The Pulse August 2014

THE PULSE THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING OFFICERS

AUGUST 2014

IN THIS ISSUE President’s Welcome [4] Op-Ed: Functional Areas [6] Move In Weekend [7] Assessment of Training [10] To Washington and Back [16]

Move In Day at Brock University in St. Catherine’s, ON

Board of Directors ! ! !

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PRESIDENT Laura Storey | Trent University! laurastorey@trentu.ca!

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MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Brian Ingoldsby | University of Guelph bingolds@uoguelph.ca

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PRESIDENT-ELECT / FINANCE DIRECTOR Julie West | University of Guelph jwest@uoguelph.ca

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CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Brittany Gawley | McMaster University gawleyb@mcmaster.ca

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PAST PRESIDENT Chad Nuttall | University of Toronto Mississauga chad.nuttall@utoronto.ca

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CORPORATE PARTNER RELATIONS DIRECTOR Colin Ryrie | Brock University cryrie@brocku.ca

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COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR Brian Cunha | University of Waterloo b2cunha@uwaterloo.ca

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SENIOR-LEVEL MEMBER AT LARGE Glenn Matthews | Western University glenn@housing.uwo.ca

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Matthew Harris | York University maharris@yorku.ca

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MEMBER AT LARGE Mike Porritt | Huron University College mporritt@huron.uwo.ca

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MEMBER AT LARGE Samantha Wiebe | University of Waterloo swiebe@uwaterloo.ca

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The Communications Committee DIRECTOR Brian Cunha CONTRIBUTORS Drew Simon Heather Lang

THE PULSE EDITORS Victoria Gadon Alison Kavanagh Lyn-Marie Farley Katie Calcaterra Laura Mammone

THE HISTORY PROJECT Glenn Matthews Matt Waghorn Andrew Quenneville

Table of Contents

EDITOR Brian Cunha AUGUST EDITORS Alison Kavanagh Victoria Gadon

5

the editorial schedule

5 fall business meeting

6 functional areas

7

move in weekend

10 assessment, assessment, assessment

16

to washington and back

President’s Message

The Beauty of Starting Over

T

he excitement of the new is upon us! A new year and perhaps it brings a new team, a new facility, new community or maybe a new notebook. September brings excitement each year because it symbolizes a new beginning. Its an opportunity to meet new students, start new projects, begin anew... and leave behind the things that we could have changed from last year. Part of moving forward is celebrating and letting of the endings from last year.

Why would I possibly talk about letting go when we're talking about the new? As part of team building, we spend a lot of time on forming through performing -­‐ making sure we build a team that can weather the storm.

However, part of team building that we don't always talk about is adjournment. A crucial part of being able to let go and move on -­‐ whether it be with a speciGic team or if its a speciGic project -­‐ is to close and debrief your outcomes. While there can be sadness and grief in letting things go -­‐ there is also beauty in celebrating what has been. In order for us to be fully successful in embracing the newness that this September brings, we need to celebrate and let go of the past.

“

Part of moving forward is celebrating and letting of How do we best do this in our professional roles? the endings from last year Building adjournment into your team time AND personal time is key. This

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can have allow for many things:

-­‐ reGlecting on your own growth -­‐ evaluating the goals of your team/project -­‐ setting goals for the future -­‐ allowing for team members to let go of the project and perceived failures or missteps -­‐ celebrating successes -­‐ preventing similar negative patterns from the past The beauty in letting go of the last year or the last project is that we can fully embrace the future. We get to start with the clean slate -­‐ and move forward knowing that there is nothing hanging out there left undone or unsaid.

And with only one month left, now is the time to move forward, celebrate the successes and make the new year a fantastic one.

Laura Storey OACUHO President -4-

The Pulse Editorial Schedule 2014/2015 August | Starting Again September | Off on the Right Foot October | Balance November | Winding Down December | Thinking Back and Thinking Ahead January | Campus Community Partnerships February | Residence Life Conference March | Checking Out

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OACUHO Needs Assessment

Wednesday August 13th

Make your OACUHO voice heard

The OACUHO Needs Assessment helps the OACUHO Board of

April | It’s Hiring Season May | Special Conference Edition

Directions get an idea of what you want from your association.

Register Today!

Trent University’s Oshawa campus is proud to host the OACUHO 2014 Fall Business Meeting on Thursday, October 23, 2014.

The field of student housing is evolving at a fast pace. OACUHO member institutions are in a unique position to connect and learn from one another, share and partner with ideas, and set new standards that ensure the greatest student success.

