Campus departments, units explain their roles to Class of 2022 during Resource Fair

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JSU’s Division of Student Affairs, along with its new Freshman Ambassador Program, helped introduce first-time enrollees to various campus departments during Welcome Week’s Campus Resource Fair.

The event was held Wednesday in the Student Center Ballroom to inform freshmen about the functions and services of numerous divisions, departments and auxiliaries.

Kendrick Spencer, director of the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership for Student Affairs, said, “We want to make sure that we intentionally provide an opportunity for new students to be exposed to various departments throughout the campus and better inform them about what’s going on at Jackson State University.”

Spencer said a number of freshmen visited the fair, and they spoke to numerous faculty and staff. “They seemed excited and eager to learn about the various units.”

He also commended the “amazing work” of the new Freshmen Ambassador Program made up of upperclassmen. Its mission is to make sure new students attend Welcome Week events.

Among the vendors:

• Admissions
• Career Services Center
• Dean of Students Office
• Department of Psychology
• Disability Services
• Division of Athletics
• Events and Visitor Services
• Facilities and Construction Management
• Financial Aid
• Housing and Residence Life

• 

  Information Technology

• JSU Army ROTC
• JSU Global
• Latasha Norman Center for Counseling Services
• Student Affairs
• Student Center
• Student Employment Center/Payroll
• Sodexo Magic
• Title IX
• University Health Center

All vendors appeared impressed with the crowd of students who sought information about their roles on campus.

Rodney Hall, recruiting operations officer/leadership enrollment officer in the Department of Military Science, said his area focused on the following tasks while engaging with students:

1. Make incoming students aware of what JSU Army ROTC offers and inform them of scholarships and leadership opportunities
2. Let them know they can take ROTC at no cost
3. View the military as a career objective and, after graduation, they become second lieutenants in the U.S. Army

“The U.S. Army has great opportunities,” Hall said. “We have more than 20 different career fields, ranging from administration to business and from technology to combat arms. There is an array of opportunities working for the government.”

In addition, Hall touted its CULP (Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency) program that allows students to travel abroad for three weeks to a foreign country and interact with other cultures.

As if those weren’t enough, he also discussed internship camps: a basic camp and advanced camp in which students receive $1,000 as they spend time at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and compete for ROTC scholarships.

As well, Hall said new students at the resource fair learned that JSU Army ROTC recently celebrated its 50^th-year anniversary with the help of former JSU President Dr. John Peoples, who, in 1967, initiated and petitioned the federal government to establish an Army ROTC program. He also boasted that the Tiger Battalion has commissioned more than 700 cadets to second lieutenants – four of whom have become General officers.

Aside from ROTC, the University Health Center was another vendor.

Victoria Coleman, a staff nurse at the center, said her facility handles “pretty much everything,” including any acute illness.

Don’t have insurance? No worry, Coleman said. “You don’t need that to be seen at the Health Center.”

She reeled off a list of other services: women’s reproductive issues, pre-testing for students; and health promotion, including providing care to student-athletes.

The Health Center also provides referrals and collaborates with other areas on campus such as the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling Services as well as Disability Services.

The staff also provides information on inoculations and injections.

“When incoming students come in they need to send immunizations to us. We make sure they comply with the immunization series (MMR – measles, mumps and rubella). We don’t do them in the clinic, but we make sure they have completed them.”

As well, Coleman said the center offers free STD screenings that include HIV. “We’ve had this free program for the past five years. Students can come in without having to see the doctor,” she said.

While it also inoculates against the flu, she said the center’s vaccines are limited. The cost is $25 for students and employees. However, Coleman recommends getting a free injection at a pharmacy for those who have insurance.

Meanwhile, the Latasha Norman Center for Counseling Services provided a wealth of information.

Antonio Horton is project coordinator for the One S.A.F.E. JSU Initiative and a counselor at the Latasha Norman Center. He said he wants students to know about available resources, especially since suicide, for example, is the second leading cause of death among college students.

He also wants to help young people deal with the stigma of mental health and familiarize themselves with the center’s many other services beyond domestic violence counseling.

“We deal with issues surrounding depression, anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia. We also handle concerns on a milder scale such as adjusting to college, procrastination and time-management. We just want to make sure students matriculate through college successfully and that nothing gets in the way of their success.”

Interestingly, he said, “Our students may know what’s going with them a lot of times but may be unaware of the space to disclose their personal challenges. They need assurances about security when addressing concerns about gender-based violence, for example, and mental health. A sense of protection makes their experience even greater at Jackson State.”

Finally, Information Technology was among dozens of vendors helping to round out the fair.

Kedra Taylor, a systems integration analyst, works primarily with academic technology to aid teaching and learning in the classroom and online.

“As for the students, we’re talking to them about how to access email and to make sure they use it as a significant means of communication with whomever they’re dealing with at the university. We also talk to them about wireless accessibility and make sure they activate their NetID for access to our online library resource in the computer lab. We also provide information on Canvas as a classroom teaching and learning tool,” Taylor said.

Furthermore, she said, “Another important thing to know is that JSU offers Microsoft Office Space 365 for free to all enrolled students as well as faculty and staff. We make sure they know ahead of time that this service is available so they won’t spend their money on software the university provides for free.”

Taylor also introduced freshmen to the JSU Mobile app, urging them to download it so they can keep in touch and know about what’s going on at the university.

“We are a technology society. Our students communicate through technology. We offer so many avenues to use technology in the classroom. Our students need to know how to gain access to the resources,” she said.

To view more photos, click WELCOME WEEK