All new staff are expected to participate in these required trainings within their first six months of employment.
Staff Handbook
The Division defines onboarding as the time period prior to being hired through the employee’s first year of employment. We strive to provide all new Division staff with a common onboarding experience. Having a common experience helps staff commit to our shared Student Affairs values and see the impact of our work as a team.
About The Division of Student Affairs
Employee Well-Being Resources
Division Expectations
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Expectations for Contract Staff
It is an expectation that all Division staff volunteer during the following “all hands on deck” events: all staff volunteer to help with at least one fall opening event (e.g. move-in, class photo, new student convocation, etc.) and volunteer to work at least one Commencement ceremony (fall or spring) annually.
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Communication with Executive Staff
As our division has grown in size and scope, it is imperative that our communication with Executive Staff be centrally coordinated through the Office of the VPSA (including invitations). This provides our division an opportunity for consistent and quality communication with the Executive Staff. Another positive aspect of channeling this communication is to empower the Office of the VPSA to consider the timing and priority of the information. While the request might seem vitally important to one area, the university might be facing a more complex issue.
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Communication with the Media
As outlined in Policy 31.001, please direct all media requests to University Communications and Marketing, copying your immediate supervisor and the Vice President for Student Affairs.
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Crisis Communication
Part of our role in working at a University is the need to deal with crisis. Please familiarize yourself with the university’s emergency communications plan. Additionally, your individual department may also have specific emergency procedures for you to review.
In an active emergency, ĢƵ University has several ways to keep employees and students informed. Information will be shared via the OHIO emergency page, text messaging, and/or our outdoor speaker system.
If you are directly involved in a threatening emergency situation, please secure your own safety and security and then call for help immediately (911 or OUPD at 740-593-1911).
Division Information and Resources
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Flextime & Flexplace
The Division recognizes that fully serving the student population oftentimes means spending hours at work beyond 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday. An additional purpose of this policy is to recognize occasional excess hours worked by an employee. A supervisor may approve reasonable, intermittent flexible hours in recognition of hours worked that are clearly in excess of the standard work week.
In such cases, the flexible hours option involves the downward flexing of the number of work hours in any given week and should be implemented within a reasonable time frame and as close to the period of excess hours worked as possible.
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Assessment
Assessment makes it possible to measure our impact and tailor our services and programming to the students we serve. Though assessment may not be everyone’s area of expertise, it’s something everyone is capable of with a little guidance.
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Incident Report
This form may be used by any member of the ĢƵ University community wishing to file a report, either on their own behalf or on the behalf of another person. University Equity and Civil Rights Compliance (ECRC) will review the information in the report and take the appropriate actions, including making necessary referrals and/or providing options for support.
Leadership and Committees
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Open Forums
Division open forums are typically held once a month or bi-monthly throughout the year.
These meetings are not required, yet highly encouraged for all staff members. During the open forums, Division leadership communicates pivotal updates, shares strategic information, and provides a time for division staff to get together and share.
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Division Committees
Committees are formed to be inclusive of department representation and individual preferences. View current committees and updates from past projects.
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University Committees
Staff will be asked to represent student affairs on university-wide committees managed by campus partners. These are typically related to a position’s area of specialty (e.g., event production, health promotion, crisis management).
Staff are also encouraged to join their respective senates.
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Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT)
Student Affairs Leadership Team (SALT) meets regularly throughout the academic year. These meetings are designed to share and communicate information among and between all departments within student affairs. This group is comprised of department heads and directors and VPSA staff.
Division Calendar
Summer 2025
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | May 27, 2025 | Summer Orientation begins |
Fall 2025
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | August 11, 2025 | GAs begin |
| Monday | August 11, 2025 | Division of Student Affairs Kickoff |
| Monday | August 18, 2025 | International Orientation begins |
| Saturday | August 16, 2025 | Early Arrival |
| Wednesday | August 20, 2025 | Welcome Week begins (through August 31) |
| Thursday | August 21, 2025 | Fall Move-In begins (through August 24) |
| Thursday | August 21, 2025 | Transfer Orientation |
| Thursday | August 21, 2025 | Graduate Orientation |
| Friday | August 22, 2025 | First Year Orientation |
| Friday | September 19, 2025 | Family Weekend (through September 21) |
| Friday | October 10, 2025 | Fall Break |
| Friday | October 31, 2025 | Dads Weekend (through November 2) |
| Wednesday | November 26, 2025 | Thanksgiving Break |
| Monday | December 8, 2025 | Finals Week (through December 13) |
| Saturday | December 13, 2025 | Fall Commencement |
| Thursday | December 25, 2025 | WBC (through January 1) |
Spring 2026
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | January 8, 2026 | DOSA Spring Kickoff |
| Monday | January 12, 2025 | Spring Semester begins |
| Friday | February 6, 2026 | Sibs Weekend (through February 8) |
| Sunday | March 8, 2026 | Spring Break (through March 14) |
| Wednesday | April 8, 2026 | Leadership Awards |
| Friday | April 10, 2026 | Moms Weekend (through April 12) |
| Monday | April 27, 2026 | Finals Week (through May 1) |
| Friday | May 1, 2026 | Graduate Commencement |
| Saturday | May 2, 2026 | Undergraduate Commencement |
| Wednesday | May 6, 2026 | DOSA End of Year Celebration |
| Saturday | May 9, 2026 | HCOM Commencement |
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Email Signatures
All staff should be utilizing their OHIO email account to receive and send work-related emails. Staff are expected to include a signature.
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Pronoun Guidelines
ĢƵ University is committed to fostering an environment of inclusiveness and supporting students' preferred form of self-identification. With this in mind, the Student Names policy 12.021 provides definitions for and uses of names and pronouns recorded for students.
It is expected that faculty, staff, and students will make every effort to call students by their preferred name and utilize students' pronoun usage.