EDWARDSVILLE - Representatives from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s University Housing received two regional awards at the 2017 Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO) conference held Nov. 12-14 in Indianapolis.
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University Housing’s Sister Circle Program achieved the Outstanding Project Award. The award is given to a GLACUHO institution that has implemented an innovative approach to enhancing diversity awareness, understanding and education on campus.
The program is a collaborative initiative between University Housing and the Office of Academic Advising, and facilitated by Arielle Weaver, Kalisha Turner, EdD, and Makesha Harris. It provides a connection for female students of color to University professionals and peers as a line of support and is accomplished through programming and peer mentorship.
Students are connected with academic and social resources necessary to become successful members of the SIUE community. The Sister Circle Program also helps University Housing and Academic Advising better understand the experiences of students of color, and specifically offer support, resources and connection to students who are disproportionately represented within the SIUE conduct process and who experience lower graduation rates.
Iván Solis-Cruz, assistant community director in University Housing, earned the GLACUHO Outstanding Graduate Practitioner Award. The honor is bestowed upon a graduate student who has greatly contributed to their institution.
Assistant Director of Residence Life First-Year Communities Jodi Seals nominated Solis-Cruz, highlighting his efforts to improve the lives of those around him.
“Iván is a true servant leader on our team and someone who others look to as a role model for how to get things done correctly, efficiently and professionally,” Seals wrote in her nomination letter. “We can always count on his intuitive contributions and energetic personality to engage meaningfully in area meetings or activities. The students in University Housing are lucky to have him guiding them. I have seen firsthand the relationships he has formed with these young people and how much of an impact he has had on their first-year experience.”
Solis-Cruz also helped develop Brother to Brother, a program that brings together men of color who live in SIUE residence halls to connect with peers and discuss opportunities and challenges. The group meets regularly and plans monthly programs to create a supportive network within University Housing.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.
