Over the course of the past year, the Office of Student Affairs at Point Park has been reorganized and renamed in order to give a better and clearer message to students.
This change was organized by Dr. Karen McIntyre, Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of Faculty; and Keith Paylo, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students.
“The purpose of the name change is to better reflect the overall purpose and services provided by each of the divisions,” Michael Gieseke, Dean of Student Life on September 25, said.
The restructuring of the Office of Student Affairs was made as part of University President Paul Hennigan’s 2020 Initiative, Gieseke said. This plan also included a new curriculum, a focus on first-year students, and a drive to improve retention rates. Dean Paylo also said that the restructuring was enacted in order to be more efficient.
Dean Paylo said that Office of Student Affairs has been retooled under four distinct areas: Office of Student Life, Office of Student Engagement, Office of Student Conduct, and the Department of Athletics. Each of these four areas will encompass different organizations in the University.
Some examples would include the Office of Student Conduct having Judicial Affairs and Drug and Alcohol Education and the Office of Student Engagement having Study Abroad.
“I’ve been thinking about it for years,” Paylo said Sept. 24. “I managed it so it is much more efficient and effective for our student body.”
One of the organizations that got a name change was the Office of Student Conduct. The organization was named the Office of Judicial Affairs last semester. J.W. Tabacchi, Director of Student Conduct, said that the change has been helpful to make it clear to students to the organization is not just a judicial system.
“Our students were perceiving it as the judge and the jury,” Tabacchi said on Sept. 17.
Tabacchi said the Office of Student Conduct can help students understand the rules of the campus and help them understand what they did wrong if they break any rules.
The Office of Student Life was also renamed this semester. Last semester, it was the Office of Campus Life. The name was changed to better reflect an accurate description of what it provides to all students, both resident and commuter, Gieseke said. The organization also wants to re-focus on the freshman student population in order to help prepare them for their entire college journey.
“We want all students to know there is a place they can go when they need anything,” Gieseke said.
Brad Kovalcik, Coordinator of Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership, said leaders of the different organizations found out about the name changes during a meeting that was held last semester. He also finds the name change to be very helpful to the students.
“The name change displays a more inclusive nature of the services we offer and the opportunities that the office promotes,” Kovalcik said during an email interview Sept. 26.
Paylo hopes that students will notice these changes to the organizations and that they can offer students help to better them in their journey at Point Park.
