January Campus Life news 2013

Page 1

January 2013 Division of Campus Life at Emory University www.emory.edu/CAMPUS_LIFE/


Message from Ajay Nair, Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Welcome back from winter break. I hope that each of you spent time with friends and family, took a moment to reflect on the things that are most important to you, and gathered some energy for this semester. I am extremely proud of the progress we are making in many areas of Campus Life. Last semester, the Executive Leadership Team strengthened the divisional strategic plan and identified top priorities in advancing it. Senior Staff discussed ways to increase volunteers for Campus Life programs and services. The full administrative staff brainstormed how to strengthen the hour each month that we gather as a division. In November, the Campus Life Staff Enrichment Committee began a successful monthly coffee hour to build community within the division, and they sponsored a fabulous holiday luncheon in December. Our achievements and unparalleled commitment to providing the best experience for our students and staff have positioned Campus Life to continue making progress. Makeba Morgan Hill and Ruth Leinfellner, who began a visioning process last semester to create a stronger vision statement for Campus Life, will complete their work shortly. And, in an effort to strengthen a culture of inclusion and diversity on campus, student leaders and Campus Life staff from the offices of Multicultural Programs and Services (OMPS), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Life (LGBT Life), and Student Leadership and Service (OSLS) will facilitate a series of forums this semester to generate ideas on how to improve the Emory community. I am excited about these forums, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on strengthening inclusion and diversity on campus. Thanks for everything you do. Continue to dream BIG! Ajay

table of contents

staff spotlight

3

around campus life

7

announcements

10

first person perspective by Eric Hoffman

14

campus life calendar

16

MISSION STATEMENT The Division of Campus Life strengthens and enhances the Emory community through our programs, activities, services, and facilities. We create a welcoming and supportive campus environment and are committed to modeling and teaching holistic well-being, ethical leadership, community service, and global citizenship.


SPOTLIGHT ON CAMPUS LIFE STAFF The 2012 District 3 Soccer.com Women's Coach of the Year is Sue Patberg of Emory University. Coach Patberg led the Eagles to their first ever appearance in the Final Four, winning their first national semifinal 2-1 over Wheaton (Ill.) and then playing defending national champion Messiah. 2012 marks the third straight year that Emory has appeared in the NCA tournament and the sixth appearance overall during Patberg’s eight seasons with the team. Patberg has built the team into a nationally-known defensive force that has limited their Sue Patberg opponents to just 11 goals during the year, including their tournament run. Women’s Soccer Coach The Eagles finished their most successful season to date at 15-2-7.

Midnight Breakfast December 12, 2012

Angie Duprey & Ben Perlman

Mike Huey and Sherry Ebrahimi at pizza station

Face Painting at Midnight “Cirque du Emory” Breakfast

page 3


page 4


page 5


Campus Life Sta ff Enrichment Committee Service initiatives

Don’t Forget Your Box Tops! Collection of Box Tops for our Campus Life Service Project will continue at the all Campus Life Division Meetings in the Spring semester, beginning with the January 9 meeting. Be sure to bring your office’s stash to the meeting! Remember — Box Tops can be found on your Avery office supplies as well as on many grocery store items, such as cereals, box mixes, and other packaged products. Check your pantry...every Box Top matters!

Thank You, Campus Life!!! Your donations made for a very Merry Christmas at the Genesis Shelter! The staff and residents were truly grateful to receive such a generous gift from the Division of Campus Life! Here’s a little “Thank You” from them:

page 6


pus l i f e a cam r

ound cam r a ife

s life around u p

nd campus l ou

The festivity of the December events for the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, (OMPS) was sufficient to put anyone in the holiday spirit. Freestyle Friday attendees enjoyed new material from Timothy (DJ) Walden as well as the spiritual rap lyrics of Courtland Perkins while munching on pizza and breadsticks from Papa John’s. Students participated in record numbers to enjoy this interlude of friends and fun prior to the “First Fridays” event which immediately follows “Freestyle Fridays.” For those students interested in signing up to perform in the spring Freestyle Friday events, please contact Mix Master DJ at tdwalde@emory.edu. The Multicultural Holiday Party and Kwanzaa Celebration hosted by BSA and co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services and the Department of African American Studies was a great sendoff celebration for students just before final exams and winter break. Winship Ballroom was filled with holiday music, an impressive array of students, and a great deal of cheer. Faculty and staff, including Nathan McCall, Ben Perlman, and Frank Gaertner, were joined by VP and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair and family. Alumni Marc Adams joined in as students put on various performances and observances of holiday traditions. Later Dr. Nagueyalti Warren and her Sociology 101class performed an African American Kwanzaa Ceremony as onlookers learned the tenets of the celebration.

