TABLE OF CONTENTS 02 | Message from Student Affairs Vice President Patricia Telles-Irvin 04 | SASS Numbers 06 | Housing Master Plan 07 | Two-year Live-in Requirement Coming in 2017 08 | NUHS: Keeping Northwestern Healthy 10 | Interfaith Strategic Plan 12 | Community Alcohol Coalition
STUDENT AFFAIRS DEANS’ UPDATE Winter Quarter 2016
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Division of
STUDENTAFFAIRS Deans’ Update WINTER QUARTER 2016 Dear Colleagues, It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the school year. There are numerous initiatives the Division of Student Affairs would like to share with you: what we have done, what we are doing, and what we will continue to do. In the previous edition of the Deans’ Update, we provided information about the 10-year Housing Master Plan. In this edition, we share specific information about the early construction phase of Northwestern’s newest residence hall, 560 Lincoln, as well as renovations to Goodrich, 1838 Chicago, and Shepard residence halls. Additionally, the two-year campus housing live-in requirement is only a year and a half away. We are excited to advance Northwestern further through this important endeavor in fall 2017, as this residential experience will affect numerous aspects of campus life for undergraduate students. Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin
Other updates this winter include the success Northwestern University Health Service (NUHS) has experienced under the leadership of Dr. John Alexander and the first steps OUR Religious & Spiritual Life team is taking with the development of the Interfaith Strategic Plan. Finally, we have included updates and data regarding our Student Assistance and Support Services (SASS) program from the Dean of Students Office and the 2015 Community Alcohol Coalition summary report, detailing the progress of Northwestern’s reformed alcohol and conduct policies. As we both reflect and look ahead, we are excited to work with all of you harder to educate our students, engage our community, and enrich our Northwestern experience. Warm Regards,
Patricia Telles-Irvin
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Vision WE WILL BE FULL PARTNERS IN THE STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCE. The Division of Student Affairs partners with the academic schools/colleges and other University Divisions in allegiance with the University’s vision and mission to advance student learning and success.
Mission THE MISSION OF THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS IS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS, ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, AND ENRICH THE NORTHWESTERN EXPERIENCE We pursue our mission through providing learning programs, services, and mentoring to maximize students’ potential, removing barriers to learning, strengthening readiness to learn, and sustaining a safe and healthy Northwestern community.
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STUDENT ASSISTANCE & SUPPORT SERVICES The Student Assistance and Support Services (SASS) program was developed in the Dean of Students Office in winter quarter 2013 to provide case management services to Northwestern students who are experiencing some form of crisis or distress. Following a national trend of case management on college campuses, the SASS program’s mission is to remove obstacles by creating a well-coordinated network of services that allows students to close the gap on any potential barriers to academic, co-curricular or social/emotional well-being.
907 contacts with academic partners 416 contacts with CAPS 501 in-person student meetings 250 contacts with Health Services 1,822 documented emails with students 197 parent contacts
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATION DISCHARGE PLANNING 2014–2015
The program started with two assistant deans and has now grown to include four staff members devoted to the SASS program. The SASS team processes all medical leaves and reinstatements from Northwestern University, partners with CAPS and Health Service to coordinate discharge planning from hospitalizations, initiates wellness or safety checks and provides ongoing case management for students in distress. Partnering closely with CAPS, Health Service, AccessibleNU, Student Conduct, Financial Aid, the Insurance office, Academic Deans and Advisers, community providers and parents, the SASS team helps students develop well-coordinated plans that allow for successful completion of the Northwestern degree.
