dos

Dean of Students Office



2007-2008 Annual Report



Office of Student Affairs

I. Executive Summary





The 2007-2008 was the first year for the newly created Dean of Students Office (DOS). The

staff worked together to create this new office and move into the new office space in SAC W301.

As a result of the student affairs reorganization many of the staff were assigned new

responsibilities. It was truly a year of firsts as the staff worked together to try and determine the

priorities and responsibilities for the office. We worked together to determine the best use of the

office space and assigned offices for DOS, CELS and VPSA staff. Everything being new is a

great opportunity but it also has many logistical realities, as the office was creating a new

identity on campus. There was never a shortage of responsibilities and meeting the needs of

students quickly became a top priority. This year was an opportunity for the staff to learn how

we might best serve the student population. Working in collaboration with others we have

outlined a number of strategic initiatives that will advance the needs of the University (p. 21). It

often takes a full academic year to understand the responsibilities of an office. Even though this

year was a time of transition and learning the staff was able to achieve a number of significant

accomplishments (p. 18).



Our most significant accomplishment was the ability to collaborate with colleagues and students

across campus to ensure a high level of service. The office is laying the foundation and

developing the relationships necessary to be the Office that it was created to become. The staff is

currently finalizing the office mission statement that will help better identify the office direction.

It was an exciting year for the Office of the Dean of Students, one that was filled with change

and a spirit of developing new initiatives. The office is committed to continual review of the

services and programs that we provide. This report is a compilation of information describing

the various programs and services provided by the Office of the Dean of Students during 2007-

2008 academic year.



II. Staffing Summary



The 2007-2008 academic year was the first year of operation for the newly formed Dean of

Students Office created as part of the effort to restructure the Campus Life, Student Activities

and SAC Administration offices. The following staff made up the DOS Office:



 Michael Mardis - Dean of Students

 Michelle Clemons - Assistant Dean of Students

 Eric Annala – Graduate Assistant

 Robin Sutherland - Unit Business Manager

 Beverly Wolford - Administrative Associate

 Vacant – Program Assistant Senior

 Brenda Hart – Student Grievance Officer

 Michael Anthony - Coordinator, Center for Civic Engagement, Leadership &

Service

 Kim Shaver - Service Learning Coordinator, Center for Civic Engagement,

Leadership & Service

 Vacant – Vista Coordinator

 Gerome Stephens – Graduate Assistant for Leadership

 Joe Frey – Graduate Assistant for Service Learning



Vice President for Student Affairs staff housed within the Dean of Students suite:



 Susie Cucura – Coordinator of Communications and Publications

 Cheryl Utz Bott – Unit Business Manager, Senior

 Brian Hoffman – Temporary Program Assistant, International Service

 Leaning





III. Programs and Services Provided During the Year



Club Programming Committee (CPC)



The Club Programming Committee (CPC) is a joint initiative coordinated by Student

Government Association (SGA) and the Dean of Students Office. SGA has made a major

financial commitment to support CPC, and other departments have also provided funding (Dean

of Students Office, Housing and VP for Student Affairs.) During the spring 2008 semester, CPC

allocated funds to 40 separate events totaling over $29,000.



CPC monies are intended to afford recognized student organizations the opportunity to

contribute to the quality of campus life by sponsoring special events and programs that may not

be possible without this financial assistance. Requests must demonstrate how funding the

initiative would inspire a vibrant campus life and an engaged student body. Every request is

reviewed by the CPC on a case-by-case basis. The CPC was composed primarily of students, so

students decide what sort of funding directives best support student life.



Members of the Club Programming members were Tim Moore, Student Activities; Gerome

Stephens, Graduate School; Lauren Foster, Club Sports; Paul Latham, Student Activities Board;

Savvy Bhatnagar, International Students; Deshara Daub, Association of Black Students; Whitney

Ryan, Greeks; and Michael Mardis, Dean of Students Office.



Persona Non Grata (PNG) Incidents



Our office processed 56 Persona Non Grata (PNG) incidents in the 2007-08 academic year. As

an urban campus with no real borders, one of our ongoing challenges is dealing with individuals

who are neither students nor employees but come to campus and violate University policy and/or

the law. The Dean of Students Office responded to all these incidents. The standard response is

to send a letter of “persona non grata” indicating this individual is banned from all University

owned or operated property and from all University sponsored events. In order to issue such a

letter, an incident report must be generated by DPS and logged into our database. This requires

our staff to do a look up to ensure that this person is not a student, nor has ever been, before

sending the letter. Most PNGs however, have been or want to be affiliated with the University at

some point. When this is the case, these former, potential, or stop-out students come to our

office to try to resolve the conduct issue after receiving the PNG notification. This attempt at

resolution most often occurs well after the incident (sometimes months or years), long after

witnesses and evidence have disappeared, making adjudication much more difficult and time

consuming.



