To better meet the needs of its growing enrollment, Rogers State University is expanding its student services to include a campus health center and enhancement of the existing student development office.
The RSU Student Health Center is expected to open early this fall in the Health Sciences Building on the Claremore campus. The center will provide services to students for consultation, assessment and treatment of minor injuries and illnesses. The center will also provide students with access to individual, family and group counseling.
“Students have expressed strong interest in having a campus health facility available to them, as well as providing them with counseling when personal difficulties arise,” said RSU President Dr. Joe Wiley. “The new student health center will meet those needs, allowing our students to lead healthy lives and be able to concentrate more fully on their studies.”
The health services also will be available for faculty and staff, said Dr. Michael Turner, RSU dean of students, whose office oversees the health center. The center will be staffed by Lisa Martin, R.N., director of the student health center, and counselor Christopher Morgan.
Martin joined the RSU staff in August after working as a school nurse for Claremore Public Schools, where she coordinated the care for seven school sites. She has more than 20 years of health care experience, including service with Claremore Regional Hospital, Broken Arrow Medical Center and St. John Medical Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and ethics from Mid-America Bible College in Oklahoma City and an associate’s degree in nursing from RSU.
Morgan, who has been with RSU since 2000, is a licensed professional counselor who holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Southern Nazarene University. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from John Brown University and an associate’s degree from RSU. Prior to joining the university, he worked for seven years as a youth and family counselor.
In addition to addressing student health concerns, RSU also has bolstered its commitment to supporting student diversity and students with disabilities with the hiring of Jan Smith-Clayton as RSU director of student development. Before joining RSU in July, she worked nine years in the student affairs division at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah where she coordinated disabled and multicultural student services.
At RSU, Smith-Clayton will oversee RSU’s compliance with the federal American with Disabilities Act, assist with the enforcement of the university’s student code and coordinate student diversity initiatives. She has a master’s degree in American studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology, both from NSU, and currently is completing a doctorate in higher education from Oklahoma State University-Tulsa.
The student affairs office also has hired Jessica Clark to serve as RSU’s coordinator of student activities. Clark will be responsible for student activity programming intended to provide students with growth and development opportunities both on campus and in the community. She brings knowledge of the university and its student services from her service as RSU’s student body president from 2002 to 2004.
The university also will be expanding campus services by providing a small convenience store inside the RSU Student Apartments. The RSU C-Store will offer general merchandise, health and beauty items, toiletries, grab-and-go food items, snacks, and beverages. The 312-square-foot store is expected to open in mid-September on the south side of the student apartments. The C-Store initially will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Later this fall, menu updates are planned for the RSU Café, which is located in the Student Union on the Claremore campus. The updated menu will focus on upscale sandwiches and pizza in order to introduce a variety of healthy, high-quality foods in a festive atmosphere, said Steve Hedges, manager of RSU Food Services. The café will be closed Oct. 18-20 in order to remodel the kitchen and dining area, and the university will be closed Oct. 21-22 for fall break. The café is expected to reopen on Monday, Oct. 25.
For more information about student life at RSU, call the RSU Office of Student Affairs at (918) 343-7579.