Talking Stick - July/August 2008 - (Page 42)

Support System Easton receives help from the staff with programming. She remembers when a hall director volunteered her mother – who was a SUNY Geneseo alumna from the 1970s – to come and speak about student activism during that time. The mother also wanted to use the opportunity to reunite with her favorite psychology professor. Before too long, the two were joined by a campus librarian and dean who had also worked on the campus; this turned out to be one of the most popular sessions the program had enjoyed. Programs such as those at SUNY Geneseo are part of the ever-growing desire to successfully integrate services that support student academic achievement within the residential environment. As institutions implement these plans, students have more and more opportunities for tutoring, supplemental instruction, academic advising, career support, individual and group counseling, and peer mentoring. These efforts have proven successful in a variety of campus environments. In some cases, academic support services are offered within the structure of a particular program such as a learning community or residential college. In others, critically important resources are available through a less structured format. Institutions that provide academic support services in a residential environment share a broad commitment to improving the undergraduate learning experience. Faculty, residence hall staff, and other professional staff collaborate across traditional organizational lines to ensure that students receive the support necessary to achieve academic success. High levels of faculty and student interaction are a major component of the Multicultural Learning Community’s educational and programming objectives. Many residence halls have established academic awards given to houses/floors that have maintained high academic and community standards. phoToS: ioWA STATe uNiVerSiTy EARly WARning SyStEmS A key to helping first-year students succeed is having timely and effective interventions. This means a program that allows the school to identify students with academic problems early and to respond with effective support. Residence halls can be a significant part of this mechanism. In an environment where residence staff is involved systematically in academic intervention, it is likely that student and academic affairs staff will work together closely. They may collaborate in developing workshops on the kinds of academic services available on campus, discuss student development, and communicate about day-to-day concerns. When everyone with whom the student has contact is concerned about, and involved in, the student’s academic welfare, it is more likely that problems will be discovered and dealt with in a timely manner. To that end, a number of institutions have developed early warning systems that actively involve residence life. Before even arriving on campus, every first-year student Members of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Learning Community develop a marketing plan for the Barista Cafe, a student-owned residentially-based business in Buchanan Hall at Iowa State University. Welcoming dens provide an excellent place for student interaction and studying. 2 Talking Stick

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Talking Stick - July/August 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar When Politics Come to Your Town Support System Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members Snapshot

Talking Stick - July/August 2008

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