At Oakland University, we have a short break for Thanksgiving, popping back on campus for one last week of classes before making our way through final projects and exams before heading out again. The break is intended to be a welcome reprieve from the busy-ness of the fall season, a chance to focus on family and friends. For all the hope of joy and rest we put in these holiday seasons, this is not the case of everyone. 

Assistant Dean of Students Dr. Aura Cazares reminded me that, for some students, this season is a double-whammy of tending to their academic responsibilities and being untethered, if not in freefall, from campus housing, provisions, friends, and activities that provide a sense of safety and normalcy. Homesick international and out-of-state students unable to travel see others head home for the holidays. Students could be experiencing grief, or anticipating the challenges of family changes, or an unsafe home. They have spent the semester building their independence and identity away from their families, and may feel anxious to return to a place with less freedom.

Additionally, academic and/or financial stress can add up as students plan for the upcoming semester. If they have not been performing to the best of their abilities, they’re likely realizing that time is no longer on their side. All this is to say that many different challenges can converge on students at this point in the semester. Facilitating a conversation that is this complex and sensitive is not easy, so tapping into our sense of empathy and connecting students with resources are key.  

How to Support Students Going into the Holidays

In class messages, acknowledge the many feelings going into the break season.
As you send timely messages or share parting words to your classes, you don’t have to give up celebrating the joy, rest, and relief of these breaks. Rather, add to this message some acknowledgment of many possible feelings around the break: This might be “I appreciate you being here, and I hope you find a way to celebrate all the work you have done. Be sure to care for yourself however you can during this break from classes.”

Remind students of the resources listed in the syllabus.
It’s all about timing: Most of our syllabus attention is allocated to the first week, when all of us are at our most energetic and optimistic and don’t think any of the support services listed there will be relevant to our experience. Remind students that if they or “a friend” are concerned about how they will care for themselves during the breaks or are carrying a specific, significant concern to review the syllabus for options on free counseling visits, essential material needs, or contacting their adviser or Dean of Students if they don’t even know where to start. See our recommended OU syllabus with such information, or OU Resources for Student Immediate Needs.

Check up on a student or two.
If you know or suspect a student is having a particularly hard time, reach out briefly to make that student feel seen and supported. Simply acknowledge the moment, provide some information, and show that you appreciate them. Such gestures of care can mean the world to students and help bring them back from feeling invisible and alone.

Share your holiday joy with an international student via the CAIR program.
Whether now or next year, the Creating American International Relationships (CAIR) program with OU’s ISSO office is an easy way to connect with an OU international student who would love to join you at your family Thanksgiving, Chanukah dinner, or visit to a favorite lit-up Christmas tree. Rather than providing lodging for a student, this program simply matches you with an OU international student to get to know one another and invite them along.

Caring for Yourself

These times meant to celebrate abundance and joy can sometimes make you more aware of scarcity and sorrow: if you enter these periods mourning the loss of a loved one, feeling burnt out or overwhelmed, navigating changing dynamics in your social circles, or anything else, give yourself the gift of affirmation and support provided by all benefits available to you at OU. See Work-Life Resources for OU Faculty and Staff, and the Faculty Handbook on Holistic Wellness for specific resources.

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Written by Christina Moore, Associate Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Oakland University. Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

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