STUDENT AFFAIRS 19 ANNUAL REPORT On-Line Counseling Appointment Scheduling: In January 2022, Counseling Services announced online scheduling for in-person appointments would now be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from the Counseling Services website. “We are very excited to offer this new and convenient opportunity for students to schedule appointments with Counseling Services. We hope this encourages students to reach out for help whenever they decide that they are ready to book an appointment,” said Sean Blackburn, Dean of Students. Students may still schedule appointments by calling 605-626-3007 or by visiting 222 Avera Student Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Expanding opportunities for students to schedule appointments is part of OBJECTIVE 3: Increase Student Wellness, of the 2021-2025 Student Affairs Strategic Plan. Disability Services becomes Student Accessibility Services: With the retirement of the Director in May 2022, Disability Services transitioned to Student Accessibility Services and is now led by a new Assistant Director. Another champion for accessibility, Krista Bau, joined the team by providing supervision for the Assistant Director. Krista Bau has been tasked to take on this important work and advance the many new Key Results in the updated version of the Student Affairs Strategic Plan focused on accessibility. The search for the new Assistant Director resulted in the promotion of Kelly Weismantel, who began her duties in May 2022. The debate between focusing on the word “disability” or “ability” in an office name has been on-going across the country for many years. Both positions have value and are embraced by different institutions. For Northern, emphasizing the value of accessibility will help advance these efforts in the next phase of this program. Space Allocation Updates for the Division of Student Affairs: Key Result 33, of the updated Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2021-2025), called for a “Review [of] office space use in the Student Affairs Suite [to] make necessary changes to maximize program outcomes and workflow.” In June 2022, Dean Blackburn shared with campus his excitement that Student Affairs was nearing completion of this important project. Campus was informed that many of their colleagues had moved offices as Student Affairs realigned space usage to advance programs and services within Student Affairs. Another important driver was Key Result 21, “Centralize front desk services across Student Affairs in 222 Avera Student Center.” This was done throughout the 21-22 academic year and was necessitated by the 2019 reductions in force. Conversations around effective use of our office space began at the Student Affairs Winter Retreat in January 2022. Those conversations led to a draft plan that was shared to all Student Affairs team members in February 2022. The final plan was announced in early March of this year, with all moves expected to be completed this summer. A big thanks to the Student Affairs team for engaging in this important conversation and for their patience with the necessary inconveniences any such plan implementation usually requires. Many thanks to Marty Sabolo and Jerilyn Mielke for a smooth implementation of this plan. Our thanks to Peggy Hofwalt, Eric Bertsch, Robert Rux, Lenard Tietz, Russell Entzel (Facilities Management) and Josh Imberi, John Isakson, Kendra Hinz (Technology Services) for your help as well. Quick Takes, continued…
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