Author: Kim Sandlin

If you receive an email from your instructor, make sure you read it. One important tool instructors use to provide feedback to the students on their academic performance is called SEAS (Student Early Alert System). This system allows faculty to send alerts to students if they  are in danger of not succeeding in their course based on academic performance.

If you received an email, you should schedule a time to visit your instructor to talk about strategies to increase your potential for success in their class. Our faculty care about your experience, so you are highly encouraged to seek out your instructors and other resources to help you achieve your academic goals.

Students may feel anxious about approaching their professors and need encouragement to interact with them. Despite these reservations, making connections with faculty can help students feel more comfortable in class, get references for jobs or graduate school, and help advise them about career options.

Use the link below and to learn few tips on how to approach and speak with professors. Remember, faculty members are often their best resource for academic success.

Students, have you been to student (office) hours yet? If your answer is no, take the opportunity this week to visit at least one of your professors in their office during their student (office) hours.

Only a handful of students each semester use this opportunity to get to know their professors outside of the classroom. You might even gain an advisor,  mentor, or get the answer to your questions from your text.

If you are a student struggling in any of your classes, you can submit a request for a tutor from your student portal. To make the most of your tutoring sessions, follow these general rules:

• Request a tutor early at the first sign that a class or concept may be difficult.
• Attend all classes and keep up-to-date on assignments.
• Attempt assigned problems before your tutoring session.
• Read assigned materials before your session.
• Bring all course materials to your session.

Depending on the class and the request, you may not immediately match with a tutor. The earlier you request help, the better chance you have for academic success.

If you haven’t already, please remember to complete the EVERFI Sexual Assault Prevention training modules on or before Oct. 24, 2021.

In spring 2021, Wichita State’s Student Government Association issued a resolution supporting mandatory sexual assault prevention training for all students, supporting the university’s commitment to raising awareness and preventing sexual harassment and discrimination within our community.

For more information, please visit the website below or contact OIEC@wichita.edu.

It’s never too late to try new tactics in the classroom to improve learning. Encourage your students to quiz themselves, quiz other classmates on class concepts, create questions from assigned readings to ask during class, or have them form a study group with other motivated students to improve academic performance.

The earlier students establish strong study habits and learning skills, the better they will perform as they persist to graduation.

Do your notes make sense? Are they organized and in an appropriate format to study? The Shocker Learning Center at Lindquist Hall (room 107) is here to help.

If the pages of your textbook are covered with highlights because you aren’t sure how to decide which information is important, or you need tips on how to organize your notes to prepare for an exam, we can help. Visit the link below to get some quick tips online, or go to the Shocker Learning Center for help in person.

Did you know there is an academic calendar updated each semester with dates about payment arrangements, enrollment, breaks and finals? These are important dates for you to put in your personal calendars.

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated our awareness of the importance of mental health. In honor of National Suicide Prevention Week Sept. 5-11, support students both in and out of the classroom by becoming a mental health advocate. You can help spread the message of mental health support in several ways.

1. Join us at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 in front of the Rhatigan Student Center for the inaugural Suspenders4Hope Run for Hope and 1-Mile Walk in Honor to benefit StopSuicideICT.  Find more information about registering a team and donating at supenders4hope.stopsuicideict.com.
2. Go to suspenders4hope.com and complete the #WeSupportU Preventing Suicide Training to learn more tools for supporting our students who may be struggling.
3. Follow, like and share @ShockersCAPS to help the message of hope reach students.
4. Wear a Suspenders4Hope shirt as a visual display of your support for mental health and to help decrease mental health stigma. Shirts are available for purchase at the Shocker Store. Wear them often, especially on Fridays.
5. Participate in the #WeSupportU Mental Wellness in the Classroom card project. This project is designed to give you a series of short five to 10-minute exercises that can be performed with any group of students to promote well-being and connectedness. Request a set of cards here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated awareness of the importance of mental health. In honor of National Suicide Prevention Week Sept. 5-11, support your peers both in and out of the classroom by becoming a Suspenders4Hope mental health advocate. You can also spread the message of mental health support in several ways.

• Join us at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 in front of the Rhatigan Student Center for the inaugural Suspenders4Hope Run for Hope and 1-mile Walk in Honor to benefit StopSuicideICT. Find more information about registering a team and donating at supenders4hope.stopsuicideict.com.
• Go to suspenders4hope.com and complete the Preventing Suicide Training to help give you more tools for supporting those who may be struggling.
• Follow, like and share @suspenders4hope to help the message of hope reach our community.
• Wear a suspenders shirt as a visual display of your support for mental health and to help decrease mental health stigma. Shirts are available at the Shocker Store. Wear them often, especially on Fridays.
• Be sure to tag @suspenders4Hope and use the use #WeSupportU in your suspender shirt selfies.

If you or anyone you know is in crisis, and you need to speak with a crisis counselor, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 24 hours a day. Asking for help is a sign of strength.