Region VII May 2023 Newsletter

May 2023

Regional Director

Once again we have come to the ending of another academic year with thought that we have survived and I am hoping that I can push back on this way of thinking. While the end of the year means wrapping up business or catching up on work, I think this should be a time for self reflection. This is a time to really think about the impact out work has on students. If you think about it, student union staffs across the country are on the front lines in the lives of our student employees and their peers who walk in our centers every day. We provide students with learning outcomes outside the classroom that will make them successful in the work place.

Anthony Otero Regional Director, from Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Hola Mi Gente

Soreflectonajobwelldone.Yourstudentsthataregraduatingwill alwaysremembertheircampusjobandthelessonslearned.Reflect onyourreturningstudentsandthedevelopmentalimprovements madeoveralongschoolyear.Theywillstillneedyourguidancefor theyearstocome.Itisneveraboutsurvivingtheschoolyear,it aboutrenewourcommitmenttobuildupourstudenttobethe besttheycanbe.Theyisattheheartofwedoinourstudentunions everyday.

Ihopeyouinenjoythisnewsletter.WehaveafabolousConference PlanningTeam.IhopetoseesomeofyouthissummeratourGrad andGrowprogamasweprepareforourRegionalConferenceat RutgersNewBrunswick!

Haveagreatsummer!

AnthonyOtero Region7Director.

Anthony Otero Regional Director, from Rutgers University-New Brunswick

REGIONAL CONFERENCE Recap

OutstandingGraduateStudent-MeganMyers, ThecollegeatBrockport

OutstandingNewProfessional-MarlaErnest, RochesterInstituteofTechnology

JosephH.BenedictAward-AntonioTalamo, MontclairStateUniversity

OutstandingUndergraduateStudent-CamWade,MontclairState University

ChristineA.CherriAward-AdamBergman,SUNYDownstate

EdgarA.WhitingAward-JenniferKeegan,BinghamtonUniversity

TheHeartoftheCampusAward-ManhattanCollegeMulticulturalCenter

OutstandingCommunityBuildingProgramAward-CommuterLife

AppreciationWeek.MontclairStateUniversity

Dr.TeresaD.DrummondMemorialAward-MenofcolorSummit, BinghamtonUniversity

GRAD & GROW SAVE THE DATE

JULY 20 - MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY

ACUIRegion7willbehostingthesecondannualGradand GrowInstitute,in-personatMontclairStateUniversity

Thursday,July20th,2023!TheGradandGrowInstitutewill givefirstandsecondyeargraduatestudentstheopportunity tomeetandlearnfromothergraduatestudentsandattend relevantsessionsthatwilldeveloptheirskillsintheirroles.

REGISTRATION COMING SOON

StudentSpotlight

TheBestwaytoSayThankYou

Manyofuswouldnotbeabletohavethesuccesseswe haveeverydaywithoutthehelpofourstudentemployees. Ipersonallyhaveateamof25anditisoneofthemost wonderfulthingstobeabletoworkwitheachofthem; watchingthemgrow,learn,andgraduate!Everyyear,the NationalStudentEmploymentAssociation(nsea.info), recognizesthethirdweekinAprilasNationalStudent EmploymentWeekwheremanyUniversitystaffget creativeandrecognizetheirstudentemployeestaff.

Iknowthatinthesebudget-crunchingtimes,itmaybe difficulttoallocatefundstowardsrecognizingourstudent staff,soherearesomeaffordablewaystoshowyourstaff thatyoutrulyappreciatethem!

Askyourcampusvendorsiftheyhaveanyfreeitem couponsorwouldbewillingtocreateoneforyour stafftouse.WeareluckythatourDiningstaff providesfreeStarbucksdrinkcouponstoourstaff! Looktoyourlocalvendorstoseeiftheywouldbe willingtoputtogetheraRecognitionSpecial, perhapsit’safreedrinkwithasliceofpizza;ora freedessertwithalunchpurchase;ora%offofa mealpurchased.

Grabsomelunchbags,writeyourstudent employees’namesonthebags,andputthemoutat thebeginningoftheweek.Leavenotecardsnextto thebagsandpeers,teammates,andcolleaguescan writenotesanddroptheminthebags.

Checkoutthedollarstoreandseewhatyoucanget inbulkthatcouldbeaddedtothebags!Students lovesmalllittlethings,soevensomethinglike stickerswillbringasmiletotheirface!

LooktoPinterestforideas:goldfishandtagitwitha sayinglike“You’reO-Fish-allythebest”;ringpops saying“You’reaGEM”;bagsofchipssaying“You’re allthatplusabagofchips”…thelistgoesonand on!

