Parent Council Newsletter: Giving and Gratitude

November 2013

A Season for Giving

Dear Eckerd Parents,

One of the goals of the Eckerd College Parent Council is to build a culture of philanthropy among parents and, through our example, instill this value in our students. Service is an important component of the Eckerd experience that enriches our students' learning, and a significant part of service is giving. We can lead the way by making a gift to Eckerd in honor of our students, whether on the occasion of the holidays, graduation, his or her birthday, or simply because. For more information on how to support Eckerd, please visit Ways to Give.

During this season of gratitude, we hope you will consider passing onto our children a tradition of giving that will last a lifetime. Eckerd is a special place worthy of our support, now and forever.

Sincerely,

Mark and Susan Zink (P '16)

Chairs of the Advancement Committee

Eckerd College Parent Council

Thanksgiving at Eckerd

For those students unable to travel home for the holiday, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Jim Annarelli and his family will host the annual Thanksgiving Feast in Fox Hall on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 28. There will be a delicious buffet of turkey with all the traditional trimmings, football game viewing in Triton's Pub and activities for all ages. Meal cards will admit students who are on the meal plan. For other students, faculty, staff and guests, dinner tickets are available for $7.50 per person through the Bon Appetit Dining Services Office. Please encourage your son or daughter to attend this festive celebration of the extended Eckerd College family.

Also, "On Thanksgiving Day, Eckerd students, faculty and staff--led by adult students from our Program for Experienced Learners--will be preparing and serving Thanksgiving dinner to 300 persons in need ... And to keep everyone busy during the rest of the week," Dean Annarelli says, "we are scheduling special shopping shuttles for students, holding board game nights in our main student lounge and distributing free movie passes."

Read more about college Thanksgivings: 'Friendsgiving' warms up an on-campus holiday

For more information on Thanksgiving community service, please contact Doug McMahon, director of the Center for Spiritual Life and chaplain, at mcmahodh@eckerd.edu.

What Your Student Could Be Experiencing Now

Midyear can be a time of stress for college students. Exams, projects and term papers sometimes all hit at once. Students may face competing social demands. Those who became involved in too many campus organizations might have trouble balancing the demands of the organizations with the demands of coursework.

This is a good time for a college parent to ask some important questions and do a lot of listening--not just to the words but to the messages between the lines.

There is one very important question to ask your student at this point in the Fall Semester: Are you going to class? It may seem simple, but some college students don't see the connection between class attendance and better grades. Beyond common sense, some recent studies have determined there is a direct relationship between class attendance and a higher GPA. So, talk to your student about the importance of showing up. Encourage your student to get back on track if he or she has been missing some classes. Near the halfway mark of the academic year, there is still time to make a difference.

What else can you do as a parent?

Be sympathetic, but don't try to "fix" problems for your student. By letting him fix his own problems, you will demonstrate your confidence in him and help him build confidence in himself.
Direct her to college resources for assistance with papers and assignments.
Encourage your student to meet with his mentor and other professors to get a sense of his class standing at this crucial point in the semester.