Dean Of Students

What is the Office of the Dean of Students?

The Office of the Dean of Students is committed to helping students reach their fullest potential. Our office provides a variety of student support services along with opportunities for leadership experience, diverse student work environments, engaging programming and specialized resources.

Mission Statement

The Dean of Students Office enriches the lives of the SU community through innovative programming, support services, training, and life skills development to prepare students to contribute to their community and world.

Vision Statement

Be a place where students come to seek support, have their voices heard, and learn to be accountable members of their community.

Values

Education
Personal development (Growth)
Creative problem solving
Respect
Fairness
Equity
Innovation

Ethical decision making
Advocacy
Inclusivity
Diversity
Collaboration
Creativity
Awareness
Personal responsibility

Dr. Sue O’Driscoll | Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

sodrisco09@su.edu | 540-545-7399
Cooley Hall, Room 201

Dean of Students Staff

Dahlia Ashford | Assistant Dean for Inclusion, Diversity, & Leadership

dashford@su.edu | 540-665-4595
Brandt Student Center, Room 113

Joseph Cooper | Student Conduct and Community Standards Coordinator

jcooper18@su.edu | 540-678-4462
Cooley Hall, Room 206

Student of Concern

Fellow students, family members, faculty and staff can play an invaluable role in helping students who are in distress. Your expression of interest, concern, and compassion is an important factor toward a student seeking the assistance they need. A student of concern is any student who is displaying behaviors that may get in the way of a student’s ability to be successful in the University environment.

Report a Student of Concern

CARE Team

The mission of the CARE Team is to coordinate the support services of Shenandoah University in order to provide assistance to students that may be experiencing some potentially harmful or disturbing behaviors and promote academic success and safety through an appropriate, timely, and caring response.

CARE Team Goals

Provide a safe physical environment for members of the university community.
Provide a safe emotional environment for the university community.
Promote peace of mind for friends and family of the university community.

Restorative Justice

Restorative practices are offered through the Dean of Students office. These practices help to identify and repair harms that have impacted others in the community.

Types of practices include facilitated dialogue, restorative conferences, and restorative circles.

Restorative practices can be assigned as an alternative resolution in the conduct process in some cases.

Mediations services can also be provided to help address conflicts.

Restorative practices and mediation services can be scheduled by contacting the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Sue O’Driscoll at sodrisco09@su.edu

Sexual Misconduct

Shenandoah University affirms the rights of its students, faculty and staff to live, work and study in an environment free from sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct includes but is not limited to non-consensual sexual contact, non-consensual sexual intercourse, sexual harassment, relationship violence, sexual exploitation and stalking.

Report an incident of sexual misconduct to SU’s Title IX Coordinator, Peter Kronemeyer; phone: 540-665-4921, e-mail: pkroneme@su.edu or nosexualmisconduct@su.edu

Step Up

Step UP! Bystander Empowerment Training is a pro-social bystander intervention program that increases motivation to help others and brings awareness to personal surroundings. It helps members of the SU community understand that it’s okay to do something as indirect as making a phone call or notifying another person in a situation involving things like alcohol, discrimination, or sexual misconduct.

[Not Just] Women’s Center

The mission of the [Not Just] Women’s Center (NJWC) is to provide an overall safe, inviting and inclusive environment for all students. Students can expect confidential peer support and information regarding healthy sexuality, healthy relationships, the importance of consent, tools for survivors, positive body image, being an active bystander and ways to prevent sexual assault.

[Not Just] Women’s Center

Safe Zone

Safe Zone is a network of people who seek to affirm and support sexual and gender diversity. Safe Zone members are working to create a community that understands and honors the value of each unique individual. Safe Zone workshop participants receive Safe Zone stickers to openly display as a symbol they are allies who can provide support and resources to LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff and campus visitors.

Meet Safe Zone Members

Educational Programs for Conduct Violations

Judicial Educator

The Judicial Educator consists of 24 educational presentations designed to educate students who are involved in conduct issues. Before receiving credit for completing a module, the student must take a test and achieve a passing score.

Educational topics include:

Academic Integrity
Alcohol Use/Abuse (2 different versions)
Anger Management
Bystander Education
Campus Safety
Civility and Respect
Community Living

Conflict Management
Damage and Vandalism
Dating Violence & Date Rape
Decision-Making (2 different versions)
Diversity
Fire Safety
Healthy Relationships

College and COVID-19
Hygiene and Cleanliness
Marijuana
Off-Campus Living
Online Citizenship
Peer Harassment
Roommate Issues
Smoking

BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students)

BASICS is designed to help students make better alcohol-use decisions based on a clear understanding of the genuine risks associated with problem drinking, enhanced motivation to change, and the development of skills to moderate drinking. The program is conducted over the course of two brief interviews that prompt students to change their drinking patterns. The program’s style is empathetic, non-confrontational or non-judgmental, and aims to:

Help you explore your alcohol use in a non-judgmental setting
Explore roadblocks that could hinder your reduction in alcohol use
Reduce alcohol consumption and its adverse consequences
Promote healthier choices among young adults
Provide important information and coping skills for risk reduction.

Students may be assigned to BASICS as a conduct sanction for alcohol violations.

BASICS also has a cannabis based program (CASICS) which is similar to the alcohol version. Students found responsible for a marijuana violation may be assigned to the CASICS cannabis program.

Marijuana 101

Marijuana 101 is an online marijuana education course. This course may be assigned to students who are in violation of a marijuana offense.

Marijuana 101 uses educational and motivational strategies to engage students in building awareness of the physical, social, and health effects that marijuana has, as well as the legal consequences associated with its use, while providing students with tools for making changes.