Join us in October at Trent University’s Oshawa campus to connect with your peers and collaborate on transformative ideas that can be brought into action.

http://fbm2014.com -5-

Op-Ed: Functional Areas

Functional Areas Heather Lang Manager, Cleaning Services University of Waterloo hlang@uwaterloo.ca

A

t the University of Waterloo, the summer months

are the busiest of the year for the Cleaning

Services area and we would not be able to be as successful during these demanding months without our frontline staff. The majority of our housekeepers and custodial staff/residence aBendants are long standing employees making them not only experts on cleaning but also with student experience within our residences. Many of our current staff members have been with our housing department for over 25 years! They have seen all kinds of crazy things and have made many close connecIons with our residents. We are extremely lucky to have our frontline cleaning staff internal to our housing operaIon and appreciate the knowledge and history they bring.

Part of the reason our summer months are so busy is that we have residents in the spring term. While servicing occupied areas we also prepare and complete detail faciliIes work in all unoccupied spaces. Steam cleaning carpets, window washing and floor refinishing will occur in every building. Detailed cleaning of all rooms, washrooms and common spaces will also occur. We spend months planning for what needs to be accomplished in our areas and seNng deadlines in the hopes of bringing contractors in as liBle as possible.

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Summer is the Ime when we try to squeeze a heavy workload into a prime holiday season. We work hard to c o l l a b o r a t e b e t w e e n supervisors to ensure we cover management tasks as Summer is the well as staff duIes. When time when we the heat in the summer try to squeeze reaches unworkable levels, a heavy we have plans to train staff on cleaning techniques, workload into customer service and safety. a prime This allows us to make use of holiday season Ime even when physical work is not feasible.

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In the spring term, we also provide cleaning support to the Conference Services. This summer, we created a development opportunity for frontline housekeepers to lead daily conference cleaning operaIons. This has been very successful and beneficial to the staff involved, our supervisors and the conference centre.

We oQen stress when imagining how everything will be completed in Ime for the students to move in but know that somehow it always does. The fall will bring a new group of students and by mid-­‐September we will be back in rouIne and breathing normally again.

Move In Weekend

Move In Weekend Universities and Colleges in Ontario will soon be opening its doors to tens of thousands of students.

Are you ready for move in?

Move In Metaphor: How Move In Day is a Representation of Cross-functional Collaboration

F

or the Housing

field, move in

weekend is our

‘Spring’. It signifies a Ime of renewal –

when new students arrive and bring with them a f a m i l i a r s e n s e o f enthusiasm, passion and wonder. This student energy Manager, Residence Life University reminds us of why we do what we do. It comes aQer of Waterloo (for some of us) summer j6lang@uwaterloo.ca months filled with empty halls and quiet campuses. Though it is hard to ignore the students’ excitement regarding starIng this new chapter in their lives, move in should be celebrated for a far more important reason – teamwork.

Jessica Lang

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Move in weekend is the result of all funcIonal areas in Housing coming together and collaboraIng in the purest sense of the word. It would not be possible to successfully execute move in without the superior customer service skills of our Assignment teams, who work Irelessly over the summer to answer student

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and parent inquiries. It would not be possible to successfully execute move in without the conInued efforts of our FaciliIes teams who go above and beyond to ensure the buildings provide an excepIonal first impression. It would not be possible to successfully execute move in if our Residence Life teams had not just completed student staff training or if our Front Desk teams were not exercising paIence with every completed check in. The list goes on.

Certainly, move in is representaIve of the best of us, a Ime when every funcIonal area needs to not only work hard in compleIng their own duIes but also needs to trust in their peers, recognizing that we all have a unique part to play.

Move in weekend represents what OACUHO is trying to achieve – an environment where the best of us can be highlighted and celebrated for our collaboraIve efforts to support student success. ParIcipaIon from each funcIonal area will provide the opportunity for learning and innovaIon to flourish. Let’s view the associaIon the way we view move in, as an opportunity to come together to make the student experience beBer.

tips for your first Move In Day as a Residence Life Professional -8-

Sonja Smiljanic

1 2 3 4 5

Residence Life Coordinator Queen`s University sonja.smiljanic@queensu.ca

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Make a schedule for the day ahead of Ime that allows Imes for structured breaks for both you and student staff.

Do something for you the evening before Move In Day – whether that’s going out to dinner with loved ones, playing a round of golf, or curling up on the couch with a good book. There will probably be so many things running through your mind the day before, and taking that Ime for yourself will hopefully help you wind down and enjoy the calm.

Make Ime for your student staff – whether that’s meeIng up an extra 15 minutes early, or sending out an early morning team email, touching base is important. As nervous as you are, they are probably right there with you. If it’s your style, run a short and fun team builder in the morning, or recite your team cheer if you have one. It’s a nice reminder for them that they are a part of a team, and that the day will be manageable because of the support in place.

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Get a good night’s sleep – it goes without saying that Move In Day is a long day where you’ll probably be go-­‐ go-­‐go for most, if not all of it. That extra rest will really make a difference!

