Parent Update

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Closing info for residence halls


The residence halls officially close on Friday, May 18, at 6 p.m.

Your student has a list of tasks that she must complete before checking out of her space. For a hassle-free move out, please encourage your student to review the Residence Life Kateway website Closing Information Page. This website contains information about:
  • avoiding closing fines,
  • refrigerator return,
  • loft return,
  • cleaning lists and more.
Students assisting with Commencement, new graduates and those traveling a long distance (more than 500 miles) may request to stay past the closing deadline. Your student must complete the Late-Stay Request form by May 9. This form is available on the Residence Life Kateway website. Late forms will not be considered.

If your student is living on campus this summer, she will remain in her current space until Turn-Around Day when current students move to their summer space. Summer students will receive a separate list of closing instructions.

We hope your student enjoyed living on campus this year, and we hope to see her back in the fall.

Sabrina Anderson,
Associate Director of Residence Life

End-of-the-year adjustments


Some end-of-the-year adjustments are common among first-year students. If your student seems to be exhibiting a lot of stress or sadness, please encourage her to seek the support that is available in the Counseling Center. Talking with her RA may also help.

The following list is adapted from Helping your First-Year College Student Succeed, by Richard Mullendore and Cathie Hatch, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

April
Burned-out feeling
Spring fever
Concern over declaring a major

May/June
Final exam anxiety
Stress over moving when semester ends
Ambivalence about returning home for the summer
Sadness over leaving new friendships and/or new romantic relationships at school
Concern about finding summer employment
Beginning to realize how college will influence future life decisions

Hmong Family Appreciation Event

Nyob Zoo! Our Hmong Language & Culture II students are requesting your presence at the 3rd annual Hmong Family Appreciation Banquet at St. Catherine University on Saturday, May 12, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Rauenhorst Hall (Ballroom) in Coeur de Catherine on the St. Paul campus.

This event is free and open to the community. We will recognize the importance of family involvement and feature students’ reflections about their families. Please note the event will be presented in the Hmong language; with advance notice, arrangement for English translation is available.

If you have any questions, please contact Chuayi Yang at cvyang@stkate.edu or at 651.690.6138. R.S.V.P. your attendance at this same number. Thank you!

Student moving home for the summer?

Advice to Parents from Current Students
The following article below was written by former students who wanted to provide advice to parents who have students moving back home for the summer. We publish this piece every year because it offers such honest and personal insights. Here goes:

Let me live in your house for free, eat your food, drive your car, use your gas, have you do my laundry, and then leave me alone to do what I want!” Just kidding!

OK, Mom and Dad, so maybe I am not completely kidding about how I’d like life to be at home this summer. Coming home for the summer after being away for the year will be a bit hard for you and me. Spending this year at St. Kate’s has been great in that it has made me grow both intellectually and independently. It also means that I am not your baby girl anymore.

Here are some topics that I would like to discuss with you at the beginning of the summer so we can avoid misunderstandings:
1) What are your expectations? Please share them with me at the beginning of the summer.
2) Do I have a curfew? If so, what time is my curfew?
3) Am I allowed to use the car? Do I have to pay for my own gas? (Keep in mind I am a poor college student.)
4) Will I be expected to contribute to the household by doing chores?

I would be very grateful if you would be willing to negotiate on a few of these issues. I would also like to share with you my experiences while being away at school.

At school I have matured and become more independent. I also have taken on more responsibilities. As a result, I feel that I am able to grow into a new type of relationship with you, or at least begin one, anyway. I am not a child anymore. I realize I will always be your child, but I am growing up. I would appreciate it if you would talk to me as an adult.

Here are a few other subjects that are on my mind. First, my sleeping schedule has altered since I was home last. I am used to going to bed later and waking up even later. It would mean a lot if you would allow me at least a few extra hours to sleep in.

Second, family dynamics may have shifted since I have been away. The readjustment may be difficult, for me as well as the rest of the family, but I think that as long as we all are working on getting along, things will be fine.

