ND Admissions LIVE: Student Development and Wellbeing

Hi there and welcome. We're going to wait just a few minutes before we get started as people are coming into this space from the waiting area.

I'm laughing because as soon as I said hi there, my dog got right up and came over to see what was going on.

Alright, it looks like most everyone has come into this space, so we'll go ahead and get started. My name is Joyce Lance and I'm the director of recruitment and communications for the Office of Undergraduate enrollment at Notre Dame, and we're glad that you've joined us this evening. For our conversation around student development and.

Well, being at Notre Dame and we have two experts on those topics with us this evening and all, let them introduce themselves to you and hopefully, as they're introducing themselves and talking a little bit about.

What it is that they do at Notre Dame? Some questions might pop into your head and I invite you to in the chat box that's on your screen too.

Ask questions as they pop into your head and well, there's a big group here this evening, so we'll try to get to as many of those questions as we can and then get you on your way by 8:45. I'm sure that many of you have homework and and other things that you're trying to wrap up before you take off for spring break and other activities that are taking place this time of year. So thanks for giving us your time and Christine, wouldn't you start with your introduction, please?

Great thanks Joyce. Hi good evening everyone. I'm Christine Karen gebhart. I'm the assistant vice president for student services. Student services is the student health and Wellness unit at the University of Notre Dame in Student Affairs Division that encompasses the University Health services.

Which includes student COVID response. It includes the University Counseling Center, the Center for Student Support, and Care that has two arms. It is the serabai accessibility services as well as our care and Wellness consultants who are care managers or case managers that support students in gathering resources and helping them through challenges. And then the last is our promotion, health promotion Prevention Department, which is McDonald's Center for Student well being.

Our mission at Notre Dame is to help students understand each day, how to promote their well being, to prioritize their health, and to utilize the resources both on campus as well as in the Community or back home on how to help you flourish every day, particularly with your academics and your social connections, but also during those challenging times where things just seem a little difficult.

Very good, thank you and Brian.

I'm Brian cocklin. I'm associate vice president for student development. I work with nine different departments within the division of Student Affairs.

Some of our diversity groups, like the multicultural student programs and Services Office, the Gender Relations Center.

Our Office for Student Enrichment Works with our first Gen and under resourced students. The Student Activities Office, which works with the water clubs and organizations. Your typical student government interface as well as our student centers on campus and work with the university Band program which encompasses our world famous marching band Rec Sports which handles all of our inter murals, club sports and workout facilities on campus. The Family Resource Center, which is an operation that supports our married pregnant and parenting students.

Our student media students and our office of Community Standards, which is our Dean of Students Office.

Very good, thank you and this is kind of one of those ask us anything kind of sessions we like. I said only have 45 minutes so as as items pop into your head just or questions pop into your head. Just send them our way and to the question that just came in about. Will this be recorded? Yes, this session will be recorded and will be made available on demand on our website. Probably 4 hours after this.

Event concludes this evening, so you'll be able to catch it later or share it with other members of your family and friends that might have some interest.

Uh-huh

Questions come in in regards to the vaccine mandate, and so Christine this might be a good one for you. As you've been managing our COVID protocol, but the question is any word on what the vaccine mandate is going to be? Or will it be lifted next year?

so we are still looking at the prevalence and the positivity rate around the country related to the different safety precautions, the vaccine being the one that Notre Dame has really put a lot of effort and emphasis behind. There is a group that is working on the recommendation.

For the fall, currently what we're looking is that folks coming in over the summer. We'll need to have both of the boosters. Excuse me. Both of the shots, plus the booster. If you do the J&J Pfizer and then if you excuse me Pfizer. And moderna. If you do, J&J the one in the booster.

I would expect that that's going to be something that's going to be highly sought after or recommended by the Medical Group. Given the success that we've had with the vaccine mandate, what I will say in that people. I want to make sure because I know that people have different understandings and positions related to the vaccine. There is always the exemption process. We recognize that due to medical or religious reasons, students may not.

