The Office of Campus Life has formally changed its name to the Office of Student Engagement and Activities (SEA).
The office is located on the third floor of the KC, and according to its webpage, “provides learning opportunities for all students to belong, engage and lead in a supportive and inclusive environment.” On Aug. 25, an email was sent out to all students announcing the name change and introducing SEA’s staff.
Their staff consists of Assistant Vice President of Student Development Kelly Finn, Assistant Director of SEA Lucas Beal and SEA Program Coordinator Jordyn Dean, a new hire as of this year.
Finn said the name change was made to avoid confusion with another office on campus: Community Living.
“I think since a few years ago, there’s been some confusion about the difference between Community Living and Campus Life because they sound pretty similar,” Finn said.
St. Louis senior and Student Senate President Caleb Galvan said he discussed this issue at Senate meetings. According to Galvan, students had been emailing questions to Campus Life that should have gone to Community Living, such as meal plan changes and housing issues.
“I don’t think there’s any way to totally eliminate the confusion,” Finn said. “But I hope a more distinct name will help people better understand what it is our office does.”
Galvan said he approves of the change, and that it makes the purpose of each office more obvious.
“I mean just the name itself, Student Engagement and Activities, you’re like, okay, this is for engaging on campus,” Galvan said.
At the time of publication, the plaque outside the office still reads “Campus Life,” though Beal said the Office of Marketing and Communications (Marcom) is “working on it.”
“A lot of stuff is still slowly progressing, but we are hoping that everything is changed and to have everything changed by early January,” Beal said. “So when students come back, they can see that full-force name in full effect.”
How does student engagement and activities work? Beal said his job consists of “meeting the students where they are, meeting them halfway and engaging them in a way that works for them.”
One way SEA accomplishes this is with field trips to different places, such as Chicago and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Beal said the purpose of these trips is to get students to explore different “pockets and cultures.”
Beal added that one of his favorite parts about his job is “seeing the light bulb go off with students when they do something for the first time that they’ve never done before.”
The email sent to students on Aug. 25 states that the new name better reflects SEA’s mission: “supporting programming, fostering leadership and making involvement easier and more meaningful for every Brit.”
“Our ears are open to understand what are the things students want to see, and how can we make that possible?” Finn said.
For Galvan, Student Senate has “run better than most other years” working with SEA and Finn, who is also the advisor for Student Senate.
Having the close connection through the office makes communication between Finn and Galvan easier, Galvan said, adding that he’s “always able to ask” for help.
Though Finn said the position has felt “new” to her, she added that the experience has been enjoyable.
“It’s very different work than being the Title IX coordinator, obviously, but I’m really enjoying it,” Finn said. “The reason I do my job is because I enjoy working with students and thinking with them about their ideas, what they’re excited about, what they’re passionate about, and this is a way I get to do that.”
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