1P10 Addressing Special Needs of Student Subgroups

• Disability Services: A full-time Disabilities Coordinator provides support for those STI students with disabilities. These services may include both class accommodations and modifications and provide students with resources, equipment, or other classroom assistance in order to help the student succeed.
• Tutoring Services: A full-time Tutoring Facilitator assists students struggling with coursework to connect with free peer tutoring services. Peer tutors are paid for their time and are students who have a proven record of success in the classroom. Some courses, such as Ultrasound Physics, have instructor-led tutoring available to students.
• Adult Learning Center (ALC): STI’s Adult Learning Center provides English as a Second Language students the opportunity to improve their English skills independently or in small groups.
• Student Success Center: Open since fall 2009, STI has developed a Student Success Center with three Student Success Advisors and an Evening and Online Enrollment Coordinator/Success Advisor for assisting students with their individual needs. The advisors teach Student Success Seminar classes (required of the majority of students) and then work with their assigned students throughout the entire time the students are enrolled. The advisors address questions from enrollment to financial aid to referrals for counseling or social services. The advisors meet with students and help them address their needs on an individual or group basis.
• Student Organizations and Activities: STI’s student organizations promote student development of leadership skills, networking with industry employers, participation in conferences and competitions, and learning important program and social networking skills. The organizations must be directly related to a program; therefore, co-curricular events are closely aligned with student development in the program. Student activities such as bowling, basketball and volleyball are also available as intramural experiences. The Student Activities Coordinator helps students organize many campus events to encourage student involvement: inviting political candidates to speak; volunteering for the Sioux Falls Marathon, Children’s Miracle Network, and Food Pantry Drive; organizing clothing donations to the Pine Ridge Reservation; and bringing the Blood Mobile to campus.
• Evening and Online Students: STI’s new position, the Evening and Online Enrollment Coordinator, provides assistance to evening and online student subgroups and serves as a Success Advisor for those students. Prior to fall 2010, a Business Administration faculty member served as the evening coordinator.
• Nontraditional Student Services: STI also provides services for nontraditional program students (students in programs nontraditional for their gender), displaced homemakers, and single parent students through its Nontraditional Student Advisor. This individual coordinates several services for students and networks with 43 different social services agencies and the Department of Labor to assist students with child care, vocational rehabilitation, county welfare, food bank, and other agencies such as Goodwill. Additionally, the Department of Social Services for Lincoln and Minnehaha counties has designated STI as the provider of the Parenting Program, which serves over 200 parents a year in continuously running 6-week class sessions.
• Workforce Investment Act (WIA): The Nontraditional Student Advisor is a liaison for the Department of Labor WIA program. This program provides funding support for eligible students to take WIA approved programs at STI.
• Wheels to Work: The Nontraditional Student Advisor is the Co-Chair for Wheels to Work which accepts donated vehicles for single parents who need transportation for work or school. The program stores the vehicles and issues license and title transfer fees at no cost to the students.