Fall 2017: Semester in Review

Posted on by

It’s the last day of finals here on campus (I know, we can’t believe it either) and that means a whole semester has passed since you graduated!

Campus has been busy with all sorts of things this semester, so we thought we’d do a quick recap so you won’t feel like you missed out on any of the good stuff.

Here are some highlights.

Torrey Hall Fire:

The Burlington Free Press captured a live video at the scene as it was handled by the fire department.

If you didn’t know, the third floor of Torrey Hall houses the Pringle Herbarium.This was a scary day for many professors on campus, as they didn’t know if the rare specimens would survive. Thankfully, there was little damage to the herbariarium. Check out the Seven days article for more info.

Student Protests / Student Demands:

During the semester, a group of students brought their concerns regarding diversity at UVM to the administration, and President Sullivan.

Seven days has an article that covers the whole conversation, as well as the list of student demands and the president’s response embedded on the page.

Dairy Bar:

THE UVM DAIRY BAR IS OPEN!

And the best part- They’re using local milk and cream from the UVM C.R.E.A.M. Program! We prefer cookies and cream or their coffee flavors. Yum!

Full Story Here.

Wellness Environment:

This semester was the first with the new and improved Wellness Environment. With a new central location in the new first year dorms, and expanded student participation, the ‘WE’ has made a big impact on campus. (As well as a bit of a splash in the news).

These Students aren’t nodding off, they’re meditating. -Boston Globe

Hudziak talks WE progress, concerns. -VT Cynic

New Buildings on Campus:

Wondering how they fit all those new WE students into central campus? Well, there’s been a bit of construction. We realize a lot of this was going on when you all were on campus, but here’s a quick update.

The Discovery Building (part 1 of the STEM Complex) has been completed, and at the beginning of this semester, Cook Hall was torn down to make room for the Innovation building, which will come next. Oh, and there’s a cool pedestrian bridge that links Votey to Discovery!

Right behind, the Central Campus Residence-Hall (yep, it hasn’t been named yet) opened for the first time, and includes a new dining hall (apparently the lines have been out the door all semester)! Oh, and there’s a cool pedestrian bridge linking it with Bailey-Howe Library. So yeah, bridges are in right now.

Still underway is the construction of Ifshin Hall (an expansion on the Kalkin Building) and they’re beginning renovations to the Taft School building, at the corner of Pearl and South Williams; a new home for Art and Dance on campus.

Faculty Features:

Missing your fave prof? Check out these super cool faculty features! They interviewed people like Yutaka Kono, Rasheda Weaver, Tina Escaja, Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, Major Jackson and more!

They can all be found on the UVM Facebook page.

And just like that, the semester is over!

What’s a Career Outcome? – A Reminder about a reminder

Posted on by

Hey Gang, Are you feeling a bit like this when people ask about your career?

We get that.

It’s not super fun to talk career stuff, because you are all on different paths to professional glory, and your current position could be completely different in a few months. But we’ve been asked to give you guys a reminder about the Class of 2017 Career Outcome Survey.

We realize that you’ve probably gotten a million emails about this. Your parents might have even gotten an email about it.

We’re doing a solid for our friends over in the Career Center by sending one more reminder. This will be the only time we remind you guys about it.

They want to give all of you the chance to provide feedback- positive or negative. Did UVM help prepare you for the world?

As an added bonus, if you guys fill out the survey today you’re automatically entered to win a $20 amazon.com gift card! 1 in 10 will be winners, so fill it out today!

Click through to take the survey, and then you’ll never hear about it again (from us)!

 

Thank you, Pam and George. 💛

Posted on by

If you haven’t heard, Pam and George are retiring their bright yellow food truck at the end of the fall semester, and taking some well deserved time for themselves.

We’re really sad to see them go, but we want to celebrate them too. So, we thought we’d take a moment to talk with them and hear about how they’re feeling on the eve of this milestone.

(Pam and one of her regulars. His dog gets a hotdog from Pam’s every day after his walk “Finnegan style” – no bun, cut up into pieces.)

How long have you been running the truck?

We’ve been doing this since right about 1982. We used to have two separate trucks, Pam’s and George’s. We would hire lots of students from the university- a boys truck and a girls truck. It was lots of fun back then, a lot going on.

What has been your favorite part about this whole experience?

Oh, I would say my favorite part has been getting to know everyone here on campus- the students, the professors, the staff and workers in all the buildings who come by for breakfast or lunch. There have been so many memorable faces and personalities, and it’s been great to get to know the community here.

