By Eryn Brennan
Special to In Motion
At Daytona State College’s Center for Women and Men, the goal is to help students who have diverse backgrounds and situations with an important element to succeeding in college: support.
To do this, the Center offers three programs: Fresh Start; New Direction; and Child Care Means Parents in School, or CCAMPIS, program. All are designed to help students realize their academic goals.
Fresh Start is a four-week course that helps non-traditional students, who have had a break in their education, get used to a college environment and to increase job-seeking skills.
Director of the Center for Women and Men
“With any student, you really don’t find out what’s involved in being a college student until you become a college student. So our goal is to help them prepare, to help them be informed, to help them gain the skills or the foundation as best we can in four weeks so when they do enter the college classroom they’re not overwhelmed, they’re not scared, they’re not frustrated, but they’re ready to go,” says Kristofer Bailey, Coordinator 1 of the Fresh Start program.
Students go to classes Monday through Friday and are given assignments, group activities, and deadlines for certain requirements they must meet to graduate from the program. Fresh Start also has presenters come in, such as people from the Academic Support Center, to talk to the students about the resources available to them at DSC.
Before students graduate from Fresh Start, Bailey makes sure that they meet with a program advisor prior to going to admissions so they can make sure that the program they want is right for them. After they graduate, Bailey keeps in contact with the student for a year to make sure they aren’t having any problems.
“Once they actually graduate, I’m there to help them problem-solve. We all have different things going on and sometimes a college campus can become overwhelming. So when they get overwhelmed or get frustrated, before they make a bad decision, we’ve kind of formed a relationship to where they can call me,” he explains.
In the New Direction program, students getting their A.S. Degree or who are in certificate programs and have exhausted other financial options can meet certain requirements to become eligible to enroll, says Vania Lopez, a Vocational Specialist who oversees New Direction.
“It provides assistance, be it in tuition, textbooks, or uniforms for students who are eligible,” she says.
As its name suggests, the CCAMPIS program helps students who have children find childcare. At CCAMPIS, they understand that college is a lot of work on its own, but juggling the responsibilities while raising a child is a much bigger challenge. CCAMPIS not only helps students find childcare, but assists them in paying for it as well.
“What we really do with the program is to be sure the students have the support that they need to stay in the college. That is why we’re all together here in the Women and Men’s Center, because usually when you have kids it’s difficult to make a balance between the daycare and being in school, and usually the daycare is really expensive,” says Isabel Candelas, an enrollment specialist who works in the CCAMPIS program.
As with all the programs, students must meet certain requirements, for example they must have a 2.5 GPA and be enrolled in a minimum of six college credit hours. The student must complete an application and, once accepted, must attend an orientation, two parent workshops, make their weekly co-pay and submit proof every two weeks that they’ve been attending their classes.
Isabell Stuehler, a student at DSC with an 18-month-old boy, explains that because of the CCAMPIS program, her goal of one day becoming a Certified Public Accountant is more obtainable through access to childcare she needs.
“Last semester I took all online classes, and although I did well in them, it was a huge struggle and I was incredibly overwhelmed. I don’t think I would have continued school if it weren’t for this program. It’s made it possible for me to one, afford daycare and two, to come to classes to school where I can actually go full-time without having to wonder where he is and if he’s all right, so without the program I probably wouldn’t be able to continue my education,” she says.
Along with the programs, the Center also has a Lending Library for textbooks and a Clothes Closet, where students can get up to three complete outfits.
“The main purpose is for people in the college who need professional attire to do job interviews. We also have some uniforms, let’s say for example for nursing,” says Candelas.
There are two closets for the men and women, organized by Candelas, filled with donated items ranging from shirts, pants, blazers and ties to dresses, skirts and handbags. There are even some toiletries, such as soap and hair dye, although the Center doesn’t receive as many of those types of supplies as they would like. Anyone is welcome to contribute gently-used items to the Lending Library or Clothes Closet.
Starting Aug. 29, a new Grab & Go Food Pantry will offer free light snacks and small nonperishable food items DSC students can “grab” before or between classes and “go” about their successful day (limit three items per day).
“If you had to skip breakfast or are short on lunch money, don’t go to class hungry! It has been proven that full bellies lead to strong minds,” says English Professor Frank Gunshanan, who is coordinating the effort. “Faculty and staff can donate non-perishable ready-made food items such as granola bars, fruit cups and small raisin boxes by bringing them directly to the Center for Women and Men or my office in building 540, room 206.”
The new pantry is located in the Center for Women and hours of operation are 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. You must be a currently enrolled DSC student with an ID.
For information, visit The Center for Women and Men, Building 300, Room 227F at the Daytona Beach Campus or call them at 386-506-3068. Its website is at: www.daytonastate.edu/centerforwomenandmen/
Free Fresh Start Class Co-Ed classes are scheduled Aug. 29 to Oct. 6. Participants will learn how to build confidence, explore career interests, investigate educational opportunities, establish educational goals, navigate the Daytona State College enrollment process, and apply for financial aid and scholarships. Class meets Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to noon. Daytona Beach Campus, Greene Center (Bldg. 300), Rm. 227F. Call 506-3068. Also, Aug. 29-Oct. 6 at the Deltona Campus, Portable 99, 2351 Providence Blvd. Deltona. Call 789-7320. Fresh Start Class (Co-Ed) meets Aug. 29-Oct. 6, Mon.-Thurs. 6 to 9 p.m. Flagler/Palm Coast Campus, Academic Hall (Bldg. 2), Rm. 105H, 3000 Palm Coast Parkway S.E., Palm Coast. Call 246-4871.