Feel like the vaccine is what they would need to do at that time, and we have that process as well as particular safety precautions for for our unvaccinated students there is no definitive statement at this point, but we are hoping to have something before April 1st because we know folks are wanting to make decisions based upon where Notre Dame's COVID policies will be next year.

Yep.

Great thanks and I I know the Provost Sonata memo to the community just at the end of last week about some of the changes that are coming away in regards to masking. Do you want to talk a little bit about that as well?

Yeah, so you know, the great news is that across the country but also at Notre Dame, our positivity rate is the lowest that it's ever been. Even prior to omnicron post vaccine when we first had our first round of vaccines in April and May on our campus, we had a huge drop in our positivity rate up through July when an Mccartin hit the nation. We, like everyone else saw the saw the increase.

Right now we're at a .2% positivity rate, and that's just really amazing. We've also done hundreds of tests today and no positives. You know we'll see with people traveling on spring break and the different activities that might happen from spring break. You know where that positive ITI rate would increase or not, but as a result, because the Community South Bend and Saint Joseph County.

Has also decreased his positivity rate. We not only lifted the mask mandate for our vaccinated and unvaccinated students, but also our guests coming to campus as well. What we've always said at Notre Dame is we continue to look at the nation. We continue to look at our county and we continue to look on our campus and I'm we will shift as we see changes in our positivity rate. Our number of cases, our hospitalizations, and other factors.

So we are really excited to be able to go into the last half of this semester with some of these precautions down, but we will be ever vigilant watching our close contacts watching our symptomatic tests are asymptomatic tests and all the indicators we've been using all along to keep our students, our faculty, staff, and community safe.

Thank you and and I like this question. It makes sense and I understand why it's being asked. What happens if a student test positive today?

I under.

Yeah.

Let's support in terms of quarantine, and they specifically are asking you to do send them home.

Then

Yeah, no, we don't send students home. We have quarantine and isolation facilities. If you live in the residence halls. If you live in the residence halls, we have a quarantined isolation facility right on the edge of campus where we bring our students there. They are delivered meals there. They have laundry access, they have Wi-Fi. They have, you know, a basically an isolation place by themselves. They have someone who calls them.

Every day or every other day, just depending upon if they're sick or they're not sick. They also have a list of resources of ways that they can connect in to receive services 24/7. If a student is off campus. We talked to the student about what facilities they have, who's in the house, the ways that they can take care of each other if they're a close contact, versus if they're an isolated or they're positive person who needs to be in isolation.

Very good and then how are how do they keep up with their coursework? Are they attending classes and then? I guess I I should ask this around activities outside of the classroom, extracurricular activities, clubs, organizations that they might be involved in? How are they keeping up with that kind of?

Activity when they're in quarantine or kind of isolated away from the rest of the community.

Yeah, so the good news is about Q and I, particularly for students who are.

Vaccinated or even our unvaccinated students, our students are not getting very sick at all, if at all, if showing symptoms. So at the hotel or at the apartment complex, you know they have materials can be delivered to them. They're also within a five day isolation period. So after five days of isolation, they come back to campus and they need to mask for an additional 5 days, but as long as they don't have certain symptoms like a fever.

And then they can come back into the community. The mass for five days continue to monitor and some professors will send them recordings. Some professors will send them emails each day, each professor. It just depends upon the course. Like some courses you can do by doing the asynchronous recordings. Others professors will work with you to make up the material we are not doing hybrid learning at this point we so student but student.

Faculty are making recordings, notes, and other things like that available to students so that they do not fall behind.

Sure, and Brian, do you want to address or talk a little bit about student activities and and things that take place outside of the classroom and how some of those?

Yeah.

You mean so Christine doesn't talk about COVID for the entire 45 minutes? Is that like, yeah, is that what you're asking, yeah?

Yeah, yeah.

