Things don’t always go as planned. You might have a clear idea of where to live, how to get to work, or when to cook during the week, but sometimes unexpected changes happen, and it’s time to rethink things or come up with a new approach. This happens often, and we’re here to help you work through your next plan.
Experience peer-to-peer support
A Peer Conversation is a great way for you to talk with one of us, your Peer Navigators, about things like housing, food, budgeting, or any other challenges you might be facing. You don’t need an appointment—just stop by. We’ll work with you to identify goals, explore possible solutions, and guide you to resources that can help.
Our team's training includes skills for welcoming, active listening, asking effective questions, and strategy building. We have knowledge of available programs and ideas other students have used in similar situations.
Peer Navigators understand the student perspective. We know that you are the one who knows what strategies might work for you, so our goal is to support you in building a plan you feel would be useful to you.
How peer conversations work
We like to know what to expect when going somewhere new and we think you do, too.
When you get to the BNC here is what it looks like:
- Arrive at the front desk and let us know that you would like to talk about something (you can let us know if it is housing or food resources for example).
- A Peer Navigator will greet you, connect you with the hospitality station for coffee or tea, and then you can find a place together to talk.
- Together you can look at goals, discuss what you have already tried, and explore strategies to help you build a plan.
- Towards the end we will review the plan and look at next steps.
- When our conversation is done, you can ask to take a tour of the center or find a place to hang out and study if you would like!
Should I take notes?
You are welcome to take notes on your phone, paper, or on your laptop throughout the conversation if you find that helpful - lots of people do.
Peer navigators will use our digital peer conversation notebook to access resource information.
As part of building a plan, you may use a computer or phone to look up resources, too. The BNC has laptops to use during conversations if you don't have one with you.
Do I have choices during these planning sessions?
Of course! During conversations you can say 'yes' or 'no' to any suggestion - it is your plan. You also choose what and how much to share with peer navigators - we respect your boundaries.
How to prepare
We have a few tips to make your visit most helpful to you:
- Be specific with a goal or idea area in mind to talk about.
- Be ready to talk with us about what you’ve already tried so we can understand what has worked and what might need a different approach.
- Bring questions and ask questions. Your own ideas about possible plans are welcome, too. Feel free to bring any questions you have—it’s all about finding the best solutions for you.
- Plan for 30 minutes so we have enough time to really dive into the conversation and explore your options. You can also come back as often as you'd like!
Student data privacy
Does the BNC keep notes about students and the plans we discuss?
Great question! We don't keep notes to chart about specific students to track their progress across visits to the BNC. We might take our own notes to organize our own thoughts during a conversation. Peer navigators also participate in a self-assessment and debrief process with a supervisor after each convo as part of ongoing training and skill building. The focus is on the performance and questions of the peer navigator and not the student visiting the center.
Certain programs with applications (like the emergency housing program or 'Food for Thought') will require information be collected by the department as part of that program. We are happy to discuss and answer questions about student data privacy.
Peer navigators do tally when they have a peer convo. They check off the topic(s) discussed from a list and if a referral to a program was made. This helps with reporting our activity to the state for funding accountability, and helps supervisors identify training needs.
Why does the BNC ask for students to scan their OSU ID when visiting?
You may be asked to scan your OSU ID when you visit the BNC for some programs and activities (besides visiting the OSU Food Pantry on Wednesday.)
It is used to look at visitor data without any personally identifying information and to gather the total count of visitors to the center.
This de-identified data is collected to report to the state for funding accountability. No names or specific information is shared.
If you have any questions about student data use please ask or email [email protected].
Does the BNC have any other reporting responsibilities?
BNC employees are required to follow university guidelines for mandatory reporting for child abuse and neglect and responsible employee reporting for sexual misconduct, sex discrimination, discrimination, and discriminatory harassment. Please feel free to ask about these obligations or email us at [email protected].