As your associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students, it is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to a new semester at CU Boulder!
Dean of Students and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Akirah Bradley
College life offers students a rich array of choices when it comes to meeting new people, engaging in new opportunities and exploring new concepts and ideas. It’s what the whole university experience is all about—embarking on a personal quest to become critical thinkers and engaged individuals.
Whether you’re starting your first semester or final semester here at CU, you are an essential part of our extensive Buff family, and being a part of this family means we support each other and have each other’s backs. As you begin this fall semester, please look out for your fellow Buffs both on and off campus and do your part to create a positive social environment.
As your dean of students, I know firsthand the start of a new semester can prove to be overwhelming, and that is a normal feeling many students are experiencing. I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few tips with you based on hard-won experience.
There are many resources available to help you navigate campus and events that will provide opportunities to meet new people. We want to make this your home away from home, and my office has plenty of resources and services to support you—please use them.
As you walk to and from classes or stop to grab a bite to eat, you might be asked to register to vote, support a social or political cause, apply for a credit card, join a campus organization or participate in off-campus activities. Some of these invitations will give you a chance to forge lifelong friendships or discover new interests.
With the multitude of options that college brings, remember to take a moment to think about what you want before making a decision. If an invitation to join or socialize with an academic or nonacademic organization doesn’t seem to fit your needs right now, trust your instincts. There is no need to feel pressured into committing to an activity that you are unsure about or that could keep you from achieving your goals.
In the end, college really is about becoming the person you set out to be when you submitted your application and wrote your first essay to the admissions office.
Remember that we all stand behind you—your family, friends, supporters and the entire CU Boulder community—and are pulling for your success.
Have a great, productive semester, and remember to stay safe and make informed choices as you head into the 2017–18 academic year.
Go Buffs!
Akirah Bradley,
Dean of Students
