For Maddisyn Karn, serving as a Residential Experience Coordinator at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts is an important opportunity to help students cope with the stress of school and their daily lives.
“Working with the students, you provide a lot of emotional support and help them through stress, anxiety, depression, conflict and so on,” Karn said. “You get to teach them skills on how to work through all of these things and grow.”
Karn earned a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Southern Arkansas University and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Arkansas. She also recently earned her Social Work License. Her degrees have helped her learn how “to approach those situations with the students in a helpful and supportive manner, to approach the students with compassion and understanding, and empower them,” she said.
Karn previously served as a Residential Mentor on ASMSA’s Residential Life staff, but became an REC this year after completing master’s degree. This school year has been different, however, as most of her duties have been working with students who chose to attend school via remote instruction because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That required a different approach than her colleagues use for on-site students.
She still has weekly floor meetings and check-ins with the remote students, “providing a ‘bridge’ as I like to call it between the remote students and campus,” she said. The goal is to keep the students engaged with their peers and campus events while providing those students a designated support system
“None of the ways I was doing things before (while in person) can I do now, so it has been a complete learning experience, but I am grateful for the amazing group of kids I have, that have been patient with me while I figure this out. I have had to get really creative in ways that I do things and have shifted my focus to making sure they are connecting with each other,” Karn said.
Typical floor programs aren’t possible, so she sometimes makes up for it by sending them packages or she’ll do small activities with them remotely. “I always tell them I have the best group pf kids; they are wonderful, and it brings a different dynamic getting to have a group from both Faris and Nichols (Halls),” she said.
“I try to make the remote students feel just as included and as important (as students who are on campus). Sometimes they feel disconnected in class. Some of the students have a harder time reaching out for help when they need it. Their mental health has been a really big concern as well.”
Since they aren’t on campus where numerous adults may have an opportunity to experience whether they are having problems. “I think if they are struggling, it can go unnoticed longer, and some of them hardly ever get to leave their house or see anyone outside of their immediate family. Then being on Zoom or staring at a screen all day, every day really starts to get to them. And then some students have so many responsibilities at home that it becomes really hard to juggle and stay on top of everything and they get overwhelmed,” Karn said.
She has had to adapt her approaches in building connections with the students as well. Some of the students she hasn’t met in person, so it takes longer than usual to build connections and for students to become comfortable with her. Regardless, she makes sure they understand that they can reach out to her at any time.
“I’m sure they get sick of hearing me say things like, ‘I really do care about y’all. I’m here if you need anything. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.’ But I feel like I have to stress that more because of the lack of in-person connection for them to believe it,” Karn said.
Part of Karn’s duties is to work with Staci Stich, ASMSA’s licensed professional counselor, in regards to monitoring remote students’ mental health. She meets with Stich at least once a week to discuss any concerns she may have about the remote students. They work together to find better ways of assisting them.
“If I am ever overly concerned about a particular student, I contact her immediately,” Karn said.
Karn also serves as the immediate after-hours contact for students on campus who may need help. She will visit with the student and determine if Stich needs to come to campus.
“I have really appreciated the experience because it has allowed me to get to use more of my social work skills in a hands-on situation as well as working closer with (Stich). It’s always a learning opportunity. I think it’s also beneficial for the students to have someone who can step in immediately,” she said.