ACUI Region V Newsletter Edition 5

Edition 5: May - July 2015

ACUI region V Newsletter FUN IN FLYOVER COUNTRY

Greetings Region V Colleagues!

I would like to take the opportunity to personally thank you for reading and sharing our regional newsletter. I am excited to say that our newsletter was the recipient of the Earl Whitfield Regional Outreach Award at the annual conference in San Antonio. I am honored to work on this newsletter and share the wonderful programs, services, and activities that are occurring in our unions.

Additionally, I am proud to say that our newsletter is officially a year old! This anniversary brings a few small changes to Fun in Flyover Country! We hope that you’ll consider contributing to the newsletter so that our members can learn from the experiences you’re having on your campuses. Included in this issue is a list of the upcoming newsletter deadlines. I hope to see your content in my mailbox for the next issue!

Submission Deadline: Month of Publication: July 9 August Oct. 8 November Jan. 7 February I hope you find this information valuable. I am excited to make the second year of our newsletter even better than the first. If you have any questions or submissions for the newsletter, please contact me at at shanahankj18@uww.edu.

- Kat Shanahan, ACUI Region V Communication Coordinator

Contents 2 Calendar of Events 3 Regional Conference Update 4 Member Institutions 6 Regional Director Message 8 Inclusive Signage Information 9 Announcements & Reminders 10 Annual Conference Reflection

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Annual Conference Reflection - Student Member Institution Spotlight Community of Practice Info.

Giving Students a Let Up

Regional Leadership Team Members

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ACUI REGION V 2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS (Dates are subject to change) APRIL April 24: Scholarships and Awards Deadline

MAY Newsletter Released

JULY July 1: Regional Conference Registration Opens July 10: Regional Leadership Team Applications Due July 10: Regional Conference Educational Session Applications Due

Association of College Unions International

REGION V

AUGUST Newsletter Released

/ACUIRegionV

SEPTEMBER Sept. 25: Regional Conference Early Bird Registration Deadline @ACUIRegionV

OCTOBER Oct. 16: Regional Conference Regular Registration Deadline

NOVEMBER Newsletter Released Nov. 6-8: Region V Conference at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

DECEMBER Dec. 4: 2016 Conference Program Team Applications Due

For more information and updates, please view our website acui.org/region/v/

CALL FOR EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

Do you have an innovative practice or program at your union you’d like to share with the rest of the region? We want your creativity and innovation at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities in the Coffman Memorial Union Nov. 6-8.

In addition, we would like to offer you the opportunity to put on your late night program in “The Whole” on Friday night in the Coffman Memorial Union. One winner will be chosen and will show off their late night programming skills!

Proposals due by July 10

CLICK HERE TO APPLY! or go to www.acui.org/proposal

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region V Member Schools

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Illinois College of Lake County DePaul University Elmhurst College Illinois College Illinois State University Knox College Lake Forest College Loyola University Chicago Millikin University Northeastern Illinois University Northern Illinois University Northwestern University Southeastern Illinois College Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville University of Chicago University of Illinois-Chicago University of Illinois-Springfield University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign Western Illinois University Iowa Iowa State University Simpson College University of Iowa University of Northern Iowa Manitoba Minnesota Bemidji State University Gustavus Adolphus College Hamline University Macalester College Minnesota State University-Mankato Minnesota State University-Moorhead Normandale Community College St. Catherine University St. Cloud State University

St. Olaf College University of Minnesota-Crookston University of Minnesota-Duluth University of Minnesota-Morris University of Minnesota-Rochester University of Minnesota-Twin Cities University of St. Thomas Nebraska Creighton University Midland University University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska-Omaha North Dakota North Dakota State University University of North Dakota South Dakota Black Hills State University Mount Marty College South Dakota State University University of South Dakota Wisconsin Carroll University Madison Area Technical College Marquette University St. Norbert College University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire University of Wisconsin-Green Bay University of Wisconsin-La Crosse University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh University of Wisconsin-Parkside University of Wisconsin-Platteville University of Wisconsin-River Falls University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point University of Wisconsin-Stout University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

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Message from the Director Scott R. Maas, Creighton University

As many on Twitter have been saying, I am currently experiencing the #acuihangover. Spending a week in San Antonio with great volunteers, hearing amazing sessions, and celebrating Marsha Herman-Betzen’s retirement was an amazing experience for all (as well as celebrating the hard work of Kat Shanahan as she was the recipient of the Earl Whitfield Regional Outreach Award for this newsletter!). When the fun ended, I headed back to my campus and started feeling the withdrawals.

