Return to Instruction and Student Life links
Download a PDF of this page (Adobe Acrobat Reader Required).

The Office of the Dean of Students provides services and programs that enable and encourage students to achieve success in their intellectual and personal development at Purdue and elsewhere. The office is organized into four distinct areas: Administration, Counseling Services, Special Programs, and Student Activities and Organizations.

ADMINISTRATION

The area of administration in the Office of the Dean of Students focuses on a variety of generalist and administrative functions including, but not limited to: emergency loans, readmission procedures, school withdrawals, student rights and responsibilities, off-campus housing listings, notary public services, ombudsman functions, and office personnel matters.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

The area of Student Activities and Organizations (SAO) is responsible for the recognition and administration of over 699 student organizations, including program advisement and calendaring of their activities. Fraternity, sorority, and cooperative housing organizations are supervised and advised by staff from this office. The SAO staff also advises Purdue Student Government. Various leadership classes and programs enhance students' leadership, communication, and financial management skills; encourage teamwork, diversity, and ethics; and give the student opportunities for personal growth. The Leadership Resource Center is also located in the SAO area, which contains books, videos, and teambuilding activities.

BOILER VOLUNTEER NETWORK

The mission of the Boiler Volunteer Network, also known as the Office of Community Service and Learning, is to foster and strengthen relationships between Purdue University faculty, staff, and students and the Lafayette-West Lafayette community by facilitating intentional and meaningful community service and learning opportunities that meet societal needs.

COUNSELING SERVICES

• The COUNSELING area provides confidential assistance for students who need help in understanding themselves, in making adjustments and decisions based on insight gained in a counseling relationship, in accepting responsibility for their choices, and in following a course of action to resolve the smallest or largest of problems. Homesickness, grief and loss issues, academic problems, self-esteem issues, cultural issues, relationship concerns, sexuality and/or sexual orientation issues, harassment, rape, and career concerns are but a few of the topics addressed in individual or group counseling sessions. Attention also is given to helping students and others understand and appreciate cultural, ethnic, regional group, and individual differences.
• The TESTING CENTER supports career exploration, readmission, advanced credit, and graduate school admission activities.
• The SPAN PLAN area helps students 24 years of age or older adjust to returning to a university environment. Services include an orientation program for adult students, evening programs, a newsletter, handbook, and a modest grant program.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

• ADAPTIVE PROGRAMS provides a variety of support services for students with disabilities that have been properly documented. Specific services are based on the student's individual needs but could include access to services, facilities, class information, written material, alternative testing conditions, and/or testing methods. Academic services and resources are also available.
• HORIZONS Student Support Services are available for students from income-eligible families, first-generation college students, or students with disabilities.
• TAEVIS (Tactile Access to Education for Visually Impaired Students) provides access to course materials for Purdue students who are Braille readers, investigates and develops new products and systems to streamline and economize the process of Braille Transcription, and makes innovations and materials available to other schools, allowing greater access to education for Braille readers.

Source: Office of the Dean of Students