Sonoma State's Noma Cares Center (NCC) will open on August 26, unifying a multidisciplinary team of employees from across campus in a new location. NCC will provide comprehensive support to students for issues ranging from elevated personal concerns to emergencies and acute crises.
"We are here to remove barriers to student success," said Dr. Ryan Jasen Henne, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. “This new space will gather us all together so there is a natural synergy between our teams.”
The Care Team has been providing supportive intervention and guidance for students for over six years through a network of 13 departments at SSU. Henne said he is looking forward to having everyone under one roof.
Along with Care Team support, NCC will offer resources through the the Basic Needs Initiative (BNI), Confidential Advocacy, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the CalFresh nutrition program, and other supportive components such as emergency funds, mobile showers, and medical services.
Sonoma State is one of the CSU’s 23 campuses taking a focused approach toward supporting well-being and academic success for students experiencing food and housing insecurity, or who are in crisis.
"We are committed to empowering students through their college experience," Henne said. "We have been quite strategic about our processes to get students the support they need."
One strategy, Henne shared, is the career closet at NCC, where students who don't have the financial resources to buy professional attire for an interview or internship can access needed clothing.
The team has also gone so far as to buy bedding for a student in an emergency housing situation.
Matthew Adkins transferred to SSU in fall 2023 from American River College in Sacramento “with nothing but a dream and some luggage,” he said. Adkins had no idea how to manage his school work on top of the responsibilities of independent adulthood; the Care Team and the BNI helped him through it.
“BNI and the wonderful people who run it literally saved my life,” he said.
Homeless, food insecure, and struggling with financial issues, Adkins said the Care Team was always there to support him
“I don't know of any other school that has this type of student care. If it wasn't for the program I would not have stayed at SSU because I could not have handled it. I’m beyond grateful to BNI for helping me and I’m thankful that it will change other lives in the future,” he said.
Dr. Edie Brown, lead coordinator of the Basic Needs and Care Team, said the success rate for helping students get back on track is high.
“We've been 98 percent successful. I think we've done a good job," she said.
The program's growth over the past six years is testament to the need for supportive care at SSU, as well as to the Care Team’s accomplishments.
"In our first year, we had 59 total cases that we supported, and last year we had over 600," Henne said. "So in six years, we've had a 1,000 percent increase in usage for people accessing and referring people to the program."
With 16 people on the team, Brown said there is a personal and professional network that helps with needs outside the Center's scope.
"We are always learning about different available resources and discussing what options might offer the best solution. When we can’t meet student needs, we have found ways for students to be seen by community partners at low or no cost, or (at) places that offer sliding scales," Brown said.
She added that providing students with equitable access to resources so that they can thrive academically is the team’s core mission.
“We all have a personal commitment to how we serve students because we know that if they aren't achieving academically, it's because something in their lives is not working. We are here to provide them resources so that they can do what they need to be successful," she said.
Krista Sherer - Strategic Communications Writer