Persona Non Grata (PNG) Appeals



Eight Persona Non Grata Appeals were submitted during the academic year. While the same

level of due process is not given to non students, there is an appeal process for those who are sent

PNG notifications. Last year our office processed eight PNG appeals. If someone receives a

notice of PNG and wishes to have that status reviewed, they must send a letter of appeal to the

Dean of Students who will review their file and make a determination on whether or not to allow

this person access to campus. Many times these are cases where a student has been banned from

a particular residence hall and wishes to have that restriction lifted after a period of time, or, in

the case of a parent/child situation, one parent with custody is a student on campus and the other

parent is PNG but wants access to be on campus with (usually) mother and child. These cases

are reviewed very carefully to ensure campus safety.



Student Conduct



The Dean of Students Office processed 356 incident reports in 2007-08. The Assistant Dean of

Students and Graduate Assistant, Eric Annala, met with 110 students via Informal Disciplinary

Conferences. We administered three (3) expulsions (drug trafficking and threat with weapon),

two (2) hearings (sexual assault and threat with weapon) and two (2) hearing waivers (drug

trafficking and threat with weapon). The five most common conduct violations (in order) were

underage alcohol possession/use; intimidation/harassment; drugs – distribution, possession or

use; disruption of University activities; and physical harm.



Student Care Team



The Assistant Dean of Students responded to approximately 35-40 student care/crisis situations

requiring intervention. Some of these situations arose out of the Student Care Team, but most

came as a natural part of our daily interactions with students and referrals from faculty and staff.

Some situations are as simple to deal with as a phone call to check on a student after they have

been taken to the hospital. We do this to make sure the student is doing alright, to let them know

that we care, and to provide information about University resources available to them. Other

cases are much more complex and may require long-term interaction with the student and contact

with many different departments on behalf of that student. For example, two cases this year

called on the Assistant Dean of Students to serve a very active advocacy role for students; one

required testifying in front of the Attorney General Counsel at a staff employment appeal hearing

with a student who was victimized; the other involved giving a detailed statement of facts to the

faculty representative of the ULAA regarding a dispute between a student-athlete and a faculty

member wherein the student’s rights were not being upheld.



Student Outreach Luncheons



The Dean of Students hosted a lunch every other week during the academic year with a group of

individuals representing a diverse selection of academic units, student groups, faculty and other

University parties, including the VPSA and the SGA President. Ten lunches were held in total

and, on average, eight people attended each luncheon. The Faculty Senate provided the faculty

representatives in the fall and the Dean of Students invited other faculty to attend in the spring.

Chartwells sponsored the event so there was no cost for the University.



Student Handbook Revision



The Student Handbook was updated through the participation of many University units. The

revision included updating titles, names, departments, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, policies,

and statements of purpose. We are currently working to add our new marketing scheme into the

handbook while providing easier access for viewing and printing purposes. Many units

expressed their gratitude to the Dean of Students Office for continuing the revision process.



Student Government Association (SGA)



Michael Mardis and Michael Anthony served as co-advisors to SGA. Dr. Mardis serves as the

advisor to SGA Executive Officers. He participated in the weekly executive officer meetings,

helped provide guidance on SGA business, and routinely had individual meetings with the

leaders about specific student issues. Mr. Anthony served as the advisor to the Student Senate;

he helped plan SGA’s annual retreat, provided parliamentary procedures training, and mentored

the Senate Speaker in the completion of her duties. Dr. Mardis and Mr. Anthony both attended

the majority of the SGA Senate meetings. Suzanne Galbreath, Dr. Mardis and Tim Moore

attended the Senate appropriations meetings and assisted the committee with management of

SGA resources. This year intentional efforts were made to connect more frequently with the

HSC SGA leadership. Dr. Mardis attended many of the HSC SGA Big-Four meetings. On two

occasions Dr. Jackson was able to attend and talk about services and the needs of HSC students.



The DOS office staff assists SGA leaders by providing clerical support for various projects

including the distribution and collection of election materials.



This year there was an increase in the number of students who ran for an SGA office (appendix

G). The complete SGA roster is provided in appendix F, and information about how many

students voted in the SGA election is contained in appendix H. The students worked

collaboratively with the student affairs staff and began to adjust to the more active advisor role

played by the staff this year. The SGA executive officers were extremely dedicated to

accomplishing their responsibilities. When well informed, our student leaders make excellent

decisions. We will continue to strive to keep SGA informed and look forward to strengthening

the working relationship with SGA.