The events schedule will begin anew on January 18 when returning students are whisked away to Crossroads III, an upperclass diversity retreat for three days and two nights at the Rock Eagle campsite in Eatonton, GA. They will engage in a variety of activities designed to challenge bias, develop multicultural competency, and encourage interaction on a more meaningful level with others.

LGBT Drag Show The videos you have been waiting for are finally here—check the Office of LGBT Life’s Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/emorylgbt) page to see the winning performances of our staff and student teams!

Sigma Chi Holiday decorations

page 7


LOOKING AHEAD IN THE OFFICE OF STUDENT LEADERSHIP & SERVICE Orientation Orientation planning is well underway! The Orientation Captains will be working all spring to plan a fabulous Orientation 2013. The Captains are enrolled in an Advanced Peer Counseling course that will prepare them for their work with Orientation Leaders in August. We will also be looking for involved and energetic students to join the Orientation Leader team. Applications will be available next semester on the Office of Student Leadership and Service website.

a e f r i o l u s n u p Family Chats

n u d o r cam a

SPC (Student Programming Council)

Be on the lookout for these SPC events in the spring semester! Big KRIT Speaking Engagement Founders’ Celebration Day (w/ SGA & SAB) ThinkPink 5K Run (w/ Athletics) More SPC with Love events & giveaways! Dueling Pianos (w/ SAB) PuppyPalooza (w/ Pawsitive Outreach) Screen on the Green Yoga on the Quad Poetry Slam Chai House Spring Band Party Dooley’s Week (April 1-6)

nd campus ou

• • • • • • • • • • • •

ampus life a r dc

Last semester, The Office of Student Leadership and Service launched an initiative called Family Chats. Family Chats are a series of webinars conducted specifically with family members in mind. Topics for Spring semester include: Sorority and Fraternity Life, Spring Break Safety, and Starting Fresh in the Spring Semester. Information about these chats may be found at www.osls.emory.edu/families/chats.html.

The 2nd Annual LeaderShape Institute®

Fifty-five students from both Oxford campus and Atlanta campus will participate in the 2nd Annual LeaderShape Institute at Emory University from January 6-11. Participants will spend six days exploring not only what they want to do, but who they want to be. LeaderShape is highly regarded as an intense and energizing six-day program which is open to students interested in producing extraordinary results while also developing a commitment to lead with a high level of integrity. Congratulations to the Emory Staff who were selected as Cluster Facilitators!

Raphael Coleman Aysha Daniels Gloria Grevas Kayla Hamilton Ben Perlman

page 8


Operation Innovation: Volunteer Emory to Restructure Staff in Spring Volunteer Emory will launch a refined staffing model for the 2013-2014 academic year. Based in ongoing assessment, a collaborative restructuring process resulted in an identified need for a more student-centric leadership model, increased opportunities for positional leadership, and a larger staffing model to support the organization’s burgeoning programs. As a result, the Volunteer Emory Leadership Team proposed the following structural innovations for the 2013-2014 model:

a e f r i o l u s n u p

ampus life a r dc

n u d o r cam a

1.) Expanded Co-Director Team: Four Co-Directors will serve as the primary leadership for Volunteer Emory. Two Co-Directors will provide direct supervision for the program’s large-scale and special events (e.g. 9/11 Day of Service, Emory Cares Day, Emory’s Day On, World Read Aloud Day), and two Co-Directors will provide direct support to alternative fall and spring break initiatives. 2.) Eliminated Fellow Position: In order to drive a more student-centric leadership model, Volunteer Emory will no longer hire a Residence Life Fellow. Funds and responsibilities traditionally delegated to the VE Fellow will be disseminated to Co-Director or Chair positions. 3.) New Chair Structure: Four new positional leadership roles will be piloted in 2013-2014: Administration Chair, Social Justice Chair, Outreach Chair, and Development Chair. Each of the Chair positions will be filled by returning staff members, supervised by a Co-Director, and compensated with a small leadership stipend. 4.) Larger Staff: In order to support the fast-growing programs of Volunteer Emory, 25 general VE Staff Members will be hired, in addition to the VE Leadership Team (two Advisors, four Co-Directors, and four Chairs). page 14 The 2013-2014 re-envisioned Volunteer Emory staffing model is the most significant staff restructuring and expansion in Volunteer Emory history. Upon the completion of staff selection and training in spring semester, the combined team of 35 will engage in meaningful social justice education and transformative community work. For more information about Volunteer Emory, please contact Mark Anthony Torrez (mark.torrez@emory.edu), Assistant Director for Community Engagement in the Office of Student Leadership & Service.

nd camp u s ou

Emory’s Day On – Bigger than Ever!

