In this issue:
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Fall 2011 Commencement is Here!
 What You Need to Know About Study Drugs
Alleviating Stress During the End-of-Semester
Crunch
Handling Holiday Homecomings
Boost Your Seahawk’s Energy During Winter
Break
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 Networking: The Key to Today’s Job Search
 UNCW Presents – Hot New Season!
 Homecoming 2012
Sharky’s Game Room – All You Can Play!
Boseman Gallery
Off-Campus Housing Fair
Emily Schroeder, Assistant Director Transition Programs
On December 17, 2011, UNCW will celebrate the achievements of 1,461 graduates.
There will be two commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2011 in Trask Coliseum.
Graduates can invite an unlimited number of families and friends to join them at commencement, and seating is available on a first come, first serve basis.
Undergraduates and Graduate students participate in the ceremony in which their major, department or school is represented. Below is the Fall 2011 commencement schedule.
Saturday, December 17 at 9:30 a.m.
Cameron School of Business
Watson School of Education
College of Health & Human Services
(Health & Applies Human Sciences, Nursing, Social Work)
Saturday, December 17 at 1 p.m.
College of Arts & Sciences
Anthropology, Art & Art History, Biology & Marine Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Communication Studies, Computer Science, Creative Writing, English, Environmental
Studies, Film Studies, Foreign Languages & Literatures, Geography & Geology,
Graduate Liberal Studies, History, Math & Statistics, Music, Philosophy & Religion,
Physics & Physical Oceanography, Public & International Affairs, Psychology, Sociology
& Criminology, and Theatre
The Alumni Association will hold a pre-graduation celebration on Friday, December 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Wise Alumni House. December graduates and their families are invited to enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments while they visit with fellow graduates and the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Our newest graduates will have the opportunity to find out how to stay involved after graduation as they join the ranks of over 57,000 UNCW alumni. Online registration is available until December 11 https://tswww.uncw.edu/events/signup.aspx?event=204
Information regarding departmental receptions, parking, and hotels is located on the website. Visit the commencement website for more information.

Jordan DuBreuil, CROSSROADS Peer Educator
Coffee is an essential part in the lives of most college students. Whether it’s just a cup in the morning or one at ten o’clock in the library while trying to finish a paper it’s what keeps a lot of people going. While that is normal, recently college students have been turning to other study techniques that aren’t so healthy. Overuse of energy drinks (coffee included) and prescription drugs has become an increasingly more common occurrence.
An important thing to take into consideration with your student’s energy drink use is the recommended daily amount of caffeine. According to EnergyFiend.com, the average cup of coffee (8 ounces) has about 80 milligrams of caffeine; 100 milligrams is the recommended daily amount. One cup of coffee a day is fine, but when you increase your intake you risk issues of insomnia, anxiety, jittery feelings and crashing as the caffeine leaves your system. Drinking lots of coffee might seem like a good idea at the time, but those side-effects is the opposite of helpful when you’re already stressed out and anxious. Now consider the amount of caffeine in an energy drink such as Monster.
One of these drinks has 160 milligrams in it; which is twice as much as one cup of coffee. Think about how much caffeine a person would have if they started their day with a cup of coffee, then had a Monster to keep going in the afternoon, then another cup to study with at night. That’s about 360 milligrams of caffeine- way too much for one day.
Use of “study drugs” such as Ritalin or Adderall has increased recently, but 94 percent of UNCW students have not taken ADHD medications not prescribed to them in the past month. Though these medications are widely prescribed, both Ritalin and
Adderall have the potential for abuse and dependency. Users that are not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or those who do not take the medicine as directed are the most at risk for dependency. They also have some unpleasant side effects such as: nausea, increased blood pressure, dizziness, anxiety, and insomnia. Make a point to discuss these issues with your student. Make sure they understand that using energy drinks and prescription drugs can be helpful in some ways, but harmful in many other ways.
Give them pointers on other healthy ways to study that don’t involve energy drinks or study drugs so they know they can do well without them. Here are some examples.
 Relax!
Stress makes it tough to solve more complex problems. Take a deep breath when you feel anxious.
 Feed your brain.
Drink water to keep you hydrated and green tea to stay alert, eat an apple or spicy food to increase your heart rate, and enjoy healthy proteins like soy and peanut butter to give you steady energy while you study.
 Take advantage of state-dependent learning.
Study and take the test wearing the same perfume and sit in the same seat (or area) as you do during classes as you take the exam.
 STAY OFF FACEBOOK.
 Take a short break.
Every hour or so take a break to stretch your body and your mind.
 Occasionally change your study routine.
Study different subjects in different locations.
For more information, contact UNCW Crossroads at uncw.edu/crossroads or (910)962-
4136. If you’d like more study tips, visit the University Learning Center’s website: uncw.edu/ULC. And encourage your student to visit both offices in DePaolo Hall.

