the FYE Journal
AUGUST 2013
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
From the Director’s Chair............. 2
Welcoming Transitions
Making Successful Transitions...... 3
WHEE Call U ............................. 4
First Generation Success Story...... 5
Building Communities
Learning Communities Today........ 6
WHEE Teach ............................. 7
The Ripple Effect ....................... 8
Student Success: All Together Now!
Academic Success Centers........... 9
Academic Initiatives.................. 10
FYE Advocates
FYE Message Board.................. 11
2013 FYE Advocates................. 12
Welcome, Class of 2017!
Glenda Hensley, Director of FYE
Welcome to the WCU community! There are so many opportunities ahead for you as you
begin this exciting chapter in your life. You are going to make new friends with whom you
will share wonderful experiences in the classroom and out of the classroom. Our goal at
Western Carolina is to enable you to exceed your expectations during your undergraduate
studies. With a multitude of academic programs from which to choose, you will soon be
immersed in active learning and creative scholarship. A plethora of co-curricular programs
that will engage your mind, body and spirit will complement your academic journey. And on
top of all that, you have PEAKS, the residential experience for first-year students, to make you
feel right at home. You will most certainly not be bored!
I suggest you begin with the FYE Bookmark Journey. (Talk with your FYE Transition course
instructor to learn more about this journey) My challenge to you: Get out of your room, meet
new people, introduce yourself to your faculty and to student affairs professionals. Go to the
art gallery, see a play, go to a ball game, participate in intramurals, join a club, attend special
topics programs in the UC, form a study group, participate in residential events, be a leader.
Embrace your community of learners and excel in ways you never thought possible! The
learning and life experiences of the next four years will be pivotal and will empower you to
succeed and to excel in life. I am extremely happy that you have chosen to join us at WCU as
you embark on your pathway of discovery. You may be surprised where the journey leads you!
THE FYE JOURNAL | PAGE 1
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR
Flourishing: Organic Planning for Student Success
By Glenda Hensley, Director of FYE
I like to flower-garden, to plant the seeds
and watch them grow. As I prepare the soil
and provide water for the thirsty plants, I
appreciate that my role in this process is
simply to nurture what is inherently there.
Given time and care, these seeds develop into
beautiful flowers — each unique in its shape,
color and season. I watch the landscape
reveal perfection through the diversity of
each blossom, as some are early to unfold
their petals to the sun while others lie in
wait. I have learned to be patient, knowing
that each flower will reach its full potential
— when the conditions are right. With this
organic process unfolding, careful planning
and strategic design will provide a safe and
nurturing environment to support a diverse
array of flowers and plants — allowing room
for each to flourish. Some flowers will need
a fence upon which to rely as they reach
for the sky and others will stay close to the
earth, creating a quiet carpet of color. Some
blossoms will need pruning while others
thrive in free-form. I love being witness to
the organic process and honor the outcome!
PAGE 2 | THE FYE JOURNAL
Like the flowers, our students need nurture
and support to thrive. Students need an
environment that will inspire and challenge
them to reach their full potential. Like the
gardener, we (educators) must be patient
and respect the unique qualities and
characteristics that make each student an
amazing individual. They need for us to
open the gates of the possible and then
move to the side as they find their pathway.
We must be prepared to be the fence in the
background — to simply provide support
while our students gain the skills, knowledge,
and confidence to stand alone.
This issue of the FYE Journal will feature
some of the initiatives designed to foster
student success. In “Welcoming Transitions,”
we offer three articles about transitions:
changes within the FYE office; WHEE
Call U, a new student welcome initiative;
and a special feature from 2013 graduate
and first- generation college student
Jannidy Gonzalez.
Student success initiatives work with
intention to help students connect the dots
and to synthesize new understandings.
Learning communities foster a holistic
approach to the transition to college and
to learning. In “Building Communities,”
three articles reveal our commitment
to partnerships at home and across
institutions. Discover how academic affairs
and student affairs partner on various fronts
to support student success in “Student
Success: All together now!”
FYE designs opportunities intended to help
students discover their role and responsibility
as members of the academy, community
and world. Closing with “FYE Advocates,”
discover what our students have to say, as
student editor Nicole Baskin reveals plans for
this year’s FYE Message Board. Finally, FYE
honors those who are guardians of student
success along the way. As you read about the
2013 FYE Advocates, selected by students, I
know you will be proud to be a member of
the Catamount family!