Swipedthisideafromacolleague…askfull-time staffandupperadministrationtodonateitemsasa thankyouforyourteam.Thenyoucanhavea drawingattheendoftheweekandyourstaffcan win!ItemsthatweareusingthisyearisaUniversity hoodie,giftcardtoaPaintingwithaTwist,swag bags,andlunchwiththeDean.

Forthosethatmayhavesomefundingthatcanbe allocatedtowardsrecognitioncanthinkbig!!

Freelunchoricecreameachday!Lovegetting cheesyideasfromPinterestlike“WeDonutKnow WhatWeWouldDoWithoutYou”whereeverystaff membergetsdonuts,or“You’reabigPIZZAmy heart”whereyouhostapizzapartyforyourteam.

Personalizedwaterbottles,Universityt-shirts,gift cardstolocalfoodvendors,books,snackpacks… thelistisendless.

Hostalock-inorsleepover(thanksWestChester University)whereyourstaffstaysafterthebuilding closesandhavedifferentfoodandactivitiesfor yourteamtoshowyourappreciation.Ifyoucan makeithappen,havethemsleepoverinyour building!Thisyear,wearetryingthisforthefirst timeandaddingaNerffightintothemix(they’ve beenaskingforyears!)

RememberthatrecognitiondoesnothavetocostaLOT ofmoney!Askyourstudentemployeeshowtheyliketo berecognizedandtrytomatchhowtheylike recognition.RememberthatPinterestisyourfriendand tobecreative!!

It'sallaboutInclusion

By:EddieSeavers

AsStudentAffairsprofessionals,andmembersofACUI,weworktoadvanceasense of community through our work with the college union. Understanding that diversity and inclusion are hallmarks of our efforts, supporting underrepresented members and marginalized communities is critical to our work. Although we work in a region that tends to be more supportive of trans students, across the country, there may be no population more targeted. More than 450 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in statehouses across the country in 2023, and more than 190 of these aim to restrict the rights of transgender people, and it is imperative that we doeverythingwecantomaketransstudentsfeelsupported.Considerthefollowing opportunitiestobuildamoresupportiveandinclusivecommunity:

Befamiliarwithyourinstitution’sUsedNamePolicyforothers!

Thesepolicieshaveslightlydifferentnamesacrossinstitutions,buthopefullyyours has one. If not, that’s an important place to start. If it does, do you know how to connectstudentstogetstartedwiththeprocess?Takingitastepfurther,doanyof your systems require updating as part of this process? At Ramapo, while many of the changes are automatically linked, Archway (what we call our Campus Groups platform), requires a manual adjustment related to our single sign-on. Until that change can happen automatically, we just remain vigilant to provide the best experienceforstudents.

Directing users to restrooms with consideration-

Whilenewerbuildingsonourcampusandmanycampusesincludegender-inclusiverestrooms, olderbuildingslikeourStudentCentercontinuetohavefourmaleandfourfemalerestrooms. When asked where the closest restroom is, our staff are trained to respond by indicating “the restroomsarelocatedacrossfromthebookstore.”Thetworestroomsarecloseenoughthatthe user can then choose the best restroom for them. This is a bit more challenging when we are outsideataneventandthemen’sandwomen’srestroomsareonoppositesidesofthestairs. Regardlessofwhoisasking,weencouragestafftosay“therestroomsareinsidethisdoor,with onerestroomassoonasyouwalkinandanotherontheoppositesideofthestaircase.”Letthe userdeterminethebestrestroomforthemselvesratherthanyouassumingwhichrestroomthey areaskingabout.

(Asanote,whilewritingthisarticleandreviewingwithothers,wearegoingtoadjustourstaff trainingtoindicate“thearemen’sandwomen’srestroomslocatedacrossfromthebookstore and we have gender inclusive restrooms in other buildings on campus if you would like me to pointthoseout.”Learningandmakingadjustmentsisanongoingprocess!)

Understandtheimpactofthenationalenvironment-

As noted above, member institutions in our region generally are backed by strong supportive LGBTQ+inclusivelawsandpolicies.However,yourstudentsmaycomefromastatethathouses one of the 450+ anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation and they may have concerns about traveling home for breaks or the summer and whether they feel the need to relocate after graduation. Evenstudentsfromourownstatesmayfeeltheweightofthenationalenvironment,orliveina townorahomethatisnotsupportive,andmayneedextrasupportwhileoncampus.Andwhile this reminds staff to support students, many of our colleagues may feel that same burden. Pleasetakecareofeachotherandyourselfaswell.

