Faculty and staff at University of Wisconsin-Stout will go off campus on Tuesday, Sept. 3, to visit students who will be living in Menomonie during the 2019-20 academic year.
About 25 volunteers are set to knock on doors from noon to 6 p.m. in several Menomonie neighborhoods to greet students the day before classes begin. Volunteers include interim Chancellor Patrick Guilfoile.
It’s all part of the university’s Knock and Talk initiative, in its fourth year. The volunteers hope to distribute 800 welcome back bags to off-campus students.
“We think it’s important to reach out to our off-campus students, welcome them back for the year and encourage them to make safe and healthy choices,” said Nate Kirkman, assistant dean of students who is leading the effort.
The reusable bags will include a variety of items: information on safety, city ordinances, student conduct policies, tenant rights and local service agencies; blood alcohol content charts; coupons and small gifts from local businesses and entities; and more.
Along with greeting the students and presenting the bags, volunteers will briefly discuss the initiative. “We want to make sure that these students know we care about them and to remind them to look out for their fellow Blue Devils,” Kirkman said.
Knock and Talk is sponsored by the Chancellor’s Coalition on Alcohol and Drugs and the Dean of Students Office.
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Photos
The UW-Stout campus and neighborhoods, looking north.
Nate Kirkman
