Poorman gives progress report on student life
By JASON McFARLEY
News Editor
What a difference two years made for the goals Father Mark Poorman established for student life.
When he visited the Campus Life Council in February 2000, Poorman, Notre Dame's vice president for Student Affairs, outlined several priorities that his office would tackle: gay student issues, gender relations, eating disorders and alcohol use.
Last week when Poorman spoke publicly to the CLC for the first time in two years, the priorities hadn't changed. But the progress toward them had.
"I'm proud to say that we've successfully wrapped up work on all the priorities," Poorman joked about the goals he announced in 2000.
Poorman used the occasion to publicize programs and services established by the Office of Student Affairs in the past 24 months. He also discussed future Student Affairs initiatives that sprang from the two-year-old goals.
Gay issues
Poorman noted two programs in place at the University for gay, lesbian and bisexual students: a network program and an educational initiative.
The network program offers training to gay and non-gay students to act as resources for homosexual and bisexual students.
The educational initiative began last spring as a program for freshman to promote awareness and understanding of sexuality. A University administrator and two gay student members of the Standing Committee on Gay and Lesbian Needs give presentations to residence halls in January and February each year.
Upcoming sessions include presentations in Cavanaugh and Zahm halls on Feb. 20, Farley and Zahm halls on Feb. 21 and Keenan, Knott, Lewis and Pasquerilla East halls on Feb. 28.
Gender relations
Student Affairs' most significant achievement gender relations in the past two years was the creation of the "Establishing Healthy Relationships" program.
Sponsored for freshmen by Poorman's office and the Physical Education Department, the program explores friendship, intimacy and sexuality issues between men and women. It provides understanding of these issues within the context of the Catholic faith and includes small-group discussion with rectors, campus ministers, counselors and Student Affairs senior staff as facilitators.
"It's critically important for our first-year students to do this because they should have an idea about healthy gender relations," Poorman said.
Eating disorders
Poorman identified two improvements to come out of Student Affairs' work in the area of student eating disorders: the hiring of a specialist and the creation of a survivors support group.
Last spring Valerie Staples became the University's first full-time staff counselor who specializes in eating disorders.
Also since last spring, Chandra Johnson, an executive assistant to University President Father Edward Malloy and assistant director of Campus Ministry, has offered A Life Uncommon for women who have had eating disorders. The non-clinical support group meets weekly during the academic year.
Alcohol use
"I think alcohol use and abuse on campus deserves some scrutiny," Poorman said.
In academic year 2000-2001, that scrutiny came in the form of Student Affairs-conducted focus groups. The groups polled the opinions and suggestions of wide-ranging constituencies: undergraduate and graduate students, rectors, law enforcement officials, alumni, admissions staff, faculty and parents, among others.
Poorman said his office was still processing data that came from the groups but that right now he was concerned mainly with lax enforcement of University rules governing student alcohol use.
The administrator addressed an issue that touched a nerve with many students last fall — Notre Dame officials' crackdown on student tailgaters.
He said officials last summer devised their plan to cut down on underage drinking and alcohol-focused tailgating. The Sept. 11 attacks, he said, disrupted rollout of the plan, as the University found itself devoting more of its personnel to safeguarding the Stadium rather than implementing the tailgating initiative. The result was a hasty effort between administrators and police to enforce the rules.
"Early on, maybe some of the signals got crossed," Poorman said.
He pledged to continue the crackdown in the fall, saying Student Affairs would establish a clearer definition of what the tailgating policy is and communicate it more effectively than last fall to students and fans.
Other initiatives
In the past two years, Student Affairs officials have taken several steps to integrate academic and student life: organizing A Week of Peace and War Education, revitalizing the role of residence hall academic commissioners, founding a diversity education program and a first-year student-athlete orientation and establishing the Advisory Committee for Academic and Student Life that reports directly to Poorman and Provost Nathan Hatch.
Poorman has continued his office's tradition of every year giving each residence hall $1,500 to sponsor academic programming in the dorm.
Student Affairs, along with the rest of the University, has begun its strategic planning, and synchronizing academic and student life will be a priority, Poorman said. The Strategic Plan formulates a comprehensive 10-year plan for departments.
Poorman said his office will seek and be interested in receiving student input into the plan. Senior Student Affairs staff will also visit Notre Dame peer institutions Northwestern, Rice, Dartmouth and Duke to benchmark programs at those school with offerings in place here.
All News Stories for Monday, February 11, 2002