WELCOMING TRANSITIONS
Making Successful Transitions
By Janina DeHart, Assistant Director of Academic Transition and Success for FYE
FYE CABINET MEMBERS
CABINET CHAIR
Glenda Hensley
Director of First Year Experience
I have also resumed oversight of the
Learning Contract Program, which provides
support for students who are placed on
academic probation at the end of their first
semester at WCU. The requirements for
these students to be able to continue their
enrollment at WCU include taking LC 101:
College Success Seminar and improving
their GPA by earning a 2.30 GPA for the
semester or raising their cumulative GPA
up to a 2.0 or higher. In the coming year, I
seek to develop an assessment plan for the
program and to gather data regarding these
students’ academic performance, retention
and persistence to graduation.
This has been a year of transition for
the Office of First Year Experience. The
entire office has recently relocated into
Killian Annex, making this the first time
that the entire staff is housed together.
Formerly the Coordinator of the Academic
Success Program (ASP), in the spring I also
transitioned into a new role as Assistant
Director of Academic Transition &
Success for FYE.
This new role combines programs which
focus on assisting students in various stages
of their transition to and success in college.
Although I have expanded my areas of
responsibility, one of my primary duties
continues to be coordinating ASP, as I have
for more than 12 years. This program is
designed to provide a full year of support to
facilitate a successful first-year experience
and to help students develop skills to excel
in their college career. It helps motivate them
to set higher goals in school and in life and
holds them accountable for demonstrating
attitudes and behaviors that coincide with
reaching their goals.
I also coordinate efforts around
communicating with and supporting first
generation college students (FGCS) in their
transition to college and chair the FGCS
task force charged with examining current
practice and identifying ways to enhance
service to these students. WCU defines
a first generation student as one where
neither parent has a four-year degree. This
is consistent with federal guidelines for
TRIO programs, such as Student Support
Services, which serves first generation
students as one of their target populations.
Moving forward, the task force will
identify opportunities for outreach to
these students prior to their admission
and will develop a communication and
follow-up plan for them through their
enrollment process and as they transition
into the university.
Finally, I continue to look for opportunities
to expand outreach. My role is to serve the
academic transition process and guide success
initiatives as students and parents join the
Catamount family.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
REPRESENTATIVE
Gabby Robinson
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Will Shivers
Advising
Jennifer Cooper
Service Learning
Janina Dehart
First Year Experience
Margaret Bruder
English Faculty
John Habel
PSY Faculty
Nory Prochaska
Math Tutoring Center
Mardy Ashe
Career Services
Rebecca Lasher
Social Work Faculty
Robert Crow
Coulter Faculty Commons
STUDENT AFFAIRS
Tammy Haskett
Orientation
Brian Boyer
Case Manager, Residential Living
Tacquice Wiggan
Leadership
James Felton
Intercultural Affairs
Patrick Frasier
Admissions
Josh Whitmore
Base Camp, Outdoor Recreation
Stephanie Sue Helmers
Academic Initiatives, Residential Living
Mandy Dockendorf
Recreation & Wellness
Laura Ansley
PEAKS
SELECTED RUNNER-UP IN THE BEST OF
REGION PRESENTATION
Janina DeHart and Venice Mason, program assistant and undergraduate student,
recently presented a session at the Region 3 NACADA Conference entitled
“Coaching the Conversation: A Practical Approach for Engaging Parents in Student
Success.” This session was based, in part, on the Parents as Partners workshops that
have been developed for use with ASP Orientation.
Arika Morison
Counseling
Janae McKinney
GA in Residential Living
ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT
Lowell Davis
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Success
Sam Miller
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
THE FYE JOURNAL | PAGE 3
WELCOMING TRANSITIONS
WHEE Call U & the WCU Bucket List
By Patrick Frazier, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission
As students embark on the journey of moving
to Cullowhee and becoming Catamounts, it is
our responsibility to help ease the transition
as much as possible. This was the driving
force behind two initiatives that are entering
their second year. WHEE Call U and the WCU
Bucket List help students transition to life in
Cullowhee and provide an opportunity to
learn about the community that will be their
home for the next four years.
WHEE Call U is an initiative that
involves volunteers throughout the
campus community. Last year, a group of
approximately 100 faculty, staff and students
(including Chancellor Belcher!) volunteered
their time to contact first-year students.
