The second candidate for the dean of students position advocates helping students connect with academics.

Kathryn Cavins, assistant vice president for student services and student life at Western Illinois University in McComb, answered questions at an open forum Tuesday as part of her application process for the dean of students position.

“I am interested in helping students connect more with their academic experience,” Cavins said.

She also said as dean of students she would find ways to make students feel as if they are a part of the ISU community.

“[I would] help students find a place here and be an active adviser to student groups,” she said. “I love advising student groups.”

As assistant vice president for student services and student life, she has advised many greek and student government groups.

Judicial affairs and crisis intervention are important to Cavins, especially concerning mental health issues. Through these two avenues, she said she would help students with mental health problems to be able to continue focusing on their education through their difficulties.

Cavins said she would help to bring off-campus and nontraditional students into the university community.

In her current position, she helped connect off-campus students with the university community by making commuter rooms. Cavins said students who commuted at Western Illinois used to eat lunch and study in their cars.

“This made me sad – what a terrible place for students to feel like they have to spend their free time,” she said.

With the commuter rooms, the students could sleep on beds or do homework at desks.

Cavins said she is concerned about how the recent budget cuts would affect the Dean of Students office. When determining what would be cut, she said she would figure out what is important to the office.

She has been the director of residence life; the associate director of residence life; assistant director of residence life and facilities marketing, orientation and retention; and complex director, all at Western Illinois.

Laura Bestler-Wilcox, assistant director of student activities, said Cavins was very enthusiastic while speaking.

“She was very enthusiastic and has a lot of ideas about how to connect academics with the dean of students office,” Bestler-Wilcox said.