Sure, no. So in terms of their involved student involvement, I would say some of the student organizations and clubs are doing a hybrid approach, so students do go into quarantine and isolation that they will still be able to participate in some sorts of the meetings, but most of our activities have gone back to in person, and so it's just, you know, like.

Christine was saying what the class is. There would be a somewhat of a delay in terms of catching up on some of the things that happen, but.

Certainly things like student government and that are that are meeting heavy.

Yeah.

You know those are still hybrid, but some of the club sports and their murals. Obviously those things are just, you know, moving on without the students. But with the this much shorter amount of time that students are in quarantine and isolation than they were this time last year.

Really not seen it have a significant impact on the student life aspect of their their experience.

Good good I. I do see a question about admitted student days and we are I can answer that one. We are requiring our guests to be vaccinated to attend those larger events in April, but if you are not vaccinated or won't be vaccinated completely in time for those events, there are other opportunities for you to participate in, such as virtual opportunities like this one. But also we are offering.

Individual visits so that you have the opportunity still to come and visit campus and and tour campus. We are still somewhat restricted in terms of entering dining halls and residence halls on our campus and and we're doing that to protect our current community. Like Christine said, we've been, I think doing a pretty good job and those numbers are pretty low and so we want to keep it that way. But the larger events we are going to require the continue to require the vaccination.

Probably easing up on the mask though, just as our policies have recently changed.

There's a question in there Joyce about students paying for tests. If you go through University Health services and they order the test, you do not have to pay for the test and we do. For those students who are do surveillance testing, that is done. That is covered by Notre Dame as well as symptomatic testing. As long as you go through University Health services.

Some students choose to go off campus and to like a Walgreens or CVS. And you know those would come under the students payment, either insurance or whatever the the clinic or pharmacy is requiring at that time.

Sure, sure.

Here's a general question. I think either one of you can answer. What kind of support do we offer students and for for student Wellness? Then I guess Wellness can mean a lot of different things.

You take a first crack and I'll add in.

Yeah, I mean, here's the thing. What we want to help students understand. Like there are multiple dimensions of your well being and Wellness, right? And there's so many different ways that you can work with different partners on campus on what your needs could be depending upon what element of Wellness that is either a strength that you want to continue to sustain.

Dentist to continue to have. There may be things that you like. You know what? I really haven't worked on my spiritual life and this would be an awesome way to really strengthen my my spiritual well-being and utilize my prayer life or strengthen it. And and there's also, of course you know the ones that come, you know to most mine the physical we have our University Health services, which is a primary care facility that not only do we do COVID, but we offer physicals we do immunizations.

We do well exams, you know. We treat minor illnesses. We have physical therapy and X ray on site. We have a pharmacy on site but also there's rec sports right? Like that ongoing prevention and promotion when it comes to mental health initiatives, we have our counseling center which has a variety of tools, some of which are virtual, some of which are dropping that you can see a counselor that day. Summer long term schedule counseling summer arlex talk program.

Which is we are in different departments across the the university and you can just stop by and either talk about a friend and be like hey I have this friend. I don't know what to do or about your own issue, so there's lots of different dimensions of Wellness and different resources that you can tap into student health and Wellness is not the only entity on campus that promotes Wellness. We all work on it each day and in different ways. But we're the ones that will.

You'll see the majority of interventions, but I would say that you know their brians departments work in so many ways on helping students to flourish and develop, so I'll turn it over to him.

Yeah, I think he was really well, said Christina. I don't have a ton to add to that outside of just just the multitude of ways means that there are.

Things that.

Each and every student that comes in her name will have to do for themselves too. I mean, I think that's the major difference between what students experience in high school and when they come to college. Is that some of these services and opportunities? You as as an adult, now need to seek out? Whether that's involvement in student organizations or the Wellness programs that Christina is talking about, or the spiritual opportunities offered by Campus Ministry. These things are there and they're waiting for you and how you engage with them.

