We know there is much to navigate
living off campus and the Office of Student
& Community Relations (OSCR)
created this newsletter to provide
information, helpful tips, and to let
you know about upcoming opportunities.
Feel free to contact
us with ideas for future
Off-Campus Life editions!
Tip
of the Month:
Carshare:
Get a Great Discount on Your
CarShare Vermont Membership
($150 Off)
When you need a car,
CarShare Vermont has ten vehicles
parked in convenient spots all over
town and on campus that you can use
by the hour or day. Also, all
fulltime students can join
CarShare Vermont and the$150
annual membership fee will be
waived. You’ll be
responsible for any driving you do
and a one-time $30 enrollment fee.
To learn more about other
campus transportation services, be
sure to check out the Campus
Area Transportation Management
Association (CATMA) at www.catmavt.org.
Weatherization:
Energy Costs Got You Down? Here are some
tips to save money.
Indoor Gardening: This
workshop will focus on growing a
steady supply of fresh greens with
only a cupboard and a windowsill.
Ready to harvest in just 7-10
days, these greens are good in
fresh salads and stir fries. WHEN: Sunday,
February 19 1:00 PM LOCATION:
City Market, Downtown PRICE:
$$
INTERESTS: Diversity &
Awareness
The Pennywise Pantry:
A well-stocked pantry is the key to
pennywise meals. In this shopping tour,
learn how to fill your fridge, freezer,
and cupboard with affordable foods that
are close to nature, nutritious, varied,
and plentiful. WHEN:
Sunday, February 19 10:00 AM LOCATION:
City Market, Downtown PRICE:
FREE INTERESTS:
Food, FREE
Free Herbal Clinic: Have
you ever been interested in using
herbal medicine to improve your
health? Join Betzy Bancroft RH
(AHG), Larken Bunce MS, and Guido
Masé RH (AHG) and students from
the Vermont Center for Integrative
Herbalism in a free, personalized
session focused on your individual
constitution and any health
conditions you may be
experiencing.
WHEN: Monday, February 20
4:00 PM LOCATION:
City Market, Downtown
Fred Stetson, a
Student-Neighbor Liaison on North Union
Street, is committed to doing clean-ups
every few weeks in his
neighborhood. Fred is joined by
UVM students, neighbors on the street,
and city and university staff in this
effort. A local landlord donates
materials and a trash bin. It's a
great show of partnership and care for
the areas we all share in common.
And, it feels good when we walk our
dogs, take the kids to school, and walk
to class to see trash-free
streets. If you would like to join
in this effort, here is the upcoming
date:
Tues.,
Feb. 21, from 4 - 5 pm
All volunteers meet up at 123 No.
Union St. Many thanks to
the Fiji fraternity for sending
volunteers!
We serve
it up hot!
This is typically
the time of year where folks hunker
down, cut out unnecessary expenses and
try to find ways to save wherever they
can. For some this could mean cutting
down on delivery food, splitting
Netflix with a friend or finding
creative ways to stretch the dollar.
But did you know that as an
Off-Campus student you can get 300
meal points for only $250?
Better yet, one of our 3 coupons
attached to this newsletter will get
you an additional 10 meal points!
Whether it's our French Dip Baguette
with grass-fed beef at Brennan's or
our famous Falafel made just the way
you like it, adding meal points to
your card offers you the convenience
and deliciousness of campus dining
with great savings!
Call our Meal Plan Office today at 656.2945
to learn more!
Your
Voice is Important: Ways
to Get Involved
Community Coalition
The Community
Coalition is a diverse group of UVM
students and staff, Champlain College
staff, City administrators, City
Councilors, UVM and Burlington police
officers, non-profit partners, and
community members who meet once a
month to discuss ideas and create
programs designed to build community and
facilitate positive interaction between
the university’s students and city
residents. The Coalition is an
initiative of UVM’s Student Government
Association and is co-chaired by SGA and
the Office of Student and Community
Relations. Meetings are open to
all and participation is heartily
welcomed.
