Today's Update: Tuesday, March 5, 2024

March 5, 2024

Dear Student Life team,

Spring Break is next week! There are days when it seemed to come very quickly, and other days when I thought it would never get here.  

Spring Break is important for our students to rest and recharge before heading into finals and the end of the academic year. It’s equally important for you to do the same. As hard as we work to support our students, we need to work equally hard to support our colleagues and ourselves. 

Please, next week, take some time, as best you can, to take a deep breath and recenter yourself for the final push through the semester. We don’t get many chances like this on the calendar, so it’s important to take advantage of the time we get. 

I know that not everyone can take a break during this time. I’m just asking you to be mindful and do your best to use the time to reconnect with yourself. I’m hoping we get more good spring weather to enjoy, instead of a return to snow and cold.  

Let’s extend meeting-free-Fridays through the whole Spring Break week. Where that isn’t possible, schedule only meetings that are essential and mission critical. Be mindful about what really counts as essential. 

We all have the responsibility to take care of ourselves and each other. When we prioritize our well-being, we’re ensuring that we’ll be able to continue our Scarlet and Great work. 

 

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