Weekly Updates

Dear UCD colleagues,

This week’s Division Message is from Tomiko Jenkins, Dean of Student Life

I grew up during a time when episodes of popular tv shows for children would re-air, and I loved a particular show because I found the episodes to be calming as a child. I will never forget how the host would remind children to “look for the helpers” during scary times. This tip has guided so many of my personal scary moments. I have also repeated this advice to my own children many times over the years.

So many of us have spent a great amount of time during our careers, and during this week due to the election, being “the helpers.”  My words fail as I describe my gratitude for the ways that our community centered humanity and offered shoulders to cry on, ears to listen, and held space in support of a sea of emotions that were expressed as anger, confusion, grief, and sadness just to name a few. I must also name that for some, there has been celebration and joy, and I hope there were spaces held for this as well. With all that the helpers are managing; it feels especially important to pause and lift up the needs of our helpers. Who is taking care of the helpers? Let us remember our own humanity and the humanity of our colleagues. The BMC community seems to do this well-we allow room for grace. I found joy in our gatherings on campus, and the moments to sit on the bench under a tree either alone or with a colleague. The weather seems to be a personalized gift to us all. It feels important to remind us that the small things matter. The smiles that greet us along the paths, the stops into offices just to say hello and sincerely ask “how are you holding up,” or the emails or text messages that start by acknowledging this moment in time, are valuable and offer help to the helpers. 

I see the helpers in action, and I stand in awe of the beautiful ways that we offer ourselves even when we may be feeling impacted by the moment. I hope after we have been helpful, that we get the help that we may need either in community on campus or within our home community. Friends, this is your invitation to remember to breathe, rest, find solace, and please, take what you need.

YOU ROCK!

• Class Deans MB Horvath, Melissa Giess, Baru Roberson-Hornsby, and Akirah Fenimore who have been handling a high volume of students in need! We see you!
• Ellie Esmond for her work to support voter education and opportunities to register and vote.
• Katie Turek for leading a successful Leadership Learning Laboratory with thoughtfulness, intention, and superb organization!! 
• Liana Henrie for her work to support the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows (MMUF) who will present at the annual conference, being held at the University of Pennsylvania this weekend.
• Sharon Kenny for managing all the logistics for the Bryn Mawr and Beyond Internship Event, where 60 student presenters talked about their summer funded internship with families, friends, and alumnae/i.
• Caroline Northcutt who volunteers regularly to support those in need, especially other staff members.
• All staff members who showed up and provided opportunities for students to be together after our most recent election.
• Dining Services and Wyndham Catering for their quick response to supporting our community efforts in Great Hall.
• Faculty members who offered feedback through our surveys—they matter.

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES

STUDENT SUCCESS

Academic Support:

• Hosted a tabling event in Erdman on study skills with 50 attendees and released the corresponding November newsletter.
• Conducted the review process for all re-enrollment student applications with partners throughout the division and college.
• Held a peer mentor and peer tutor training with 25 student leaders in attendance.

Access Services:

• Collaborated with colleagues surrounding the prototype of a testing center.
• Met with Haverford colleagues to discuss procedures and practices related to Access Services.

Class Deans:

• Participated in Admissions Bryn Mawr Beyond the Classroom Fair, which was part of the Fall Open House for prospective students. 
• Participated in two Family Zoom sessions. 
• Spring pre-registration group advising for the Class of 2028 has ended. 347 (out of 380) students participated. 
• Advised and supported 95 students through one-on-one meetings and drop-in hours.
• Holding pre-registration drop-in hours for students of all class years from 3-5pm Monday through Friday to assist students with their schedules. 
• Continuing to meet with academic departments to learn about their courses and programs and have recently met with Physics, Linguistics and Anthropology Departments.

First-Year Experience:

• Finalized opportunities for spring Philadelphia Engagement. Students will be able to opt into this program during their final Thrive class next week. 
• Assisted 20 first-year students with their spring course schedules. 

 Global Engagement:

• Worked with LITS to make updates in Bionic for the 2025-26 application for college approval to study abroad. Applications open November 15th and remain open through February 14^th.
• Held 5 in person pre-departure orientation sessions for 41 students studying abroad in Spring 25.
• Participated in the Office of Admissions Bryn Mawr Beyond the Classroom Fair.

CAMPUS SAFETY

• Supported Traditions and Student Engagement in Lantern Night.
• Worked with Career and Civic, the Wellness Center, and community partners to hold a harm reductive substance usage space for students.

Rollcalls

• Understanding 1st amendment rights and working with our students around freedom of expression.
• Review of report writing to gather facts and eliminate opinions.

Bryn Mawr College
10/30 - 11/5/2024 
Alarm Activation                4
Alarm Fire                         3
Assist Student                  1
Drug Violation                   0
Facilities Notification         2
Liquor Law Violation         1
Lockout                             97
Medical Response             2
Medical Transport             1
Student Lockout                19
Transport                          81
Well-Being Check              3

Total                                      214

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• Lauren Platt, along with 2 Career Peers who are also Posse scholars, joined Mathematics Professor/Posse Mentor Peter Kasius to meet with the first-year Boston Posse Cohort to discuss Career & Civic Engagement Center resources, promote the First-Year Internship workshop in December, as well as to share words of encouragement and let them know we’re here for them each step of the way!  
• Alumni Learning Consortium event - The Art of Science of Connection: Why Social Health is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier had 53 alums registered.
• Hosted representatives from the League of Women Voters of Lower Merion & Narberth for a workshop called “Ready, Set, Vote!” Six students attended and learned about how to prepare for Election Day, what resources can be counted on for factual information about the candidates, and they learned about their rights as college student voters. 
• Design Your Life kicked off with a Connection and Learning Event – a 2+ hour activity where students explored campus, completed team building activities, and connected with one another! As part of the activity, students generated this haiku: As the fall wind blows, this scavenger hunt is cool, we sit on these stones. 
• Students travelled from campus to Washington, DC to participate in the National Women’s March at Freedom Plaza. Collaborated with students to plan the trip, and the students reported that it was a really great experience!
• Students participated in the Leadership Learning Lab (LLL), a simulated workday which includes real-world ways of interacting and decision-making applicable to a wide range of professional settings.  This experiential program was led by our staff, GSSWSR Graduate Assistants along with 11 Bryn Mawr College alumnae/i. The alums represented class years ranging from 1987-2023 and work in fields such as law, consulting, engineering, chemistry, social work, publishing, and more. Student participants each receive a personalized feedback report during their 60-90 minute 1-on-1 coaching session with a staff member. This report highlights individual strengths and helps students create a plan for further professional development.
• Liv Raddatz presented to the faculty along with Sarah Theobald, sharing information about the Praxis Program and the 360 Program. Faculty were interested to learn more about how Praxis courses are developed, what resources are available to support them in teaching classes with community engagement, and the pedagogy that supports effective community-engaged learning experiences. 
• Supported the Admissions’ Open House “Beyond the Classroom” fair.
• Dana Gold met with Posse career reps from Boston and Houston to share an overview of our Center. They were very impressed with our Center’s model and will be incorporating info about upcoming events and reminders to students into their programming on campus. 

IMPACT CENTER

• Offered post-election gathering space in the multicultural living room.
• Launched Winter Wellness Clothing Drive. New and gently used coats, jackets, hats, and gloves are available in The Well near Room 168. Students may take what they need and faculty and staff may drop off any contributions to Trish Whitfield. There is also an Amazon Wishlist page at this link for those who would like to have purchases sent directly to The Impact Center.
• Enid Cook Center (ECC) hosted a variety of field trips and events: visit to Linvilla Orchard (26 students), H Mart grocery trip (22 students), outing for climbing night at Gravity Vault in Radnor (4 students).
• Intercultural Living and Learning Center (ILLC) BIPOC Belonging floor held a floor gathering and conversation with 18 students and a team-building outing to an escape room where 17 students participated. 
• Met with 13 international students to review info about senior procedures, tax summary reports, and protocol for leave of absence.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Services:

• Met with 149 students. Completed 172 clinical appointments; 21 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling. The rest were counseling intakes, counseling revisits, psychiatric initial evaluations and ongoing psychiatric management, brief clinical check-ins, and emergency visits. 142/149 were undergraduate students and the rest were graduate students.
• Compared to last Fall semester at this time, we’ve seen a 46.23% increase in number of students served and 51.5% in number of sessions completed this semester.

Health Services:

• Wellness was awarded $2500 Montgomery County College & University Prevention and Mental Health Mini-Grant for creation of healing garden outside of the Well and community building events for sober / sober curious students. Both projects are set to begin in the spring.
• Supported 21 students during extended office hours. Rose Miller and Hope McMahan, Prevention Specialist from Montgomery County, provided additional support for students in the Health and Wellness office.
• Clinic saw a slight increase in covid cases. Students who want free covid tests can go right to the CDC website to order 8 for free that comes within days to their mailbox on campus https://covidtests.gov/.
• No flu to date, but not too late to get a flu or covid booster. Please have students see us for more information on getting theirs free through their health insurance carrier.

Residential Life and Student Engagement:

• Participated in the Undergraduate College Division Family Zoom meetings.
• Joined other departments to talk with prospective students, families, and guests at the “fall festival” hosted by the Office of Admissions.

Restorative Practice:

• Continued to meet with Student Leaders about the restorative practice program.
• Had an initial meeting with a student who requested assistance dealing with an issue.
• Reviewed the results from our first workshop. 95% of the interactions were extremely positive. Students also requested additional Restorative Practice workshops and tabling events.

Student Support Services:

• Provided services to 45 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners.
• Maxient is live! Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com) to refer students.

Title IX:

• You can still reach the Interim Title IX Coordinator through the same reporting forms and Title IX phone number/email address linked/listed on the Sex Discrimination pages on the College’s website: titleix_coordinator@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7863. You can also reach her directly at kim.pacelli@tngconsulting.com.
• The work of our Interim Title IX Coordinator remains the same and is guided both by the College’s Sex Discrimination and Sex-Based Harassment policy (“the Policy”) and the Title IX Final Rule.
• Bryn Mawr College will now have a Title IX Coordinator dedicated to our community as this will no longer be a BiCO position. We will perform a robust, nationwide search for a Bryn Mawr College Title IX Coordinator, which we have already started, and students, staff, and faculty will participate on the search committee.
• There are no current title IX cases.