Will go a long way so the the safety net and the support services at Notre Dame are extremely high and they're right there for you, but it does require you in a way that that is different than it is currently in your lives to. To actually be the one to engage with these things and and to seek out. Now there's always something there for you. I think about our.

Our just our clubs and organizations are currently over 500 student clubs and organizations on a campus that has just over 8000 undergraduates. You know, that's a that's a huge number for the for the size population that we have, and it's a testament to the fact that students at Notre Dame seek out things that they want to have in their lives. And if they don't see it there then they create it.

And that's just one example of the initiative that's required to flourish in this community.

Can you talk a little bit about so so when you say you have to kind of initiate and find that help on your own? And I totally get it that it's different than high school and I'm sure our listeners understand what you're saying as well. But what are some examples like who can they?

Sure.

Let's say they arrive and they're feeling extremely lonely or kind of lost and feeling like they're not fitting in because I think that's the reality. For some students. You know, who can they go to?

Yeah, I think that's a great question, right? And so.

When I think about the Notre Dame experience, so much of it starts in the residence hall communities that you're randomly assigned to, and so these are are your base of operations if you will. These are your foundations on which you'll.

Set forth or launch off of or or whatever analogy you want to think about, but but they're in their side. The residence halls are our system is is built a little bit differently than a lot of other places where the.

Students live in the same hall for four years and were randomly assigned to that hall and so that community is filled with.

Sophomores, juniors and seniors as well, so it's not just a group of freshmen trying to find their way in the dark together. They actually have a lot of upper class support and there might be an upper class student down the hall that's gone through the exact same hardship that you're going through. There might be someone that shares your major or is in a college that you're interested in in joining. There might be somebody that has the same interest and belongs to one of the student's actions that you do and so that they can show you the way. And if you can't.

Hook up with one of those folks. Come on your own, or are a system is a strong one as well, because our erazor all seniors that have lived in that community for the previous three years, and so they're assigned to a group of of first year students as well. And so those arnaise are there to help you navigate Notre Dame and college and and for so many folks being away from home for the first time, and they're supported by two assistant directors, were either graduate students or other adults and director who is someone that is signs strictly to that residence hall that you're in as opposed to so many other institutions that might have an area person that.

Is a professional staff that's over three or four different buildings? This is one person per hall with two assistant directors and our group of senior RA's that that net for you is is significant and so those are our your first guides. But then after that you know I could talk about academic advisors and the colleges and your first year of studies that will walk you through the academic pieces.

The upperclassmen on in these senior organizations that I keep speaking about they will be there to find, be a support for you, and as you branch out from your residence halls, you'll find community in so many different places and all of those people will help you find this support.

I don't know Christine. If you had anything to add to that one.

No, I I think that's a great point, right? The community in and of itself offers multiple ways for support. If the student is still struggling and has reached out to their rector or two different orgs or different staff professionals, they're also what we have called the care and Wellness consultants, and those are usually folks who are actually identified, usually by third party people who will say like they'll call the care and Wellness consultant.

They're divided by a college and they'll say I'm really concerned about Christine. UM, can you talk to her? Parents? Sometimes refer friends, roommates, professors, advisors, and what they care, and Wellness consultant does. Is calls me in calls the person in and says, hey, you know your roommate or your mom or your professor is concerned about you. They seem to seem that you're struggling. How can we help you? What's going on? So we'll do a quick needs assessment. They'll see what's happening in the students life.

No I had.

And then they'll also say, OK, what resources we using? What resources are you connected to? And sometimes students are like, well, you know I haven't talked to my rector. Well, let's talk about like how could you approach your rector? Or what are the things? What are the ways that we can connect you so if students haven't quite found it, there's multiple. As Brian said, staff resources as well, but I would say one of the things that I love most about working with the students is the way they, the way they take care of each other particularly.

The residential in the residence halls in the organizations, and even in when I was the director of the Gender Relations Center, watching the upperclassmen just mentor and just take care of the first years. It's just it's a really great experience.

