Students on Campus | Photo by Bethany Althauser | The Wright State Guardian
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Transfer Center hosted a resource fair in Allyn Hall to celebrate National Transfer Student Week. Anyone interested could stop by, grab a donut and learn about the many organizations on campus dedicated to supporting transfer students.
Donuts and Dialogue
The event offered coffee and donuts and featured several booths from campus organizations like Career Services, Legal Services, Public Safety and more. Students came throughout the morning to engage with the various booths.
Rachelle Dancy, assistant director of Transfer Admission and Success, was satisfied with the event’s turnout. She noted that students were meaningfully participating by walking around and interacting with the resource representatives.
“I feel like they left here with information as well as a treat,” Dancy said.
Donuts and Dialogue upheld the goal of National Transfer Student Week: to help transfer students feel included, supported and connected throughout campus.
Transfer students
Transfer students face unique challenges that the Transfer Center aims to address.
Michelle VanHuss, Wright Path program manager, explained that transfer students may struggle to feel engaged on campus. She cited the common misconception that transfer students attend college solely to obtain a degree.
“They don’t feel like the traditional college experience is for them,” VanHuss said.
This issue is especially pertinent at Wright State University, since, according to Dancy, nearly a third of the student population are transfers. The Transfer Center offers services such as the Wright Path program to assist these students in their college journeys.
Transfer Week is an opportunity not only to provide resources to transfer students but to affirm their place on campus.
“You are seen, you are important, you’re just as much a Raider as anyone,” Dancy said.
Spotlight: Career Services
Hill-Mercer and her colleague, Assistant Director of Career Education and Success Lacey Loges, represented Career Services at the event.
They conversed with attendees about their academic and professional aspirations and connected each of them to their on-campus career consultant. They also provided information about career workshops and other opportunities for career guidance.
“It’s all about making crucial connections and providing the resources [students] need to succeed,” Hill-Mercer said.
Career Services offers workshops, networking events and one-on-one support to help students find jobs and fine-tune their career paths.
These services are especially relevant to transfer students, Hill-Mercer explained, and may need additional support making connections and adapting to the culture at a new institution.
She described these services as “crucial” for transfer students as they navigate the transition to campus life.
Students interested in utilizing Career Services may schedule an appointment via Handshake.
For information and resources like those provided at Donuts and Dialogue, students may contact the Transfer Center via email at transfer@wright.edu, via phone at (937)775-5700 or in-person at 138 Student Union.
