Division of Student Affairs
2010-11 Annual Report

Department: Dean of Students Office

Person Completing Report: Michael Mardis

Executive Summary

This year we were able to achieve a number of significant accomplishments including the Board of Trustees approving significant changes to the Redbook, the approval of the recreation fee, and the approval of a new Code of Student Conduct. All these accomplishments took two years of work and collaboration with many colleagues and students at the University. These changes will have a lasting impact on campus and will improve the quality of campus life.

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 providing the services, implementing the programs and developing the relationships necessary to achieve our mission. The following is the mission for the Office of the Dean of Students:

The Dean of Students Office serves the University's most valuable asset - our students. We promote a positive learning experience and make available opportunities for students to achieve their full academic and personal potential by:

* Promoting a vibrant student experience

* Building relationships among students, faculty, staff, and the

community

* Upholding University standards and protecting student rights

* Empowering students to promote positive change in our world

To fulfill our mission, the office provides a variety of individual services to address the needs and concerns of students. Our office is fortunate to collaborate and interact with all areas of the University community in the course of the year. It was an exciting year especially achieving the culmination of some long term initiatives. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues and UofL students for assisting us during the course of this year. We understand that we depend on so many others to help us fulfill our responsibilities at the University of Louisville.

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. Of significant note is the continued outstanding relationship with SGA this year. Direct interpersonal interaction with student leaders is an important part of developing a vibrant campus life. These interactions benefit the University as students trust that we work with the objective of keeping them informed and 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. The office is committed to continual review of the services and programs that we provide. Working in collaboration with others, we have outlined a number of strategic initiatives that will advance the needs of the University. This report describes the programs and services provided by the Office of the Dean of Students during the 2010-2011 academic year.