Yep.

Absolutely, I'm glad that you said that because you were both talking. I was thinking about that the students here. Do they watch out for each other and it's it's maybe not unique necessarily to Notre Dame. But when you compare Notre Dame to a lot of schools out there, I think this community that we always talk about. It's very real and and there's a sense of.

A responsibility that you have for one another and we've seen it more, I think than ever in the last couple of years when there's been some a lot of difficulties that that the students have had to to power through, you mentioned.

Yeah.

June do you mind me mentioning one more resource Armero first year experience course is another great resource for students, right? So every first year student has to take a year of Moro and Moro is our way of helping students think about and navigate what it means to get the most out of a Notre Dame experience. So we look at things like values.

We look at relationships. We look at your call to vocation. We look at your spirituality, but that's done with 19 other students with a staff or faculty facilitator. And I'll say like at the beginning of the year, the students will often talk to me and be like Doctor Gebhart. Like what about this? Or what about that towards the end of the year somebody is like hey I need help with such and such. And before I can even open my mouth they start answering it for each other. Like for before spring break with midterms like they were all you know.

There there is stressed out about something and I said, well, you know who's got organic chemistry and they raise their hands and like that's OK you can come study with me. So there's just really neat ways that community emerges, either through classrooms or the residence halls or clubs that I really feel like.

Brian said it there's this network, and if the student hasn't quite found it, it's OK. There are people there to help that experience with students.

Let me touch on this a bit earlier. Christine, about health services and the facilities that are available. So I think when we were talking about or when you were answering a question related to COVID but in terms of like doctors, offices and facilities that students can go to are those right there on campus. What are what are some of their options?

So there's St Liam Hall and in Saint Liam there are different offices housed there. University Health Services, which is the primary care facility. There are physicians, some with sports medicine background, some with Women's Health and other specialties. There's also nurse practitioners as well as.

Audrey of nurses. So they you University Health services is run by a physician and there are five other physicians as well as a cadre of nurses who support the different services. Somebody asked about the meningitis vaccines. There are different levels of immunization that are available for certain fees. It just depends upon insurance or what's covered either by the state or by insurance, or but we work with students. We never want a student not to get the care that they need and so we work with financial.

Paid we work with insurance we we work with the fee structures so no student should feel like they can't go because they don't afford it. They can't afford it. We try to make it possible. If there's something related that we are not able to handle, like a particular cardiac issue or a particular gastrointestinal issue, we have a strong network of practitioners on campus off campus that will refer students to. But we have such great relationships.

But with the student's consent, we will communicate back and forth. So when the person is done with their seeing their specialists, they'll continue to have ongoing care with their primary care provider. Back at UHS.

Also in that building is the counseling center on the on the third floor, and so those we have PhD staff psychologists. We have licensed social workers as well as psychiatrists on.

On in the UCC.

And I don't know if you mentioned this. I was watching some of the questions role in pharmaceuticals. There's there's a pharmacy at both St. Liam and at the the Wellness Center right. Is that yeah?

Yep, Yep. Yep, there's a full service pharmacy at at at UHS and then we also have another pharmacy which is on the edge of campus by our graduate student housing that has a Walgreens pharmacy as well.

Good good, so everything really is right there. Within our community you don't have to go too far off campus too.

No, but it's always an option.

It is an option absolutely.

It is an option but but they don't have to. We they have primary care there, including physical therapy. UM, X rays and a pharmacy, yeah?

Very good, very good. I like this question in regards to orientation because we absolutely do have orientation at the University of Notre Dame and it kicks off with a welcome weekend, which is the it's not prior to move in weekend it actually is is takes place simultaneously.

So, and there's events planned for parents as well as students. And it's, uh, usually one of the hottest days of the year. But our weekends of the year. But everybody powers through and and and gets their students moved in. And there's a lot of help with that as well, but.

