Although students at Stevens have 55 acres of residential campus to spread their busy schedules across, sometimes the moments in between attending class, studying, and exploring Hoboken can be just as influential to a student’s development. For first-year students, building a healthy social and academic lifestyle starts with a strong foundation, mainly consisting of a comfortable and welcoming living space. This is the main goal of the Office of Residential Life.
While students may come to Stevens with the motivation to grow both intellectually and socially, the Office of Residence Life is an ever-present, behind the scenes force with the goal of “making sure that students are safe within our residence halls, ensuring that students understand and cooperate with our policies, and making sure that we keep a sense of responsibility with our students,” according to Kurtis Watkins, Associate Director of Residence Life. The Office of Residence Life has a variety of measures to promote student development and advocate for a sense of community and responsibility within residence halls at Stevens. Practices facilitated by the Office of Residence Life include everything from having Residence Assistants to “provide support, both academically and socially” to following a procedure for dealing with the consequences of breaking rules such as underage drinking and plagiarism.
One specific program run by the Office of Residence Life that Watkins described was the CARE Team. Designed for students in dire or crisis situations, the CARE Team is a program hosted by staff members across Stevens faculty. As a representative of the CARE Team himself, Watkins explained that staff members from departments such as Residence Life, Graduate Academics, Athletics, and International Support Student Services amongst others offer services and accommodations such as counseling and academic support to students struggling in one capacity or another or who are potentially in a crisis situation.
As for advice for first-year students, Watkins recommended that students get involved and active within the Stevens community: “Get engaged, get involved, find a place where you really want to work with and get connected with in terms of student organizations, opportunities, individuals in terms of professors, or professionals here — get connected with them in terms of how you want to be involved and how you see yourself.” Watkins described the Stevens community as an elaborate and interdependent academic ecosystem, with each student fulfilling a specific role based on their interests and passions. Although this year’s incoming class is a vibrant and diverse group of students, it’s important to remember that the existence of the Stevens community depends on the students to continue to be lively, active, and an overall positive experience.
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