Rachel Sipes wins Bepko Spirit Award

     May 22, 2008 -  Rachel Sipes, the IU School of Social Work's Master of Social Work Recorder and Student Services Assistant, has won a Gerald L. Bepko Staff Council Spirit Award.

     The spirit award recognizes full-time staff members who through extraordinary service and special contributions exemplify the spirit of IUPUI.

     Sitting in an office near the elevator on the fourth floor of the School of Social Work Building, Sipes facing a demanding workload every day. She is the primary contact for some 600 MSW students.

     She may not always know the answers to every question they ask, but says, "I am their switchboard." After a long day at work, Sipes acknowledges she has been known to answer her home telephone, "IU School of Social Work, this is Rachel, can I help you.

     Sipes nevers less the daily stresses of her job affect how she operates, said David Westhuis, Executive Director of the MSW Program. “She could have just finished up with a most difficult situation, but when she answers the phone you would never know,” Westhius said. “She is just very patient, polite with our students and anybody else that calls.”

     But her care for others is just one part of what Sipes brings to her job, Westhuis said. By the time she came to the School of Social Work, she had a good understanding of the whole university structure.

      She is also adept at navigating different software systems to produce reports and to take the lead in putting together new data bases to help the school keep better track of its students, Westhuis said.

     When asked if she could see herself working elsewhere, Sipes said no. "These are my people," she said explaining her devotion to her job and students.