CHAT Meeting Minutes
January 4, 2007
Attendees: Jack Benjamin, Stephanie Foote, Andrew Hendrix, Ginger Hudock, Deb Kladivko, Deri Wills, Annette
Beeler and Tony Ateca
Special Guests: Kim Wood-Woeber, Barb Riverdahl
Mr. Ateca welcomed Dr. Wood and Ms. Riverdahl and explained that one goals of the CHAT Committee is to evaluate the impact of increased housing on student services across campus, including such areas as wellness, counseling and disability services.
Prior to the meeting, Dr. Wood, Ms. Riverdahl and Ms. Cindy Gelinas had been asked to respond to the following questions:
Dr. Wood was asked to report first. She began by stating that the Wellness Center experienced very little impact from the addition of Pacer Commons in 2004. She also expected there to be a decrease in student use of the Wellness Center when a new fitness room opened for athletes at the Convocation Center. However, she did comment that students frequently request extended hours to satisfy their busy lifestyles. The Wellness Center currently closes at 9 pm on week nights. Weekend hours are 8:00 am – 2 pm on Saturday and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Sundays.
Discussion ensued regarding the desirability of having a hotel-type fitness room available in at least one of the residence halls on campus. Most of the committee agreed that this would be a good idea. A small room with 3 or 4 pieces of equipment was envisioned, and elliptical machines were sited as particularly suitable because they are less expensive and take-up less space than other fitness equipment. One committee member suggested the fitness room be located adjacent to a laundry area to offer convenience, and visibility which would also reduce safety concerns. To be of value, the facility would have to be open to students 24X 7.
Deri commented that many other campuses he has served had fitness rooms in Housing, but others did not. In some cases, these facilities were removed due to lack of space and/or lack of use. The most difficult aspect, he said, is upkeep of the equipment. In light of this, the committee agreed that new equipment with a service contract would be a better investment than used equipment. Overall, the committee favored including a fitness room in the Housing area to offer convenience and promote healthy lifestyles.
Ms. Riverdahl spoke for the Disability Services Office. She commented that it is very important to ensure that the new residence hall is accessible to all students. However, commuters, rather than campus residents, typically comprise the majority of her clients.
Therefore, she does not expect the new housing facility to increase the need for Disability Services. One minor impact may be the need for more specially equipped laptops.
Dr. Kladivko spoke about the Counseling Center for Ms. Cindy Gelinas who could not be present. She started by noting that almost one-half of students seen in the Counseling Center are campus residents. A contributing factor for this is that campus residents are more likely to be involved in judicial issues such as alcohol-related problems. The Center is also seeing many more students with medication needs. Dr. Kladivko suggested that an increase in residential students would likely result in the need for another counselor, and/or eventually the need to contract for medical/psychological support since we do not have the ability to prescribe medication.
Ms. Hudock suggested that the committee analyze the number of residents vs. non-residents that use the counseling center and also the number of total students who use the center vs. freshmen students who use it. Dr. Kladivko agreed to speak with Ms. Gelinas about this and come back to the group with the information.
With respect to creating a stronger link between the residential environment and Counseling Center services, the committee discussed the value of having RA’s, Peer Educators and MAP mentors coordinate resources to reduce duplication and enhance educational programming for residents.
Upon conclusion of Dr. Kladivko’s report, Mr. Ateca outlined issues for the next meeting. The agenda will include the following topics:
Mr. Ateca intends to invite Ms. Toni Corkrin and Mr. Mike Findley to the first meeting in February to discuss the impact of new Housing on their respective areas.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:40pm.