STAFFING

• Nothing to report.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• November 8^th from 11am-1pm in the Nest (Wellness Room), counseling will facilitate a post-election event titled “Pizza, Politics, and Peaceful Political Conversations.”
• November 9^th from 6-8pm in the Campus Center, The Owl Programming Board is hosting a pennant making craft even for students.
• November 11^th through 15^th is pre-registration for all students.
• November 13^th, Interim Title IX Coordinator, Kim Pacelli will be visiting the Bryn Mawr campus for a drop-in office hour and conduct SMART Training sessions. The drop-in office hours will run from 9:00 -10:00 am in Guild 102 and training sessions will take place from 11:00 am-12:30 pm and then again from 2:00-3:30 pm in Guild 203. Sign-up HERE for SMART Training Sessions.
• November 15^th, 1-4pm Historically Women’s Colleges & Uni. Virtual Career Fair will be held entirely on Handshake, with over 75 employers and grad schools attending.
• December 6^th, 5-7:30pm Holiday Cosplay hosted by Dining Services, Dinner in Erdman, churro truck, games, drag show, dance party, mocktails, and more in Old Library 5:30-9pm. If you’d like to participate, please RSVP here.
• December 6^th at 8pm in the Campus Center is the December First Year First Friday.

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE
To contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.

FALL 2024
November 4-11 Richie Gebauer
November 11-18 Melissa Giess  
November 18-25 Akirah Fenimore  
November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving) Joi Dallas 
December 2-9 Tracy Weber 
December 9-16 (Last week of classes) Rachel Heiser 
December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20) Courtney Newkirk 

Message from the Undergraduate Dean 

This week’s Division Message is from Lil Burroughs, Executive Director of Campus Safety

As I was reflected on what I to write, I could not help giving a huge shoutout to my team, Campus Safety, who are always here to assist everyone, being the go-to department for everything, and being present in all situations. Yes, I am a big fan of my team. I also would be remiss if I did not mention our ability to witness the Inauguration of our 10th President, Wendy Cadge. We have watched history in its making, and I am so proud and grateful to be a colleague of this incredible College.

I am also so excited that Campus Safety is now part of the Dean’s Division. The members of the dean’s division volunteered to be extra eyes and ears during the Board of Trustees visit and the entire Inauguration which was such a huge help for me. You know who you are, and I thank you personally for your assistance.

Speaking of being thankful, as we approach the holidays, let’s remember to give thanks to all those who support us, including our family and friends. Sometimes we take it for granted that our family and friends will always be there. Let us appreciate the time we have together and not worry about things we cannot control.

Let us keep this positive momentum going for the rest of the semester! Go Eagles!

YOU ROCK!

• Katie Krimmel for facilitating a great discussion about CliftonStrengths for the Impact Center staff and providing helpful resources following the conversation.
• Lil Burroughs and the entire Campus Safety team for providing the planning and the presence that helped keep OwlsFest, Board of Trustees Meeting, and Inauguration safe and meaningful.
• Sydney Robertson from Career+Civic on uploading the Summer Internship Program student blogs onto the College website in time for OwlsFest! 

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES

STUDENT SUCCESS

Academic Support:

• Held the first body doubling weekly group for all students meeting with our office to create a space that allows for students to study individually but in a collaborative setting to encourage focus, motivation, and efficiency.
• Planned all November events including training for peer academic leaders and tabling and workshops for all students.
• Conducted all administrative processes and finished student meetings and responses to prepare for the re-enrollment application deadline.

Access Services:

• Initiated meetings (and recruited more faculty!) for a new subcommittee within the Accessibility Leadership Committee.
• Attended a professional development opportunity through AHEAD regarding the new Title II regulations facing colleges and universities.
• Continued conversations with faculty and staff regarding a variety of complex student accommodation requests.

Class Deans:

• Attended the NACADA, the global community for academic advising, annual conference in Pittsburgh. 
• 98 first-year students attended a group advising session to prepare for the spring 2025 pre-registration. Sessions continue through early November.
• Supported 35 students through drop-in hours and scheduled appointments. 

First-Year Experience:

• Staff are holding meetings with Customs People to discuss how they support first-year students in the residence halls.
• FYE staff are supporting first-year students in selecting courses for the spring semester. 

 Global Engagement:

• Moderated a panel on Global Learning for Owlsfest; approximately 70 students, parents, and alums were in attendance.
• The Study Abroad Student Coordinators hosted a Meet & Greet with 8 students in attendance.
• Hosted a fellowships presentation as part of the Cities major information session, with approximately 30 students in attendance.

CAMPUS SAFETY

• Rose Miller ran a harm reduction pop up event with Monto County partners speaking with roughly 300 students, parents, and alumni.
• Supported ResLife and Student Engagement in alternative party event.
• Assisted with the Inauguration.
• Julie McReynolds is now participating in the Dialogue Project.
• Barry Hess is taking care of all department vehicles, including the newer vehicle that has arrived.

Rollcalls

• Discussed protesting at Academic Institutions and reviewing disruption plans.
• Discussed preparation for the Board of Trustees, Owl’s Fest, and the Inauguration.

Bryn Mawr College      

10/23-10/29
Alarm Activation               3
Alarm Fire                        0
Assist Student                  3
Drug Violation                  0
Facilities Notification        3
Liquor Law Violation        4
Lockout                            99
Medical Response           5
Medical Transport            4
Student Lockout              19
Transport                         77
Well-Being Check             0

Total                                217

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• Offered Two second quarter PE courses Design Your Life and Leadership Essentials that are filled with 16 students registered for each one! 
• Adelante student volunteers supported their first session of the semester at ACLAMO in Norristown. The group of five volunteers led a slime making activity with the middle school students. This group will lead STEAM enrichment sessions with hands-on activities that seek to encourage interest in STEAM activities, classes, and careers. 
• The VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program hosted interest sessions at both Bryn Mawr and Haverford campuses. The Bryn Mawr session included 16 attendees with 15 new volunteer sign-ups! 
• Since launching PathwayU in late August, 73 students & alumnae/i have completed this career assessment to reflect on how their interests, values, personality, and workplace preferences inform their career exploration process. 
• The Bryn Mawr and Beyond event had over 150 family, friends, staff, faculty, and students who stopped by to learn about what students did over the summer. To learn more, read their stories here. 
• Communications launched an updated outcomes website! Huge thanks to Dayna Levy for her work gathering data through the First Destination Survey and then meticulously cleaning and analyzing the information to create the backbone of the site. 

IMPACT CENTER

• Hosted a celebration in honor of Enid Cook’s birthday, 11 students attended.
• Supported inauguration activities as volunteers.
• Facilitated a critical conversation for a student group to help them share their own diverse opinions about the war in Gaza so that they could build empathy and understanding for one another.
• Hosted a hall program and dinner for the Interfaith Engagement floor. 16 students participated.
• Hosted a hall program for the Pan-Asian Cultures floor. 20 students participated.
• Offered a workshop for Undocu+ Visibility Week on sharing stories and tabled for Breaking Barriers highlighting resources for undocu+ students.
• Began the Fall Faith Journey 101 with a cohort of seven students.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Services:

• Met with 138 students. Completed 165 clinical appointments; 25 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling. The rest were counseling intakes, counseling revisits, psychiatric initial evaluations and ongoing psychiatric management, brief clinical check-ins, and emergency visits. 132/138 were undergraduate students and the rest were graduate students.

Health Services:

• Partnering with PIRE (Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation) as part 2 of the free services from the Montgomery County College Health and Substance Use Assessment Grant. This support will provide us with free data dashboard. We will be able to input all process and outcome data as we generate it. This will help us to narrate our data story to not just the division, but to all campus stakeholders.
• Small increase in CAP (community acquired pneumonia) diagnosis and remind colleagues that if a student has unresolved cough or illness, to direct them to us.
• Maria Warnick, CRNP, PhD, presented at the American Association of Colleges and Universities' Annual Conference on Global Learning in Washington, DC. Her topic presentation was Interdisciplinary Partnerships for Global Community Education: Transforming Student Experiences.
• OwlWell hosted the following:
  • Evening yoga in the Nest (Peer Health and Educator-led)
  • Pumpkin Painting in the Nest (Peer Health and Wellness Educator-led)
  • Cookie Decorating and Trick or Treating
  • Halloween movie night

Residential Life and Student Engagement:

• Coordinated with the student Owl Programming Board to bring vendors and craft events to the OWLS Fest followed by a dance for students later that evening.
• Collaborated with the Census bureau to provide compliance data for one of our residence halls.
• Partnered with the student Residence Council and hosted the annual Dorm Trick or Treat and Halloween party.

Restorative Practice:

• Hosted our first informal workshop at the Campus Center. 
• Met with 2 student groups to discuss the Restorative Practice program.
• Continued to engage with Student Groups around the Restorative Practice Program and different training and workshops we offer.

Student Support Services:

• Provided services to 50 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners.
• Attended a Meet and Greet with Athletic Department.
• Maxient is live! Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com) to refer students.

Title IX:

• Interim Title IX Coordinator is Kim Pacelli. You can still reach the Interim Title IX Coordinator through the same reporting forms and Title IX phone number/email address linked/listed on the Sex Discrimination pages on the College’s website: titleix_coordinator@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7863. You can also reach her directly at kim.pacelli@tngconsulting.com.
• The work of the Interim Title IX Coordinator remains the same and is guided both by the College’s Sex Discrimination and Sex-Based Harassment policy (“the Policy”) and the Title IX Final Rule. 
• Bryn Mawr College will now have a Title IX Coordinator dedicated to our community as this will no longer be a BiCO position. We will perform a robust, nationwide search for a Bryn Mawr College Title IX Coordinator, which we have already started, and students, staff, and faculty will participate on the search committee. 

STAFFING

• Nothing to repo

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Friday, November 1^st (today): First Year First Friday at 8pm in the Campus Center with gratitude as the program theme. 
• Saturday, November 2^nd in partnership with Student Engagement, Career & Civic Engagement: Chartered bus to support students’ participation in the National Women’s March happening in Washington, DC. Seats on the bus are limited—students may reserve their seat on the bus using the following sign up genius link:  National Women’ March Sign Up 
• Sunday, November 3^rd 8-9pm Student Engagement is supporting student Traditions for the annual Lantern Night ceremony on Old Library Green.
• November 5 (Reminder for Election Day)- Career & Civic Engagement is running an Election Day Voting Shuttle providing free rides to BMC students beginning at 9:00 am and running until the polls close (~8:00 pm). The Shuttle Stop will be located at Wyndham Parking Lot, along with a voter resource table, staff support, and fire pits! Happy Voting! Please spread the word! 
• November 8^th 11am-1pm in the Nest (Wellness Room), counseling will facilitate a post-election event titled “Pizza, Politics, and Peaceful Political Conversations.”
• November 15^th, 1-4pm Historically Women’s Colleges & Uni. Virtual Career Fair will be held entirely on Handshake, with over 75 employers and grad schools attending.

