Vanessa Marcano

Along with the new 2013 freshmen class, SDSU welcomes two new faces to its regular staff, as well as the possibility of a third one at Student Health.

Students involved in Greek Life did not have permanent faculty guidance until about three weeks ago, when Addie Walcott became part of the Greek Life Office as its new program adviser.

An SDSU alum, Walcott is no stranger to the university. She first attended the school as an undergrad pursuing a degree in speech communication and then as a graduate student obtaining a master’s in communication studies.

During Walcott’s graduate work, she began to work with students and decided to continue on that path, now as a program adviser.

“During my graduate assistanceship, I was able to form a bond with these students (and) see them blossom and show you who they really were,” Walcott said. “When this opportunity came up, I was excited to get back and work with students again, making connections.”

One of the main goals for this academic year is to be a resource for students involved in the Greek system, Walcott said.

“I have the task of looking over the Unified Greek Council, which is a new development; I want to be able to assist them, support and guide them,” she said. The Greek system at SDSU is currently comprised of six fraternities and three sororities that cater to different students’ interests.

“The Greek system is a great opportunity to socially network. One of our other goals this year is to bring all the chapters together, get to know each other better,” Walcott said.

The principal focus for the revamped Unified Greek Council was to open up channels of communication and strengthen the Greek system in its entirety, she said.

“I think [students in Greek Life] are going to succeed in this, they are great leaders and communicators. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the year unfold and see them accomplish great things,” she said. Walcott’s office is 142 C, down the hall by the Greek Life Office in The Union.

But if Jackrabbits are looking to quench their humanitarian thirst and get more involved in their community without pledging a chapter, they can turn to Cassandra Malinich, the new service learning consultant at the Office of Diversity Enhancement.

A Michigan native, Malinich spent her undergraduate years at North Park University, a private liberal arts college in Chicago, where she graduated in business management but also had some training in non-profit management. Malinich is part of the AmeriCorps Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) program, which seeks to address the issue of poverty.

“It is a year-long commitment,” Malinich said. “We are supposed to do capacity building in our different positions, which range from working in an office like this one to being in the field working with Habitat for Humanity.”

Malinich’s work consists in working with SDSU community partners, assessing needs and trying to understand where they could use assistance.

“I also spend time with students, helping them arrange service projects, as well as planning co-curricular events such as on Make a Difference Day or alternative spring break trips,” Malinich said.

Classes such as Interpersonal Communications, public speaking courses and other service learning courses also work closely with Malinich’s office and the service learning program in general, which has been at SDSU for four years.

The main goal for this year was to continue working with these service classes, getting more professors involved in service learning and helping the program to expand, she said.

“It’s important for students to have civic engagement during their educational career,” Malinich said. “Our office assists them in including that experience into their curriculum so they can be better citizens of our community, our country and the world.”

The Service Learning Office usually works within the Brookings community, including sectors in need such as dairy workers, the working poor and children through programs like the Harvest Table and the Boys’ and Girls’ Club respectively. Malinich has been at SDSU since early August.

“I enjoy it here so far, everyone’s been really welcoming; it is a nice community to come to,” she said.

#1.881435:2878563534.jpg:addie1.jpg:Addie Wolcott sits in her office, located in The Union, close to the Greek Life Office. Wolcott is the new Greek Life adviser. :Mackenzie Clayton#1.881434:1417108199.jpg:cassie1.jpg:Cassie Malinich is the new AmeriCorps VISTA and service learning consultant for the Office of Diversity Enhancement.:Mackenzie Clayton