STUDENT AFFAIRS 7 ANNUAL REPORT Updates to Avera Student Center Beginning in August and continuing throughout the fall semester, several Avera Student Center projects were completed to improve the overall customer experience in the building and advance Objective 5, Create the Heart of the Campus Community, from the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2021-2025). We thank the entire community for their patience with the disruptions and inconveniences experienced as we made these improvements for students. • Aged carpet replaced in the public spaces (Key Result 131). • The Wolf Shoppe partnered with Residence Life to install a new locker system in the lower level to provide students convenient access to package pickup whenever the building is open. • A Dacotah Bank ATM was installed in the dining space adjacent to Einstein Bros. Bagels. • Installation of a special film on the windows of the Avera Student Center Mall to better manage the climate control (Key Result 127). • Replaced the five malfunctioning gas fireplaces throughout the Avera Student Center (Key Result 133). • The Wolf Shoppe installed a vinyl sign on a west facing lower-level window to increase their visibility to oncampus and off-campus customers (Key Result 51). • Installed 5 new accessible door openers in the Avera Student Center bathrooms and the Student Affairs Suite for greater accessibility for all faculty, staff, and students (Key Result 172). In addition, phase one of the refresh of Einstein Bros. Bagels to update brand standards was completed, leading to a partial reopening in August 2022 (Key Result 16). Thanks to Megan Frewaldt, Marty Sabolo, Doug Leidholt, Monte Mehlhoff, Alan Kinder, Veronica Paulson and all our partners in Facilities Management for their many efforts with these projects. Northern participates in The Out of the Darkness Walk To raise awareness of suicide and mental health, over 100 Northern students, staff, faculty, and family members came together to support the Aberdeen Out of the Darkness Walk on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at the Odde Ice Arena. This walk was the beginning of numerous other programs in support of mental health on campus. We hope this will continue year after year as we foster a community that supports one another in all aspects of our health and wellness. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosts Community Walks in hundreds of cities across the country. They are the core of the Out of the Darkness movement, which began in 2004. These events give people the courage to open up about their own connections to the cause, and a platform to create a culture that’s smarter about mental health. Friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers walk side-byside, supporting each other and in memory of those we’ve lost. Suicide is a deeply impactful issue facing our communities, especially for college-age students. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, suicide is the leading cause of death among individuals 10-29 years old in South Dakota, with the highest rates of suicide among young adults ages 2029. Of the South Dakotans that die by suicide each year, 79 percent are men, while women are nearly twice as likely to engage in nonfatal self-harm. Native Americans have a suicide rate 2.6 times higher than white individuals. In 2021, South Dakota had the seventh highest suicide rate in the United States.
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