All Students Dimensions Question/Answer Session
1/22/09
Below is a limited overview/outline of the question/answer session on Thursday.
Academic Advising- Jean Neibauer (Get copy of ACT presentation from Jean)
Identify Needs and Addressing Needs Indicator Group
How AA identifies needs?
 Start with the student and their experiences and academic background, and identify
what their physical, social and emotional needs may be
 Use Student Development Theory to identify needs by hiring staff who are familiar and
have experience in these areas.
 UNI Curriculum in a way determines their academic needs. We try to match the
academic background with the student.
 Also use the ACT scores to determine placement and Core Curriculum from high
school and how that fits into their background. National Curriculum Survey broke down
core curriculum to determine core curriculum and ethic backgrounds.
 NACADA assessment motivated change to Intake Model. Areas determined with large
advising needs were identified…Invited colleges with large loads to initially be part of
the Intake Model.
 Academic Departments such as English, Math, etc determine the ACT scores for
placement into their majors.
How AA addresses needs? www.uni.edu/advising
 Intake Model (See website for more information)
 Piloting Podcasts to inform students of various advising/academic needs and areas
 Orientation-Play a large part in preparing students for the transition academically to
UNI
 Participation in campus events
ACT Advisories come from department based on their research for specific areas. That is
where the Data comes from and personal experiences.
No special groups queries for needs identification. Feels that if this was in place it would help
would help retain and maintain students, and help predict needs for classes.
Ensure that students experience the following…
Academic Support outside of the classroom….
 Various programs are in place to address academic support outside of the classroom
 Intake Newsletter Newsletter which inform departments participating various
information on what is happening with their students
 Students are provided a Syllabus with expectations, resources, etc.
(www.uni.edu/advising)
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Meet and Greets Group Meetings where expectations, resources, etc. are reviewed
Pre Registration Meetings are held to do an overview of the registration process, degree
audit and begin scheduling
Various student newsletters with information on academic support topics and resources
on campus
Individual Appointments were much information, resources, etc. are exchanged with
students.
Peer Academic Advisors in Residence (PAIR Program)
Safety…
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Follow University Procedure as indicated by Public Safety
Staff attend training provided by Public Safety and the Counseling Center at the
beginning of the year
If students are in need of care with physiological issues, common for staff to walk them
over to the department.
Drake Martin: Department of Residence
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90% of freshmen live on Campus
55% return to live on campus
Safety Issues and Program in DOR
I Protect Program
 Theme: Self, Stuff and Friends
 Programs: Door hangers with Safety Information, Accompanying in Night walks. Staff
follows up, one example…Programs like this lead to follow up in RA/House Meetings
Tips, to address those needs.
 Focus is on students taking ownership in their personal safety
Staff Training used to address these issues
 RA Trained in CPR, First Aid
 Training in crisis management (Police, Fire, etc.) provides education and response if
need.
 Fire Safety training, education on how to react in those situation. Also in I Protect
Program.
 Manuals on response management, crisis management etc. provided to staff
Ensure…Inclusive campus environment…
One aspect of the DOR mission is citizenship and scholarship and challenge to do things that
are new/different experiences
Centrally, they expect of RLC to get students to participate in these types of experiences.
Immersion Topics
 Decided by collective wisdom of those living with the students
 RA/RLC living with ongoing focus groups…
 Universal needs from Student Development, and understanding.
 Specific needs based on the climate of campus, and needs based on the RLC doing
rolling assessment
Examples of Immersion Topics
 Grades
 Race and Ethnicity
 Sexual Orientation
 Time
 Sleep
 Drinking
 Life management Skills
 Friendships
Inclusive Community Team focus on equipping student leaders on campus to be more culturally
literate. Create programs to get people involved in these areas, respond or share information
with each other.
Identify and Address Needs
See notes on Immersion Topics
How DOR address issues…RLC follow Residence Education Plan and execute based on the
following:
 Needs of Residents
 Talents of Staff
 Resources on Campus
Needs are Identified by:
 NSSE
 EBI Information
 House Survey designed by each RLC includes Residence Education
 Use constant flow of relationships with students to get that information in forms of soft
research as asking students what they need.
Academic Needs are also addressed by
 PAIR Program in collaboration with Academic Advising
Special Efforts for Special Populations
 If groups are together, such as ability, those areas are addressed by subpopulation,
otherwise a focus on all students
 Subpopulations needs are addressed in programming and recruitment of staff.
 If subpopulation needs addressing is done, it is typically with cooperating areas.
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Safe Zone Training coordinator for GLBT
Mike Bobeldyke/Jessie (Student Activities)
Ensure an Environment….
Collaborate with New student Program, DOR and general programming, Welcome Week,
NISG (Freshmen Connections) Greek Freshmen Recruitment
Involvement
Greek Recruitment on an off campus
Involvement Non Trad Organization for FY Non Trads
Identifying and Addressing Needs
General student population, collaborate with offices in specific areas such as multicultural
education.
350 Orgs address needs based on their groups, only have direct advisement
Welcome Week-Use the surveys…
NSSE and Post orientation survey
Programming and special populations…CAB and Thursdaze, etc.
Student driven and how students self identify their needs, they would program to that
Safety…
FY students
New Member Orientation
Academic, Wellness, Alcohol, Facebook, Stalking, Individual Chapter Orientation
Work with Public Safety for Physical Safety
Phys. Safety-New Member Orientation
Student Leaders Mental Health Training-In Progress, more referral based.
EBI results that
Orientation- Jon and Kristen
Identifying/Addressing Needs
Identification of Needs
 Benchmarking from assessments
 Experience
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Data from NODA
Uses national data in transition
Specific to UNI, New Student Survey and Satisfaction from Orientation Survey
Themes of Orientation Needs (Biggest Areas students identify)
 Largest area is academic Advising.
 Peer Connections
 Ways to get involved
 Academic Support
Jumpstart-Subcommittee for Multicultural students (Gather Information from this group)
International Orientation- Admission/International Program (Gather Information from this
group)
General Thoughts
 Feels that there is a lack of needs and identify the student needs…to be blunt we don’t
have a system to identify the needs of FY students
 where can we look at the organization to gain an understanding of the needs of our
populations. What can we do to create a way to curb this?
We don’t have a structure to identify academic under preparedness accept for remedial Math
and English.
Ensuring…
Typically recommend underrepresented students…Trio students can be referred for Jumpstart
Orientation/Welcome Week Inclusiveness- bring International, Jumpstart, and General student
body to come together for event
Safety…
Personal Safety- Orientation have a venue for introduction for issues, parents are used as a
venue to address both physical and psychological safety issues.
Student Focused Team of administrators that addresses action plans for students who required
an intense response and follow-up.
Thoughts from Jon…
 How do we coordinate a unified effort to identify/address needs for FY students?
 Retention Council…How do we process withdrawals, who coordinators to help us
identify the needs of students?