Jennifer Scott, Graduate Assistant Seahawk Perch
The holiday season can be stressful for a number of reasons. However, for students, stress during the holidays can be doubled by the frenzy of final exams, projects, and traveling for the semester break. It is important to encourage our students to learn the best ways to regulate stress before it takes a toll on both their health and academic performance.
There are many simple and effective methods that students can use to manage stress, including meditation, journaling, exercise, sufficient sleep, and healthy eating. In addition, a number of resources are available on campus to help students control their stress levels and cope with new or challenging experiences. The Seahawk Perch, in collaboration with Health Promotions, CARE, and Crossroads, provides a “Stress-Free
Zone” the week before final exams each semester in hopes of giving students a healthy outlet for their stress. This program, scheduled for December 7, 2011 in the
Cornerstone Lounge of Fisher Student Center, mixes fun activities such as board games and crafts with opportunities to learn how to manage stress without the use of drugs or alcohol. Massage therapists provide free shoulder and neck massages and an instructor leads meditation sessions throughout the day.
For students who are looking for help throughout the semester, the Counseling Center provides ongoing support services ranging from individual sessions to group counseling. The Center also offers a series of Mind-Body programs throughout the year that seek to promote mental, emotional, and physical well-being in the campus community. A selection of self-help resources is available on their web site at http://uncw.edu/counseling/resources.html
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We want our students at UNCW to be happy, healthy, and productive. Please encourage your student to find a personal method of relieving stress, be it exercise, trying a new hobby, or singing at the top of their lungs in the shower. Please remind your student that they can participate in the programs mentioned above or investigate other resources on campus.
Jim Dolan PhD, Associate Director, UNCW Counseling Center
Thoughts of heading home for the holidays and taking a much needed break can sustain students through the challenges of term papers and final exams. But along with the joy of reunions, it’s common for returning students and their family members to experience feelings of stress. Holiday breaks are often the first time families have been together for an extended period of time since students left for school. Some returning students will enjoy the familiarity of home, while others will assert their newfound independence. Taking some time to talk about expectations can help ease the changing relationship between parents and students, lessening the stress of adjustment for you both.
A common source of contention is differing expectations for what will take place over the holidays. Here are a few items you might want to address:
Family obligations.
Traditions like taking meals together and attending religious services are part of the holidays for many families. Parents expect that their students will spend a significant amount of time with the family, while students often plan to reconnect with friends. Some mutual compromises might be necessary.

Autonomy.
Students have likely become used to leading their own lives. Parents have likely become used to having more time to themselves. Some of the old rules and routines may no longer apply. Establishing new house rules that recognize changes in roles and responsibilities will lead to happier holidays.
Overnight guests.
Can I bring a friend home? A boyfriend or a girlfriend? Some students will asks and others will assume. Talking about this ahead of time will help avoid awkward situations.
Family changes.
Family matters may have changed while the student was away.
Single parents may have someone new in their life. Some parents decide it’s time to separate or divorce. Other factors like employment or the economy can change the family situation. Informing a returning student about family changes can lessen potential disruption.
Grades.
The first semester of college is challenging for students. Your student’s grades may fall short of expectations – both yours and your student’s. Set aside a time to talk about grades so the topic doesn’t loom over the entire visit. Encourage your student to take advantage of the many support services available to them.
Experiencing stress during holidays and homecomings is normal. As in most difficult situations, communication is the key. Discussing differing expectations and preparing for mixed results will smooth the way to developing a healthy, life-long relationship with your student.
Ashley M. Perrone, Health Promotion Peer Educator
We all know how winter is: cold weather and lazy days. When your student comes home from a long and studious fall semester, he/she is going to want to crash on that couch and never get up! Here are some ways to help you boost his/her energy while they are re-adjusting to the home life for the next month!
Get moving : This may seem obvious, but the more you move around, the more energy you will have. If it snows, go outside as a family and build a snowman or have a snowball fight. If the roads aren’t icy, get bundled up and go for a bike ride or walk to look at holiday decorations in your area.
Watch what he/she is eating: You want to make sure that you are including lots of fruits and veggies in any meals you are preparing, as well as complex carbohydrates
(whole grains especially!) to help with the body’s energy content. This will hopefully counteract all that delicious holiday food you will be eating!
Make sure to encourage quality sleep: Suggest that your Seahawk get an uninterrupted 7-9 hours a night, but not much more! Taking naps or sleeping too much, will actually decrease your energy and make you feel groggy.
Keep these handy tips in mind to help fight off those winter blues! We at Health
Promotion hope you all have a well-balanced and energized winter break!

