Standards:

STANDARD SIX

STUDENT SERVICES

6 Description
	The Office of Student Affairs and other entities, including the Advisement 
Center, the Learning Center, the Department of Athletics, Card Services, and 
Public Safety, provide student and academic support services that support the 
mission of the university with a particular emphasis on co-curricular, out-of-
class, and enhancement projects for learning. Student services have been 
expanded significantly in the last ten years.  Counseling services, orientation 
programs, academic support services, residential life activities, health 
services, athletic and intramural activities and recreational opportunities have 
all been expanded with the aim of enhancing the campus climate and the quality 
of student life.
	The Office of Student Affairs incorporates the Campus Ministry, Career and 
Experiential Education Services, the Counseling Center, Financial Aid, Health 
Services, Housing, International and Exchange Programs, Special Services, 
Student Employment, Veteran's Affairs, the Unity Center, and the Women's Center. 
Each of these units, and the Office of Student Affairs itself, has goals and 
objectives that focus on the overall goal noted above. These goals and 
objectives are reviewed and measured on a regular basis and are summarized in 
program descriptions in the Student Handbook.
	The student services areas have given priority to promoting a campus climate 
that values and celebrates diversity through cultural, social and educational 
programming. The plan has included the recent establishment of the Unity Center, 
which develops a partnership with students, faculty and staff. Commuter services 
are also provided by the Unity Center. The Counseling Services Office, in 
particular, the coordinator for students with disabilities, oversees the 
provision of services for students with disabilities.
	The university is committed to recruiting and matriculating a diverse community 
of learners and providing an array of opportunities for the pursuit of 
excellence at each level of academic life. It offers a wide range of traditional 
academic programs, as well as a number of learning and support services for its 
students. Students enrolled as freshmen, regardless of method of admission, are 
tested for placement and academic-support needs. (Honors students and students 
with SAT scores above certain levels may be placed without testing.) Students 
admitted through the CAP program receive guidance and support from, and 
participate in, special programs offered through the Learning Center and the 
Academic Advisement Center. These centers, along with the Counseling Services 
Office, Campus Assistance Team, and substance abuse prevention coordinator 
assist students to resolve personal, physical and educational problems. 
	A developmental educational support program is provided by the Learning Center.  
Alternatively admitted students complete the Summer Transition at Eastern 
Program (STEP) and the Contract Admissions Program (CAP). This program includes 
a required intensive, six-week summer in residence experience and requisite 
counseling, peer mentoring, tutorial assistance, and developmental course work. 
Participation in the STEP program (which imposes rigorous goals as well as 
standards) helps students develop high self-esteem and gain mastery of basic 
skills that give them greater control over the ability to persist as well as to 
earn a college degree.
	Students' academic needs are also supported through the offering of tutorial 
assistance. Students are given the option of individual sessions (one-on-one), 
group classes and organized sessions monitored by a professional tutor who does 
supplemental teaching. The General Studies Program has provided courses for 
students' development in writing, reading, mathematics, and college study and 
survival skills. These academic support offerings when attempted in conjunction 
with regular course selections help students to develop academically at a rate 
that does not impede or restrict their overall progress to eventually meet the 
university's standards. Plans are currently underway to revise the structure 
through which students' developmental needs are addressed.
	The University Financial Aid Program is intended primarily to promote access to 
higher education and secondarily to enhance the academic quality of the student 
body through the judicious use of merit awards. The availability of aid is 
publicized in key university publications, including a comprehensive financial 
aid brochure. The Office of Financial Aid maintains a web site and a telephone 
hotline in addition to regular publications. Aid applicants are notified at the 
earliest possible time of their eligibility or ineligibility for need-based aid 
and are informed of loan, work, and time-payment options annually when the 
receipt of aid on loan funds is delayed. Annual audits guide the effort to meet 
federal compliance standards. 
The Financial Aid Office also provides the 
following services: 
¥ Veteran's affairs. Assists with Veterans administration paperwork and 
determines eligibility for State of Connecticut veterans' tuition waivers. 
