The month of November can feel like a month of contradictions. The weather is changing, Thanksgiving break is looming like a light at the end of the tunnel, and reminders of “gratitude” are everywhere. But for many students, this season can feel a lot less about cozy holiday warmth and more about pushing through their exhaustion. With finals approaching and academic pressures at an all time high, being thankful is toe to toe with feeling pretty tired. 

As finals are inching closer, students are faced with a growing list of pressures: final papers, research assignments, major projects, exams, and presentations are all competing for attention. The expectation to remain cheerful is met with some intense burnout. 

For students staying on campus, Thanksgiving can be quite the emotional challenge as well. Martin Cephas, a graduate student who remained on campus for the holiday last year described this time of year as a difficult one even before beginning his graduate program at Rutgers–Camden.

“I was lucky to have met a student also staying on campus…she obliged to join me,” Cephas said. Sharing a meal with another student  helped ease some of the isolation that can often accompany the holiday. For many, Thanksgiving on campus can be just another reminder of distance, from family, from tradition, or simply the comfort of familiar routines. Especially for first year students.

So why does November feel so heavy? Academic pressures are peaking, while students are navigating personal, sometimes stressful transitions. Some are facing the complexities of returning home, while others anxiously struggle with not going home at all. Balancing so many emotional expectations alongside looming guidelines can be a quiet challenge for many students. 

Burnout is especially common at this time, and many students often report increased fatigue, decreased sleep, difficulty focusing, and really just a sense of being overwhelmed. This combination of academic and emotional stress can make November feel uniquely draining. 

Alex Townsend, a graduate student here at RU, shares her must-haves for surviving law school and combatting burnout. Townsend explained, “it is so important to hold yourself accountable” while trying to find the small wins during the tail end of the semester and that “time management is truly your friend.”  Ultimately, “grades do not define you, and it is okay to take a break. Depriving ourselves of things that bring us joy is the most significant contributor to burnout.” 

Recognizing these challenges, Rutgers–Camden’s Wellness Center does actively prioritize combating the stressors this time of year and offers several resources aimed at aiding students. Students can find the center located inside the Campus Center, with a map of exact directions right on their website. The Center provides an array of resources designed to help students cope, such as…

• Individual counseling and short-term therapy
• Uwill (teletherapy)
• Togetherall (free peer-to-peer online community)
• Raptor pantry
• Crises services

The Wellness Center also hosts “Wellness Wednesdays,” which are weekly events aimed at equipping students with the tools and skills to manage stress, build healthy academic routines, and practice self-care. “To be a successful learner and give yourself the best opportunity for a bright future, it is important to prioritize your own well-being,” the Center emphasizes in its mission. 

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December can be one of the busiest and most demanding times of year for Camden nonprofits or organizations. With rising food insecurity, filling shelters, and community centers preparing for the holidays, Rutgers–Camden students are encouraged to consider lending a helping hand.

For many in the RU community, volunteering is more than an act of service, it’s an essential part of being a good “neighbor” to those who live in the area and don’t attend the university. Doris Zheku, an MFA grad student who also completed her undergraduate degree at Rutgers–Camden, emphasized the importance of student involvement. 

“Rutgers Camden isn’t just a Rutgers campus set in Camden—it’s a part of the community.” Zheku comments. “And as students, it’s important to be civically engaged members of the community and good neighbors.” 

Several Camden organizations are in need of both short-term or one-time volunteers throughout the month of December. Food Pantries such as the Cathedral Kitchen or the Neighborhood Center invite students to help serve warm meals, pack groceries or organize donations. Coat drives need volunteers to sort items and distribute winter necessities for both children and adults as temperatures continue to drop. With the holidays approaching, many organizations could use hand sorting toys, wrapping gifts or assistance with any event set-up. 

One of the most accessible volunteer sites for students is the Rutgers–Camden Raptor Pantry, which serves to “address nutritional needs and combat food insecurity on campus.” Right on their website, students can find ways to help out, not just this holiday season, but at any point in the semester. Students are invited to donate food, host a food drive, or even make a simple donation to help the pantry service as many people as possible. 

December is a unique point in the semester, as many students leave campus and are no longer able to volunteer while the demand and need for community support only spikes. This decline in student participation can create challenges for local nonprofits that may rely on steady support. There is something of a consistent pattern during this time of year, a predictable gap in decreased student volunteering and growing number of those in need. Ultimately, many local organizations can find themselves stretched pretty thin during the holidays. 

Wanting to start volunteering but don’t know where to start? Whether it’s for the first time or the fiftieth, there are several straightforward ways to get started. 

• Check the Rutgers–Camden Events Calendar. Many volunteer opportunities are posted weekly, especially in the month of December. 
• See if you can bring a friend to any event you’d like to participate in. Inviting a friend and group volunteering can reduce any nerves or stress and make the experience less intimidating. 
• Visit the RU Civic Engagement Center. Staff can help match students with events or organizations that fit their interests or schedules. 

