The new director of admissions and student support revealed changes in excused absence processing, learning accommodations policies and new communication portals at the first town hall of the semester.
Professors were authorized to approve students’ absence requests, abolishing the former procedure that required approval from the directors of admissions and student support. This streamlined process resulted from the elimination of the dean of students position, as Jeta Sahatquija and Clea Boban now oversee both admissions and the student body.
“The person who was doing the forms before does not work here anymore, so we had to divide the work and went through the most logical route- that is anything academic will go to the deans’ offices, and anything non-academic would be handled by Jeta Sahatqija and me,” Boban said.
Sahatqija also announced that students now have the option to submit online requests for special learning accommodations, simplifying the approval process.
Additionally, AAU plans to implement Community Time once a week from 14:00 to 15:30, Monday to Thursday. This time could be dedicated to club events, workshops, town halls, or special celebrations, depending on student interest.
“The meaning of it for me personally, is for students to be grouped together, to have different events happening, for staff to be available during this time for students, and to have basically just a better sense of community for students to connect,” Boban said.
Lastly, the council declared that the new communication app, Goin, is officially up and running, connecting the AAU community. The app features different groups based on personal needs and interests, and allows students to directly message faculty members for easier communication and quicker responses.
Town halls will take place once a month, providing a space for administrative announcements and for students to offer feedback or ask questions.
