Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Happy last official day of summer! Did you know that Wednesday, September 22nd is the Autumnal Equinox for the Northern Hemisphere? This is the astronomical start of the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere (and the start of the spring season in the Southern Hemisphere).
On the equinox, the length of day time and night time are roughly equal in length, which can remind us of the concept of balance. We invite you to reflect on the balance in your own life. What feels in sync? Does anything feel out of sync? What could you do to work to find balance in this first full week of fall?
After Wednesday's equinox, the sun will begin to rise later and nightfall will start sooner. Keep your eyes open for signs of the change of seasons on campus (the changing color of the leaves, the cool crisp air or pumpkin spice coffee drinks).
Remember the Resilience Pyramid from a few weeks ago? In this week's newsletter we're moving up to the next level of the Resilience Pyramid: the Engage Level. Let's focus on flexing those social muscles and finding ways to connect with others (in meaningful, respectful, and COVID safe ways). Connecting with others can bring a renewed sense of balance after these many, many months of COVID required reduced social interacting.
In community,
The Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell Health
part of Student and Campus Life at Cornell University
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Connect With Others
We all have a need to belong and feel connected to others. We are all navigating lots of different relationships – friendships, classmates, interacting with professors, PIs or lab supervisors, roommates/ housemates, romantic partners, family, etc.
Cultivating and maintaining social relationships - and avoiding social isolation - is one of the best ways to build resilience and thrive at Cornell; AND social relationships take time.
Cornell freshman-at-the-time, Emery Bergmann made a video in 2017 for a digital media class homework assignment. She assumed that college would mean she was going to have a million friends, was going to be going to parties all the time, but that wasn't her reality during her first few months of her first year of college. It resonated with students across the country.
During her Today Show interview Emory said, "Everyone is figuring themselves out and their place, dealing with the same transition you are. Finding your 'people' is an active process, not something immediate, as I expected it to be." View her video here: My College Transition - YouTube
Body Positive Cornell
Body Positive Cornell (BPC) is a peer-led wellness community open to all; BPC seeks to empower students to reconnect with their innate body wisdom, cultivate a healthy and balanced relationship with their bodies, and foster a community of self-love.
Join a Body Positive Group - these peer facilitated groups meet once a week and focus on body appreciation, self-compassion and intuitive self-care. Groups offered this semester include:
- General study body
- BIPOC students
- Student-athletes
- LGBTQ+ students
You can find each group’s meeting times and more information here including the registration to sign-up.
Affinity Group Program
Welcome Class of 2025 and transfer students to Cornell! We understand how difficult it can be as first year and transfer students navigating campus and finding community, but we know it is especially difficult for people with marginalized identities to find a sense of belonging in large spaces like Cornell.
The Cornell Center for Health Equity Undergrad chapter presents our inaugural Affinity Group Program, which has a goal of improving the mental health and well-being of marginalized students through interpersonal support and community building.
We're looking for BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities to participate in small group discussions with trained peer leaders who will share great insight about how to navigate Cornell as a student with one or more of these identities. Looking to find a core group at Cornell? Sign up using this form! The application deadline is rolling so please sign up ASAP if you are interested! APPLY
ViBIng on Bi+ Awareness Day
Thursday, September 23
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Willard Straight Hall 215 Garden Room
Did you know that bi+ people are the largest and fastest-growing subset of the LGBTQ+ community? Join us on Bi+ Awareness Day to spend time together in community and celebrate our identities.
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
HILC Lounge
Register here
We will be celebrating and learning more about Hispanic Heritage through fun games and events! The program will be split up into 3 parts (days). Kahoot, piñata making, and lotería (bingo) with prizes on Friday September 24th at 7pm. Dancing and Karaoke
Build Healthy Sleep Habits - Try Refresh
Feeling Groggy? Need to Refresh? Make Time for Sleep
Enroll in Refresh, Cornell Health’s free, online sleep program. This eight-week, evidence-based self-help program shares information and strategies proven to help you catch more high-quality ZZZs. This program is open to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The course officially began on 9/20, but you can still self-enroll anytime at health.cornell.edu/refresh
Sign Up for Your Free Flu Vaccine
The next clinic is Thursday, September 30th! Annual flu vaccination is always strongly recommended for college students, but is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more on Cornell Health’s website.
