Summer is Over. Time to BU.
The following message was sent to all students on Wednesday, September 2, by Dean Campbell-Foster.
To our new and returning students,
Every fall, everyone wants to know what’s next: your classes, your internship, your five-year plan. Fair questions. But as we start a new year together, here’s one I’d add: Who do you want to become?
BU is transformational. It will change you: introduce you to people, ideas, and questions you haven’t met yet, maybe even a version of yourself you haven’t imagined. That’s the deal. A university is one of the few places where changing your mind counts as progress, not failure. Certainty can turn into curiosity. A plan can be revised. Bring yours, certainly. Just hold it loosely enough to be surprised.
That kind of becoming does not happen in a vacuum, though. It happens in a specific place, alongside a lot of other people who are also mid-transformation, so before we get back to the big questions, here is what is worth knowing about that place and our shared values as a community.
Welcome to the Neighborhood
With nearly 40,000 students across hundreds of programs, there’s no single way to be a BU student. What connects us is shared responsibility for the community we build together. A few things worth knowing before you need them:
- Our Code of Student Responsibilities and the Academic Code of Conduct spell out what we expect of one another, and your rights as a student.
- Our Good Samaritan Policy means you can call for help, for yourself or someone else, without letting fear get in the way.
- Our policies on hazing and on events and demonstrations set clear expectations for how we engage with one another.
Policies are the floor, though, not the aspiration. Explore our values and our commitment to free speech and expression. Be generous. Get curious about people whose experiences differ from yours. Disagree without deciding someone’s your enemy. Look up from your phone now and then. Notice when someone could use a hand and offer yours.
Sense in the City
Making the most of BU means learning to navigate a big university, and a big city, with confidence.
- Watch our SAFE videos (from the BU Police) for practical safety guidance, pay attention to your surroundings, and look out for each other.
- Be skeptical when someone unexpectedly wants your money or your information. Boston Police have flagged a wave of scams targeting college students: fake apartment listings, fake jobs, people posing as police or BU officials. Remember: scammers manufacture urgency on purpose. Slow down, verify independently, and check with someone you trust.
- Whether you live off-campus or just spend time there, be respectful of the surrounding neighborhoods, especially when hosting or attending gatherings. A party that gets out of hand can mean more than a call from BU. It can mean a visit from Boston Police, or a trip to court.
None of this is meant to make you wary of the city we share. Quite the opposite: Boston will be part of your education. Explore it, enjoy it, and move through it with good judgment.
Who You Gonna Call?
Sooner or later, something won’t go according to plan. That’s part of becoming, too.
Your independence doesn’t mean figuring everything out alone. Plenty of people across BU do this for a living, helping students navigate these moments. You don’t need to know which office handles what. Just ask someone. If you’re not sure where to start, contact my office. We’ll help you find your way.
To Be Continued…
By May, I hope you’ll have checked some boxes: credits, courses, a little closer to whatever’s next. Those things matter, but they’re not the whole story. Maybe you’ll be less certain of something you once knew cold. Maybe someone else’s experience will have widened your sense of your own. Maybe you’ll leave with a better question than the answer you came looking for.
So, when May arrives (and it will, in a flash), ask yourself not only what you accomplished, but who you’re becoming.
I’m glad you’re here.
Take care,
Dr. Jason Campbell-Foster
Dean of Students