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE

In order to contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.

FALL 2024

October 28-November 4 Andrew Wilbraham  
November 4-11 Richie Gebauer  
November 11-18 Melissa Giess  
November 18-25 Akirah Fenimore  
November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving) Joi Dallas 
December 2-9 Tracy Weber 
December 9-16 (Last week of classes) Rachel Heiser 
December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20) Courtney Newkirk 

Message from the Undergraduate Dean 

This week’s Division Message is from Richie Gebauer, Dean of Student Success

As we all began a new academic year several weeks ago, my youngest daughter Cora began her first school year as a Kindergartner. While my oldest daughter Sawyer walked into school confidently on her very first day several years ago, barely taking the time to say goodbye, Cora has had an extremely difficult time with this transition.  Cora has found this change to be personally challenging and, at moments in those early weeks, paralyzing. She is 9 weeks into her Kindergarten experience and while there is still an occasional morning where tears are shed walking through the school door, she is finally settling into this new routine. She is beginning to appreciate her teacher (who is a bit strict!), recently changed tables in the classroom and has found herself sitting alongside three of her friends and values the space to be creative in a multitude of ways. While many of our friend’s children adjusted to this transition on their first day, it has taken Cora almost the entire first quarter of the academic year. And though this has created a great deal of worry for us as parents, we’ve come to realize that this is absolutely okay! Each child experiences and grapples with transitions differently.

Just like kindergartners, our college students are no different. Many of our students are undergoing significant moments of transition –the transition from high school to college; the transition to moving and living far away from home; the transition from growing up with strong friendships to still needing time to get to know their peers; the transition from some of our students having a room to themselves to now having to share a room with someone they did not know when they arrived to campus; the transition to an academic rigor they may not be familiar with, etc. Each of these transitions are not easy in isolation never mind when they occur all at once. And, while some of our students have adapted to these moments of transition very quickly, it may take other students a full semester, a full academic year, or even longer to truly feel grounded on our campus and in our community. While there are mornings where Cora’s anxiety manifests in behavior that, at that moment, seems outrageous, it has challenged me to be more patient (which can be extremely difficult!) as I seek to better understand the lived experience she is having. So, I urge us to exhibit the utmost amount of patience with our students, especially when they are acting (or not acting) in ways that seem misaligned with what is expected of them. It takes time for students to welcome the support we all seek to offer and to develop a sense of trust in their working relationship with each of us. It may feel odd to them that we are each invested in their academic and social success on campus, especially if this has not been a recognizable feature of their previous educational experiences. Just as it may take them a full semester or full academic year to feel grounded here at Bryn Mawr, it may take the same amount of time for them to remove the walls they have built up over the years in respect to welcoming help, never mind taking the agency to seek it out on their own. I urge us to persist in our efforts to build and sustain relationships with our students, regardless of how accepting they are of our attempts. It is this persistence that may be the difference in a student’s own perseverance to graduation.

YOU ROCK!

• Deb Alder, who has successfully led Access Services since 2013. Deb will be retiring from Bryn Mawr College as of January 3^rd, 2025. We are forever grateful for the difference Deb has made in the lives of our students and her ongoing contributions to our community! More to come; however, please congratulate Deb on her years of service to BMC!
• Jennifer Prudencio and everyone on the planning team for the Inclusive Hiring Meet Up! Amazing work all around, and a specific "thank you" for working hard to make the event and all materials accessible! 
• Candice Love, Joi Dallas, Deb Alder, and Joanna Timmerman for collaborating with the Career & Civic team to lead, plan and host an amazing Inclusive Hiring Meet Up - first time ever hosted at Bryn Mawr!
• Joanna Timmerman for presenting an awesome presentation to our peer academic leaders!
• Sharon Kenny, Sydney Robertson and Catherine Schreiner for all the logistical support they provided to ensure all the Career & Civic events this week ran smoothly! 
• Dean Tomiko who hosted an amazing pop up.

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES

STUDENT SUCCESS

Academic Support:

• Held Accessibility Training offered to all 60 peer academic leaders employed by our office. 
• Met with all potential Spring 2025 Re-enrollment applicants and students considering and going out on leaves.
• Met with 100 individual students across all support platforms (e.g., peer mentoring, peer tutoring, and academic coaching).

Access Services:

• Presented to Peer Tutors about accessible tutoring practices.
• Supported the planning and day-of logistics of the Inclusive Hiring Meet Up event in collaboration with our teammates in the Division.
• Collaborated with Haverford colleagues on questions related to residential life accommodations.

Class Deans:

• The Center for Career and Civic Engagement and the Junior Class Dean met with representatives to review the platform Suitable - a mobile-first student engagement & success software that helps schools increase student participation outside the classroom, track and assess experiential learning, and empower students to tell their unique stories with their co-curricular transcripts.
• With divisional colleagues, met with the French and Francophone Department to discuss curriculum, study abroad, and fellowships.
• Melissa Giess and Tracy Weber met with Faculty in Africana Studies and Neuroscience to discuss, in further detail, the Sophomore Plan. 
• The First-Year Experience and upperclass Class Deans will facilitate Owls Fest programs for families.
• 73 first-year students attended a group advising session to prepare for spring 2025 pre-registration.

First-Year Experience:

• Working on hosting events for the Customs People (CPs) to increase their engagement with each other as well as reflect on their role and how they can continue support new students. The first event 15 CPs were in attendance.
• Continuing to meet with students to help them successfully complete THRIVE this semester. There are three weeks remaining in this course.
• Finalizing plans for first-year Philadelphia engagement in the spring ’25 semester.
• Planning the First Year First Friday event for November.

Global Engagement:

• Worked with the Registrar's Office to confirm Spring 2025 Study Abroad registration for students.
• Launched the first annual International Education Week Photo Contest, with 8 entries as of Wednesday morning. The contest is open to current international students and students who have participated in any college-sponsored international experience. Entries are due by 11/1.
• Collaborated with Billie Jo Ember in the Office of Sponsored Research on the organization of a Fulbright panel and info session for students, faculty, and staff.

CAMPUS SAFETY

Rollcalls

• Completed Fire Drills on Academic and Administrative Buildings.
• Discussed reporting any hazards that may cause injury around campus.
• Checking windows when locking buildings.
• Set up harm reduction pop up event with Montoco and Prevention Ed to provide psychoeducation and support for safer practices before Radnorween.

Bryn Mawr College      

10/16 - 10/22/2024
Alarm Activation                4
Alarm Fire                         0
Assist Student                  1
Drug Violation                   0
Facilities Notification         0
Liquor Law Violation         0
Lockout                             79
Medical Response             0
Medical Transport              1
Student Lockout                23
Transport                           40
Well-Being Check              1

Total                                      149

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• “Several Intensives took place over Fall Break! These included two virtual data analytics technical trainings (AESOP Academy’s Tableau Basics & Advancement); a virtual Business Analytics Client Simulation led by AESOP Academy; an in-person, 2-day Physical Computing Intensive led by Sean Keenan from LITS; an in-person, 5-day Health Policy Seminar hosted in Washington D.C. by PLEN; and session 2 of 6 of The Intersection of Finance with Life, led by alumna Amberine Nagree (‘01)! 
• In partnership with the President’s Office, Career & Civic Engagement welcomed the Montgomery County Voter Outreach Van to campus. Also attending were the Montgomery County Commissioners Jamila Winder and Neil Makhija. The van is essentially a mobile voter services office, allowing students to register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, and submit their completed ballot all in one easy, accessible location. Registered 27 last minute voters and had several students cast their ballots early—and, more importantly, students with voter registration issues were able to get those solved simply by speaking with the on-site commissioners. 
• 43 Bryn Mawr students registered for the Inclusive Hiring Meet Up. This event was a collaboration between Career + Civic, Impact Center, Access Services, Haverford’s CCPA, and Swarthmore’s Career Office. 
• 9 students attended Part 1 of the 2-part Storytelling Intensive led by award-winning actor and playwright, Rayne Bey. During the Intensive, students will gain skills in written and verbal communication, as well as presentation skills to tell a story that is important to them.
• 15 BMC alums signed up to volunteer with the Leadership Learning Laboratory, a simulated workday experience for student leaders, on Saturday, Nov. 2nd.  The alums range in class year from 1987 to 2023 and represent fields such as Engineering, Social Work, Politics, and Biomedical Research.  We are excited to have these amazing alums return to campus and share their diverse perspectives on leadership!
• 28 students signed up for the Forte Career Ready Certificate program fall-cohort! Throughout the last academic year, 10 students earned certificates. The Forte campus ambassadors continue to drive engagement and provide connection to resources.  
• 42 students dropped by a tabling event in the Campus Center, which was aimed at providing externship and career fair prep resources. Interactions included questions about the career fairs, Handshake and Mawrter Connect, and the externship program; participating in the interactive activities; grabbing at least 1 flyer.    
• Hosted two events to introduce students to the Praxis Program: Praxis Drop-In Hours were held, and a Praxis Independent Study Information Session was held in The Well. 
• Students in the Praxis course Spanish for Advocacy (SPAN 338) went on a field trip for training to become client advocates at Juntos.  Following the workshop at Juntos, the students attended a performance of “Nichos,” a play celebrating the evolution of Mexican culture.   

IMPACT CENTER

• Engaged with students, staff, and senior administration following the graffiti vandalism of several buildings on campus to help support a response and address the needs of students and the campus community.
• Hosted a Breaking Barriers Trivia Night to help strengthen social connections and belonging among FGLI and undocu+ students.
• Facilitated a BIPOC Talk session on Racial Identity Development that was attended by 6 students who shared the experiences of their racial identity journey.
• Collaborated with Career & Civic Engagement, Counseling Services, and Dean’s Office to support the Trust in Elections Livingroom Conversation.
• Began the Fall ’24 Dialogue Project facilitated by A.T. Ortíz, Rabbi Nora Weiser-Woods, and Trish Whitman. A total of 24 participants have enrolled in either the Wednesday or the Thursday section.
• Collaborated with Career and Civic Engagement to support the Tri-Co Inclusive Hiring Event.
• Support of Jewish students in their diverse observances of Sukkot and education of students and staff around the sukkah erected by Jewish Voice for Peace.
• Completed 7 visits with groups of international students to the Social Security Administration. Students have now received their SS numbers.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Services:

• Met with 84 students in the last two weeks, this is a lower number than usual due to fall break last week. We completed 80 clinical appointments; 15 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling. The rest were counseling intakes, counseling revisits, psychiatric initial evaluations and ongoing psychiatric management, brief clinical check-ins, and emergency visits. 81/84 were undergraduate students and the rest were graduate students.
• Collaborating with the Impact Center and Career & Civic Engagement to provide pre and post-election programming. Facilitated a pre-election workshop titled “Approaching the Election with Hope.”
• Luci MacNamara represented Bryn Mawr College Counseling Services at the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) conference last week in Phoenix, Arizona.

