Meet Lindsay Faulstick, Associate Dean for Student Life at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana.
As a student at Hanover College, Lindsay Faulstick found her home-away-from-home on the institution’s vibrant campus. She joined a sorority, where she lived for two and a half years, and became a Resident Advisor to first year students, supporting them as they explored classes, campus organizations, and new friendships. This role allowed Faulstick to “help students the same way [she] was helped,” a sentiment which continues to inspire her as Associate Dean of Student Life.
I wanted to help students the same way I was helped.
Upon receiving her Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs, Faulstick held positions at both Roanoke College and Kenyon College before returning home to Hanover in 2014. As Associate Dean of Student Life, Faulstick coordinates student housing and oversees the campus’s excellent residence life and student engagement programs. Her goal is to ensure that all Hanover students find their place on campus, allowing students to achieve academic success. In Faulstick’s own words, “Student success in college is lifelong transformation in every possible way.”
Helping students find belonging at Hanover begins the moment they arrive on campus. Resident Advisors send welcome letters to each student, introducing themselves and the Student Life team. This extra step ensures students know the names and faces of their support system. As Faulstick puts it, “It’s not, go talk to Residence Life, it’s go talk to Lindsay.” Faulstick also meets with students on a daily basis to help them with everything from a lost room key to a safety concern. “Those one-on-one conversations are by far the best part of my job,” Faulstick says, because they allow her to get to know and support each student individually.
Hanover’s Residence Halls are also unique in that both Resident Advisors and Hall Directors are students themselves. These student leaders play a huge role in cultivating a home-away-from-home feeling in the dorms, an initiative Faulstick is proud of. At Hanover, RA’s and Hall Directors are both role models and support systems for first year students, taking a community building approach to their positions. As their residents’ peers, they work with students one-on-one to create an environment of respect, working with first year students to build a community and find their place on campus.
Outside of their dorms, students find belonging in their extracurricular activities. Over half of Hanover students participate in the school’s Greek life system, which is expanding to introduce a historically Black chapter to campus. Many students take part in Hanover’s thriving student run media, creating videos for the Student Broadcasting Association or editing articles for Kennings, the school’s literary magazine. International students find community at Student Life’s Global Scholars House, which offers free housing over holidays and breaks. Hanover is also home to 22 Division III sports teams, allowing students to remain active in their high school sport or try something new! A member of the Student Life team, Hanover’s campus chaplain also provides guidance to students, connecting them to opportunities for spirituality on campus. She takes a holistic and interfaith approach to her role, helping students of all faiths find their place within spirituality.
As Associate Dean of Student Life, Faulstick wears many hats to keep all of these programs running smoothly. From her administrative duties, which include assigning rooms, to working directly with students, Faulstick strives to create plenty of opportunities for students to find belonging through their involvement on campus.
When the school reopened in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Faulstick and her team needed a way to schedule their move-in days. Unlike years prior, when students could move in at any point during the day, they needed to control the amount of people in each residence hall at any given time. Faulstick began searching for an affordable, easy to use, and ad free scheduling platform, and “PlanHero checked all the boxes.” She was able to create time slots for students to sign up and limit the number of participants in each window, ensuring that their 2020 move-in went off safely amidst a pandemic.
PlanHero checked all the boxes.
Faulstick also began using PlanHero to schedule Resident Advisor interviews. Prior to PlanHero, she had been using a spreadsheet to schedule interviews as needed. This system created room for error, requiring back-and-forth emails with prospective students. Faulstick recalls, “It was like playing tetris all the time.” With PlanHero, Faulstick can create the signup, let students choose their own interview time spots, and export the information she needs. “It’s magic,” she said of our Signup Tool. Using PlanHero simplified their RA interview process, saving Faulstick more time to dedicate to her passion for helping students find their place on campus.
For more, check out Hanover College’s website and Department of Student Life.
