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On Campus
Perhaps You Have This
Problem at Home...
fall memo from Johnson Hall
of Science Vivarium Director
Liz MacDougall suggests the
array of grave concerns someone has to
deal with on a campus like St. Law-
rence’s:
“People tell me that our mice from
the Vivarium are running in the build-
ing, in their labs, down the halls, etc.
These are not our mice; they are moles
from the outside. I have even had my
lab assistants catch them and put them
in our holding cages, thinking they
were ours. If you see one, please set a
‘have-a-heart’ trap (available from Erika
Barthelmess of biology) and immedi-
ately release the mole to the outside;
otherwise it will go
to mole heaven.”
T
hanks to a new and creative
implementation of technol-
ogy, neither distance nor time
prevents students from networking with
alumni.
The Laurentians Live series, created
by career services in the spring of 2010,
allows students to Skype with alumni
at designated times, eliminating the
need for travel and saving both parties
time and money. According to Jillian
Mckernan-Walley ’93, assistant director
of career services, the inherent conve-
nience broadens the network of alumni
available to students, giving them more
opportunity to develop professional
connections.
The series also sets aside the demand
for formalities and the pressure to “dress
to impress.” “Students can speak with
alumni in a more casual, comfortable
environment, which puts them at ease,”
says Mckernan-Walley. She notes that
since many of the Skype sessions are
conducted in the workplaces of alumni,
students can observe the reality of their
host’s profession and the passion he or
she has for it.
But the benefits of this series aren’t
limited to students. Alumni the world
over can stay connected with the Univer-
sity through this simple yet significant
way to give back. “They appreciate the
ability to reconnect with their alma
mater, assist students and get re-ener-
gized about their career,” says Mckernan-
Walley. She adds that feedback from
alumni has been uniformly positive.
Jennifer Rapke ’03, one of the first
alumni participants, says, “This is a
perfect example of the creativity and
‘thinking-outside-the-box’ mentality
that SLU encourages in its students, and
it gives students a way to connect with
alumni in a unique, effective and person-
al way.” Robert Sachs ’84 echoes Rapke’s
attention to the importance of connec-
tions across generations, saying his Skype
session “was successful and dramatically
opens possibilities of communication
between students and alumni.”
Mckernan-Walley says she hopes Lau-
rentians Live becomes a staple of alumni
and student networking as students
develop an appreciation for the alumni
network while alumni see it as a cost-
and time-effective way to assist the next
generation of Laurentians. Ultimately,
she says, “It’s all about being a Laurentian
for life.”
—Lauren Liebhaber ’12
‘Laurentians Live’ Promotes Alumni-Student Engagement
Three times a semester, these computers become the vehicles whereby students can Skype with
alumni for career counsel.
Tim Newcomb
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