Nicole Dorfman, a CU student. (Kenna Reyner/CU Independent)
CU student Nicole Dorfman flew down the mountain, skiing on what she described as not the best snow day. Confident in her skill, she absorbed every icy bump until wham — she hit the ground hard. Her unforgiving skis held her in while the icy snow took hold of her edge. She went down with them.
As she lay on the ground, a bit woozy from the fall, Dorfman immediately realized that both her health and her grades were in danger.
Dorfman reached out to Student Support and Case Management — a little-known resource at CU Boulder —whose offices became essential to her recovery and classroom success. Dorfman talked to Hilary Love, a case manager at SSCM, who contacted Dorfman’s professors about the incident on her behalf.
“She saved me from getting an F in one of my classes,” Dorfman said. “My professors were understanding, but I feel like they needed some validation.”
Her case manager reached out to teachers to adapt assignments and deadlines. Love and Dorfman created a plan for success despite the setback. Love was able to listen to Dorfman’s concerns and understand both her medical needs and her academic ones.
“Whether it’s an injury that may sideline a student temporarily or a family crisis that demands a student’s time and attention, it’s sometimes impossible to do your best,” said Hans Foote, the SSCM director.
The SCCM office. (Kenna Reyner/CU Independent)
While some of life’s challenges can seem insurmountable at the time, with help from an office like SSCM, it is possible to overcome obstacles at CU.
“We’re not only helping a student stay in school and hopefully prosper and give them opportunities to be successful in whatever field they want to go into, we’re helping them stay at CU,” Foote said.
Foote’s offices help explore options for students and create a team to advocate on behalf of the student with their faculty members. Emotional struggle, he said, will affect a student’s academic performance.
Foote explained that people undergo the biggest changes in their lives in the first 10 years after they move out of their parents’ homes.
Foote used his iPhone to make an analogy by explaining that a student is not responsible for their phone not working, but rather they rely on others to make it work regardless of age. This principle, he says, applies to other challenges that someone can face.
“Our focus is going to be specifically on what does this student need or want,” Foote said. “Some students I’m trying to talk into taking a year off, some students I’m trying to get into a technical school.”
Case management services are available to any student on campus, regardless of the severity of that student’s issues. If a student reaches out, the office will follow up through email and text. Foote believes the crux of his work is helping students succeed here.
“You came to the university because you couldn’t learn all of this on your own, you wanted to learn from experts,” Foote said. “Students at CU chose experts to teach them in their fields, so why not choose an expert to help manage a crisis?” he asked.
Contact CU Independent guest writer Kenna Reyner at kenna.reyner@colorado.edu.
