BSU Family Hub Newsletter - Fall 2023 is here!

Hey, [FIRST_NAME]! 

Welcome to the September BSU Family Hub newsletter on EngageBSU! We're glad you're here. 

This month's newsletter's theme is to highlight information and resources designed to help your student learn and empower them to grow and succeed here at BSU. 

Please use the Table of Contents below as a guide to this newsletter - click on a title and it will bring you right to that information. Enjoy! 

Table Of Contents

1. BSU News and Events
2. Upcoming Events
3. BSU Family Hub - Discussion Question Corner
4. Resource Spotlight - Academic Achievement Center
5. Homecoming 2023 - Registration now OPEN!
6. Resource Spotlight - BSU Works
7. Resource Spotlight - Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity
8. Resource Spotlight - Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice

Discussion Questions Corner

• Have you checked out any of the student organizations on campus? 

Resource spotlight
Academic Achievement Center (AAC) 

Written by: Liz McLam, CSE Digitial Engagement Assistant 

The Academic Achievement Center or AAC is located on the ground floor of the Maxwell Library in room 001. On campus they serve to provide support and resources to BSU students, helping those to develop academic, personal, and self-advocacy skills. The AAC also houses numerous other services such as Academic Advising, Learning Assistance, Student Accessibility Services, and Testing Services; all of which strive to provide comprehensive student-centered services.  

AAC Advising assists first semester freshmen, undecided students, and emerging scholars take control of their education through planning, problem solving, and connecting them to resources. Learning Assistance houses a multitude of services which aid students’ academic careers during their time at BSU, such as free tutoring in writing, mathematics, communications, English as a second language and other various core and beginning level courses. The Student Accessibility Services team within the AAC ensure that all students regardless of any form of disability have equal access to BSU. Testing Services provides those with undergraduate, graduate, professional licensure, placement, and remotely proctored exams year-round, and they offer a number of different exams such as MTEL, CLEP, and BSU Placement Tests.  

The Academic Achievement Center is made up of experienced staff members like the AAC’s Executive Director Lauren Folloni. “I graduated from Bridgewater State in 2005 with a degree in psychology. When I came back to BSU in 2019, to lead the AAC, I was excited for the chance to serve my alma mater and work with our amazing students. When I was a student at BSU, I was studying full time, working full time, and I was a young, single mom. I know first-hand how helpful it is to feel supported and cared for by the university and I strive to be that for our students when I come to work every day”, Lauren responded when we asked her how the Academic Achievement Center has impacted her own life. “We have a phenomenal academic coaching program, where students can develop their college-student skills, things like time management, goal setting, professional communication, study skills, and so much more. The AAC has a team of academic advisors who specialize in supporting our first-year students, our new transfer students, and students who are working to raise their GPA. The AAC is also home to SAS, where students with disabilities can go to request campus and classroom accommodations, and where any student can go to get involved in our exciting work toward creating a culture of accessibility here at Bridgewater State University. Our services are for all students because all students benefit from the information sharing, skill development, and relationships that the AAC has to offer”. 

The Academic Achievement Center is a great resource at Bridgewater State University for all students looking for support with their academic goals. To contact the Academic Achievement Center, you can email them at academicachievement@bridgew.edu or you can call them at 508.531.1214.  

Resource Spotlight
BSU Works

Bridgewater State University’s Career Service and Internship Office or “BSU Works” offers BSU students’ guidance and support while they are initiating and advancing their professional careers.  

Career Service’s main priority is to assist students in the process of developing, evaluating, and initiating their career plans. The office primarily offers services to undergraduate students, but also can be a resource for graduate students and alumni. The Internship Office assists BSU students that are looking to gain practical work experience, develop new skills, network, and apply classroom theory in a professional setting.  

Tracey Gray, Career Services and Internship Program Office’s Assistant Director who is an alum of the university and obtained her Master of Education in Counseling back in 2001, specifically has used her positions in the office to advise all BSU students in a multitude of career skills, such as resume and cover letter writing, job search strategies, effective interviewing, career exploration, choosing a major, finding an internship, graduate school preparation, networking and how to use LinkedIn. According to Tracey, “The Career Services & Internship Program Office intentionally provides all BSU students with opportunities to learn and practice specific skills essential for their transition from student to professional.  The Office is committed to forging learning relationships between students, from their first year through their senior year, with Career Services & Internship Program staff, employers, faculty, alumni, and other members of the broader community to advance the professional development of all students preparing for their careers”. 

Career Service and Internship Office is currently preparing for their annual Fall Internship and Job Fair, this event will be held September 21st, from 1pm- 3:30 pm. The Fall Internship and Job Fair is a great way for students to get to meet potential employers and for employers to meet candidates for internships and full-time professional positions. This is also an amazing opportunity to see what internships and jobs lie within your student’s major and could be a future career. They also have the STEM and Health Sciences Career Fair coming up on Wednesday October 18th. This career fair is specifically for STEM and healthcare groups to have the opportunity to connect with BSU students. This gives BSU students specifically looking to find a career in the STEM or Healthcare field the chance to explore potential professional opportunities within their field.   

