STUDENT
AFFAIRS
QUARTERLY
FALL QUARTER 2014 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS We welcome your feedback, questions, and submissions.
Student Affairs Quarterly
2015 Winter SAQ - Content Deadline: January 12 Spring SAQ - Content Deadline: April 6 Summer SAQ - Content Deadline: July 17
Message from the Vice President.................................3 Fall 2014 Wildcat Welcome.........................................4
Chael Wright-Isak, Editor chael@northwestern.edu
Campus Inclusion and Community Update.................5 Health Promotion and Wellness Update......................6 Spotlight on Tracey Gibson-Jackson............................7
Jessica Toro, Graphic Designer
Northwestern Career Advancement.............................8 NU Dining:From Farm to Table.................................10
Jill Norton, Photographer
Staff Recognition.........................................................12
Patricia Telles-Irvin, Publisher
Dean of Students Office Updates................................13 Student Affairs Marketing recognized by Graphic Design USA.............................................14 Religious Life Update..................................................14
Volume 12. Fall 2014
Did You Know?...........................................................15 New Staff....................................................................16
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MESSAGE THE FROM
VICE PRESIDENT
Our academic year is off to a great start. I was delighted to receive so much positive feedback from students and parents about their Wildcat Welcome, Move-In Day, and Purple Pride experiences. When I think back to my first year here on campus, I can see how much we have achieved together in order to fulfill our mission: educate students, engage the community, and enrich the Northwestern experience.
At our recent Student Affairs Kick-off breakfast, I shared with you our values and guiding principles. Both are needed to ensure the promise of enrichment for our students and our community. I like to remember the guiding principles in the form of an acronym shared at the breakfast– I Always Create A Caring Campus. The following pages within this Fall edition of the Student Affairs Quarterly include great examples of this phrase. So much of the work we do together this year will reflect this important idea.
Message from the Vice President
Be sure to learn about the efforts put forth by our colleagues in the Center for Awareness, Response and Education (CARE). Their recent work along with the grant they received to reach their goals was highlighted by President Schapiro in his recent message to the campus about prevention of sexual violence and harassment in our community. Each of us is responsible for serving a very important role to cultivate a campus culture of respect, inclusion, and safety. With gratitude,
Patricia Telles-Irvin Message from the Vice President 3
FALL 2014 WILDCAT WELCOME
Wildcat Welcome proved to be a great success this year! 62 percent of the incoming class (or 1,306 students) completed the Wildcat Welcome survey and 61 percent said overall they would rate the Wildcat Welcome program as excellent. This represents a four percent increase from last year. 95 percent of respondents said they would rate Wildcat Welcome as good or excellent, and 97 percent of students somewhat or strongly agree that Northwestern community was formed through Wildcat Welcome.
For our new students, Health Promotion and Wellness (HPAW) tackled the topic of alcohol by presenting the Step Up! Bystander Intervention program, followed by small group work dealing with alcohol scenarios. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) also sponsored a new presenter for the Mental Health Essential NU this year, Ross Szabo. Szabo’s presentation introduced the important topic of mental health to our students. Following the presentation, more than 2,300 class members split into breakout sessions with their Peer Adviser to discuss the topic and how it has affected them, while CAPS staff remained on hand to assist any student who needed help. Students were also introduced to True Northwestern, a road map that integrates academic, social, and community experiences to assist students with creating their own Northwestern perspective. In addition, Wildcat Weekends provides first-year students with programs, experiences, and resources which are offered the first four weeks of fall quarter to help continue the new students’ transition to college life.
In addition to the Wildcat Welcome signature events such as March through the Arch and Purple Pride at Millennium Park, the Office of New Student and Family Programs (NSFP) introduced some new programming to the schedule this year. The Parent and Family Orientation (PFO) Program included an official welcome from Todd Adams, Dean of Students, and other key administrators, at the Combe Tennis Center. PFO ended with a performance of original skits for the family members created by the Family Ambassadors that addressed many of the issues Northwestern students face.
