Hello and Happy Fall!

It's about that time to start pulling out the sweaters, heading to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard, and sipping a pumpkin spice latte... I know that tends to be the big draw to Starbucks these days and apparently a true mark of the autumn season!

Well, the change of the season also means we're one step closer to registering for next semester's classes! I sent out an email to you all the other day and in it were my instructions for scheduling an appointment with me to talk through some options you're considering. When you're filling out the poll, please follow the prompt that asks you to sign up for certain weeks based on your last name:

Last Names A-C: Week of October 4 (Oct. 5-9)
Last Names D-G: Week of October 11 (Oct. 12-15)
Last Names H-L: Week of October 18 (Oct. 19-22)
Last Names M-W: Week of October 25 (Oct. 26-29)

Aside from my advising note, here are a couple of time management tips for those who might find themselves realizing that college is BUSY and jam-packed with not only classes, but also a ton of great opportunities like volunteering, learning all that UREC has to offer, participating in Greek life, finding a faith community on or off-campus. I know I always post some upcoming events, and have included some at the end of the blog post today as well, but self-care and making sure you are confident in managing the time it takes to be invested in these opportunities is also really important. So, if you find yourself doing all of the things:

1) Use the time you have in between classes- Even if you only have 10 minutes or you're waiting for a bus, you can still accomplish a lot in a little amount of time, like calling home, checking email, reviewing notes/study guide for the class you're going to or coming from, reviewing your to-do list for the day.

2) Make a schedule- Whether it's on your computer, phone, or in your planner, sometimes seeing things written out in front of you can help you to prioritize and see your daily commitments more clearly. Schedules can also be daily, weekly, and semester road maps.

3) Set priorities- There are a lot of ways to think about how to determine what things get done first.
Here are a couple of matrices that help define your tasks, assignment and other events in terms of how urgent they are and how important they are. Give these two a look and see if they might help you organize all that you have on your plate!

IMPORTANT/URGENT MATRIX

Now that you've got some tools to manage your time, here are some upcoming events:

• To celebrate the end of International Week at JMU, CS-L is offering a free family-style dinner tomorrow, Friday, September 25 at 6:30PM in the Festival Ballroom. Cultural performances, food, conversation and sharing will be the focal point of the event. Everyone is welcome to this event, but space is limited.

• Seems to be a theme of food this weekend! The JMU Triathlon Club is hosting the 10th annual Donut Dash 5K Walk/Run fundraiser. Each donut you eat shaves 1 minute off of your total race time...so enjoy yourself! Check out the website for more info- it sounds like a great Sunday morning to me!

• Join the Center for Multicultural Student Services (CMSS) for their D.E.E.P. Impact Dialogue Series event, "Rethinking Disney: Not a Child's Perspective" on Wednesday, September 30, at 7PM in the Madison Union Ballroom. These monthly discussions focus on engaging students in meaningful dialogue about issues and trends related to diversity, multiculturalism, access, and inclusion. This event uses an identity lens to explore numerous Disney moves in order to reveal connotations, stereotypes, and biases. throughout the program, characters, imagery, and scenery will be discussed to challenge our views of some of these movies.

• Want to explore the Valley? JMU's Office of Off-Campus Life is sponsoring a trip to Waynesboro, Virginia for the Fall Foliage Arts Festival- an outdoor arts show which features painting, printmaking, potter, jewelry, wood, glass, and more. There will be over 200 booths with artists and artisans from all over the country as well as local food and live music. The trip will be held on Saturday, October 10th, from 11:30AM-3:00PM. Transportation will be provided and the cost of the trip is free, but you will need to bring money to purchase and art, crafts, or food. To sign up, stop by the Off-Campus Life Office in the  Festival during their office hours (M-Th 9-8 and M-F 9-5). It's first come, first served and they're only taking 22 students!

Your parting words are echoed from the Eisenhower Box above and hopefully encourage you to take a minute to think about all you have going on and prioritize it as you see fit:

"What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important"

~Dwight D. Eisenhower~