Greetings, Parents!

The fall semester has certainly flown by! It seems like just yesterday that we sponsored Homecoming/Family Weekend under beautiful blue skies. The College has much to celebrate this fall semester particularly with three students winning prestigious awards including Jamila Headley `07 of Barbados who is the second Rhodes Scholar in Saint Michael’s history.

In this issue of Parent Talk, you’ll find an inspiring story about Megan Lagasse `07, a biology major and star field hockey and lacrosse player who came to terms with diabetes at a young age but does not let it stand in her way of experiencing life to the fullest. In addition, you’ll meet Dave Kells `89 our new counselor-in-residence who discusses his role in reaching out to students. You’ll also find links to important information such as our ongoing presidential search.

We enjoy hearing from you so please send us your feedback about Parent Talk.

Happy Holidays!

 

Terri Selby Senior Special Gifts Officer tselby@smcvt.edu Patrick Gallivan '89 Director of Alumni & Parent Relations pgallivan@smcvt.edu

An Interview with Megan Legasse '07
by Mark Tarnacki
Staff Writer

An internship this past summer with the renowned Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston allowed Megan to help other diabetics come to terms with their condition. It reminded her of how much she has been inspired by fellow diabetics who refuse to let diabetes be an obstacle, and who care enough to share their experiences.

The work made Megan think she might like to make a career of helping other diabetics. “I want to go into education on diabetes, since I remember that when I was learning about it, and people who hadn’t experienced it tried to talk to me; I always wished it was somebody who’d been through it,” she said.

Megan’s high-school aged brother is also a diabetic, an unusual coincidence that has further influenced her. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

Megan made a great alumni connection through her internship too: Alysha Ryan Berger ’01, who happens to work for Joslin, e-mailed Megan when she saw her application.

“She told me she went to Saint Michael’s, was married by Father Marcel (Rainville S.S.E.), asked me where I lived -- all those things,” said Megan. Over the summer, the two women became friends, and Alysha even came to watch Megan play in three of her field hockey games this fall.

Alysha’s description of her own post-graduation experience drove home for Megan the value of a broad Saint Michael’s liberal arts education. “She was an English major who ended up doing science research – she was looking for jobs after graduation, got in touch at Joslin, and they loved her and said they’d find something for her, and they did,” Megan said.

Alysha was coordinator of the study that Megan assisted with: Joslin’s “Fifty-Year Medalist Study,” which looks at genes and people who, “amazingly have survived all these years since they became diabetic -- in some cases even before insulin was invented,” Megan said. Some older patients that she talked to had the clinic’s founder and namesake as their doctor. “He’s the guy who really got insulin out there,” Megan explained. Respondents came from all over the U.S., with a goal of 500 participants. “I’d call people to see if they could come into Boston and have some tests done. I’ve met lots of cool people and it’s been inspiring,” said Megan, who lived right near Boston’s Kenmore Square and walked to her two summer jobs -- at Joslin and another business to make ends meet.

Her internship supervisor already has asked if she’d like to come back to Joslin, giving Megan a strong job prospect after graduation. But she might take a year off “to go to Colorado and have some fun,” said Megan, an avid skier.

Megan came to Saint Michael’s interested in marine biology, and the biology major she chose is also good background for her emerging diabetes-research interest. She and a childhood friend decided to attend Saint Michael’s after getting excited by a campus visit together as high school seniors. Another attraction for Megan was getting to know field hockey and lacrosse coach Carla Hessler, who was impressive and encouraging to the young athlete. The 2006 field hockey squad performed well in Megan’s senior campaign, making the conference playoffs. “I’ve had a great experience at Saint Michael’s on all fronts,” she said.

Meet Saint Michael's New Counselor-in-Residence
by Mark Tarnacki
Staff Writer

“It’s really a wide range of reasons why people come to talk to a counselor -- from relationship concerns to issues of anxiety, issues of depression or academic concerns,” says Dave Kells ’89, who not only counsels students but lives among them.

He’s counselor-in-residence at Saint Michael’s – a new position this year that Kells helped create once he saw the merits of such an approach during his extensive graduate studies and clinical experiences. Being part of daily campus life by living in a residence hall apartment allows Kells to know students better. He hopes they’ll feel more at ease approaching him when needs arise.

A key concern for Kells and the Student Resource Center's more veteran personal counselors, Linda Hollingdale and Julia Wick, is that no student slips through the cracks, whether in a crisis or simply at times when counseling might improve somebody’s Saint Michael’s experience. “It’s one step making it easier to access mental health counseling and services,” Kells says.

He eats in the dining hall, works out in the gym, attends Sunday night Mass, takes groups bowling-- all to mix with students and build a greater comfort level. Kells also presents programs in residence halls – for instance, he is trained and enthusiastic about teaching guided breathing exercises that promote mental and physical health, and he has been talking to students about the differences between men and women’s brains. Turnout for these programs has been great, he said.

Kells receives housing from the College in compensation for his activities beyond customary 40-hours-weekly counselor duties. Along with his residence hall programming, he holds evening office hours twice a week in the student center for “drop-ins” and visits First-Year Seminars or large general psychology classes to introduce himself. He said he’s impressed at the number and quality of outdoor and volunteer activities available to today’s students that promote well-being – new since his student days.

