What's New for Students
The Division of Student Affairs is pleased to present some of the numerous new programs and initiatives launching for students in the 2019-20 academic year.
Global Spiritual Life is spearheading a call to Beloved Community and a focus on belonging throughout 2019-20. Two new university-wide "Zone" trainings will be offered to students, faculty, and staff. Belonging Zone helps students identify their voices, gain new tools to share their power, and participate in difficult conversations with others to increase belonging, care, and connection for all. Mindfulness Zone helps cultivate a deeper understanding of mindfulness and meditation and the effects they have on one's mind, body and spirit. In addition, many of these ideas will be embedded in club management training for All-University Clubs and for Student Government.
Handshake, which launched in June 2019, replaces NYU CareerNet as the career services management platform in the Wasserman Center and in the Abu Dhabi and Shanghai career centers. Built to feel like your favorite web applications and social media platforms, Handshake offers NYU students and employers a greatly-enhanced user experience that connects students to great opportunities and enables employers to identify talented applicants. The new platform also advances Wasserman's analytical capabilities, furthering data-driven career development strategies for our students and alumni.
Wait times for individual counseling appointments are a national concern with colleges and universities around the country experiencing a significant increase in the numbers of students needing the support of mental health professionals. The NYU Counseling and Wellness Services provided 41,000 visits last year to 9,000 unique students. Prioritizing appointments on the basis of safety is common practice in healthcare using a process known as triage; those with urgent safety issues may be scheduled with a counselor more quickly than others.
As always, our Wellness Exchange “safety net” (drop-in, hotline, chat service) provides students with 24/7 access to a counselor. We also support students in connecting with our clinical partners in the community which may decrease wait time, though not guaranteed.
This year, we will pilot a voluntary program called "While You Wait" whereby students who have to wait longer than two weeks for an individual appointment will be offered the chance to participate in a weekly toolkit—a series of workshops led by counselors designed to help students develop skills that enhance personal, academic, and social well-being. Toolkits will provide students a more immediate connection to a counselor (potentially within a few days), while helping them to cope with the problems they are facing and to develop self-management skills to enhance their future individual counseling sessions. Toolkits are 1-4 sessions in length, do not require an initial meeting with the facilitator, and are available at no cost to registered NYU students. More information (including a list of toolkits).
In 2020, Wasserman and NYU Alumni Affairs will implement a mentoring platform to facilitate connections among alumni and students for the purposes of knowledge sharing, networking, and career development. This new platform will foster a greater sense of connectedness to the NYU community while enabling alumni and students to gain information and to build relationships they need to be successful in today's dynamic global economy.
After a successful pilot year of offering free menstrual hygiene products (MHPs) in select NYU restrooms and offices, in Fall 2019 the program will expand to include NYU's residence halls. MHPs are integral to the mental, emotional, and physical health of many students, and are necessary to ensure equal educational access to people of all genders and socioeconomic statuses. More information.
In an effort to support and retain our first-year students, a new first year co-curricular experience will leverage the many activities across the University that support a student's transition to NYU. A review of research, current activities, and national best practices identified five key areas: academic success, wellbeing, community and belonging, professional preparation, and identity exploration. Regular communication around these areas will support success during students' first year.
The Center for Student Life, International Student Center, and the Office of Global Services partnered to host more than 60 new students for the International Student Transition Program (up from last year's pilot of 20 students). Students arrived five days before Welcome Week to learn more about New York City and about being successful at NYU—as most were arriving to the United States or New York City for the first time.
Global Spiritual Life and the LGBTQ+ Center will be collaborating for a robust Queering Faith Initiative, including student-focused programs, chaplaincy education, and other engagement efforts for LGBTQ+ students of faith.
NYU Alternative Breaks, through the Center for Student Life, will be hosting its first-ever academic two-credit course for program Site Leaders. Through a partnership with the Silver School of Social Work, the course will aim to train site leaders about leadership, community care, and logistics surrounding their role within the program.
In direct response to student demand, the Wasserman Center for Career Development has expanded its drop-in appointments—offering more hours and a more consistent schedule to allow students to start their career journey when they want without the stress of making and waiting for an appointment.