Today's Update: Monday, December 15, 2025

December 15, 2025

Dear Student Life team, 

We’ve nearly made it to the end of the semester and the calendar year. Congratulations to everyone! 

Now, with finals in full swing and Winter Break right around the corner, I want to emphasize how important it is for all of us to take the time we can to pause, reflect and practice some self-care. Winter Recess offers an excellent opportunity to catch our breath and hopefully de-stress.

Even though the university will be closed over the recess, Student Life is, of course, a 24/7 operation, and we have some work and programming that will need to take place over the break, like facility cleaning and maintenance and prepping for service trips and Cotton Bowl travel. This means not everyone on our team can take all the Winter Recess days off. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t ease the burden as much as possible by limiting the number of people who are physically on campus and delaying non-urgent emails and meetings. 

The bottom line is this: I strongly urge you to use Winter Recess to refresh and rejuvenate to the greatest extent possible. And please know how very Scarlet and Grateful I am for each and every one of you!

 

Melissa S. Shivers, PhD        
Senior Vice President for Student Life         
The Ohio State University