Hello! Good evening and welcome to my very last Saturdays with Shal. I am super sad we have come to an end but I was honoured and excited to provide you with a weekly dose of health and wellness. I hope you enjoyed and benefited from them. For my last post I have an awesome surprise for you! Throughout the week I contacted some of the professors of Daniels asking them an interview style question. This came from my previous SWS of asking students what their favourite “little things” to do was. I wanted to expand this idea to interact with the faculty so students can get a unique perspective. So, “what is one piece of advice you could give to undergrad architecture / vis students that is related to anything Health & Wellness?” Here are three professors’ responses:
Jay Pooley:
"Keep your community strong!
Look out for the people around you and keep lines of communication open. Architecture is a group effort that only gets better when people work together. As students and designers, the instinct is to sometimes isolate and work alone. Find the time to share your work with the peers you look up to and those you may even disagree with.
Take the time to stop and say hello to classmates and friends. Ask them how things are going and check in with friends who might be feeling stressed out or overwhelmed. A quick chat and a little laugh can go a long way!"
Charles Stankievech:
"Sleep is overrated. Cycle to class."
Jon Cummings:
"My advice would be to have regular exercise of some sort, or evenly simply walking or biking to studio/work be a part of your average daily & weekly routine. As students and later in our careers, most us spend the vast majority of our time seated at a desk, in front of a screen. It's important to offset that physical inactivity, and doing so can have a positive effect on our our bodies and can also help clear our mind sometimes when we need to.”
Jeannie Kim:
“In a program as large as ours, it’s sometimes easy to forget that we (faculty, staff, students) are all in this together. Lean on your colleagues for advice on matters both big and small, and ask faculty and staff for guidance when you need it. We are a friendly bunch (I promise!) and some of the best encounters you can have as a student happen in spaces outside of the classroom or studio. Drink plenty of water, and remember to get away from your screens and take a walk (preferably outside) every once in a while; it’s good for your heart, and your head.”
Thank you to these four for taking time to respond. And thank you to everyone that gave me feedback throughout the year and the kind words. I loved my position here in AVSSU and am excited to announce that Naomi Litwack will be carrying on the responsibilities, I have a feeling she will do great! This is Shal, for Saturdays with Shal saying one last goodbye and good luck with your finals. Keep it classy out there!