News

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Office of Retention and Student Success is helping keep students on track to graduate by offering its Student Academic Success Sessions (SASS) online, which is one of several options to fulfill the Health Experience requirement for general education. 

“For more than five years, SASS has been offered in person. However, we did not want students to lose out on our option because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ryann Bohle, sessions coordinator and academic advisor in the Office of Retention and Student Success. 

SASS seminars are available to all students, and each student must attend five sessions throughout their SIUE academic career in order to complete the health graduation credit, according to Bohle. 

Three of the five sessions currently online include:

• “Why Are You Here (What Are You Doing?),” by Tyler Phelps, PhD, Office of Retention and Student Success interim director
• “A Cougar’s Guide to Sexual Communication and Consent,” by Samantha Dickens, Prevention Education and Advocacy Center (PEACe) coordinator
• “Change a Shaping World Through Student Involvement,” by Sarah Laux, PhD, Kimmel Student Involvement Center associate director 

The remaining two sessions are scheduled to be uploaded soon.    

“Our sessions vary, because health looks different in many ways,” said Bohle.  “We have had sessions on depression, anxiety, sexual health, communication, self-care, nutrition, dangers of vaping, dangers of spring break, mental health, and staying healthy during finals week.” 

The online recordings are provided through the TechSmith Relay program system. 

“This program allows us to see who has viewed the video, and how much of the video they have watched,” offered Bohle. “Typically, there are specific dates and times for each session, but the online videos can now be viewed at any time. We plan to keep the videos up until the end of finals week.” 

The Office of Retention and Student Success provides resources and support to help students meet the demands of college and become successful graduates. We understand students face a variety of challenges on the road to graduation. We are here to help students manage those challenges and access the many resources available to them. 

Photo:
Ryann Bohle, academic advisor in the Office of Retention and Student Success.