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Students express frustrations about holiday breaks at home 9:29 a.m., Dec. 13, 2006--A week after Thanksgiving, UD students were given an opportunity to vent their frustrations about going home over the holiday break during “Dealing with your Family Now,” a program held Thursday evening, Nov. 30 at George Read Hall. Part of the UD's Wellspring Program's “Increasing Complexity Series,” the meeting allowed students to talk about their experiences going home for the holiday break and how they interacted with their families. Last winter, Kelly Ferguson, a graduate assistant for Wellspring, attended a conference that highlighted a project, titled “Bring Theory to Practice,” that seeks to engage students in learning and to address the quality of student education. Ferguson said she learned about programs at other universities and applied for a grant to bring similar programs to the University. “The whole idea is we are trying to focus on first-year students and what's going on in their lives,” Ferguson said. The Wellspring series began in September and has covered topics such as sexual assault and relationships. In the spring, the series will address issues such as budgeting for college students and using alternative forms of medicines. Thursday's program focused on dealing with changing family roles during a student's time at the University. Michael Sturm, a graduate student, made a presentation, “Adjusting to Your Family Roles,” which addressed scenarios and issues students might face when they return home for the holidays. Sturm said a student might play a certain role in their family, such as peacekeeper or scapegoat, but his or her University experiences might change them in ways that disturb their lives at home. One of the slides presented a “Going Home Trajectory,” a list of issues that may occur during break, such as boredom and reverse homesickness. Sturm also reviewed coping methods, such as initiating discussions and showing respect to parents. Students talked about their own families and discussed how they would react in certain scenarios. Sturm, who also is a teaching assistant, said he taught a whole course on the family before coming to the University. He said students look forward to going home after a long semester but may be unaware of how much their University experience has changed them and how it might change their relationship with their family. “Awareness is key, just be aware that this could happen anytime,” Sturm said. “Be prepared so that if it does happen, you can forecast and think, 'How can I minimize the effect and have things go smoother?'” Senior Kelly McLaughlin said she feels practicing initiating conversation with her parents will be helpful over the holiday break. “I've learned ways to cope and develop a better expectation for family interaction when going home and dealing with change,” McLaughlin said. Ferguson said the series is an important forum for freshmen to discuss their concerns and problems. “I really think it's important for them to have an outlet to talk about things going on with them,” she said, “to realize they aren't the only ones dealing with things and to get comfortable talking about issues.” For more information about Wellspring, visit [www.udel.edu/wellspring/wellpage.htm]. Article by Julia Parmley, AS'07 |
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