Health Services:

• Post break, continued to see upper respiratory and viral infections. Flu season isn't quite upon us, but students who have not gotten their flu shots are encouraged to get them before the holidays. Had about 1/3 of the student population vaccinated in the fall clinic.
• OwlWell, under the project direction of Erika D'Andrea, is developing a plan for a healing garden outside of The Well as both a community resource and community building project to support better mental health and community connection for our students. Working closely with Dawn DiGiovanni, Associate Director of Facilities for Grounds to think through logistics and hope to begin in early spring!
• Cristen Kennedy is working with Sharon Bain to develop a grant proposal for the PA "It's On Us" grant. The grant is intended to support the development of expanded violence prevention programming and support on campus.

Residential Life and Student Engagement:

• Preparing for the "presidential block party" during OWLS Fest. Hosting crafts and activities that include pumpkin painting, jewelry making, tie-dying t-shirts and more!
• Hosting the Spooky Dance party for students.
• Working with Campus Safety to support students for annual Radnor Halloween party.

Restorative Practice:

• Co-Facilitated a Living Room Conversation: Trusting the election.
• Scheduled individual meetings with Student groups to introduce the program. 
• Created promotional items for upcoming workshop.

Student Support Services:

• Provided services to 42 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners.
• Received 117 referrals in the fall semester thus far.
• Maxient is live!  Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com)

Title IX:

• Interim Title IX Coordinator is Kim Pacelli. You can still reach the Interim Title IX Coordinator through the same reporting forms and Title IX phone number/email address linked/listed on the Sex Discrimination pages on the College’s website: titleix_coordinator@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7863. You can also reach her directly at kim.pacelli@tngconsulting.com.
• The work of the Interim Title IX Coordinator remains the same and is guided both by the College’s Sex Discrimination and Sex-Based Harassment policy (“the Policy”) and the Title IX Final Rule. 
• Brynn Mawr College will now have a Title IX Coordinator dedicated to our community as this will no longer be a BiCO position. We will perform a robust, nationwide search for a Bryn Mawr College Title IX Coordinator, which we have already started, and student, staff, and faculty will participate on the search committee. 

STAFFING

• Nothing to report.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• October 25th, 12:30-2pm in the Student Life and Wellness Building Plaza (Rain Location, Student Life and Wellness Building Atrium), join the Bryn Mawr and Beyond event where students will share their summer experiences with the College community: faculty, deans, staff, parents, alums, and students from all class years.
• October 25th, 2:30-4:30pm outside of Canaday, harm reduction pop up event with Montoco and Prevention Ed to provide psychoeducation and support for safer practices before Radnorween.
• October 26th, 9pm-midnight in the campus center, Residence Life and Student Engagement are hosting the Spooky Dance party for students.
• October 31^st, 11am-1pm at the Campus Center, Restorative Practice will be hosting a workshop to discuss healthy boundary setting and listening during a conflict through a pop quiz game! The first 40 players will receive free ice cream.
• November 8^th 11am-1pm in the Nest (Wellness Room), counseling will facilitate a post-election event titled “Pizza, Politics, and Peaceful Political Conversations.”
• November 15^th, 1-4pm Historically Women’s Colleges & Uni. Virtual Career Fair, entirely on Handshake, with over 75 employers and grad schools attending.

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE

In order to contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.

FALL 2024

October 21-28 (Inauguration & Family Weekend) Tomiko Jenkins
October 28-November 4 Andrew Wilbraham  
November 4-11 Richie Gebauer  
November 11-18 Melissa Giess  
November 18-25 Akirah Fenimore  
November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving) Joi Dallas 
December 2-9 Tracy Weber 
December 9-16 (Last week of classes) Rachel Heiser 
December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20) Courtney Newkirk 

Message from the Undergraduate Dean

This week’s Division Message is from Tomiko Jenkins, Dean of Student Life 

Dear Friends, 

Much of what we offer in our roles in support of students involves a great deal of “heart work”. Yes, we all have the degrees and credentials to serve in the positions we hold, however, the passion and purpose driven nature of our roles flows from the center—our hearts. There are times when it feels as though I am all in—my heart (passion and purpose) and my head (degree and credentials), but my body is struggling a bit to keep up with the pace. In my humanness, my body gets tired, and this often leads to exhaustion. This exhaustion is often a key indicator that I needed to rest well before the exhaustion arrived in my body. There is literature that points to both the seven different types of rest and the value of rest. I love Tricia Hersey and “The Nap Ministry” as she beautifully holds space for the value of rest as a way of life, and specifically as a path forward in liberation work. As a person who often wrestles with resting and being still, I am grateful for the reminders to rest from thought leaders like Tricia Hersey, and I hold gratitude for Mother Nature who gifts us with four seasons; and to me, this time of the year, autumn, invites us all to be still and rest.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Nature slows down a bit to prepare for leaves to change colors, and for the leaves to eventually fall. The daylight hours are shorter, and the nighttime hours are longer. The temperature drops a little and it is suddenly sweater weather and time for pumpkin spiced everything. The autumn harvest traditionally is an opportunity for gratitude and reflection. There is a clear message from autumn—slow down. The college will soon have Fall Break, and collectively, I hope we will all be intentional in engaging in ways that offer rest and opportunities to recharge and reset. The practice of rest looks different for all of us, and it should because we all need different things. It is important to know what you need and to create a plan to ensure that you can engage in restful practices that refuel you. Many of us will need to offer ourselves permission to surrender by releasing the plans you had to accomplish and tasks that you’ve placed in the parking lot and shift that energy to intentionally prioritize your wellbeing. There is a more rested version of you on the other side of this surrender who will be able to focus better and think with more clarity when you accept the invitation to rest. It brings me great joy to learn about the ways that folks center rest. I hope you will find me after Fall Break to share how you accepted this invitation. 

Rest well, Friends! 

Tomiko 

YOU ROCK! 

• Campus Safety Officers Barry Hess, Julie McReynolds, Pete Ruggeri, Wendaya Washington and Dispatchers Jen Turner, Cat Tavares, Mark Foster for coming in on days off or staying for double shifts. The rest of the team continues to follow suit. Thank you!!!
  Division Leadership Team, Lil Burroughs, Richie Gebauer, Tomiko Jenkins, Katie Krimmel, and A.T. Ortiz for sending updates every week on time!  
• Melissa Giess, Lauren Platt, Tracy Weber, and Gabby Sugarman on hosting two successful sophomore plan overview sessions with 100 students in attendance! 
• Mia Harvey, Student Engagement Coordinator for offering her enthusiasm and talents to advise and conduct the brand-new student pep band! 
• Stacey Riley and Tomiko Jenkins for bringing the amazing goats and animals to the Well and for Sharon Kenny assuring awesome prizes were available for students spinning the prize wheel, all of which made for a very fun Friday at the Well!  
  Liana Henrie for working through the process to get the weekly messages archived on the division’s website.

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES 

STUDENT SUCCESS 

Academic Support: 

• Hosted "After the First Exam" panel event with First Year Advising, Peer Mentors, and STEMLA with over 30 attendees. 
• Peer Tutors and Academic Coaches (peer and professional) met with roughly 100 unique individuals over the last week.  
• Collaborated with librarians and Career and Civic Engagement to co-host dorm workshops and plan end of semester Studypalooza event.

Access Services: 

• Met with 17 students to clarify professors expectation for attendance and assignment due dates. 
• Continued conversations with appropriate campus partners around wayfinding implementation for 2025-2026. 
• Attended NACE webinars with Career and Civic Engagement.  

Class Deans: 

• Participated in the Annual After the First Exam Panel on Oct. 1 hosted by the STEMLA program and Academic Support, which was attended by 25 students. 
• Completed 8 Senior Thesis/Capstone check-in meetings.   
• Met with 50 students through scheduled meetings and drop-in hours. 

First-Year Experience: 

• Met with 15 students through scheduled meetings and drop-in hours.
• Completed 10 Custom Person pair check-ins. 
• Attended Dorm Leadership Team Advisory Group meeting. Working on developing recruitment and selection process for Dorm Leadership Team positions. 

Global Engagement: 

• Saw increased walk-in traffic, with 15 walk-in appointments for students especially interested in asking how their study abroad courses can count towards their major.
• Held an information session on how fellowships can help fund study abroad with 7 students in attendance. 
• The Student Abroad Student Coordinators are planning a study abroad mixer at the Lusty Cup to connect interested students with returned students to take place in early October. 

CAMPUS SAFETY 

Rollcalls

• Training focused on Conflict Resolution and De-escalation Techniques.  

Bryn Mawr College       
9/25 - 10/01/2024             

Alarm Activation         16 
Alarm Fire                        5 
Assist Student                 2 
Drug Violation                 0 
Facilities Notification    4 
Liquor Law Violation    0 
Lockout                             89 
Medical Response        2 
Medical Transport         4 
Student Lockout            16 
Transport                          56 
Well-Being Check          0 

Total                            194 

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 

• Recently hired Undergraduate College Division staff gathered in the Community Room to learn and discuss their StrengthsFinder results!  
• Over 250 students and staff came out to Fun Friday at the Well hosted by the Impact Center, Health & Wellness Center, Career & Civic Engagement Center, and Student Engagement. Goats, dogs, bunnies, games, prizes, Kona Ice and more brought smiles and joy on a rainy Friday afternoon.  
• 34 Bryn Mawr students (over 50% of total event attendees!) attended the Tri-Co Writing, Publishing, and Journalism Meet Up at Swarthmore College. Students met with Tri-Co alumnae/i (including 2 BMC alums) working in writing careers.    
• Liv & Tiffany hosted the first Praxis Independent Study cohort meeting of the fall semester. Fourteen students are currently enrolled in Praxis Independent Study, and they meet regularly with Praxis staff for reflection and discussion.  This week Liv and Tiffany are sending out early semester feedback forms to the students’ field supervisors.  
• The Community Based Work Study (CBWS) program has open positions for students seeking employment. Through CBWS, undergraduate students work as BMC student employees at off campus work sites—typically nonprofit, community-based agencies.  Positions are developed by the Career & Civic Engagement Center in partnership with the host organizations. To be eligible for the program, students must have federal work study as part of their financial aid package.  Please reach out to Ellie to confirm if a student is eligible before referring them to the program.    
• Lolita Beylina and Dayna Levy participated in the 2024 NACE Disability Signature Webinar Series “Expanding Access to Good Jobs for All.”  
• Dana Gold and Dayna Levy attended the “Hiring & Retaining International Student Talent” program, co-hosted by Campus Philly, International House Philadelphia, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, hosted by Temple University.  
• Jennifer Prudencio and Dayna Levy attended a Handshake-sponsored networking event with regional recruiters from Amex, Aramark, Comcast, Chubb Insurance, City of Philadelphia, and more.    

