AN INTRODUCTION TO OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
The college student experience encompasses many things, including, but certainly not limited to, classes, internships, jobs, field work, labs, and research. However, the vast majority of students’ time in college is spent Outside the Classroom – and at Iowa State, the Division of Student Affairs is heavily involved in helping to enhance the rich and vibrant experience students have come to expect. This monthly newsletter focuses on how the various departments in Student Affairs shape the co-curriculum in which students are involved. We aim to highlight efforts that may not be widely known or understood. We also want to provide in-depth data and information that can demonstrate the ways in which students are benefiting from leadership, involvement, employment, support, and global engagement experiences. If something you read in this or future editions of Outside the Classroom brings to mind a potential collaboration or cooperative effort, we invite you to email us so that together, we can create the best Cyclone experience possible for all students.
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ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY
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Healthy Minds Study; 620 respondents, 14% response rate. Full report available at https://www.studentwellness.iastate.edu/campus-health-and-wellness-data/
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Baker-Smith, C., Coca, V., Goldrick-Rab, S., Looker, E., Richardson, B., & Williams,T. (2020). #RealCollege 2020: Five years of evidence on campus basic needs insecurity. Retrieved from https://hope4college.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2019_RealCollege_Survey_Report.pdf
- United Way of Story County
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MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
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Student Counseling Services is maximizing the use of Telehealth services this Fall and will continue to offer a full range of services, including consultation, crisis intervention, individual counseling, group counseling, outreach presentations, and more.
Student Wellness brought the Kognito mental health training program to campus this summer. This online training offers mental health simulations to prepare individuals for real-life conversations and help identify students in distress. All students will take the training over the course of the fall semester. Anyone can take the training at Learn@ISU.
Mental health services also remain available through primary care and psychiatry at the Thielen Student Health Center.
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The Division of Student Affairs offers several forms of structured academic support to ISU students; two specific offices are the
Data indicate that students who use the services provided by either of the centers earn higher grades and GPAs than their peers who don’t use their services. The WMC is offering both in-person and online support to students this semester, while the ASC has moved all their services online. To learn more about how academic support is being provided, see the WMC’s Fall 2020 Newsletter, and the ASC’s Fall 2020 Service Delivery Plan.
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Iowa State University is a member of the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a coalition of 11 public research institutions focused on increasing the number and diversity of college graduates in the United States.
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As part of Iowa State’s UIA effort, we received grant funds to distribute to students to help them remain enrolled and persist towards graduation. During the 2019-20 academic year, 242 students received over $121,800 in UIA Completion Grants funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates and the Ascendium Foundations.
After COVID-19 disrupted ISU’s in-person classes in March, ISU secured over $41,600 in grants to help defray those costs for students. To date, 44 students have received $34,435 from these funds through the Office of Student Financial Aid, which supplemented what ISU received through the CARES Act and through the #CycloneStrong campaign.
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SUPPORT |
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Staff in the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) support nearly 3,900 international students and scholars on campus. Beyond orienting new students and scholars to campus, they offer programming for international students around leadership and provide support for social, cultural, financial, and personal concerns. ISSO also provides a host of immigration services, including: creating essential immigration documents; maintaining immigration records in SEVIS, the database for the federal government; advising students on immigration-related matters through all forms of communication; and, collaborating with campus partners and interacting with government agencies such as US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State.
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COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION |
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The Division of Student Affairs Senior Leadership Team expects staff to be active participants in positively impacting our campus culture. As such, all division staff will engage in the following work during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Language will be added to all division staff performance evaluations that support and enhance both our individual and collective learning regarding social justice. This includes an annual expectation to participate in associated professional development opportunities and experiences.
Sharron Evans, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, is reinvigorating the Demonstration Safety Team to support student and campus advocacy needs.
Pete Englin, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Director of Residence, and his team are in the process of hiring a Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Campus Life.
Staff across the division continue to serve in campus collaborations to review and challenge current processes and policies to create systemic change.
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