Undergraduates
29
Graduates
4
Total
33
MEDICAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE 2014 – 2015
In 2014–2015, the SASS team worked with 459 new students. Of the 459 new students SASS worked with, 59 of the students reported suicidal ideation as their primary concern. The team initiated 38 “Health and Safety Checks” in which there was a concern for imminent risk of harm to a student. The SASS team documented 5,555 contacts with campus partners and students, contributing to the understanding of the complex and high touch case management model the SASS team employs. Of the 5,555 documented collateral contacts:
Undergraduates
108
Graduates
29
Total
137
REINSTATEMENT 2014 – 2015
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Undergraduates
97
Graduates
24
Total
121
Services Provided by SASS
Academic Year 2012 – 2013
Academic Year 2013 – 2014
Academic Year 2014 – 2015
Medical Leaves
82
130
137
Reinstatements
59
79
121
Psychiatric Hospitalizations
35
46
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New SASS members: Nadim Rana Nadim was hired as an Assistant Dean of Students and member of the Student Assistance and Support Services (SASS), beginning his new role in the Dean of Students Office in August 2015. Nadim is a Wilmette native who received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology from Georgetown University, and his Master’s Degree in Social Work from Loyola University. Nadim brings an empathic case management approach to the SASS team with eight years of experience in connecting vulnerable populations to needed services, working in larger systems and removing obstacles that allow people to receive needed care and support. Nicole Eggleston-Watkins Nicole was hired as an Assistant Dean of Students and member of the Student Assistance and Support Services (SASS), beginning her new role in the Dean of Students Office in January 2016. Nicole received her Bachelor’s Degree in English from Lewis University and her Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Illinois State University. Nicole has collaborated extensively with counseling and health services, university police and academic partners to connect students to needed resources and also to help manage student behavior on her previous campuses. Nicole is also accustomed to communicating with parents about significant concerns, and providing support to families who need help in navigating appropriate university resources and help understanding current university policies.
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HOUSING MASTER PLAN & RENOVATION UPDATES Housing Renovations update: 560 Lincoln / Public Affairs Residential College (PARC) , Shepard, Goodrich / Communicate community
560 Lincoln, the first of five new residence halls in Northwestern’s Housing Master Plan, broke ground in November and is currently under construction on the north side of campus. Crews put up fencing around the site and are working on laying the groundwork for the building. Progress can be viewed in real time by watching the live video webcam. Recently, a second site was identified to build a new residence hall. Located east of 1835 Hinman and north of Jones Residential College, 1830 Sheridan is scheduled to open for fall 2019.
→→ Lecture seating →→ Computer rooms →→ Office areas →→ Tutoring spaces
Other construction projects currently underway include the renovation of Goodrich, 1838 Chicago (formerly home to Public Affairs Residential College or PARC), and Shepard Hall (formerly home to Shepard Residential College). These buildings are closed for the academic year, but are on track to reopen for fall 2016. Shepard Residential College and PARC are now permanently housed in the newly renovated South Mid-Quad and North Mid-Quad buildings.
Replacing flooring, fixtures, paint and furniture in all bedrooms and corridors
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Renovating all bathroom spaces
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Installing air conditioning
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Adding accessible entrances
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Creating accessible 2-bedroom, 1-bath suites on the first floor of all buildings
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Building two new faculty apartments one in Shepard Hall and one in Goodrich, with bedroom, study, kitchen and living areas
These extensive renovations will create multifunctional campus spaces that integrate social and academic venues. These vital campus facilities will continue to be improved over the next ten years as part of the Housing Master Plan and will help enrich the entire residential experience.
Significant improvements to Goodrich, 1838 Chicago, and Shepard include: •
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Demolishing closed-in spaces to open up room for flexible community spaces such as:
Visit the Residential Services website for the latest on the Housing Master Plan.
→→ Performance spaces →→ Quiet study rooms →→ Pantry space
Rendering of 560 Lincoln – The residence hall will be located north of Kemper Hall with more than 400 beds and suite-style housing. Via the NU Residential Services Facebook.