Then

At our admitted student day, events that are coming up in April, we'll have a couple of resource fairs that will get you acquainted to some of the student activities and and opportunities that are available. But during that welcome weekend during that orientation weekend, there's an awful lot that is offered and I don't know Brian. If you want to talk a little bit about what they can expect to see from your area in terms of getting to some of those clubs that you mentioned and organizations.

yeah, sure so.

Joyce said the welcome weekend is quite the spectacle. The moving process is a finely tuned machine. You'll get all sorts of information about that once you make plans to come, you'll get information from our housing office with roommates and you'll actually get a defined.

Like I think it's an hour or two hour block to to show up at a parking lot and you'll get in line for your hall and they'll release you by car and then people will swarm your car and unpack it for you. At least their parents on here students who should be helping unpack your stuff here folks. But and then there's lots of activities throughout the course of the weekend with welcome weekend ambassadors from each of the residence halls. There's a crew that that works with the Student Activities Office.

End of the Office student affairs to put on major activities and mixers for the entire class throughout the course of the weekend. There's all sorts of academic engagements.

Some talks given by the university president and our boss, the Vice President for Student Affairs, among others, or some mass as the culminating event as well. And so it's a really beautiful weekend, but it really is just the launching point for your experience. Once your folks leave.

It really comes into what I like to think of as an extended orientation period that really lasts definitely for the first two weeks and then mostly throughout the rest of the first semester. So the Moreau first year experience class that Christine talked about will cover a number of topics in that first semester to help you acclimate to the college experience sometime in the first two weeks will be an activities fair where all the sooner caitians a number of Community partners will have tables.

It's really kind of funny, because we've thought about 100 different ways to do this over the years and we always come back to the tried and true. Every group sets up at 8 foot table and students just wander through their stadium concourse. Signing up for what is usually way too many organizations on that night. And then you get to pare down later, which ones you actually want to join and which ones you probably were just a little too excited about or or wanted whatever candy was on their table, so you felt guilty and signed up for that organization.

So, but that's a huge part of of of trying things out and and I think that's part of the beauty of of going to college is that you get to recreate yourself and something that you've always wanted to try. But maybe your high school experience or or your hometown kind of had you in one spot and you were this there now that you're on your own or college, you can try lots of different things and and and try any of these different activities and organizations and social service and things like this and so.

I guess I would encourage everybody to try something completely different than something that you've ever done before. Keep those tried and true things, but also put yourself out there and take some risks and and and try something completely new and then after the activities fair, you'll get all sorts of emails from all the different groups signed up for and you'll go and try those things on. But in terms of the ongoing development, those things will happen through your residence halls and through your classes and through the Moreau experience.

But it will. You'll find new things all through that first semester.

Face.

That's why.

Absolutely. I met a student recently that plays tuba for the for the marching band. Never played tuba in middle school or high school. Played the piano so at least could you know, read music, but decided to pick it up and give it a try and and loves it so you never know.

Yeah, I heard a similar story. Maybe it's the same student that kenday, who's our director of bands told me early on this year that they were.

Ah.

Marching out to practice one day early in the semester and a student just followed them and and was like what is this? 'cause they they they were had never been exposed to marching band, international student and and doctored. I explained what they were and.

She said to him, I think I found my people and they said you play an instrument. She said no, and they they taught her to play a bass and so she's, uh, she's in one of the pep bands and I think next year she'll be in the marching band. So it was a very fun story and talk about taking a risk and and and putting yourself out there to try something new.

Yeah.

Right, right, well and and I agree with you that that's you know part of you get the opportunity to kind of recreate yourself and and try some things that you never really had the opportunity to to participate in in high school. And I know for most of you you know your schedule in high school you had to adhere to. You know, certain academic requirements in order to to graduate at a certain level that you were seeking, and so that doesn't leave much room for.

New classes or classes on subject areas that interest you, maybe in a different way, and so at Notre Dame. You really do have the opportunity to do quite a bit of exploring and you'll start.

