The first NASPA institution to host the AMOSSHE exchange team is Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins.
Colorado State University
Because of the university, Fort Collins has a really college town atmosphere. Alcohol was banned in the late 1890s until student activism brought prohibition to an end in 1969 – to think of all the divisive issues the students could have protested about in the 60s, it’s good to know they chose to focus on alcohol! Nowadays Fort Collins is home to a large number of micro-breweries – well, they do have 80 years of boozing to catch up on!
CSU was founded in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College, and is now among the nation’s leading research universities. CSU is Fort Collins’ largest employer: the university has approximately 1,540 faculty staff and over 2,000 administrative and support staff.
CSU students
CSU has about 30,000 students in total, and 25,600 on-campus. 75% are Colorado residents. 18% of students are ethnic minorities and 5% are international. CSU has A Vice President for Diversity, and was ranked number one in the US for international student satisfaction for academics and student support in the “International Student Barometer Survey” for 2013.
There are 13 residence halls with a capacity of about 5,600 students. CSU offers themed floors for people with shared interests.
Student Affairs at CSU
Student Affairs at CSU is committed to fostering “a campus community that supports students in the development of their unique potential, inspiring them to be active learners, successful graduates, and engaged global citizens”.
The Student Affairs Organisation chart and program of services pages below are the easiest way to see the services they offer. They offer a lot, especially when you consider health and careers education are situated separately:
- www.studentaffairs.colostate.edu/Data/Sites/1/documents/staff/locations/vpsa-org-chart.pdf
- www.studentaffairs.colostate.edu/programsservices
One big difference to UK Student Services is CSU’s approach to disability support. Students are directly responsible for initiating the support they need, and not the university.
CSU says to students: “You actually control your own destiny. Your success or failure depends on what you do and on what you may choose not to do. For example, if your disability causes you to be disorganized, you will be expected to learn new strategies that help you become more organised.”
In 2012 more students had a peanut / gluten allergy (122) than had dyslexia (109). ADD/ADHD (518) is by far the biggest registered disability.
CSU ‘Consent turns me on’ campaign to combat sexual harassment
AMOSSHE, The Student Services Organisation 