While I returned with a recharged battery for my career, the budgets, projects, upset clients, and the resignation of an employee started to drain that battery and averted my attention from what I learned in San Antonio. As the #acuihangover progressed throughout the week, I spent some time reflecting back on a keynote that made me laugh, cry, and feel inspired. The last interview with Marsha Herman-Betzen was full of great stories, but within those stories she had lessons for each of us to learn. In my daily reflections, one of her lessons would appear in some fashion and help ground me in the moment.

“Don’t get so busy making a living, you forget to make a life.” – Marsha Herman-Betzen While Marsha talked about the importance of not letting your career be the driver of your life, I thought about the sacrifices we all do for our jobs at times. Here at Creighton University, one of the core values is called Magis. If you asked someone what Magis means, you may get different answers but the most common answer is that Magis means “more.” The “more” can be misinterpreted in meaning you need to work more, do more, or spend more time with work. When I heard Marsha talk about how she learned this lesson, I wondered how many of us in that ballroom needed that lesson. So many times we get wrapped up in the day to day activities and let them drive our actions, we forget about the reasons we are doing it. Or we are living a life that reflects the Magis from our point of view and leads to us being overwhelmed with our personal and professional lives.

Each of us talks about achieving a better work/life balance, and we may move closer to a better one, but do we ever achieve that? There will always be a need for you to be at meeting, or assisting with a program, or attending to a building maintenance issue. If you supervise staff members, you will know that there is always something to be done there. As a student union professional, I have learned there is always something needing and demanding my attention. That “something” has been the culprit many times of my ‘making a living, not a life,’ because I thought if I gave a little more of myself, my career would continue to advance. Little did I know that a busy lifestyle and giving more could have negative impacts on my life.

The week before heading to San Antonio, I found myself in a hospital bed being tested and observed for a heart condition. I lied there thinking how a 35-year-old could be in the hospital being tested for a heart attack.

I thought about all the things I was doing at work (and how would they get done with me in the hospital) and how it was causing me to sacrifice time with my partner, my family, and my friends. When a staff member visited me and told me how they needed me to be healthy in order for me to be an effective leader for them, I realized maybe I was thinking about things wrong.

After hearing Marsha talk about her 30 years with ACUI, it was important for me to figure out how to gain that

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much needed balance of making a living and building a life. Through research, I learned Magis is not about doing more, its about caring for a person and teaching them so they can teach others. This is what we do every day. Our student unions are building community as well as building tomorrow’s leaders. Our Magis efforts are in having student employees learn and develop skills so they can go on and teach others those same skills. If you are so busy dealing with the “other duties as assigned� each day and not focusing on the reason you do this job, you will slowly slip into making a living not building a life.

As another semester wraps up, I challenge you to think about the lesson we learned from Marsha. Are you making a living or building a life full of enriched interactions that continue your passion for the college union experience?

P.S. If you are wondering what the cure for an #acuihangover is, I have found that getting involved is the best cure! Regional volunteer opportunities will be available soon!

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Inventory your current signage in four categories: information signs, direction signs, location/ identification signs, and safety signs.

Gather information from visitors, infrequent users, and frequent users about what is most and least helpful about your current signage. Also ask for suggestions for improvement.

Use this information when developing locations, themes, and content.

Know your campus’ signage standards and how much latitude you can take to customize inclusive signage in your building.

Consider how much signage you need to achieve its purpose. Too much can be just as ineffective as too little.

Your signage can help visitors feel welcome in your student union, or it can make them feel frustrated, lost, or excluded. Here are some things to consider when updating or designing signage.

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Be aware of what people call things versus what they are formally named. If an area has a common nickname, you might need to include that on signage.

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Choose colors and fonts that assist users with vision concerns, and use raised lettering and braille on signs as appropriate to their use.

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Create thematic elements for different signage purposes, and be consistent with signs that serve a similar purpose. For example, you may have one look for information signs and another for identification signs.

Before you produce and permanently install your signs, conduct usability testing with visitors and infrequent users. You may need to modify elements of your signage or its placement based on the real-life needs of your facility users.