¥ Student employment. Provides both need-based and non-need-based on-campus 
employment for students. Some students are employed off campus in community 
service jobs; others find part-time off-campus employment through our job 
location and development program called "Job Match." As a general rule, students 
locate their own positions in response to listings in the office. 
¥ Student loans. The office provides a variety of literature and counseling to 
the two-thirds of our student body who take out Stafford Loans each year. The 
office also provides more than $375,000 in emergency loans 
Additional student services offered and the offices that provide them include
¥ The university provides health education, primary health care, and behavioral 
services through the Health and Counseling Centers. 
¥ The Office of Career and Experiential Programs offers testing, co-op and 
community service, and placement programs to students and alumni. 
¥ A five-day orientation program is offered through the Division of Student 
Affairs to all incoming students in September. 
¥ A program of academic advising is offered through the Academic Advisement 
Center, which provides specialized programs for students at risk, and for 
undeclared majors, as well as first-year students. The program also offers 
workshops and consultative services on advising for students and faculty. 
¥ The Learning Center provides tutoring services. 
Leadership opportunities for students are available in on-campus employment, 
participation in student clubs and organizations, and in student government. 
Student employment in the Student Center, Intramural and Recreation, and 
Residence Life gives students numerous leadership opportunities. There are more 
than 45 clubs and organizations in which students play key roles. Three major 
organizations on campus provide additional leadership experiences. The Student 
Government Association, composed of elected students and officers, administers a 
budget in excess of $400,000, it funds and monitors the use of funds for all 
student organizations. The Campus Activity Board, for which students are 
selected by a formal application process, administers a budget in excess of a 
$180,000. It is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating major 
campus events. The Residence Life Program provides a social organization within 
each residence hall and apartment complex along with the organization that 
provides governance for all: Residence Outreach Council (ROC). Officers are 
selected by the residents of each facility and are responsible for planning and 
implementing social, cultural, and educational activities that meet the needs of 
the residents.
	The university provides a well-rounded, broad-based athletic and recreational 
program, including club sports, recreational activities, intramurals, and 
intercollegiate competition. It sponsors fifteen varsity sports, six for 
menÐsoccer, cross-country, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and track and field; 
and nine for womenÐsoccer, volleyball, field hockey, cross-country, basketball, 
swimming, softball, lacrosse, and track and field. Academic achievements by 
student athletes at Eastern continue to rise. In 1998-99, a total of 83 students 
received awards for obtaining cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher as part of the 
National Student Athlete Days Program. Nine students received outstanding-
scholar- athlete accolades; seventeen more received scholar-athlete acclaim. The 
women's swimming team received the faculty athletic representative academic 
award for the second straight year. There is an academic council for student 
athletes. The Athletic Advisory Committee, composed of faculty, staff, alumni 
and student athletes, works in an advisory capacity to the president in all 
matters pertaining to intercollegiate athletics, with emphasis on ensuring that 
athletics are conducted in a manner consistent with sound educational policy. In 
addition to the intercollegiate athletic program, the Department of Athletics 
offers recreational activities and runs an extensive intramural program that is 
part of the total athletic program designed to provide fun, fitness, relaxation, 
and good health. 
	Professional development opportunities are made available to staff in offices 
that provide student services. The Student Center staff attends an annual 
training program involving Outward Bound team-building initiatives and classroom 
instruction. This is followed by regularly scheduled employee relations and 
professional development workshops. Training of professional residence-life 
staff is very comprehensive. Three weeks before the start of the fall semester 
and one week prior to the start of the spring semester student staff and RAs 
participate in training programs. 
	All students receive a copy of the Student Handbook, a compilation of the latest 
available information. It is a guide to programs, services, and regulations of 
the university and includes the CSU Guidelines for Student Rights and 
Responsibilities and Judicial Procedures. The judicial procedures are enforced 
at ECSU according to the CSU guidelines.
