Survey Says...

Vol 5 No 2

Hi there, folks.

In this blog - and via email - you are being invited to complete a survey that asks you some short questions about your semester and your experiences with Honors.  I really hope that you will take the time to complete it. 

Image by geralt via Pixabay

One of the questions in it is about a Penpal Project that I’m hoping to put in place this semester.  I’d like to create groups within Honors and invite you to keep in touch with one another throughout the semester.  This can be via email or social media, and the intent is to give you someone to talk to who is sharing some of the same experiences you are, though in a different way.  We can’t really chat casually as easily as we have in the past since we are all rather sequestered in our homes and workplaces.  Sometimes, it can be nice to have someone to just say hello to, tell them about your day or your pets or your big dreams.  I loved the Living History project that some of you engaged in last semester, but it felt, in some ways, very isolated.  I like this idea because it doesn’t have to cost anyone any money, and it can be done quickly and easily.  And it helps us to make connections.  Maybe you’ll find a best friend.  Maybe you’ll never chat again – but, at least for a little while, you will have the chance to have a conversation with someone you may not have otherwise come into contact with.  I’ll have more details once I see if anyone is interested, but I need to first figure out if anyone else finds this as intriguing an idea as I do.  I could even provide ‘conversation cards’ to give you a place to start in your conversations.  We will figure it out once I see if anyone is interested.

Other questions are designed to help get a sense of your connection with Honors and what it means to you.  As you might imagine, everything is different these days and so it’s tough to get a sense of were we all stand as Honors students.  So, what a better way to find out than by asking!  One question tries to get at why students enroll in Honors classes in the first place.  Some of the responses seem funny, but they are all ones I’ve heard before!  Sometimes, students end up in Honors classes and don’t even know it until after the class starts.  There are lots of reasons why a student ends up in Honors and I’m hoping to get some idea as to why YOU chose.  The other one is about describing Honors as you see it.  I plan to use the words you use to create some sort of cool visual that I can share with everyone.

There are a series of questions about the blog – which will help me as I look ahead to the coming weeks.  I’ve always loved the title because Honors DOES matter to me.. and it’s about things (matters) related to Honors.  But, I want to also make sure it matters to YOU.  So, I’m asking for your input so I can make our online spaces as useful and interesting as I can for everyone.

I ask your shirt size because I’m trying to get us shirts.  No promises, though.

Last, but not least, I am using this survey to check in with you and see how you are doing.  The world is such an uncertain and difficult places and I want to make sure that all of you are doing okay and that you have what you need to be successful as students, but also as citizens of the world.  We can’t always easily solve everyone’s problems, but we CAN listen and we can be there for one another.  I want you to feel like someone cares … because I do.

Honors Matters.  And so do you.  Please complete the survey!  You can find it here.

Image by Quicksandala via Pixabay

Fall 2020 - Let's Connect

Vol 5 No 1

Welcome and Welcome Back!

Things look very different this fall, and it can be a bit of a struggle and a challenge to feel the same excitement about a new semester as when we are part of the hustle and bustle of the hallways.  But, we will not be deterred!  We are all in this together and that means we will do what we can to make this a happy, healthy, and successful semester for all.  If you are new to Honors, we are so happy to have you here.  If you are returning – welcome back, friends.  It may look and feel different, but at its core, Honors is still here and still celebrating curiosity. 

There are seven Honors courses running this semester – Environmental Science, Composition I (two full sections!), Introduction to Reading Literature, Perspectives on Tolkien, Mathematics of Money, and Race & Ethnicity.  That’s a pretty nice spectrum of subjects and I’m happy to report that so far, we have three contracts in place.  Remember – if you’ve taken an Honors class prior to this semester, you can turn a course into Honors via a contract.  You can find more information here.

We have plans in the works to have Honors Events this semester – notably a talk series on WebEx on a number of topics that will hopefully be of interest.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover – let me know!  We will find someone to host one if at all possible.  These talks can be reflected upon and then gathered together in a reflective essay at the end of the semester for Honors points, though I hope you will attend even if points are not your goal.  We are currently booking topics relating to gender identity, LGBTQ+ issues, nutrition for everyday folks, girls+ in gaming, a discussion about God across varying religions (a sneak peek at next semester’s seminar!), and more!  We will host these events on WebEx at varying days and times throughout the semester, so hopefully you can make it to one or more.  Stay tuned!

As always, I invite Honor students to be a guest blogger for Honors Matters.  Another way to earn a point if you’d like, you can blog about anything relating to your studies in Honors (and hopefully how those studies connect to other aspects of your life).

Last but not least, I just want to end this first blog of the new academic year by reminding all of you that you are not alone.  Many are struggling right now in the face of what seem like insurmountable odds.  Civil unrest, racial injustice, political upheaval, and the pandemic are all pushing against us at every turn.  But none of us are alone.  We are as strong as we are united – so stay connected, stay together, and stay healthy.  And if you need us, reach out.  I’ll find you folks to connect with and talk to, even if it’s ‘just’ about your favorite movie or your cats.  We got you.

-T

Image taken from Pixabay