Lee Ann Adams, UNCW Presents
UNCW Presents kicks off the spring semester with Dad’s Garage Improv Theatre , which takes place on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 8 p.m. at Thalian Hall. The Atlanta-based group was founded in 1995; they are clever comedy masters offering world-class improv. In addition to their performance, they will also be offering an improv workshop for UNCW students on Thursday, January 26, 2012. The improv workshop is free to students; however space is limited so please RSVP to artsinaction@uncw.edu
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On Valentine’s Day the acclaimed British-American touring company, The Aquila
Theatre, presents The Importance of Being Earnest , an Oscar Wilde production. The
New Yorker claims, “Aquila’s productions are beautifully spoken, dramatically revealing and crystalline in effect.” This performance is on February 14, 2012 at 8 p.m. at Kenan Auditorium.
On Friday, March 30, 2012, First Person: Seeing America with Ensemble Galilei and narration by Neal Conan and Lily Knight will be performing at 8 p.m. at Kenan
Auditorium. This awe-inspiring concert will encompass traditional music from
Scotland and Ireland as well as new compositions featuring fiddles, harp, viola de gamba, percussion, whistles and oboe. Neal Conan states that this performance “gives audiences new ways to imagine, not just great works of art, but the land and the people of a country shaped by unending change.”
Acclaimed jazz singer, Karrin Allyson performs with the UNCW Big Band on Friday,
April 20, 2012 at 8 p.m. at Kenan Auditorium. With three Grammy nominations, it is no wonder the Los Angeles Times calls Karrin Allyson “one of the jazz world’s finest.”
Tickets for Arts in Action Series are $6 for students and may be purchased at www.etix.com
or at Kenan Box Office. For more information regarding the series please visit www.uncw.edu/presents .
The Leadership Lecture Series Hosts Eco Chef, Bryant Terry and Acclaimed Author,
Rebecca Skloot!
Bryant Terry will be discussing “Food Justice” on Monday, February 20, 2012 at 7 p.m. at Kenan Auditorium. Bryant Terry is an eco chef, food justice activist and author with the goal of making “fresh, healthy, and culturally appropriate food affordable to community members.” He will also be hosting a cooking demonstration on February 20, 2012. Please be sure and reserve your ticket for the lecture if you are interested in attending by going to www.etix .com or Kenan Box Office. If you are interested in attending the cooking demonstration, please RSVP to artsinaction@uncw.edu
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Rebecca Skloot will be discussing “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” on March 26,
2012 at 7 p.m. at Kenan Auditorium. Skloot will discuss the riveting expose on the history of “HeLa” – or the first immortal human cells grown in culture, taken without
Henrietta Lacks’ knowledge – and the inextricable dark history of experimentation on
African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of. This event is free to students; however, a ticket must be obtained by going to www.etix .com or Kenan Box Office.
For more information regarding the series please visit www.uncw.edu/presents .

Mark Werbeach, Career Development Counselor
Is your soon to be graduate looking for a job? One of the best ways to find a job, especially in today’s economy, is to network. Studies have shown that only about 5 to
10 percent of all new jobs are posted in the classified ads or on the Internet. The other positions are filled by word of mouth. So if your student is looking for a new job, networking is a vital tool for gathering information, talking to the right people and achieving goals.
Networking can be done anytime, anywhere -- at a job fair or in a social setting. So the most important first step in networking is to smile and be friendly. You never know with whom you might strike up an important conversation.
Here are some other tips for your student on how he/she can get the most out of networking:
• Know what you're looking for. Speak succinctly about your talents, skills and goals.
This makes a strong impression on your networking contacts, and lets them know you're serious about your future.
• Use your time with new people wisely. You need to give the unshakeable impression that you're confident. Say what you want, using as many specifics as you can.
• Your most valuable tools: Keeping an up-to-date resume, as well as business cards with your contact information, will make it easy to give people access to your information. After you meet with new people and have gotten their contact information, follow up by making a call or sending an e-mail telling them how much you enjoyed your meeting. This will keep you at the front of their minds.
• Stick with it. Networking can be full-time work. The best networking produces contacts that can benefit you in the long term. So don't get discouraged if you're not immediately satisfied by your results. Instead, concentrate on new ways and places to network.
Students can get more information about networking and job searching from the
Career Center, www.uncw.edu/career .
Arianne Beros, ACE Graduate Marketing Assistant
As the fall semester winds down, the Association for Campus Entertainment is gearing up for Homecoming 2012. The students are hard at work planning activities for the week of January 30 to February 4. Each of the five committees will have a chance to showcase its specialty, with free events ranging from a black light dance party to “Dub
Idol” and, of course, the annual Homecoming parade and men’s basketball game. This year’s theme is “Teal Infinity and Beyond.” According to ACE’s Spirit Committee, the theme is a reminder “that no matter where we go from here, there's always a place beyond our goals.” The full ACE Homecoming schedule is available at facebook.com/uncwace.
ACE recently released its first newsletter, highlighting stories from August through
October, as well as events to come. Beginning at the end of November, ACE will publish a newsletter every month. The first issue is available as a PDF at www.uncw.edu/ace . Check it out to see what the ACE students have been up to, and what they have in store for the rest of the semester.

