Fall 2020

Bringing the Division of Student Affairs Home

Inside This Issue:

Safety and Security 2

Recreation and Intramurals 2

Residential Life and Housing 3

Counseling Services 4

Health Services 4

Career Services 5

Student Life 6

Esports 7

Dining 7

The Link

The end of October signifies the half-way point of fall semester. By now, faculty have given their first tests, projects, or papers and are able to comment on a students’ progress within the course. With this information in hand, faculty will post mid-term academic warnings. While the term ‘warning’ is meant to have a student take notice, it is not always an indicator that a failing grade is imminent or there is no chance for recovery. There are a myriad of reasons why a student may receive a mid-semester warning. For example, a student may be doing well on assignments and tests but have had some issue with attendance or class participation; their grade, while not failing, could be improved with some additional effort by the student; or there are instances where the student performance within the class falls at or below a passing grade. Warnings come early enough so students who want to improve are able to buckle down and complete the course with a respectable grade. When speaking with students, I find that the warning usually doesn’t come as a surprise. Typically, students know what is needed to boost their grade: attending class regularly, doing the homework or class readings, submitting their work on time, spending additional time studying for a test, or simply asking for help. For students who need some assistance with understanding the course material or test taking strategies, working with a tutor can be a huge benefit. Attending faculty office hours for individual questions or support is also highly recommended; and, remembering that meeting in-person or via TEAMS are options.

Another group of students that I encounter around this time of year who may also be performing below their academic

ability, are those who benefited from academic accommodations in high school but have yet to identify for these services at Thomas. Some students assume their high school sent over their IEP (Individualized Evaluation Program) with their transcript, while others see college as a new chapter in their life and attempt to manage coursework on their own without any additional assistance. Some students believe if they identify their disability that they will be required to participate in remedial coursework or tutoring; some are less inclined to self-advocate and ask for help; and others are just not aware of the difference between implementation of academic accommodations in high school vs higher education. In high school if a student identified with an IEP or 504 Plan it was the responsibility of the school to initiate contact with the student and implement appropriate accommodations. In higher education, the responsibility shifts to the student to disclose and request academic accommodations. The student must give permission for any disclosure of information to their faculty. Especially for a first year student, this is a significant change in the process of receiving academic support.

As a family member, what’s the best way you can help? If your student receives a warning encourage them to meet with the faculty member and seek additional assistance from the Student Success Center (free tutoring services, academic coaching). If your student has benefited from the use of an IEP or 504 Plan in the past please encourage them to schedule an appointment to meet with me. Together, we can review the situation and determine how best to support their academic success at Thomas.

Lisa Desautels-Poliquin, Vice President for Student Affairs

Students are excited to be

back on campus!

2

Recreation and Intramurals - Jim Delorie, Assistant Dean of Student Engagement

Getting Back to our Students’ Favorite Events

As the semester has slowly begun students have settled in and are beginning to see and

attend the programs they have come to expect. For our first year students they are

seeing how programing staff are adapting to offer what they expected from Thomas.

This week we announced our first Free Movie Night at Flagship, to go along with a

recent outdoor event from popular performance group AudioBody.

Our student leaders have stepped up to create and staff many of these programs.

During our open mic night during the first week of school, students tuned guitars,

calibrated amps, and ran multiple microphones so we could increase safety for our

student performers. Or more recently, when our new acoustic shell arrived for creating

more vibrant outdoor venues, students from our Campus Activities Board helped as we

all learned how to inflate, set up, and secure the shell in preparation for its inaugural use

at the recent AudioBody event. Most recently we played Capture the Flag with pool

noodles to keep within safety standards. I am very proud of how our students have

stepped up this fall.

As we look forward to future events and as Maine moves to allow up to 100 people at

indoor seated events (including staff and performers) students can expect Bingo Nights,

Paint Nights, Comedians, Magicians, and more club programs moving forward.

Jose Afonso Luis and Ryan

Fitzjurls are ready for pool and

ping pong tournaments

Safety and Security—Chris Santiago, Director of Safety and Security

Greetings,

I wanted to take an opportunity to introduce myself as the new Director of Safety & Security at

Thomas College. I am joining the Thomas College Family after serving the past 25 years within

Student Affairs at several other institutions, specifically in campus law enforcement. I bring with

me a wide array of knowledge in both sworn and non-sworn operations but have taken great

pride most of all in being an educator within the parameters of law enforcement. My specialties

include crime prevention and crime awareness education rooted in the principles of community

policing. I look forward to engaging your student(s) in programming that will assist their ongoing

development and formation as an adult in our diverse society. Should you have any questions or

concerns regarding Safety & Security here at Thomas College, please reach out to me at

security@thomas.edu or at 207-859-1397.

