Syracuse University’s Office of Off-Campus Student Services assembles team to welcome student residents to area neighborhoods

Syracuse University’s Office of Off-Campus Student Services assembles team to welcome student residents to area neighborhoodsAugust 13, 2002Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

For the fourth consecutive year, members of a Welcome Team sponsored by Syracuse University’s Office of Off-Campus Student Services will travel through neighborhoods adjacent to campus on Aug. 25 to greet and deliver important information to off-campus student residents.

Volunteer welcoming committee members, including neighborhood permanent residents, SU faculty and staff, members of the Syracuse fire and police departments and various community organizations, will start out from the Westcott Community Center, located at 826 Euclid Ave., at noon. They will walk door-to-door through the University’s adjacent neighborhoods to distribute an informational booklet, “An Insider’s Guide to Living Off Campus,” which contains information regarding students’ rights and responsibilities as community members. Student residents will also receive information on other issues related to neighborhood living, such as obtaining emergency medical assistance, recycling and shopping in the Westcott business district. Volunteer welcoming committee members will be easily identifiable by the “SU Welcome” T-shirts and nametags they will be wearing.

The Welcome Team was designed to greet students as they are moving into the neighborhoods surrounding the University, says Laura Madelone, director of SU’s Office of Off-Campus Student Services.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to meet their neighbors and to get to know individuals in the community that can assist them with any challenges they might encounter,” she says. “The information the volunteers distribute contains important information about off-campus student safety, local laws, landlord and tenant rights, and how to get involved in the community.”

To further introduce student residents to their new neighborhood, the Office of Off-Campus Student Services will sponsor “The Taste of Westcott” festival, to be held at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Westcott Community Center. In addition to sampling food from area restaurants, students will have the opportunity to meet their new neighbors, both permanent community members and other students, as well as mingle with the key people in the community that can serve as resources for students as they transition into the neighborhood. Students can also make contact with community organizations and learn ways to get involved in their new neighborhood.

The Office of Off-Campus Student Services seeks to build a diverse, inclusive community by promoting off-campus student safety, citizenship development, and positive connections with the broader community by offering information, resources, and educational programs that support student independence and civic engagement. The office builds on the experiences of living in residence halls for students now moving off campus to encourage them to take advantage of belonging to a larger, more diverse community.