Our week together has been rich, eye-opening, experimental, exhausting, playful, emotional, challenging, nostalgic, entertaining, delicious, sweaty, packed, colorful, reflective – all of this and more. Thank you for being a part of the 2023 SUUSI community. Travel safely. We hope to see you next year!

There's a lot of NUUS in this Saturday morning edition. Make sure you read all the way to the end for complete departure instructions!

SATURDAY SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

7 - 9 am: Breakfast  

9 - 9:30 am: Closing Circle, Central Plaza

8 am - noon: Conference Services staff available in dorm lobby

8:30 -10 am: Limited Star Car ride service

Noon: Checkout deadline

Closing Circle

Meet for our traditional closing ritual at 9 am in the Central Plaza. We’ll say farewell until next year, singing as we have done for so many years before:

Dear friends, dear friends

Let me tell you how I feel

You have given me your treasures

I love you so.

Note: Some SUUSI participants may not be comfortable hugging or holding hands during Closing Circle. Please be sensitive to the need for consent – don't touch without asking!

Board Election Results

Congratulations to our newly elected trustee to the SUUSI Board, Anthony Quants-Judd. Our new youth representative to the Board is Renee Phillips. Thank you to those who chose to run and for everyone who participated in our election. 

SUUSI Helpline on Departure Day

It is time for SUUSI to come to a close and for us all to travel back to our homes, carrying a piece of our beloved week together along with us. But if you've got a question before you go, the SUUSI Helpline will be available until 1 pm on Saturday. Call 66-ASK-SUUSI, then press 1. Limited Star Car service will be available from 8:30 - 10 am by pressing 3 after dialing the Help Line number.

Lost and Found on WCU campus

If you have lost something important and haven't found it at the SUUSI Office, check Western Carolina's Lost and Found in either the University Center building (2nd Floor) at University Services office or at Brown Hall (2nd Floor) Residential Living office.

WCU Dining Services

Please give positive feedback and gratitude by scanning the QR codes in the dining hall and give them some props. We heard that their supervisors pay attention to this, so show your appreciation in this meaningful way.

SUUSI 2023 Survey: We Want Your Thoughts!

Whether you attended SUUSI in person or virtually, we're so grateful you shared your time, your voice, and your spirit with our community. The Core Staff and Board are eager to hear your thoughts about your experience this year. Please fill out the SUUSI survey while your memories are still fresh! We encourage everyone in your family to fill out a survey, if possible. The survey is a large part how we make SUUSI better each year.

Youth and middlers (everyone under age 14) should fill out the youth survey (it is fine to have a parent type their answers). The 14+ survey has the most important questions up front (taking 5 to 10 minutes) and is estimated at 35 minutes if all questions are answered.

Survey links:

Youth (under 14 years old)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SUUSIYouth2023

14+ years old

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SUUSI2023

Take SUUSI Worship Home to Keep on Turning

Many who attended morning worship this week have asked about getting access to the words and ritual elements we shared in worship this week. We will be putting together a pdf to share with folks that include our daily turning meditations, readings, and links to info about songs we used. Once this is prepared we will make sure it gets posted to SUUSI Friends and shared via the SUUSI website. Or you can email Elizabeth Schell (riklizart@lainschell.com) for a copy.

Post SUUSI Music

Stay in the mountains an extra day. Joe Jencks will present the Sermon and Song at the UU Fellowship of Franklin, NC, this Sunday, July 23. His concert that afternoon is at The Listening Room in Franklin, NC, at 2:30 pm, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin is located at 89 Sierra Dr. Suggested donation $20 / $15 with reservations. Make your reservations at robby.concerts@gmail.com. Refreshments sold at intermission. Vaccinations required.

SUUSI DEPARTURE INSTRUCTIONS

Packing up

• Please make sure you take ALL of your belongings. Check and double check. Neither SUUSI nor WCU will ship forgotten items.
• When you leave your room, it must be completely empty of your personal belongings and all furniture must be returned to its original place.
• Leave your room unlocked.
• Did we mention you need to clear everything out of your room? Your own stuff, trash, stuff you don't want, anything that wasn't in the room when you arrived--PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE clear it all out before you go so other SUUSI volunteers don't have to!
• Finally, we wish to stress to you the importance of removing EVERYTHING from your room when you leave. Thank you!

Trash and Recycling  

• Place trash in the dumpster behind the dorm.
• Do not allow trash cans in common areas to overflow.
• Do not pile trash in the hallways or next to the trash cans.
• Put recycled materials in appropriate containers behind the dorm. 
• Do not leave any trash in your room, even in the wastebasket.

Furniture

• All furniture must be returned to the original location in the assigned room. 
• If you took a picture of your room upon arrival, that’s a great way to remember where to return furniture. (Maybe next year.)
• The level of the bed mattresses must be the same when you leave as you found it. 
• Be careful of the floor and walls as you move furniture to avoid costly damage. 
• Leave your door unlocked.
• Room charges from WCU to SUUSI will be passed on to you.

Common Spaces

• Any furniture which was moved into a lounge, etc. must be returned to its original location.
• All personal belongings must be retrieved from common spaces.
• Please generally straighten up and remove trash in common spaces you have been using this week. If you rearranged furniture, move it back to its original location.
• As noted above, do not fill trash receptacles in common spaces to overflowing or leave additional trash alongside. If it's full, take trash to a dorm dumpster.

Elevator Operation

• The elevators will be in high demand during load-out.  
• Use the stairs if at all possible.
• Do not hold the elevator doors open to allow someone to get on with you. Holding the elevator doors open is a common reason for the elevator to break.

KEY AND CARD RETURN INFO

Preparing Keys and Cards for Return

• Room keys must be returned with the key tag still attached. Without the tag, we cannot match the key to the room. You will be charged a $50 lost key fee.
• Return your swipe cards in the original manilla envelopes.
• Swipe cards that have been defaced (for example, labeled in marker) cannot be reused. You will be charged $35 for a damaged card.
• Lanyards are yours to keep. WCU does not reuse them.

Returning Keys and Cards

• WCU Conference Assistants will be stationed in the lobby of each dorm from 8 am to noon on Saturday. We strongly recommend that you have your key and card swiped in by a WCU staffer while you watch. This is the best way to ensure that you do not get charged for a missing key or card.
• If you must leave before 8 am or are otherwise unable to have your key and card swiped back in by WCU Conference Assistants, drop your key (with tag) and card (in the original manilla envelope) into the return box located in your dorm lobby.
• If you have family members staying in a different dorm, please make sure their keys and swipe cards are returned to the box in the lobby of their own residence hall.
• Teens will turn in their keys and cards to the Teen Director, Jessie McKeon.

MOVE-OUT INSTRUCTIONS

• Carry your things to one of the designated move-out areas - most likely, the same place you unloaded your car for move-in. Blue Ridge and Balsam will have move-out staff available to provide directions and limited assistance.
• Once all your gear is outside, retrieve your vehicle from long-term parking.
• Load your vehicle quickly and move so other SUUSI-ites can do the same. 
• A limited number of Star Cars will be available from 8:30 - 10 am Saturday for rides on campus. Reservations are helpful - call 66-ASK-SUUSI to schedule a ride.
• Oh, did we mention, make sure you've removed all non-WCU items from your room before you move out? Please and thank you!

As always, find out the latest news from SUUSI at https://suusi.org