Sincerely, Christopher M. Santiago

Director of Safety and

Security Chris Santiago

Snow Removal Policy

On the day when a Snow Removal Protocol is requested by

Maintenance, Safety and Security will post signs and send an

email to students. Students are expected to move their

vehicles in order for Maintenance to plow the parking lots

by specific times. Vehicles should be moved to other campus

lots as directed by the times designated below. Vehicles

should not be returned to the resident lots until snow

removal is completed.

• Vehicles in the South Lot must be moved by 8:30 a.m.

• Vehicles parked in the GPH, A, B and C Lots must be

moved by 9:00 a.m.

• Vehicles parked in the Bartlett, Hinman and Village Lots

must be moved by 11:00 a.m.

• Vehicles parked in the Townhouse Lots must be moved

by 1:00 p.m.

Please note: Owners of vehicles that are not removed from these lots by the designated time will be fined $50.00.

3

Residential Life — Hannah Gladstone, Dean of Students/Director of Residential Life

and Housing Who is this Person at Our Thanksgiving Table?

When college students return home for breaks, it can be a difficult and stressful adjustment for any family especially when it occurs in the midst of a pandemic. As the student has been away from, or more independent from, home for at least 12 weeks, a natural autonomy has set in. They are also learning to navigate the responsibilities for self and others by living into the Terrier Pledge on and off campus and navigating health and safety through mask wearing, social distancing and lots of hand washing! Families and friends have also developed a new dynamic with their student. While prior to leaving for college family affairs may have revolved around the student, priorities often shift in their absence, regardless of their academic year. Families may have gotten used to spending more time alone together, and certain routines may have been altered. Students returning home should understand that these changes are a result of a different family dynamic; the last feeling they should have is that they no longer belong. Also important to consider is how this young adult will now fit in to perhaps a family with health issues or concerns for COVID when they want to reconnect with friends and family from home and will not have time to do it all in the manner they need to safely or have in the past. Weeks without much direct supervision or a set curfew or expectations can lead to significant conversations when the student returns home. What do you do? It may be your home, but the independence garnered by your student is going to be resistant to an authoritarian approach. At the same time, the student will need help to understand that they are back under their family’s roof and certain expectations are necessary. It’s important to remember that these students are no longer children but young adults who have been on their own and learning independence for some time. Keep in mind that the college years are the time when your students are taking on the responsibilities you have been

preparing them for. The desire to do things oneself is a natural consequence of living alone, and families shouldn’t feel unwanted, but instead appreciate the fact that their student is learning how to survive on their own. Even for those students who are living at home while attending college, the same is true as they are navigating more on their own as they schedule class and work time, family time and personal time. They are growing and becoming more independent as well.

The most difficult challenge for parents, though, is accepting that their student may not seem to be the same person that left for college in August/September. Families may want to consider discussing things with their student before that first holiday/long break. Laying some groundwork will pay off, so you may want to consider the following:

• Have a good sense of humor – don’t expect everything

to be the same

• Be flexible – you have many people’s schedules to work around

• Consider the other’s perspective about things

• Remember it is your home and they must follow your rules – just be sure that everyone understands this

• Try to be both generous and accommodating to the new adult in the family

• Try to prepare for difficult times

• Remind your student that their job in becoming an adult is that they must act like one

By compromising on some of the rules and guidelines for managing your home, the transition for both parties can be made much easier. By simply communicating with your student and giving the same respect you're asking for in return, the transition home for this longer stretch can be made almost painless.

We wish you all the very best for a wonderful, safe and HEALTHY Thanksgiving and holiday season.

RAs welcome students back to campus! Socially-distant team-building activities

4

Staying Well! Time for your flu vaccinations! We have had two successful clinics for our students thus far, and will hold another in February as that is when there is often another surge. Your local provider, pharmacies and business are offering them now as well. Get your flu shot soon as it takes two weeks to be effective. This year with the additional concern for COVID-19 it is very helpful to have one and check it off your list.

Make a wellness plan! Get plenty of rest, eat well, drink plenty of water, wash your hands often, use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available, cough or sneeze into your sleeve/elbow and if you use a tissue wash your hands afterwards.

Consider adding some immune boosters like 500mg of Vitamin C daily. Check out herbs and spices like turmeric, cinnamon, and elderberry syrup, as some of them are known to be strong anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral sources. Always use them as directed.

Get outside and take in the sun for some Vitamin D. Walking at least three times a week for about 30 minutes will lift your spirits, increase your cardiovascular flow and give you an opportunity to invite your family and friends (with social distancing and masks) to join you. The face coverings/masks need to be covering the nose and mouth when worn and a 3 ply or 3 layered material is most effective. The CDC does not recommend the use of masks/face covering with valves or vents as they are not protective.

