This is always a busy time for advisers, but this year the global impact of and response to COVID-19 has dramatically altered our lives. We are faced with anxiety over our future and long to be with family members, colleagues, and communities again.

And yet, this is a time when we see hope rise. Many advisers stepped up and got creative by holding virtual spirit weeks, Honor Society inductions, elections for officers, and even proms and assemblies. Beyond that, advisers and student leaders stayed connected, checking in on one another and their community.

We have seen a renewed spirit of service from  people who want to contribute, and many are turning to you and your students for guidance. Yes, we are all in a “new normal,” but service was—and is—our everyday spirit. We’ve got this.

For our final issue of this incredible year, we’d like to point out two features for you to bookmark: one on fundraising responsibly with students, and one on recovering after a traumatic incident on campus. The latter, written from an adviser perspective, was scheduled to run well before the spring came with its disruptions. While the feature is about a specific incident, we will also need some mental and emotional preparation when we reenter schools. We hope you find these features and our tips in the Update columns helpful as you prepare for the transition into a new school year.

Our wish for all of you advisers this summer is a chance for rejuvenation and reflection. Our national team is here for you, and we will be here now and tomorrow.

 

 

Nara Lee
Director of Student Leadership

 

 

Ann Postlewaite
Director of Student Programs