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Tavia Knox

Student Success Counselor Beth Walker and Assistant Registrar for Academic Scheduling and Planning, Emily Yamamoto, smile for a photo.

California Lutheran University’s Disability Support Services Office hosted an open house at their new office location on campus. The event was hosted to welcome students and staff on Sept. 25. According to senior Sarah Baicher, who works the front desk for DSS, the move was completed early this school year.

According to Baicher, the former Student Success Office on campus became the DSS Office following a building switch this past summer. 

“We moved at the beginning of the semester and started the process in late summer. It’s been a huge improvement,” Sarah said. “Moving everything to one building has been awesome.”

According to senior Sophia Salcido, a front desk student worker at the DSS Office, their new office has allowed proctors and office assistants to work within the same space. She says their previous office was smaller and made it difficult to have several staff members together.

“It’s good for community and camaraderie in the office,” Salcido said.

Renovations to the space include new monitors, office dividers for proctors, as well as a new reception area, Baicher said.

“We are all together now instead of across campus doing different things,” Baicher said.

Assistant Director for Student Success Katie Swavely said that the switch of offices has been “in the works for over a year now.” 

“It’s a really neat opportunity to better support the students that are here, especially the ones who need help with DSS, so they can actually get in and use resources on site instead of running all over campus,” Swavely said

Junior Ryan Byrne was manning a table at the event representing the Disability Advocacy Student Association, or DASA club, of which he is the treasurer. He said the goal of his table was to let students and faculty know more about the club. 

“DASA is really a club to make a community space for students with disabilities,” Byrne said. 

The club is brand new to campus, as it was approved last year to start up the fall semester of this school year, Byrne said. 

“We will be offering a space for people who come and want to share their own experiences with disabilities, and what it’s like to be disabled,” Byrne said.