Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year

Aug. 29, 2022

Dear Andrews students,

Here we are—on the first day of a promising, brand new school year. Over this past week, we welcomed new students and over the weekend welcomed the familiar faces of our continuing students arriving and bustling around our main Berrien Springs campus.

In this letter, I wanted to highlight some important information regarding student life and various support systems for you in this new school year. I’ve also included a brief description of a new support service that is available to Andrews students both on and off our main campus.

Key Student Resources

Student Handbook Access
Your Andrews University Student Handbook is a comprehensive guidebook that is updated annually. When you review it, you’ll find it includes a directory of student services and resources, as well as a description of your a) rights as a student and b) responsibilities to uphold the Code of Student Conduct. Our new students received a hard copy of the Handbook during orientation. All students can find the electronic Student Handbook for the 2022–2023 school year here.

Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy & Resources
The University is committed to maintaining a respectful learning and living environment that is free from Sexual Harassment (misconduct of a sexual or gender-based nature). The University's policy and how a student can consult or make a report can be accessed here.

A Growing Umbrella of Wellness & Health Support Services

Our Counseling & Testing Center (CTC), located in Bell Hall, continues to provide mental health support to our main campus students. At the Center, you’ll find psychologists, professional counselors and graduate clinical interns available by appointment or on a walk-in basis when necessary. The CTC offers up to eight (8) in-person counseling sessions per semester as part of your General Fee assessed to main-campus students registered for five or more credits.

Andrews Telehealth
All students, including main-campus students enrolled with fewer than five credits and online distance students, will now have access to our new Andrews Telehealth services from AcademicLiveCare at no added cost to you.

Andrews Telehealth will complement the on-campus services offered by the CTC and University Medical Specialties. Through Andrews Telehealth, all students will have 24/7 access to licensed professionals, including mental health counselors, psychiatrists, primary care physicians and nutritionists. These resources are especially helpful for online students or when main campus students are physically away from campus. These telehealth services are also accessible for emergency medical or mental healthcare, after office hours, or when because of scheduling challenges students are not able to access on-campus services.

Students may access, and find out more, about AcademicLiveCare Telehealth here.

Here’s how to use this important new service:

• When signing up for an account use Service Key – ALC
• Before visiting with a telehealth advisor, use your access Coupon Code – ALCANDU22 when prompted for payment.
• This Service Key and Coupon Code are confidential and for you ONLY.
• Please use your Andrews email address for the contact email.
• Direct questions regarding telehealth services to the CTC at ctcenter@andrews.edu.
• Direct questions related to technical support with AcademicLiveCare to 866-882-0343.

University Student Intervention Team (USIT)
The wellbeing and safety of every student is of utmost importance. Our USIT team meets regularly to identify and respond to students who may pose a risk to self or others and may need a wellbeing check, assessment and/or additional support.

• If you have a concern about your own or another student’s wellbeing and/or about a potential risk to the safety of the campus, please reach out to the resources listed above, call Campus Safety at 269-471-3321, or you can share a concern directly here.

Andreasen Center for Wellness (ACW)
When the Andreasen Center for Wellness opened in 2019, an overarching priority was to offer Andrews students a spectacular fitness environment to foster their health and wellbeing.

Here are some details on membership and access for our students:

• Students registered for five or more credits have an ACW semester membership ($77) that is already packaged as a portion of the established General Fees that are assessed. No additional out-of-pocket expense is required to use the Andreasen Center.
• Students taking less than five (5) credits, who are not charged the Student General Fee, may instead receive a membership by paying the same $77/semester fee as students taking five (5) or more credits. There are also monthly memberships available at a discounted rate. For more information on what memberships the Andreasen Center has to offer, including family memberships, please go here.

Reduce Risk and Spread of COVID-19
In early August I shared with you our current plan to continue to reduce the risk and spread of COVID-19 infection by caring for our own and others’ health and safety at all times. As you join in that commitment, please continue to carefully review the regularly updated information on our Andrews University COVID-19 website. In particular, I invite you to carefully review the 2022–2023 Community Covenant of Care. Please keep in mind that our mitigation protocols may change if direct COVID-19 risks increase in our community.

Other Key Information & Updates

Undergraduate Co-Curricular Questions
Undergraduate co-curricular questions will continue to be directed to Steve Yeagley. This year, Steve has a new role as an associate vice president with the Office of University Culture & Inclusion and will be working out of a new physical location on the north end of the Campus Center lobby near Vice President Michael Nixon. Rather than using slife@andrews.edu, please communicate directly with Steve Yeagley at his email address.

Key Events
One of the highlights of each new school year is our University Convocation, which will be Thursday, Sept. 1, at 10:30 a.m. in Pioneer Memorial Church.

Andy’s Welcome Back Weekend (hosted by our University mascot, Andy the Cardinal!) will be Friday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 5. You’ll receive an email with details for that weekend and a full schedule including RSVP details for the events from Philip DeLeon, associate dean for Student Involvement, Leadership & Activities.

In Closing
Each one of you is extraordinary, as you are created in the very image of God. Just imagine what a whole community of extraordinary students, called to reflect God’s Kingdom here at Andrews University, can be together and do together to Change the World! May God bless you and Andrews University as together we seek to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”

With care,

Frances Faehner
Vice President for Campus & Student Life