Student Housing & Residential Life Launches Student Support
DSA News
June 24, 2024
Student Housing & Residential Life’s (SHRL) mission is to serve a diverse community of students, staff, and faculty to promote student success in living-learning environments by building relationships, promoting engagement, and leading with an ethic of care. The rise in mental health concerns and wellbeing deficits in the college-aged student population proliferates daily interactions across the nation. To live the department’s values of supporting student success and leading with an ethic of care, SHRL has launched a Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) initiative with three primary goals, proactive wellbeing development, increased responsiveness to student concerns, and peer support through mentoring.
Established in the fall of 2023, under Kelsey Reynolds (M’17), inaugural Assistant Director for Student Support and Wellbeing, leadership along with four Residential Life Coordinators, the team collaborates with campus partners and students to advocate and develop creative solutions to complicated life situations. Proactively, dynamic programming focused on the nine dimensions of wellness occurs in all residential communities – from Lego and Let's Go to a collaborative effort with University of Houston Wellness to sponsor a Healthy Neighborhood Block Party. The objective is to assist students with developing strategies that are utilized for their “wellbeing toolbox. The toolbox is intended to provide a variety of options to manage life stressors early.
Furthermore, the team outreaches to residential students who have experienced an event that may be disruptive to their academic pursuits – ranging from roommate dynamics to physical or mental health concerns to academic difficulty. The team contacts residents or others affected by a situation to understand if the individual(s) may require support and to share resources that are available throughout the campus or local community. The team collaborates weekly, if not daily, with the Dean of Students office along with the University’s Care team. Holly Alexander, PhD, Director of Residential Life, has already observed a positive change with the approach. “We have a team dedicated to connecting with students quickly. My philosophy working with students on campus has always been that their home must be their sanctuary. When that gets disrupted, their ability to maintain their academic performance can be disrupted. This initiative provides wrap-around support to connect students with the resources that can assist them on their journey. I view the program as an embodiment of CoogsCare.
The student support and wellbeing area piloted a mentoring program in Spring 2024. First-year residential students were invited to pair with returning students to form peer mentoring relationships. Madison Rodriguez, 24, shared her reason for becoming a mentor “...is to have the opportunity to help and work with others during challenging situations. I am a first-generation student and had no choice but to navigate the college life alone (i.e., financial aid, signing up for classes, balancing a job and classes). College is a rewarding process as you meet new people and experience adulthood, but it can be quite challenging. I never want for my mentees to feel alone and lost during their experience, I would love to come to their aid in any situation they’re facing, because it’s not easy doing it alone.
In the Spring semester, the student support and wellbeing staff reached 177 residents with a 63% response rate. If you have a residential student you would like to refer to the team or a resource you would like to share, contact Kelsey Reynolds at kreynol@cougarnet.uh.edu. For further information on Student Housing and Residential Life support services and resources visit the website here.