[inside student affairs]an insider’s guide for those helping students reach their goals toward optimal health and well-being, engagement with learning, and sense of belonging at PSU
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Student Affairs Annual Report
At the end of this week, we will be unveiling our 2023-24 Student Affairs Annual Report, a comprehensive digest of our division-wide efforts to advance our three key focus areas: Student Engagement with Learning, Sense of Belonging, and Student Wellbeing. Once it is published, it will go live on the Student Affairs website. Thank you to all of you who contributed data, photos, and other content in summary of our efforts across Student Affairs in the last year.
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Free Speech for the Co-CurriculumIf you are a staff member who works with PSU students outside of the classroom, the Protest and Expression Advisory Team encourages you to attend the upcoming Free Speech for the Co-curriculum Symposium on Wednesday, October 16. This day-long training (which includes coffee, light refreshments, and lunch) will be held in person and is designed to educate and support the PSU community with regard to the First Amendment. Space is limited and registration is required.
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SSWC Ice Cream Social
Join Services for Students with Children on Thursday, October 3 from 11am to 2 pm for an Ice Cream Social. Learn more about resources for students with children, meet our staff, and build community with other students while enjoying ice cream. The event is free and will take place in SMSU 462. To learn more about SSWC, please visit the SSWC website.
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Referrals to PSU CARES and Student Conduct
In 2023-2024, our campus community submitted 444 more PSU CARES and Student Conduct referrals than in the previous year. We are grateful to faculty and staff for their partnership in ensuring student support, productive academic environments, and campus safety. Over the summer, the Dean of Student Life team transitioned to a new data management software called Maxient, which is a higher performing option that will dramatically improve PSU CARES and Student Conduct information tracking and sharing systems. To make referrals in Maxient, please update your bookmarks or favorites to the new URL: pdx.edu/dos/referral.
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Co-location of the Queer Resource Center and Women's Resource Center
The Queer Resource Center has two interim co-directors, Mireya Rosas-Barajas and Taylor Burke, who are sharing leadership during the search and hiring process for the next director. Additionally, the WRC and QRC are co-located in SMSU 439 on a temporary basis for fall and winter terms. This opportunity will permit tremendous learning opportunities related to intersections and collaborations. While professional staff and drop-in space will be hosted in the WRC space, the QRC space will continue to be used by the resource centers for scheduled meetings and affinity groups during this temporary period. Please contact Taylor Burke with any questions related to these temporary changes.
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[student activities and leadership programs]
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Party in the ParkHosted by the Student Activities and Leadership Programs and Campus Recreation, Party in the Park is Portland State University's annual fall quarter student engagement fair. Held on Wednesday, October 2 from 11 am-2 pm in the PSU Park Blocks, this event will inform students about PSU’s amazing student organizations, leadership opportunities, jobs, internships, volunteering, and on-campus events. Additionally, if students visit enough tables, they can earn tickets toward free lunch. For additional event info, visit SALP’s website.
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[student health and well-being]
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Night at the RecAll PSU students and Campus Rec members are encouraged to come PLAY at Campus Rec tonight (October 1) from 6-8 pm during an action-packed Night at the Rec! Meet our 30+ Rec Clubs and check out everything Campus Rec offers including Intramural Sports, Outdoor Programs, Aquatics, Fitness and Inclusive Rec. Join us for music, fun activities, inflatable games, rock climbing and more. Plus, the first 100 students who pose in front of our photobooth backdrop will receive an exclusive Campus Rec t-shirt.
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Walktober starts October 1
Walktober is a free, 31-day health promotion challenge designed to motivate and inspire the PSU community to become more active, wherever you are. Set personal goals, enjoy friendly competition, participate in weekly challenges, and earn prizes as you get outside and increase your step count—whenever and wherever you want! Complete the Walktober 2024 registration form and participate as an individual or team, then get walking or rolling!
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Fall Counseling GroupsEach term, SHAC offers a variety of workshops and groups for students to attend. We address specific topics related to mental health and wellness to help engage PSU audiences. Group counseling can provide unique benefits including learning with and from peers, receiving feedback and support from peers in a counselor-facilitated setting, and learning specific skills in a group environment. For a look at this fall’s options, please visit SHAC’s website.
