Dear Students and Families,
Happy Friday! As you are wrapping up the spring semester and readying yourself for exam week, I want to remind you that you’ve got this!
On Wednesday, President Fuchs’ final column of the semester ran in the Florida Alligator. He encouraged students, faculty and staff to “have the stamina and clarity to finish strong — and the continued resilience and optimism to succeed in the times ahead.” I wholly echo his sentiments.
This next week marks a huge milestone in your academic career. For many of you, you are about one week shy of completing your undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree. Congratulations! For others, you may breathe a deep sigh of relief as you wrap up your first year as a member of The Gator Nation. Congratulations to you, too!
No matter where you are along your academic journey, the summer can provide you an opportunity to focus on both your personal or professional goals. Hopefully, you will allow us to help, as we have many resources to support your growth and discovery.
UF’s Career Connections Center is available to assist you, virtually, as you explore your next steps. They offer 30-minute coaching sessions tailored specifically to meet your needs. You can discuss with them anything related to your career endeavors, including choosing/changing your major; finding and discussing your interests, your strengths and values; finding meaningful experiences; developing your network; and graduate school exploration.
They also offer new workshop topics in response to our current environment, including Building a Virtual Brand, Job Searching during Economic Uncertainty and How to Navigate a Virtual Career Fair.
I encourage you all to maximize this time and utilize these resources to help support your goals or establish them. And know that I’m cheering you on from Gainesville and sending all good vibes your way.
Be safe, be well, and as always – Go Gators!
Dr. D’Andra Mull
Vice President for Student Affairs
UPDATES:
Parking Decal Refunds
All students who purchased an annual or semester parking decal valid for the month of April will receive a refund of $16.00. Students who purchased a decal for the Spring and Summer Semesters will receive a refund of $96.00, which includes the $16.00 for the month of April, plus $80 for the Summer Semester. Refunds will be made directly to your student account, by physical check, or by electronic funds transfer depending on your original method of payment.
Counseling and Wellness Center Offers Tele-Mental Health Services
To support you where you are, the UF Counseling & Wellness Center (CWC) is now offering tele-mental health counseling services for students. If you need extra, short-term support during this time, please call the CWC at (352) 392-1575 to schedule a brief consultation appointment to discuss eligibility to receive tele-mental health counseling. Students are eligible for up to 4 sessions. Additionally, they are offering online webinars to provide mental health information to UF students on various topics including managing anxiety.
Student Legal Services
Staffed by four experienced attorneys, Student Legal Services (SLS) provides a wide range of legal services to UF students and student organizations. Funded by Student Government, the staff are here to help you with lease reviews, landlord issues, property damage, and more.
Visit https://studentlegalservices.ufl.edu/ to connect with the team.
Textbook Rentals
The UF Bookstore has updated their rental textbooks policies. While the due date for rented books has not changed, the “non-return charge date” has been extended 15 days past students’ current return due date to allow time for mailed books to reach the store. Please view their website for additional information.
We Won’t Back Down
Last Friday at noon, the UF Athletic Association blasted Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” throughout the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and shared a video as a way to connect with our students, alumni, faculty, staff and supporters all over the world. Every Friday at noon, the UAA invites you to play the song wherever you are in solidarity. View the video and share your rendition on Twitter @FloridaGators.
Virtual Student Union
Keeping you connected to the Gator Student Experience is important. The Virtual Student Union was designed as a resource for students and will be updated on a regular basis.
This new digital hub is here to make life a bit easier by collecting all your need-to-know programs, services, and even student events in one place!
Amid quarantine, you can engage with campus by:
• Participating in a virtual fitness class with RecSports
• Attending the virtual wellness coaching program with GatorWell
• Getting your resume edited virtually with the Career Connections Center
• Finding community through student organizations, leadership development and student events.