The Student Government Association (SGA) invited university staff to speak at Thursday’s general meeting about changes to CHW and equity in Career Services.
Ade Igbineweka, the director of Career Equity and Access, spoke to senators about her job at Career Services.
Igbineweka joined Suffolk to enhance equity and give underserved communities easier access to the services the Career Center offers, like resume boosting and career guidance plans.
“[Career Services] has built our team from a team of five as of last year, to a team of about 21 at the end of this month. So, we’re hoping that every student will somehow be connected to the Careers Center by the time they graduate,” Igbineweka said.
Nicholas Scull, the director at Counseling, Health and Wellness (CHW), also came to speak to SGA about the reconstruction taking place at CHW.
One of the things that CHW looked at when considering changes to their counseling service model was the usage rates of how many students are being served compared to the number of staff members available to help them.
The main issue brought up by students was how long the wait times can be for an appointment since some students wait upwards of three weeks during busy times of the semester for sessions.
To improve the access of CHW services to students, the office will be adopting a “walk-in consultation” model, Scull said. Hours will be set so that students can walk in and see a counselor without an appointment having to be made.
Scheduled consultations will still be available for students, as well as a crisis appointment if a student’s needs are immediate.
One of the biggest changes was the decision to take away the 10 session limit per academic year that CHW previously held.
“Treatment is going to be tailored to your individual needs. Some students might just come in for one session, that’s all you need,” Scull said. “Some students might come in for five or six sessions… We will still keep a small number of students for what we call “longer term care”, more than 10 sessions.”
A resolution pertaining to the support of two congressional resolutions that urged the establishment of a United States commission on truth, racial healing, and transformation was brought to the floor for a vote. The resolution, which called for Suffolk university to publicly support this bill, was passed by a unanimous vote.
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