Volunteer Emory is a hosting its annual Emory’s Day On day of service on January 21. Organized as part of Emory's annual King Week activities, volunteers are "Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. Through Service." Volunteers honor the life and work of Dr. King by engaging in meaningful community work at various nonprofit agencies in Atlanta. The 2013 Emory's Day On service event will take place on the same day as the Presidential Inaugural address, so in order to avoid conflicts, Volunteer Emory, along with other campus departments, has decided to host an Inauguration viewing party prior to the service trips. The event will begin at 10:30 am in the Dobbs University Center Coca -Cola Commons with encouraging remarks from our Campus Life Dean, Dr. Nair. Refreshments will be served during the Inaugural address. Immediately following, participants will be transported to service sites and will return to campus by 5 pm. If you are interested in participating with us please register at: www.osls.campuslifetech.org/forms2/view.php?id=43

page 9


ANNOUNCEMENTS Delores P. Aldridge Excellence Awards is now a part of the Leadership and Service Awards hosted annually by the Office of Student Leadership and Service. Be on the lookout for a call for nominations so that you can nominate students who were most active in community building and diversity leadership. Alternative Spring Breaks Volunteer Emory is eagerly gearing up for a Spring Break full of immersion experiences. This year Volunteer Emory staff will be leading trips to six destinations in the Southeast. Students will travel to Charleston, SC; Kissimmee, FL; New Orleans, LA; Atlanta, GA; Rock Hill, SC, and Charlotte, NC. Students will delve into a variety of topics including poverty, sustainable community building, homelessness, food production, consumption and security, and disaster relief. If any members of the Campus Life staff are interested in supporting or participating, please contact Natasha Hopkins at natasha.hopkins@emory.edu. Staff have participated in a variety of ways including facilitating reflections and traveling with students to service sites. LS&D (Leadership, Service, & Diversity) Awards and Reception Annually the Office of Student Leadership recognizes the outstanding student organizations and individuals who are adding to the vibrancy of campus life through service, programs, collaboration, and leadership. This year the Office of Student Leadership and Service, the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services, SGA, GSGA, and College Council will work together to host the Leadership, Service, and Diversity Awards and Reception on April 17 in the Cox Hall Ballroom. Nominations will be accepted, beginning in late January. Emory University recognizes graduate and undergraduate students whose actions and activities demonstrate qualities that are fundamental to effective leadership – honesty, integrity, courage, and responsibility. The Humanitarian Award nomination process is now open. Nominations can be submitted online at: www.osls.campuslifetech.org/forms/view.php?id=110. Deadline for nominations is February 27. Humanitarian Award Recipients will have a private dinner with President Wagner, Dean Nair, their nominator, and fellow award recipients.

ELE 2.0 The Emerging Leader Experience (ELE) is a leadership certificate program for first-year students. ELE is designed to support students in developing their leadership skills, widening their social networks, meeting a diverse group of friends, building a shared community, and helping each other realize his or her fullest potential. Students are paired with an upper-class student mentor, who also serves as a member of the LEAD Team. These students facilitate a rigorous leadership curriculum that guides the ELE program. Registration is now open for ELE 2.0. The deadline to apply is January 17. Participation is on a first-come first-serve basis. Encourage your students to apply early. A small number of scholarships are available for students. If you know an awesome first-year student who would benefit from a program like ELE, please encourage him/her to apply. To learn more or to apply for the ELE program, please visit http://osls.emory.edu/programs/emerging_leader/index.html. page 10


ANNOUNCEMENTS Out@Work The Office of LGBT Life’s annual Out@Work panel will be held February 6 at 6 pm. Emory students will have the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of queer alumni about their experiences being out in graduate/professional school, the job and school search process, and in the workplace. Dinner will be provided, and students may RSVP at lgbt@emory.edu. The Out@Work Panel is co-sponsored by Macy’s.

Queer Discussion Groups Return January 2013 The Queer Discussion Groups will return in midJanuary with the addition of a new Bisexual and Pansexual group! Below are the days and times of each group: Queer Students of Color: Tuesdays @ 6:00pm Queer Men: Tuesdays @ 7:30pm Transforming Gender: Wednesdays @ 5:00pm Queer and Faith: Wednesdays @ 7:15pm Bisexual/Pansexual: Thursdays @ 6:00pm Check the Office of LGBT Life website for start dates and more information about the groups.

