Lots of Good Things Coming Up
Yesterday and today have been cold, gray, and drizzly. Unless your home area sported worse weather than this, your Deacs were probably not happy to get back here to this kind of climate. Especially because it is so close to finals starting. Students always have a ton to do at the last week of classes, and then prep for finals starts to get all-consuming.
Happily, there are many good things coming up this week to offset the finals – so we’ll try to cover them as best we can.
Tonight (Tues) at 7 pm is the Lighting of the Quad. This is a lovely tradition – with music, candles, some remarks, and normally some hot cocoa and cookies. It’s also a time to give back: Student Union will be collecting socks, hats, gloves, or blankets to donate to the Potter’s House for Children.
Tomorrow afternoon (Weds) from 5:00-6:00 in Greene Hall 145 is the Learning Assistance Center’s “Study Smarter, Not Harder” workshop series. This workshop will focus specifically on preparations for final exams, and will introduce students to a number of helpful strategies that will improve academic performance.
Tomorrow night (Weds) at 8 pm in Wait Chapel is a free a capella Christmas Concert featuring Chi Rho and Minor Variation, two of our much-loved groups on campus. Admission is free and all are invited!
Friday afternoon from 12-3 pm in Benson offers an opportunity to de-stress – with PUPPIES among other things. The flyer tells you more details. I repeat: puppies!
Saturday at 7 pm in Spry Stadium is our joyous men’s soccer team in the Elite 8 against Stanford. Urge your kids to show their support for our Deacs. And let me brag on this team just a moment. After every game, not only do they high five anyone who wants it (I stood with prospective Class of ’27, ’28, and ’29 Deacs last Saturday), but as they do they often say things like ‘thanks for coming out’ or ‘thanks for your support’ – and they stay and clap for the fans en masse. This is a classy, special team.
Hanukkah begins in the evening of Sunday, December 6 and ends in the evening of Monday, December 14. At 5 pm Sunday in the Hillel Lounge, there will be a First Night candle. Finals are from December 7 to 12. Hillel and the Office of Jewish Life will have formal candle lighting and songs every evening from 5 – 5:15 pm in the Hillel Lounge (Collins A001) (except for Saturday night) so students can still have time to study. Occasional evenings will also have latkes and souvganiyot (jelly donuts).
Also on Sunday night at 8 pm in Wait Chapel is the Lovefeast. This is a not-to-be-missed beautiful candlelight ceremony. You can take part in the livestream video of it too!
Help remind your Deacs that they need to have some study breaks and some fun and relaxation to bring their best selves to their finals. Some of these events above might be just the thing.