CAPS Workshop: Sleep is (not) for the Weak
Wednesday, September 22 from 3 - 4pm
Facilitator: Anastasia Zyuban, PhD
Register for the September 22 Sleep workshop
Do you find yourself staying up late to finish your work, only to feel sluggish the next day? When you do hit the sack, do you find it hard to shut off your brain? If so, you are not alone. Busy Cornell students often find themselves sacrificing sleep in order to meet the demands of school. This workshop addresses how sleeping properly can help you work more efficiently and improve your overall quality of life.
Wellness Wednesday 9/22/21 - Astrology 101
Tatkon Center
Take a study break and join Tatkon Center staffers Buma ‘22 and Kemi ‘22 as they break down astrology myths and present astrology 101. They’ll discuss how to practice mindfulness using astrology and help you learn more about your sign!
CAPS Workshop: Go Easy on Yourself to Get Hard Things Done: A Workshop on Self-Compassion
Thursday, September 23 from 3:30 - 4:30pm
Facilitator: Sheila Singh, PhD
Register for the September 23 Self-Compassion workshop
In this workshop, we will discuss why we are self-critical, why that approach often backfires, and how to be kinder and more compassionate with yourself in order to do better and feel better.
Graduate Student Life Office Hours at the Big Red Barn
Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 - 4pm at the picnic tables between the Big red Barn and the Space Sciences Building
Come and talk with the new Graduate Student Life Advisor, Angela Yantorno, about resources for academic support; referrals to campus services; support for personal development, health, and well-being; and other strategies to create your ideal student experience.
Meetings are first come, first served.
If those times do not work, or you would like to meet Angela privately, please feel free to make an appointment or email Angela at ajy45@cornell.edu. Learn more about Angela.
Nature Up!
Check out these opportunities to learn more about The Whale Listening Project:
Whale Listening Project: Siren – Listening to Another Species on Earth
Thursday September 23 to Sunday September 26 from 10am-5pm
Johnson Museum of Art
Installation: Siren – Listening to Another Species on Earth. Composer and performer Annie Lewandowski, artist and coder Kyle McDonald, and set designer Amy Rubin explore humpback whale song in a meeting of intelligences – humpback whale, human, and artificial. At the Johnson, Siren will be on view on the first floor. For information about other Whale Listening Project events, visit https://music.cornell.edu/thewhalelisteningproject
Sponsored by Department of Music with the Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Cornell Council for the Arts, the Milstein Program in Technology and Humanity, Media Art Xploration, the Johnson Museum of Art.
The Whale Listening Project: “The Ever-Evolving Songs of Humpback Whales”
Thursday September 23 at 7pm
Johnson Museum of Art Lecture Hall (in person)
Also available virtually through eCornell https://ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/overview/K092321/
Whale Listening Project: “The Ever-Evolving Songs of Humpback Whales” with Dr. Roger Payne and Katy Payne. Roger will present the discovery that whales sing, and Katy will present some of the Paynes' findings about the whales' ever-changing songs, recorded by themselves and others over two decades in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. For information about other Whale Listening Project events, visit https://music.cornell.edu/thewhalelisteningproject
The Whale Listening Project: “Hawaiian Humpback Whales: Scientific and Creative Perspectives”
Friday September 24 at 3pm
Johnson Museum of Art Lecture Hall
Virtual option on eCornell https://ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/overview/K092421/
Panel: “Hawaiian Humpback Whales: Scientific and Creative Perspectives”. Hawaii Marine Mammal Consortium (HMMC) biologists Chris Gabriele and Dr. Adam Frankel and Siren collaborators Annie Lewandowski and Kyle McDonald present on diverse aspects of Hawaiian humpback whales. For information about other Whale Listening Project events, visit https://music.cornell.edu/thewhalelisteningproject. Sponsored by Department of Music.
