Campus life finds new way to support students
Jasmine Ashton
Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: Extended Section
The first-year retention rate declined again in 2007, dropping to 72 percent, positioning Guilford slightly below the average for four-year private institutions. With a 77 percent in 2004, the number of returning first-years has continuously decreased.
"In a meeting to discuss student retention, faculty and staff discovered that the largest percentages of students are leaving due to academic dismissal," said Jen Agor, associate dean for campus life.
According to Agor, Guilford has a strict academic suspension policy. If a student's semester and cumulative grade point averages are below a 1.0, the student will be dismissed from the college without a probationary period.
In order to prevent students from failing out, "we are making an effort for staff to be more ears to the ground," Agor said. To address this issue, Residence Life created an Academic Advisor Liaison position and hired three new professional full-time hall directors and four part-time hall directors. Residence Life designated the full-time hall directors as mentors.
"It is their mission to be on the lookout for students struggling both academically and socially," Agor said.
"Hiring non-student hall directors will make things easier for Residence Life," said senior and third-year RA Will Vormelker. "By putting less pressure on students and more on staff, our RA's are better able to balance their responsibilities, both academic and to res(ident) life."
Former RA and senior Tory Mallett also supports Guilford's move to make hall directors professional staff. She thinks that it will take away from the hypocrisy that often comes from Student RAs and hall directors being seen at parties. "It's hard to be a mentor when your job is to look for what students are doing wrong," Mallett said.
In addition to hall directors, the Academic Advisor Liaison, Barb Boyette, supplements the effort to aid struggling students. Her job involves coordinating support services already in place such as faculty, staff, residence life, and campus life.
"My job is to take a look at the facts," Boyette said. "Through collaborating with teachers, RA's and hall directors, I'm able to get a more holistic approach when discovering the best way to help students."
Residence Life developed these new positions to target first-year students who often have trouble balancing their academic load with their new-found freedom.
"Freshman year I was immature and procrastinated," said Max Karaffa, a sophomore readmitted this year after taking a year off for sub-par grades. "I had more of an interest in having fun then doing my work. I wanted to do my work but my priorities weren't straight."
"Although I might not want to talk to my RA if I had a problem, I would feel comfortable talking to Barb (Boyette) about issues I'm having," said Karaffa when asked if hiring an Academic Advisor Liaison made him feel more supported by the Guilford community.
"In a meeting to discuss student retention, faculty and staff discovered that the largest percentages of students are leaving due to academic dismissal," said Jen Agor, associate dean for campus life.
According to Agor, Guilford has a strict academic suspension policy. If a student's semester and cumulative grade point averages are below a 1.0, the student will be dismissed from the college without a probationary period.
In order to prevent students from failing out, "we are making an effort for staff to be more ears to the ground," Agor said. To address this issue, Residence Life created an Academic Advisor Liaison position and hired three new professional full-time hall directors and four part-time hall directors. Residence Life designated the full-time hall directors as mentors.
"It is their mission to be on the lookout for students struggling both academically and socially," Agor said.
"Hiring non-student hall directors will make things easier for Residence Life," said senior and third-year RA Will Vormelker. "By putting less pressure on students and more on staff, our RA's are better able to balance their responsibilities, both academic and to res(ident) life."
Former RA and senior Tory Mallett also supports Guilford's move to make hall directors professional staff. She thinks that it will take away from the hypocrisy that often comes from Student RAs and hall directors being seen at parties. "It's hard to be a mentor when your job is to look for what students are doing wrong," Mallett said.
In addition to hall directors, the Academic Advisor Liaison, Barb Boyette, supplements the effort to aid struggling students. Her job involves coordinating support services already in place such as faculty, staff, residence life, and campus life.
"My job is to take a look at the facts," Boyette said. "Through collaborating with teachers, RA's and hall directors, I'm able to get a more holistic approach when discovering the best way to help students."
Residence Life developed these new positions to target first-year students who often have trouble balancing their academic load with their new-found freedom.
"Freshman year I was immature and procrastinated," said Max Karaffa, a sophomore readmitted this year after taking a year off for sub-par grades. "I had more of an interest in having fun then doing my work. I wanted to do my work but my priorities weren't straight."
"Although I might not want to talk to my RA if I had a problem, I would feel comfortable talking to Barb (Boyette) about issues I'm having," said Karaffa when asked if hiring an Academic Advisor Liaison made him feel more supported by the Guilford community.
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