University of Pittsburgh issued the following announcement.
Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner spends an evening each week on a walk through the Oakland neighborhood to meet students where they are and offer goodies for following Pitt’s health rules.
It’s just about quarter past 6 on a Friday night when Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner pulls into the parking lot near Bouquet and Sennott streets wearing a gray jacket with a Pitt script.
He waits on the breezy evening of Oct. 10 for Steve Anderson, associate dean and director of residence life, and Student Government Board leaders Eric Macadangdang and Victor So. Once gathered, they stuff a squeaky blue wagon full with face masks with Pitt logos, blue blankets and placards designed to remind people of the current health and safety guidelines, including wearing a face covering and physical distancing.
At 6:30, off they go—Bonner rocking a pair of custom-ordered Nike Air Force One tennis shoes that stand out in Pitt blue and gold—to meet people of central and south Oakland where they are.
The walks are a partnership between Student Affairs, Community and Governmental Relations and the Student Government Board. Bonner and the group have been on six community safety walks this semester, with more planned. Sometimes they head out at 6 p.m., sometimes at 10 p.m. Sometimes the group includes administrators such as Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd and a regular, Paul Supowitz, vice chancellor for community and governmental relations.
Regardless, Bonner uses the walks to connect with and see how students in central and south Oakland are adhering to Pitt’s measures to mitigate the spread of the virus and keep themselves and the community safe.
“Part of it is keeping a pulse on students, hearing from them on what works well and what doesn’t,” he says.
He and the Student Affairs staff don’t know how the pandemic will play out, but they have to continue to manage students’ personal concerns while keeping them safe and trying to anticipate how students will comply with health and safety guidelines.
“It’s been an innovative, creative, challenging but exciting time,” says Bonner, whose easy-going manner seems to make meeting the challenges seem effortless.
Since he came to Pitt in 2004, he’s steadily progressed through residence life and student affairs positions that have aimed to empower students. He was named vice provost and dean of students in 2016. In the role, he’s worked overnight with security to better understand student habits after-hours and launched Riding in Cars with Kenyon—a series of social media chats with student partners as they drive about Oakland (pre-pandemic, of course).
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up