With students coming back onto campus for the new semester, it becomes more important than ever to be prepared for life in Pullman. For even the more experienced of the bunch, it can feel quite daunting to go through another semester after such a long break. It is an easy lie to believe that you need to struggle through it on your own, but that should not be the case with the scale of resources offered to students. 

The number of resources available to students may seem overwhelming at first. You might not know where to start or what you are looking for. However, this is not something to be ashamed about, and this article will highlight some of the resources available to you throughout campus. 

The crucial word, of course, is some. This article is by no means an exhaustive list of all the resources on campus, but rather a beginner’s guide to highlight some helpful resources to start with. We hope that getting your feet wet through this article will encourage you toward other resources in the area.

One of the first resources that will be highlighted is the most obvious, the Office of the Dean of Students. 

“We work with more than a thousand students who are looking for extra support,” said Jill Creighton, dean of students and associate vice president of Campus Life. “We are kind of like the hub for student resources in a lot of ways. One of our jobs is to know all the resources on campus.” 

The Office of the Dean of Students is a great place to start. If you are unable to find what you need, they will help point you in the right direction. 

One of the many services that the office offers is helping students work through extreme circumstances. These include emergency loans, dealing with extraneous financial circumstances or issues such as food and housing insecurity.  

The best way to get started on this big-ticket resource for students is to look in their website and contact over the phone or visit them in the French Administration Building.

Another valuable resource available for students is the Academic Success and Career Center, also housed in the French Admin Building. You can access this resource through their website or by visiting them in person during office hours. 

The ASCC is a great place to start if you are looking for academic resources, such as peer tutoring across campus or academic coaching. This is a great tool to learn how to study successfully or get help with time management. 

“We have seen high numbers of tutoring this last fall,” said Alicia Petersen, an assistant director for ASCC. 

The center offers tutoring all semester, the ASCC also provides career services. Students may see counselors that will guide them on internships, cover letters and building resumes.   

A student does not need to be struggling to access the resources at the ASCC; they are available for any student who is going to WSU. Like the Office of the Dean of Students, Petersen said ASCC also helps with pointing students to the other resources on campus.

“Don’t come in too late. Come in and see us so we can help you! We want to meet students where they’re at and help them be successful … it’s important that they take that first step,” Petersen said. 

The final resource in this small guide is the TRIO Student Support Services. Like the others, this office is in the French Admin Building and further information can be found on their website. 

TRIO SSS is a federally sponsored program offering academic, personal and other resources to students who qualify for the program. If at least one of the three qualifications applies to you, the website provides the next steps for the application process. You must either be a first-generation college student, demonstrate financial need as of federal guidelines or have a documented disability. 

“TRIO is meant to help with students’ concerns they have in college,” said Lucila Loera, executive director with the Office of Access and Opportunity and interim SSS director. “The program is wrap-around and holistic, engaging with students.”

This program helps students who qualify tackle the obstacles and challenges they may face in college while also boosting their capacity through helpful supporting services. The program has limited enrollment, and it is encouraged that those who can apply early. Steps to apply are on the WSU TRIO SSS website.

“Students who do sign up for the program find community, and they will find someone who will be in their corner no matter what,” said Loera. 

Once more, this small grouping of resources is not an exhaustive list. Take this article as a way of getting your foot in the door of the wonderful world of resources that are available to students at WSU. All three of these resources provided are accessible in a variety of ways, online, phone or in-person.

I encourage you to do more research if you did not find what you were looking for here, as something that more fits your personal need is likely to be in the system waiting for you to access it.