Students are contacted after the fifth week
of classes, first by phone, or by email if they
cannot be reached by phone. The purpose for
WHEE Call U is to provide students with a
PAGE 4 | THE FYE JOURNAL
sense of connection to their new home and to
make sure they are adjusting well to campus
life. Students are invited to talk about their
progress so far: how their classes are going,
if they are needing any of the many services
offered by WCU, how they like living in the
residence halls, and to share any general
concerns or comments that they might have.
The WCU Bucket List is a program that
began by accident and quickly grew into a
new freshman initiative. The list includes
100 items for students to complete during
their time at WCU. The list was created with
help from the school’s mascot, Paws, along
with students, faculty and staff. Completing
the list became a photograph and video
challenge within the students’ freshman year,
with the winners honored during the EYE
on FYE end-of-year celebration. The goal is
for the students to complete and document
(via photos /videos on Facebook) as many
items on the list as possible by the end of the
school year. The WCU Bucket List provides a
list of things that will enhance the students’
experience, help them to connect with the
local community as they explore the region,
and involve more students on campus with
the many activities and programs that take
place throughout the year.
WHEE Call U and the WCU Bucket List are
two examples of initiatives designed to create
a strong foundation for student success and
contribute to a first-year experience that is
unlike any experience that they will find
elsewhere.
Students, make sure to get to work on your
Bucket List today and remember to answer
your phone – who knows... you may be on
the Chancellor’s call list!
My Success as a First-Generation College Student
Jannidy Gonzalez, WCU Class of 2013
Amidst the loud music, the air smelled of
fried foods. My skin tingled as I began to
push the cart toward a tree where I could
rest away from the rays of the sun. I was
a “paleta girl,” an ice pop street vendor.
Using my pushcart, I earnestly worked a job
originally exclusive to men. It was my way of
earning money. Each stroll was a challenge.
I was fueled by a desire to sell more, to break
my own record. People, however, refused
to see me as a serious salesperson. Growing
up women around me struggled to get their
kids through school. I was in the business
of ice pops and I was succeeding. Just as no
woman I knew had sold ice pops before me,
no woman I knew had ever gone to business
school. My desire to pursue higher education
stems not only from a craving to change
the common perceptions of the “submissive
Latina,” but also from the desire to better
understand the way society functions.
The road to college is a journey. Nobody
becomes a successful college student from
one day to another. Some may argue that
fortune favors the bold, but being bold isn’t
always enough to survive the university
lifestyle. To truly achieve fortune one must
be prepared for or aware of the risks and
challenges which may lie ahead. In college,
thinking about how to study and learn,
interacting differently with knowledge and
with others to ultimately strengthen our
ways and cope with life can be discouraging.
What is my vocation? What will I study?
What do I like? Do I have the necessary
skills? Will I be able to adapt to college
life? Can I study and work at the same
time? These and other issues represent
significant problems in moments of life
that require us to make decisions, ask and
rethink some of our goals, to recognize
ourselves, and evaluate our possibilities.
Choosing a profession or a job is one of the
most important tasks that make us a person
because somehow this involves choosing
a lifestyle.
The research I have done on behalf of the
Office of First Year Experience advances first
generation college students (FGCS) in the
pursuit to attain their goals and reach for their
next level. Doing groundwork on the different
support mechanisms the University of North
Carolina System offers FGCS and learning and
exploring these avenues have shed some light
on where Western Carolina University stands
with its population of FGCS. This has allowed
me to glimpse and contribute to the future
steps this university will take in shaping the
future leaders of the country.
My time as a student at this institution has
not only consisted of working at the Office
of First Year Experience but also at Hunter
Library. I represented more than 10,000
student voices as a student government
senator and member of the Program
Prioritization Task Force Committee.
I have studied business management and
international relations in the Netherlands,
and worked in the local community as a
volunteer tour guide for the Jackson County
Green Energy Park. As alumni of both the
Social Justice and Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institutes, I have acquired essential
tools to move forward with dedication. I plan
to be a better resource for other people and
enthusiastically obtain a master’s degree in
business administration.
ACCESS POINTS: ENHANCING THE FIRSTGENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
During the spring semester of 2013, Jannidy Gonzalez authored this report as part of her
work as a student assistant in the FYE office. The report included a comparative analysis
with peer institutions and concluded with recommendations to increase marketing and
communications with first generation college students to better convey the services and
resources available to foster student success in college. The work, commitment, and
insights of our students will always provide a guiding beacon for our work at WCU!
