A ee = ——_— SS = A New Kind Of Dean At WSC The new director of Student Life at Weber State College is unusual for three reasons: She is female, the new director. She sees this as building greater understanding and appreciation among the attractive and holds a top administrative position at a major college. various groups. The first two traits alone would not set Dr. Kay Evans apart, but coupled with the third fact, the first two become unusual indeed. Dr. Evans is a youthfully attractive blonde who says reaching 40 is no crisis because she ‘‘works hard and plays hard and has a tremendous amount of energy.” Her appointment to the directorship of the newly created and newly named area of student services came as no reai surprise to her, since, as she says, “I have had 15 years of teaching experience in the areas of counseling, psychology and student relations.”’ ‘“Unity’’ among different fac- tions of students is a major goal of “Tt seems as though there are several very distinct groups of students at Weber State — the students who live away from home, often in the dorms; those who live at home or are married and commute to college; and the fraternity and sorority crowd,” she says. ““Of course, I don’t want to try to impose my ideas of what would be beneficial on the students — I first must find out if more unity is what they want.”’ Married Student Week is one ac- tivity designed to bring students together. The events scheduled throughout the week were open to all students, and single persons, as well as married, couraged to attend. were en- Another goal outlined by Dr. Evans is to make Student Life services more visible and more readily available to all students. Kathy Chafin and Dr. Evans discuss new learning techniques. (photo by John Shupe) About a dozen different services come under Dr. Evans’ direction, along with nearly 50 staff members, including Union Building director and personnel, placement director, and learning center workers. No Problem Created Naturally, many of the people coming under Dr. Evans’ supervision are men, and many have been at the college longer than their female superior. Has this situation created problems? “Frankly, I was prepared for some hints of hostility,’ she says. “But, I have received nothing but cooperation and good will from everybody. Most campus people know me and we already had good relationships.”’ The Student Life area replaces what were the responsibilities of the dean of students. The change hasn’t really affected the structure of student services, however. ‘‘We’ve just expanded the area a bit more and combined some services,’ says Dr. Evans. The learning center, where students can take advantage of special learning facilities to advance in a course at their own speed, Dr. Kay Evans, director of Student Life (photo by John Shupe) has been added to the Student Life area. Other programs begun under the direction of Dr. Evans include an expansion of student government activities designed to bring the several divisions of students together. A psychiatrist employed in the counseling center has been conducting in-service training sessions for dormitory parents so they will be better able to deal with student problems without sending them to another counselor on campus. Students who don’t declare a major are now put under the direction of the career placement center, where counselors help them choose a major field after testing and advising. “Student committees have been formed to assess needs of the student body,’’ explains Dr. Evans. ‘Their reports help us determine what services are needed and wanted by students.”’ Dr. Evans brings years of experience in academic counseling to her new job. She has been in contact with students of many ages during most of her career life. Her family of two daughters and an architect husband has also been a major part of her life. Her 18-year-old daughter attends Bonneville High School, while Dr. Evans’ 15-year-old studies at South Junior High School, both in Ogden. Dr. Evans received a bachelor degree and master’s degree from Idaho State University and her Ph.D. at Indiana University. “T like students, and especially the students at Weber State.’ says Dr. Evans. “I’m excited about working with them in this position.”’ i . ee a — = January 1975 The Associated Alumni of Weber State College