Tag: curry community

The Backdrop Behind Curry’s First-Year Coordinator

BY TYLER MILLIKEN // Feb. 28, 2017 //

Since joining Curry College as the First-Year Coordinator in 2015, Silas Pearman has played a crucial part in making sure first-year students begin their Colonel careers on the right foot.

Before making his transition to New England and Curry College, Pearman grew up in South Carolina where he developed an indistinguishable southern twang. He’d attend Furman University as an undergraduate in Greenville, SC, before returning to the university for work years later.

Pearman spent the next ten years at his alma mater, helping the school redo their entire general education program.

However, the combination of the Boston area and Curry’s employment needs drew Pearman to uproot his life in the South.

“I had never visited or lived in New England and I enjoy traveling and seeing new places,”  Pearman explained. “It was an opportunity to basically replant myself.”

Throughout Pearman’s first academic year at Curry, he fulfilled a role the college was implementing for the very first time; assisting in the development of Curry’s new and improved First Year Inquiries courses along with the newly established General Education curriculum. His ability to understand how the campus functioned and operated, made it easy for Silas to connect with first-year students almost immediately.

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First-Year Coordinator Silas Pearman’s passion and dedication reflects Curry’s mission. // PHOTO BY TYLER MILLIKEN //

But first-years wouldn’t be the only students who Pearman connected with, as he chose to become a faculty advisor for the Gender Sexuality Club.

“Being a gay man, I wanted to be an advocate for LGBT students. So, there was just an automatic connection,” Pearson noted.

Silas has been a constant voice for students being targeted by hate crimes on campus these last few months.

Passion has played a crucial part in Pearman joining the Curry community with such ease. In the time since he arrived, Silas has been focused on edging his way into the mix. He has hopes of working with as many students on campus as possible, even if they don’t correlate directly with his department.

Although year one was a significant adjustment for Pearman, year two has welcomed even larger challenges for the First-Year Coordinator. The addition of Curry’s new General Education program and the First-Year Inquiry Seminar has created some havoc, but the transition has enjoyed a fair amount of success.

“There’s challenges within any new program,” Pearman indicated. “Scheduling the classes is a challenge. We’ve had to use different time blocks.”

Despite the First-Year Coordinator role containing a large workload, Pearman continues to teach as a professor and be an advisor on campus.

“I do think if you’re going to be any kind of program coordinator or administrator, that you should also be teaching in the classroom as well,” Pearman vocalized. “Otherwise, you’re organizing a program for people that you’re not connected to or don’t understand,”.

While Pearman has played a crucial part in getting the General Education program off the ground, his goals have yet to be slowed down.

“I think my next biggest goal is to help students understand and communicate the value of the FYI [First-Year Inquiry], and to try and develop a system where students feel like they have the opportunity to select topics they’re truly excited about.”

When looking ahead at the new direction Pearson has helped lead Curry in, he believes there will be even more growth in the following years. As the school has the chance to discuss change and the assessments given to students, there is bound to be new information that arises.

Although Pearman has joined Curry rather recently, he offered some positive sentiments when it comes to his future at the school.

“I’ve made the decision to come to Curry because the college communicated to me that they value students and value faculty-student relationships. That’s kind of been my guidepost in my higher education career,” Pearman made clear. “If Curry remains committed to those ideals, then yes, I’ll be very happy in terms of coordinating programs that continue to promote that spirit.”

As Curry continues to establish new First-Year programs and prepare freshmen students for the stressful rigors of college, Dr. Silas Pearman will continue to have a large role in the school’s growth.

The passion and dedication he puts towards his craft each day, reflects the ideals Curry College preaches towards each one of their students when classes begin every Monday morning.

AA Meetings on Campus

BY STEVEN SOUSA // Feb. 28 2017 //

Members of the Curry Community struggling with alcoholism can now seek out the help they need with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings now being hosted on campus.

The meetings were introduced to Curry at the beginning of the spring 2017 semester and so far have been well received.  

“The community has been showing up, it was a need hearing from faculty, staff, parents and students for quite some time,” said Michele McGraw, coordinator of Substance Abuse and Wellness. “It is a regular AA meeting and students, faculty, and staff are coming and we also have it open to the community.”

Students do not need to have a current problem with alcohol abuse to join AA.  According to Mcgraw, the only thing that you need is to want to live a sober lifestyle and the need or want to stop drinking.  

“We have some students come to these meetings just to learn more about what AA is, not necessarily because they need the services themselves,” said McGraw.unnamed

The goal of these meetings it to create an environment of support for whoever needs it.  

So far the meetings consist of discussions, literature review, speakers and presentations. These presenters include members of other AA groups and individuals in recovery who are willing to share their story.  

These meetings are legitimate Alcoholic Anonymous sponsored events; as the school is not solely in charge of the meetings. The Substance Abuse and Wellness Education department works with the regional AA Boston office to bring the meetings to campus.  

The true anonymity should not be a concern to any student that decides to join.  McGraw reiterated that there is no attendance list and that the gatherings are completely confidential.  

“We do have students who are living a sober lifestyle that continue needing support,” said McGraw about the need for AA.

Students and faculty alike have utilized the new service.  “We do have faculty and staff members who are also in AA and have been in AA for many, many years and have found that AA has been a huge support in their life.”

Curry’s Substance Abuse and Wellness Education department hosts the AA meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the ARC.  It is open to all members of the community, on and off campus.