The Great Desk HappeningsSUNY New Paltz Welcome Center
Newsletter Fall 2014
A quick update on whats going on when youre not on shift
A couple of days ago, Colin and Sara had the pleasure of having
President Christian stop by the desk. He complimented us on our
excellent phone etiquette and emphasized how essential we are to
the campus. I just found out from Emily that hes been coming by
frequently and has been saying nothing but great things about the
staff and our responsibilities.Aja and Sara got a special delivery
from Jeanne Quenzer during their shift on Monday. She is the
secretary over at the Athletic and Wellness Center. Quenzer was
nice enough to type up all the
extensions of people who work there because she felt it would
help and also she loves our phone etiquette with her. When it was
delivered, the sheet was laminated and hole punched so we can put
it in the information binder. Aja called her and thanked her
immediately. Now we can better transfer calls around that
department.Lastly, we had Nicki and Kristen graciously give up
their time this past Saturday and manned the desk for Parent and
Family weekend. Lots of parents came to the Welcome Center for help
and they left saying how helpful our Welcome Center is.
After three semesters of trying to get access to this system, we
have finally done it! For those of you who are not yet familiar
with the software, it has every single event happening on campus
documented in one information system. Usually, the student
assistant managers in the Student Union access it daily to check on
rooms. Now, we can immediately help callers with any questions
about events happening on campus without having to transfer them.
Already, we have had multiple departments thanking us for
alleviating stress when they have a major event going on
We finally got Ad Astra for the desk!The Ad Astra Chronicles
Make sure you see this screen every time you log into to the
software. You may get the wrong information if you dont.
**Using a Windows OS computer for Ad Astra**
Make sure Ad Astra Schedule is installed on your computer
Log into Ad Astra
Change your Ad Astra password if this is the first time using Ad
Astra
Our number one need as a staff is let people know that we are a
center that is specifically catered to help whenever help is
needed. We are a major SUNY school, so it is understandable that
the money the government gives us goes towards bigger needs. We are
a behind the scenes department, but we know that we dont get as
many calls and visitors as we should. We need to think of creative
and efficient ways to let people know of our important presence.
Why not shed more light on a place that gives the first impression
of the school?
Bringing Awareness to the CenterHiring New Staff Members for
Spring 2015
As you are all aware, Shana has decided to hired new staff
members, as a total of 4 people will be leaving us at the end of
the year due to early graduation and study abroad.
This is critical in order for the Welcome Center to be fully
functioning during business hours. Additionally, the bigger the
staff, the more even hours get distributed.
She is looking specifically for upperclassmen in any major and
race does not matter at all. That being said, if there are already
an education major on staff, Shana will tend to look for other
majors just so the staff is diverse as possible.
We need the applicant pool to be as big as possible so Shana can
have options when choosing new staff member.
Things to keep in mind when spreading the word about the Welcome
Center hiring: Welcome Center employees must be warm, professional,
well spoken and courteous with outstanding customer service skills.
They must also have thorough knowledge of campus building/office
locations, academic programs we offer as well as cultural offerings
and campus events.
Important Dates: Application Due date: November 3 Round 1
Interviews: November 6 - November 14 Round 2 Interviews: November
17 - November 21 Applicants will be notified by Wednesday, November
26 Chosen applicants will be expected to complete 2 training shifts
December 1 - December 12
We need to take more action on different social media platforms.
It is crucial for us to do so because our center needs more
awareness. Facebook and Instagram would be our two main accounts we
need to take charge of. With the Facebook page, we would use it
more as a place to highlight different departments on campus that
cater to common calls we receive everyday. Also, we would highlight
our staff accomplishments. With the Instagram, we could take
pictures of our workday and some upcoming events on campus. Please
contact Shana if you are interested in being in charge of these
accounts.
Social Media Presence The social media department for the
college recently created a hashtag #npsocial in order to gather all
social media happenings on campus into one tagboard. Again, we can
gather the Facebook and Instagram posts under this hashtag in order
to bring awareness to a bigger audience on campus.
The Digital Age is upon us.
We should strive to receive more responsibilities to lighten the
load of the department on campus. At the Welcome Center, we only
transfer calls and help walk-in visitors. It can sometimes get
boring and eventually, we will feel unimportant.According to the
SUNY Plattsburgh information desk website, they sell tickets,
distribute mail, sell transportation tickets, sell magazines, and
plenty more. Again, this goes back to receiving more
responsibilities. I feel as though we can definitely step our game
up and prove to the school that were just as important as any other
department on campus.
Lets get Responsible!
Contact Shana Circe at [email protected] for any questions
about whats coming up this semester.