Distribution of Literature/Free Speech



Individuals or entities external to the University who wish to speak or distribute literature on

campus must adhere to the University’s Free Speech and Distribution of Literature Policy

administered by the Dean of Students Office. Dale Ramsay, Director of Intramural and

Recreational Sports, administers the policy and Beverly Wolford handles the day-to-day

processes, communications, and interactions involved. For 2007-08 our office received and

processed requests to speak and/or distribute literature for 96 different dates, which entails

researching the requested dates and, for distribution of literature requests, reviewing literature to

be distributed for possible offensive material. No statistics are available regarding the number of

inquiries fielded which failed to result in formal requests. Some of the groups or individuals

requesting permission to speak/distribute literature included: The Church of Jesus Christ of

Later Day Saints, The Jude 23 Network, Windy City Pizzeria, Vegan Outreach, The Gideons,

Bibles for America, and the College Book Warehouse.



Funded Events (besides CPC)



In addition to providing funding for Club Programming Committee (CPC) approved events, the

Dean of Student Office also provided additional funding for programming outside of the CPC

process (appendix E).



Welcome Tent



The Dean of Students Office coordinated the staffing of the welcome tent for the start of the fall

semester. The tent was open on Monday and Tuesday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. The tent was

located in the Humanities Quad and was staffed primarily by volunteers from student affairs and

undergraduate affairs. Students were able to grab a piece of fruit, get information about services

and ask questions.



Campus Field Days



Campus Field Days is an annual event hosted by our office during the first week of classes. It is

a collaborative event between our office, Intramurals and Recreational Sports and Student

Activities in which we offer food, field sports events, a service information fair, and

entertainment to the University community as part of Welcome Week activities. This year we

served more than 900 individuals.



Assisted with Students Demonstrations



Representatives from the Dean of Students office and Student activities worked together to assist

students who were planning campus demonstrations. We responded and attended a number of

smaller events to make sure that all students’ rights were being respected. Two major events

were planned during the academic year. The Genocide Awareness project was sponsored by the

“Cardinals for Life” RSO. Sharon Mudd had meetings with the students prior to event to make

sure that they were in compliance with all University policies. Staff was on site for both days

during the program along with DPS support.

On March 26th a student “walk out” was coordinated by the Progressive Action Coalition (PAC).

Dr. Mardis and Tim Moore both had meetings with the student leaders of PAC. They helped the

group plan for some of the logistical concerns and worked to make sure that others would not be

disrupted. The Provost also met with the leadership and agreed to speak at the walkout. On the

day of the event we worked with student organizer Sarah Maddix to help position the crowd and

avoid blocking traffic. The walkout was attended by about 200 students and all the local media

outlets covered the event.



Sexual Assault Response



For the reporting period July – December 07, there were eight (8) sexual assaults reported to the

PEACC Program on campus (all acquaintance rapes). Of those eight, only one (1) chose to

pursue charges administratively through the Code of Student Conduct, which resulted in a

finding of responsibility against the accused student. The other seven (7) students’ options were

explained to them (administrative, criminal and civil) and the choices regarding what action to

take, if any, was left to the student/survivor as it should be. The Director of the PEACC Program

refers students who are interested in learning more about the University’s administrative

response under the Code of Student Conduct to the Assistant Dean of Students (ADOS), who

counsels them about the process and procedures involved. The ADOS met with approximately

four (4) of these students in the above time period. For the reporting period January – July 08,

there were eight (8) sexual assaults reported to the PEACC Program. Of those eight (8), five (5)

of these offenses were committed by strangers off campus. Of the remaining three (3) assaults,

two (2) were acquaintance rapes on campus, and one (1) was an acquaintance rape off campus.

The ADOS communicated with approximately three of these students; none of whom chose to

pursue charges under the Code of Student Conduct.



Deceased Student Letters



As a new initiative for 2008, the Dean of Students Office began to issue individualized

condolence letters to the family of deceased students. Since the program began, we have sent

three condolence letters to the families of deceased students.



Student Grievance Officer



Professor Brenda Hart from the Speed School of Engineering was the Student Grievance Officer

for the 2007-2008 academic year. Professor Hart was chosen by the Office of the President from

a list of names submitted by the Student Government Association. Professor Hart has served at

UofL since 1975 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position. The main

role of the Student Grievance Officer is to inform students of their rights and obligations under

the University grievance procedures as listed in the Student Handbook. Grievances may involve

both academic and nonacademic issues. The Student Grievance Officer seeks to resolve

informally as many grievances as possible. This year 32 grievances were brought forward; a

redacted summary of the types of situations are provided in appendices I and J.

University Involvement



Dr. Mardis and Ms. Clemons served as members of the Student Affairs Think Tank and as part of

the Coalition to Reduce High Risk Drinking.