Loving just the process of learning and and learning for your own, you know. Well well being so I'm excited for you students as you're getting ready to start your first year because there's just so many doors that you'll have the opportunity to walk through.

Someone is is asking about more information about around welcome weekend and orientation and I will tell you this later on and I will series RND Admissions live series. We're going to have members of.

The welcome weekend committee and 1st year studies participate in one of these chats, and so we'll get to some of those additional details, but I I will say that the welcome home website, which is I'll put the link in the chat. There is admissions.nd.edu/welcome home we try to keep that up to date and soon there will be a specific website available that kind of walks you through welcome weekend and what to expect.

And I witnessed what what Brian was explaining in terms of how quickly people come down and unload your car when you pull up to the dorms, it is.

It's like a swarm of bees coming at you and then just like that everything is unloaded. It's it's the best thing ever so.

Aye.

Alright, thank you, get most of the stuff back when you get to your room, right? Joyce, I'm not sure.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, we hope it's there absolutely.

So.

Absolutely, in terms of arriving early, we do have some international students that arrive early. They have some orientation activities that are unique to them and so more information will be coming out to those international students. But in terms of getting acclimated, there's an awful lot that happens during that welcome weekend and then the whole week. That first week of school, there's so many activities that are planned.

And students you'll find yourself selves quite busy with all of the activities and it's you don't have to do everything. There's some things that that are highly recommended. Some things that are mandatory, but for the most part you're picking and choosing what. What sounds you know good to you and and looking at the things that you have the most interest in.

Let's see, I'm trying to keep up here with these questions.

Miller

So Joyce is a couple on special support for students with particular conditions. Do you mind if I go ahead and answer those? As you're looking through?

he's still yeah yeah.

So for students with chronic health issues like diabetes or maybe something like cystic fibrosis or.

Uhm?

Muscular dystrophy or other ongoing medical issues at the student are having tonight is having to navigate. We have again. University Health Services would would follow you as well as connect with your physician back home. We also have what's called the Nurse Clinical care manager. This is a nurse who is assigned to students with particular special medical needs, whether that's a chronic need or a student got hurt.

And has had surgery or and so has rehabilitation needs or and so our clinical Care Nurse manager works with our professors. Works with our care and Wellness consultants. We worked with Sarah Bay to make sure if there's special needs or accommodations, whether it's housing, whether it's medical care, whether it's academic care, so.

For students with certain conditions that need that ongoing kind of extra support, we do have that through UHS for students with learning issues, learning disabilities, cognitive issues. Serabai is the accessibility services. Whether it is a cognitive disability or physical disability, a mental health disability, you would submit your documentation to serabai. You can do that.

If you just go to sarahbay.nd.edu, you could start that process as soon as you've decided to come to Notre Dame, and that you're in the system so you know Scott and Amy and Brent are great. They'll have a conversation with any student, so if you're trying to decide like does Notre Dame have the resources, feel free to email them and set up a time for them to talk, and they can talk to you about the process, but you know you don't have to wait until you're.

On campus to actually get engaged those services you can either have a pre enrollment conversation once you get your email, you can send them in the documentation and they can start the accommodation verification process. So I really really encourage if that's something that you really want to utilize at Notre Dame you can start the conversation now with them. They'd be happy to talk with you.

There again, thank you, that's really helpful and I'm going to put the the link in here. I think that will get.

OK.

Students to the US Serabai site that you mentioned and somebody did ask about. You do need a student email or an indie.edu email. I think to fill out some of the forms that are available via Sara Bay and I those emails will be coming to you as you confirm and let us know of your decision to come to to Notre Dame. There's a a process that we go through at this end before we send out those emails to you.

I say that.

And we'll agree though, that if you want to pick up the phone and call their office, they would be happy to talk with you. You don't have to wait for an email address to to have a conversation, they they will be extremely helpful to you.

