Erin Kristalyn photo Joanne McDonald sports her Let's Talk button.

Staff will still sport their Let’s Talk buttons, but part two of the student retention awareness campaign will be virtual in nature.

The campaign runs from Feb. 8 -16 and is meant to remind students, faculty and staff that support services for students are available year round.

Joanne McDonald, the officer in charge of the campaign, said this semester’s Let’s Talk campaign will be launched virtually, unlike before.

“We’re going to do a lot more on Blackboard and myAlgonquin,” she said.

Besides the virtual environment, McDonald said they will reintroduce tools in this campaign that were well-received last semester.

A team of hired students will pass out information wallet cards to students again this semester. These peer helpers will go to high traffic areas in the college and not only hand out cards, but talk to students about the services offered through the college.

“The wallet cards are a phenomenal idea,” McDonald said. “Even though the students that I might have been speaking to directly may not need this information, a lot of them said, ‘oh, I think I know somebody who might use an extra helping hand,’ and they all stuck them in their wallets.”

The cards display a hotline number for any student looking to be referred to a service that will help his or her specific needs.

The hotline was used in last semester’s campaign and McDonald plans to track the calls more closely this time around to see why people are calling in.

“We are getting some phone calls through the hotline from students that are looking for information that they didn’t know where to find it before,” she said.

Also like last semester, the campaign will encourage faculty, administration and support staff to wear their Let’s Talk buttons to create awareness within the student body.

Dana Lennox, professor and coordinator of police foundations, completely supports Let’s Talk and is featured on one of the five posters used in the campaign.

He said he acts as a referral between students and the college when a student faces issues ranging from academic to personal. Students come to him throughout the semester for many different reasons and he tries to point them in the right direction.

Lennox said he doesn’t notice a rise in students coming to talk to him during the launch of Let’s Talk because he has “an open door policy year round.”

“There are new students, a new semester,” Lennox said. “I think it’s good to have a couple campaigns [each year]. It’s an on-going process.”

Featured on the same poster is Jamie Ledoux, a professor and academic advisor of the travel and tourism program. She shares Lennox’s views of the program and what it means to be an academic advisor.

“We act as a liaison between students and college and the services that are out there,” she said.

In the travel and tourism program, advisors talk to each student about their progress and attempt to reach those who may need a referral to student services.

Financial aid is another of the services Let’s Talk identifies. Diane Cardinal, bursary administrator, is the Financial Aid office’s representative for the Let’s Talk campaign and is also featured on a campaign poster.

She said she wears her button and finds that people sometimes recognize her from the posters.

“When we’re in the hallway they can stop me, call me, email me,” she said.

She is willing to help students through the year with any questions about their finances.

Students may have other problems that hinder their progress in a program. McDonald lists peer tutors, counselling services, the Centre of Students with Disabilities, academic workshops and Employment Services as other services Let’s Talk attempts to provide information about.

“One thing we really encourage students to do is don’t wait until it’s too late,” McDonald said. “Don’t wait until you’re absolutely drowning because sometimes solutions that are brought sooner than later will be a better solution than waiting until its too big.”