April 2020 Parent Newsletter

Dear Westmont Parent,

What a challenging and difficult time for all of us in the Westmont community—and for the entire world—as we deal with so many uncertainties. We hope your student, whether at home or still on campus, is getting used to attending class online. We understand the loss our students feel being away from their friends and professors, especially with so many popular and meaningful events and traditions being canceled. Seniors may be experiencing the most surreal season with Commencement postponed to a later date. We eagerly look forward to celebrating the wonderful class of 2020 when it becomes possible to hold large public events again.

May we know God’s grace more deeply as we work together to help students learn and mature. We can pray for and encourage their resilience. You have a big job parenting your young adult through an unprecedented time and knowing what is enough but not too much. We pray that you’ll have wisdom and insight.

We hope this special edition of the parent newsletter encourages you. We welcome hearing how you and your student are finding joy and life in the midst of all this disruption.

Westmont parents truly display the spiritual gift of encouragement. You’ve managed the logistics of a fluid situation with grace and kindness, and your encouraging words have touched us. We’re truly in this together. Please let us know how we can serve and support you now and in the days to come. Please pray for God’s grace, for our ability to support students creatively, and for their growth in depth and resilience.

We pray that God will keep you and your family safe and well.

Warmly in Christ,

Sarah Camp
Assistant Vice President for College Advancement,
Interim Senior Director of Alumni and Parent Relations

A Special Word to Parents from President Gayle D. Beebe

Please click here to hear a special word from our president, Dr. Gayle D. Beebe.

We hope you'll be able to set aside each Tuesday at 6 p.m. (PDT) to hear the updates and progress occurring on behalf of our students and other related college news from President Beebe. Please join in remotely tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, and email your questions to questions@westmont.edu.

Please join the event conference five minutes before the start time using the information below:

Phone number (United States ) 323-794-2558
Phone number (Canada) 800-289-0459
Participant Passcode: 438235

Plans for Commencement

As you know, we’ve postponed Commencement, and we want you to keep up to date with information about the ceremony. As soon as we have any news, we’ll post it on our Commencement webpage. We’re not refunding cap and gown orders but are keeping them active. Once we set a date for Commencement and you know you won’t be able to participate, you can request a refund at that time. Please remember that students must wear the Westmont cap and gown at Commencement. We’ll announce a deadline for ordering caps and gowns once we’ve rescheduled the ceremony for students who have not yet ordered.

Watch Mini Live Chapel on Instagram

Thanks to Pastor Scott Lisea, Westmont holds chapel Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Everyone is welcome to participate. Follow @westmontpastor on Instagram to join these live events. The sessions last about 20 minutes and feature one or two worship songs, interactive prayer, and a brief message of encouragement from Scripture.

Parenting in a Pandemic: Strategies for Supporting your Westmont Student

By Eric Nelson, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services

For many of us, parenting and family life during the pandemic has proven more challenging than expected. In these unprecedented times, it’s stressful and often
overwhelming for young adults (and truly all of us) to adjust to the rapid, unexpected changes in our lives. Terms like “social isolation” and “shelter in place” compose a scenario we would never have predicted at the outset of 2020. In the often unpredictable sequence of life, we tend to become stuck fretting about things we can’t change, which spills over into strained relationships and high stress. For both ourselves and our students, it’s critical to make space for the difficulty we feel in this season, accepting those things we don’t control. In addition, it’s critical for us to manage effectively what we can, particularly those things we control.

As you support your family, you may find these tips helpful for not just surviving but perhaps even thriving through these circumstances. You know your son or daughter best; be attuned to what you know and perhaps incorporate some of these ideas.

How do I support my student transitioning to a virtual academic environment?

Be available. Check in, inquire about the adjustment, and ask if they need anything. Recognize that although they may initially decline your support, your repeated interest and inquiry open avenues of support that may be essential as they move through this new academic experience.
Assist them in setting up the actual physical space for their remote learning, and ask if they need anything (e.g., desk lamp, paper supplies, whiteboard with to-dos, snacks).
Ask your student what they need to be successful, and what practical ways you can support them.
Encourage them to stay active in communicating with the college, checking and responding to email daily, and reaching out when needed. Their professors want to assist, but students can sometimes be reluctant to reach out.

How can I support the grief my student is experiencing and any anxiety or stress related to the threat and implications of COVID-19?

Grief, loss, disappointment, discouragement, loneliness, anxiety, stress, frustration, etc., can all be typical responses to the recent changes in your student’s life. They’ll likely need space to both experience and express this loss and stress.

Let them process and vent. Listen; do not solve. Many of the emotions students are facing don’t have an easy fix. Although they may be expressing frustration about one thing, they may be reacting to feelings of grief about something else. Monitor your own inclination to fix things. Instead, sit with your student as they navigate how to respond.
Students are grieving the loss of significant life events and experiences. They may need to process this again and again in conversation. We move through grief by experiencing the pain of it, and it can be helpful to create moments of connection and enjoyment even in these unwanted circumstances. Assist your student in both grieving and making use of this season. How can they stay connected with friends, pursue their future (e.g., work on a resume), and take care of their physical body?
Be aware of your own needs and emotions during this time. The shock of the societal shift is remarkable and substantial. Families tend to be more on edge in these times, more easily triggered, less patient, and prone to argue about the mundane. Validate the difficulty of this season and use it to draw the family together. When you’re feeling rattled, take a moment to breathe before you respond.
Talking to someone can help. Seeking professional counseling or speaking with clergy can be beneficial. Students can receive free and confidential counseling through Westmont Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Sessions are available to students through phone and video connections from licensed mental health providers at Westmont, and all they need to do to request an appointment is send an email to caps@westmont.edu.
Moderate the household access to news media, which increases anxiety and distress in significant situations. Keep news updates to once daily and limit exposure as needed.

