经常能看到传播学教授卡拉·詹森(Karla Jensen)在校园草坪上上瑜伽课. This semester, 该活动为学生应对大流行的不确定性提供了急需的安全避难所.
Beyond relaxing on the lawn, 詹森继续将瑜伽和正念的重要性注入到她的课程中，包括她的拱门研讨会, “Be. Here. Now: Mindfulness Theory and Practice.”
Last February when Jensen was thinking about the course, she was approached by Morgan Dondlinger, a junior communication studies major from Lincoln, who planned to be Jensen’s student instructor. Together, they applied for a Student Faculty Collaborative Research Grant, 哪个机构支持学生和教授之间的合作研究和创意项目.
这笔拨款将把他们两人送到俄勒冈州，接受为期五天的正念教学法培训，为他们的拱门研讨会做更好的准备. Unfortunately, COVID-19 stopped their travel. Instead, 他们花了六周的时间参加知名正念学者和作家奥伦·杰伊·索弗的虚拟培训. 参加培训的还有来自世界各地的1000名正念练习者.
“虽然我很失望，因为我们不能体验俄勒冈州的静修,” said Dondlinger, “when Karla approached me with this new, virtual idea, I couldn't have been more excited.”
Dondlinger说，将他们对正念和非暴力沟通的兴趣结合到一个虚拟课程中, 会允许他们为一年级学生调整即将到来的牌坊研讨会吗.
“正念对非暴力沟通至关重要的原因是，当我们能够培养对自己和思想的意识时, emotions manifest themselves in our bodies, and we are better able to respond instead of react,” said Dondlinger. “这种意识使我们能够更好地与我们的对话伙伴建立联系.”
The online course emphasized foundations of presence, intention, attention, listening, and reflecting. This style of conversation creates a safe, 对话的环境中，参与者可以找到一个信念的根源，而不是仅仅依靠最初的单词对他们的立场. 在沟通和专注之间找到平衡比以往任何时候都更加重要, Dondlinger said, especially in times of crisis and national discourse.
“我们的(传播研究)系根植于社会互动主义理论，即我们在社区中创造关系, and that we should speak so others may listen, and listen so others may speak,” said Dondlinger. “我们不仅要小心措辞，还要敞开心扉地倾听，有意识地更好地了解对方，而不是收集弹药来改变别人的想法。.”
定制课程，以解决今年一年级学生的独特挑战, 詹森和唐德林格专注于帮助学生应对与COVID-19大流行有关的问题, national political unease and transitioning to college students.
“我们希望学生们认识到——尤其是现在——他们自己对联系的需求, self-care, and to communicate with professors or roommates, and this training is going to help them,” Dondlinger said. “Archway研讨会的核心内容是通过冥想练习为学生提供他们需要的对抗压力的工具.”
詹森说，她的学生们分享说，当他们遇到新的障碍时，他们觉得自己更有能力坚持下去，更有耐心.
“Over the past several years, 我在学生的生活中看到了正念带来的巨大好处,” said Jensen. “Mindfulness cultivates discernment, patience, 在所有的风暴中保持冷静——即使是在大学里有时波涛汹涌的水域, even in a pandemic.”
“我很荣幸能与摩根和我们的一年级学生分享这项终身技能的奖学金和实践,” she added.
Each year, 詹森希望每位学生导师都能深入参与课程的规划和教学. 她非常小心地选择和指导每一位学生和导师，并共同选择课程的内容.
“From my perspective, 我们的暑期培训为我们带来了更加充实的教与学关系, 同时也提升了牌坊研讨班学生的课堂体验.”
Dondlinger, who plans to graduate in May 2022, said the experience has her considering a career as a professor.
“我非常感谢卡拉在整个夏天和这个学期给了我很多经验, 在我开始这段新的探索之旅时，我期待着她的指导,” she said. “像我和卡拉这样的关系让我对自己成为一名教授的潜力感到兴奋.”
—Story by Danielle Anderson, student writer