Dr. Mardis



 Served on the Cultural Center Advisory Committee

 Served on the National Survey of Student Experiences (NSEE) Committee

 Served as chair of the NSSE Subcommittee on Student Relationships

 Served on the International Service Learning Program Advisory Group

 Served on the I2A Instructional Grants Subcommittee

 Served on the I2A Task Force

 Served on the search committee for the I2A Culminating Experience Specialist

 Served on the Undergraduate Council

 Served as Chair of the Student Care Team

 Served as Chair of the Club Programming Committee





Ms. Clemons



 Served on the Early Childhood Model School Board of Advisors

 Served on the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC) Suite Advisory Board

 Served on the Student Care Team





Ms. Sutherland served on the Club Programming Committee and the President’s

Outstanding Performance Award Committee.







Ms. Wolford served on the Professional Development Committee



IV. Assessment Initiatives



Comprehensive Review



A comprehensive review of the student conduct program was completed in March 2008 by Dr.

John Lowery, a nationally recognized expert in higher education law. CAS standards were used

to guide the review. Dr. Lowery’s recommendations will be used to focus our complete revision

of the Code of Student Conduct, as well as to streamline policies and procedures in the Code of

Student Rights and Responsibilities and other related policies.



Alcohol



A new written protocol for alcohol violations was developed which includes an online self-

assessment for first offenders and two one-on-one counseling sessions based on the BASICS

model for second time offenders. Counseling Center staff received specialized training in the

BASICS model and students will now be able to acquire this more serious level intervention at

the University in a format that is geared to them. Third level alcohol violations are still

considered dismissible offenses. We will now be able to consistently apply this policy and

protocol across campus and publicize it widely.



Sexual Assault Protocol



The Sexual Assault Protocol was reviewed and revised within the Student Care Team to

streamline the process and to decrease the number of University officials notified when a student

is sexual assaulted. This change alone will serve to enhance victim confidentiality and their right

to choose medical, legal and/or administrative options. In creating the protocol, the following

documents were created or revised: checklist for staff, anonymous reporting form, options listing

for survivors, sexual misconduct policy, and triage criteria for use of SANE clinic.



Medical Withdrawal



Through our student advocacy work on the Student Care Team (SCT), it became apparent that

many students suffering emotional or physical trauma also needed assistance to fully withdraw

from the University for a period of time and then transition back (if possible) with no academic

or financial penalty. This could best be facilitated by the DOS office working collaboratively

with the academic units to develop a medical withdrawal policy. The SCT researched

benchmarks and developed draft policy language which the DOS presented to the Vice Provost

and the Undergraduate Council. The policy was approved in concept and will be moving

forward to other constituency groups in the fall ‘08 semester.



CPC Assessments



The Club Program Committee conducted assessment initiatives after the spring 2008 semester in

an effort to measure the effectiveness of and solicit feedback about CPC processes and the

impact of CPC funded events. (appendix C)







V. Activities and Initiatives that Support Academic Units



a. Conduct

The Assistant Dean of Students and Dean of Students are available to consult with

all University academic and administrative units to address and resolve student

conduct related issues.



b. Hosting Graduate Assistants & Interns

The DOS supports graduate student assistants and interns as they pursue their

graduate studies. These students are critically important to our success as a unit

and we believe strongly in supporting our paraprofessional staff through

experiential learning opportunities.

c. Support internship fairs

The Assistant Dean of Students and Graduate Assistance attended the School of

Education and Human Development’s Internship Fair, which is a mutually

beneficial endeavor between our two departments. We provided informational

handouts and conducted signups for job interviews.



d. I2A Initiatives and Workshops

Dr. Mardis served as the Division of Student Affairs representative on the Ideas to

Action Task Group. The Division made a commitment to support the I2A

initiative, looking for ways to collaborate around the common learning outcome

of critical thinking. Dr. Mardis and Dr. Payette co-presented a session with the

entire division entitled “Using critical thinking to foster community engagement”.

The session introduced participants to basic information about UofL’s “Ideas to

Action”, challenged participants to work individually and in groups to articulate

their understanding of critical thinking, clarified the definition of critical thinking

adopted by I2A, and explored what participants can do to promote critical

thinking in their everyday work. Workshops were conducted to facilitate

understanding of the “Paul-Elder Model,” and to provide a new way of thinking

about designing programs, activities or services for students that foster critical

thinking and community engagement. Departments were identified to take part in

critical thinking pilot projects in the upcoming year that relate to departmental

learning objectives.



e. Records Checks

Last year, more than 660 non-academic misconduct records checks were

performed by the staff in the Dean of Students office. This service was provided

to numerous academic and non-academic University units in preparation for

employment and leadership positions, as well as University sponsored travel.

Entities external to the University, such as the United States Office of Personnel

Management, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and others utilize this service as

well.



f. Absence Notifications (Cardinal Angels)

As a service to the University community, our office provides absence

notifications to the faculty of students unable to attend classes for extended

periods of time. Last year we processed 14 notification requests from students,

which involved researching the student’s enrolled classes and notifying each of

the student’s faculty members.



g. Early Learning Center Advisory Board

The Assistant Dean’s Service on this advisory board not only supports the CEHD,

but every academic and support unit on campus through ensuring that the Center’s

operations are based upon the tenants of best practices originally designed for it to

be a model program UofL’s student, faculty & staff children.