Shane Fernando, Assistant Director UNCW Presents
Sharky’s Game Room, UNCW’s official game room on campus, now offers unlimited memberships! Membership can be purchased for only $20, allowing an entire semester of unlimited gameplay for any of our games, including DDR, Wii, Xbox, billiards, ping pong, air hockey, board games, and more! The game room’s features include a projection screen, four pool tables, and two ping pong tables. Sharky’s also hosts tournaments and special events for members, and, because Sharky’s is a one-stop shop for Lumina Theater movie tickets and concessions, members are sometimes eligible to receive free movie tickets or popcorn. Plus, Sharky’s offers a variety of snacks and drinks every day, making it a convenient stop between classes or during down time.
Sharky’s is located in the Fisher Student Center, across from Einstein’s. For more information, or to purchase a Sharky’s membership for your student, please visit our website: www.uncw.edu/gameroom .
Shane Fernando, Assistant Director UNCW Presents
The Ann Flack Boseman Gallery is UNCW’s only student-run art gallery. The Boseman
Gallery showcases a variety of shows relevant to students every year, from studentmade paintings and sculptures to educational exhibits, to less traditional multi-media exhibits that invite the viewer to participate. In the Spring 2012 semester, the
Boseman Gallery will feature three shows.
The first show of the year will be Dr. Philip J. Merrill’s An Artifactual Journey Across
Black North Carolina . The show will feature artifacts collected by Dr. Merrill during his research on North Carolina’s rich African American history alongside writings the artifacts inspired UNCW students to produce. The show opens on January 12, with a reception in the gallery on January 26, from 6–7:30pm.
The All-Student Show will open February 23, with a reception that evening from 6 –
7:30pm. This show is carefully selected by a juror from more than 100 pieces submitted for consideration. The show will feature paintings, photographs, sculptures, and ceramics. The piece judged Best of Show will be selected by the juror and purchased for the Fisher University Union Permanent Art Collection, and another piece will be selected by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs as the UNCW Vice
Chancellor for Student Affairs Choice Award Winner. To submit a piece for consideration, students should submit the application form and deliver the artwork to the Campus Life office: Room 2041, on the second floor of the Fisher University Union, by 5pm, Friday, February 3.
The final show taking place in the Boseman Gallery this school year will be In a Bind:
Books Designed by UNCW Students . This show will feature books created by members of the UNCW community, including artist’s books, as well as selected books created and designed by students in the Creative Writing department’s Publishing Laboratory.
The Boseman Gallery is located on the second floor of the Fisher University Union, and is open from 10am – 8pm, Monday through Saturday. For more information, or to become involved with the gallery as an intern or student volunteer, please visit our website: www.uncw.edu/boseman/

Jennifer Scott, Graduate Assistant
The decision for your student to move off-campus during their college career is tough, requiring maturity, accountability, and planning. At UNCW, we understand that shopping for apartments can be a hassle, not only when considering the time spent scanning the internet, driving to properties, and comparing prices; but also the psychological burden that stress can create for you and your student. To help get you organized, UNCW and the Seahawk Perch would like to invite you to our biannual
Housing Fair on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 in the Warwick Center at UNCW from
11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. The Housing Fair rallies local apartment complexes, rental agencies, and home services so that students have a one-stop opportunity to learn about several off-campus living options and services. This event is FREE, and provides the perfect opportunity for you and your student to explore off-campus living choices in a fun, stress-free environment. We hope to see you there!
Transition Programs
Division of Student Affairs
Creating Experiences for Life
601 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-5997
Phone: 910-962-3089
Fax: 910-962-4265
E-mail: transitions@uncw.edu
www.uncw.edu/transitions
The Office of Transition Programs provides a comprehensive array of programs designed to meet the unique needs of undergraduate students and parents from orientation through graduation. Programs generate an intentional connection for the students through engaging interactions with other students, faculty and staff. Ultimately, through this community participation each student is provided the opportunity to improve critical thinking, problem solving, academic achievement, interpersonal and intrapersonal growth and civic responsibility.