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                                                 Jan. 28, 2025 Daylight: 6:33:42 
                                                
                                                Two weeks down! Welcome to Week 3! 
                                                
                                                If you are here in the Interior, we have had a week of weather! Weirdly warm with
                                                      attendant rain and ice! Monday, I saw a student sitting for a moment on a concrete
                                                      bench outside the Rasmuson Library. They were taking a moment to enjoy the afternoon
                                                      sun. That is a first for Fairbanks in January! Yes, the sun is coming back; we are
                                                      gaining daylight at over six minutes per day! We crossed over six hours per day and
                                                      are on our way to nearly seven hours by the end of the week, up from four hours at
                                                      the beginning of the month. Spring is coming! We are on our way! 
                                                
                                                Are you settling into your rhythms for the semester? Is this the ‘get real’ week after
                                                      you stretched the break as long as possible? It feels like the great engine that is
                                                      UAF is only now coming up to a full head of steam. Can you feel it? Email traffic
                                                      is at maximum flow. Despite the cold, I see lots of students walking across campus
                                                      between classes. The three coffee shops on our Troth Yeddha’ campus are busily supplying
                                                      our students, faculty, and staff with the little paper cups of heated fuel necessary
                                                      for our work. Everyone is working hard to get it done – our important work of learning.Ìý 
                                                
                                                Speaking of your studies, how are you doing? Are you busy? What does busy look like
                                                      to you? How many credits are you carrying? Are you also working? Are you also juggling
                                                      family and other life commitments and responsibilities? For all the parents and professionals
                                                      out there for whom school is another layer on top of everything else – I see you.
                                                      You are heroic. You are not alone. There are so many student heroes carrying so much.
                                                      How do you manage? 
                                                
                                                There is an old saying that if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person.
                                                      That sounds silly. There is truth to it, however. Busy people tend to have good time
                                                      management skills. They tend to get things done without overthinking it. They eliminate
                                                      extraneous load and focus on outcomes. What is your secret to getting your work done?
                                                      Do you have a special place you go to? Do you get up before your family or roommates
                                                      or stay up until after they go to bed? Do you need music? Do you have a favored playlist?
                                                      Or, do you need silence? 
                                                
                                                Learning and recognizing what works for you can empower you for the rest of your life.
                                                      Now is a good time to look again at your weekly schedule. You know what works for
                                                      you and what you need. Does your current schedule look like a success? 
                                                
                                                Welcome to week two of the spring 2025 term. This is how you do it. One week at a
                                                      time. The light is coming! Take care of yourself out there. 
                                                
                                                Things to do: 
                                                
                                                Athletics has Gov Cup hockey Friday and Saturday, it’s a must as they’re giving away
                                                      two 91ÊÓÆµ Airlines tickets to students with the best signs / posters. Student Activities
                                                      is hosting sign making Friday and Saturday in Arctic Java from 5-7 p.m. 
                                                
                                                If hockey isn’t your thing, ORCA POD is hosting SoBear Lounge at the Hess on Thursday
                                                      might and there is the Chi Alpha chili cook off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Wood Center. 
                                                
                                                
                                                
                                                I would love to hear about your secret sauce to success. Drop me a note at obguthrie@alaska.edu.Ìý 
                                                
                                                — Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management 
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