A Message from Vice Provost Greg Boardman

Monday May 7, 2012

Each year during Spring quarter the pace of life on campus gets busier and busier as the end of the school year nears. Classes, projects, papers, research, and exams all vie for students’ precious time. When you add co-curricular activities like athletics, music, dance, drama, studio arts, leadership and volunteer commitments, as well time to hang out with friends, it’s easy to feel overloaded, over-programmed and maybe even a little frantic. And this doesn’t even begin to take into account all the special end-of-the-year ceremonies and events that honor students, staff and faculty as we gear up for Commencement.

None of this is news. We’re all well aware of the much publicized phenomenon of the overly programmed student and how this pattern is ingrained way before students come to Stanford.  In many cases students earn their place in the entering class because of impressive and extraordinary activities and accomplishments, so why mess with success? When being busy is no longer the path to a goal, but has become the goal itself and you question what you’re doing because you’re unhappy, it’s time to reassess.

Enter the Stanford Duck.  We just keep going, relying on our unruffled composure to hide the strenuous paddling required to stay afloat.  After all, others seem fine dealing with the same demands and it’s definitely not cool (and certainly not common) to admit we’re having trouble dealing with the pressure.  Stanford prides itself on being a caring and diverse community. Each of us is unique and we each respond to life’s challenges in our own way, but it’s crucial that we look out for one another. It’s up to each of us to help others and to ask for help when we need it.  Being vulnerable and sharing honestly can open the door to resources on campus that you may not know exist.

We all need to take a break from the non-stop activity and make sure we haven’t lost touch with those things that make us feel good about ourselves and our lives.  Meet a friend for coffee, walk the Dish, visit the Rodin Sculpture Garden, go to church, see a movie, go to a concert, take a bike ride - - - it’s not what you do that really matters, it’s how you feel that’s important. We call this self care and, if it’s working right, it leaves you with a palpable sense of well-being. And remember, when it’s not working we have a campus-wide network of support available to students.