Alegria Mora | Lindenlink Contributor

From problem resolution to academic and personal mentoring, the Student and Academic Support Services (SASS) offer a wide array of services with the mission of helping students succeed.

Located on the second floor of the Memorial Arts Building, SASS’s services allow it to cater to different students’ needs and give them the help they need. Christie Rodgers is the dean of the department.

“We are kind of a one-stop shop for students. We help you find your solution and try to get as much as we can resolve here,” Rodgers said.

Among SASS’s services, there is the accessibility office, which helps students with permanent or temporary disabilities that might need special accommodations.

“If someone breaks a leg and has class on the third floor of Roemer, they can contact the office to ask for assistance,” Rodgers said.

To ease students’ access to SASS, the department has created the “SASS Chat,” a chat screen located within the SASS tab on the academics page of the Lindenwood website. The service allows students to post any questions they may have and a member of the department will answer as fast as possible.

“For example, if someone needs to change advisers, we would talk [him/her] through the process,” Rodgers said. The service is typically available during regular business hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SASS is also dedicated to helping struggling students find ways to improve their schoolwork by offering them the right solutions. The department refers students to the Writing Center, Counseling Center and tutoring services.

“We try to contact them to make sure they know what resources are available,” Rodgers said.

In the fall of 2012, SASS launched its online tutoring service. Run by Smart Thinking, it has received an incredible response and is readily available to any student through the Lindenwood website.

To encourage student engagement, SASS is also involved in other activities within the university. The department helps with the coordination of the Christmas Walk, supports the campus YMCA and offers peer mentoring as a Work and Learn option or as a volunteer service.

“Everything we do is important. The thing we are most proud of is that we help students be successful,” Rodgers said. “We help them stay in school so they can have the best experiences here.”

For more information, email [email protected] or visit the Facebook page at http://facebook.com/LindenwoodSASS.