THE FYE JOURNAL | PAGE 5
BUILDING COMMUNITIES
Learning Communities Today
By Glenda Hensley, Director of First Year Experience
Learning Communities have been the
hallmark of collaboration on many campuses
for the last century, but often times Learning
Community faculty and practitioners rarely
have an opportunity to share their challenges
and best practices with other practitioners
across campuses. This is where University of
North Carolina at Greensboro and Western
Carolina University joined together: two
campuses miles apart working on a common
goal — Learning Communities. The 2013
Lilly Conference on College and University
Teaching at Greensboro offered Learning
Communities a unique partnership — an
opportunity to come together and share what
is happening on our campuses across the state
and across the country.
Learning communities are a proven approach
to a pedagogy driven by interdisciplinary
goals and learning outcomes. This event
provided an exciting and unique opportunity
to engage the conversation about how to
enhance our work with learning communities
here at WCU alongside other UNC schools, as
well as among national experts and scholars,
such as Emily Lardner of the Washington
Center, who were on hand to offer guidance
from their perspectives.
WCU and UNCG partnered to host the
one-day event, which was co-chaired by
Glenda Hensley, WCU director of First Year
Experience, and Laura Pipe, UNCG director
of Learning Communities. Emily Lardner,
co-director for the Washington Center at
PAGE 6 | THE FYE JOURNAL
LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITIES AT WCU
Living-Learning Communities provide a bridge between the classroom and
residence hall by grouping first-year students in their residence hall by a themed FYE
transitions course. These courses are designed to provide students with a smooth
transition to college and include an introduction to the principles of leadership.
Students build leadership skills while exploring a particular area of interest. There
are currently 10 Living-Learning Communities that are co-led by the Office of First
Year Experience, Office of Leadership and Student Involvement and Department of
Residential Living.
Evergreen State College was the keynote
speaker and conference guest. Forty-nine
participants from 14 institutions attended.
Participants were surveyed at the end of the
day and overwhelmingly indicated a desire to
pursue this as an annual meeting.
Funded by a Coulter Faculty Commons
Professional Development Grant and the
Office of First Year Experience, attendees from
WCU included: Janina DeHart, Robert Crow,
Belinda Petricek, Pat Proffitt, John Habel,
Margaret Bruder, Tacquice Wiggan, Stephanie
Sue Helmers, Kevin Metcalf, and Anastasia
Richards. Participation in this mini-conference
was intended to provide the tools, best
practices, collaboration and inspiration needed
to do so effectively. Following the conference,
the co-chairs (Hensley and Pipe) were invited to
co-facilitate a plenary at the Lilly Conference to
disseminate the outcomes of this meeting.
Learning communities align with the
goals of WCU’s Quality Enhancement Plan
(QEP), Synthesis: A Pathway to Intentional
Learning, and the new strategic plan,
Vision 2020: Focusing our Future. Strategic
direction number two, “Enrich the Total
Student Experience,” specifies in (Initiative
2.2.3) the institutional commitment to
“Increase the number of academic and
living-learning communities that integrate
active, collaborative, and interdisciplinary
learning experiences with curricular
goals, ensuring necessary logistical and
administrative support. “ [retrieved from:
http://www.wcu.edu/30667.asp]
A link to the conference materials is
available on the FYE website on the
Learning Community page.
WHEE Teach Living-Learning Community
By Jenny Stewart, Advisor for TRACS
2012-2013 was an exciting year for the WHEE
Teach Living-Learning Community (LLC).
We enhanced the curriculum offerings;
incorporated a service component designed
to acquaint students with the campus,
the public schools, and the Cullowhee
community; and added a mentor program
to the WHEE Teach experience.
In 2012-2013 we enlisted our first class of
sophomore mentors who volunteered their
time to help our incoming freshmen with
their transition to college. One of our goals
has always been to provide freshmen with a
built-in support system as soon as they arrive
on campus. These new mentors became an
integral part of that process and became a
community unto themselves within WHEE
Teach. We affectionately call them WHEE
Teach II. Co-located in Harrill Hall, and
in addition to their mentor duties, these
mentors were largely responsible for the
management of the WHEE Teach registered
student organization (RSO) which is open to
all education majors, freshman to senior.