VI. Activities and Services that Support Diversity



a. CPC

The Club Programming Committee (CPC) provided funding for a number of

events in 07-08 that contributed to diversity efforts on campus. These efforts

included events such as African Night, the International Banquet, the Chinese

Spring Festival and the Live Black Museum Event. Appendix B contains a

comprehensive listing of CPC events.



b. DOS funded events

The Dean of Students Office provided funding for several events that supported

diversity in addition to those sponsored via the Club Programming Committee

process. These additional events included the Coffey Anderson Concert produced

by the Association of Black Students, and the National Panhellenic Council’s

Welcome Weekend Cookout, among others. See appendix E for a complete

listing.



c. Outreach Lunches

The Dean of Students facilitated ten Student Outreach Luncheons for 2007-08, to

bring together a diverse group of University constituencies in an informal setting

to provide a platform for open discussion and direct access to the VPSA and DOS.

Representatives from the Army ROTC, Association of Black Students,

International Center, Student Government Association (President Hoffman), Intra-

Fraternity Council and Graduate Student Council participated. Faculty members

from various academic units also attended.



d. Advisory Committee-Office of Minority Academic Enrichment Programs

Dr. Mardis served on the Advisory Committee on the Office of Minority

Academic Enrichment Programs. The committee was charged with defining a

new mission for the Office of Minority Academic Enrichment Programs, a new

mission that will retain, in principle and in practice, the historic commitment of

the Office to serve African Americans—while shifting the focus of the Office to

the domain of culture and cultural programming.



e. Campus Ministers Outreach

The Dean of Students Office established regular contact with campus minister that

are currently working with RSOs and students on UofL’s campus. It was

previously unknown how many campus ministers were working on the campus.

We identified 22 campus ministers that are actively involved on our campus. Two

meetings were coordinated in the spring semester (February 13th, April 9th) to

share information, topics included: pastoral care team, CIRP data, student events

calendar, CPC, Family Weekend, Religious Life Association, relationship of

campus ministers to the University and orientation initiatives. Dr. Mardis

coordinated the meetings and also had individual meetings with many of the

campus ministers. Ongoing outreach and communication will continue as some

campus ministers are actively developing an associational relationship.



f. Service of Assistant Dean on NPHC Suite Advisory Board



VII. Activities and Services that Support Community Engagement



a. Lowery Presentation

The presentation entitled “Campus Activism: Promoting Campus Dialogue and

Student Development” was marketed regionally, University and Division-wide,

and specifically to the College Student Personnel Program to promote and engage

a larger audience to attend this event. Representatives from many areas of the

campus community as well as professional staff from EKU, NKU, and IUS were

in attendance to learn from a nationally recognized expert on legal issues and

higher education law (appendix A).



b. Webinar about at-risk students

Responding to At-Risk & Troubled Students – The webinar was marketed

regionally through the CPAK conference and listserv and other regional listservs.

In addition, University and Division-wide invitations were sent to promote and

engage the larger community in this important and timely issue. Twenty people

attended from 14 different areas of the University. Gary Pavela and Paul Joffe led

the webinar which focused on issues stemming from school violence such as

Virginia Tech. Intervention strategies discussed included threat assessment teams,

the role of campus police, collaboration with parents, interpretation of privacy

laws, mental health services, peer health intervention, the limits of disciplinary

action, behavioral thresholds, successful strategies, and cautions.



c. Orientation

This year Dr. Mardis was asked to present the opening session for parents during

new student orientation. His presentation entitled “Connecting You and Your

Student to the University of Louisville” was presented first thing in the morning

at all ten orientation sessions. Dr. Mardis also joined Dr. Billingsley in providing

the opening orientation welcome at seven of the session on behalf of the President

and the Provost. The office increased its presence at the parent reception and was

a visible part of the lunches, where staff made themselves available to talk with

new students and answer questions.



d. Undergraduates to NASPA

The Dean of Students was able to fund registration fees for three undergraduate

students and pay for some travel expenses for four undergraduate students to

attend the 2008 NASPA National Conference.



e. Focus Louisville

The Dean of Students Office Graduate Assistant participated in

Focus Louisville. He indicated he could not have asked for a more in-depth view

of the history of Louisville, which was guided by the University of Louisville’s

own Thomas Owen. He learned about the ins and outs of local government and

city development, Louisville’s public school system, and our community’s service

opportunities, and is proud to report that because of this experience with Focus

Louisville, he is now a volunteer for Kentucky Refugee Ministries.



f. Campus Stalking Policy Project Experts Meeting

The Assistant Dean of Student was invited to attend a National Discussion to

begin development of a Model Campus Stalking Policy. Approximately 20

administrators from around the country attended this meeting to discuss what a

“model policy” should include. Results from this meeting are being compiled and

will result in a draft that will be vetted to national organizations including ICLEA,

NASPA, ASJA, etc. over the next year.



g. Advancement Initiatives

The office is currently in the process of increasing our advancement initiatives.