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TWO-YEAR LIVE-IN REQUIREMENT COMING IN 2017 Improvements to the on-campus living experience involve more than just the renovation of the physical living and learning spaces in the residence halls; it involves the implementation of a two-year residency requirement for all first-year students beginning fall 2017. Many of Northwestern’s peers already institute a similar live-in requirement that has proven to benefit students with respect to their academics, involvement, and well-being. To help advance the planning phase for this major initiative, a committee consisting of members of the University community has been formed, and will begin meeting this month to determine what the contours of the student residential experience will look like in the future. This task force, known as the Undergraduate Residential Experience Committee, is co-chaired by Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dr. Ron Braeutigam, and Executive Director of Residential Services, Dr. Paul Riel. Committee members include: •
Dr. Mary Desler, Director of Student Affairs Assessment
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Ms. Mona Dugo, Senior Associate Dean of Students
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Dr. Renee Engeln, Faculty-in-Residence (Allison Residential Community), Professor (Psychology)
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Dr. Mary Finn, Associate Dean Undergraduate Academic Affairs (WCAS)
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Dr. Richard Freeman, Clinical Assistant Professor, McCormick Adviser
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Mr. Jack Heider, President of Residence Hall Association
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Mr. Joseph Holtgreive, Asst. Dean of McCormick, Student Career Development
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Mr. Paul Hubinsky, Interim Director, Residential Life
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Mr. Ross Krasner, Student
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Dr. Susan Lee, Faculty Chair (Humanities Residential College), Professor (Theatre)
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Dr. Saul Morson, Faculty Chair (Willard Residential College), Professor (Slavic Languages and Literatures)
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Mr. Joe O’Green, Residence Director
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Dr. Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
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Mr. Justin Shannin, Resident Assistant
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Dr. David Shor, Director of Clinical Services, Counseling and Psychological Services
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Mr. Garrett Taliaferro, House Corporation - Phi Delta Theta
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Mr. Aric Waldman, Student
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Rev. Julie Windsor-Mitchell, University Christian Ministry
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Dr. Brad Zakarin, Director of Residential Academic Initiatives
The committee will meet on a regular basis between January and June 2016. Discussions include exploring various residential mapping and grouping options and determining the infrastructure of staff and residential programming. A final report with recommendations of an integrated model will be presented to Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin and Provost Dan Linzer by early summer 2016. Visit the Residential Services website for the latest on the Housing Master Plan and the twoyear residency requirement as information becomes available.
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NUHS: KEEPING NORTHWESTERN HEALTHY and renovation of Searle Hall, 633 Emerson, on the Evanston campus. In 2010, the Health Service moved into a three-story addition to and renovation of the original Searle Hall built in 1960. The new facility, which also houses the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), is a state-of-theart ambulatory health facility that includes a full service pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology suite.
For the past 14 years, Dr. John Alexander has ensured the Northwestern community stays as healthy as it can. In 2002, Dr. Alexander was hired as a staff physician for Northwestern University Health Service (NUHS) and moved up to medical director three years later. In 2010, he was promoted to interim executive director and shortly afterwards, executive director. Now Dr. Alexander is planning to retire this June, leaving a lasting mark during his time at NUHS.
The pharmacy was expanded into a significant retail pharmacy business. A third-party insurance billing capability was implemented and over-the-counter product offerings were expanded. This made the pharmacy a full service pharmacy available to students with any health insurance, allowed the pharmacy to become a significant business and revenue source to support Health Service and Student Affairs.
During the 2014–15 academic year, NUHS provided 30,104 patient visits in Evanston and, in partnership with Northwestern Medicine, 4,335 patient visits on the Chicago campus. These numbers both increased compared to the previous year and do not include the other offerings such as lab tests, x-rays, prescriptions filled, flu shots, and more. Every year over 65% of the students on the Evanston campus receive care at the Health Service at least once.