Service is a key element of the WHEE Teach
mission and during the 2012-2013 year we
volunteered in the Cullowhee community
in many different capacities. Our students
especially enjoyed opportunities that
involved them with the local schools and
children, including the Cullowhee Valley
After-School Program, the Cullowhee Valley
School Fall Festival, and the Cullowhee
United Methodist Halloween Carnival.
The WHEE Teach LLC home in the College
of Education and Allied Professions enables
our work with the support of our college
leadership and faculty. WHEE Teach students
routinely interact with CEAP faculty, making
connections early in their WCU careers
through special programs that interest both
students and faculty. The WHEE Teach
family extends beyond the boundaries of
our college with partnerships from across
campus that have been crucial to the success
of this program. Some of our key networks
include the Office of First Year Experience,
the Department of Residential Living, the
Advising Center, and the Office of Leadership
and Student Involvement.
As we build upon the success of 2012-2013,
we have many new and exciting ideas for
making the 2013-2014 academic year even
better! As we plan to grow our freshman
enrollment, our rising junior members
will stay with us to assist our new mentors
with planning and advice. To reiterate our
commitment to service, we are currently
seeking the service learning designation for
our first-year seminar. We aim to explore
the option of an international component
for our program at some level. Added to all
of these goals, we are committed to helping
our freshmen make a smooth transition to
college and stoking the passion for teaching
that they brought with them to campus
through intentional, relevant programming
throughout their freshman experience. The
future is very bright for our WHEE Teach
LLC and we are excited about welcoming our
newest Catamounts to campus in August!
For more information about or to join the
WHEE Teach family, please contact Jenny
Stewart at jstewart@wcu.edu.
WHEE TEACH LLC
RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE
The WHEE Teach LLC was named WCU’s December 2012 National Residence Hall
Honorary Campus Community of the Month and later recognized with the Silver
Seymore Award for the State Community of the Month from the North Carolina
Association of Residence Halls. At the Region 3 conference for the National
Academic Advisors Association, WHEE Teach presented a poster session entitled:
“From Engagement to Retention: The WHEE Teach Living/Learning Community.”
THE FYE JOURNAL | PAGE 7
BUILDING COMMUNITIES
The Ripple Effect Learning Community: Turning Ripples
into Waves…Together
By Dr. Lane Perry, Director of the Center for Service Learning, and David Onder, Director of Assessment
Welcome to WCU! Your time has come. You
have officially arrived and congratulations
are in order. Now that you have chosen to
embark on this journey of becoming one of
the “highly” educated, the world will come
to expect more of you, and you will come to
expect more of yourself. The secret is (and
you might want to lean closer), the world
and the people you interact with all want you
to leave them better than you found them
– think about it. We firmly believe that you
may not ever (like for the rest of your life)
have access to as many resources as you will
have for the next four years at WCU. What
you do with them is your choice, but don’t
forget…there is a world out there that needs
your heart, mind and hands. Are you ready
today? If not, don’t worry…you have four
years with WCU to prepare you!
With that, we start with a question. “What
do you care enough about to do something
about?” Don’t let that question pass by so
quickly, just simmer on it… let it sink in. We
all have something we care about. You may
see yourself as just one person – we see you as
a part of something that is bigger than you,
but better because of you.
This question serves as the departure point
for The Ripple Effect Learning Community.
As Dr. Todd Collins (political science) says,
“at WCU you have the opportunity to stand
on the shore and watch the ripples, or you
can jump in and make the waves.” What he
means is opportunities at WCU are easier
PR OUD PA RTNER
Proud Partner
to engage with than they are to ignore. The
operative words here are ‘engage with.’ This
puts the responsibility on you, a member of
WCU’s class of 2017, to jump in, get involved
and make your own waves.
In the Ripple Effect Learning Community 25
students will explore social change, activism,
and leadership through a range of educative
opportunities including a pre-semester
community engagement retreat, yearlong
community engagement projects, and a
curricular learning community, all focused
on personal development through critical
reflection. We believe that information,
converted into action, followed by structured
critical reflection, can lead to a ripple effect
ultimately bringing about social change
in our world. Our goal as a community of
activist-scholars is to identify what we truly
love about the world (Hermann Hesse) and
ultimately be the change we want to see in it
(Mohandas Gandhi).