  1. Programs and Services
  • This past year, CPC received funding totaling $115,750 from the Student Government Association ($65,000), University Provost ($5,000), Dean of Students Office ($20,000), Undergraduate Affairs ($10,000), Residence Life ($4,000), the Executive Vice President for Research ($250), College of Business ($500), Vice President for Finance ($10,000) and University Advancement ($1,000). Three hundred five applications were received requesting over $383,500. Of those 305 applications, we were able to fund 184 events. Last year, we received 227 applications for a total of $303,343.
  • SGA has advocated for the building of a new SRC for the past two years. This year’s SGA under the leadership of Sana Abhari and Deep Aggarwal were able to get the recreation fee approved by the SGA Executive Board, the Task Force on Tuition and Fees, SGA Senate, Board of Trustees and the Council of Post Secondary Education. Construction is scheduled to begin during the fall of 2011 allowing the building to open in the fall of 2013.
  • Representatives from student affairs and business affairs worked with SGA to make some adjustments to the meal plan. Those changes included the addition of swiping for friends at the Ville Grille, the extra meal a week on the resident plan and the new ability to use meal swipes at the Global Market in the SAC. The other big change was move for the 2011-2012 academic year that will allow for a semester block of meals, as opposed to a weekly declining balance.
  • Dr. Mardis and Dale Ramsay worked with SGA representatives (Ahmed Awadallah and Sana Abhari) to make significant changes to the student season ticket process.
  • Our office worked with institutional research to better understand the impact of Greek participation on retention and graduation rates. For the 2004 freshman cohort Greeks students graduated at 62.5% while the all entering freshman rate was 48.6 %.
  • Dr. Mardis worked with academic accountability and the Provost office to have metrics for the SGA 2020 plan added to the University 2020 plan scorecard.
  • The University-wide persistence to graduation committee recommended the implementation of a student engagement recording system that will facilitate the collection of a variety of data including: leadership development, community service & citizenship, service learning, campus involvement, honors & awards, and employment.
  • Funds were identified to create a first ever NPHC Coordinator position. One of the recommendations of the recently completed NPHC strategic plan was “employing an NPHC advisor that is a full-time employee with his or her primary job being the guidance of NPHC organizations”. Having a full-time position with primary responsibility has long been desired by members of the NPHC community.
  • It is anticipated that during the 20011-2012 academic year all divine nine NPHC organizations will be active on campus.
  • The Dean of Students has worked closely with the Vice President for Student Affairs and members of the Alpha Phi Alpha alumni chapter to determine how Alpha Phi Alpha could return to active status at the University of Louisville.
  • The dean of students office implemented a new service that we are providing to make students aware of family-friendly events.
  • On July 21, 2010 representatives from the dean of students office provided dinner for the students and staff from the West End school.
  • Members of the dean of students office worked with COSW, planning design and construction and the women’s center to identify locations on campus where students and employees could express breast milk.
  1. Major Accomplishments
  • This past year, CPC received funding totaling $115,750 from the Student Government Association ($65,000), University Provost ($5,000), Dean of Students Office ($20,000), Undergraduate Affairs ($10,000), Residence Life ($4,000), the Executive Vice President for Research ($250), College of Business ($500), Vice President for Finance ($10,000) and University Advancement ($1,000). Three hundred five applications were received requesting over $383,500. Of those 305 applications, we were able to fund 184 events. Last year, we received 227 applications for a total of $303,343
  • SGA has advocated for the building of a new SRC for the past two years. This year’s SGA under the leadership of Sana Abhari and Deep Aggarwal were able to get the recreation fee approved by the SGA Executive Board, the Task Force on Tuition and Fees, SGA Senate, Board of Trustees and the Council of Post Secondary Education. Construction is scheduled to begin during the fall of 2011 allowing the building to open in the fall of 2013.
  • Dr. Mardis and Dale Ramsay worked with SGA representatives (Ahmed Awadallah and Sana Abhari) to make significant changes to the student season ticket process.
  • Representatives from student affairs and business affairs worked with SGA to make some adjustments to the meal plan. Those changes included the addition of swiping for friends at the Ville Grille, the extra meal a week on the resident plan and the new ability to use meal swipes at the Global Market in the SAC. The other big change was move for the 2011-2012 academic year that will allow for a semester block of meals, as opposed to a weekly declining balance.
  • It is anticipated that during the 20011-2012 academic year all divine nine NPHC organizations will be active on campus.
  • The dean of students office implemented a new service that we are providing to make students aware of family-friendly events.
  • The Dean of Students has worked closely with the Vice President for Student Affairs and members of the Alpha Phi Alpha alumni chapter to determine how Alpha Phi Alpha could return to active status at the University of Louisville.
  • Thirty-six parents were nominated for the third annual Parent of the Year Award. The award ceremony went very well. Approximately 80 people attended the event. Parents seemed truly appreciative of the recognition they received from the University and from their son or daughter. Students were thankful for the opportunity to express their love and appreciation to their parents in a more public setting. The committee awarded two Parents of the Year for 2010, Patrick John Hughes, nominated by Patrick Henry Hughes and Greg Cribbet, nominated by Tim Cribbet for their similar and touching stories.
  • The most notable accomplishment of our office this year is the development of relationships with students and other campus constituencies.
  • The DOS webpage has been updated and restructured in order to provide students and faculty with a more user-friendly website. From June 21, 2010 to June 21, 2011, approximately 8,788 unique computers visited the site (people visited the site), 21,115 times (hits).
  • This year, the 12th Annual Student Awards were again held in the evening to provide a more formal, memorable event. Nineteen different categories of awards were presented with plaques, awards and certificates. Also, 15 departments presented awards to students. Joni Burke was awarded the coveted Harold Adams Award for her outstanding contribution to student life.
  • At the second annual Graduation Day at the Downs, just over 1,200 tickets were requested and a little more than 1,000 people attended the event held at historic Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs helped sponsor the event by providing free admission, and the Student Government Association and Alumni Association purchased “Downs Dollars” that attendees could use for food and soft drinks.
  • The Dean of Students Office implemented a new service to make students aware of family-friendly events.
  • The Code of Student conduct was revised and reviewed by the Student Government Association and the Student Care Team prior to receiving final Board of Trustees approval.
  • Coordinated the Student Affairs response to the Department of Education Clery Audit request for information and materials, and represented the Dean of Students Office on the University-wide coordinating committee that prepared for the visit.
  • Persona Non-Grata protocol was established.
  • Completed Student Care Team recordkeeping protocol and made sure that all processes required by protocol were in place.
  1. Staffing Summary
  • Hired Laura E. Ulmer as Project Coordinator on July 5, 2010.
  1. Activities and initiatives that support Academic Units
  • Conduct -The Dean of Students, Assistant Dean of Students, and Project Coordinator are available to consult with all University academic and administrative units to address and resolve student conduct related issues. With the implementation of the Student Care Team and growing knowledge of the services the DOS office provides, the ADOS continues to see an increase in the number of calls and consultations with faculty and staff on conduct issues. Some of this year’s issues included: domestic assault, forgery involving University funds, sexual assault, threatening behavior toward University employees, sexual harassment, and weapons.
  • Hosting Graduate Assistants & Interns - The DOS supports undergraduate and graduate interns as they pursue their studies and interests in higher education. These students are critically important to our success as a unit and we believe strongly in supporting our paraprofessional staff through experiential learning opportunities. During the reporting period, our office hosted one master’s intern and one undergraduate intern. The Dean, Assistant Dean, and Project Coordinator also make themselves readily available for student class interviews; class presentations; and class panel discussions when requested.