Announcements & Reminders Scholarship Recipients Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients! Thank you to all that applied.

I-LEADÂŽ Kalenna Kaske: Northern Illinois University Mackenzie Daines: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh IPDS New Professional Orientation Danny Steiner: Creighton University Student Organizations Institute Julie Gniewek: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Thank you to the Scholarship Selection Committee: Michael Schmit: University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Cathy Passananti: Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Jeni Eltink, Region V Inclusivity Coordinator: University of Minnesota-Duluth Paul Wraalstad, Region V Scholarship Coordinator: North Dakota State University

Region V Core Values I. Innovation II. Fiscal Responsibility III. Connections IV. Educational Resources V. Inclusivity

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Annual Conference Reflection Professional Staff Member: Aaron Flynn The 95th ACUI Annual Conference had a fantastic location full of beauty. This year’s conference was at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s conference marked the last conference with Marsha Herman-Betzen as ACUI executive director and announced, to the roughly 1,144 attendees of which 930 were delegates, the new CEO John Taylor.

For this year’s conference I was fortunate to be able to attend a preconference that began on Wednesday. The training was focused on audio and visual technology. Region V’s own, Dain Gotto, from Northern Illinois University was one of the three presenters. The room we were in was a packed house and I think the topic could have gone on all day, so I’m hoping the region can help to cover the topic as well.

The conference schedule ran from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday evening. I wanted to touch on a few highlights from the conference. First, the Wednesday keynote was great. Frans Johansson, the author of The Medici Effect, talked quite extensively about intersections. Johansson mentioned how things that are seemingly not related helped to create innovative and brilliant solutions. For example, an architect in Zimbabwe built a green building by modeling the building after termite mounds. The building has no conventional air-conditioning or heating. So at times solutions come from unexpected sources and if we don’t create ways to ensure unexpected intersections we potentially miss brilliant and innovative ideas and solutions. Johansson challenged us to think of ways we could, in our buildings, create these intersections.

Also this year there was more opportunity to see the surrounding area and visit tourist locations like the nearby Alamo and the Tower of Americas. There were two instances where leaving the Marriott was built in to the schedule. For the Region V dinner on Wednesday we left the conference center and hotel to go to a nearby restaurant, Casa Rio. We also left the conference location on Thursday.

The Honors: Community Builders Awards Ceremony and the dinner for the evening, a Texas barbeque experience, was at the Institute of Texan Cultures. These opportunities and the proximity to cultural icons really helped to use downtime to explore and see the Riverwalk. I really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to do that as well, especially a trip to Rudy’s barbeque for dinner one night.

The last highlight (there were too many for the room I’m allotted) was to learn from the amazing Marsha Herman-Betzen. This conference really took the opportunity to thank Marsha for her tremendous service to the association and all the members, but also gave her one more opportunity to pass along some amazing lessons. I felt very fortunate to be able to be present for what was called The Last Interview, where Marsha was interviewed by Tom Krieglstein. With Tom interviewing

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Marsha, Marsha was able to provide us some lessons learned in her time in charge of ACUI. It even produced a hashtag, #MarshaMission, which is talking to one stranger a day.

This year’s conference marked my second annual conference and I felt a little less intimidated going into the week. I was also happy knowing I would be able to see quite a few people who attended the 2014 IPDS program this past summer at the University of Michigan. Taking advantage of the many volunteer opportunities and programs ACUI offers helps to make such a large event seem much smaller. I encourage you to explore either regional or international volunteer and scholarship opportunities that help to make connections that help to create a network of friends and colleagues.

I’ll finish by passing along some conference statistics (Thank you to San Antonio Conference Program Team members Ian Crone and Jennifer Zamora!): 242 people volunteered at the conference, not counting the 300 plus delegates who helped with Be the Match; 6,500 Be the Match registration packets assembled, a record for the agency; $17, 641.73 raised for the ACUI Education and Research Fund; and 212 first time attendees were at the San Antonio conference.

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Annual Conference Reflection Student: Heather Zeutzius, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater When looking back at my ACUI experience in San Antonio there was a lot that I learned from the educational sessions. One of the educational sessions that stuck out the most to me that could help our union was “Disability Awareness in the 21st Century.”

Coming from a university that is fairly handicap accessible I thought there was quite a lot I could take from this session. I learned how much planning goes into making certain entryways or buildings accessible. I also learned ways of doing things that work better than others. After this session I hope that if there is any planning to make more parts of the campus accessible I could reach out and bring some ideas forward.

