A warm welcome home to your campus community, Student Wellness have missed your presence.
Remember
- Be flexible with yourself. Expectations of adjusting to campus living and the rigors of schoolwork can become unevenly yoked with your reality.
- Take time to care for yourself. Caring for yourself, can look different than your classmates, floormates or friend groups.
- Do something that makes you feel relaxed, happy, safe, and healthy. Take advantage of taking a walk around our beautiful campus, gather safely to creatively connect with other students.
- Seek campus resources before you really need them. Communicate about how you are doing with the Res life team and acknowledge when you begin to feel overwhelmed.   
Consider and Respond to Transitional Challenges
Consider the newness of relating, connecting, and engaging with one another. For some students, it will be their first time away from their families, so consider extending a Thunder strong welcome. Many students are still navigating the aftermath of COVID-19 in their families and communities. Likewise, there are many who have been impacted by witnessing the egregious and unimaginable violence and the ongoing presence of systemic and institutional racism in our society. 
So, let’s respond to one another with a time for prayer, compassion, empathy, love, and space to safely process the tension in our country. 
Interventions
It is important to be aware when you or someone in your friend groups are needing support.  If you or someone you know is withdrawing from social engagements, failing a class, or showing an abrupt change in their pattern of connecting; we encourage all students to send in a request for support through your Wheaton student portal.  Get connected with the student involvement office for creative engagements, become knowledgeable about campus resources for academic or emotional support, meet with your Res life staff for support, and participate in the Student Wellness opportunities for on-going support. 
If you are needing coordinated support or relevant resources, please log into your student Wheaton portal and click on the Student Wellness C.A.R.E.S. icon and submit a support and request form. You can also call our office at 630-752-5941.
Dr. Carrie L. Williams, Associate Dean of Student Wellness
