How Western Dakota Technical College leverages CampusWell to address compliance issues on campus

If there’s one goal that all schools share, it’s to provide students with a campus experience that helps them feel safe and respected, and encourages academic integrity. However, many schools face challenges with common compliance issues—from plagiarism to campus safety—and it can be tricky to meet the needs of an ever-changing student body. 

CampusWell can help mitigate these difficulties. In fact, managing compliance issues is why Western Dakota Technical College (WDTC), a public community college located in Rapid City, South Dakota, became a CampusWell client. 

“We got CampusWell as a compliance piece,” explains Jennifer Williams-Curl, student resource coordinator at WDTC’s Student Success Center. “WDTC hasn’t had a large number of issues related to violations, but we strongly believe in providing resources, and CampusWell allows us to [provide] students [with] material that is pertinent to them.”

WDTC uses CampusWell to educate students on compliance 

Like many schools, WDTC faces compliance and code of conduct issues, such as challenges related to academic integrity, substance use, and Title IX. WDTC takes advantage of CampusWell’s vast archive of high quality, science-backed articles to educate students on situations that  relate to the school’s regulations or code of conduct.

“CampusWell helps offer students information and resources when they are in a sticky situation,” says Williams-Curl. “For example, sometimes students will plagiarize work and we can use CampusWell to share information about the importance of academic integrity.”

In addition, CampusWell offers resources for survivors of sexual assault or harassment, and for those struggling with addiction or alcoholism—all of which can be difficult to seek in-person help for.  And when issues arise outside of regular staff hours, students may find themselves in need of support when there’s no one to talk to. With 24/7 access to the CampusWell site and mobile app, students can find answers to their urgent questions, even when staff are unavailable. Plus, all articles contain the contact information for relevant on-campus resources that students can follow up with for additional help.

WDTC knows students will find accurate information on their CampusWell site, because all articles are thoroughly fact-checked and reflect current public health standards.

WDTC supports awareness campaigns with CampusWell resources

Every year, WDTC runs campus awareness campaigns that cover sensitive topics, leveraging ready-made resources from CampusWell. “WDTC uses CampusWell to help provide student resources related to our AOD (Alcohol and Other Drugs) Campaign as well as for Title IX compliance, including sharing resources for students facing issues of stalking or other uncomfortable situations,” says Williams-Curl. 

CampusWell regularly publishes articles and provides additional resources—flyers, emails, social media posts, etc.—that help schools meet prevention requirements for AOD and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act). WDTC uses these resources as a supplement to their existing AOD and Title IX campaigns. “These preventative emails let students know there are resources if [or] when they need them,” says Williams-Curl.

In addition, Student Success Coaches at WDTC review the resources and articles provided by CampusWell during WDTC’s wellness fairs, which cover topics like sexual health and substance use awareness. The coaches use relevant material and share information that is already available to students, “rather than finding random information from Google,” explains Williams-Curl.

WDTC answers students’ health and wellness questions with CampusWell article and video content

WDTC leverages the breadth of topics covered by CampusWell to help ensure the health and well-being of their students beyond compliance issues. Their faculty and administrative staff supplement answers to student questions with links to articles and videos that expand on topics such as finances, mindfulness, and study strategies. “I’ve had some directors in different departments ask for resources on a specific topic. And so I’ve gone into [the CampusWell archive] to get them articles about those [topics],” says Williams-Curl.

According to Williams-Curl, CampusWell allows WDTC to “demonstrate that we care about students’ ability to be successful and work proactively to ensure [their] needs are met.”