gift – The Western Howl

February 12, 2025

Written by: Daniella Dugan | Title III Coordinator

How do you honestly feel about being a student at Western? What would you change if you could? How has Western fallen short of your expectations? This is your chance to share what you honestly think about your experience at Western. The WOLF Student Experience Feedback form is Western’s first annual opportunity for students to give their anonymous feedback on all areas of student life. Academics, co-curriculars, on-campus dining, housing, employment, personal growth, sense of belonging and purpose — all of these topics and more are included. There is even an open comment section for you to talk about whatever specific issue you feel strongly about at the end of the form. The institution is eager to hear what is improving your experience, worth continued investment and what negatively impacts your overall satisfaction as a “Wolf.”

The goal of the form is not only to give student voices a new platform to be heard, but to use this feedback to help make actionable change on campus. The responses collected will help guide revisions of programs, new services and student opportunities that you are asking for. There is often a large gap between the perceived needs of students and the actual needs of students — this is our chance to lessen that gap. While there may be efforts from your academic department to collect feedback and make improvements, this form is for the institution as a whole and aims to help guide high level decision making for various areas of the student experience, not just in academics.

In addition to being part of the change you want to see, you’ll also be able to enter into a drawing for one of eight prizes, including two $100 Wolfstore gift cards. Depending on your campus involvement, you may be able to enter the drawing more than once. Once you make it to the end of the form, you’ll be led to a new page to collect your contact information and enter the drawing; this entry will not be linked to your form responses. If at any point in the form you have trouble answering or maybe don’t understand the question, just skip ahead. All sections are optional, so you can pick and choose what you want to respond to if you are short on time.

The feedback form will be open during weeks seven through nine of winter term, Feb. 17 – March 9. It will not be open again until the 2025-26 year, so don’t miss your chance to inspire change at your campus.

Contact the author at dugand@mail.wou.edu

Low and no-cost presents for this season of giving

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

The holiday season can quickly burn a hole in your pockets by the time gift shopping has been completed. But there are numerous heartfelt gifts to give that cost little to no money and still bring the holiday joy. Consider these low and no-cost thoughtful presents for friends and family this year.

Art piece: Having a knack for art — whether it be drawing, painting or crafting — can make for personalized and low-cost gifts. Depending on one’s skill set, ask loved ones for their favorite flowers, quotes, animal or character and create something special for them.

Memory jar: Use sticky notes or strips of paper to write down some favorite memories between one another. Roll or fold the notes up and place them in a jar or similar container. Decorate the jar if desired with sequins, twine, stickers or lettering.

Mixtape or playlist: Though cassette tapes are pretty outdated, the thought behind making a music mix for someone can translate to today’s era. If the gift receiver has a way to play them, make a cassette tape or CD and design a fun cover. Otherwise, create a playlist on their preferred music streaming service, and get creative by sticking to a theme. This could be the gift receiver’s favorite genre, songs that lift their spirits or songs that remind the maker of the receiver.

Offer services: Time can be one of the most useful gifts to all in our busy lives. If one has time to spare, write out a coupon book of services which the gift receiver can redeem for future use. These services could include babysitting or pet sitting, cooking meals, cleaning or yard work.

“Open when…” letters: Take some time to write personalized letters for the gift receiver to open in the future. Choose a number of specific occasions, such as “Open when you need a pep talk” or “Open when something worth celebrating has happened,” and write letters and notes to put into individual envelopes. Gather all the letters in a nice box to present to the gift receiver.

Personalized journal: Buying a journal, planner or sketchbook can be useful for many types of people. These kinds of presents can be made more personal by writing a note on the front page: give them some words of encouragement or best wishes, or draw them a picture.

Recipe cards: For families and friends who share their love through cooking, consider designing recipe cards for one another. Choose a personal favorite recipe and decorate a note card with the recipe written on it. If there are too many recipes to choose from, create multiple cards and compile them with a binder ring.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

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