IMPACT CENTER 

• Participated with Career & Civic Engagement, the Health & Wellness Center, and Dean Tomiko to help host “Fun Friday” at The Well.
• The inaugural issue of The Bridge, Breaking Barriers’ re-designed newsletter for FGLI and undocu+ students, was sent to 202 students. If you have an item you’d like listed in a future issue, please contact Trish Whitfield, Associate Director of Student Support & Belonging. 
• Patti Lausch and Akirah Fenimore, Assistant Dean of the Senior Experience, collaborated on a session for seniors, reviewing information, deadlines, and requirements especially pertinent to international students.  23 students attended. 
• Joi Dallas and the ECC Community Board hosted a movie and s’mores night in the Sunken Garden. 21 students attended. 
• 11 students have applied to the International Friendship Program, which provides new international students with an opportunity to get to know a local individual or family during their first year at Bryn Mawr. Applications to be a host are still being taken and are due October 5^th. If you are interested, please complete this form. 
• Beginning work to support planning for Lunar New Year activities in 2025. 
• On-going engagement in several conversations with students, faculty, and staff about community needs as we approach the one-year mark since October 7 and experience current escalations in the Middle East. 

STUDENT LIFE 
Counseling Services: 

• Met with 117 students. Completed 131 clinical appointments; 27 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling. The rest were counseling intakes, counseling revisits, psychiatric initial evaluations and ongoing psychiatric management, and brief clinical check-ins. 111/117 were undergraduate students and the rest were graduate students. 
• Counseling staff successfully held an expressive arts workshop at the School of Social Work to provide a healing space for GSSWSR students. 

Health Services: 

• The number of sick students with respiratory symptoms has leveled off.
• Students are taking advantage of the Wellness Space! The official name of the program was proposed by the Peer Health and Wellness Educators and voted on by students: OwlWell. The OwlWell lounge will be called The Nest. 
• The Grand Opening of the new wellness space had well over 50 participants—thanks to all who made that day so special. 
• OwlWell will soon set up a community email that can be used to communicate with staff. 
• New Covid Boosters and the annual flu vaccine was a huge success. Stay tuned for the final tally, but all 700 spots were filled. 

Residential Life and Student Engagement: 

• Student Engagement coordinator has supported student leaders to form the first Bryn Mawr student pep band.  
• Currently registering students in eRezlife who will remain on campus during fall break.  
• Meeting regularly with students and dorm leaders regarding student conflicts and relationship and communication strategies.  
• Coordinating housing logistics with the Undergraduate Admissions office as they prepare to host their Lantern Scholars program October 5-7. 

Restorative Practice: 

• Registered for the International Institute of Restorative Practice 2-day Higher Education Virtual Forum. 
• Created Restorative Practice promotional items. 
• Consulted with Professor Tamarah Moss on internal evaluations. 

Student Support Services: 

• Provided services to 44 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners. 
• Continued collaboration with campus partners through CARE Team and Student Assistance Fund Committee. ·  
• Maxient is live! Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com) to refer students. 

Title IX: 

• Interim Title IX Coordinators is Kim Pacelli. The Interim Title IX Coordinator can be reached through the same reporting forms and Title IX phone number/email address linked/listed on the Sex Discrimination pages on the College’s website: titleix_coordinator@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7863. You can also reach her directly at kim.pacelli@tngconsulting.com. 
• The Interim Title IX Coordinator remains the same and is guided both by the College’s Sex Discrimination and Sex-Based Harassment policy (“the Policy”) and the Title IX Final Rule. 
• Brynn Mawr College will hire a fulltime Title IX Coordinator dedicated to our community. This will no longer be a BiCO position but there will be continued partnership and collaboration. We will perform a robust, nationwide search for a Bryn Mawr College Title IX Coordinator, which we have already started, and student, staff, and faculty will participate on the search committee. 

STAFFING 
Nothing to report. 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

• October 4 (today is First-Year First Friday at 8pm in the Campus Center Main Lounge. 
• October 5 from 2-4pm on Merion Green, with a special viewing of "Over the Garden Wall" at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center. Residence Life & Student Engagement and the Owl Programming Board will host a Fall Festival for students. 
• October 13^th, complete this brief application form and submit it for The Dialogue Project. This is a seven-week interactive series of workshops about connecting, understanding, and building skills to have difficult conversations. Creating community with students, staff, and faculty – it’s a powerful experience!  Interested?  

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE 
To contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911. 

FALL 2024 

September 30-October 7  Candice Love  
October 7-14  Baru Roberson-Hornsby  
October 14-21 (Fall Break--No OCC on call!)  Tomiko Jenkins 
October 21-28 (Inauguration & Family Weekend)  Tomiko Jenkins 
October 28-November 4  Andrew Wilbraham   
November 4-11  Richie Gebauer   
November 11-18  Melissa Giess   
November 18-25  Akirah Fenimore   
November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving)  Joi Dallas  
December 2-9  Tracy Weber  
December 9-16 (Last week of classes)  Rachel Heiser  
December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20)  Courtney Newkirk  

Message from the Undergraduate Dean

This week’s Division Message is from A.T. Ortíz, Dean of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Life.
 

Dear Friends,

I was driving to work the other day and got stuck in traffic.  In the midst of my angst – my worries about being late, the list of things to do mounting in my mind, the concerns I was hoping to address that day, and all the other thoughts that were clattering around in my brain – I suddenly looked up. 

What did I see? 

In the middle of a stand of trees, I saw one tree showing off the splendor of fall.  I saw yellows and oranges and reds.  I saw that one tree, trying to find its way into the new season, and it was beautiful.  It reminded me that this was the beginning of a new time – a season that usually holds two lessons for me.

The first is the importance of remembering what happens in nature during this time.  Yes, the trees change colors, but they also lose their leaves.  Do you know why?  They drop their leaves in order to conserve water for the winter.  It makes me wonder:  what do I need to let go of in order to be strong enough for the seasons ahead?  What do you need to let go of? 

That’s lesson number one – a question, really, about letting go. 

Lesson number two came from that drive to work the other morning.  I won’t notice the beauty around me if I don’t take time to look up. 

It’s important, in the midst of all the things we are doing, to pause, to notice what is around us, and to take in the beauty.  There’s lots of it:  beauty within the students with whom we work, beauty in one another, beauty on campus.  We are beautiful souls.  There is beautiful creation all around us.  We are beautiful people becoming.  We just have to notice.

Let’s be sure to take time to notice the lessons of this changing season.  What do they offer you?
 

Peace,

A.T.

YOU ROCK!

• Campus Safety Team continues to conduct 30-minute fire watches for Denbigh dorm!
• Caroline Northcutt, for adeptly mastering the complex puzzle of scheduling 23 Fulbright and 8 Watson interviews!
• Cristen Kennedy and Erika D'Angelo for their amazing efforts to bring a transformative, inaugural wellness program to Bryn Mawr College!
• Dana Gold, Jennifer Prudencio, and the Career & Civic Engagement Center team for holding a successful Fall Tri-Co Career Fair which brought 400+ students and 24 employers spanning a wide range of industries and fields representing internship and full-time job opportunities. The team did an excellent job holding prep events, large and small, to get the students ready for the big day. Jerry and the team in campus safety were a huge help in preparing for possible activism at the event and all went smoothly due to the coordinated efforts to support our students and our employers.
• Mia Harvey, Student Engagement Coordinator, for the time she gave this past weekend in her service as one of the on-call coordinators.

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES

STUDENT SUCCESS

Academic Support:

• Presented at the International College Learning Center Association's annual conference. 
• Collaborated with Haverford College's Office of Academic Resources on shared tutor training and resources.
• Peer Mentors provided weekly outreach to all undergraduate students with resources, support, and advising reminders.

Access Services:

• Continued student meetings, engaging with 10 new students.
• Collaborated with professors and students to clarify guidance around attendance flexibility.
• Continued conversations with appropriate campus partners about the implementation of a campus-wide wayfinding system for 2025-26.

Class Deans:

• Seniors enrolled in a thesis or capstone course and received an email inviting them to schedule brief meetings with Dean Fenimore to discuss support while they navigate the completion of their thesis/capstone projects. 
• Hosted the second of two Sophomore Plan Overview sessions with Sophomore Dean, Global Engagement, and Career & Civic professional staff members and student leaders with 59 sophomores in attendance.
• Class Deans held 35 scheduled meetings and met with two students during drop-in hours.
• Participated in the Family Zoom Sessions.  

First-Year Experience:

• Brief check-in sessions for first-year students to connect with FYE staff after completing one month of college begin next week.
• Continuing to meet with Customs People and discussing ways they can support the first-year transition in the residence halls. 
• A Staff member attended THRIVE section this week to discuss Harm Reduction.

Global Engagement:

• All 11 Hanna Holborn Gray fellows presented their summer research findings in a colloquium open to the college community.
• Opened the late application for college approval to study abroad in Spring ‘24 and received four applications.
• Worked with 94 Fall '24 study abroad students to ensure completion of the travel registry.
• Conducted outreach to 346 sophomores about fall study abroad programming and office hours.

CAMPUS SAFETY

Rollcalls

• Local Incidents: We discussed recent incidents that have occurred around the area to ensure everyone is aware of the trends and potential risks nearby.
• Reporting to dispatch: Importance of documenting observations, even if minor, to ensure all incidents are logged into the system for proper tracking and follow-up, especially student activism on campus.
• Reminder to pay attention when taking Ubers and taking Septa to go to new places.