In 2015 the Wildcat Welcome program will expand to 10 days, beginning Friday, September 11 and ending on Sunday, September 20. 4
CAMPUS INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY UPDATE STUDENT ENRICHMENT SERVICES This year our efforts saw the creation of Student Enrichment Services– a new department in place to help address the needs of low-income students.
Kourtney also worked with the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business to recruit diverse talent to their full-time MBA program and has advised a number of companies and organizations on the best practices in the world of diversity recruitment and inclusion.
Kourtney Cockrell has been chosen to serve as the Director of Student Enrichment Services. Kourtney spent close to 15 years working with organizations to increase access and opportunities for young people from traditionally overlooked backgrounds. She is passionate about diversity and began her racial justice work with the Intergroup Dialogue (IGR) program at the University of Michigan. Kourtney has expertise in college and career advising, diversity facilitation, nonprofit management, talent management, alumni relations, and organizational change.
Most recently, Kourtney served as the Associate Director of Talent Management with Alumni Relations and Development (ARD), during which she developed and oversaw the diversity and inclusion strategy across the division. In October, Courtney was presented with the Young Woman of Promise Award at the annual YWCA YWomen Leadership Benefit. Courtney was one of a select group to receive this recognition for social change.
In addition to her work with the IGR, Kourtney spent more than seven years with The Posse Foundation working in both the Chicago and National offices, and directed and executed the first National Posse Alumni Conference in New York City during the Summer 2010.
Congratulations Courtney and welcome to Northwestern! 5
HEALTH PROMOTION AND WELLNESS UPDATE
The Center for Awareness, Response and Education (CARE) received the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women grant. This is a three-year, $300,000 grant which allows CARE to continue to support their prevention and response efforts around sexual violence. The CARE staff, along with many members of the Campus Coalition on Sexual Violence, were involved in writing the grant application, which was submitted February 2014.
to support efforts on sexual violence prevention and response. The grant will also allow for compensation of our numerous community partners for their work with NU, as delineated in the grant plan, and also to enhance the marketing of CARE as a student service.
The funds from this grant are earmarked to hire 1) a full time Coordinator of Men’s Engagement in CARE, 2) a graduate intern to support the Step Up! NU bystander intervention program in Campus Inclusion and Community, 3) student designers and a videographer in Student Affairs Marketing and 4) a student worker in CARE 6
Looking forward, two task forces will launch soon – one to assess the needs of African American students and another for LGBT students, in conjunction with staff from Multicultural Student Affairs and the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. These two student identity groups are overrepresented among the students who access services at CARE (compared to their presence in the campus population). The task forces will strive to determine the reasons why as well as making recommendations to ensure CARE is effectively serving these populations.
SPOTLIGHT ON TRACEY GIBSON-JACKSON Center and beyond. Advising 43 groups and putting on 11 to 20 productions per quarter is not for amateurs. As with most events, challenges abound. The greatest? “Being able to provide appropriate resources for students with big ideas. Space constraints can become an issue. I love helping students keep their artistic integrity while doing so in a safely maintained space.” Witnessing each production from start to finish is one of the many rewards of Tracey’s work. Which two qualities are essential for her role? “Be impeccable with your word. Students look to you to do what you say you will do. The other is to have a good sense of humor during the creative process. Make them want to come back for more!” Lindsey Pfleger, an Academic Counselor in the School of Professional Studies, recently lauded Tracey as a mentor while coordinating the Night at the Art Institute event this spring. This experience inspired her to nominate Tracey for a Service Excellence award. “While Tracey was not my direct supervisor, she went out of her way to greatly assist with a new program I was tasked with starting–NU’s relationship with the Art Institute of Chicago. She was incredibly generous with her time and knowledge.”
“I love connecting with people – there are so many opportunities for that here.” Tracey Gibson-Jackson has been connecting with people at Northwestern for seven years. She received her undergraduate degree in theater and her master’s degree in justice studies. When the position of assistant director for Student Theater and Performing Arts Organizations was first offered to her, she said the description represented the best of both worlds. The impressively long title hints at the substantial amount of entertainment provided at the Norris
The Service Excellence award will be presented in early November to Tracey in recognition of her hard work and dedication to Northwestern—along with her word and her winning sense of humor. Congratulations Tracey, for your stellar performance!