Last, I would appreciate some privacy when I come back. I realize it will not be the same amount of privacy I had while living at school, but a little bit of privacy will go a long way. I sincerely appreciate your understanding, Mom and Dad. I think this summer will go well if we both come into it with an open mind. Although I may not always show it, I am happy to be home. After all, it is nice to finally be in a place where I do not have to wear flip-flops in the shower!

By Mary Blissenbach '09, elementary education; Alaine Clawson '09, elementary education; Sara Duevel '09, philosophy; Billie Jo Zak '09, American Sign Language

And here is some additional advice from staff in the Counseling Center
Student Returning Home for the Summer Aaah, summertime! A time we tend to long for and build dreams around. We imagine time to play or to relax in the shade with a cool drink, long twilight walks and talks around the lake with people we care about, trips and family gatherings of all kinds.

Your daughter is undoubtedly excited about summer, the end of the academic year and a chance to put away the textbooks for a while (unless she’s in summer school, of course). If your daughter has been living away from home during the year, you also may dream of chances to reconnect and to feel like a complete family again, and your daughter may be in tune with this image. However, it’s just as likely that she will be spending so much of her time working or with peers that you feel you need to make an appointment to get time with her even while she’s living with you.

Learning to adapt to living without your daughter in your life every day might have been a challenge in fall of freshman year. It takes even more flexibility to bounce back and forth between having her gone and then back in your life again. Just as you get used to a daily routine, expected noise levels and workload, everything changes. Think of it as a way for you to stay nimble and adaptable.

You may find that you need to renegotiate some of the house rules and expectations in ways that didn’t come up during short visits during the year. Here’s a passage about this process from a book called Almost Grown by Patricia Pasick: "While returning-home experiences may be warm and connecting, a transition is still very much in the making. You are searching for signs of growth. Students hope to see that being a college student affords them some new privilege in the family, a new kind of almost-adult status. Negotiation is the key to an evolving, positive relationship between new college students and their families. At the least, your daughter will want to have her views listened to and respected, even if there are disagreements. On the family’s side, it’s perfectly fine to continue some expectations that, when college students are at home, they’re part of the family with obligations to help out and connect" (pp. 188-189)."

So, enjoy your summer with its pleasures and challenges. Try to see clearly the possibilities and joys in the real summer as it unfolds, much richer than the dreams and expectations we create in advance.

Important dates to keep in mind

May 4: 2012 Ariston Exhibition. 6-8 p.m., 2nd floor Gallery, Visual Arts Building. St. Catherine University is invited to an opening reception featuring the exemplary work of peers. Literary reading will begin at 7 p.m. Light refreshments provided.

May 11: Dew Drop Bop. Dew Drop Bop is an annual end-of-the-year celebration for the St. Kate’s community. Dew Drop Bop encompasses a carnival-type feel with wonderful food, music, entertainment and prizes.

May 12: Hmong Family Appreciation Banquet. 3-6 p.m., Rauenhorst Ballroom, Coeur de Catherine. Students in the Hmong Language and Culture II class will host this event to recognize and acknowledge the importance of family involvement and appreciation in students' academic lives.

May 12: Annual KatWalk Fashion Show. 7:30 p.m., at The O'Shaughnessy.
Each spring St. Kate's apparel design and fashion merchandising students organize and produce KatWalk, a high-energy fashion show to display their creations. See the designs of tomorrow. Tickets are $12 to $17. For more information, contact The O'Shaughnessy ticket office, 690-6700.

May 14-18: Final exams week (St. Paul campus)

May 19 and 20:
Commencement. On 5/19, the Associate Degree Programs take place: Hooding Ceremony (Chapel) at 9 a.m., Procession at 10:30 a.m., Commencement at 11 a.m. (The O'Shaughnessy). On 5/20, the Bachelor's Degree Programs take place: Hooding Ceremony (Chapel) at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m., Procession at 1:30 p.m., Commencement (The O'Shaughnessy) at 2 p.m. On 5/20 the Graduate Programs take place: Procession at 1:30 p.m., Commencement at 2:00 p.m.(The O'Shaughnessy).