One of the main highlights from the ACUI conference was getting to hear Marsh Herman-Betzen talk to everyone. She is such a wonderful person who is very passionate about what she does. I enjoyed hearing all of her stories about her ACUI experiences from over the years and really thought about all of the life lessons that she shared with us during her last interview as well.

In regards to my personal and professional development after attending an ACUI conference I go straight to thinking about one of the educational sessions I went to that focused on interviews.

The presenters went over the basics of interviewing in person, over the phone, and doing a Skype interview. They went over everything from what to wear, how to prepare yourself beforehand, and what to do after an interview as well. After attending this ACUI conference I have been able to grow from everything I’ve learned and I’m able to share that with co-workers and friends as well in their professional development.

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Region V Institution Spotlight University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Number of years as an ACUI member: More than 10 Last renovation: 2006-2008 What is the most beneficial/exciting part of your building?

Our building really is the living room of our campus for our students and an active event and meeting space for the campus community. We house our student food pantry which is a fairly new initiative to better serve our students as well as our Multicultural Resource Center which has become a major hub of activity and advising for our diversity students.

What are some unique challenges you face and how do you overcome them?

Trying to balance the needs of our students and the needs of our campus community with limited spaces and resources will always be a challenge. We work hard to meet everyone’s needs to the best of our ability.

What are your most successful programs or initiatives?

The Cupboard, our student run food pantry in our student union is one of our most successful initiatives.

Coffee and Culture is a lecture series that has been wildly successful, drawing as many as 150-200 people to the bi-weekly discussions.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Normandale, the international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs, consistently ranks in the top 100 of chapters in the organization.

What makes your building or organization different from others in our region?

Our building dedicates much of the space to student organizations and student programs. We have an active student employment program (approximately 260 students to 32 fulltime staff) that allows us to stay connected to the trends of our primary customers. We have student managers working as paraprofessionals and many have more responsibilities working for us than they will in their first postcollege jobs.

What is something other institutions can learn from you?

Give students real responsibilities in your buildings and programs and they will rise up to meet the challenges in ways that we never could.

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Get Involved

Community of Practice Highlight: Community of Scholars

The Community of Scholars unites those pursuing degrees (regardless of level or program) as well as scholar-practitioners. To help students and researchers, this community brings together resources including but not limited to helpful tools, research-topic brainstorms, funding opportunities, mentorship and support, and career development. This community will serve as a place to network with others navigating the balance between academic and work responsibilities, and as a place to find encouragement for those in scholarly pursuits from an undergraduate or master’s thesis or paper to the doctoral dissertation and beyond. Together as scholar-practitioners and future leaders, we can advance the college union and student activities profession. (Via ACUI.org)

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Giving Students A Leg Up Bill Tourville, Minnesota State University, Mankato Why do students in student activities and recreation have a leg up on others in the job market?

I recently had the pleasure to attend the National Association of Campus Activities annual conference in Minneapolis. While at that conference, I attended an educational session by a group of student affairs leaders. They piloted a study about how students in activities and recreation fair on the 10 preferred skills from employers. Below is a summary of that presentation and a reflection on the content.

In this study of 1,300 students from Campuslabs hosted universities, the investigators wondered if students working in union and rec centers are gaining the skills today’s employers are looking for. The 10 skills identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) are: - Ability to work in a team structure - Ability to make decisions and solve problems - Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization - Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work - Ability to obtain and process information - Ability to analyze quantitative data - Technical knowledge of the job - Proficiency with computer programs (such as Word, Excel, and basic editing software) - Ability to create and/or edit written reports - Ability to sell or influence others These “soft skills” are extremely important to today’s employer, especially given the pace at which job duties have changed and will continue to evolve. I know when I was an undergraduate, it was never a thought that most people will need to know html coding. That was for the computer people, right?

This pilot study uncovered something that probably is not surprising to most people reading this.

In three of the 10 categories, student involvement outside of class was more impactful than in class exercises. Those three categories were: ability to work in a team structure, ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization, and ability to sell or influence others.

Below are the results from the pilot study.

