The University of Wisconsin’s Office of Student Assistance and Support is hosting the “Be KIND” campaign Sep. 4 and 5.
According to the event website, OSAS staff and other members of the UW administration are handing out KIND bars on Bascom Hill between 8:00 a.m. and noon.
OSAS Communications Director Darcy Wittberger said Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, Dean of Students Christina Olstad and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor are involved with the project and will be helping to hand out bars.
Each KIND bar has a sticker with a QR code, linked to information about OSAS and the types of support they offer.
Wittberger said in an email statement that the event is meant to remind students that OSAS is a trusted resource for all students.
“The office’s goal is to support student success and to help all Badgers navigate campus life, together,” Wittberger said in the statement.
According to Associate Dean of Students and OSAS Director Kathy Kruse, the campaign has been a tradition for over 10 years now, beginning when Kruse and her colleagues noticed panicked students looking for directions and other help on their first few days of classes.
The OSAS staff then decided to stand in different locations along Bascom Hill and offer assistance to students.
“Every student’s experience is different… our goal is to connect this huge campus,” Kruse said.
The OSAS recently changed names, having previously gone by the Dean of Students Office.
Kruse said the name change was an effort to show students that the office is a resource for student success and assistance, rather than one students would go to if they’re in trouble.
OSAS assists with a wide range of student support, including food access, housing and financial support, bias incidents, academic complaints and many other topics, according to their website.
Students can access OSAS through appointments, drop-in hours, email, Zoom and phone calls, according to Kruse, who also mentioned that the office is always making an effort to adapt to new student needs.
“If we can send one message to the students, we want it to be, ‘let’s be kind to each other’,” Kruse said.
