By AMINA ROYSTER

This year, there is a new addition to the support services that Juilliard provides to students. President Joseph W. Polisi charged Joan Warren, associate dean for financial aid and academic support services, with establishing an office to provide support for Juilliard students with special needs. The Office of Academic Support Services (O.A.S.S.) was created to help students maximize their learning opportunities, assist them in their personal growth, and ultimately improve their persistence to graduation.

For the past two years, Ms. Warren has worked with Juilliard's underrepresented students while serving as chair of the JUST for Success program, which will function under the auspices of the Office of Academic Support Services. As her voice filled with excitement, Ms. Warren explained that the goal of the O.A.S.S. is to provide academic assistance and special advising, along with other services, to encourage the success of students who fall into several categories: those with disabilities, those who are the first in their families to attend college, and low-income students, in addition to the underrepresented students. Ms. Warren noted with a tone of regret that, in the past, some extremely talented students with special needs that were not tended to might "slip through the cracks" and fail to graduate. In order to prevent this disheartening prospect, Ms. Warren looks forward to learning more about students with special needs and creating a network specifically for them. She is hopeful that the new office will offer help to at-risk students before they face probation or leave school. Another O.A.S.S. goal is to develop a strategy for training faculty members in how to work with and accommodate students with disabilities.

"The entire Juilliard community is fortunate that associate dean Joan Warren has taken on the responsibility of developing programs through the new Office of Academic Support Services," said President Joseph W. Polisi. "Dean Warren will be developing programs that will allow Juilliard to address the many issues that our students face which may prevent them from taking part fully in all that Juilliard has to offer. This new dimension of the Juilliard experience will further enhance the artistic and educational environment within our community."

Though her new responsibilities are great and time consuming, Joan Warren points out that it is "worth every bead of sweat it takes to help talented people achieve success no matter what their personal circumstance may be." Information on the O.A.S.S. can be found in the Juilliard Student Handbook under Academic Policies and Procedures or Student Rights and Responsibilities. Any questions about the office or interest in participating in its programming are welcomed. For more information, contact Joan Warren or Cedric Harris, a Juilliard alumnus who directed last year's M.L.K. Celebration and who serves as program assistant for the JUST for Success Program.

Amina Royster is a fourth-year dance student.