The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.
Issue link: https://louisville.epubxp.com/i/643329
4 4 | L O U I S V I L L E . E D U SCHOOL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY AND GRADUATE STUDIES SIGS turns eyes to minority student retention Graduate students from traditionally underrepre- sented groups sometimes struggle with unique challenges, such as feeling isolated and disconnected because they are the only minority in a program. Left to navigate such is- sues alone, they may give up on their dream of an advanced degree. The School of Interdis- ciplinary and Graduate Studies (SIGS) is helping to change that at the University of Louisville. SIGS is putting greater emphasis on recruiting and retaining students from these underrepre- sented groups, def ned as African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic Americans and Pacif c Islanders. Latonia Craig, EdD, associate director of graduate admissions and diversity recruitment, joined UofL in August 2014 to develop program- ming designed spe- cif cally to help students awarded annual SIGS minority fellowships. Craig was tasked with f nding ways to help the fellows solve common problems that caused them to leave the univer- sity before f nishing their degrees. She developed "Check In and Connect," which requires the fellows to have face-to-face visits with her. Sometimes, these visits result in Craig helping the students with dispute resolution or re- f ning organizational and time-management skills. "All of the students are going through the same struggles," said Craig. SIGS also is support- ing minority students through a new registered student organization, the Minority Association of Graduate Students (MAGS), and through its annual Diversity Recogni- tion Celebration which acknowledges academic milestones. At the 2015 celebration, four minor- ity PhD candidates who were about to receive their doctorates at the May hooding ceremony were given pins by their mentors to remind them to keep working toward their goals. SIGS holds its annual Diversity Recognition Celebration just before May commencement to recognize academic milestones. LOUIS D. BRANDEIS SCHOOL OF LAW The 'big' picture of health Be well. Stay well. That's what Jennifer DiSanza hopes Brandeis School of Law students will keep in mind as they make their journey through law school and into the legal profession. "Law students are under a tremendous amount of stress. They have high depression and suicide rates, and we want them to know there are plenty of resources available to help them," DiSanza said. That help includes a new wellness initiative tailored for the school's students, faculty and staff. It kicked off spring 2015 and featured health fairs, Paws for Law (bringing friendly dogs to the school during exam weeks to help ease stress), speakers, webinars, a strong focus on mental health and "Wellness Wednesdays." The idea, says DiSanza, is to keep physical and mental health a top priority. "Law students can become insular, especially if they didn't go to undergraduate school here. We want them to be integrated and to know what's available," she said. Law student Emily Landherr has worked with DiSanza since the program's inception. For spring 2016 she hopes to boost student engage- ment by launching some friendly, fun health competitions. DiSanza said the overall initiative was more an act of "assembling, ref ning and renovating" than building from scratch, but the impetus was to take aim against health issues that plague legal professionals and build a strong culture of wellness. UofL units that helped shape the new program include the Counsel- ing Center, Campus Health Services, the student recreational center and intramural sports, plus external sources such as the Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program and the Dave Nee Foundation, an organization that educates the public about the diagnosis and treatment of depression. Law school employee Lisa Hagan makes friends with a therapy dog. The school's wellness program includes regular visits by petable, loveable canines.