearly five weeks behind us and if we had been hiking each day and every day since the start, your gear would be a bit thin, your boots may have worn some sores on your feet, and your daily rations may be growing a bit tired.

How is your journey going? How are you doing? Now is a good time to take a hard look. Are you on track to finish where you’d like in the fall? Are you feeling good with your balance of school work, social life, family life, and work? Are you managing the stress of your classes, roommate(s), and money OK?

Seriously, take a moment. How are you doing? If you are feeling strong, that’s great. How are those around you doing?

How do you know when it is time to ask for help? Have you asked for help before? When was the last time? One of the critical skills we all need in life is to know who, when, and where to ask for assistance. We all need help and support in life – help from our family, friends, professors, partners, counselors, tutors, kids, guides, doctors, etc… It is very much like an aid station on an endurance race. Drink, eat, get some support, keep going.

Now is a great time to hit the aid station if you need it. At UAF, we have hundreds of people who go to work every day with the goal of helping students on their journey and this includes you. If you think you need some help but aren’t sure who to turn to, you can always start with the Office of Rights, Compliance, and Accountability. This great team of amazing people is waiting to help. In fact, there is something called the CARE Team that includes people from all across UAF who help coordinate care. If you could use some support, this is a good place to start. Their number is 907-474-7300.

If you are looking for counseling or medical support, the Student Health and Counseling Center is the place to go. Here, you will find more wonderful people devoted to helping you succeed on your journey.

Of course, your advisor is also here to help you on your academic travels. They can also help direct you to tutoring support if you could use a hand in this department.

Also, we have Academic Coaches as part of our new Student Success Center. Academic Coaches provide a series of one-on-one conversations designed to enhance well-being and academic performance. Coaching is a partnership between students seeking to improve their study strategies and peer coaches who are trained to listen, ask thought-provoking questions, and help you identify resources and set goals. You can meet with a coach once or weekly to help keep you on track, feel more confident, and reach your goals. Coaching is free for all UAF students and is available in person or via Zoom. Learn more or schedule an appointment!

We are one-third of the way through our journey this fall. You are doing great. You are strong and you’ve got this. You will have a much more pleasant experience in the coming weeks if you take a moment to get a little support. Now is a great time to reach out for a hand or offer one to a fellow student – a fellow traveler.

Things to do:

So much to do! Here are a few highlights from just this Thursday! Check out Nanook Engage for more great stuff to do! 

Municipal Candidate Forum in the Wood Center, Thursday, Sept. 26 from 1-2 p.m. The UAF Honors College and ASUAF invite you to attend the 2024 Municipal Candidate Forum! Come meet your candidates and learn about their plans for the future of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, City of Fairbanks, and City of North Pole!

UAF Pre-Law Club – Lecture from Dr. Althauser, director of admissions, Alexander Blewett III School of Law, University of Montana. Thursday, Sept. 26 from 4-5 p.m. This lecture will focus on the admissions process and how best to approach getting into and succeeding in Law School.

UAF Women’s Volleyball vs. Western Oregon University, Thursday, Sept. 26 from 7-9 p.m. Come watch the action, grab some snacks and cheer on your Nanooks! UAF Patty Center. 

Have a great fifth week!

As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback for me, please don’t hesitate to send your thoughts my way. You can find me at obguthrie@alaska.edu.

— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management