SAVE THE DATE Creating Change—January 23-27, 2013

Creating Change is coming to Atlanta! The largest gathering of LGBTQ community organizers and activists will be meeting in downtown Atlanta, and we are looking for volunteers. If you are interested in learning more, submitting a workshop proposal, or in volunteering, check out the Creating Change Conference website (www.creatingchange.org) or email Danielle at dmsteel@emory.edu.

Pride Awards—Save the Date Save the date for the Office of LGBT Life’s 21st Annual Pride Awards to be held on February 28 at 6:30 pm at the Miller-Ward Alumni House. Come honor our great Emory faculty, staff, students, and alumni for all the work they do on behalf of the LGBT communities at Emory. Stay tuned to learn the winners of this year’s awards!

Safe Space: Spring Semester A new semester and a new list of Safe Space trainings! • January 10, 12:00pm-3:30pm • February 18, 1:00pm-4:30pm • March 13, 12:00pm-3:30pm • April 9, 9:00am-12:30pm Sign up at:

http://lgbt.emory.edu/programs_events/safe_space/regist ration.html

page 11


ANNOUNCEMENTS Emory is hosting the 2013 Georgia Resident Assistant Saturday Symposium (GRASS) on Saturday, January 19. As of January 1, we have more than 550 registrants attending they Symposium. Registration is open until January 11. http://oxford.emory.edu/life/housing_and_dining/housing/GRASS/grass---registration.dot For more information about the symposium (sessions, schedule, etc.), please contact Ryan Roche at ryan.roche@emory.edu.

Student EMPLOYMENT Opportunities! Residence Life & Housing is hiring for student positions all across campus and throughout the year! All available positions in Residence Life and Housing may be viewed online at www.emory.edu/HOUSING/JOBS. From current academic year openings to summer opportunities, short-term and long-term, we have several posi17 of tions that may fit your students’ needs. Ifpage you know any responsible students looking for an on-campus job, please send them our way! Resident Advisor and Sophomore Advisor applications for 2013-14 are currently online at: www.emory.edu/HOUSING/JOBS/apply.html. Applications for these positions are due on January 28. Residence Hall Director – Fellow applications for 201314 are also available online now. If you know of any graduating senior with an interest in student affairs, please let him/her know of our unique opportunity: www.emory.edu/HOUSING/JOBS/fellow.html

HOUSING SELECTION Online room selection for students living in campus housing for the 2013-2014 academic year will begin with returning students applications opening January 15. New features include internal online roommate selection with user profiles and advanced search options. Returning students may select housing during the month of February; incoming first-year applications will open Monday, April 1. Keep your eye out for Countess Hughes and Joni Tyson answering questions at the Housing Live! sessions in both the DUC Commons and in residence halls. As always, questions can also be directed to housing@emory.edu.

The Student Activity and Academic Center will be extending their building hours in the spring semester and will therefore be hiring additional SAAC Managers to help with the extended hours. Applications for this position are due on January 25. University Conferences is hiring for Summer 2013. Students working in Conferences over the summer live on-campus as part of their stipend and gain valuable experience in communication and organization. Position descriptions and applications will be available on Residence Life/Housing employment website in January. page 12


ANNOUNCEMENTS WHAT ARE YOUR 2013 FITNESS RESOLUTIONS? It’s early January, but have you fallen off the wagon already? Never fear! The SAAC is here! The SAAC will once again be offering fitness classes throughout the week during the spring semester. Classes are open to both members AND non-members… and the first week of sessions (January 14 – 18) is free! Check out the offerings here: page 19 www.emory.edu/HOUSING/CLAIRMONT/saac_fitness.html We had 1,065 students participate in the fall getFIT programs. Can we exceed that this semester? Additionally, the SAAC pools are getting minor face-lifts this winter. Both the Olympic and teaching pools are being resurfaced, and we are adding more shade structures to the pool deck. For you summer swimmers, we are installing an improved cooling system to help decrease water temperatures during those really hot summer months, and the large bulkheads at either end of the Olympic pool are being replaced with a standard gutter to improve safety at the pool edge. The pools reopen on April 1 (not a joke!) and we hope to see you all there!

