SERVICE: Support and Diversity Services
Current Situation:
While a majority of new students enter the college through the Admissions office, some students choose other points of entry. Enrolled students often connect with organizations or services that they believe are more attuned to their individual concerns. Recognizing the need to provide all students with additional options, Lane offers a variety of support and diversity services that focus on individual student characteristics and needs. Support services (i.e., Disability Services and Substance Abuse Prevention Services) address specific issues that may hinder or impact the studentís learning. Diversity services (i.e. Womenís Programs, Black Student Union, Multi-cultural Center, Native American Student Association, and International Student Organization) represent individual populations and serve individual student needs.
Both the support and diversity service units provide advising information, work and career advice, and assistance with other offices. The services also function as advocates for the students they represent. Most importantly, the services provide a support network that contributes to each studentsí success. While each service monitors individual student progress, no single data base connects them.
When asked what one thing they wished they had known in advance about Lane before taking classes, eight percent of OSRL survey respondents discussed the physical and/or emotional environment on campus.
In staff and student input sessions there were many positive comments about the importance of these services for student entry and retention, the desirability of them functioning as a more integrated unit, and the need for them to connect with advising and enrollment processes.
Desired Situation:
An organizational structure that supports the efforts of all support and diversity services. In addition, support and diversity services are directly connected with direct providers of enrollment processes, financial services, and advising services.
Proposed Solution:
Create a Support and Diversity Services Team that incorporates the individual services and provides a connective organizational structure. The team will coordinate efforts with the Students First! Center, Advising, Counseling, and Career Development, and Information teams. The team will include representation from the following units:
A major contribution of the team will be to provide support and diversity services with a strong collective voice. While retaining their advocacy role for the students they represent, the individual services will have a forum to address their needs. Recognizing an individualís desire to directly select the assistance of the various support and diversity services, the linkage with the other services to students teams will ensure that these distinct services are recognized as key service providers. Beyond these ìhomes,î students will also be encouraged to use all services to students resources to meet their needs.
Coach from Redesign Team: Rich Freund, Johanna Hanley, Sharon Williams
Sponsor: Linda Fossen
Due Date: Summer 1997
Performance Measures:
| Measurement | Tools for Measuring | Responsibility for Tracking Measurement |
| increase the number Support and Diversity Services locations where students can receive advising and enrollment services from 0 to 4 by July 1998 | baseline = must be established follow-up = staff tracking system must be established |
Support and Diversity Services Process Owner Manager |
Action Plan for Implementing Solution:
| Task | By Whom | By When | Resources Required |
| Assign or appoint a team leader for the Support and Diversity Services Team | Linda Fossen | ||
| Identify and convene the team to review charge and develop task assignments | Linda Fossen, Support and Diversity Services Team Leader Manager | ||
| Develop organization, procedures and strategies for integrating services of the team with other services to students teams | Support and Diversity Services Team | ||
| Work with Advising and Counseling Services Team to access advising information and training and retention strategies | Team in consultation with Advising and Counseling Services Team Leader Manager | ||
| Work with Career and Work Information Center Team to access career development and work opportunity information | Team in consultation with Career and Work Information Center Team Leader Manager | ||
| Work with Students First! Center Team to ensure collaborative services for enrollment and new student orientation | Team in consultation with Students First! Center Team Leader Manager |