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[university housing and residence life]
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Photo of professional staff in University Housing and Residence Life taken in Summer 2024
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| New Live-On Requirement for First-Year Students
PSU and UHRL instituted a First Year Housing Live-On Requirement for Fall 2024 for non-local recent high school graduates. Students who live on campus have increased persistence compared to students who live off-campus (not including students living at home), and the requirement is a recruitment advantage when working with non-local students who are looking for a residential community. UHRL worked to implement a policy that supports recruitment while giving students the flexibility to live at home/with family as needed. To learn more about the policy and student exemption criteria, please visit the First-Year Housing webpage.
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Save the Date: Student Success FairHosted by the Office of Student Success, the Inaugural Student Success Resource Fair is coming on Thursday, October 10 from noon-2 pm. in Montgomery Plaza. With more than 20 campus partners participating, this event is designed especially for first-year and transfer students to showcase the wide range of student success programs and resources available to them at PSU. Students who attend will also learn about upcoming events and can ask questions — plus free PSU swag!
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New Interim Vice Provost for Student SuccessIn August, Erin Shortlidge, Ph.D transitioned into the role of Interim Vice Provost for Student Success. Erin is an Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education at PSU, and she is dedicated to engaging in responsive leadership, teaching, and research in evidence-based ways. During the 2022-2024 academic years, as an OAA fellow, she used data-driven approaches to understand barriers to success for PSU STEM students, with a focus on gateway STEM courses. Student Affairs is looking forward to working with Erin and her team in the coming year. Please extend a warm welcome to Erin!
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Today's headlines are filled with evidence of surging levels of anxiety. According to the American Psychiatric Association's annual mental health poll, 43% of adults say they feel more anxious than they did the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. Data from Inside Higher Ed’s 2024 Student Voice survey of 5,025 undergraduates found two in five students say their mental health is impacting their ability to focus, learn, and perform academically “a great deal,” and one in 10 students rate their mental health as “poor.”
In his new book, Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness, Dr. Jamil Zaki, a professor of psychology and director of the Social Neuroscience Lab at Stanford, draws a compelling connection between these concerning spikes in anxiety and heightened levels of cynicism. He defines cynicism as a feeling of distrust of others and a belief that people only care about themselves. He also notes that sophisticated studies demonstrate that cynicism is associated with lower levels of happiness, flourishing, and satisfaction with life, and greater incidence of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. Cynics tend to have greater degrees of cellular inflammation, heart disease, and all-cause mortality, so they have shorter lives as well.
But despite the harm it causes, more people report being cynical now than in decades past. How can we break free from cynicism and its negative impact on our collective health and mental health? Zaki's research at Stanford reveals that those of us who work closely with students on college campuses may have the ability to play a key role in reversing these trends.
After surveying thousands of students about their social health, Zaki's lab discovered two Stanfords: one real and one imaginary. The real Stanford was filled with students who are enormously compassionate, want to meet new friends, and are committed to helping their friends who are struggling. The second Stanford existed only in students' minds. When asked, students did not describe the real Stanford, but one that was less friendly, less compassionate, more cynical, and more judgmental.
This common discrepancy between perception and reality has an immense impact on quality of life. Students who underestimate their peers are less willing to strike up a conversation with a stranger, to confide in a friend when they are struggling, or to be honest and vulnerable with others. On average, they are more isolated and lonely. Zaki found that social media amplifies our negative interpretation of others and boosts our sense of being judged and disliked. Lonely, disconnected people spend more time on the internet, and this makes them even more cynical and isolated than before. This is the vicious cycle of cynicism.
Perhaps my most profound takeaway from Zaki's research is that this alarming body of data about growing levels of anxiety and what Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has described as a loneliness epidemic could be, in part, the product of factors that we can influence through our work in Student Affairs. If feeling misunderstood is one of the primary causes of loneliness and anxiety for our students, we need to teach them to cultivate curiosity, empathy, and understanding, not snap judgement. One of the great protectors of our students’ health is their sense of connection to other people-- and every day I witness the many ways that you help our students to feel seen and know that they are not alone. Thank you to each of you for leading with kindness and for creating space where students can step outside of what Zaki refers to as "mean world syndrome"-- encouraging students to put down their phones and turn down the volume (or mute) the negative bias of gossip and the cynicism factory of social media. Your courage to model hope and optimism, to build meaningful relationships with our students and to be truly present in and with our community are seen, valued and appreciated.
-Michele
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[office of student affairs]
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[future editions]If you want to include something in an upcoming Inside Student Affairs, please email studentaffairs@pdx.edu. Archives of past issues can be found here.
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