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NORTHWESTERN CAREER ADVANCEMENT On November 3, University Career Services was officially renamed Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA). The new name reflects a recent move toward more specialized career advising and counseling services designed to help students translate their academic and co-curricular experiences into professional opportunities. In the last year, NCA welcomed a new schoolbased advising model, a more robust employer recruiting outreach team, and a remodeled building, among other improvements. This month, along with the new name, NCA will unveil their redesigned website with improved functionality and fresh, industry and school-specific content. NCA is excited to continue to enhance services which will advance the career paths of NU students and strengthen partnerships with alumni, employers, and the Northwestern community under the new name. Read more about NCA at www.northwestern. edu/careers. A Fall Internship and Job Fair was held on Tuesday, September 30th and Wednesday, October 1st in Norris Center. More than 140 companies and organizations in nearly all industries (communications, consulting, finance, nonprofits, engineering, technology and more) connected with more than 1100 students and alumni each day. Prior job fairs included notable companies such as General Mills, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Peace Corps, Walgreens, Morningstar and PepsiCo.
Unique and interesting opportunities in all fields hand-picked by NCA staff from our CareerCat job and internship search system can now be found daily on our newest Twitter account. Tweet us @JobsforCats (www.twitter.com/jobsforcats). 8
A Northwestern student speaks with a recruiter from NCA Corporate Sponsor Deloitte.
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Pictured from left: Jennifer Gamboa, Margaret Parker, Mackenzie Turner, Leigh Rubin, Brad McCandless, Jennifer Spaulding, Fernanda Serpa, Dean Meisel, Rachel Tilghman
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NU DINING: FROM FARM TO TABLE On Friday, October 10, Northwestern Dining took a group of 22 students and staff members to Borzynski’s Farm in Sturtevant, Wisconsin for an afternoon of corn mazes, hay rides, and honest conversations with a local farmer. Students made their own caramel apples and visited the market for local and seasonal produce. During the farm to table dinner, they talked with family farmer Steve Borzynski about the challenges the farming industry faces. “I learned that farming has a lot more to do with the business side of agriculture than I expected. It was interesting to see that so much of their job had to do with interacting with different distributors, buyers and meeting federal safety regulations,” said Sharon Chien, Learning and Organization Change major. Students’ candid conversations with Steve gave them insight into what it takes to take a meal from farm to table.
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STAFF RECOGNITION Each year the president of the association selects an institution that he/she believes has “demonstrated commitment and support to the association”. This year, President Stacy OliverSikorski selected Northwestern University as the 2014 GLACUHO President’s Institutional Award recipient.
JULIE PAYNE-KIRCHMEIER APPOINTED TO ACPA DIGITAL TASK FORCE The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) recently selected AVP Julie PayneKirchmeier to serve as part of their Digital Task Force.
This was only the beginning. Paul Hubinsky, Senior Assistant Director was elected to a three-year presidential track. During this time, he will work with committees, direct the strategic planning of the association, and lead the Board of Directors. This is the highest elected officer for the association.
Julie also serves as co-chair of the Proven Practices subcommittee. This group is currently developing proven practice guidelines for the use of digital technology in student affairs. The goal is for the task force to present a preliminary report at the 2015 Convention in Tampa and a final report at the 2015 June/July Leadership meeting.
Additional Residential Services staff were recognized for their service during the past academic year (August 1-July 31) and program inclusion within the conference.
To learn more about ACPA www.digitaltaskforce.myacpa.org/
OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO ACADEMICS AWARD – NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF RESIDENTIAL SERVICES This award is given to a GLACUHO institution or individual that has implemented an innovative approach to enhancing academics, understanding, and education in campus housing within the past academic year.
2014 ANNUAL GLACUHO AWARD RECIPIENTS Staff in Residential Services received a number of honors and awards at the November 2014 annual GLACUHO (Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers) conference. GLACUHO is the regional housing association (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio) whose mission is to “provide opportunities for housing officers to learn, lead and serve”. Over 400 delegates were present at the conference, held in Peoria, IL.
