Student Affairs Overview for New Faculty Orientation
August 22, 2017 / 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Benjamin Mays Center

Offices (http://www.bates.edu/student-affairs/student-affairs-staff/)

  • Accessible Education – Abigail Nelson, Assistant Dean
  • Athletics and Recreation – Jason Fein, Director
  • Campus Life – Kim Trauceniek, Associate Dean
  • Career Development – David McDonough, Director
  • Counseling and Psychological Services – Aileen Park, Director
  • Global Education – Tina Mangieri, Associate Dean & James Reese, Associate Dean
  • Health Services – Cindy Visbaras, Associate Director for Student Health Support
  • Purposeful Work – Christina Estabrook, Interim Director
  • Residence Life and Health Education – Erin Foster Zsiga, Senior Associate Dean
  • Security and Campus Safety – Paul Menice, Interim Director
  • Student Support and Community Standards – Carl Steidel, Senior Associate Dean

Primary Objectives

  • Facilitate student learning, development, and success
  • Provide a distinctive, engaging, and diverse co-curriculum
  • Foster community and connection
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local mandates

A Note about Student Support Advisors and BatesReach

Student Support Advisors (SSAs) provide personal support and supplemental academic advising to a cohort of students. Students are assigned an SSA prior to their matriculation and remain with their SSA for the duration of their enrollment at Bates. SSAs work proactively to develop connections with their students, especially during their first year at the College. SSAs respond to student concerns as they arise and are the primary point of contact for personal or social concerns. While First-Year Seminar (FYS) instructors and major advisors provide the primary academic advising for students, SSAs are an additional point of contact and support for students who have concerns or questions about their academic requirements or who may be struggling academically.

One of the key roles of the SSA is to be a connection point for faculty and staff on campus. This is particularly important when a student may be struggling. For example, if a student is having difficulties in one of their classes, the SSA may bring the student’s academic advisor and coach (if applicable) into the conversation in order to provide support from all angles. SSAs also work to connect their students to co-curricular and leadership opportunities on campus.

To support the many connections that students have with faculty and staff on campus, we have implemented BatesReach, an online tool that allows students to see who in their network can assist them (i.e. faculty advisor, student support advisor, course instructors for courses they are currently enrolled in, coaches, etc.). In addition to students being able to readily see who can assist them—and in which ways—this is the system used for faculty and staff to raise “flags” on students of concern, and the respective workflow is managed through BatesReach.

To summarize, if you are concerned about a student, use BatesReach to notify the student’s Student Support Advisor. Questions about how to use BatesReach should be directed to Vincent Bellina, IT Program Manager.