Michael Anthony and Dr. Mardis have met with HI Stroth, and Todd Schmiedeler

(past Alumni Association President) to develop outreach plans that will include

past student leaders. An initial relationship-building event was hosted at Mr.

Schmiedeler’s house in late June. We are currently in the process of identifying a

leadership team.



h. Early Learning Center Advisory Board

The Assistant Dean of Students’ service on this board supports the University’s

Signature Partnership between the CEHD and Project Women.



VIII. Staff Professional Development Activities and Programs



a. John Lowery Presentation

Dr. Lowery’s presentation was an excellent opportunity for the division to learn

from a nationally recognized expert on legal issues and higher education law.



b. NASPA 2008 National Conference Presentations

 “It’s OK to Leave at 5 O' Clock: What Every New (Or Soon-to-Be New)

Professional Should Consider.” Dr. Mardis Co-presented.

 “Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing Comprehensive Off-Campus

Conduct Jurisdiction” Dr. Mardis Co-presented.



c. Hosted NASPA Reception

The Dean of Students and other members of the Student Affairs staff coordinated

and hosted a reception at the 2008 NASPA National Conference.



d. CPAK (Disability Students) and CLC (Service Learning) Presentations

Dean of Students Office Graduate Assistant presented at the 2008 College

Professionals Association of Kentucky (CPAK) Conference in Louisville. The

presentation was entitled “Empowering Disabled Student Success” and provided

information pertaining to the circumstances of disabled students, such as

accessibility, self-advocacy, and transitioning into higher education. The

presentation also offered suggestions on best practices to programming for

disabled students. Graduate Assistant was also the 2007-2008 CPAK Liaison to

UofL and is currently on the executive council serving as the 2008-2009 Graduate

Student Coordinator.





e. Dr. Mardis served as pre-conference workshop program reviewer for the 2008

NASPA National Conference.



f. Dr. Mardis served as co-investigator with Dennis Sullivan on grant proposal OGMB

081323 entitled “Capable and Ready for Disasters,” submitted to the U.S. Department

of Education.



g. An article published in Student Affairs Today in May of 2008 entitled “Expand

Conduct Code to Address Off-Campus Incidents” (p 6-7), was based on Dr. Mardis’

NASPA co-presentation. The Editor requested that he be able to use the content from

the NASPA presentation “Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing

Comprehensive Off-Campus Conduct Jurisdiction” as material for this article.





IX. Accomplishments



a. Established Club Programming Committee

The Club Programming Committee (CPC) was established this year with the

support of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Dean of Students and the

SGA President (Brian Hoffman). Dr. Jackson and Dr. Mardis both agreed that we

needed to find a new way to fund student programming initiatives on campus.

There was no process in place and groups would go to several different

departments requesting funds. Often departments did not know what others were

doing and the logistics of funding became complicated for the departments and

the students. It was determined that we could create one fund that would allow

students to help with making allocation decisions. A pilot program was developed

for the spring 2008 semester. Dr. Jackson provided $20,000 from carryover

funds, SGA and the DOS both provided $5,000. Dr. Mardis and Brian Hoffman

developed the CPC guidelines and application. The DOS staff and SGA worked

together to promote and implement the CPC initiative.



CPC monies are intended to afford recognized student organizations the

opportunity to contribute to the quality of campus life by sponsoring special

events and programs that may not be possible without this financial assistance.

Requests demonstrate how funding the initiative would inspire a vibrant campus

life and an engaged student body. Every request received is reviewed by CPC on

a case-by-case basis. CPC is composed primarily of students, so students decide

what sort of funding directives best support student life.

During the spring 2008 semester 56 applications totaling $113,351 were

submitted and CPC allocated funds to 40 separate events totaling over $29,000.

CPC received 58 applications totaling $115,081 for funding for the fall semester

and allocated funds for 41 events totaling $30,200. A second opportunity for

allocations will occur in early fall. Robin Sutherland DOS UBM did an

outstanding job processing all the funds that were allocated to the organizations.

An assessment instrument was developed and administered that provided student

feedback about what was being accomplished with the allocation of resources.