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DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE UPDATES
OUTSTANDING FACILITIES MANAGER AWARD – TIM HENEGHAN This award is presented by the Facilities andOperations Committee to an individual whose responsibilities have focused on housing facilities during the past academic year. TOP TEN PROGRAM AWARD – TIFFANY GONZALES Tiffany Gonzales (and her co-presenter Shandee Ewert from Loyola University Chicago) won a “Top Ten Program” award for her program White Privilege: What It Is, What It Isn’t, And How to Help Students Understand. Tiffany was then recognized with the GLASS Award (Great Lakes All Star Session) which identifies her program as THE TOP PROGRAM of the conference. GLASS award winners receive their registration paid to attend the national conference (ACUHO-I) and present the program there.
Mona Dugo has been named Associate Dean of Students. Mona joined Northwestern in 2012 as an Assistant Dean of Students and, since her arrival, has been instrumental in the creation and development of Student Assistance andSupport Services (SASS).
In August, AVP and Dean of Students, Todd Adams was selected to serve on the North- American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) commission on Sexual Violence and Abuse Prevention. This team will combine their efforts during a two-year term, which will culminate in the publication of an action plan for the NIC President in April 2016.
Tony Kirchmeier, has recently been named Assistant Dean/Director of Off-Campus Life. Tony works with students regarding their rights and responsibilities as tenants, neighbors, and members of the Evanston/Chicago Metro community, and also works individually with students experiencing challenges with their living situations. 13
RELIGIOUS LIFE UPDATE Chaplain Tahera Ahmad was recently named, “Associate Chaplain and Director of Interfaith Engagement.” She will continue her responsibilities as Associate Chaplain: developing outreach to Muslim students, faculty and staff, as well as other students of other religious backgrounds; offering pastoral care and counseling to students and others; serving as a resource person for understanding religious life on campus and especially Islam. Her new responsibilities will expand her role in promoting and enhancing religious inclusiveness and interfaith dialogue and cooperation on campus. She will take a leadership role in developing a strategic plan for interfaith engagement on campus for the coming years.
Tahera’s new title reflects the ongoing commitment of the Office of University Chaplains/Office of Religious Life to interfaith encounter and cooperation. Interfaith has been an important focal point for nearly 20 years, and it remains a key priority for every member of the RL staff.
STUDENT AFFAIRS MARKETING RECOGNIZED BY GRAPHIC DESIGN USA In September, Student Affairs Marketing (SAM) received an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design USA for the 2014 Smart Dillo campaign. More than 8,000 entries were submitted to Graphic Design USA and only 15% are recognized with a Certificate of Excellence. Congratulations to all SAMMIES! 14
DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW?
The Associated Student Government (ASG) surveyed all undergraduate students in December 2013. They took some of the Senior Survey questions about learning and asked students the following questions:
The results are very interesting, providing evidence that the work we do in Student Affairs, especially when it comes to advising student groups, create powerful learning experiences (see Figures 1 and 2).
• How much do you feel that your experiences in student organizations and involvements on campus contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following areas? • How much have your class experiences contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following areas?
FIGURE 1 Influence of Experiences in Classroom vs. Extracurricular Activities on Following Learning Outcomes (Response options: 1 = none, 2 = little, 3 = some, 4 = substantially)
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NEW STAFF
Abigail Brown Psychology Intern CAPS
Meghan Finn Case Manager CAPS
Ronna Gordon Pharmacist Health Service Pharmacy
Samuel Macy Post-Doctoral Fellow CAPS
Demarcus Matthews House Service Worker 2 Residential Services
Nancy Perez Program Coordinator Norris University Center
Lauren Pourian Assistant Director Accessible NU
Gisela Rendon Medical Technologist 2 Health Service
Stephanie Voss Program Assistant 1 SafeRide
Benjamin Wiebers Assistant Director Fraternity and Sorority Life
Aleksandra Yamashiroya Psychology Intern CAPS
Roxana Zarrabi Psychology Intern CAPS
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