The Host: Hello everybody and welcome back to the Student Affairs Podcast Series. My name is Daniel I am 5year senior and it is a pleasure to be your host today. Today I am joined by Dr. Angela B. Taylor is the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Louisville. Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Dr. Taylor currently provides leadership and administration to the Division of Student Affairs by working directly with the Disability Resource Center, Student Care and Student Conduct in the Dean of Students Office, Student Grievance Officer, Student Involvement, and the University Career Center. Dr. Taylor holds a PhD in College Student Personnel Services from the University of Louisville, a MEd in College Student Personnel Services from the University of Louisville, and a BA in Psychology and Communication Arts from Georgetown College. In this episode we will be talking about student Affairs and what they do to support our students?

The Host: What does the Dean of Students Office do?

Angela Taylor: The Dean of Student’s Office, or DOS, provides variety of resources and services centered around promoting a positive learning experience and making opportunities available for students to achieve their full academic and personal potential. You might be thinking, how does the Dean of Students Office do that?

First, DOS provides support to students who are in distress or crisis. A crisis is anything that can impact a student’s academic performance. The Dean of Students office is also responsible for upholding community standards and protecting student rights. If you aren’t familiar with the Code of Student Conduct or the Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities, you can find those on our website.

Additionally, we help build relationships among students, faculty, and staff while empowering students to have a positive impact on our UofL and local communities, as well as the world. DOS also has a role in Title IX in helping students know about resources and reporting options. And, the Dean of Students office oversees the Student Emergency Fund, a fund for UofL students who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency or catastrophic event. The application for the Student Emergency Fund is our website. We do a lot more, and you can find that information on our website or by reaching out to our office.

The Host: Where do I go when I need help with something?

Angela Taylor: The Dean of Students Office is here when you don’t know where to go for help. While we might not be your last stop, we will get you the information you need or connect you with the appropriate office or department on campus. You can contact our office by emailing dos@louisville.edu, calling (502) 852-5787, or stopping by in-person in the DOS suite on the 3rd floor of the Student Activities Center between 9AM and 5PM on business days.

To locate resources, we highly recommend using UofL’s ConcernCenter. ConcernCenter is a great tool to learn about UofL resources, departments, and services, especially if you aren’t sure where to go! You can search for resources using keywords or select one of the pre-written concerns. The site will then suggest the best services for your concern and give you contact information, so you can quickly reach out for support. ConcernCenter is a directory service provided by the Dean of Students Office, and you can check it out online at louisville.concerncenter.com. Be sure to bookmark the site, as you never know when you may need it.

The Host: How can the Dean of Students Office help me?

Angela Taylor: There are many reasons why you might need to visit the Dean of Students Office. If a student believes their student rights have been violated, the DOS can provide options for reporting and resources for support. A student may be dealing with a crisis situation that has resulted in hospitalization. DOS can help notify professors of an absence. This absence notification alerts instructors to a student’s anticipated absence and when they expect to return to coursework. Ultimately, this decision to excuse a student from class lies with the instructor. If you are concerned about a friend who needs help, reach out to the Dean of Students Office. We are also the repository for all written student complaints and can help with connecting students to the appropriate resource or office to resolve these concerns. Lastly, UofL is a large school with many different policies and procedures. If you need advice or assistance navigating policies and procedures, reach out to DOS, and we can help provide support.

The Host: Thank you, I think that was great to know. With that we would like to come to an end and for our listeners for more information go to https://louisville.edu/studentaffairs.

Also did you know that Campus maps are available online at https://louisville.edu/about/campuses and parking maps can be found at https://louisville.edu/parking.

Don’t forget that Louisville Job Fair - Louisville Career Fair is coming up on April 8th from 11 to 2PM at Houchens building.

As always, we would like to give a shout out to the freshman lead program for creating leaders up tomorrow. Thank you everyone for staying with us hope you enjoyed our episode today. Come back for more next week.