Get Involved - ELI's Virtual Student Union (VSU)

 

Have you heard of ELI’s VSU? VSU stands for Virtual Student Union, and if you’re an ELI student, you have unlimited access to this site!  This online hub has been built to help keep ELI students connected outside of their courses. Using the VSU, you can start online clubs, discuss life and topics of interest with fellow students, and also hang out!  Here are some of the Virtual Student Union’s features:  

· Discussion Den: talk to other students about study topics, discuss current events, connect with other students who are new to online learning and so much more.

· The Quad: In the Quad, you can start an Interest Group, listen to music with other students in the Music Lounge, or play free online games or joinone of our fantasy sports leagues in the Game Center.  

· Newsroom: The Newsroom is your center for all campus news.  We have links to ELife, ELI’s Student  Blog here, as well as the ELI Bulletin Board. Don’t forget to check out the NOVA Fortnightly and the NOVAChronicle, as both are written by NOVA students.

· Events: Keep checking our Events calendar to find out about our next webinar or get-together. We will post all upcoming events here, including times and registration links.  

To get access to all areas of the site, you will need to sign-up by clicking “Connect!”, then “Register” on the VSU homepage.  Once you’re registered, feel free to update your profile and connect to the Virtual Student Union through Facebook too! If you have any ideas, suggestions, or need help with the site, please email us at EliStuLife@nvcc.edu.

NOVA's Office of Pregnant and Parenting Student Support

Office of Pregnant and Parenting Student Support

(OPPSS)

Providing Support for Pregnant and Parenting NOVA Students through the establishment of the OPPSS

oppss@nvcc.edu

Main Number: 703-822-2010
For more information, please visit the website at, www.nvcc.edu/oppss

OPPSS is here to provide student support services to pregnant women, expectant fathers and to students new to parenting in an effort to increase student success and retention.

Tools for College Success: Mentors

The transition to college can be a challenging and stressful time of life.  If you find yourself struggling in college or in your career, a mentor may be the perfect prescription.  A mentor can help guide you, answer questions, encourage you, teach you, and promote your confidence to help you accomplish your academic and/or career goals. 

In most cases, a mentor will not come to you.  You will need to seek out a mentor.  Finding a mentor is not a complicated process!  There are a number ways you can connect to a suitable mentor—a few to consider include:

·       Do you have a neighbor or family friend with a job in your major/career field?  Ask them if they would consider serving as your mentor. 

·       Consider visiting a volunteer organization, with a focus in your major and volunteer.  Once you have established a connection at the organization, perhaps you will find an employee or even another volunteer that would be willing to serve as your mentor---just ask!

·       If you have a professor, advisor or counselor, that you admire, ask if s/he would consider serving as your mentor.

·       Mentors do not have to be local.  Do you have a former high school teacher or tutor that you respected and admired?  Consider asking them – you can communicate through email, Skype, etc.

Don’t be afraid to ask! Most folks will be honored to serve as a mentor.  Once you find the perfect mentor and connect, they will empower you, make you accountable, listen to your struggles, provide practical advice, inspire you, and even serve as a future reference.  You are never too young or too old for a mentor -find yours today!!  For additional information about the benefits of a mentor, click here.

The Importance of Networking in College

In looking ahead at your future transfer and/or career endeavors, an important consideration to think about is types of networking techniques. In today’s tougher and competitive economic times, students need to be thinking about how networking and making the right contacts may benefit them in reaching their future educational and career goals. If you are new to networking, the following recommendations would be most beneficial as you plan your future educational and vocational trajectory:

• Develop a marketing message that is unique to your skills and talents; think of issues related to who you are, where you are going and why you are seeking this career path. This message will take on the form of a “script” or “pitch” that you will have ready to present when the moment arises. You may find it useful to have this handy at a job fair or Transfer Day event.
• Create a professional business card that includes your name and contact information; a few words about your career aspirations or where you currently are in your career will give your contacts a brief description of what you are about. A graphic design program or word processor is all you need to create one and it's a good idea to use high quality paper when possible. Carry a stack of these whenever you are at a networking function or just in your travels as you never know when you will encounter your next window of opportunity.
• Have paper and pen handy to jot down names; remembering a person’s name is a good first step in building rapport and enhances the relationship in future meetings.
• Follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to networking communication; this means that you talk for 20% of the time and listen for 80% of the time to get as much information as possible. If this contact is busy and rarely available, be sure to make the most of your meetings by asking open-ended questions such as “What did you major in to get into the field you are currently in?” Or,“Tell me more about your career in marketing. . . where did you start out and how did you get into the position you are in today?"

Hopefully, you will find these tips useful whether your goals are to transfer to a four-year or graduate institution or get a job in the field of your choice. Seeking out the right contacts and being prepared for networking meetings goes a long way in our increasingly competitive society and job market. For more information on this topic, visit Debt-free Scholar.com.