For the 2008-2009 year SGA has made a major contribution to CPC ($50,000)

and other departments have also indicated that they will provide support. It will

be important to continue to work with students and other campus constituency to

meet the needs of RSOs by providing appropriate opportunities for support.



b. African American Programming Fund (AAPF)

At the last SGA meeting of spring 2007 semester, a group of students interrupted

the meeting because of a concern about SGA not continuing funding for the

AAPF. This interruption prevented the end of the meeting and an SGA budget

was not approved. Dr. Mardis was quickly made aware of this concern upon his

arrival by the SGA leadership as there was concern that this disruption could

occur again if there was no resolution prior to the start of the year. Dr. Mardis had

meetings with both the SGA and ABS leadership to discuss ways to move forward

that would be mutually beneficial for both organizations. Dr. Mardis consulted

Dr. Ricky Jones and past SGA president Chris Marlin to get a better

understanding of some of the history. Much of the concern was about a lack of

trust between the two organizations. SGA and ABS agreed on a resolution that

included: SGA providing $10,000 in funding for the 2007-2008 academic year

with the understanding that they would work together to find an alternative

funding source. Alternative funding was made available with the help of the

Provost and the Dean of Students. Working together, both organizations

advocated for the University providing more financial support for all RSOs. This

support helped when establishing the new CPC initiative.



c. Established DOS Office

In late April of 2007 the staff of Campus Life was notified that they would be

restructured and become the Dean of Students Office. Many staff positions were

restructured and some were relocated to different departments or job duties to

better meet the needs of the division and ultimately students. Currently located

within the DOS Office are: (see Staffing Summary, p. 4).



d. Office Move

With the hiring of a new Dean of Students, a new Student Activities Director, and

a large-scale reorganization, physical space was also reviewed to ensure that

student and staffing needs were being served most effectively. Consequently, the

DOS Office and the Student Activities/Student Government Association areas

switched in June of 2007 as the new Dean arrived on campus. These moves

required much planning, oversight, attention to detail, patience and teamwork by

all involved in order to be up and running for students for pre-semester activities.

e. Established Student Care Team (SCT)

The Student Care Team (SCT) was an initiative Dr. Jackson charged the new

Dean of Students with developing. It replaced the previously established Student

Crisis Action Team which mainly included only representatives from Student

Affairs. The purpose of the Student Care Team is to provide a regular opportunity

for communication between departments, ensuring that all the resources of the

University of Louisville are available to students in crisis. The SCT focus is to

respond to student needs, attempting to avoid student injury and/or disruption to

the integrity of the learning environment. Specific examples may include, but are

not limited to: suicide attempts; death of a student; sexual assaults; physical

assaults or other acts of violence; transport to hospital related to alcohol, drugs,

eating disorders or serious injury; activities or events that may have an impact on

the campus community and any personal tragedy or significant event that might

impact a student’s ability to stay in school. The committee established a regular

meeting time on every other Thursday morning at 8:45. Every meeting included

the opportunity to discuss specific student concerns. In addition to the student

concerns, the following agenda items were discussed: establishment of purpose

and responsibilities, membership of SCT, suicide ideation protocol, death of a

student procedures, parental notification, student information access for DPS,

sexual assault response protocol, notification of Athletics, mandated referrals to

the Counseling Center, anonymous reporting opportunities, medical withdrawal

policy, student demonstrations, bomb threat, hostage situation, and active shooter

training.



The standing members of SCT are as follows:



 Dean of Students

 Director of Housing and Residence Life

 Director of Counseling Center

 Director of the Department of Public Safety

 Faculty Representative

 Medical Director Belknap Campus

 Assistant Dean of Students

 University of Louisville Properties Representative

 Enrollment Management Representative

 Academic Advising Representative





f. DOS Office Renovation

Once the DOS office move was completed, the SAC Renovation Plan began in

earnest in the DOS office suite. In addition to new paint and carpet in all areas

and offices, a new wall was constructed in the back of the suite to create two (2)

new meeting rooms to address the needs of student organizations. One of the

meeting rooms has an entrance from both the DOS suite and the SAC corridor so

the DOS staff can utilize the room for our weekly staff meetings and conduct

hearings as needed.

g. Established/enhanced campus and community relationships

The most notable accomplishment of our office this year is the development of

relationships with students and other campus constituencies. Our office has

actively sought out ways to connect with others. We have maintained a high level

of visibility at student events and have actively served on numerous campus

committees. Direct interpersonal interaction with student leaders is an important

part of developing a vibrant campus life. The quality of these interactions benefit

the University as students trust that we work with the objective of keeping them

as the priority. We were able to positively impact the lives of our students. This

accomplishment is what we continually strive to achieve and will always be at the

core of what we hope to accomplish in the Dean of Students Office.



X. Goals for the Department



 Recruit, hire and train Program Assistant Senior. Our Program Assistant Senior

position has been vacant since October of 2007. This vacancy has required our Unit

Business Manager and Administrative Associate to assume those duties in the interim

in order to maintain office functions. This has reduced the amount of time they can

dedicate to their regular job responsibilities.

