T h u r s d a y, A u g u s t 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 6 i s s u e 1
what’s new this year?
Counseling Center expands to meet student demand by zackary Willem zmwillem@eagles.usi.edu
Photo by BRIA Linenburg | The Shield
Sophomore nursing major Rachel Head, a resident assistant, learns about Scheduling Services and finds out how the process works for scheduling an on campus event.
University changes range from when to dine to Title IX by Gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi
While arrivals to campus are just beginning, the university is already abuzz with new developments and upcoming events. Students might see familiar faces promoted to higher staff positions or even completely different functions, such as Laurie Berry transitioning from housing and residence life to the dean of students office. New faces will also appear on campus, from the new dean to instructors. Both on-campus students and commuters can expect varying and significant adjustments to the campus life. Marcia Kiessling, associate provost for student affairs, sat down and shared some of the changes students and teachers will encounter either immediately or in the near future. Food services hours The Loft will be open at 7 a.m. for weekday breakfast, while Burger King has dropped
breakfast and will not open until 9:30 a.m. due to lack of morning customers, said Marcia Kiessling, associate provost of student affairs. She said Cyclone Salads, Fiesta Fuego and Sub Connection will have extended hours on certain days in response to student complaint for longer dining hour options. Complete hours for the food service office, Eagle access card office, the campus convenience store and all dining options on campus can be found on Sodexo’s website, usi.sodexomyway.com. C-Store pizza delivery The campus convenience store (C-Store) will no longer offer pizza delivery service. Kiessling said that in the past, the C-Store is overwhelmed with orders, causing long delays in delivery. Archie’s Pizzeria, which is will now handle those deliveries, hopefully resulting in faster service. Sodexo recycling Green could be arriving on campus soon.
Sodexo Campus Dining Services partnered with OZZI, a sustainability effort to eliminate waste by providing 50 percent plastic containers for take-out dining. After eating out of the boxes, students will drop off their green-colored containers in “big, black, high-tech, metal boxes,” according to agreenozzi.com, OZZI’s website. The university prides itself in being a ‘single stream recycling campus,’ meaning all recyclables may be collected in the same bin. The campus efforts have snatched multiple victories at RecycleMania, an annual recycling competition between relatively nearby colleges. Griffin Center Griffin Center, a $5.75 million conference center, has been under construction since July 2014 and will be for longer than previously announced. The center will be located at the southwest side of Reflection Lake. changes, PAGE 3
The Counseling Center now has five full-time counselors to assist university students. “At the peak several years ago we had a ratio of one counselor to every 3,800 students. However, with the new positions we have one counselor to every 1,800 students,” said Thomas Longwell, Counseling Center director. To fill the staff expansion, Longwell created two new positions, as well as brought in a replacement and a promoted parttime counselor from the previous three. Longwell said in past years the center has faced multiple oppositions due to its low number of staff. The forefront being its inability to assist students without them waiting two to three weeks for assistance. “The more manageable ratio also helps the center meet certain requirements to help it become accredited,” Longwell said. The center needs to meet a set of requirements that prove they deliver good services to the university’s students through counseling and outreach programs. In fall 2014 the center directed, sponsored and co-sponsored 73 outreach activities such as stress management workshops and healthy relationship management workshops. They also collaborated with the Multicultural Center. Longwell said the new positions will help the Counseling Center reach accreditation. “Now that we are much closer to that goal, it’s something we will look at again,” he said. counceling center, PAGE 3
$1.1 million grant funds student ‘one-stop shop’ by Gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi
The university received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education designated toward Student Support Services (SSS) that will mainly fund the staff needed to manage students within its program, said Academic Coordinator Theresa Ohning. “It would be nice if we were looking at more money going toward services directly for the students, but the program doesn’t exist without the people who are running it,” Ohning said. Ohning said that Student Support Services will expand by further utilizing peer training. “When you’re getting information from a peer, you get more than you
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necessarily always (get) from an authority figure,” she said. She also mentioned that SSS plans to hire student workers and implement more technology. The main goal of Student Support Services is to provide students with the resources they need to earn their diploma from the university. “Once you’re in our program, you’re in our program until you graduate,” Ohning said. “Although doing paperwork isn’t the most exciting part of my job, it is very rewarding to fill out the paperwork that says students have graduated.” Program Director Heather Bauer was the primary author of the grant, the second of its kind in the university’s history. “We have three profes-
sional staff, sometimes we can have up to 10 to 15 tutors for a student, and we have about 20 mentors for freshmen. A lot of our funding goes toward supporting those positions,” Bauer said. “Our funding also goes toward our scholarship program.” According to Bauer, scholarship money for the 2015-16 academic year adds up to $16,891. SSS can support 140 students in compliance with government regulations for the grant. In order to be eligible for a spot within the program, an enrolled student must either be a first generation college student, meet a limited income criteria verified by SSS staff or have a documented disability. Bauer said that Student Support Services is still a baby program.
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Student Support Services Program Director Heather Bauer teaches students about stressors during a UNIV 101 course.
The university’s first grant for the program was approved in 2010. Out of 1,476 proposals to the U.S. Department of Education as part of the 2015 Student Support
Services competition, only 906 were approved. Additional areas that the grant covers include programming, planning and activities such as educational and cultural trips.
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“I like to say that we’re a coach, a mentor, a tutor, an advocate, (and) a cheerleader,” Bauer said. “We’re a one-stop shop for students.”