It’s not unusual for students to incur day to day issues of a ripped back pack, broken eyeglasses or a broken zipper. It’s part of the busyness of classes and activities on campus. Well, an upcoming “repair clinic” is being held at Grand Valley State University. It will offer students a bit of free help.
“So we mend rips, but it’s not lost on us that we’re able to keep the student’s social fabric together too.”
Keeping it all together is the goal of the “Repair Clinic” offered at Grand Valley State University. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Director of Communications, Monica Johnstone, along with a colleague came up with the idea. Tomorrow’s event marks the 3rd clinic.
“At a certain time in the term, we know stress can be really high, so we try to put the repair clinic in the perfect spot… so if a student is feeling really ragged, and needs some academic advising to stay on track ,we can be there at that moment.”
Johnstone says the students are still amazed at the help they receive from faculty and staff from nearly every department…
“We get a range of things. One student said to me, who are you. Like we were angels or something. I said, well, that’s a professor of biology, she’s an expert on bats, there’s the VP of enrollment. It’s people from all over campus that wanted to help you .”
Ripped back packs and broken glasses are just a few of the items up for repair. The types of things that can add stress to a student’s day. Johnstone says what they do, makes a difference and they’re hope is it goes beyond the broken item.
“We hope that it demystifies the staff and faculty so that students say, ok, I’ve seen them in this other hat, they’re not so scary after all, I know they really do have my best interest at heart.”
The event runs October 24th from 6 to 8 pm in the Holton Hooker Learning and Living Center’s Multipurpose Room on the Allendale Campus. Johnstone says they are planning another Repair Clinic in February, hopefully at the downtown campus.