The opportunities are limited only by your
creativity. What really matters is that you
engage in the community in which you
reside, seeking to bring about social change
for the better. This is the beginning of your
ripple. In the end, the benefits are not just
for those you serve – you will change for
the better. Like Gandhi said, “the best way
to find yourself is to lose yourself in the
service of others.” Alone, we CAN make a
difference in this world, but imagine what
we could do together.
RIPPLE EFFECT
WCU
GRANT AWARDED
TO WCU TEAM
A “Program Development Grant”
from the Association of American
Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Bringing Theory to Practice will
‘seed’ the launch of the Ripple Effect
Learning Community (RELC) in
2013. Authored by Glenda Hensley,
Lane Perry and David Onder, the
grant will support the development
and assessment of the RELC and will
permit a deeply enriched student
experience for the 2013 cohort.
‘RED ZONE’ INITIATIVE REMINDS CAMPUS COMMUNITY OF DANGERS OF NEW SCHOOL YEAR
As we embark on a new school year, it is important to remember that we also enter the “Red Zone,” the six-week
period when students – especially those in their first and second years – are more at-risk of unwanted sexual
experiences on college campuses. To combat this, departments from across campus strive to not only heighten
understanding of the meaning of consent and dangers of sexual violence but also to create a community culture
where violence of any kind is not tolerated.
In 2011 alone, almost 600 individuals took the Red Zone Pledge to make a powerful statement standing up against
violence and supporting their friends, classmates, co-workers and neighbors. Annual programs such as Take Back
the Night continue to create an empowering and judgment-free space for those affected by sexual or dating violence
to shatter the silence and find support in their community. Throughout the upcoming fall, events that touch upon
these themes (for example, through the Are You Seeing Red Informational Fair, Take Back the Night, Relationship
GPS: Recalculating!?, etc.) will take place. With this, we are committed not only to teaching individuals to be safe
in our community and amplify awareness but also to challenging the way we look at sexual assault and unhealthy
relationships and to working together to take proactive steps to make a difference and advocate for change.
A CAM PUS
WI D E Cby
OLthe
L AB
O RATI O of
N Intercultural
Coordinated
Department
Affairs
For
more information, or to sign the Red Zone Pledge, please visit redzone.wcu.edu or contact Sarah Carter at
Coordinated by the department of Intercultural Affairs
PAGE 8 | THE FYE JOURNAL
sacarter@wcu.edu.
STUDENT SUCCESS: ALL TOGETHER NOW!
Academic Success for Your First Year Experience
By Murat Yazan, Associate Director of the Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC)
The Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC)
welcomes you to your new home! WCU
offers you exciting opportunities to explore
your new community with your Catamount
family. Here at the WaLC, we want you to
know that your journey to academic success
doesn’t start alone.
The Writing and Learning Commons can
help you build confidence in your ability
to achieve academic success. We invite all
students to visit the WaLC early and often
in their college career and to use our services
as a way to get ahead in their classes. The
WaLC’s talented and highly trained peer
educators serve as mentors to their fellow
students, helping others to understand
course content and professors’ expectations,
to develop effective learning strategies, and
to practice essential critical-thinking and
problem-solving skills.
We believe that approaching your studies
through exposure to best practices based
on learning theories and engaged learning
opportunities is an effective way to become
successful in the classroom. WaLC staff
members collaborate with faculty and other
campus partners to offer assistance and
support as you develop a clear path toward
college success. We train and support a
workforce of tutors who model and facilitate
effective learning practices and advance the
principle that writing, learning, and teaching
require a lot of practice, patience and selfreflection. Our services include:
Course Tutoring: Course tutors provide
content tutoring in a wide variety of
subjects, including the social and physical
sciences. Course tutors are highly skilled
undergraduates who have successfully
completed the courses they tutor. These
peer educators are recommended by
faculty to facilitate small-group tutoring
sessions in which students work together
to understand course content and develop
effective study skills. Because course tutors
have previous experience with the courses
they tutor, they can provide other students
with the “inside scoop” on how to be
successful in these classes.
Academic Skills Consultations: Academic
skills consultants are specialized tutors who
conduct one-on-one sessions designed to
introduce students to the best test-taking,
time management, note taking, and study
strategies.
The Writing Fellows program offers
curriculum-based peer tutoring. Peer tutors,
called fellows, work closely with 10-15
students in a specific class, reading drafts of
their papers, writing endnotes, and holding
conferences to discuss revision strategies.