There have been such great times, and there have been hardships as well. Throughout all of that, the UVM community was here for us in a really wonderful and supportive way.

What was your least favorite part of running the truck?

Definitely the winters, the winters can be really hard.

And don’t forget, we raised our kids during the whole time we’ve been running this truck. Though it was a lot of fun to make sandwiches for the kids before school- I’d have to make two of this kind of sandwich, two of that kind of sandwich and the kids would be trading among themselves.

What’s going to happen to the truck when you’re all done?

Oh, it will get another life- we’re going to sell it to Ahli Baba’s. Their truck, believe or not, is 20 years older than ours! So our truck will have a new life with them.

Is there something you’d like to say to all the UVM Alumni who have graduated?

Just that I’m proud of them. There are so many students and athletes we’ve known who have gone on to do amazing things, and we’re just so proud of all of you.

Well Pam, let me say this, from all of us:

We love you, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for keeping us all fed for those 8:30 classes, reminding us that a smile can brighten your whole day, and being a “Mom away from home” for so many of us.

We’re so happy that UVM was such a home for you both, and we’re so lucky that you have been a part of the UVM family for so long.

Best of luck on everything you do in your retirement. Enjoy!!

Thank You Class of 2016!

Posted on by

Hey 2016ers, thank you for following along the past 16 months. Yes, it is time for us to say goodbye, but only in the form of weekly posts.

We get how you feel.

Image result for luke skywalker i am your father gif

We want you to know that this is the last post we will write specifically for you Class of 2016.

Why? Our job was to help you transition from being a student to a UVM alum and you’ve done that (mostly without our help)! We hope this blog has helped a little bit with that transition and given you some inspiration and a few chuckles along the way.

We hope you’ll stay connected to UVM.

One of the best ways to do that is to make sure your contact information is up to date. That way we know where to send event invitations and other UVM-related items. You can update your contact information here.

Don’t forget about being social!

UVM is on LinkedIn (UVM Alumni Association), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@uvmvermont). So be sure to follow along.

We’ve had a lot of fun writing for and getting to meet some of you and we once again wish you all the best.

If you want to stay in touch, email us at ryan.chartier@uvm.edu or kathryn.meader@uvm.edu. We’d love for you to share your first year out story with the class of 2017 or ’18 and beyond.

Image result for to infinity and beyond gif

Before we go, we made a little goodbye video featuring all of the folks we work with here at Alumni House wishing you well. We hope you enjoy, and, stop by anytime!

A Farewell to the Class of 2016 from UVMF on Vimeo.

Best,

Ryan ’10 and Kathryn ’15

Making Your First Loan Payment – 2017 Edition

Posted on by

Yep. It’s finally arrived. For many of you, your first loan payment is this month.

kramer GIF

We get it. Even though it has been in the back of your mind for a while now, it still feels like a surprise.

But never fear, if you plan ahead and get organized, you won’t feel like this:

Image result for confused math lady

In fact, as an added bonus we are marking this occasion with a special giveaway: A free UVM Alumni Association bottle opener! You’ve earned it! Read on below for some helpful tips for making your first payment.

(Yes, these are all soft drinks – never doubt the refreshing power of a rhubarb seltzer)

If you are anything like us, when our first loan payment arrived, we went through a lot of emotions…

“No way, this can’t be happening already, I just graduated.”

“It’s a conspiracy I tell you!”

“Just give me a few more months then I’ll be ready to start paying, I promise.”

“It can’t be true…”

“I’m still upset, but I realize this is just one more step in being a real adult.”

With this in mind, here are five essential things you should do before making your first payment – because Afterword has your back.

  1. Read this article to get started understanding your loans.
  2. Get Organized. Figure out if you have federal loans or private loans (or both) and how many. It’s probably easiest to ask your parents, look at old mail, or check your email — you loan provider has almost certainly tried to contact you by now.
  3. Pick a repayment plan. There are several types and many loans have an option for income-based repayment.  Also, if you are in grad school, make sure to defer your loans.
  4. Don’t make your payment late. They are already going to get enough of your money. Don’t give them any extra.
  5. Get Your Free UVM Alumni Association Bottle Opener. Open your favorite Vermont beverage with it, sink into your couch, and start a Netflix binge. You earned it. (We personally chose some favorite maple and rhubarb seltzer).