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These results make me wonder, “How does student unions and activities tell its story?” All too often, I hear that we are the “living room” of campus. For the longest time, that had never made sense to me. It never clicked. Why, you may ask? I have never known any of my colleagues and classmates to just sit around and watch TV in the student union. The union is the place to meet, explore, fail, learn, and grow. For anyone who has seen Declining by Degrees, we might be the only place left on a college campus where students can and will fail. Furthermore, it also made me wonder how we access our buildings and programs. Should we be following the learning outcomes set by Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), or should we be helping students prepare for life after higher education? This will probably vary by institution, but I know at Minnesota State University-Mankato most students want/need a job. I lean towards NACE not CAS. So I pose the question, “Do we need to transform from the “living room” of campus to the “campus laboratory?” I encourage your feedback and thoughts on the ACUI Region V Facebook page.

The full article is at: http://nirsa.net/nirsa/wp-content/uploads/NACA_NIRSA_White_Paper.pdf

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Region V Leadership Team Regional Director Scott R. Maas Creighton University 200 Skutt Student Center 2500 California Plaza Omaha, NE68178 Phone: (402) 280-1701 scottmaas@creighton.edu (Dec. 1, 2014 - Dec. 31, 2016)

Volunteer Coordinator Aaron Flynn University of North Dakota Memorial Union PO Box 8385 Grand Forks, ND58202-8385 Phone: (701) 777-0872 aaron.flynn@email.und.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2014)

Communications Coordinator Kat Shanahan University of Wisconsin-Whitewater University Center 800 W Main St, UC 250 Whitewater, WI53190-1705 Phone: (262) 472-1239 shanahankj18@uww.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2015)

Student Involvement Coordinator Shelby Schuppe University of Wisconsin–Stout Memorial Student Center 212 302 10th Ave. E. Menomonie, WI 54751 Phone: (715) 232-1772 schuppes2274@my.uwstout.edu (Oct. 9, 2014 - Nov. 30, 2015)

Membership Coordinator Andy Williams Macalester College Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center 1600 Grand Ave Saint Paul, MN55105 Phone: (651) 696-6472 awillia8@macalester.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2014)

Web and Social Media Coordinator Seth Dohrn Iowa State University 201 Memorial Union Iowa State Memorial Union Ames, IA50011-1130 Phone: (515) 294-7226 sdohrn@iastate.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2015)

Business Manager Dan Abler Marquette University Alumni Memorial Union Room 245 PO Box 1881 Milwaukee, WI53201-1881 Phone: (414) 288-5528 Daniel.Abler@Marquette.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2015)

Awards & Scholarships Coordinator Paul Wraalstad North Dakota State University Memorial Union 246 PO Box 6050 Department 5340 Fargo, ND 58108 Phone: 701-231-8241 paul.wraalstad@ndsu.edu (Oct. 9, 2014 - Nov. 30, 2016)

Regional Corporate Partnerships Coordinator Brent Freeman University of Nebraska–Lincoln Nebraska Union, Room 200 PO Box 880452 Lincoln, NE 68588-0452 Phone: 402-472-8169 bfreeman9@unl.edu (Sept. 15, 2014 - Nov. 30, 2015)

2015 Regional Conference Chair Vanessa Ryan University of St. Thomas Director of the Anderson Student Center 2115 Summit Ave Mail #5012 Saint Paul, MN 55105 Phone: (651) 962-6149 ryan7119@stthomas.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2015)

Online Learning Coordinator William Tourville Minnesota State University-Mankato Centennial Student Union 220 Student Union Mankato, MN56001 Phone: (507) 389-6076 william.tourville@mnsu.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2014)

Educational Program Coordinator Vacant Interested in joining the Regional Leadership Team?

Email Scott Maas at scottmaas@creighton.edu

2016 Regional Conference Chair Kyle Burke Northeastern Illinois University Student Union 5500 N Saint Louis Ave Chicago, IL 60625-4625 Phone: 773-442-4632 KE-Burke@neiu.edu (Oct. 9, 2014 - Nov. 30, 2016)

Inclusivity Coordiantor Jeni Eltink University of Minnesota Duluth 134 Kirby Student Center 1120 Kirby Drive Duluth, MN55812-2403 Phone: (218) 726-6526 jeltink@d.umn.edu (9/13/2013 - 11/30/2015)

Connect With ACUI Region V /ACUIRegionV

@ACUIRegionV

http://www.acui. org/region/v/ ACUI Region V Newsletter | Edition 4

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