How can we live together well in these times?

Patience, flexibility, and understanding are essential. Your family has likely not been in a scenario like this before. Open dialogue is important.
Recognize the uniqueness of this situation, which is dissimilar to high school (your young adult is acclimated to the freedom that comes with life at college). This is not summer break (they are a full-time student working through a heavy academic schedule). Household expectations likely look different. Discuss and renegotiate with your student.
If you aren’t attending to your own needs, it can be difficult to attend to those around you. Practice good self-care. What indicators suggest you need to take time to cope? What can you do in this season to cope well?
For extra tips, consult these books:
- “Grown and Flown” (both the book and the online content)
- “Doing Life with Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out,” by Jim Burns
- “Growing With: Every Parent’s Guide to Helping Teenagers and Young Adults Thrive in Their Faith, Family, and Future,” by Kara Powell and Steven Argue

A Dose of Encouragement, Practical Career Steps, and One-On-One Support

By Paul Bradford M.B.A. '84; Director, Career Development and Calling

Under normal circumstances, most baby boomers like me associate Beach Boys’ lyrics with the virtues of a youthful summer. Preaching a gospel of sun, sand and surfing, they paint summer as a time of carefree rest and play. As your son or daughter approaches the end of a rigorous academic year and the uncertainties of COVID-19, it’s vital to give them some well-deserved downtime to rejuvenate body, mind and soul.

Summer is also a critical time to add resume-building experiences (internships, part-time jobs, academic research, substantive volunteer service) to your student’s resume. Even though the economy will be significantly affected, it’s important to reinforce the notion of using this time to prepare for what’s next. No matter where your student will be this summer, our office is happy to help via email, phone call or web chat. These facts and offerings may interest you.

Preparing and Telling Your Story: Especially in times of economic uncertainty, landing an internship or any summer job starts with a good resume. If students do the heavy lifting now by creating a solid resume, they’ll gain the confidence and capacity to tell their story to prospective employers. Encourage your student to check out our webpage Tell Your Story, which includes helpful tips on designing a resume, using LinkedIn, developing interview skills, searching for a job, and managing social media. Students can go deeper on any of these topics by making an appointment with our staff via Handshake—even during summer.
Majors, Internships, and Careers: Choosing a major is a critical decision, yet many students become overly stressed about picking the right one. In fact, 10 years after college, 80 percent of workers have careers completely unrelated to their major! Encourage your student to pursue majors/minors that interest them. When they do so, we observe them developing a capacity to dig deeper and ask better questions—traits that employers seek.
Two or More is the New Norm: Sixty-five percent of employers say they look for graduates with two or more internships (or similar resume-building experiences), while 35 percent want three internships. Encourage your student to prepare for and pursue two to three resume-building experiences before they graduate.
Summer Internships and Online Academic Credit: Whether your student will be at home or elsewhere during the summer, they can enroll in APP-190, a summer internship class taught online and receive academic credit for an internship. Students can learn more on our internships webpage and watch a student intern panel discussion or email us at internships@westmont.edu.

Once again, encourage your son or daughter to catch their breath this summer. Also nudge them to explore internships, majors, jobs and careers and to prepare now to take advantage of all opportunities. Our office is ready to help them both during and after the school year. Students can schedule a time to meet with us via Handshake. You can view all our program and offerings at our department’s webpage.

I’ll close with encouragement to students from Ephesians: “…make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days” (Ephesians 5:15-16, Phillips translation).

The Career Development and Calling Office has cleared their calendar to be available to seniors looking for post-college employment as well as other students seeking summer and fall internships. Find more information at https://www.westmont.edu/career-development-calling

C. S. Lewis Quote Offers Perspective about COVID-19

In this serious and uncertain time, words C. S. Lewis wrote 72 years ago about the atomic bomb give us something to think about.

Warrior Basketball Teams Win Championships

The No. 3 Westmont women’s basketball team won its fifth straight Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on March 7, defeating No. 4 The Master’s 76-67 at Murchison Gym. The Warriors had already won the GSAC Regular Season Championship. The team then earned the No. 1 seed for the first time ever at the NAIA National Tournament, which was cancelled.

The men’s Warrior basketball team won the GSAC Regular Season Championship. Junior guard Abram Carrasco was named GSAC Player of the Year, and Coach John Moore received the Coach of the Year honors for the third time. The team received the No. 2 seed in the NAIA National Tournament, their highest ever.

2020 Lead Where You Stand Conference

To keep our community and guests safe, we’ve cancelled the Lead Where You Stand conference this year. We look forward to seeing you next year at this outstanding event.