Fall is here and Winter is coming! With a grain of “good ole Maine common sense” be sure to keep your feet, hands, head and lower back covered to keep the warmth in. This will help the body maintain its normal temperature and to better meet the challenges ahead. The motto “Be prepared” is most pertinent now. We are looking forward to partnering with you to help keep your student well. We certainly know that we can all do this together while offering each other patience, kindness and respect. Be well! Blessings!

It’s hard to believe that we are midway through the semester

already! You have every reason to be proud of your student

for their resilience and adaptability when it comes to

adjusting to campus life, and college in general, during a

pandemic. As one of the myriad of adaptations made this

semester to ensure that we are doing what we can to

prioritize the health and safety of all, counseling services are

being provided via telebehavioral health. Practically

speaking, this means that your student’s appointment with

their counselor occurs via video call on a platform that meets

HIPAA standards. On the whole, students seem to have

made this adjustment in stride.

Here’s the part where you can help: please talk with your

student about the availability of counseling supports. This is

a free, confidential service available to all full-time day

students. Remind them that they need not wait until things

are “really bad” to schedule an appointment; in fact, every

time I have the chance I remind students to seek help sooner

rather than later with a mindset of “let’s take care of the

small things while they are small things.” As in years past, we

work to keep the process of setting up an appointment as

barrier free as possible – your student merely sends an email

to counselor@thomas.edu to request an appointment.

If you notice changes in your student’s demeanor, especially

as we approach turning the clocks back and the winter

months here in Maine, please talk with them about what you

see. Let them know that supports are available on campus

and encourage your student to give counseling a try. If you

have any questions about Counseling Services at Thomas,

please feel free to reach out to me

at counselor@thomas.edu.

Go Terriers!

ABOVE: Olivia Rowe playing mini

golf on the quad

BELOW: Members of Rotaract

Club organized a campus cleanup

Counseling Services—Carol Jollotta, LCSW, Counselor

The Wellness Connection—

Cheryl Daggett, APRN-CNP, Director of Health Services

5

UPDATES FROM CAREER SERVICES

Handshake is our new online career platform to explore jobs, approve internships, set-up appointments, participate in in-

terviews and events such as Thomas College's first Fall Virtual Career Fair, November 3rd from 3:30-6:30 p.m. (students

must register to select employer sessions). Access your profile at https://thomas.joinhandshake.com/login and using your

Thomas sign-on credentials.

A schedule of events and TEAMS LINKS can also be found at https://www.thomas.edu/career/events-and-workshops/,

along with online workshops that can be done at your convenience to meet your GJP or internship requirements.

#ThomasStandsUp is a program initiated in Fall 2017 by

Student Affairs staff with the goal of rewarding students

noted for going above and beyond in serving their Thomas

community.

LG Fleurine (clockwise starting upper left), Cailey Ferguson,

Diane Mutoni, Kyle Greene, Bethany Dehmer, Emma

Hayden, Joel Matondo, and Ryley Velozo were recognized

for their participation in the President’s Task Force on

Equity, Diversity and Social Justice.

Owen Orlando (lower left) was recognized for his efforts to

encourage student civic engagement in the upcoming

election.

#ThomasStandsUp Winners

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

November 25th-27th: Thanksgiving Vacation

December 14th—18th: Finals Week

December 18th: End of Fall 2020 Term

January 19th: Start of Spring 2021 Term and Classes

6

Student Life — Michael Sales, Senior Coordinator of Student Activities

Tuesday Team Trivia: Show What You Know!

In the summer of 2019 the Student Life Office invested in TriviaHub Live software, with the intent of trying a team-based

trivia approach that is similar to what many restaurants, breweries, and legion halls offer regularly. In the fall of 2019 we

tried hosting our first matches, with each night consisting of 3-5 rounds of questions, some themed and some general

knowledge. We originally set up shop in The Dog Pound (our campus snack bar) so that students had access to food and

beverages, with questions read aloud by me and question and answer countdown timers displayed on a tv monitor.

Answers were recorded with pen and paper. Teams were comprised of 3-5 students, and the competitions were 3 weeks

long—the team with the most correct answers after 3 weeks was awarded a $15 gift card to the place of their choosing for

each team member. Some winning teams asked for gift cards to the same locale so they could go out and celebrate their

victory together, while other teams chose individual preferences for gift cards. After each 3 week session, I’d wonder if the

teams would come back next time or if they had had enough…but each time, they came back. So we kept playing.

Fast forward to March and the pandemic hit. Students started classes remotely and I wondered, can the magic continue? It

did! Week after week our trivia die hards were there—virtually through Microsoft Teams. In fact, in the pandemic we

gained quite a few more teams as students were looking to socialize in safe ways. They were there, with their mics muted,

as they strategized with their teammates! Answers were submitted by the team online through the TrviaHub Live

software. When it was time to review the answers of the previous round, the students turned their mics back on so that I

could hear the banter of an answer gone wrong for their team!

