support for graduate students...

As we all know (I'm preaching to the choir here...) being a graduate student comes with its own unique sets of challenges that are difficult to relate to unless you've been there. There is a huge difference between being an undergraduate and a graduate student...just as large as between being in high school and going to college. As compared to undergraduates, we have a lot less support ingrained into the system. It's all the more obvious during orientation for undergraduates. There is someone there holding their hand (not just their parents, but a person paid by the university) every step of the way without them asking. Someone walks them from building to building. By the time we're graduate students, it's assumed that we're adults and have our stuff figured out, but the University of Arkansas is just as new to many of us when we come here as the undergraduates, if not more so. And we're not provided housing on campus. 

There's a difference...
Graduate students are more likely to be self-sufficient when they start graduate school. They're (we're) more likely to be paying for their own housing, food, insurance, etc. We're more likely to have spouses, significant others, partners and/or kids making the move/change with us. By design, we have different needs, concerns, etc. than we did as undergraduates. We're less concerned about homecoming, and more concerned about safety on campus after dark. We're less concerned about pledging a fraternity/sorority and more concerned about health insurance. We're less concerned about being able to camp out for good seats on football game days, and more concerned about affordable child care. We're also more likely to be providing indispensable services to the campus. 

...and the differences can be stressful.
With more people depending on us...advisers, students, our own families...the stress can become overwhelming. There's not enough time in the day to do all the things that need to be done to keep everyone happy, and the things that could make things easier, more money, more time, is in short supply. Sleep should not be optional, yet for some students, it is. 

Sometimes you just need someone to talk to...
I've gotten in the habit of meeting with some other students I took a course with a few times a semester and we all check in with one another. We talk about our trials, tribulations, adviser stories, progress, concerns in a safe place with other students who are sharing the same experiences. What we talk about at dinner, stays at dinner.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a group of other students and friends they can go to to talk through issues and challenges that they're facing. To help address this, we're starting a Graduate Student Support Group through CAPS on campus for students to find the community they need and share their experiences. The group and all group discussions will be treated as confidential. No one has to share any information they don't want to, and everything that is discussed at group, stays at group. 

We are going to have an informational meeting in a few weeks for interested graduate and professional students. If you'd like to be a member or just find out more about the group, please email me at dfarver(at)uark(dot)edu and I will put your name on the list. 

And please remember...if you're in a difficult situation and you don't know how to handle it, the sooner you ask for help the better. Dr. Koski at the Graduate School is always available to help, and if she can't, she'll send you to someone who can. Just don't wait to long to speak up. The earlier into the process, the more likely she, or someone else, will be able to provide guidance that will lead to a positive outcome. Often, if you don't say anything, no one knows that something is not ok until it's really not ok and your options have become much more limited. We're here to help you and want to see you succeed. 

-- Dawn

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SEVERE WEATHER SIDE NOTE: We are in the midst of severe weather season. Make sure you know what is happening and what you need to do in an emergency. Make sure your contact information is updated so you can receive RAZALERT messages, and it doesn't hurt to sign up for texts for weather and other updates from another source as well. I've signed up to receive texts from KNWA for severe weather alerts in Washington County. If there is a chance of severe weather, I have my phone by my bed so I know to get up and check the radar. Know where to go if a tornado is confirmed, and don't drive through standing or moving water. For more tips, go to any of the local television station websites, or The Weather Channel.