	The university follows the guidelines of the American Association of Collegiate 
Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and fully complies with the Family 
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. The university also follows 
the record-management statutes, policies, and procedures for state agencies set 
forth in the Records Management Manual. Detailed procedures concerning FERPA 
appear annually in the Student Handbook, which informs students of the 
accessibility of records for review and of their right to file complaints 
concerning alleged failures by the university to comply with the act. If a 
student believes that information in her/his record is inadequate or incorrect, 
she or he may request changes with the respective area director. If the request 
is rejected, the student may request a hearing through the appropriate vice 
president. The university has developed carefully considered policies that 
provide permanent maintenance of academic records and minimize the risk of 
improper disclosure of academic and disciplinary records. The conditions for 
disclosure are also presented in the Student Handbook. Transcripts of academic 
records contain only information about academic status. No records are kept that 
reflect a student's political activities or political beliefs. Records were 
retained on hard copy and microfilm prior to 1989. Since that time, permanent 
records are maintained in a computer-automated record system. Security and 
safety of the records are maintained through the Data Center, which employs 
state-of-the-art technology for live and backup systems for preserving records. 
Prior hard-copy transcripts are stored in fireproof files. University personnel 
are granted access to records on a need-to-know basis. 
	The university annually utilizes a survey research to evaluate the experience of 
its most recent graduates. Data from the Senior Survey related to the Office of 
Student Affairs assess the effectiveness of co-curricular programming and 
delivery of services. The university also administers the New Student Survey, 
providing the Office of Students Affairs with information on the aspirations, 
skills, and attitudes of first-year and transfer students. These data are useful 
in gauging the changes in students from year to year and are important in 
modifying division goals and objectives. The university has recently begun to 
administer a self-survey to evaluate departmental effectiveness in offices and 
programs. Finally, each department prepares an annual report on its achievements 
based on its goals and objectives.
	The University Senate Support Services Committee serves as an oversight body for 
student services. Problems concerning student services are brought to the 
committee,  which seeks remedies.
6 Appraisal
The Office of Student Affairs and other departments offering student services 
have aligned their missions, goals, and objectives with university priorities 
and planning documents, as well as with national standards of the professional 
associations and the Council for the Advancement of Standards. Achieving these 
goals and objectives is challenging. 
	Some student services at ECSU have been strained in recent years. High demands 
on health services, coupled with increasingly complex student problems and 
limited space and budgets, have stymied program growth and development. Career 
Services has offered increased counseling and workshop services, including 
visits to classes, but has been strained by staff illness and turnovers and an 
increase in the number of students wishing placement services, including 
cooperative education and on-campus interviews. Although the Office of Career 
and Experiential Education is well poised technologically to address multiple 
recruiting demands, it needs to involve more students in the process. 
Eastern's Office of Financial Aid has generally received the highest approval 
rating on satisfaction surveys among the CSU schools from departing students.  
One issue related to financial aid is that little is available at Eastern for 
international students. 
	The Learning Center's programs include the CAP/STEP program and tutorial 
assistance. CAP/STEP students complete assessments (forms and interviews) of the 
program as well as for individual faculty and staff members involved in the 
program. The assessments are used to improve the program and in staffing. 
Tutoring services offered by the Learning Center are widely used, with numerous 
repeat users and frequent referrals from faculty. Feedback and follow-up has 
been gathered, but the Learning Center hopes to expand assessment of these 
programs.  Facilities used by the center, while conveniently located, could use 
renovation. 
	An ESL program would be of great value to some of our international students. 
Feedback, obtained via surveys administered by the Advisement Center, on First-
Year Student Orientation has indicated that several areas of the program work 
well; in particular, the interactive sessions, shorter sessions, and those that 
focus on the development of friendships, group process, and community. Areas 
that have not worked as well are the incorporation of commuters, the focus on 
academic transitions, and working with the nontraditional students. Inconsistent 
staffing has hindered academic advising and tutoring services. Advising in 
departments has been uneven across the university.  Housed in the same building 
as the Learning Center, the Advisement Center also has facilities that are 
unattractive, outdated, and uninspiring.
	Leadership programs need to have more focus and to increase the number of 
students involved. A sequence of leadership events should be planned, starting 
with initiation and leading up to senior-year experiences. Student clubs and 
organizations may benefit from more opportunities for training and for expanding 
their activities. Greater emphasis on assessment and follow-up is desirable to 
demonstrate achievement of the desired outcome in coordination with the 
classroom and outside classroom experiences. Routine evaluation of student 
leadership effectiveness should focus on the goal of developing a more active 
and aware student body.