 Work with IT and other departments to develop a mechanism that codes students in

PeopleSoft according to where they live on campus. Currently we can not run any

reports to determine retention and graduation rates for our on-campus students.

 Continue evaluating staff to appropriately meet the needs of students and the Dean of

Students Office.

 Engage other campus constituencies in a dialogue to determine the feasibility and

benefit of developing an “Essence of a Cardinal” creed/motto.

 Work with SGA leadership to improve SGA relationships and perceptions about SGA.

 Develop recommendations to revise the Code of Student Conduct, Alcohol Policy and

Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

 Work with student leaders to review the student demonstration protocol.

 Coordinate Campus Ministers outreach initiatives.

 Continue student outreach lunches and other initiatives to connect with students.

 Work with the Counseling Center staff to clarify Student Affairs role in alcohol

education, prevention, and intervention initiatives.

 Review all aspects of the Speech and Distribution of Literature Policy including a

review of how for profit businesses are approved to distribute information on-campus.

 Recruit and train faculty & staff representatives to serve as student conduct hearing

council members.

 Work with members of the Student Care Team to provide a regular opportunity for

communication between departments, ensuring that all the resources of the University

of Louisville are available to students in crisis.

 Work with SGA and others on campus to strengthen CPC and increase the

opportunity for RSOs to receive funding.

 Successfully participate in and complete I2A pilot program module.

 Continue to work with the College of Education and Human Development to provide

quality experiential opportunities for graduate student internships and assistantships.

 Coordinate initiative to improve efficiency of student affairs staff involvement in

Admission initiatives.

 Restructure the Office of Civic Engagement, Leadership, and Service to improve

service delivery for students.

 Implement new web presence.

 Improve ability to generate useful reports on Judicial Officer.

 Implement training program for DOS student workers.

 Improve office aesthetics.

 Establish process to track number of students assisted by DOS staff.





XI. Issues and Challenges for the Department



a. Staffing

Staffing vacancies required remaining staff to assume additional duties and

presented barriers to attending training sessions, department meetings, other

events and educational opportunities.



The student conduct consultant report developed by Dr. Lowery made the

following observations about the staffing of the student conduct program:



During my visit to the University of Louisville, the Student Conduct Program was

staffed by one full-time staff member, Michelle Clemons, and a part-time graduate

assistant. The position of administrative assistant was vacant. In my opinion, this

is not sufficient staffing for the student conduct program at an institution of

University of Louisville’s size and the complexity of the program. The effects of

this limited staffing were obvious:



There were delays in entering information in the shared database. Several offices

acknowledged that while they were able to get information as needed from the

office, that information was not communicated proactively. The training of board

members was infrequent, but not perceived as insufficient. To allow for the timely

handling of alcohol cases in the residence halls, some cases are heard under the

code by residence life staff.



In my professional opinion, the appropriate staffing levels within the student

conduct program at the University of Louisville which I recommend include:



 The director of the student conduct program

 A full-time student conduct officer reporting to the director of the student

conduct program (this position would need to be created).

 Two half-time graduate assistants:

- Graduate Assistant to coordinate training to for the conduct board

- Graduate Assistant to provide administrative support to the judicial

process including case follow-up and assessment

 An administrative assistant to support the professional staff in the student

conduct program.

I believe that this staff level would address the impacts of the current staffing

structure and allow the office to develop meaningful outreach efforts to

proactively impact the campus community.



b. Budget

The state budget crisis had a negative impact on the entire University community.

For months, much was unknown and many feared for their jobs; students were

concerned about tuition increases and the economy continued to decline. The

reality of the cut hit the division particularly hard coming on the heels of a major

reorganization.



c. Student Care Team Threat Assessment/Risk Management

It will be important for the University to continue to evaluate the best practices as

it relates to threat assessment and behavior intervention teams. We have the

Student Care Team in place, but it is not designed to serve as a threat assessment

team such as some other institutions are establishing. This concept was discussed

with legal council and Dr Lowery (Consultant) and at this time they are in

agreement that the SCT is a reasonable professional response to the increased

concern for helping our students. The SCT will need to continue to evaluate

national trends, legal standards, reasonable professional actions, and campus

climate to determine if modifications in the purpose of SCT are appropriate. If

SCT is to one day serve as a larger clearing house for all potential student threat

concerns that student, faculty, or staff members have then additional resources

will be necessary.



d. Code of conduct revision resistance/implementation

The Code of Student Conduct will undergo a major revision during the 08-09

academic year. Whenever such a key policy is revised, it must be vetted widely

and therefore there are always concerns about resistance within constituency

groups.



e. New performance appraisal program

The new performance appraisal program will require a period of adjustment as

staff learn the new system and navigate through the process for the first time.