Notes: Champions Orientation, Student Engagement
Presenters: Dean of Students, Maggie Balch; Associate Dean of Students, Shannon Green; Assistant Director of SAIL, Matt Dellea
Firstly, the Student Affairs staff would like to express thanks for sharing your student with us! We are all very excited to welcome them to campus and introduce them to their new, Owl family.
What is Student Affairs?
This division of the University works to develop opportunities for students to flourish and gain skills outside of the classroom, which turns out to be around 80% of their time on campus! Within these opportunities they are also able to connect their learnings within the classroom to their experiences outside of the classroom.
Opportunities can look like becoming an orientation leader, a member of a club that interests them, or even becoming a member of the Student Government Association. There are 70 clubs and organizations for all students to join and they even have the option to create a club if they don’t see one that fits what they are looking for. Through these leadership opportunities, students are able to gain real life skills ranging from confidence, decision making, professionalism, creativity, dealing with failure, advocacy for themselves and others, taking care of themselves, mediation, and beyond.
Most importantly, Student Affairs provides support to your student. Whether your student is feeling out-of-touch on campus, struggling to acclimate, or has some questions that need answering, our division is able to help them get back on track. If you feel as though your student is not acting like themselves, please reach out to the Office of Student Affairs and we can connect with your student and see how to best support them.
Dean of Students, Maggie Balch: (413) 572-5421; mbalch@westfield.ma.edu
Offices that Make up Student Affairs:
- Health Center
- Counseling Center
- Career Center
- Residential Life
- SAIL (Student Activities, Involvement, & Leadership)
- Student Conduct
Together, all these offices collaborate to connect students, assist them in improving, and provide support & education.
Student Involvement:
Many research studies have showed that students involved in activities/ clubs on campus perform better, especially when they get started within the first 6 weeks of their time on campus. Involvement allows for greater student connection, greater connection to support resources, greater networking for future professional opportunities, and greater time for them to experience what inspires them to be a college student. Most importantly, these involvement opportunities help your student find belonging on campus through meeting new friends
All activities, clubs, student spaces, and volunteer opportunities are open to all residential and commuter students!
Areas of Involvement:
- Student Government Association (SGA): governing body that works as the voice of the students. These students work with administration to find solutions to student issues.
- First-year Class Council: each class year has a council which advocates for them specifically and creates programming for the class to engage with each other! Elections to run for the class council leadership team occur within the first month of the semester. If your student is interested, have them follow the SGA Instagram account: wsu_sga
- Campus Activities Board (CAB): this programming board puts on three programs a week (Thursday-Saturday) and sometimes Tuesdays for students to enjoy. Ranging from bingo to fun inflatable activities like obstacle course to DIY nights and beyond!
- Student of Color Council: this council was recently created to provide the opportunity for students of color to connect with one another and also provide programming for all of campus!
- Commuter Council: this council works to provide intentional programming for our commuter students. Although all programs, clubs/ organizations, and activities are open to all students, we recognize that commuters can have different schedules than our residential students. This council provides programming that may be more convenient for our commuter students.
How Your Student Can be in the Know:
Recently our University adapted a new platform for all programming of activities to be marketed! The Nestwork houses the pages for all our clubs, the events calendar, and is how your student can join clubs! Throughout orientation, you student will learn how to log into the Nestwork and start their process of joining clubs and perusing upcoming events!
The Student Government Association also holds a club fair each fall. Thursday, September 15 from 4-6pm outside the Ely Campus Center all clubs and organizations are sharing their mission with interested students. Your student can also join clubs/ organizations on the spot at the club fair.
To access the Nestwork:
- Type into browser: westfield.presence.io
- Log-in with Westfield State log-in (what your student uses to log into their email)
- Click “Organizations”
- Begin scrolling through clubs, click to read about the ones that interest them, and can click “Join” on a club/ organization’s page to become a member!
End of Session Q&A:
- Move-in Items: if in apartment style living (University Hall & New Hall) please provide student with living items like cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, items for their kitchen like utensils & plates. If your student is in a traditional double room (sharing a space with a roommate and communal restroom) they do not need the above supplies, but microwave safe plates/mugs/ bowls for heating up food in their dorm would be good! Below is a link for a list provided by residential life on items to remember for move-in
- Finding the Areas we Spoke about Today: SAIL: Enter the main lobby of Ely Campus Center, walk down the stairs, take a right, you’re there! SGA Suite: Enter Ely Campus Center through the left hand doors that bring you to Dunkin’, walk passed Dunkin’ to the double doors straight ahead, you’re there! Dean of Students: Enter the main lobby of Ely Campus Center, take the elevator to your right to the 2nd floor, exit the elevator and enter the door on your right, Dean of Students office is down the hallway on the right!
- Forming student study groups: conversation naturally happens for students within their classrooms, they can visit the CARE center in the library located on the first floor of the Ely Campus Center for academic assist and connection to students who can support them, chat with faculty to help connect them with students!
- Athletes and Orientation: athletes should still sign-up for orientation as they may have free time throughout the weekend to join their class in activities. To sign-up they log into the Nestwork (westfield.presence.io, log in with Westfield credentials, click “Forms”, complete New Student Orientation Registration”)