	The athletics program is one of the best-attended components of student 
activities. In terms of the intramural program, greater emphasis needs to be 
placed upon the nonscheduled recreational activities that lead to fitness, 
wellness, and general well-being. The university has made significant progress 
in achieving gender equity in intercollegiate programs. The ratio of 
participants to student enrollment has generally been within five percent of 
compliance. The addition of three new women's sportsÐlacrosse, swimming, and 
field hockey--in the past four years has had a significant impact on Title IX 
compliance. The additions were not made at the expense of the men's programs, 
and in fact men's lacrosse has also been added to intercollegiate athletic 
offerings. Recent increases to the meal allowance for student athletes were made 
as a result of student-athlete evaluations. The evaluations are conducted 
annually and at the end of playing seasons, and provide student athletes a means 
for evaluating the coaching staff, administrative staff, facilities, and 
amenities provided.
	Facilities are a major issue on the campus. The population has grown so much 
over the past few years that we no longer have facilities to accommodate the 
number of students who may wish to attend events. The Student Center has only 
four meeting rooms and offices for four student organizations. Its only function 
room holds four hundred, this for an on-campus population of about 2,000. 
Facilities will be better when new recreational and Student Center space comes 
on line in addition to the Center for Performing Arts and the addition and 
renovation to the student center and sport center.
	Professional training is adequate for the staff to stay current on student 
development theory and practice, although both junior and senior staff could 
benefit from additional time and resources allocated to development of their 
specific areas of interest and responsibility. Student-leader training is 
provided but students may not be fully aware of these opportunities. Currently, 
there is no assessment in place for professional staff development. This needs 
to be worked on in coordination with goals and objectives. However, we do 
evaluate the LEAD series programs presented to student leaders via surveys and 
questionnaires and ask for student input into the development of future 
programs. Again, student awareness of the LEAD programs should be increased.
An alumni evaluation would help identify the university experiences that most 
enhance postgraduation life and may assist the university in modifying future 
strategic plans. 
 
6 Projection
	Future goals that span several offices that provide student services include the 
development of creative and effective retention strategies. In addition, efforts 
related to diversity will be expanded. As an example, the Office of Student 
Affairs recognizes a need to provide additional programming in appreciation of 
Asian culture. Student assessment of some services (such as athletics and 
freshman orientation) is quite thorough, but further assessment of most areas of 
student services would be useful.  This could be initiated through the 
university Senate Support Services Committee. 
	Future plans of the Office of Financial Aid call for more intensive counseling 
concerning the application process and student budgets, additional presentations 
in residence halls, and more frequent informational mail campaigns to students, 
prospective students, and parents.
	Health Services and Counseling Services should move to a more comprehensive 
wellness model. The interdisciplinary Campus Assistance Team will be expanded 
and further incorporated into the decision making of all staff as they view 
student concerns and problems. Services for students with complex problems need 
to be expanded and involve collaboration and joint problem solving and 
treatment. Renovation of Health Services facilities will be completed during the 
summer of 2000.
	The space needs of Career Services, Counseling, Advisement Center, and Learning 
Center will be adequately met with their summer 2000 relocation to renovated 
space in the Support Services Building. We must explore new ways to get students 
involved in these services. 
	The Learning Center will focus its resources on strengthening tutoring services 
to improve student success and retention.  To date, the Learning Center had the 
responsibility for scheduling developmental courses in writing, mathematics and 
study skills.  Developmental education is in the process of being reorganized.  
	The English and Mathematics departments are revising the curriculum and taking 
responsibility for course offerings.  Beginning with 2000-2001, the Learning 
Center will be relieved of the responsibility of scheduling credit-bearing 
courses.
	Orientation programs will be more focused, involve commuters in a more inclusive 
way, and develop a greater sense of community among students, particularly 
nontraditional students. The orientation program also will be integrated with 
the Blue Sky Program. The Advisement Center will develop and utilize assessment 
and technology to upgrade delivery services. More constructive planned outreach 
activities to academic and other departments will occur, with a focus on 
retention of students.