Writing Tutoring: Writing tutors are peer
consultants who provide individual or
small-group help with writing, including
brainstorming, rough drafts, research skills,
documentation and final drafts. A writing
tutor challenges clients to become stronger
writers, not only for their papers but also for
their academic and professional success.
To learn more about the WaLC or to set up an
appointment, please visit our website or call
us at 227.2274.
Like us on Facebook: /WCUWaLC
Follow us on Twitter: @WCUWaLC
FOCUS: FIRST-YEAR OPPORTUNITIES FOR
COMMUNITY AND UNIVERSITY SERVICE
FOCUS aims to involve students directly and actively with the WCU campus
and community early and to help our new students discover a sense of place,
as well as their role and responsibility as engaged citizens. This year’s FOCUS
Day of Service will take place on Saturday, August 24. To learn more about how
to Get Involved (remember your bookmark!?) – please contact the Center for
Service Learning or see more online at servicelearning.wcu.edu.
The Center for Service Learning’s newest initiative, the Lily Community
Engagement Program (LCEP), has been developed especially for you – the
active, the aware, and the engaged student. Through the LCEP you can
participate in a range of community-based experiences like our Days of Service,
Alternative Breaks, and hundreds of other activities and service experiences
on WCU’s campus and beyond. The LCEP is designed to keep track of your
experiences and involvement. For those students successfully completing
the program (achieving 100 points over their four years) a certificate will be
awarded and honors cords will be bestowed.
THE FYE JOURNAL | PAGE 9
STUDENT SUCCESS: ALL TOGETHER NOW!
Academic Initiatives: Maximizing Your Success
By Stephanie Sue Helmers, Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives in Residential Living
The Office of Academic Initiatives, part of
the Department of Residential Living, is
dedicated to helping residential students
maximize their success in and out of the
classroom. In order to achieve this mission,
the staff in Academic Initiatives monitor
student progress, develop mentoring
relationships with students, form strategic
partnerships with academic affairs, and
sponsor a variety of programs and initiatives
designed to support student success.
The Office of Academic Initiatives, located in
154 Balsam Hall, has six staff members, all
living on campus in the residence halls with
students. Four Graduate Success Coordinators
(GSCs) provide leadership to Living-Learning
Communities and theme housing, coordinate
Student Success Initiatives (SSIs) and Cat
Convos, and, most importantly, get to know
their students and provide them with support
to be successful at WCU. The Residential
Case Manager (RCM) serves as a mentor to
students all across campus – helping them
answer questions, find resources and develop
connections to make them successful.
PAGE 10 | THE FYE JOURNAL
Leading the staff is the assistant director for
Academic Initiatives.
The office takes a “case management”
approach to student success – looking for
indicators that students are struggling
gathered from a variety of sources and
then organizing one-on-one personal
interventions with these students. The staff
relies on close relationships with other
residence life staff as well as key partners
from across campus in order to assist students
in meeting their needs and resolving their
issues. At the heart of it all is the one-on-one
mentoring relationship established between
student and staff member – reflective of the
core of the WCU experience.
Academic Initiatives is also involved in
several key programs that promote the
integration of the in- and out-of-class
experience, including partnered leadership
of the Living-Learning Communities, which
provide a bridge between the classroom
and residence hall by grouping first-year
students in their residence hall by a themed
FYE transition course. Other initiatives
sponsored by the office that bridge academic
and student affairs include the 4.0 Banquet,
Midnight Advising Event, and Recalibrate
Your Compass event. The 4.0 Banquet is
sponsored to honor students who achieved
a 4.0 grade point average the prior semester.
During the Midnight Advising Event, firstyear students receive staff support (and
coffee and donuts) to get them through the
12:00 am opening of registration! At the
mid-semester Recalibrate Your Compass
event, students are reminded of the variety
of academic support services offered by the
university and encouraged to find support to
insure a strong and successful finish.
Through all of these programs, the Office of
Academic Initiatives strives to improve the
student experience and promote academic
success. Whether that comes in the form of a
one-time need to talk, connecting students to
key resources on campus, or promoting the
student’s passion for a particular subject, you
can be sure the staff of Academic Initiatives
will be there and ready to assist.
FYE ADVOCATES
Communication: From One Catamount to Another!
