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It is the beginning of a new semester and a new Year. Many of us may have made New Year鈥檚 resolutions or promises to ourselves about trying things differently this year.

Many of you have started settling into the routine of classes.It is the time of the semester that first tests or papers are due.This is in addition to everything else that consumes your time such as clubs, organizations, work, relationships and family.It is a stressful time for many valid reasons.

So, how are you doing with this stressful time?It is common for many of us to feel 鈥渂lue, sad or overwhelmed鈥� for a short period of time, but I am concerned that you may be feeling more than just feeling blue, sad or overwhelmed!

Have you heard the statement, 鈥淐ollege鈥�the best years of your life?鈥� I agree. College can be fun and exciting. It is a time for learning, meeting new people, being introduced to new ideas and philosophies, participating in clubs and organizations, and pursuing your personal dreams or goals. Clearly, a lot more than academic learning takes place at college. It鈥檚 also a time of social and personal growth.

It is time to begin a new year at UIS! For many of you it is returning to something that is very familiar and for some it is a new experience. The result of this time is highly dependent on your perspective. It is a period of intense didactic learning, social and personal development.

There will be numerous opportunities for you to be involved in intense didactic learning. There will be textbooks to read, studying for tests, research on specific topics and papers to write. These are some ways of expanding your mind while at UIS.

Diversity equals variety and it doesn鈥檛 take much looking around to see that America is a diverse land of many people with different ethnicities,religions, beliefs, and languages. You can see this on a college campus, at the mall, on TV, or just by visiting various neighborhoods. This diversity has been a key ingredient of American culture since its very beginning as a nation, and even before with the hundreds of Native American groups who lived across the land.