Student Life Recognitions

Evans Recognized with Dreamer Award

Zenephia Evans, associate dean of students for education and advocacy, was selected as a recipient of the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamer Award, presented by the Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance. Established in 2004, the Dreamer Award honors individuals and organizations whose contributions embody King’s vision of service to others and further the university’s commitment to diversity.

Evans was recognized for her extraordinary service to Purdue students and the local community. At Purdue, Evans helps students achieve their academic goals through mentorship and the administration of programs to support diversity. She also supports faculty through leadership roles in the Caucus of Black Faculty and Staff. In the community, Evans started reading programs for elementary school children, cooks and serves food at the Lafayette Urban Ministry soup kitchen, is a founding board member of 100+ Women Who Care and is an active leader in the St. Thomas Aquinas parish. Evans was honored at the university’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Wetzel Serves as Co-Chair of Performing Arts Conference

Todd Wetzel, assistant vice provost for Student Life and executive director, Purdue Convocations and Elliott Hall of Music/Hall of Music Productions, served as co-chair of the 2023 Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Conference in New York City.

APAP is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the performing arts. APAP represents a diverse community of performing arts professionals, including artists, managers, agents, presenters and more. The conference, held January 13-17, featured networking opportunities, performances, showcases and professional development. Wetzel’s leadership supports the Purdue Convocations mission to bring powerful performances and enriching cultural experiences to Purdue.

Purdue Welcomes New Director of Student Health Center

Purdue University welcomed Brenda Masiga-Crowell as the new senior director of the Purdue University Student Health Center (PUSH) effective July 1, 2022. Masiga-Crowell most recently served as the clinical operations leader at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Student Health Services. Before joining the team at UAB and transitioning to a career in student health, she served as a clinical quality service specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (Siteman Cancer Center) in St. Louis, Missouri. Masiga-Crowell also has significant ties to Purdue and the Greater Lafayette community, having given birth to her youngest son at IU Health Arnett Hospital while her husband was finishing his doctoral program at Purdue.

Purdue Recognized for Voter Engagement Plan

Purdue University was recognized as a Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting by the ALL IN Democracy Challenge (ALL IN). The program recognizes participating institutions that worked to increase nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout and ensure equitable access to the polls for their campus community.

The PurdueVotes Coalition, a campus- wide committee that includes staff , undergraduate and graduate students sponsored numerous programs and initiatives leading up to Election Day to encourage voter registration and turnout. PurdueVotes is supported by the Off ice of the President and the Roger C. Stewart Leadership & Professional Development Department.

Student Life Professionals Contribute to Publications

Carl Krieger, director of residential education for the Off ice of the Vice Provost for Student Life, authored the chapter “Laying the Foundation for a Living-Learning Community,” in the book, “The Faculty Factor: Developing Faculty Engagement with Living-Learning Communities,” edited by Jennifer Eidum and Lara Lomicka. The volume examines how colleges and universities foster sustainable faculty involvement in living- learning communities.

Melissa Gruver, senior associate director, and Viviana Tsangaropoulos, coordinator of civic engagement for the Roger C. Stewart Leadership and Professional Development Department, co-authored the chapter “Let’s Get Political: Civic Literacy that Promotes Collective Action,” in the book “Power to the Polls: A Guide to Developing Civic Learning, Election Engagement, and Political Action in Higher Education,” by Marianne Magjuka. The book provides administrators, student aff airs educators and faculty with frameworks and examples for developing initiatives and programs to promote civic engagement in college students.