Yep.

I would, I would say Joyce, that goes for any of the offices in the division of Student Affairs so.

Yeah, don't have.

Goodnight

Heck, probably I can always be. I don't say that for other divisions, but I could speak definitely for student affairs, but if I I'm confident that other departments on campus at Art Institute Affairs would answer your questions too, but I'll just leave it at that.

yeah.

Absolutely, and I'll say this too. We have a session that's that's coming up as part of the series for first generation students and.

In for, for any students and families that are sending a student off to school, there's a lot of questions and a lot of unknowns, and so we want to support all of you. But I I get that when you're a first generation student, there's an awful lot that you're taking in because you don't have an older sibling or a parent that's gone through it before that can kind of give you some assurance that everything is going to be OK, but I will say at Notre Dame, we'll we'll make sure that we get your get to your questions and don't feel.

Like you can't ask us anything because we want to make sure that you have all of the information that you need, especially as you're making a decision. I know that you have probably a lot of schools that you've been admitted to that you're still considering some of you.

We want you to come to Notre Dame, of course, but we want to make sure that you're you're well educated on everything that we have to offer here before you make those final decisions.

So we have about 2 minutes. We're already on that eight 4843 mark as we're wrapping things up here. Christine and Brian. I'll give you both the opportunity to answer this question. What advice would you give to these students that that have choices at this point in time, and the ball is really in their court after going through a pretty stressful admissions process, what? What kind of advice do you have for them?

As they're making their final decisions.

Brian, you go.

OK.

I, I think what I would would tell anybody making this decision is that you've done the hard work to put yourself in a position to be able to make a choice for yourself and so.

At this point.

You gotta do what feels right. You gotta do what you think is going to make you the happiest and most successful.

Like Joyce said, we'd love it if you chose us and came and spent.

The next stage of your life with us on at the Nerd AIM campus and and be a part of our community. But at the end of the day.

You know in your heart what's going to make you happy and what's gonna make you successful.

And you've earned that right to to do that through putting yourself in this position, no matter what your situation is or or circumstances are. The fact that you've gotten accepted.

To this institution means that you have done everything you possibly need to do in order to become a part of this community.

And so the choice is yours and and know that if you decide to come and be a part of our community, we're going to do everything that we can to walk with you so that you can be successful and you can flourish here and so that when you go and leave us and go on to the next stage that you'll be successful and flourish in that. In that stage two. But my piece of advice is to to have the confidence in the fact that you have put yourself in a position to make a decision to seek your happiness.

Created by Christine.

Brian, I think the thing I would add is remember you are a very complex and a very you have varying interest. You have varying passions. You know God created you with many talents and strengths. And as you're thinking and discerning what plays that you're called to grow in your next stage of your life.

Pay attention to those places where all aspects of yourself can flourish, you know, and that means a place where you can make mistakes and you know a community is going to reach out and help you. You're going to have consequences, maybe from some of those mistakes, but you know, I think one of the things I love most about Notre Dame. And if you were to pick Notre Dame, I think you know I can confidently say I hope you would find this.

Here too is there's a community waiting to embrace you, and whether we're right for you, you have to discern that, and I just encourage you to think about all the things that go into making you you, and does Notre Dame offer those things for you. And if it does, fabulous. If it doesn't, that's OK. It's no, it's not.

Yeah.

We are here and as Brian said, we would embrace you and we want it to be your decision and what's best for you and ultimately, you know we would look forward to having you here and we'll see you on in August. If you make the decision to become part of the Notre Dame community.

It's easy.

India.

Absolutely great advice as we're wrapping things up. And with that I think we will sign off. Thanks so much to all of you. Christine and Brian. Thank you so much for your order, advice and the great information that you provided and to our listeners and viewers out there. Thank you so much for joining us and giving us a bit of your time tonight and hopefully we'll see you at our next event soon.

Goodnight

Thank you bye bye.

thanks, good luck.