Get the people around you to help

Now that you have your “class times” mapped out on your schedule, recruit the people around you to help you keep your commitments. Share your reasons for taking your classes with your friends, parents, children, and/or spouse. Let them know what times you have committed to studying and encourage them to help you keep your schedule. If they ask how they can help, suggest that they can remind you of your study times if you forget, or encourage you to study if you want to procrastinate. Ask them to avoid distracting you during these periods and remind them of your schedule if they have forgotten. If they benefit from your longtime education goals, remind them of what they gain from helping you succeed and encourage them to become partners with you by cheering you on when you have completed your assignments for the week. Ask them to listen to you when you get a good grade on an assignment or test and want to share the news with them and be congratulated. (Make sure to praise them in return for any support they have given you while you completed those assignments!) These little things can really make the difference when you are trying to succeed in a class.

You can also communicate with one of ELI’s success coaches at elisuccess@nvcc.edu for encouragement and support. They are available to cheer you on, or troubleshoot how to deal with the individual in your life who tries to distract you from your studies, or help you work out problems that arise while you are taking online classes at NOVA. The support of family, friends, and colleagues will make your time in school much more pleasant and rewarding.

What is a Secondary Social Support Network?

Over the last several posts, I’ve discussed how a primary social support network can help you through challenges and difficulties that arise while you are taking classes. I’ve also discussed how to examine your network to determine its strengths and weaknesses. Today I’ll discuss what to do if your network is weak in a few areas. To bolster a social support network until you can cultivate new connections, try to identify resources that you can include in a secondary support network.

A secondary support network includes services from businesses and organizations rather than family and friends. For example, if you expect you might need emergency child care,a back-up ride in case your car breaks down, or a back-up computer and Internet connection in case your computer dies, you might locate a child care center in your area that advertises later than usual drop-in hours, a taxi service that you could call at the drop of a hat, and a local library with a computer lab. If you just need someone to vent with, or want some help in problem solving, then a Success Coach through ELI might be a great secondary support network resource. For advice a NOVA Counselor or faculty member could be a resource. The Virginia Department of Social Services also has a website that you can use to find additional support services for Virginia residents.

There are some downsides to drawing on your secondary support network resources. You might have to pay for some of the services provided by your secondary support network. Others might have more limited hours than could be negotiated with someone in your primary social support network. The upsides to them, are that often you can access them quickly and without hassle or negotiation, and usually you know the full cost of them up front, so if you do your research, you can budget for them. However, just knowing that a taxi service or child care company exists does not make them part of your secondary network. In order to add them in, you need to do a bit of research and footwork first. For each service you intend to be able to rely on in an emergency, you need to know their hours of service, their cost for your typical use of them, and what preliminary paperwork will be involved in your first and subsequent uses. For example, your alternate child care company might require some intake paperwork before you can benefit from their services. If completing the initial paperwork will take so long that you will miss the class you want their support during, then it doesn’t really do you any good. Therefore, find a place where you can complete that kind of work in advance, so it is ready for you when you need it.

Secondary support networks are much quicker to build than primary social support networks--and they can be very effective in helping you through crises. But for the long haul, don’t forget to build and cultivate your primary network. These social connections are essential to our long-term health and well-being. I’ll suggest some strategies for doing this in another post. In the meantime, what secondary supports do you currently use in an emergency?

Is your Social Network Causing you Stress?

No, I’m not asking you if Facebook posts are causing you stress; I am asking you if your personal connections (in everyday life) are hindering emotionally more then you may realize. Over the past couple of weeks, Allison has been posting about Social Networks and their importance. But distancing yourself from members of your network who may actually be hindering you instead of encouraging and supporting you can be just as important.

Stress can come from a variety of triggers – not always human. To identify the factors that may be causing you stress, try keeping a stress log for a few days. When you get stressed, jot down the events and people who cause you to have a negative physical, mental or emotional response. Give a brief description of the situation. Where were you? Who was involved? Also, describe your reaction. Did you feel frustrated, angry or nervous?

Now, looking back at your log, can you pin-point a particular event(s), person(s), or situation(s) which cause you stress? What can you do differently in the future to elevate or reduce the cause of the stress? Maybe it IS people’s Facebook posts that are stressing you out! Perhaps you need to delete Debbie Downer from your list of friends or hide all comments from Mr. I-LOVE-TO-POST-PICS-OF-EVERYTHING-I-EAT!

Have you ever wondered why and how social media boomed the way it did about 6 years ago? It is because we all want to feel as if we are part of a group. And social media networks such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others lets us “belong”. Sources such as the Mayo Clinic indicate that there are known benefits of being part of a network. It is helpful and exciting to explore how you can benefit from growing your network. Just remember that like most growing things, pruning that network is sometimes helpful too.

Friend ELI on Facebook to truly extend your social network, obtain useful updates, study strategies, and so much more!