For his thesis during a recently-completed graduate counseling program at Smith College, Kells studied seven colleges that have counselor-in-residence programs “Each felt the program was very effective reaching out to students who normally might not have come into the mental health office,” he said.

When an opening arose this past spring for a Saint Michael’s counselor, Kells applied. He was a known quantity to officials at the College, and they became excited about trying a pilot program with a counselor in residence. It made for a good fit considering his familiarity with the community.

Kells had begun the master’s in psychology program at Saint Michael’s in 2003 and worked as a resident director, continuing as an “RD” even after he transferred to the Smith program to get specific credentials he needed. Smith let him intern at Fletcher-Allen Hospital as a psychiatric case worker while he lived as a Saint Michael’s RD. That hospital experience and his subsequent internship at UMass Amherst in student counseling under first-rate professionals was invaluable and excited him about the field, he said, adding that Hollingdale’s 26 years of experience and Wick’s 20-plus years also have been an indispensable resource.

Kells wants students and parents to be clear that he’s not on call “24-7” just because he lives on campus, but rather is part of the regular shared rotation duty with his colleagues. They follow proven protocols that involve the full range of veteran student life staff and referral services.

Also, he said, parents should be aware that “we can’t make anybody see us, but it’s good for them to know that we do have counseling on campus available --they can call any one of us. Parents might be able to encourage students to utilize the services, and it’s OK to make concerns known, but we can’t force them into counseling. We also refer people out to the wider community if appropriate, or if they choose that we help with it” he said.

“I’m really most enjoying working with individuals one-on-one to be the best that they can be in all situations in life – the best student, the best friend, the best partner, the best citizen – that’s how I look at my work at Saint Michael’s: helping them be the best they can be, or at least better at those things,” Kells said.

A Greenfield, Mass., native, Kells stayed at Saint Michael’s an extra year after his 1989 graduation to gain teacher certification, working as a resident director that year. Then he taught middle and high school primarily in Massachusetts, sometimes with residential staff duties.

“I really wanted for a long time to do work in counseling,” he said. “As a teacher, I worked with so many kids for whom the help they needed wasn’t really academic, but psychological, so it seemed like a natural fit after a while. I found that before people really could be a great student they should have help understanding themselves first.”

At UMass his specialty was working with students struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, substance abuse and associative issues. He also was trained in behavior medicine, diaphragmatic breathing and biofeedback, muscle relaxation exercise and guided meditations.

“To get the full rewards that Saint Michael’s can offer, they need to be feeling their best,” he said of students, “so I’d say to them, ‘know where to go to get the resources you need when you’re not feeling your best.’ Basically, coming in for any reason is for the right reason – because they want to be better, feel better and to do better.”
 

• The Search for the Next President
• Saint Michael’s senior wins a coveted Rhodes Scholarship
• Saint Michael’s Journalism Professor named 2006 Vermont Professor of the Year
• Saint Michael’s junior named one of 19 Pickering Fellows nationwide
• Saint Michael’s announces partnership with Robert De Cormier’s Counterpoint choral chamber group
  

Spring, 2007:

• January 15 – Classes Begin

• February 19-20 – No Classes, President’s Day break

• March 9 – Spring Recess Begins After Last Class

• March 19 – Classes Resume

• April 5 – Easter Recess Begins After Last Class

• April 10 – Classes Resume

• May 4 – Last Day of Classes

• May 5-6 – Study Days

• May 7-11 – Final Exams

• May 16- Baccalaureate, Ross Sports Center

• May 17 – Commencement, Ross Sports Center

For more information on these programs, visit our Parent Page or contact Terri Selby, Senior Special Gifts Officer 802.654.2462 or tselby@smcvt.edu.

Saint Michael's Fund Update

Thank you, Dr. Steven and Patricia Bookless P’08 for agreeing to be the co-chairs for current parents and the Saint Michael’s Fund. They are parents of Kim, Michelle and Megan, ’08, from Barrington, RI. Yes, they are triplets! All three young women are active both in and outside of the classroom. If you meet them, please ask them about the “spreadsheet story!” Steven and Patty wanted to be involved in their daughters’ college careers and felt the best way to do that was to take a leadership role as volunteers. Check out the cover story on the triplets in the recent issue of the Saint Michael’s College Magazine.

Parent Giving to the Saint Michael's Fund
(As of November 30, 2006)

Great news everyone! We are up as of this time last year for both current parents and parents of alumni participation! We are up 3% for current parents and 2% for parents of alumni. THANK YOU ALL WHO’VE ALREADY MADE YOUR GIFT!

This year our participation goal for current parents is 36% and 50% for parents of alumni – let’s keep the momentum going!

And remember - the easiest and most convenient way to give is to go to the College’s secure online website: www.smcvt.edu/giveback or call toll-free 888.44.7111. If you have any further questions on how to make a gift, please do not hesitate to contact me. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A GIFT FOR THE 2006 CALENDAR YEAR YOU MUST MAKE IT BEFORE DECEMBER 31.

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