Whitney Hopler

�鶹��Ƶ Kindness Ambassadors know small gestures can have a big impact

Colleen Rich — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 17:59:56 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Kindness Ambassadors know small gestures can have a big impact Colleen Rich Thu, 11/11/2021 - 12:59

�鶹��Ƶ's first group of Kindness Ambassadors gathered Monday, Nov. 8, to be recognized for their commitment to spreading compassion and hope. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

�鶹��Ƶ’s first group of Kindness Ambassadors gathered Monday, Nov. 8, to be recognized for their commitment to spreading compassion and hope.

They were honored at a reception where they heard from President Gregory Washington, �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness Co-Chairs Nance Lucas and Lewis Forrest, Vice President of University Life Rose Pascarell, and Kindness Ambassadors Chair Vanessa Thompson about the critical importance of spreading kindness.

"�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness is really kind of a �鶹��Ƶ thing to do,” �鶹��Ƶ President Gregory Washington said. “Of course we would be involved in this because it’s fundamentally who we are. It embodies holistically our seven core values and is a clear extension of the things that many of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni do every day.”

The ambassadors—45 students, 73 faculty and staff, and 21 alumni—were nominated by people at �鶹��Ƶ for their embodiment of kindness and their positive impact on the campus community. Their work is part of the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness (MCK) initiative.

Some of the Kindness Ambassadors reflected on why kindness is essential and shared their plans for spreading kindness at �鶹��Ƶ and beyond this academic year.

“In our world today, especially in our community, there is so much anger, hostility, and division that drives us apart and turns us against each other,” said public administration major Ransom Fox, a student Kindness Ambassador. “All it takes is one act of reaching out instead of attacking, one nice gesture instead of vileness, one light of kindness to melt away the darkness that divides us.”

Forty-five �鶹��Ƶ students are serving as Kindness Ambassadors. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

Fox founded the Patriot Protection Association, a �鶹��Ƶ student organization that collaborates with area community organizations on well-being projects. “We just finished a fundraiser for the Bethany House NOVA, which is the largest domestic abuse shelter in Northern Virginia, partnering with them and PRSSA to raise over $500,” he said, adding that the group is looking for its next project.

“Practicing kindness is so important to me because of how unkind the world can be,” said computer science major Nasrin Ali, a student Kindness Ambassador. “If I can do something to change even a little bit of the negativity, I am happy to do it.” She plans to “befriend more people, give out genuine compliments, and help people who may need it. I hope people will be encouraged to join in when they see what I am doing.”

The stress of the pandemic has highlighted the importance of kindness, said ambassador Laura Todd, a digital learning instructional designer at the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. “Practicing kindness has always been important to show empathy and build connection with others. Being kind lets people know that we are all in this together.”

Todd said she wants to find new ways to help students who may be struggling, whether that’s due to food insecurity or because they are far from home. “Our diversity is our strength, and kindness is the scaffold that supports our diverse community.”

She would like to see if there’s a way to share fresh greens from �鶹��Ƶ’s greenhouses through vouchers from the Patriot Pantry, or find a way for students to share gently used textbooks.

Practicing kindness is a vital part of education, said ambassador Shira Kulok, director of �鶹��Ƶ’s Child Development Center. “It represents the foundation to positive human interaction. We are a vast community, all interconnected, benefitting from the kindness of others. It is my belief that kindness must be modeled to young children by the adults in their life to learn its importance and how it is shown to others.”

Practicing kindness “requires courage and strength, as it represents one’s time, affection, and compassionate acts of generosity,” said ambassador Mariana Estrada, an assistant teacher at �鶹��Ƶ’s Child Development Center. “Showing kindness helps us connect with other people and build meaningful relationships. Additionally, I strongly believe that being kind to yourself is essential as it is a form of self-care to provide patience, acceptance, and caring toward oneself.”

It’s enjoyable to be kind, added ambassador Catherine Olien, associate director, Center for Humanities Research. “It makes life a little more fun, and it costs nothing! Showing kindness can give anyone you meet a wholesome, positive feeling, and it tends to be contagious; it's often reflected right back at you!”

Olien said that her goal is for people be more inspired and energized after talking with her. “If I can tell someone is feeling unhappy or anxious, I invite them to tell me what's going on. I hope others can do the same. We can't always ‘fix’ a situation, but a dose of kindness is often enough to improve things.”

Spreading kindness is a vital way to spread love and peace to others, said ambassador Janae Johnson, assistant director of University Information. “It's important to be kind toward others because we don't know what situational experiences may be impacting their life. If I can make just one person's day a little brighter with a smile, hug, or kind word, then I'm doing my part to spread peace and love.”