By B. Nicole Baskin, Editor of the FYE Message Board
Communication among the student body is
a vital piece of your first-year experience! It
is how we as Catamounts discover ways to
get involved in the community and create
new opportunities for each other! Two
years ago, the FYE Message Board launched
as a way to provide weekly news updates,
resources and strategies to help you thrive
in your first year at Western Carolina.
The FYE Message Board also features
reviews of local shops and restaurants
(written by first-year students) so that
you know what is going on in your local
community as well!
This fall (2013), we are looking to take
the FYE Message Board to the next level!
We want to get you - first year students actively involved in the weekly message!
We will include a new feature called CUBS
CORNER and invite you to get involve and
make submissions in the following areas!
Creative Submissions
Submit creative pieces: short story, poem,
drawing/painting, video, etc.
Student Involvement Submissions
Tell us about what you are doing to stay
involved on campus and share how other
students can get involved. Submit a photo of
yourself participating in whatever you’re doing.
Tell Us!
You are also encouraged to send emails of
what you would like Message Board to talk
about/add/change. This feedback will help us
find ways to make Message Board better and
meet your needs!
Club/Organization/Department Submissions
Students, share what it’s like to major
in different academic departments and
be involved in different organizations
on campus! (Example: Biology students
describes what it is like to be a biology
student. Or a student from a Greek
organization can tell us what it is like to
be in Greek life.) This would be great for
clubs/organizations that are looking for
new members. These submissions can be
from any WCU student, and preferably an
upperclassman because they have more
experience in that major/ organization.
“Ask Mittens” Advice Column
Submit questions you may have about campus
or other (appropriate) issues or problems, such
as roommate advice. Do not sign your real
name to keep your confidentiality.
B. Nicole Baskin is a sophomore majoring in
Motion Picture and Television Production.
FYE ADVOCATE AWARDS: WILL SHIVERS
I was honored to receive the first annual FYE Advocate Award in 2011-2012. I am fairly
certain higher education professionals do not enter into their careers motivated by the
possibilities of awards. Likewise, accolades have never factored in to my affinity for
academic advising or my motivation to advocate for students, and yet I am sincerely
honored and humbled to have been the recipient of this award.
The day I was handed my plaque I knew exactly where it would hang. I promptly
positioned it opposite the wall where students sit in my office. While there was an
obvious sense of pride involved in that decision, I also thought about the statement it
makes to students. It is my hope that they find it reassuring – that they know I’m on
their side and am sincerely interested in helping facilitate their success. The use of the
word “advocate” carries a particular sentiment that I can appreciate as an academic
advisor, because it refers to more than just assisting students in academic success or
degree completion. It means advocating for the whole person and giving attention
to a student’s development in and out of the classroom. I am fortunate to work in an
office and with colleagues who put this philosophy into practice daily by taking an
interest in students’ lives beyond grades and course selection.
A year later, I realize how the award has been a positive influence in my work with
students. Knowing my plaque is behind me has made me more conscientious of my
role as an academic advisor. It is not simply a representation of what I’ve done in
the past. It is also a standard for the future to ensure that I continue to earn the
title of “Advocate.”
THE FYE JOURNAL | PAGE 11
FYE ADVOCATES
EYE ON FYE ANNUAL CELEBRATION RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE
108 unique nominations were made by first-year students for this year’s award - a tremendous testament to the quality and
commitment that characterizes WCU. Among the list of 10 finalists, the 2012-2013 FYE Advocates selected were Dr. Burton Ogle,
professor in the Health and Human Science College and Brian Boyer, case manager for Academic Initiatives in Residential Living.
During the annual EYE on FYE Celebration, Ogel and Boyer were presented with an engraved plaque and a cash award to support
attendance of a professional conference during the 2013-14 academic year.
Other finalists included: Jill Manners (Physical Therapy), Emily Sharpe (Honors College), Sarah Carter (Intercultural Affairs),
Windy Gordon (Psychology), Fref Fisher (Political Science), David Starnes (Music), Tacquice Wiggan (Leadership Programs),
Janina DeHart (First Year Experience).
the FYE Journal
FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE
Office for Student Success
Glenda Hensley, Director
137 Killian Annex | Cullowhee, NC 28723
828.227.3017 | ghensley@wcu.edu
WCU is a University of North Carolina campus and an Equal Opportunity Institution. Office of Creative Services | August 2013 | 13-513