Internship details:

Mr. Lyston Skerritt – M.Ed. intern: was responsible for reviewing Judicial Officer in order to facilitate changes that will increase our reporting capabilities; researched our benchmark institutions regarding suicide protocols; scheduling and updating hearing council training information reflecting new Code of Student Conduct revisions.

Mr. Nate Gilbert – Undergraduate intern: was responsible for conducting benchmarking research on the following topics: Medical Withdrawal Re-Entry Policies; Suicide Protocols; and Case Manager Position Descriptions/Programs.

  • Support internship fairs - The Assistant Dean of Students and Project Coordinator 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. This is an excellent way for our office to interact with current graduate students and new admits.
  • Records Checks - Last year, more than 749 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 also utilize this service
  • 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 15 notification requests from students, which involved researching each student’s enrolled classes and notifying their faculty members.
  • 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.
  • Recruitment Outreach - Michelle Clemons and Pam Curtis went to various locations in Northern and Western Kentucky (Covington and Owensboro) to provide future students information about services and programming offered by the Dean of Students Office, Student Activities, the Disability Resources Center and Student Affairs.
  • Orientation Sessions - Dr. Mardis presented the opening session for parents during summer orientation. During this 45-minute session he talked about what would be different in college compared to high school and provided tips for helping parents with this transition. He promoted the benefits of being involved on campus and the availability and accessibility of resources. During selected sessions he, along with Dr. Billingsley, provided the official welcome to all students and parents on behalf of the University.
  • Student Care Team -The Student Care Team’s overarching mission is to focus on the needs of a student in crisis while attempting to avoid disruption to the integrity of the learning environment. To that end, our purpose is to share information among appropriate offices to ensure resources are made available to students; identify student behaviors that disrupt the learning environment; initiate internal review of crisis situations and ensure follow-through and advise University officials on issues related to student crisis and how they may affect the integrity of the campus community and the campus climate. For the reporting period, the SCT focused on the following areas to support academic units: phone consultations; training for a variety of departments across campus; and providing the Faculty/Staff Guide to Helping Students in Distress to all employees in New Employee Orientation.
  • GEN 101 Class - Dr. Mardis provided a two-page article for the College of Arts and Sciences General Education 101 text book. The article focused on decision making, and included questions for students to discuss and links to relevant information on campus.
  • Guest Speaker at Classes - Dr. Mardis was a guest speaker at the internship class taught by Dr. Rhodes. Charisma Stigall coordinated student representatives from various campus religious organizations to attend Dr. Cuyjet’s subculture class. Dr. Mardis was a guest speaker at the class and talked about religious life and spirituality on campus.
  1. Activities and Services that Support Diversity
  • CPC - The Club Programming Committee (CPC) provided funding for a number of events in 2010-2011 that contributed to diversity efforts on campus. To name a few: 3rd Annual Freedom Ball, African American Recognition Reception, Diversity Awards Banquet, Diversity Concert, International Banquet, International Fashion Show, Mr. Black UofL Pageant, PINK, Porter Scholars Ball, and Queer Women’s Health Discussions.
  • International Tea - The Dean of Students Office hosted an International Tea in October. There were approximately 100 international students in attendance along with staff from the Dean of Students Office, Disability Resource Center, Intramurals and Student Activities. The staff interacted with the students and informed them about our services and answered questions about our various areas. Dr. Mardis spoke briefly about the importance of being involved and encouraged them to sign up and participate.
  • Outreach Lunches - The Dean of Students hosted seven luncheons during the academic year for a diverse selection of students and student groups. Luncheons were held for the following: SAB Leadership, Commuter Students, Health Sciences Center Students and International RSO presidents and vice presidents. For all meetings, the dean of students attended and the SGA president was also able to attend many of the lunches. Other invited guest attended lunches if the students worked closely with a particular staff member. Sodexo sponsored the luncheons, so there was no cost to the University for these events.
  • Campus Ministers Outreach – Religious Life Association (RLA) - This year the Dean of Students continued outreach to the campus ministers and attended several meetings with this group to share information. Dr. Mardis also had individual meetings with many of the campus ministers. He attended all RLA meetings and served as the University Liaison to this organization. This year, Way Rutherford of Reformed University Fellowship served as the RLA convener.

For the second year in a row RLA hosted a joint event on campus. They hosted a lunch and information fair at the Red Barn on the first Monday of the fall semester. Over 11 campus religious organizations were in attendance. The DOS staff worked with the card office and RLA members to develop a University RLA ID card that could be used by RLA members. Beverly Wolford worked with members of RLA and the card office to make sure those RLA members who had submitted all the necessary requirements were provide a card. Beverly also facilitated access to a UofL email address for many of the RLA members.