Partnerships and collaborations with Northwestern Medicine (NM) were the focus of a number of the initiatives during Dr. Alexander’s tenure. In addition to the long-standing partnership with NMG to provide student health services on the Chicago campus, a partnership with Northwestern
Dr. Alexander has overseen a number of critical initiatives during his tenure, including a major role in the design and construction of the expansion
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additional sports medicine physicians were added to provide expanded team coverage and to provide sports medicine services to all Northwestern students including club and intramural athletes. Three additional athletic trainers based at the Health Service were also added to provide game coverage for high-risk club sports and to provide athletic training services available to all students. The gold standard concussion management protocols from athletics were extended to concussion management at the Health Service and mandatory concussion education similar to that for varsity athletes was implemented for club sports. Dr. Alexander chaired the effort to develop a comprehensive pandemic emergency response plan for the University. Also during his tenure, Health Promotion and Wellness, also part of the Health Service, received two Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants. These grants were used in part to establish Center for Awaremess, Response & Education (CARE), a victim’s advocacy service for Northwestern students. Health Service has maintained its accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) having last achieved re-accreditation in June 2015. In this last accreditation, of the almost 600 standards against which it was evaluated, only six were found to have only partial compliance. This last accreditation also included having the sports medicine service and the Buehler Sports Medicine Center on the athletic campus accredited. This is the first athletic training facility to receive accreditation by the AAAHC.
Medicine Dermatology was established to provide a dermatology clinic three days a month at Searle Hall. The Health Service collaborates with NM Immediate Care located in downtown Evanston to provide after-hours and weekend care for students when the Health Service is closed. Northwestern Medicine reads electrocardiograms and X-rays performed by the Health Service and evaluates both baseline and post-concussion cognitive testing as part of the concussion protocol for student athletes. The Health Service also collaborates with several Feinberg School of Medicine units on IRB approved clinical studies.
Dr. John Alexander has taken NUHS in a successful, collaborative direction, and sometime soon he will literally sail off into the sunset. An avid sailor, John and his wife are planning as much time on the water as they can. However, Dr. Alexander can’t quite leave Northwestern completely. A Kellogg and Feinberg School of Medicine graduate, John bleeds purple. He will return to NUHS to practice medicine part-time for nine months out of the year.
Another major initiative was the development of a comprehensive sports medicine service, now in its third year, for the entire student body. The head team physician position now reports to the executive director of Health Service in order to establish an independent reporting structure with oversight by a physician for the Head Team Physician, who is responsible for the comprehensive medical care of Northwestern’s more than 500 intercollegiate athletes. Three
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INTERFAITH STRATEGIC PLAN
(Religious & Spiritual Life) The Office of Religious & Spiritual Life is introducing a host of new programs including global trips, music festivals, campus-wide dinners and sustained dialogues as part of the new Interfaith Strategic Plan. “Interfaith” is an an inclusive term for the religious, spiritual and philosophical pathways that seek to establish meaning and purpose in life. Tahera Ahmad, Director of Interfaith Engagement and Associate Chaplain, talked about how college students especially are looking for opportunities to meet and learn about others in an increasingly diversifying and connected world. “Research from the Higher Education Research Institute suggests that many students are interested in seeking meaning and purpose in life, and in the spiritual background of their peers,” Ahmad said. “We want to create intentional spaces where students are able to bring their ‘whole identity’ and engage with their peers in a meaningful way.” The new strategy comes after meetings with Interfaith student leaders, religious and spiritual life community members at universities like Harvard and Yale, and reviewing current research on religious and spiritual life programs across the country. Ahmad added that the U.S. is now considered the most religiously diverse nation in the world, and that Christianity is no longer the religious majority. Interfaith at Northwestern hopes to reach and connect people of all cultures and all or no faith backgrounds through a variety of new activities in the coming months, including:
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Chai Chats (Monthly, beginning March 15) Students can enjoy exquisite teas from around the globe and unwind in a cozy environment together, while reflecting on their spiritual journeys in a safe space.
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Interfaith concert (April 3) Sing along at this new philanthropic event featuring musical compositions from a spectrum of religions. This year, proceeds will support Syrian refugees.
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Langar (Early May) In collaboration with the Sikh students and community, the Religious & Spiritual Life office will host the first annual “Langar” at Northwestern. Traditionally, the “Langar” is an open invitation to a communal meal for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, ethnicity, gender, or socio economic background. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate and serve the meal together and enjoy a great evening of service.
