Month: September 2015

Do you have family traditions that bring you joy and help your family feel a bond to each other? Years ago, I realized that an important part of traditions is that they help define a group of people and bring them closer together. Traditions are yet another thing that I love about Sweet Briar. People ask me sometimes if Sweet Briar has sororities. My answer is that no, Sweet Briar is one big sorority. It has traditions like a sorority, it forms sub-groups that have permeable inclusion so that people who have common interests and goals can share and pursue them together, and, ultimately, all of the “sorority-like” things about Sweet Briar are one important reason why you see such love and fierce loyalty for their school and each other.

I understand the value of a sorority because a “few” years ago, I went to the University of Maryland with 44,000 of my closest friends (ha ha!). To find “my people” in that huge population, I joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority — KAT, known as the Thetas. To this day, I know that it was one of the best decisions of my life. I made many, many wonderful friends, including one of my lifelong best friends. In addition to our annual Founder’s Day, a group of us still get together for reunions every five years (our next one is this October and I can’t wait!!). I shared traditions, joys and sorrows with my sisters. I learned so much about community and leadership. It prepared me for life in countless ways that had nothing to do with academics. I see these same things happen at Sweet Briar, and it makes me incredibly happy for my daughter!

One Sweet Briar tradition that is similar to my sorority is that of having Big/Little Sisters. Typically in September, first-year Sweet Briar students (“Little Sisters” or “Littles”) are paired with a third-years to be their “Big Sisters” (or “Bigs”). As the names imply, a Big Sister is a mentor and a friend to her Little Sister, the Big helping the Little feel more comfortable at Sweet Briar. It gives the Little someone to go to with any question without fear of feeling embarrassed. Bigs introduce Littles to their friends, thus helping draw the older and younger girls closer together; Littles and Bigs will do lots of small things to help each other, and hopefully become good friends.

Of course, first-year students quickly grow up to be third-year students, and then it is their turn to be the Big — a beautiful tradition of “paying it forward” while forming a chain of friendships that extends from one generation of Sweet Briar sisters to the next. Speaking from my experience, it is equally as gratifying to be a Little as it is to be a Big. I was so grateful that my Big helped me navigate a world that was totally new to me and a little overwhelming at times. She gave me not only guidance, but comfort and strength; I knew she would always help me if I needed her. We quickly became close friends and shared much together! Then, when I became a Big, it felt wonderful to be that mentor and friend to my Little, so much so that I “adopted” an orphaned Little. She is one of my lifelong closest friends.

I see these same Big-Little dynamics at Sweet Briar, and it warms my heart. I hope it warms yours, too.

Transfer students can also be included in this wonderful tradition, and this year, if a Big returned to Sweet Briar but her Little did not — or vice versa — they tried to pair orphaned Bigs and Littles who wanted to. Always attempting to keep everyone included!

You may have heard about another tradition that is coming up this weekend called Founders’ Day. Seniors wear their graduation robes for the first time, while all the other students wear black and white. Everyone walks up to Monument Hill to pay respect to the founding family, and each senior is accompanied by one or two underclasswomen. After a brief memorial service, each student leaves a daisy on Daisy’s grave. This year, Sweet Briar will celebrate Founder’s Day Weekend on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26. In addition to the traditional walk to Monument Hill, the College also will invest Phillip C. Stone as its 12th president.

Events will begin with the investiture at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in the Quad (rain location: Fitness and Athletics Center), followed by the walk to Monument Hill. Beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, is the celebration dance in the Student Commons Courtyard. All students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumnae, supporters of the College and their guests (yes, that includes us parents!) are cordially invited to all Founders’ Day festivities. Unfortunately, I am unable to there on Friday, but I look forward to seeing as many of you as can attend on Saturday! For more details on everything happening, please see SBC News release or the Founders’ Day website.

And if you want to learn more about Sweet Briar’s traditions, a great place to start is here.

That’s all for today. What are YOUR concerns? Send them to me at SBCParentToParent@gmail.com, and I’ll address them in upcoming posts, or sooner if needed. Until then, talk to you soon!