page 13


First--Person Perspective by Eric Hoffman

When I was first asked to prepare a submission for the First Person section of the Campus Life Newsletter, I really didn’t know where to begin. I could give you my life story, as interesting or as boring as you might find it. I could try to write an essay on the profession. Finally, however, I settled on writing about my background, my upbringing and the sources of my values, because I believe that in my everyday work, especially in leading a university conduct process, I rely inherently on my personal values. Growing up in central Pennsylvania, I was exposed to a number of factors that influenced my personal values and helped shape my current philosophy in leading the Office of Student Conduct. I am the son of a loving and permissive mother who gave me the freedom to make my own decisions and my own mistakes. I am also the son of a (then) no-nonsense, blue-collar father, who instilled in me the importance of hard work and personal responsibility. (He’s a bit “softer” now with two grandsons.) When I was still a kid, my parents enrolled me in Boy Scouts, and in becoming an Eagle Scout, I learned even more about responsibility and leadership. Even the sports teams that my family and I followed while I was growing up helped shape my values and philosophy. Before their more recent losing ways, the Baltimore Orioles were a very successful franchise that page 20 prided itself on the “Oriole Way”—a set of values characterized by hard work, professionalism, and the importance of fundamentals (doing things the right way). Penn State’s Football team, with Joe Paterno as its head coach, preached hard work, “Success with Honor,” and the inherent assumption that if you take care of all the small things, the big stuff will work itself out. (I can’t go on without noting the significant impact both the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the Boy Scouts’ discriminatory practices and policies had on me later in life, which led to a lot of soul searching into my personal beliefs and values. However, that can be a discussion for another time.) My point is, from an early age I had instilled in me a strong sense of personal responsibility and hard work balanced against personal freedoms granted to me specifically by my parents and more generally by society as a whole. It is those values that help shape my leadership of the Office of Student Conduct. After graduating from Penn State with a degree in history, I enrolled at Old Dominion University and spent a year studying history at the graduate level. Not enjoying it at all, I was persuaded to enroll in Old Dominion’s still relatively new Higher Education Administration program. I graduated two years later. With my experience working in the residence halls as both an RA at Penn State and as a graduate hall director at Old Dominion, and with a shiny new master’s degree, I took a job at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, working in a first-year student building. One of my responsibilities was to serve as a conduct officer, and during one of my conduct meetings with a student I’ll call “Jack,” I realized my passion for working in the conduct setting. Jack and I had several meetings to discuss his behavior, and during these conversations, he and I were able to have frank discussions about his background, personal values, and goals (or lack thereof at the time) and contrast them with his behavior and decision-making. Throughout these conversations, Jack and I disagreed about some things, but we came to an understanding about others. Eventually I was able to connect him with people and resources at the university that helped direct him and connect him to the community. He later returned and thanked me for our conversations and for getting him “on track.”

page 14


First--Person Perspective by Eric Hoffman

This is the type of influence we have as student affairs administrators, and I believe conduct officers sometimes play an even greater role. Oftentimes, students who violate our expectations, especially if they do so more than once, might not be connected to other parts of the campus. They might not be involved in a student organization, might not have built relationships with faculty or advisors, or their RAs or hall directors. Conduct officers are some of the few, if not the only, persons within Campus Life who can require a student come see them and talk about their experiences. Data shows that students who do go through the conduct process usually don’t come back for another meeting (the Emory OSC’s recidivism rate is approximately 10%), so that single meeting with a conduct officer might be one of the University’s only chances to meet face-to-face and have a positive impact on that student. After a stop at the University of Maryland working on developing campus policy and practices to address alcohol use, I accepted my current position at Emory. My background and personal values are reflected in the work I do and my leadership of the Office of Student Conduct. Outside of our office’s formal mission, I have informal goals in mind when I meet with individual students. I want them to exhibit a strong sense of personal accountability and responsibility for their actions. If they did something to violate Emory’s Conduct Code, I want them to recognize their actions and accept responsibility. I want students to learn something from the conduct process. I want to avoid assigning students meaningless busy work or punishment for the sake of punishment. Instead, if students do make mistakes or bad decisions, I want them to learn from these errors--to gain new skills or knowledge they can use when they face similar decisions in the future. Most importantly, I want students to know they have the freedom to make their own choices and their own mistakes, but to recognize that with those freedoms also come responsibilities. College is a time when students are both learning and testing boundaries. My hope for the conduct process is to engage students in conversation if and when those freedoms and responsibilities fall out of balance. Eric Hoffman is the Assistant Dean and Director for Student Conduct. As Director, Eric is responsible for the University's non-academic misconduct process for undergraduate students. As Assistant Dean, he chairs the Crisis Management Team, an interdisciplinary workgroup that coordinates the University's response to students in crisis. Eric received his Bachelor of Arts/History from Pennsylvania State University and his MSEd in Higher Education Administration from Old Dominion University. Eric is a 3rd year law student at Georgia State College of Law and will be graduating in December 2013.

page 15


page 16


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.