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Wildcat Interfaith Month (May) Explore the Interfaith community through recreational programs like interfaith dodgeball, intellectual forums and more.
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Interfaith Global Trips (Begin spring 2017) These global trips will be exciting, out-ofclassroom opportunities for students and staff to grow together in spirituality and competency through a physical journey in an international setting. Spring break will see the first group head to Turkey to look at how interfaith works in a modern, secular society with remnants of the Christian tradition.
For more information on Interfaith initiatives, visit the Religious & Spiritual Life website.
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COMMUNITY ALCOHOL COALITION the CAC created Amnesty Through Responsible Action, a new policy program meant to be more comprehensive and to encourage more students to report issues throughout the year.
The Community Alcohol Coalition (CAC), an administrative body formed in 2013 to address issues of alcohol use and abuse on and around campus, released their 2015 Summary Report this past September, which detailed the progress of Northwestern’s reformed alcohol and conduct policies.
The components of the changes can be broken down into three main goals of the coalition moving forward. First and foremost, Northwestern has changed the way it handles alcohol- and drugrelated cases. The CAC is taking a harm reduction approach to new cases called in by students and faculty, so instead of handling reported cases as cause for disciplinary action, the coalition is looking at it as a health and wellness issue — something that requires education and reflection rather than reprimand. The CAC wants to build a community of care at Northwestern, one in which students, faculty, and staff continuously put each other’s well-being before all else and and are wellequipped to support each other in emergencies both on and off campus. These three tenets show that more than anything, the CAC wants students to know that they are looking out for them.
Through a series of student-centered research surveys, CAC pinpointed three major areas of necessary improvement. The first area is the negative impact of alcohol on the first year experience. According to the AlcoholEdu College Survey for the Class of 2016, there was a 67% increase in problematic drinking among first year students just one month into the quarter. More than 28% of freshmen had their alcohol consumption impact their academic performance. This lends itself to the second area of the negative social culture surrounding student drinking and its conduct implications. According to the same survey, more than 40% of undergraduate students said that after drinking or drug use they did “something [they] later regretted,” which is 17.6% higher than the national average. While explanations for these phenomena vary across the classes, the overall issue (and third area of improvement) is the lack of a uniform narrative across the Northwestern community. More and more University employees are receiving specialized training on how to handle alcohol-related cases with students, and each area has a different set of guidelines. On top of that, the formerly used Responsible Action Protocol (RAP) was shown by data utilized by the CAC to be confusing. As a result of RAP’s inefficacy,
Amnesty Through Responsible Action Student feedback demonstrated the procedures for enacting Responsible Action Protocol (RAP) were unclear, and the resultant disciplinary action for parties involved with alcohol- and drug-related situations discouraged many students from calling for help when they needed it. In an attempt to simplify the entire system, the Community Alcohol Coalition revised RAP as the Amnesty Through Responsible Action, a new, clear set of policies that will focus less on disciplinary
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action and more on the well-being of students. One noteworthy feature of this new policy grants amnesty to any student or group who, in the case of an alcohol- or drug-related emergency (excluding driving under the influence) contacts the university for assistance and follows Call, Stay, Cooperate protocol. Call stands for calling 911, Stay stands for staying with the person needing assistance, and Cooperate stands for cooperating with emergency and university officials.
incidents are being seen more as a health and wellness issue by the CAC, the student may have to complete educational substance training on campus. Depending on the situation, Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), some other alcohol or drug use educational session conducted by Health Promotion and Wellness or substance abuse counselling may be recommended by the administration.
Medical amnesty is now provided for the affected person as part of this new policy. Under RAP, the affected person would face conduct once they were deemed healthy by medical or university officials. Now that alcohol and drug-related
These new policies have already been implemented this fall, and the Community Alcohol Coalition hopes that these changes will encourage more students to seek help for themselves and one another.
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STUDENT AFFAIRS
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