While this time of year can be tough with finals and the stress of the holidays, this month can be a chance to connect with the community before heading into break. Even a single volunteer shift can go a long way in supporting the Camden residents during one of the most demanding and difficult times of year. 

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Across the nation, colleges are ramping up sustainability efforts—installing solar panels, cutting waste, and rethinking energy use. At Rutgers–Camden, that same momentum is driving a campuswide push to clarify what “going green” really looks like in practice.

What The University Has Implemented

In 2021, Rutgers created a university-wide “Climate Action Plan,” with the primary goals of cutting emissions almost in half by 2030 and total carbon neutrality by 2040. As an initiative born from the New Brunswick campus, one may ask how much of it reaches Camden?

Here in Camden, there is the Climate Action Group whose mission is to “build and promote a culture of sustainability” at the university.  

Dr. Richard Michaelfelder is the co-chair of the organization and passionately defines the group’s work. He explains, “Sustainability is a very major initiative on the Camden campus, and it didn’t start yesterday. We’ve hosted five national conferences on sustainability over the past five years, bringing together everyone from NASA climate scientists to state senators.”

There is also a sustainability curriculum available at the university through the Rutgers MBS department, but this only appears to be available at New Brunswick or Newark. At Camden, there are related courses offered through the Urban Studies program, which actively promotes that “course subjects include how cities are planned, population trends, and urban policy issues like housing, sustainability, and environmental justice.”

How Green is Campus Life?

One of the most popular places on campus is the dining hall, and between potential food waste and single-use items, it can lead to a lot of sustainability issues. Back in 2014, Rutgers–Camden went trayless, sharing that this alone would reduce food waste by 20%. How much more has improved in the past 11 years?

RU has also shared the Dining Services’ four “Planet Priorities:” source sustainably, minimize food waste, embed circularity, and operate efficiently. 

These are certainly a good jumping off point but do they go beyond nice bullet points to include on a brochure? There isn’t a great deal of data detailing Rutgers–Camden specifically, a majority of up-to-date information relates to New Brunswick. 

Graduate student Alex Karaivanov, who lives on campus, shared, “I don’t think the school promotes any sustainability well.” 

While the dining hall shares that it wants to minimize food waste, Karaivanov mentions,“they discourage taking food home with you, I don’t even think you’re allowed to bring to-go containers. I saw signs last semester that specifically told you not to. So you just throw any unfinished food away.” 

As far as on-campus living goes, recycling services are available in dormitories. There is also a decent amount of information online regarding FAQ’s specifically having to do with recycling, but how many students have known to look? 

Karaivanov almost mentioned, “All I’ve seen is scattered recycling bins around campus that are easy to ignore…I try to recycle but it is confusing to know what to recycle and what to not, I can’t lie.”

So is RU Sustainable or Not?

Ultimately, the answer is both. There have been significant strides on the university’s part but how much of it feels adequately connected to student life? If someone doesn’t have a special interest in the topic initially, it’s hard to say just how much all this information would reach them. 

Michelfelder acknowledges this, “If you’re not directly involved, it’s easy to miss what’s happening. Rutgers does a lot, but we’re not always great at telling our own story.” 

In a university as large as Rutgers, there is an expansive opportunity to become a model of sustainability. And it’s important to recognize the efforts that faculty and student organizations have been taking. In offering concrete data, raising student awareness and truly pushing past simple opportunities for PR (ie. trayless cafeterias), the school truly can go green.

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Rutgers University–Camden will host an event next month aimed at helping students better understand the importance of local and state politics.

The “Listen, Learn, Act” series will take place on Oct. 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. in the Campus Center’s South Conference Room BC. The program is designed to show students how policies enacted close to home can often impact their lives more directly than national politics.

The event is organized by Dr. Simanti Lahirir, program coordinator for Public Engagement at Rutgers–Camden. Lahirir said the goal is to create space for conversations that are often overlooked: “We want students to not only hear about these issues but to reflect on what they mean in their own lives and communities.” 

Graduate student Allison Truax said she hopes the event will help her gain a stronger understanding of Camden politics. “As I’ve gotten older, I have started to care more about politics,” Truax said. “I follow it on social media and talk about it with friends, but I don’t really know much about what goes on in Camden, which is something I’m hoping to change.”

The program will feature policy experts and local practitioners who plan to break down complex issues into accessible information. Attendees will also have opportunities to ask questions and discuss how to turn political awareness into action.

The timing of the event coincides with New Jersey’s upcoming state and local elections. Organizers say they hope it will encourage students to stay informed, participate in civic life, and recognize the impact of politics beyond the national stage.

More information about the series is available on the Rutgers–Camden events calendar.

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