Meeting
dates:
Friday, Feb. 17, from 2:30 - 4 pm
Friday, March 16, from 2:30 - 4 pm
Friday, April 6, from 2:30 - 4 pm
Student-Neighbor Liaison Program
The UVM
Student-Neighbor Liaison Program works
to improve the quality of life in
Burlington neighborhoods by increasing
communication and building relationships
between
off-campus students and neighbors.
Liaisons have access to Neighborhood
Grants for community events and
initiatives that create opportunities
for positive student and neighbor
interaction. Liaisons meet once a month
over a potluck dinner.
Current Neighborhood
Grant projects being discussed:
Pomeroy Park
Archway
Buell Street Composting
North Union Street Trash Pickups
Hyde
Street Triangle O.N.E.der DomeGarden
The next meeting is
on Monday,
Feb. 27, at 6 pm at the Office of
Student and Community Relations, the
Pearl House, 1st floor of 12
Colchester Ave.
All meetings are at the Office of Student
and Community Relations, the Pearl House,
1st floor of 12 Colchester Ave.
Helping
Seniors to Live Well
Senior hunger is on
the rise! Nationally over 2.5 million
seniors in the United States are at risk
for hunger each day. You can
help locally by joining the CVAA
Bowl-a-thon to Strike Out Senior
Hunger on March 31 from 1:30-4pm at
Spare Time in Colchester. Space
is limited so teams should register at www.cvaa.org
or call 865-0360.
Teams of four will raise pledges of
$400, enough to feed over 80 seniors in
need here in the Champlain Valley. Teams
will have a chance to win a trip to
Disney World or tickets to the Boston
Red Sox.
This is a great way
to help seniors in your community while
having a fun day with great prizes and a
buffet of goodies to be served. The 2nd
Annual CVAA Bowl-a-Thon is a great event
for people of all ages and a day of fun
for friends and families.
CVAA is a non-profit
organization that empowers seniors to
live well. CVAA works with seniors and
caregivers, offering guidance and
providing the support and services they
need, when they need them. With the help
of community partners and volunteers,
CVAA serves over 10,000 seniors.
Established in 1974, CVAA is known as
the resource for seniors in the
Champlain Valley (Addison, Chittenden,
Franklin and Grand Isle Counties). For
more information call 1-800-642-5119.
Let's Talk
Let’s Talk is a
drop-in service designed to provide
students with easy access to informal
and confidential consultations with
counselors from Counseling and Psychiatry
Services (CAPS). Let’s Talk
provides the opportunity for counselors
to help students who have a specific
problem, are concerned about a friend
and/or would like more information about
counseling. Let’s Talk is not a
substitute for formal counseling.
Let’s Talk counselors can help students
determine whether formal counseling
would be useful, and, if appropriate,
can assist in scheduling an initial
appointment. Let’s Talk counselors
can also help students make connections
with other resources.
Current
Let’s Talk Locations No
appointment needed! No
paperwork! Confidential!
Mondays,
3-5pm, ALANA Student Center
Blundell House, 342 South Prospect
Street
Let’s Talk Counselor: Keith Smith
Tuesdays
and Thursdays, 3-4:30pm,
College of Medicine Courtyard at Given,
Room N-102 (within the Medical Education
suite)
Let’s Talk Counselor: Kristen
McEvoy
The best place for more information,
including Frequently Asked Questions
about Let’s Talk, and updates on any
Let’s Talk additions or cancellations,
is the Let’s
Talk website.
Campus
Medical Update
Since early this
month, the Center for Health and
Wellbeing has seen a number of students
with symptoms nausea, vomiting, and low
grade fever. This illness is
likely due to a highly contagious virus
which has appeared in a number of
Vermont communities in recent
weeks. Symptoms generally
last 1-3 days; most people recover from
this illness without needing to see a
doctor. If you develop these
symptoms, stay home, rest and drink lots
of fluid.
If you need medical
advice, please call student health at 656-3350 –
especially if you have a chronic medical
condition or if your symptoms seem
atypical. Communicate early on with your
professors about your illness.
This virus is spread by hand to mouth
contact - wash your hands frequently
during the day. Don’t share eating
utensils. If you become ill,
please stay home during your illness to
help minimize the chances of passing the
virus on to others.
Thanks for
your consideration and cooperation!
Jon Porter, MD
Director – Center for Health and
Wellbeing