CSC Student Affairs shares report showing how students are served

“A lot of the great work that the Student Affairs staff members do, the activities and outlets we offer, are behind the scenes and tend to happen at times that aren't visible during the work week and regular office hours,” Stephens said.

Student Affairs offered the first Eagle Peer Mentor Program in the fall of 2019 with a pilot group of 180 incoming students.

“We saw immediate and significant results with respect to persistence and retention rates in participants versus non-participants. Based on that, the entire incoming class has been included since 2020,” Stephens said. “I wanted to highlight the great work done by the mentors and the graduate assistants who have facilitated that program.”

Mentors maintain contact with their students through the first year to support and guide them in the transition to college life. Mentors must apply and interview for the opportunity to participate in the program and are trained regarding appropriate interactions, as well as campus resources available to students.

In addition to focusing on academics, Stephens said it is equally important that students have physical, recreational, social, and wellness opportunities.

Last academic year, students checked in 8,400 times at 177 events sponsored by the Residence Life Association (RLA). Student Resident Advisors or Senior Resident Advisors led most activities with professional staff assisting. Events included a haunted house in the Kent Hall basement, a popular sip and paint night, and other crafting events.

“The RLA events had a very wide reach which is pretty awesome. I thought the number of students who used the Eagle Rewards app was encouraging. We push the app as a clearinghouse for trying to minimize duplication of events and to get information distributed to campus. The Eagle Rewards App is sort of an onboarding tool. It’s like a one-stop shop. Once a student becomes seasoned, they know what things they care about and how and where to find out more,” Stephens said.

The Student Center Pit hosted 28 activities that attracted more than 1,300 students. Taylor Osmotherly, student activities coordinator, managed events that ranged from video game tournaments to movie nights and murder mystery games.

Intramurals typically take place at the Nelson Physical Activities Center where Jeff Turman, manager of the center, helps coordinate and manage leagues and events, and hires referees. A total of 646 participants were involved in 11 physically active leagues and two bracket events.

“Sometimes Jeff has to throw on a zebra shirt and ref himself,” Stephens said. “We have a lot of different offerings for students with diverse interests.”

To help students maintain their health, the college contracts with Jessaca Denke, a part-time registered nurse, who averages seven cases per day. February had the most cases during the 2022-23 academic year while the most referrals to the clinic occurred in September.

Stephens said for the coming year, the college has added two extra office hours on the busiest days, Tuesdays and Thursdays, to help serve students. On-campus health services include strep and influenza testing and basic first aid. Services beyond that scope are referred to the Chadron Medical Clinic. 

Eagles 360, a platform fully implemented in January 2023, allows campus employees to log and track information to assist students. It is used particularly by members of the Care Team, and those involved with Title IX, conduct, and academic cases. Tori Meshke, the project coordinator for Student Affairs, manages the program, according to Stephens.

“There are a lot of cool aspects of it,” Stephens said. “It is a central place to record our interactions with students, such as when housing staff document concerns they have about residents. Of course, some conversations and interactions can't be logged due to time constraints or other factors.

“A lot of this work and many staff interactions with students happen outside of traditional business hours and that aspect is often overlooked. I appreciate that our staff steps up to serve students and are passionate about their work. From one student to another, what helps them be successful at CSC is going to be individualized.”