Welcome back!

Hello and welcome back! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Now that summer is over, we can finally go back to our regularly scheduled blog updates!

I was unfortunately really sick last Spring, so I couldn’t do an April blog post, but nothing like that should happen anymore. And what a nice way to start off September! Not too cold, not too warm, just a nice and comfortable temperature to walk around and catch Pokémon.

Squirtles started showing up everywhere, it's great.

The SMC campus has been through a lot of changes over this past summer, and I’m sure more will come over time. Change is good, it makes life more exciting! Let`s go over some of the new things that bold new first years might not be aware of:

We have a new housing option!

Residence Hall IV as it is being called right now is a brand new housing option for Juniors and Seniors. It is right to the side of Canterbury Hall and it is now the closest building to Ethan Allen Park. It is also basically a really nice hotel.

(There are not a lot of pictures of the new Residence Hall. That's how new it is.)

Students may choose to live there from their Junior year onwards if they wish to have a limited meal plan and/or just want to have an apartment-style place instead of a townhouse. All apartments come equipped with their own kitchens, hold up to four people, and are considered part of “wet campus”, meaning students over the age of 21 can drink alcohol while indoors.

This also means we are one step closer from completely overtaking the gas station and making it our own! Rejoice! One day!

One day.

We are a smoking free campus!

From September 1, 2016, Saint Michael’s College and all of its property is officially a smoke-free college. While our advertising only mentions tobacco, as a member of Resident Life, I can guarantee that this also extends to other categories of smoking, such as hucas and marijuana.

This has been a project two years in the making, and you can read all about it on the official school website. This is part of a cultural change that we, as a community, think we are ready to embrace.

While some people might not be happy with it, on the bright side Bergeron Wellness Center has opened a great group for smokers support, where people can get help if they wish to stop but cannot do it by themselves. Our main priority is still making people comfortable, and we are ready to do whatever we can to guarantee everyone can have a happy and positive experience while coming here.

We are rolling out KnightSafe!

For a couple of years now, Public Safety has been looking into options for making students feel safer once the lights go out. It gets dark quite early during the Vermont winter, and, although Vermont is still the state with the lowest crime rates in America, some students just want to feel safer walking across campus after hours.

That is why the department is rolling out the KnightSafe initiative. Basically, students in patrol will be connected to the Public Safety Switchboard, and will be on duty to escort students across both campuses every day from around 6PM to 1AM. The service includes both walkers and drivers, and will prove useful for art students who need to transition between both campuses fast. It is completely free and we are eager to help.

Business has already started and the response has been great. I am involved with the service, so this blog will also serve as a nice reminder of developments and advances in that front!

And this is just off the top of my head. Fall is always a season of change for Saint Michael’s – new students coming in, new programs, new classes. I hope we’ll have a great year, as we always have.

And you, have a lovely day!