Student_Affairs_Annual_Report_2021

STUDENT AFFAIRS 8 ANNUAL REPORT Taskforce this summer,” noted Blackburn. “Partners in the Facilities Department were also critical and often go unnoticed.” The team in Residence Life faced an unplanned and stressful move-out in March 2020. In an anxious environment, staff members calmed students, helped them think through their transition to their permanent address, and faced an uncertain end of the spring semester. Residence Life operated a COVID-19 isolation program within Steele Hall. While other institutions in the region encouraged students to leave campus when they tested positive, Northern encouraged students to stay. This involved the delivery of hundreds of meals, prescriptions, mail, and packages to residential students seven days a week. This effort helped maintain our Northern community and protected loved ones from exposure to COVID-19 at home. Marty Sabolo, Director of Residence Life and Dining Services, noted, “The team was under significant stress. Prioritizing student needs was our focus and kept us going. Unlike other challenges faced by campus in the past, there seemed to be no end in sight. I’m proud of the team’s efforts.” In addition to isolation housing in Steele Hall, students were quarantined due to close contact throughout the residence halls. The team’s efforts made this challenging situation more comfortable for students. Communication was Key Communication was also a key strategy. Recognizing the need to keep campus leadership informed, Student Affairs began to distribute a “Confidential Daily Activity Report.” This report tracked student cases in the micro and macro and supported a comprehensive and data-informed response to the pandemic. An often missed, but critically important effort has been the on-boarding and community development efforts of Student Involvement and Leadership, student organizations, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and Residence Life. Megan Frewaldt and her team only had six weeks to launch a virtual HOWL (Helping Our Wolves Learn) summer orientation. Colleagues from across campus were involved in this monumental shift. Recognizing the value and need for an in-person HOWL, the team was March 2021 Mass Test Event poster. Spring Break Mass Test Event poster. A Year On The Frontlines, continued…