UW-Whitewater students are bound to have questions about their college experience, and many different offices on campus seek to provide answers.
However, some students may have different questions for different offices. Other students may not know what office will be able to assist them with their questions. Both scenarios can be very frustrating.
The One Stop office seeks to relieve these frustrations. Located in the Warhawk Connection Center inside the University Center, the office is a site where students are encouraged to ask any questions about their college experience.
Emma Draper, the office’s coordinator, explained that the goal of One Stop is to be a resource for any questions relating to student services.
“[Students] can come here for any question,” Draper said. “We’ll either answer that question or direct them to the correct individual.”
Draper emphasized that with One Stop, students only have to visit one office to get their questions answered. This means that students can avoid getting lost in a labyrinth of offices.
The idea for One Stop originated from a strategic plan, where many goals were established for UW-Whitewater. One of the goals was to develop a one-stop shop for students under the student success umbrella of the plan. With that, One Stop was born.
One Stop is home to numerous services, including the Financial Literacy Center and Success Coaching. The office also hosts financial aid hours throughout the week, as well as occasional academic advising sessions.
Draper believes that One Stop is a beneficial resource for students.
“It really stems from having a good customer service space,” Draper said. “It’s step-by-step, making sure that even if they’re not happy with the answer they’re getting, they at least know the resources or their next steps in whatever they’re trying to navigate.”
Working alongside Draper in the One Stop office is Esther Frontuto. Frontuto is the Student Services training specialist and a UW-Whitewater alumna who graduated in May.
Frontuto shared that her experience working at One Stop is like the on-campus job she worked in the past, streamlining the process.
“I was a student assistant lead in the Admissions Office for about four years,” Frontuto said. “I knew I wanted to stay and work on campus, and this opportunity presented itself to me.”
With One Stop being a new office on campus, many students may be unaware of its services. Draper and Frontuto encourage students to stop by and ask any questions they may have.
“If students are not knowing which office to go [to] or if they need to go to multiple offices, just stop by,” Draper said. “We can help at least direct you in the right direction for what it is that you’re needing as a student, even if it’s not something our office directly does.”
Frontuto highlighted that One Stop is promoting success coaching, which can assist students with anything related to academics and careers. Kelsey Herrick and Matt Mallin are UW-Whitewater’s Student Success Coaches.
Like Draper, Frontuto believes that One Stop is a great service for students.
“It’s just a good resource to get questions answered, especially because students have other things on their mind, they’re focusing on classes and clubs and whatever else,” Frontuto said. “We’re just here to help in any way that we can.”
One Stop also has a website that provides links to numerous campus resources and contains contact information. Students can find all resources on the website, from academics, finances and others.
Both Draper and Frontuto’s favorite aspect of working at One Stop is interacting with students who come in and faculty in the office. One Stop, according to Draper, is for all students.
“It’s not tailored towards one specific student,” Draper said. “Seeing the different needs of different students and being able to help, assist and follow up, that’s what I like working at One Stop.”
One Stop serves to provide students with answers to any questions they may have about life as a college student. There are many questions to ask when navigating college life, and One Stop is sure to have the answers.