What an amazing week! Move-in days went as expected, and were beautiful days to arrive at Sweet Briar. Did you notice how beautifully manicured the campus looked? Always beautiful, but especially now after all of the hard work by volunteers and Sweet Briar staff. As always, there were lots of boxes and bags carried in, furniture moved around, and mountains of discarded boxes outside every dorm.

Smiles were contagious; parents and daughters looked happy to be here. Unfortunately, on Sunday I could not be on campus, but I so enjoyed being there on Monday. Since my daughter was already moved in (as an equestrian, she moved in the previous weekend), I was blessed that I could just enjoy the day and help people feel welcome. In the morning, our dachshund Biscuit and I sat at the guard’s gate welcoming everyone back to campus. It was so heartwarming to see all those smiles coming through the gate!

I then got to sit in on President Stone’s “State-of-the-College” address. I’ve said it before, and I have to say it again: What an inspirational leader! He talked about how every single person on campus is important to Sweet Briar’s success; that he expects everyone to have positive attitudes and treat each other with kindness and respect (when’s the last time you heard any other college president say that in a speech?); that yes, there are some challenges ahead, but he is working on a four-year plan to bring the school back to financial viability including a balanced budget; that failure is not an option (right skills + right attitude + motivation = success!); and that honesty, transparency and listening to what the students, faculty, staff and parents have to say is his way of doing business.

There were bursts of raucous cheers of applause from the entire room multiple times during his speech. As I mingled afterward, I saw newfound joy and animation in faculty faces that had been demoralized in previous years; I felt the excitement in the room as small groups gathered to reconnect and discuss plans; I heard the motivation in everyone’s voices that they were going to do their part in making this year one of growth.

I watched as a shy student (must be new to Sweet Briar 🙂 waited to talk to President Stone, and although I could not hear the exchange, I could tell that she said something to President Stone, and his response was to ask her to sit down with him at a table, and they talked for at least 10 minutes. The student did more of the talking; President Stone did more listening.

And I heard the same from faculty — they feel like once again they have a voice that will be heard by their president, and that they truly can make a difference in Sweet Briar’s success. This man is the real deal, and his positive motivation has infected everyone I saw on Monday.

As my husband says, “Nobody wants to be on a losing team, and nobody wants to be a loser on a winning team.”

And with the new administration, you’re either on board, or you’re off the team — hallelujah. Sweet Briar’s success is not an “if,” but a “when.” I feel so very blessed to have my own (very tiny) part in helping.

The rest of Monday I walked around to meet parents and daughters, talked to reporters (one of whom was from WDBJ7; the Sweet Briar community grieves with the WDBJ7 community over the senseless killing of two of its reporters), and soaked in the beauty of Sweet Briar. As for the rest of the week, in true Sweet Briar spirit, there were ice cream socials, pizza parties, Opening Convocation, and even a carnival hosted by President Stone. The days before classes started provided lots of opportunities for new and returning students to meet and mingle, fun ways to reconnect with friends and meet more of their sisters.

Did you watch the Opening Convocation? If not, you can watch the recording here. I highly recommend viewing it; it will make your heart so happy, and if you didn’t have a good feel for what people mean by “the soul of Sweet Briar,” you will know after watching the convocation. What a glorious celebration, and such fabulous timing that it occurred the day after the previous regime had scheduled the school to close! I had happy tears.

As you know, the students all started their classes Thursday, Aug. 27. Always a day full of both excitement and trepidation, but after several days of getting settled into their dorms, catching up with friends and starting new friendships, everyone was as ready as they can be to start a new school year, meet their professors and their classmates, and establish a rhythm for the semester. Don’t worry, many students take a week or two before they settle in, but in a few weeks, even new students will feel like they are home.

For those of you that I didn’t get to meet, I hope that your welcome to Sweet Briar felt warm and wonderful! I hope to meet you another time. If you’re like me, I’m thrilled that my daughter is at Sweet Briar, but I still miss her just a little. Hang in there, it will feel like normal soon, and your daughter is probably doing much better than you think. 🙂

What are YOUR concerns? Send them to me at SBCParentToParent@gmail.com, and I’ll address them in upcoming posts, or sooner if needed. Until then, talk to you soon!