STUDENT AFFAIRS 23 ANNUAL REPORT for the TRIO Advisor and the other for the Coordinator of Student Wellness and Prevention. She also volunteered at the Out of the Darkness Walk and helped plan and coordinate Wolf Pack Welcome. Bruzek presented “Who Me? Transition from Student to Professional” with colleague Laine Converse at the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) St. Paul Regional Conference on the topic of transitioning from undergraduate student to staff member. Bruzek attended the South Dakota Higher Education Association (SDHEA) Fall Conference in Sioux Falls, S.D., and was named Student Organization Advisor of the Year (2022-23) at the Wolfy’s Student Engagement Awards. This spring Bruzek completed Mental Health First Aid training. Laine A. Converse, Residential Community Coordinator, Northern’s only live on campus staff member, was accepted into the MSE in Higher Education Student Affairs Program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney where he will begin studies this fall. Converse also presented “Who Me? Transition from Student to Professional” with colleague Ashley Bruzek at the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) St. Paul Regional Conference on the topic of transitioning from undergraduate student to staff member. Converse is a member of the Advisory Group on Inclusion and Belonging, co-advisor of the newly reinvigorated Residence Hall Association, and has served on two professional staff search committees. Converse attended the South Dakota Higher Education Association (SDHEA) Fall Conference in Sioux Falls, S.D., and completed the Mental Health First Aid for Higher Education training course. He is the proud owner of Tig, a three-year-old domestic short hair cat. Michelle Dannen, Residential Facilities Coordinator, joined the staff in fall 2022 and has already made a big improvement with our facilities management and communication with students and the Northern Facilities Department. Dannen attended the 2023 S.D. Housing Officers Professional Development Day in Spearfish, S.D., and has completed QPR, Mental Health First Aid, and ALICE Active Shooter training. In her spare time, Dannen serves as CoManager for the Dakota Horizons Service Unit team 402 and has been a Leader of Girl Scout Troop 40137 for the past six years. Megan J. Frewaldt, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership, taught a First-Year Seminar Course entitled Mindfulness: Jedi Training or Everyday Life Skill? for fall 2022. Frewaldt is the Chair of the Student Involvement Committee and works with the New Student Transitions Steering Committee and Working Groups. Frewaldt serves on the NSU Athletics Committee, Mental Wellness Week Committee, and the Advisory Group on Inclusion and Belonging. Additionally, she completed her final term on the Assessment Committee and First Year Seminar Committee. She represents Northern with COPLAC diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and the South Dakota Prevention Providers Network. This past year, Frewaldt presented at the 2022 South Dakota Higher Education Association Annual Conference. She also attended the 2023 Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference. Frewaldt participated in on-going DiversiTea: Difficult Conversations with NACA and professional development with ACUI. Frewaldt completed training in Mental Health First Aid and student affairs assessment strategies. She will complete the Safe Zone Workshop Series in summer 2023. Frewaldt coordinated Northern’s involvement with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walk. She volunteers with Avera Addiction Care to provide mindfulness and meditation classes to patients. In 2022, Frewaldt completed five years of service to Northern. Melanie Hogg, Director of Dining Services, has led Northern State University’s successful transfer of Dining Services from Aramark Higher Education to Sodexo Campus, over the past year. She has taken a lead role in the renovation of the Wolves Den and Lair, the Einstein Bros.® Bagels refresh, and conversion of the P.O.D. Market to the Grid Market in Great Plains East. Becky Kuch, Director of Counseling and Health Services, served on a couple of search committees for counselor education faculty. She became a certified instructor for QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) and presented this curriculum to faculty, staff, and students. Becky also became an approved supervisor for counselors seeking licensure within the state of South Dakota. She is the co-founder of a mental health podcast, Shrink Rap the Podcast, which discusses various mental health topics in an approachable way aimed at normalizing conversations and decreasing stigma surrounding mental health. The podcast hit a couple of highlights this year: 100,000 downloads and 100 episodes. Shrink Rap is currently in its third season. Shortly after joining the team in Student Affairs, Becky had the opportunity to be part of a segment on Dakota News Now, with Christina Shilman, which highlighted the partnership between NSU and Northeastern Mental Health Center and addressing the mental health needs of college students. Counseling Services sponsored Mental Health First Aid for Higher Education presented by NEMHC in the spring. Becky presented to a few different groups this spring and summer: Supporting Youth Mental Health at the sixth annual Positive Youth Development Staff Conference in Sioux Falls; Mental Health Support for Caregivers at the 15th Annual Lighting the Way Autism Conference in Sioux Falls; and High School into College part of Parenting Birth to College: Insights Along the Way at the Self-Care Wellness Fair by the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and KO Lee Library. Becky currently serves as Clinical Coordinator for the Heartland Critical Incident Stress Management team helping mitigate PTSD with first responders. She is the Clinical Coordinator for the Aberdeen Police Department’s Peer Support Team and serves on the planning committee for the NESD Family Violence Prevention Conference and is part of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce Mental Wellness in the Workplace committee. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family and dogs. Professional highlights, continued…
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