Do you have additional ideas for how to support transgender students and members of the largerLGBTQ+community?UtilizetheCommunityofPracticeMessageBoardstostartatopicor chimeintoprovideresources

NewMembers

MALVANIEWILLIAMS

NewJerseyCityUniversity

Malvanie Williams is the Assistant Director of TechnologyandhasbeentheprimarySchedulerforthe Center of Leadership and Engagement for over five yearsatNewJerseyCityUniversity.

Eddie Seavers

He/Him/His RamapoCollege

Associate Director, Center for Student Involvement, Inclusivity Coordinator I had been searching for a professionalhomeeversinceIleftresidencelifeandthe south in 2010 and through regional and national conferences and online opportunities, ACUI more and more seemed like that place I have run 14 marathons andIhopetorunmy15thinthefall.

NewMembers

AlexComly

TempleUniversity

MynameisAlexComly,andI'manoperation manager at the Student Faculty Center on the Health Science Campus of Temple University! I'm the student member for the RLT,andIalsohelpmanagetheInstagram!I graduate in May, and am currently looking intograduateschoolsinPhilly!

KraemerClayton

TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity

Kraemer is the Assistant Director of Orientation, Class Year and Families Programs at The George Washington University. Within ACUI, she is the CPT Chairfor2024andhasservedpreviouslyontheCPT for two years. In her free time you can find her cuddling with her puppy Zoey, or exploring around theNation'sCapital.

Region VII

CONNECT WITH THE REGIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS BELOW TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT REGIONAL-SPECIFIC INVOLVEMENT.

RegionalDirector

AnthonyOtero RutgersUniversity aotero@rutgersedu

2023RegionalConference Coordinator

NickWagner SUNYDelhi wagner1@sunybroome.edu

2024RegionalConference Coordinator

KraemerClayton TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity kjclayton@gwu.edu

BusinessManager

FilipPongratz TempleUniversity filippongratz@templeedu

CommunicationsCoordinators

MalvanieWilliams

NewJerseyCityUniversity mwilliams@njcu.edu

www.acui.org/regions/vii

EducationProgramsCoordinator

AntonioTalamo MontclairStateUniversity talamoa@montclair.edu

InclusivityCoordinator

EddieSeavers RamapoCollege eseavers@ramapo.edu

MembershipExperience Coordinator

MeganWaldrop WestChesterUniversity mwaldrop@wcupa.edu

StudentInvolvement Coordinator

ChrissieKing RutgersUniversity Chrissieing@rutgersedu

StudentMember

AlexComly

TempleUniversity alexcomly@temple.edu

ACUIGlossary

WeunderstandthatsometimesfolksinACUIuseacronymsortermsthatnotall membersarefamiliarwith. Whilewetryourhardesttoavoidthis,youstillmayhear thesetermsandphrasesandnotbesurewhattheymean. Tohelpeveryonestay-inthe-know,hereisaglossaryofcommonlyusedACUIacronymsortermsthatyoumay hearinthefuture.

ACUI-TheabbreviationforAssociationofCollegeUnionsInternational

AnnualConference-Association-widemeetingheldeachyear

BoardofTrustees-Volunteersthatworkondeterminingandadvancingstrategic directions,governingoverlong-termgoals,representingtheassociationtoother members,andsettingthetoneformemberexperiences.

TheBulletin-ACUI'sonlinemembermagazine.

CAS-CouncilfortheAdvancementofStandards

CO-CentralOffice;locatedinBloomingtonIndiana.

CommunityofPractice-Atermreferringtonetworksofmembersthatsharea commoninterest.

CPT-ConferencePlanningTeam(teamplanningRegionalConferences)orcould refertoConferenceProgramTeam(teamplanningAnnualConferences)-

ACUIGlossary

CUPSI-TheabbreviationforCollegeUnionsPoetrySlamInvitational

ERF-EducationandResearchFund

ILEAD®-InstituteforLeadershipEducationandDevelopment.I-LEAD®isACUI's premierstudentprogram,designedtoemphasizethekeyconceptareasof leadership,communitydevelopment,andchange.

IPDS-IPDS:NewProfessionalsOrientationisanintroductiontotheprofessionthat offersampleideasharing,discussionoftheoryandskills,andopportunitiesto network.

RD-RegionalDirector.Regionaldirectorsserveasthechiefadministratoroftheir region,representingregionalactivitiestootherACUIleadersandmembers.

RegionVII-ACUIisbrokendownintoeightseparateregionsthatcoverstheglobe. RegionVIIismadeupofDelaware,DistrictofColumbia,Maryland,NewJersey,New York,Pennsylvania,andQuebec.

ACUIGlossary

RLT-Regional Leadership Team. Each region has a leadership made up of various volunteerpositions.

VDT-VolunteerDevelopmentTeam

CentralOfficeLiaison-

Region VII's Instagram