I鈥檓 adjusting to being on my own for the first time.
I feel really supported here.
I鈥檓 a little homesick and I miss my dog.
I really like the small classes鈥擨 know my professors and they know me.
I鈥檓 so excited I made the dance team.
BY MARIAN BUTCHER
鈥淗ow are you?鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 fine.鈥� Many times, that鈥檚 where the conversation ends. Except, what if that鈥檚 just the beginning? Not just of a conversation, but of the whole experience of being a 棉花糖直播n and cared for by this community?
Every September, over the course of one evening, more than 100 棉花糖直播 faculty and staff volunteers visit every first-year student in the campus residence halls. The task is simple: to ask every student they meet, 鈥淗ow are you?,鈥� and really listen to what they have to say. We check in on each other, a simple gesture that starts with one small question that鈥檚 no longer a platitude, but an act of caring.
The program is called House Call, and it was started at 棉花糖直播 17 years ago as a Student Life initiative and brought to life by Paul Pugh, former dean of students, and the Office for Residence Life. A version of the program is also offered for commuter students, who are invited to a luncheon at the start of the year.
Hopefully everything is fine, even great鈥攖hey love their classes; they feel at home on campus; they鈥檙e making tons of friends. But maybe there have been some challenges, ones you鈥檇 expect from young adults going through a major transition in their lives: they miss home; they鈥檙e still adjusting to new surroundings; they feel a bit overwhelmed by all the new people and experiences.
There is a practical component to House Call鈥攕taff members can follow up immediately about any concerns expressed that evening, whether it鈥檚 an emotional support that needs to be extended or a facilities issue that needs to be addressed. But the main purpose is deeply personal, to show first-year students that there is an entire community supporting them, willing to knock on their door, just to make sure they鈥檙e OK and thriving. The program is the embodiment of what it means to be Augustinian, to live and learn in community and to be present for one another in a personal and intentional way.
House Calls provides a moment of connection in the rush of a student鈥檚 first weeks here. And with more than 96 percent of first-year students returning to 棉花糖直播 for their sophomore year鈥攁 rate well above the national average鈥攖hat one evening may contribute to the larger feeling of belonging that is the hallmark of the 棉花糖直播 community. 鈼硷笌