Bryn Mawr College
9/18-9/24/2024

Alarm Activation            15
Alarm Fire                      1
Assist Student                3
Drug Violation                0
Facilities Notification      2
Liquor Law Violation      0
Lockout                          86
Medical Response         0
Medical Transport          5
Student Lockout            20
Transport                       70
Well-Being Check          10
Total                              212

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• 96 BMC students attended the Fall Tri-Co Career Fair at Haverford (this is up from 51 at last Fall’s event). They were able to meet with 24 different employers. Here’s what one employer emailed us afterward: “From the moment I arrived, everyone was not only helpful, but also welcoming and the space the fair was held in was also lovely. I had many wonderful conversations with students and was very impressed by their engagement.” 
• Gap year/not Gap year Law Panel (Tri-Co) had 12 attendees and great questions. This was the 4th (of 13) Bi-College law school admission events this fall semester.
• The nonprofit organization Juntos visited campus to facilitate a letter writing workshop with the students in the Spanish for Advocacy Praxis course. Each student was matched with a community member currently being held in an immigrant detention center. These letters create connection and boost morale of the immigrants being detained and are part of Juntos’ regular community outreach. As part of this workshop, students learned more about Juntos, their work, and their advocacy for the Latinx community in Philadelphia.
• Civic Engagement Student Coordinators and staff members highlighted our co-curricular programs and Praxis courses during the Civic Engagement Spotlight event. Students explored volunteer opportunities with the Community Garden, Adelante, Overbrook Art Program, and VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). Students learned about upcoming Praxis courses and how to design Praxis Independent Study courses. We also offered support for students applying for background clearances and voter registration.
• 37 students indicated interest in the PLEN Health Policy Seminar in DC. Participants will learn directly from policymakers and advocates shaping health policy in Washington, DC and around the world. Twelve students, including all interested juniors and seniors, were selected to participate.
• Staff from the Student Success team and Career & Civic Engagement team met to start brainstorming ways we can work together and build off the Class Dean model! 

IMPACT CENTER

• Offered an all-day retreat for multicultural and multilingual students. 12 students participated in activities that fostered community, belonging, and “home.” Hosted by Joi Dallas and Vanessa Petroj, Director of Multi-Lingual Writing,
• Provided transportation and facilitated appointments with the Social Security Administration so that 16 international students were able to obtain social security numbers.
• Interfaith Chaplain offered eleven individual meetings and facilitated the Recovery Support Group.
• Completed registration for all international students in SEVIS and updated records with student local addresses.
• Welcomed and began on-boarding for new Associate Director of Student Support and Belonging, Trish Whitfield!
• Continue work to support students in the midst of the war in the Middle East.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Services:

• Met with 124 students this week. We completed 144 clinical appointments; 34 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling. 
• 138 out of 144 were undergraduate students and six were graduate students. 
• Reminder: students, faculty, and staff that in addition to our services, students have access to mental health support 24/7, 365 via: ProtoCall (610-526-7778): crisis line staffed by trained mental health professionals, Counseling Services follows up on all crisis calls by the next business day. This is a great resource if you are sitting with a student who seems to be in crisis. The counselors on the line will advise whether the student should go the ER or can wait to see a counselor later that day/next business day.
• TELUS Health: students can text or call a support line as well as schedule REGULAR, FREE teletherapy appointments with licensed mental health professionals.

Health Services:

• 121 total weekly student encounters including sick/well-preventive/sexual health/consult/injection/RN/lab/triage were conducted this week.
• Hosted a very successful Grand Opening of the Wellness Room (space's name TBD via a naming contest by students). Over 50 people dropped by for the opening. The space is already getting "buzz" as a space to come and decompress from the stressors of student life.
• Professional staff and Peer Health and Wellness Educators are now holding office hours in the new space. Hours are attached—please feel free to print and post the information for your offices if possible.​  
• The Tri-co wellness directors are meeting to plan future training among all peer educators on the Tri-co campuses. The hope is to create a united understanding of wellness and share common language related to topics of health promotion, prevention, and wellbeing among the tri-co.
• Participated in the Intravenous Infusion Therapy (IVY+) Wellness Collective this week, sharing information about our new program with over 15 schools in the IVY+ consortium. Cristen was heartened by our offerings and progress, compared with the well-established schools at the meeting (Cristen Kennedy).
• Reminder to check out our brand-new Instagram, thanks to Erika D'Andrea, our Wellness Program Coordinator: healthwell_bmc Please "Follow" us!
• What's New? This is asked on the glass billboard in the waiting room. Please feel free to stop by and read the student and staff responses. Maybe add one of your own.

Residential Life and Student Engagement:

• Hosted an event/mixer for our department staff and transfer students.
• Department staff organized and will attend the annual "Thrilla at Linvilla" event for Hall Advisors and the Owl Programming Board today.
• We are collaborating with staff of the Impact Center for Community, Equity, and Understanding regarding the Intercultural Living and Learning Communities.
• Staff member participated in two Family Zoom webinars hosted by the Dean of the Undergraduate College.
• A staff member is serving in the search process for the Environmental Health and Safety position.
• We supported the elected student Residence Council Heads for their first meeting with their team of elected dorm presidents. 

Restorative Practice:

• Held 1 Facilitator training that reviewed the Restorative Practice intake process and the role they will play within the process.
• Met with our Trainers from International Institute for Restorative Practice to discuss our progress within the program thus far.
• Continued creation of Moodle Page for Facilitation Group. 

Student Support Services:

• Provided services to 47 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners. 
• Maxient is live! Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com) to refer students.

Title IX

• The work of the Interim Title IX Coordinator remains the same and we now have identified the interim. This is guided both by the College’s Sex Discrimination and Sex-Based Harassment policy (“the Policy”) and the Title IX Final Rule. 
• We will perform a robust, nationwide search for a full time Bryn Mawr dedicated Title IX Coordinator, There will be a search committee contrived of students, staff, and faculty.

STAFFING

• Interim Title IX Coordinator is Kim Pacelli. You can still reach the Interim Title IX Coordinator through the same reporting forms and Title IX phone number/email address link listed on the Sex Discrimination pages on the College’s website: titleix_coordinator@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7863. You can also reach her directly at kim.pacelli@tngconsulting.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Stop by the Well today between 1:00 and 3:00 for prizes, Kona Ice, and more.
• Oct 2nd is the new Covid Boosters and annual flu vaccine clinic; signups are almost full. Please make sure to get a spot if you would like to take advantage of the convenience of the campus clinic. If you do not see a time that works for you, please just sign up in any slot and come when you can. We have been reassured by Walmart that no one will be turned away if they come at a time different from their original sign-up.
• October 4th is First Year First Friday at the Campus Center Main Lounge at 8pm.
• October 5th from 2-4pm on Merion Green Residence Life and Student Engagement will be hosting the annual Fall Festival for students, with a special viewing of Over the Garden Wall at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center.

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE

In order to contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.

FALL 2024

September 23-30 - Sara Donals
September 30-October 7 - Candice Love 
October 7-14 - Baru Roberson-Hornsby 
October 14-21 (Fall Break--No OCC on call!) - Tomiko Jenkins
October 21-28 (Inauguration & Family Weekend) - Tomiko Jenkins
October 28-November 4 - Andrew Wilbraham  
November 4-11 - Richie Gebauer  
November 11-18 - Melissa Giess
November 18-25 - Akirah Fenimore
November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving) - Joi Dallas
December 2-9 - Tracy Weber
December 9-16 (Last week of classes) - Rachel Heiser
December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20) - Courtney Newkirk 

Message from the Undergraduate Dean

Dear Friends,

I would like to think that I would never take for granted the act of voting, mostly because I have vivid memories of my parents’ active participation in such activities in Jamaica. They participated even when there were threats of violence. It was that important to them. I suppose it’s in my DNA. I do also believe that because I chose to become an American citizen and understand the many sacrifices our ancestors (ones from long ago as well as most recent) made, it is a must that I vote. I share this for context because I have stayed up night after night to gather information about our upcoming elections. I am eager to learn about the candidates themselves, their policies, and the ways Americans have been and would be impacted by decisions made. I decided to watch some of the “townhall” hosted by Oprah Winfrey with Vice President Kamala Harris.

There were many moments of intrigue and pause, but one moment that stood out was a question pertaining to a woman’s right to choose. The mother of Amber Thurman, who died in a Georgia hospital of complications after taking abortion pills and waiting 20 hours was invited to this townhall. The doctors feared what actions to take because they wanted more clarity about the law. The mom wanted the world to know how much Amber suffered, that her death was preventable and that her daughter was not just a statistic; she wasn’t invisible. She wants the world to know that Amber was a loving and kind person who was loved by many. I had many feelings watching that segment, but for this reflection I want to lift up the ideas of “choice” and “visibility”. We thrive when we have the chance to share more of who we, our gifts and have the chance to explore, make mistakes and grow. This means we must constantly work on creating an environment that supports equity, provides opportunities, and create pathways for transparency and openness. We need this and so does our students. It isn’t lost on me that each day we show up at a women’s college, a place that we should create pathways for our students to feel strong, powerful, valued and seen. We have an opportunity to encourage, support and co-create by example. Let’s marvel in our responsibility to make and support change. Let’s keep centered the opportunities for our students to experience being visible so that they feel empowered to make choices, because there are many. It is our responsibility and duty—for ourselves and our students.

YOU ROCK!

• Campus Safety conducted multiple fire watches, including overnight, every 30 minutes since September 11^th.
• Campus Safety-for all their extra support with one card concerns, fire alarms, and dorm room access requests.
• Melissa Giess for her efforts redesigning and coordinating a new workshop series on the Sophomore planning process!
• The Student Success Team for creating a positive and collaborative environment!
• Dean Tomiko who has worked to put interim Title IX measures in place with the vacancy of our Title IX Coordinator.

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES

STUDENT SUCCESS

Academic Support:

• Hosted a tabling event in Erdman for planning for the semester with 200 students interacting with staff at the table.
• Conducted outreach and began consultations for all 39 potential Spring 2025 re-enrollment applicants.
• Held the first weekly Chem 103 Study Group facilitated by Peer Academic Coaches, as part of the HHMI Catalyst Initiative, with over 40 students attending.

Access Services:

• Continued intake meetings, engaging with 24 new students.
• Clarified guidelines for faculty related to the accommodation of recording.
• Held conversations with appropriate campus partners about the implementation of a campus-wide wayfinding system for 2025-26.

Class Deans

• Met with and supported approximately 60 students through one-on-one meetings and drop-in hours.
• 31 students attended the first of two Sophomore Plan Overview sessions with Sophomore Dean, Global Engagement, and Career & Civic professional staff members and student leaders. 
• Met with Global Engagement to brainstorm ways to partner on class year specific programming. 
• Attended the Political Science Department Senior Capstone Meeting to learn how to best support Seniors completing their capstone. 
• Met with Willy Oppenheim, Executive Director at Omprakash (non-profit that specializes in digital portfolios for students who study abroad) to begin discussions on potential partnership for Junior Year Away.

First-Year Experience

• All first-year students attended Campus Philly's CollegeFest in Philadelphia. 
• Thrive has had a successful start following the changes made over the summer, which have been received positively as students attentively engage in class discussions. 
• Met with all Customs Persons during bi-weekly check-ins. 

