There has been increasing emphasis placed on providing holistic support to students during their college education. Services offered play an integral role in campus tours, visit days, Welcome Week, and many other student-facing events. What drives this emphasis is both the belief that students (and perhaps more accurately, their parents) want/need these services and the evidence in forms of course performance, CARE reports, and increasing demands for alternative testing and accommodations that students need some of these services. But having services is not sufficient. Students’ success is inextricably linked to their abilities to understand and navigate the many offices, services, programs and systems designed to support them academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.

This interactive workshop will present findings from an IRB-approved study that collected data from over 100 first year students in ASI 150/160 sections in the fall of 2022. Students were asked to map their understandings of the on-campus resources that support them. Results reveal that students struggle to understand the complex systems of services on-campus, especially when services lack a physical location or clearly defined purpose or brand. But results also provide insights about the important role faculty members play in connecting students with resources.

Because of this important role of faculty in connecting students to resources, following the presentation, participants will make maps of their own and share in discussion focused on what they learn about their own understanding of campus resources.