Assessing your Social Support Network: Part 2

How supportive are the people in your Network? While it is excellent to have a moderate to large social support network, it will be of dubious help to you if the members of your network are discouraging, or point out all the negatives of a situation instead of offering positive ideas and solutions. After all, a supporter is supposed to help you succeed, not drag you down and make success harder. Even if someone is always available to help you in an emergency, if they do it with an unhelpful attitude, filled with statements like “I told you so,” or “You will never succeed at this,” then they might actually be making your life harder rather than easier. Every now and then, we need to take a closer look at the people we have around us, and ask some tough questions to see if they have your best interests at heart. Asking yourself the following questions about each person in your social network can be useful:

1. Do I feel inspired and energized after interacting with this person or discouraged and deflated?
2. Is there a reasonable balance of give and take in my relationship with them or do they demand much more from me than they give back?
3. Do they help me see new possibilities for my situation or do they merely help me see how every solution I think of won’t work?

After doing this, you will be able to see fairly clearly how supportive your network currently is. If you find that a person in your network is dragging you down rather than helping you, you may need to find someone else to fill their role in your social support circle. If that person is a family member or co-worker, you may still need to interact with them regularly, but try to find someone else to lean on when you actually need support. Don’t share your frustrations and struggles with someone who will only confirm them and not help solve them—instead, create a list of other, neutral topics to converse about instead, and share those frustrations and struggles with someone who will inspire you. After all, if you sprain an ankle and need a crutch to help you get around for a while, you wouldn’t choose a bent or cracked crutch to lean on—it might break when you need it most and hurt you worse. Instead, you will hopefully examine your choices carefully to select one that is strong and supportive, to carry a little of your weight until you heal. These are the same qualities you need in the people you lean on for social support!

And finally since social support networks are healthiest when there is give and take on both sides, take a little time to answer those questions posed above about yourself.Do you encourage, inspire, and energize the people in your network? Do you give back to those people in balance with what you ask of them? Do you help them with constructive problem solving when asked rather than negatively shooting down every idea? If you fall short when you assess yourself with these questions, you might want to think of ways you can become more supportive to that person—in the end, it will keep your network healthy and strong!

Assessing your Social Support Network

A Social Support network is the group of people who help you make it safely through the challenges you encounter in life. Your primary support network is usually composed of those closest to you—often your family and close friends. There will be some people in your network that you talk with about the things on your mind. Others will be people you do enjoyable activities with. Still others are people that you can go to for help if a minor emergency arrives—they may be able to watch your kids for a few hours so you can attend class if your normal arrangements fall through, or they might be able to give you a ride to work or class if your car breaks down. You will also have a secondary social support network that can include acquaintances, peers, coworkers, teachers, college support staff, counselors, service providers, and any other people you feel comfortable going to when you want assistance. We will explore secondary support networks in future articles. For now, let’s look at how to assess your primary support network. Who is in it? Does it need to be larger, smaller, or is it just the right size?

A good way to decide who is part of your primary social support network is to answer these five questions:

1. When I am trying to relax and de-stress, who do I spend time with?

2. When I need help in an emergency, which people do I usually ask?

3. When I am frustrated or upset about something, who do I usually talk to?

4. When I need a favor, who is on the list of people I would ask?

5. When I need advice or help with solving a problem, who would I ask?

There might be several names that come up for each question. Names that come up frequently are probably the supporters you rely on the most. If you have any questions with no names next to them, this might indicate areas where you could build and strengthen your network.

Alternatively, you might find that you have a long list of names for each of those questions, and that your network is extremely large. Do you think it is possible for a Social Support network to be too large?

Surviving Discouragment

Last week I missed a deadline in my class because I locked myself out of BOTH my house and my car at a critical time. I felt incredibly stressed because of the event already, and that stress became much more intense as I then had to search for a place to scan my receipt from the locksmith so I could attach it to my email with my request for an extension. The next day, I received a failing grade on an assignment in another class that I thought I had done really well on. By that point I was seriously thinking about just giving up and starting over next semester.

What made the difference between continuing in my classes rather than quitting was support from my friends and family—my support network. My best friend listened patiently as I recounted the events of my really bad day. My husband reminded me that I often learn a lot from the first few assignments in a class and that that always helps me do better on later assignments and tests. My sister reminded me of the reasons I gave when I shared with her that I was going to take college classes while working full time

It is often support from the people around us that makes it possible for us to push through challenges and frustrations to succeed in our classes. If my husband had been discouraging and confirmed my gripes that I would never recover from those first poor assignments—If my sister had said “I told you that you shouldn’t have taken classes while working” instead of reminding me of my hopes and dreams—If my friend hadn’t had time to listen to my troubles and help me calm down from them, then the outcome could have been very different.

Sometimes, healthy support networks like this just pop up around you. Sometimes, though, you have to build and cultivate them deliberately to increase your chances of succeeding. For the next several weeks, I’m going to blog about how to develop a healthy support network.

In the meantime, I would love to hear examples of how your friends and family have made a difference in either helping you or hindering you in reaching your goals. What do you do when someone around you is discouraging?