Located in Room 104 and 102 of the Rondileau Student Union on the West side of campus, Career Services and Internship Program is open from 9 am to 5 pm. The office also offers drop-in hours, where students can come in and work with one of the offices' staff members and work on a number of different career attribute. For example, students can get assistance with interviewing or work on creating an efficient resume or cover letter. These services are available from 11 am to 2 pm on Monday through Thursday.   

Bridgewater State University’s Career Service and Internship Office is a great resource for any BSU student looking to get assistance or even a head start in their professional career.  

Resource Spotlight
Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE)

Written By: Liz McLam, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant 

The Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE-LEGACY) strives to create a community that encourages equity and promotes the celebration of the history, culture, and traditions of BSU students. LGCIE relentlessly pushes for racial equity along with closing achievement gaps by hosting events on campus and connecting students with both on campus and off campus resources that are invested in helping their academic, social, and overall experience at Bridgewater State University and in life.  

Recently, the department underwent a name change in September of 2020, previously being known as “The Center of Multicultural Affairs”. The name change now accurately portrays the goal of The Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity; that they are a safe space for Bridgewater State University students from all walks of life. Now it honors two Bridgewater leaders, who strived for cultural equity and changed the face of Bridgewater State.  Sarah Lewis was an alum of Bridgewater State Normal School, coming from nearby Fall River. She was accepted to Bridgewater State Normal School in February of 1867 and went onto graduate in January of 1869. She became Bridgewater State University’s first ever graduate of color, then went on to teach in Fall River Public Schools. The Center is also named after Paul Gaines who was appointed to be the first ever Director of Minority Affairs in 1968. From there, Paul Gaines worked tirelessly to advance equality as BSU, devoting decades of his life to change the face of Bridgewater State University; shaping it into the diverse campus it is today.  

To pursue cultural equity within Bridgewater State University the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity offers a multitude of opportunities for students to come and get involved which are open to all students. Some of which includes a Study Hall held on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 3 pm with a tutor and academic coach. Another program is called SnakChats, which are held on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 where students can come eat and learn about different campus resources and diversity topics. The LGCIE also offers direct lines of communication to other resources on campus such as Resources in Support of Excellence (RISE) which supports students throughout the stresses of college and understands how that stress can impact on students’ lives, another resource is the Academic Achievement Center (AAC) which houses the largest center for academic resources on campus, including academic advising and tutoring.  

The Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity is a pillar of progress at Bridgewater State University, pushing for the pursuit of academic and social equity; and has significantly contributed to making BSU the diverse campus it is today. The Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity on Engage BSU, or at www.bridgew.edu/student-life/lgcie. You can also follow them on Instagram (lgcie_bsu) or give them a call at 508.531.6166. They are open Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:45 pm and their office is located in the Rondileau Student Union, room 101.  

Resource Spotlight
Martin Richard Institute for Social Jusitce (MRISJ) 

Written By: Liz McLam, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant 

The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice works with BSU students to build knowledge about social justice, to develop skills for advancing social justice through both individual and collective action and serve as a catalyst for actualizing Bridgewater State University’s commitment to social justice.  

Originally The Institute for Social Justice established in 2011, the Institute was renamed “The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice” in 2015, named after 8-year-old Martin Richard who was tragically one of the three people who were killed during the bombing at the Boston Marathon in 2013. Martin’s parents, Bill, and Denise Richard, met at BSU and graduated from the university in 1993.   

The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice offers a multitude of ways for BSU students to get involved with Community Service Projects, Justice Fellows, their Civic Speaker Series, and Alternative Breaks. MRISJ organizes ways for students to engage and give back to their community through community service hours. They offer local service opportunities where trained students and staff will facilitate both on- campus and off-campus trips to local nonprofit organizations in the community. They also offer on-campus engagement where they hold events to build community between students, staff, and faculty through conversation, action, and service activities that are social justice orientated. The Martin Richard Institute also offers annual events such as the MLK Day of Service or Earth Day.  

They also offer The Justice Fellow Program which offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization or campus-based initiative in Bridgewater, Brockton, Easton, Middleboro, and Taunton. Justice Fellows gain direct service and capacity- building support, while providing learning opportunities. Justice Fellows are hired as BSU employees and will be supported by a MRISJ staff member to provide guidance during their community engagement. The Justice Fellow Program is a great opportunity for BSU students to be able to support their endeavors in community engagement, while also dedicating their time to ensure social justice and change within their community.  

The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice does have some upcoming events, such as Service Saturday: Sharing the Harvest where on September 30th bears can spend their Saturday volunteering with MRISJ, volunteers will work at Sharing the Harvest Community Farm from 8:30 am- 2:00pm collecting food that will be donated to local food banks. Or on November 15th MRISJ will be working with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the Dunn Conference Suite.  

The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice is an amazing resource for students on campus looking to get involved on campus and give back to their community along with working to push forward social justice on campus. For more information or to have any questions answered to can email them at mrisj@bridgew.edu or call them at 508.531.2199. You can also visit them at 161 Summer Street, on the west side of campus right next to Woodward Hall.  

Events