Global Engagement

• Four Study Abroad Student Coordinators (SASCs) started this week, and walk-in office hours will begin on Monday. The SASCs assist with student advising, organizing and lead events, and support Global Engagement's outreach. 
• Met with study abroad program partners from Temple University and University of Melbourne.
• Hosted a delegation of 16 scholars and administrators from African universities in conjunction with the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia for a roundtable discussion and a tour of campus.
• The fellowships committee has so far conducted 12 interviews with Marshall, Rhodes, and Fulbright candidates.

CAMPUS SAFETY

Rollcalls

• Had training on handling situations when someone becomes trapped in an elevator.
• Fire watches for a dorm that begun on September 11^th and occurred every 30 minutes. The situation has been corrected.
• Reviewed student activism protocols.

Bryn Mawr College
9/11-9/17/2024

• Alarm Activation                    12
• Alarm Fire                               2
• Assist Student                          7
• Drug Violation                         0
• Facilities Notification               7
• Liquor Law Violation               0
• Lockout                                   87
• Medical Response                    3
• Medical Transport                  1
• Student Lockout                      13
• Transport                                 98
• Well-Being Check                    2
• Total                                        232

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• Celebrated Constitution Day and National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 17. There was voter registration tabling in the Dining Halls during lunch and dinner, collecting PA voter registration forms and engaging with students. The BMC Democrats and the Service Club also tabled in Pem Arch. Together 28 new registrations were collected. 
• Liv & Ellie met for a post-event debrief meeting with the facilitator of the Kaospilot workshop, “The Art & Craft of Designing and Facilitating Learning Spaces” which was held at BMC in August. A total of 18 people participated in the workshop representing several higher ed institutions—including Bryn Mawr, Haverford, St. Joe’s, LaSalle, and UPENN—and nonprofits—including PHENND (Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development), Women’s Way, and the Philadelphia School District. Feedback was overall positive, and the hope is to offer the workshop again. 

• 18 Bryn Mawr students attended the first of a series of seven virtual technical skill trainings led by AESOP Academy for the Tri-Co. The topic was “Excel Basics.” 11 Swarthmore students and 7 Haverford students also attended the session. 
• Hosted our 2nd annual Prep Rally with 60+ BiCo students attending! In the Well Community Room and Atrium, students got LinkedIn headshots, drop-in resume reviews, and shopped in the career closet.
• 17 Bryn Mawr students attended Prepare for the Fair sessions ahead of the Tri-Co Career Fair. 
• Students in Praxis courses began their fieldwork this week. Students in Professor Juan Suárez Ontaneda’s class, Spanish for Advocacy (El derecho a vivir en paz: activismos en español) will be working on campus with community partner, Juntos, on a letter writing project.
• Patti Lausch, Assistant Dean for International Student & Scholar Advising and Lauren Platt, Associate Director for Career Counseling, Programming and Outcomes Assessment presented the International Student Employment Authorization workshop for 13 Senior International students.
• 31 Sophomores attended the Sophomore Plan Overview session, a collaboration between Global Education, Sophomore Dean, and Career+Civic. Student staff from each area served as panelists to impart wisdom to Sophomores about their experiences.
• The 2nd annual Fall Tri-Co Career Fair is being held at Haverford College today. 24 employers across industries are coming to campus to recruit students. 

IMPACT CENTER

• Hosted an Open House at the Enid Cook Center (ECC), 28 students attended.
• In collaboration with Career & Professional Development, hosted an International Student Employment Authorization Information Session for seniors.
• Preparing SEVIS registration for 178 students in F-1 visa status.
• Religious and Spiritual Life hosted first Recovery Group meeting – three students participated.
• Supporting 20 Alliance of Multicultural Organizations (AMO) groups and their budget requests for the semester.
• Launched monthly “Beyond the Book” series with a discussion of The Four Agreements. 12 staff and faculty participated.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Services:

• Met with 101 students this week and completed 113 clinical appointments; 35 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling.
• Therapy groups will be starting in the next 1-2 weeks, students can indicate interest by scanning the QR code in the group flyer or clicking on this link which can be found on the website, under “Groups and Workshops.”
• Staff had a successful meeting with Pete Thompson, Sports Psychologist in Athletics, and discussed collaboration between offices.

Health Services

• Continued to see an increased number of students a day. 150 total weekly student encounters (including sick/well-preventive/sexual health/consult/injection/RN/lab/triage.
• Students are taking better advantage of the extended weekday hours this year compared to last year.
• Thanks to Erika D'Andrea, Wellness Program Coordinator for creating a new Instagram: healthwell_bmc 
• Several team members participated in the Restorative Practices training in August and look forward to integrating the principles into our interactions with students and each other.
• New Covid Boosters and the annual flu vaccine sign up went out. Please sign up and take advantage of the convenience of the campus clinic. 

Residential Life and Student Engagement

• Collaborated with the U.S. Census for completion of the American Community Survey for Erdman Hall.
• Twenty-three Hall Advisers (HAs) submitted entries into our door tag decoration contest.
• Supported the Self Governance Association (SGA) with their club budgeting process. 
• Facilitated three weekly small group staff meetings for 41 Hall Advisers.
• Resumed recruitment process for the Residential Life Coordinator vacancy.

Restorative Practice

• Created a Moodle page to streamline communications with our Facilitation group. 
• Held two facilitator trainings that reviewed the Restorative Practice intake process and the role they will play within the process. 
• Met with Consultant about our policies and procedures.

Student Support Services

• Provided services to 42 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners.
• Maxient is live! Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com) to refer students.

Title IX

• Created new job description in preparation for new Title IX coordinator hire.

STAFFING

• Letricia ("Trish") Whitfield has been hired as the Associate Director of Student Support and Belonging in The Impact Center. In this position, Trish will work closely with first-generation, limited income (FGLI) and undocu+ students. Trish has worked in DEI-related positions for over 15 years, coordinating education and support efforts around inclusion, allyship, gender equity, and anti-discrimination initiatives. Her commitment to limited income, first-generation college and undocu+ students is strong, and she spent over five years supporting these students at the secondary and higher education level. Trish has also worked as a non-teaching adjunct in the Office of DEI at the College of Staten Island and as a teaching assistant at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Trish earned her BS in Applied Science at Campbell University, her MA in Counseling Psychology at Eastern University, and is completing her PhD this December at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Her first day will be Wednesday, September 25. Contact info:  610-526-6588 and twhitfield@brynmawr.edu. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Monday, Sept 23 from 2-4pm, Health services will host a Campus-wide "Grand Opening" of the Wellness Room. Please be on the look-out for reminders to join the celebration! Come meet new staff members, Cristen Kennedy, Wellness Program Director, and Erika D'Andrea, Wellness Program Coordinator, and share in a tour, grab a snack, join some fun activities, and enter a naming context for the space. ​
• Thursday, Sept 26 Tri-Co Writing/Publishing/Journalism Meet Up at Swarthmore. Students will meet with Tri-Co alumnae working in these fields and have career conversations about working in writing careers. There's a special blue bus for BMC students and there's more information in Handshake for any interested students.
• Friday, September 27 is Fun Friday @ the Well from 1-3pm! Come by to say hello & enjoy some Kona Ice, Cotton Candy, and some special guests! 

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE

To contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.

FALL 2024

• September 16-23 - Katie Krimmel 
• September 23-30 - Sara Donals 
• September 30-October 7 - Candice Love 
• October 7-14 - Baru Roberson-Hornsby 
• October 14-21 (Fall Break--No OCC on call!) - Tomiko Jenkins
• October 21-28 (Inauguration & Family Weekend) - Tomiko Jenkins
• October 28-November 4 - Andrew Wilbraham  
• November 4-11 - Richie Gebauer  
• November 11-18 - Melissa Giess  
• November 18-25 - Akirah Fenimore  
• November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving) - Joi Dallas 
• December 2-9 - Tracy Weber 
• December 9-16 (Last week of classes) - Rachel Heiser 
• December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20) - Courtney Newkirk 

With gratitude,

Karlene

Dean of the Undergraduate College
Bryn Mawr College
Eugenia Chase Guild Hall
Lower Level
101 N. Merion Ave.
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Phone: (610) 526-5375
Fax: (610) 526-7560

In Support of the Dean of the Undergraduate College
Liana Henrie
Executive Assistant
lhenrie@brynmawr.edu
(610) 526-5374

Message from the Undergraduate Dean

September 13, 2024

As we begin to settle into our academic year, I have been thinking a lot about our time together. What a difference a year makes. As I walked in today, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of “hope and possibilities”. My reflection this past week reminded me of how far we have come in such a short period of time. We focused on being both proactive and responsive to our community’s needs. We made it through a strategic plan, developed plans to assess many of our programs and experiences (baseline information), completed an assessment of our policies and procedures, most of them finalized, and had the division’s website redesigned. We offered many educational opportunities for continued learning. We have also done a lot of work to build a strong foundation with each other- to better understand our strengths, challenges, and opportunities. And we broke down the siloes and see and interact with each other as human beings!!! Last year, we worked to create a psychological safety environment so that we remain excited to show up to work each day, and put our best forward, even when there were moments of struggle. That yielded a place of joy and optimism and set the stage for our many new hires—an amazing group of colleagues that will only make us better and stronger. We did this…all of this and so much more, and we did it TOGEHER. To get here, at this pace, I honor the hard work, dedication, “we can do it attitude”, creativity, courage, optimism, collaboration, co-creation, and your willingness to be open and honest, which helped us make difficult decisions in the spirit of growth. Our division has persevered and so, even with upcoming challenges, some known and others not, we are better and stronger. We will lean on each other and thrive. Our students are counting on it. Let’s keep enjoying the journey.

YOU ROCK!

• A HUGE pat-on-the-back to Caroline Northcutt for her efficiency in learning the process and distribution of verification letters.
• To all the Thrive Facilitators for helping students build community, learn resources, and make connections on campus.
• This is a recognition for the whole team who supported student voters in 2022:  Bryn Mawr College earned recognition from the All In Campus Democracy Challenge for nonpartisan efforts in the 2022 Midterm Election!  We were recognized as the 4-year institution with the Highest Voting Rate AND the Highest Registration Rate for 2022, we’ve been added to the list of “Top Campuses by 2022 Voter Turnout” for 4-year private institutions, and we earned a Diamond Seal from All In based on our 2022 campus voting rate from our National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement report from Tufts University!  Woo hoo! 
• Ellie and Dayna’s presentations on voting and our students' first destinations at the UCD (Undergraduate College Division) meeting rocked! 
• Helen Roane, Residential Life Coordinator, for assuming additional responsibilities and leadership this year during student move-in and Hall Advisor orientation!!!
• Stacey and Dean Tomiko for the success of the SEPTA pass distribution!
• Amanda Coltri for her amazing work in redesigning the division’s website.

UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE DIVISION (UCD) UPDATES

STUDENT SUCCESS

Academic Support:

• Partnered with Chemistry faculty to pilot weekly Chem 103 Study Groups facilitated by Peer Academic Coaches as part of the HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) Catalyst Initiative with over 40 students registered.
• Conducted training to onboard peer tutors, peer mentors, peer academic coaches, and returning student mentors.
• Participated in and held programming throughout Fall Folic, Emerging Owls, DLT (Dorm Leadership Team) Training, and Orientation.

Access Services:

• Collaborated with staff from the Career & Civic Engagement Center and the Impact Center for an upcoming inclusive hiring event.
• Negotiated accommodations/requests from professors who had concerns.
• In contact with approximately 55 students related to various requests, intakes, and/or concerns.

Class Deans

• Met with 119 students in individual appointments.

• Met with approximately 35 students during drop-in hours.
• Met with Career and Civic Engagement to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
• Created a thesis/capstone tracker and shared it with several seniors to garner feedback for future implementation.
• Sophomore Plan overview sessions begin next week.
• Engaged with faculty at the faculty meet and greet. 
• Began work on a Class Dean manual.

First-Year Experience

• Successfully began all sections of Thrive.
• Began researching first-year and pre-orientation experiences at peer institutions to develop a pre-orientation program for early decision students. 
• Supported students in finalizing course schedules. 
• Implemented a sense of belonging scale in the first week of Thrive yielding 326 responses. Results to follow.

Global Engagement

• Received 23 Fulbright applications, 5 Marshall applications, and 3 Rhodes applications, and have begun the interview process with the committee.
• Added all members of the Class of 2027 to the Study Abroad 101 Moodle course; this course contains resources designed to help students learn about studying abroad as a Bryn Mawr student, discover and compare programs, and understand the logistics of the Study Abroad application process.
• Held the first study abroad information session of AY 24-25, on Debunking Study Abroad Myths, with 8 students in attendance.
• Met with partners from University of Bristol and CIEE / Yonsei University, South Korea.

CAMPUS SAFETY

Bryn Mawr College      

9/4/2024-9/11/2024            

• Alarm Activation - 6
• Alarm Fire - 3
• Assist Student - 10
• Drug Violation - 0
• Facilities Notification - 4
• Liquor Law Violation - 1
• Lockout - 02
• Medical Response - 2
• Medical Transport - 6
• Student Lockout - 20
• Transport - 118
• Well-Being Check - 0

Total - 272

CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

• Dana Gold took a group of 10 students to NYC for a day trip on 9/13: visiting TriCo alums at 2 finance firms and exploring summer 2025 internships.
• 31 students (Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors) completed the Job & Grad School Boot Camp August 28-30. Pre-Post survey outcomes indicate that students’ confidence about the job market increased by 16% across the 3-day program, while their anxiety about the job market and graduate school application processes decreased by 10% and 12%, respectively.
• Amanda Moser-Shick hosted the Civic Engagement Student Coordinator Kick-Off. At this event, Student Coordinators who lead our on and off campus service programs gathered for community-building and training to kick off the fall programs. 
• Collected over 150 PA Voter Registration Forms during Customs Week and Fall Frolic! Tabling will continue in the Dining Halls and at events to promote voter registration between now and the PA Voter Registration deadline—October 21. 
• Katie and Ellie shared the Design Your Life concepts with 400+ parents while Jennifer Prudencio graciously welcomed a room of 300+ first years to Career & Civic Engagement Cetner during move-in day. Thanks for this opportunity MB! 

IMPACT CENTER

• Facilitated the Fall Orientation for the Intercultural Living and Learning Center (ILLC) in which expectations for participation and engagement were reviewed, residents established community agreements, and students began planning activities for the fall semester.
• Hosted a Welcome Event for first years – nearly 50 students attended and participated in a variety of activities designed to help students get to know one another and the Impact Center.
• Supporting international students with their transition to Bryn Mawr.
• Participated in Fall Frolic, highlighting programs and opportunities for involvement at the Impact Center.
• Facilitated a successful Dorm Essentials distribution, distributed donated dorm items to incoming and returning first-generation limited-income (FGLI) and international students.
• Helped Breaking Barriers (FGLI and undocu+) students who participated in Move-Out with the return of their items from summer storage.
• Offered workshops at the Emerging Owls leadership retreat.

STUDENT LIFE

Counseling Services:

• Met with 92 students in the first week of classes. Completed 115 clinical appointments; 65 were brief assessments for students looking to engage in counseling.
• Staff members attended the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (GSSWSR) “Welcome Week” Tabling events on 9/3 and 9/4. The department shared about their services with graduate students and advertised our therapy groups for this semester.

Health Services

• Began working on the Okanagan Charter for Health-Promoting Colleges –also endorsed by American College Health Association (ACHA), but more holistic and inclusive framework than Healthy Campus  
• Onboarded Wellness Program Director.
• Revised Peer Health & Wellness Educator training and job description. 
• Created new alcohol and other drugs (AOD) trainings for Dorm Leadership Team, Hall Advisors (DLT, HA’s), and First-Year Orientation.
• Created new Wellness and Self Care trainings for Student Leaders, Dorm Leadership Team’s (DLT’s), Owl Retreat. 
• Created a new curriculum for Peer Health and Wellness Training. 
• Created a new Narcan Training and distribution Program in conjunction with a PA State Grant. 
• Created a new Wellness space for students on the 2nd Floor in the Well. 
• Established collaboration on emergency protocols and policies for the Tri-Co with directors from Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr College.
• Updated 4 core administrative policies: Emergency all-hazard policy, Health records management, Confidentiality, and Immunizations. 
• Completed immunization record review of all incoming first years and Post Bacs. 
• Executed new contract for the Community-wide Fall Covid/Flu Vaccination Clinic. 
• Student encounters: 117 since 9/4. There is a steady mix of upper respiratory infections, injuries, gynecology appointments, and referral requests. Please note the updates to Covid management and direct student to us or our website if they have questions: Health Resources

Residential Life and Student Engagement

• Three staff members are teaching a total of 5 first year THRIVE courses this semester.
• Staff have been working with both new and returning students regarding navigating roommate relationships and conflicts.
• Collaborated with campus partners to train over 100 student Dorm Leadership Team members.
• Organized Fall Frolic student club and organization fair for 130 student groups.
• Hosted the Emerging Owls Leadership Workshop for 110 student leaders.
• Over 300 new students attended the Friday Night Lights event as part of the Customs orientation week.
• Over 110 student clubs have completed their registrations.
• Provided party education for over 100 student leaders.
• Hosted a Welcome Back Bash event for students, faculty, and staff with over 500 people attending.
• Coordinated with the student Traditions leaders for the first Parade Night, the first student College tradition.

Restorative Practice

• Created training materials and solidified dates for the first monthly Circle Keeper (Facilitator) meeting. 
• Began building an internal evaluation tool.
• Scheduled our first meeting with consultant, to review policies and procedures.
• Sent out the library link for the books that were mentioned in the Restorative Practice two day training-Restorative Practice Recommended Readings.

Student Support Services

• Held first CARE Team meeting of the academic year.
• Student Assistance Fund Committee met to review applications and discussed criteria and website updates. Also finalized meeting schedule for fall semester.
• Provided services to 37 referred students through 1:1 meetings, email check-ins, and consultations with campus partners.
• Maxient is live! Please use the Student of Concern Referral Form (maxient.com) to refer students.

Title IX

• Development of community wide message for students, staff, and faculty regarding updates.
• Continued case management of reports.
• Planning for community prevention and educational programming.

STAFFING

• Counseling is thrilled to welcome three new graduate interns who are completing their advanced clinical training with BMC Counseling Services: Olivia Eilers (social work student from University of Pennsylvania), Kelsey Nelson (social work student from West Chester University), and Taylor Dunn (psychology doctoral student from Chestnut Hill College). Excited to welcome Cathi DelVecchio (professional counseling student from Villanova) back as a second year intern this year.
• Counseling is pleased to also welcome a new receptionist, Cindee LaDuna! Cindee brings more than 25 years of experience in administrative reception in a dental office and is thrilled to enter the world of higher education with this new position! Please come by and introduce yourself when you get a chance.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Thursday, September 19, 3:30 – 5:30 pm join Civic Engagement staff and Student Coordinators to learn more about our service programs, the Praxis Program, and the many resources available to students who want to engage in the local community through civic engagement!  Snacks will be provided! 
• Thursday, September 19, join the Impact Center at The Well for the launch of this year's "Beyond the Book" series, a monthly discussion time for faculty and staff.  This month's selection is The Four Agreements. Please join us (even if you haven't finished the book)! For questions or to rsvp, contact ctaipe@brynmawr.edu. 
• Friday, September 20, 12:00-3:00, the Tri-Co Career Fair at Founders Hall, Haverford College, allows students from all class years and majors to create meaningful connections with organizations from various industries. Students can stop by to explore organizations, learn about open internship/full-time opportunities and gain knowledge about various industries of interest. 
• Monday, Sept 23 from 2-4pm, Health services will host a Campus-wide "Grand Opening" of the Wellness Room. Please be on the look-out for reminders to join the celebration! Come meet new staff member, Cristen Kennedy, Wellness Program Director, and Erika D'Andrea, Wellness Program Coordinator, and share in a tour, grab a snack, join some fun activities, and enter a naming context for the space. ​
• Thursday, September 19^th from 4:30-6pm in Lower-Level Guild, Faculty Meet and Greet hosted by our division. Please plan to attend if you can.

DEAN ON CALL SCHEDULE

In order to contact the dean on call, please call Campus Safety at 610-526-7911.

FALL 2024

• September 9-16 - Patti Lausch 
• September 16-23 - Katie Krimmel 
• September 23-30 - Sara Donals 
• September 30-October 7 - Candice Love 
• October 7-14 - Baru Roberson-Hornsby 
• October 14-21 (Fall Break--No OCC on call!) - Tomiko Jenkins
• October 21-28 (Inauguration & Family Weekend) - Tomiko Jenkins
• October 28-November 4 - Andrew Wilbraham  
• November 4-11 - Richie Gebauer  
• November 11-18 - Melissa Giess  
• November 18-25 - Akirah Fenimore  
• November 25-December 2 (Thanksgiving) - Joi Dallas 
• December 2-9 - Tracy Weber 
• December 9-16 (Last week of classes) - Rachel Heiser 
• December 16-21 @ 9am (Finals Week; Dorms close at 6pm on 12/20) - Courtney Newkirk