Fast forward again to this fall. Trivia is back again! This year we are running trivia every Tuesday (previously we had taken

a “rest week” between 3 week seasons) and the momentum has continued! We are in a classroom this year as we look to

limit occupancy in the Dog Pound. As interest increases, we have the ability to spread into additional classrooms where I

can join them virtually as host. Answers are submitted online on a students’ personal device, students social distance and

wear face coverings, and best yet, share lots of laughs. As host, the conversations that happen out loud vs. the ones

happening via technology are quite entertaining, as they talk about answers without saying them aloud so the other teams

can’t hear. Students used to huddle up and whisper but for now that is a thing of the past. Tuesday Team Trivia is just one

of many campus programs that have evolved and adapted to current times. If you are interested in seeing more of what is

offered to students on campus, head to www.thomas.edu/events.

UPCOMING DATES FROM THE REGISTRAR AND STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES

The 2021-2022 FAFSA is now available! Head to www.fafsa.gov to fill out yours today.

Spring Class Pre-registration occurs November 16th-20th, 2020.

Spring bills will be sent out December 16th, 2020 and will be due by January 10th, 2021.

Students making mosaics at a CAB event! Students band together to play Family Feud!

7

What’s New In Dining Services - Jody Pelotte, Director of Dining Services

Esports - Martin Schelasin, Head Coach

The Thomas Esports teams kicked off the Fall 2020 season in dramatic fashion with the program growing to nearly 50

players and 12 teams. Beyond just growth in size, the team has also sprung into their year reaching new competitive

heights. Cresting the regular season’s midpoint, Overwatch, Smash, and VALORANT all boast Top 10 rankings in the ECAC

in fields of 50, 70, and 32 teams respectively.

Adjacent to our ECAC competition, the Thomas Call of Duty

teams and Rainbow 6: Siege team have produced equally

excellent results. Call of Duty posted numerous Top 64 and Top

32 finishes in the nationwide Tespa Duos season where week-

to-week over 200 teams regularly competed. In the case of

Rainbow 6, they just completed their Fall season 2-2, barely

missing play-offs off of tiebreaker differentials.

The year has just begun however, and the teams are picking up

more and more momentum one week to the next. Stay tuned to

@ThomasEsports on Twitter and Twitch.tv to follow the teams

as they close out their Fall regular seasons and, in numerous

cases, start to take on the region’s and country’s best

throughout playoffs.

We are very pleased to have all students back on campus. It’s been a very difficult year for all and the current situation with COVID-19 has forced us to look for new ways to offer our program. In dining we have risen to the occasion and found new ways of offering students and families meals a little outside the box, literally. Our first event was a welcome to campus, offering a boxed lunch meal with a choice of options and done outside to help folks keep socially distanced. As we continue to move the program forward and the state updates guidelines our dining program will evolve with those guidelines to offer a dining experience that represents as close to normal as safely possible.

Student feedback is very important to us and we have already had our first Food Committee meeting with students. This group gives us valuable feedback in real time - good and bad - and we make changes to the program based on this group’s recommendations. Our dining program also has great promotions - currently we are featuring our Students give back program. Student register in dining at the checkers station and if their name is selected, they will win a $500.00 dollar gift card for their favorite charity and a $100.00 dollar gift card for themselves.

Jeanie’s café and our Dog Pound location have added special offers and promotions as well, with discounts on food and drinks at each location. Jeanie’s also offers a frequency card. The Dog Pound has added lots of great new items as well like candy and snack favorites. The campus store has been restocked with new items just in times for the holiday season.

Engrossed in a match, Esports students are on a roll!

Dietary Restrictions?

We work hard all year to make sure our guests with dietary restrictions or food

allergies can dine safely. We offer more options than ever before (look for gluten-free

items at the Dog Pound!) and if you don’t see something simply ask any of our team

members, we are all happy to help!

Dining on Campus... Food & Fun Every Day

Commuters can visit the main dining office or shop

online

For more information on

dining options & meal plans,

etc., visit us at: https://

thomas.sodexomyway.com/

8

Thomas College

Office of Student Affairs

180 West River Road

Waterville, ME 04901

Join us at our second Virtual Fall Family Event of the year with

Magician Jason Michaels!

Friday, November 6th—8pm on ZOOM

Check your email and FB pages for a link on November 6th

Is your student attending the 7th annual Leadership Conference?

They won’t want to miss Sherry Winn’s keynote address!

Saturday, November 7th—9:30am-3:30pm

Learn more at: https://www.thomas.edu/leadership-conference/