STUDENT AFFAIRS 23 ANNUAL REPORT Conference in Seatle, W.A., and participated in the Educause Data Governance training. With Jeremey Sommers, Dean Blackburn won the first Faculty/Staff Olympics and was the 2024 Student Affairs March Madness Bracket Winner. Laine A. Converse, residential community coordinator, is Northern’s only live on-campus staff member. Converse is a member of the Advisory Group on Inclusion and Belonging, Advisor to the Residence Hall Association, and has served on two professional staff search committees, including the high-profile chief enrollment management officer search. He also served as the interim Student Affairs advisor for the Student Government Association during which he organized and assisted with the Student Budget and Appropriations Committee. Laine played a key role in several new residence life housings options launched in the spring 2024 semester, including pet friendly, alcohol permitted suites, and a gaming community. Laine also assisted with hosting the 2024 South Dakota Housing Officers Conference on Northern’s campus and guided a discussion on best practices regarding RA/CA training, housing placements, programming, and more. He is also the recipient of the 2023-2024 Student Service Award – Support Services. He is the proud owner of Tig, a four-yearold domestic shorthair 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 South Dakota Housing Officers Professional Development Day in Spearfish, S.D. and helped host the 2024 South Dakota Housing Officers Professional Development Day here at NSU. She has completed QPR, Mental Health First Aid, Disruptive and Dangerous, and ALICE Active Shooter trainings. Dannen also volunteered to represent Student Affairs at the Staff Council and joined the University Advisory Team on Accessibility. In her spare time, Dannen serves as comanager for the Dakota Horizons Service Unit team 402 since 2023, and prior to that, she was the Service Volunteer Mentor for five years. She has also been a Leader of Girl Scout Troop 40137 for the past seven years and a Girl Scout volunteer for over 12 years. In January 2024, she took on the added responsibility of the Northern State Welcome Desk staff. Ashley Geist, staff counselor, met the requirements to obtain a license to practice within the State of South Dakota as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in November of 2023 and completed her QMHP certification in the spring of 2024. Throughout the year, she presented in seven NSU classrooms on mental health-based topics including how to help oneself and others to access mental health services, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and mental wellness habits for college students. She also applied and was selected to present at the South Dakota Counseling Association’s annual conference in Spearfish, S.D. in April, on the topic of Counselors Caring for Themselves and Their Clients While Experiencing Personal Tragedy and Loss. Ashley and her husband Tony call Aberdeen home and enjoy traveling, gardening, fine arts activities, and time with family and friends. Jerrod Ham, director of dining services, joined our staff in August 2023. Jerrod recently became AllerTrain certified to better serve our students with food allergies. AllerTrain is an ANAB-accredited food allergy and gluten-free certificate program covering all the essential information about how to safely serve diners with special dietary needs such as food allergies, intolerances, sensitivities, and celiac disease. He also has attended QPR, ALICE Active Shooter, and Mental Health First Aid training this past year. Becky Kuch, director of counseling and health services, completed her first academic year at Northern. Becky and her staff provided QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training to more than 175 students and 11 staff/faculty. She began supervising the Wellness and Prevention position in fall 2023 and has also supervised counselors working towards licensure in South Dakota. Counseling Services sponsored Mental Health First Aid for Higher Education presented by NEMHC in the fall. 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. 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: 147,000 downloads and 135 episodes. Shrink Rap is currently in its fourth season. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her family and dogs. Jerilyn K. Mielke, was promoted to program assistant in Student Affairs in the spring of 2024. This past fall, she attended ALICE Active Shooter Training. At the annual Employee Recognition Lunch, Jerilyn and three other staff were formally recognized for 30 years of service to the university. She continues to use her knowledge of NSU to support the Division of Student Affairs. In May, she enjoyed celebrating her daughter’s college graduation. Melanie Neiber, senior secretary for residence life and new student and engagement programs, is a native of Aberdeen, S.D., and graduate of Aberdeen Central High School. Ms. Neiber completed Mental Health First Aid Training in December 2023. Professional highlights, continued…
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