Even small acts of kindness can impact others in significantly positive ways, Johnson said, and she hopes that by being a role model of positivity, she will encourage others to spread kindness too. “I encourage everyone to remember that small acts of kindness can ripple into waves of positivity and to pay it forward!”

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Students

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness

�鶹��Ƶ celebrates World Kindness Day with week of activities

Colleen Rich — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:51:58 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ celebrates World Kindness Day with week of activities Colleen Rich Tue, 11/02/2021 - 16:51

World Kindness Day, celebrated globally on Nov. 13, was created by the World Kindness Movement. �鶹��Ƶ will celebrate the week of Nov. 8 with events to promote kindness and caring across all campuses, as part of the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness (MCK) initiative.

Patriots can write and draw kindness messages in chalk on the Fairfax Campus on Monday, Nov. 8. Sign up for MCK chalking here.

Kindness Ambassadors—45 students, 73 faculty and staff, and 21 alumni who were nominated for their embodiment of kindness and their positive impact on the campus community—will be recognized by President Gregory Washington at a reception on Monday, Nov. 8.

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness committee members will serve coffee and donuts and give away kindness swag items to Patriots on Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Wilkins Plaza and the Johnson Center East Plaza (near David King Hall). If you would like to volunteer, sign up here.

Committee members will also decorate the George �鶹��Ƶ statue to celebrate kindness. Be sure to walk by the statue on Tuesday, Nov. 9, for a kindness boost from George �鶹��Ƶ IV.

As part of the Leading to Well-Being Speaker Series, professional speaker, coach, and author of “The Strategic Stop” Greg Nelson will speak Tuesday, Nov. 9, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Patriots are also invited to post World Kindness Day messages online.

Kindness Day highlights and encourages good deeds in the community, and it serves as a reminder that simple acts of kindness have power.

Visit the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness online toolkit for kindness resources.

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Faculty and Staff News

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness

Well-being leaders emphasize the importance of focusing on student mental health

Colleen Rich — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 16:54:21 +0000

Well-being leaders emphasize the importance of focusing on student mental health Colleen Rich Wed, 10/27/2021 - 12:54

A panel of some of �鶹��Ƶ's top mental health and well-being experts gathered to discuss student success strategies in October. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

�鶹��Ƶ student surveys conducted during the pandemic have shown increased levels of stress, anxiety, loneliness and isolation, mirroring national college student data, according to Rose Pascarell, vice president of University Life.

“I think �鶹��Ƶ is at the forefront of responding to that proactively with our programs,” Pascarell added. “We’re trying to create a culture of well-being and equity.”

Pascarell was part of a six-person panel of �鶹��Ƶ experts on mental health and well-being that discussed student success strategies as part of a week-long series of events marking President Gregory Washington’s Investiture.

“Student stress and anxiety are the greatest factors in determining student success,” President Gregory Washington said. “I wanted to have this panel to begin to evolve a collective consciousness among all of us around mental health issues.”

In addition to Pascarell, panelists included Rachel Wernicke, associate dean and chief mental health officer, University Life; Nance Lucas, executive director and chief well-being officer, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being; Leah Adams, assistant professor, Department of Psychology and Women and Gender Studies Program; Elisa Akins, psychology major, peer success coach; and Shekila Melchior, assistant professor, College of Education and Human Development.

Melchior noted the importance of well-being, diversity, and inclusion work at �鶹��Ƶ. “Cultural competency goes beyond your stereotypical narrative to really getting to know our students and what matters to them, and honoring that,” she said.

The university is seeing a rise in the need for mental health services, Wernicke said, with �鶹��Ƶ students seeking help for issues such as anxiety, stress, loneliness, and trauma. “We need to keep asking: What are the barriers to students seeking mental health services and how can we break them down?”

Adams said one issue is the way the huge need for mental health care often translates to a lag in obtaining services, both at �鶹��Ƶ and in the greater community. �鶹��Ƶ’s Center for Psychological Services is constantly working to increase accessibility to care, Adams noted. For instance, she said, the helpline that the center began for essential workers during the pandemic will eventually expand to help all community members.

Many of the students Akins serves as a peer success coach tell her they are feeling overwhelmed by stress due to time management issues and academic pressures, she said. “College is a stressful time. There’s so much information coming at you from all directions.”

Provost Mark Ginsberg noted that there is a level of compassion fatigue among faculty.

Wernicke said creating community and sharing stories is one way to relieve that.

“It’s really an ethical imperative for faculty and staff to engage in self-care, because otherwise we could cause harm,” Wernicke said.

The �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness initiative has brought our �鶹��Ƶ community together around the pursuit of greater well-being, Lucas said. “If we can all commit to just being kind to each other, that’s going to really shift how we see each other and increase our well-being around our common humanity.”

