Are You Safe? Are You Helping Others Stay Safe?

Tuesday, Sept. 1, App State begins its annual SAFETY WEEK.  Programs focusing on suicide, interpersonal violence and high-risk drinking prevention will be offered on campus Sept. 1-3.  Your FYS instructor may very well have encouraged you to attend some of the events as part of FYS’s goal of having you think about responsibilities of community membership.

On Tuesday, High-Risk Drinking Prevention Training will be offered from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Plemmons Student Union’s Watauga River Room.

Tuesday evening features a HUGE outdoor gathering on Sanford Mall as students, staff, faculty, and community members take part in the annual, App State-specific “Walk for Awareness.” Beginning at 8 p.m., the film “Why Walk? – A Survivor’s Story” will be shown in I.G. Greer Auditorium. The film is an introduction to the annual Walk for Awareness.  The walk begins at 9 p.m. on Sanford Mall. The silent walk across campus commemorates lives lost to violence and supports victims and survivors of violence.  Those walking go to Schaeffer Center, where there will be live music and a presentation by App State alumnus and expert on interpersonal violence, Kit Gruelle.

Other activities to check out are:

Wednesday, Sept. 2

• 9:30 to 11 a.m., Interpersonal Violence Prevention Training, room 169 Three Top Mountain, Plemmons Student Union
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Safety Festival on Sanford Mall
• 4 to 3:30 p.m., High-Risk Drinking Prevention Training, New River Room, Plemmons Student Union

Thursday, Sept. 3

• 3 to 4:30 p.m., Interpersonal Violence Prevention Training, room 169 Three Top Mountain, Plemmons Student Union
• 5:15 to 7:15 p.m., Suicide Prevention Training, room 415 Rough Ridge, Plemmons Student Union

Additional suicide prevention training will be held throughout the semester. Visit http://preventsuicide.appstate.edufor more information.

For dates and times of additional interpersonal violence prevention training, visit http://redflag.appstate.edu.

Training related to high-risk alcohol and drug prevention will be offered throughout September by the Wellness and Prevention Office. Call 262-3148 for details.

Are You an Emerging Leader?

See yourself as a leader? Then consider this.  Deadline is Aug 31st!

The Center for Student Involvement and Leadership is recruiting for a 10 week leadership experience call Emerging Leaders.  Emerging Leaders is a great way for 1st year, 2nd year, and transfer students to get involved, connected and meet new people. Below is some more general information as well as the link to apply on AppSync (our deadline is coming up on the 31st).

What is Emerging Leaders? 

The Emerging Leaders Program is a ten week experience designed for first-year, second-year and transfer students interested in personal growth and leadership development. The program introduces you to leadership through experiential activities, adventures and a retreat.

We meet one time each week during the ten weeks, and offer 4 different time and day slots for you to choose from depending on your schedule.   This is not a course or a for-credit experience; it’s a great way to build friendships and connections while learning and practicing leadership skills!

 

Our Fall 2015 Emerging Leader dates are: 

Tuesdays, 4:00 – 6:00pm

Wednesdays, 2:00 – 4:00pm

Wednesdays, 4:00 – 6:00pm

Thursdays, 4:00 – 6:00pm

Important upcoming dates and application deadline: 

• First meetings will begin the week of  September 1st
• Retreat: Saturday September 26th – Sunday September 27th (note: If you plan on going through sorority recruitment this conflicts, but please keep us in mind for Spring semester!)
• *Applications are due Monday, August 31, 11:59pm  Click here to apply!

Any questions can be forwarded to Jordan Funk (funkj@appstate.edu) or Kim Mitchell (828-262-6252, mtchllkl@appstate

What You Really Need to Know About the Freshman 15

The Freshman 15 You Really Need to Know

See Jane Fight Back

As September approaches, young people gearing up for college are inundated with information about freshman year – what NOT to buy for your college dorm room, tips for getting along with your new roomie, how to/why you’ll love freshman year, how to drink at college parties, and of course, the Freshman 15.

Now, all the data tells us that the Freshman 15 is a myth – the average weight gain for students is around 3 lbs (the same as for non-students of the same age), but the problem of sexual assault is not a myth.  So we here at SJFB are shamelessly co-opting the phrase “Freshman 15” to give you the top 15 things you actually need to know as college students, first year and otherwise:

1. You get to decide what you do with your own body. That’s right – whether it’s what you…

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Welcome HOME to Appalachian State

This is a blog for new, first-year students at Appalachian State. . . .

Freshmen,
Welcome home. I know that may sound strange, since it’s your first week here at Appalachian. But we academics like to think of home as something more than a place you occupy permanently or hang up all your clothes.

Let the green surroundings of our beautiful campus with plenty of places to contemplate encourage you to focus on your studies, your immediate goals, and your big dreams.  Find a place here that is uniquely your own: a favorite spot under a favorite tree, or a favorite room in a favorite building.  You’ll find some spaces seem to speak to who you are or who you want to become. (Try that under the florescent lights of your local D.M.V.!)

Interestingly enough, this year’s Homecoming celebration has the theme of “Home Sweet Home Appalachian,” and you’ll notice that weekend in October that the many alumni–who were once in your shoes and who’ve gone on to amazing careers and lives–still call Appalachian “home.”  I think you will, too.

And of course, while it’s a football game that sets up the Homecoming event, in the end our alumni were–as you are–here for something way beyond exciting games of football.  Ten and 20 years from now, your football will have deflated and your beer will have evaporated.  But your books, and the spirit of discovery and creativity they represent, will have only grown.

Perhaps I should come out from behind the curtain and introduce myself. I’m Martha McCaughey, not particularly great or powerful, simply a professor here at Appalachian.  I also coordinate our First Year Seminar program.  You probably know of this blog through your FYS class, and I hope you’ll sign up for weekly posts that include tips for navigating the complex world of the university.  But, of course, this blog is not required.  And if you’ve moved on to sophomore or junior status you are, of course, free to un-subscribe.

Welcome home.