Housing

Kinchen to Join Auxiliary Services Team as Executive Director, Housing and Lodging

Vernetta Kinchen will begin her tenure as Syracuse University’s Executive Director for Housing and Lodging on July 1, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services Kris Klinger announced today. The new position was created to oversee the Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services Office, along with the Syracuse University Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center and the Minnowbrook Conference Center, located in Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y.

“I am excited to welcome Vernetta Kinchen to Syracuse University Auxiliary Services,” said Klinger. “With success in both the higher education and lodging spaces, Vernetta brings a wealth of diverse knowledge and experience to our team.”

Following a long career in the hotel and hospitality industry, including stints with Marriott and Wyndham hotel properties, Kinchen became the Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in June 2013. Her time at Cornell also included work as a talent and retention specialist and in September 2020, she was appointed to oversee Cornell’s COVID-19 testing operations.

In her new role in Auxiliary Services, Kinchen will be asked to assist with the planning and implementation of the University’s housing strategy and to create and execute strategies for lodging, events, and conference services, with a focus on providing excellent customer service to the University’s many stakeholders.

“It is an honor to be joining and leading a team with so much talent,” said Kinchen. “I look forward to partnering with campus leadership to elevate the quality of services offered to the Syracuse community.”

University to Debut New Meal Plan Options for All Students in Fall 2021

he Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card Services Office will introduce a block meal plan system, offer unlimited meal plans and combine campus funds into one account starting in the 2021-22 academic year.

The overhaul of the meal plan system was driven by student feedback, says Kris Klinger, associate vice president of Auxiliary Services, which includes the Housing, Meal Plan and I.D. Card (HMPID) Services Office. Students and their families often expressed confusion over the number of meal plan options, the weekly “reset” and the difference between the SUpercard FOOD and PLUS accounts, Klinger says. With the assistance of a nationally-recognized college meal plan consultant, HMPID conducted stakeholder meetings and student focus groups over the course of several months, which guided planning for the new system.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

New SU I.D. Cards Allow Students, Faculty and Staff to Use Their Preferred Name

This fall, the Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services Office is debuting a new SU I.D. card design. Behind the new design is a new system—one that allows University community members to choose to use their preferred name on their SU I.D.

The ability to use preferred names on SU I.D. cards comes after years of work by the Pronoun, Gender and Preferred Name Advisory Council (PGPNAC). The council, led by Jenny Gluck, associate chief information officer, and Jorge A. Castillo, director of the LBGT Resource Center, has been active since its inception in June 2018. It was formed in response to Long-Term Recommendation #32 from the March 11, 2016, Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity Inclusion Final Report. The report affirmed that the University, “Expand (its) Preferred Name/MySlice process for choice of gender pronouns, email display names, ID cards, and issues related to Blackboard and other relevant platforms.”

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Hundreds of New Students Arrive Early as Part of University’s Safety Efforts

Several hundred new students were welcomed to Syracuse University on Sunday as part of the effort to bring students to campus safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students coming from states listed in New York State’s travel advisory, with high infection rates of COVID-19, are required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving in New York. The University offered first-year and transfer students from those states, who might not have other alternatives, to move-in early to meet those requirements.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Students Raise Service Dogs in Training as Part of Their Life on Campus

You may have noticed “Princeton” and “Waltham” around campus this fall: attending classes, hanging out on the Shaw Quad, living on South Campus and making new friends.

These two friendly faces aren’t here for the academics but a different type of learning.

Princeton and Waltham are among a group of five Labrador retrievers on campus with their student handlers as part of the student group Service Dogs at Syracuse. The student group partners with the national nonprofit organization Canine Companions for Independence that pairs puppies with volunteer puppy raisers, who take care of the puppies until they are old enough to go through professional training.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Housing Committee Seeks Additional Input

This past July, Syracuse University began a comprehensive review of its student housing to better understand residential options and determine future needs in support of enriching the student experience. Through its engagement with an expansive group of stakeholders, the committee’s scope evolved to include the residential needs of graduate students, faculty and staff.

As part of the engagement phase of the housing assessment, the University released an online survey to all current undergraduate students in September. The response rate was strong and provided the committee important information on current living conditions, student satisfaction, and preferences for new and improved housing offerings.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services Hosts Successful South Campus Open House Event

More than 200 students and families visited model apartments on South Campus at the annual Family Weekend Open House event hosted by the Office of Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase South Campus living,” said Eileen Simmons, director of the Office of Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Cards Services. “We’re here to help our first-year students as they make plans for their housing next year.”

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Auxiliary Services, Facility Services Complete Latest Residence Hall Upgrades

Renovated room in Day HallAs summer 2019 came to a close, the Syracuse University campus was a hive of activity. Last-minute paint touch-ups went onto walls, closet doors were re-adjusted and the crinkling sounds of plastic-wrapped mattresses filled the hallways of DellPlain Hall. This summer marked the first year of a two-year renovation project at DellPlain, the latest in a series of top-to-bottom renovations in the University’s residence halls.

At DellPlain, this summer’s work focused on renovating student rooms, lounges and common areas on floors six through eight. Beyond making the student rooms fully accessible, new finishes, flooring and student room furniture were installed and new IT infrastructure was constructed.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

InclusiveU senior with Down syndrome taking on ‘Cuse dorm life for first time

Harry Dydo is 22-years-old and loves Syracuse University sports.

Dydo, of Cazenovia, has been “bleeding orange” from the start. Born with Down syndrome, dreaming of going to SU was very much just a dream for many years.

This year, Dydo is working at the newly built Barnes Center at The Arch, a health-and-wellness facility on campus offering all students support for mental and physical wellness.

However, Dydo has already checked off another major milestone – living on his own in a dorm on the SU campus.

Read the full story at CNY Central.

Welcome Back to Campus!

Otto inside residence hallThousands of new students moved into their residence halls this week, where they were greeted by staff volunteers, orientation leaders, and the Goon Squad. A certain fuzzy orange mascot also made an appearance. Check out photos from move-in week at Syracuse University News.