As the pandemic continues and �鶹��Ƶ leaders respond to changing mental health and well-being needs, “I think we’re a community in recovery, and we need to be continually learning,” Pascarell pointed out.

“The connections to well-being in education really matter,” Lucas said. The Center for the Advancement of Well-Being works to help all members of the �鶹��Ƶ community thrive, she said. “Our center’s role as a catalyst for well-being is to have well-being be in the DNA of the whole university.”

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Campus News

Investiture

Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

University Life

Students

College of Humanities and Social Sciences Center for Psychological Services

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness emphasizes intentional kindness

Colleen Rich — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 19:49:10 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness emphasizes intentional kindness Colleen Rich Mon, 02/15/2021 - 14:49

Those who come to the Fairfax Campus in person will also notice visible signs of �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness, including kindness messages written in chalk by students and the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness banner outside the Johnson Center. Photo provided

While National Random Acts of Kindness Day on Wednesday, Feb. 17, celebrates being kind spontaneously, the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness (MCK) initiative is emphasizing intentional acts of kindness every day. �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness aims to help Patriots thrive together through kindness with resources, events and ways to get involved in creating a kindness revolution at �鶹��Ƶ.

“At �鶹��Ƶ, we’re calling the National Random Acts of Kindness Day the National Intentional Acts of Kindness Day,” said Nance Lucas, �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness co-chair, �鶹��Ƶ’s chief well-being officer, and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. “While recognizing kindness on Feb. 17 is important, it’s really about emphasizing kindness on the other 364 days of the year. Giving and receiving kindness are bucket-fillers for our overall well-being. Kindness deepens our connections with one another, which is something I think we’re all yearning for during these challenging times.”

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness Co-Chair and University Life Associate Dean Lewis Forrest said being kind intentionally helps connect �鶹��Ƶ students and employees to the movement. “From the beginning of the initiative, MCK has emphasized being intentional in the education, awareness and engagement with our community.”

Since the start of this academic year, the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness movement “has been able to energize members of our campus in a short period of time,” Forrest said, with events that have reached faculty, staff and students. Those events have included service projects, such as assembling care packages for local first responders, and a guided kindness meditation walk.

“The goal is not just to spread kindness, but to share stories and educate our community about the research related to kindness,” said Forrest.

The “Connecting through Kindness” online panel on Feb. 3 featured students and employees discussing why kindness matters and ways to practice it. Kathleen Dwyer, an integrative studies major and student leadership consultant in the Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Office, was one of the panelists. She said the initiative is helping students “create a different dialogue where we can focus on personal kindness.

“Internalizing that within yourself and being understanding, having the patience with yourself, is a great place to start,” Dwyer added. “Being able to connect that to service, I think, is a really great opportunity to watch yourself grow. And I think �鶹��Ƶ has done a great job of still providing different ways to get involved in a virtual setting.”

MCK has accomplished a lot so far, said Lucas, including creating an MCK Toolkit and raising awareness about the science behind kindness and its well-being benefits.

More events are planned this semester—starting with the online “Leading with Kindness” program at noon Wednesday, Feb. 17, in which participants will develop a mind map focused on how to use kindness as a guiding leadership value. Patriots can visit the MCK website for such online activities as a kindness calendar and kindness bingo.

The center will continue to share videos and stories of kindness while hosting workshops, panels and roundtables for students, faculty, staff and alumni, Lucas said. “We plan to host gatherings featuring instructors who integrate kindness in their classrooms and student leaders who are educating others about compassionate leadership.”

Those who come to the Fairfax Campus in person will also notice visible signs of MCK, said Forrest, including kindness messages written in chalk by students and the �鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness banner outside the Johnson Center.

“We’ll know we’re successful when we see a kindness revolution happening on all our campuses,” Lucas said.

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Campus News

Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

University Life

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness aims to strengthen well-being

Melanie Balog — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 10:00:32 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ Chooses Kindness aims to strengthen well-being Melanie Balog Fri, 11/13/2020 - 05:00

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Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Campus News

�鶹��Ƶ panel interviews Yogi Sadhguru on well-being perspectives for higher education

Colleen Rich — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 09:05:02 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ panel interviews Yogi Sadhguru on well-being perspectives for higher education Colleen Rich Tue, 06/30/2020 - 05:05

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Center for Advancement of Well-Being

coronavirus; COVID-19; News; Editorial

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Campus News

Mental Health First Aid course helps students overcome stigma

Melanie Balog — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 13:00:22 +0000

Mental Health First Aid course helps students overcome stigma Melanie Balog Mon, 01/08/2018 - 08:00

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Spring into Well-Being events help �鶹��Ƶ community thrive

Melanie Balog — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 19:37:54 +0000

Spring into Well-Being events help �鶹��Ƶ community thrive Melanie Balog Thu, 03/16/2017 - 15:37