What’s New on Campus?
Students arriving at Delaware Valley University will notice some positive new additions to campus this fall. Here’s what new:
The Green Dot Campaign
The Green Dot campaign is aimed at stopping sexual assault, harassment and domestic violence through bystander intervention. The program teaches that “no one has to do everything, but everyone can do something.”
A green dot is a small, single moment in time when someone chooses through words or actions to reduce the likelihood of another incident of power-based personal violence from occurring. The program focuses on the combined impact of many individuals taking small, positive steps together. A green dot can be anything from attending an overview talk on bystander intervention to hanging an educational poster in a residence hall.
The program teaches that a simple, small, individual choice at any given moment can have a positive impact on campus culture. The program has already started doing overview talks with faculty and staff. The next step will be to provide training for groups of student leaders on campus who will help to engage students in the program and support the campus education and action events. Student training sessions will be held in January with a full campus launch coming in the spring. To learn more about the program, please visit delval.edu/greendot or email greendotmail@delval.edu.
First-Year Peer Mentor Program
To advance student success, the University is now offering a new peer mentor program for first-year students. Through the First-Year Peer Mentor Program, student mentors will support new students as they navigate their first year at DelVal. Mentors will provide mentees with academic, social and personal encouragement under the guidance of a DelVal Experience Instructor. Assisting mentees with college transition challenges and resource referral, mentors will be responsible for a small group of student mentees within each DelVal Experience course section. All new students are required to take the DelVal Experience course as part of the University’s Experience360 Program. Mentors will also communicate outside of class and attend campus events and activities with mentees. The program, which ties into the Experience360 Program, is designed to help new students adjust to campus while giving upperclassmen a chance to hone their leadership skills.
“I chose to be a peer mentor because the transition to college can be a challenge for first-year students, and I wanted to help guide them on the path to success,” said Jonathan Lance ’19, a media and communication student who is mentoring new students. “I'm looking forward to engaging with the students and giving them advice I wish I had when I was a freshman.”
Plant Breeding Garden
This summer, DelVal started a new plant breeding garden on campus that adds educational value for students across a variety of disciplines. Assistant Professor of Plant Science Dr. Sarah Dohle hopes to use the garden to develop some improved vegetables. The garden is 100 feet by 25 feet and contains six butternut squash varieties, 20 bean varieties, 35 pepper varieties and 10 potato varieties. The garden will provide student research opportunities as well as a chance for classes from a variety of majors to include additional hands-on learning activities.
Elizabeth Patchell ’19, who is working with peppers, and Stephen Bond ’19, who is working with squash, have both made successful crosses in the field. The plant science department will advance a generation in the greenhouse this winter and plant the diverse offspring in the field during the next growing season.
“We are trying to figure out what varieties grow well here and make crosses between those that grow great and those that are exotic and delicious,” said Dr. Dohle. “Students have already come over to practice plant crosses and ask questions about botany, breeding and genetics.”