Check in with your fellow professional staff coworkers from all funcIonal areas – that could look like a mass text, or a walk over to your nearest neighbour if you can catch a few free minutes. The day would not be possible if everyone didn’t work together! You’re a team too!

Give yourself a pep talk – whatever this looks like for you, try to take 5 minutes while you get ready for the day to remind yourself that you were chosen for the role you are in for a reason…because you can do it!

Any issue that comes up throughout the day has nothing on you! Remind yourself of that fact.

Wear comfortable shoes and clothes that have pockets (the pockets come in handy for carrying around your business cards, along with your supervisor’s business cards, and those of staff in FaciliIes and Residence Admissions!).

Know the parking plan – parking can be one of the trickiest parts of a move in day, and knowing where designated parking areas are will help when you get quesIons from parents and students about where they can leave their vehicles.

Eat and hydrate throughout the day – it seems simple, but it can also be so easily forgoBen! Check in with your student staff to ensure they are doing the same as well.

Celebrate – whenever that Ime comes where you have the ‘we did it’ moment, take a second to realize that all of the preparaIon has paid off. The year has officially begun! CongratulaIons!

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Assessment

Assessment Assessment Assessment!

It’s more than just a buzz word.

We have three professionals sharing how they are assessing their student staff training programs.

Humber College STUDENT STAFF TRAINING ASSESSMENT

A

t Humber College, we’ve recently

implemented journaling as a part of our

training assessment. An iniIaIve developed

by Sara Wills (Coordinator, Training, Assessment, Recruitment & RetenIon; Carleton University), journaling has allowed us to incorporate more qualitaIve assessment elements into our training program.

Staff are required to complete six journals during training; each journal corresponds with one of our training domains (CAS Student Outcome Domains).

For example, on the day when our staff receives EGALE training, they will complete a journal based on the domain of Humanitarianism and Civic Engagement.

Staff are offered the learning outcomes aBached to each domain as a means to frame their entry.

Mid-­‐way through, and at the end of training, the Residence Life Coordinators evaluate each staff member’s journal. A rubric was developed to help gauge staff’s understanding of the day’s sessions and how they relate to our domains. This offers RLCs a chance to proacIvely discuss any areas of concern

with staff, as well as idenIfy areas that may need further development and training in the future.

Alyssa Graham

Journaling as a form of training assessment requires a Residence Life Coordinator lot of addiIonal Ime. RLCs must Humber College thoroughly read and provide detailed feedback to all staff alyssa.graham@humber.ca regarding their journal entries.

AQer all, staff are puNng in the Ime to make considerate reflecIons on their learning, it’s important we provide them the same consideraIon with our feedback. At Humber, we believe that the value added by journaling outweighs the addiIonal Ime it requires. Not only does journaling provide us with rich data, it also encourages our staff to be reflecIve and mindful throughout the training experience.

For more informaIon about our use of journaling as training assessment, feel free to contact any Humber College RLC.

Nipissing University OUR JOURNEY WITH TRAINING ASSESSMENT

T

he Oxford English dicIonary, defines a

journey as, “a long and oQen difficult

p r o c e s s o f p e r s o n a l c h a n g e a n d

development” (2014). I could not think of a beBer word to help me describe the experience of the Nipissing University Residence Life department this past year with developing student employee and

Ka?e Calcaterra

volunteer training assessment.

The process did not come easy but we are learning to embrace Supervisor, the culture of assessment and Residence Life slowly, it is working its way into Nipissing University all aspects of what we do.

ka?ec@nipissingu.ca

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Assessment The journey began in October 2013, with professional development for the staff that would be planning and execuIng student employee and volunteer training.

The focus of the professional develop was specific to creaIng proper learning outcomes and developing a s s e s s m e n t m e t h o d s , b o t h q u a l i t a I v e a n d quanItaIve. With appropriately structured learning outcomes, assessing the intended learning is a much more measurable and meaningful task. Learning outcomes should be specific, achievable and measurable.

Once we were comfortable creaIng learning outcomes we took a few months to hone and pracIce our skills.

In order to develop learning outcomes, our training needs were divided up into several different tracks; 1) safety and security, 2) policy enforcement, 3) team development, 4) student issues, 5) faciliIes & services, 6) administraIon and 7) community development.

Under each track we developed topics to assist us in creaIng our learning outcomes for each area that our student staff needed training in. Each staff member was given a track and they were responsible for wriIng all of the learning outcomes for knowledge, skills, and abiliIes needed for our student staff. This made sequencing the learning more possible. Once the learning outcomes were developed, they were split into individual training sessions capable of being covered in our 50 minute session Imeframe. A searchable database was developed to track our outcomes. By the end of our training, our staff and volunteers will have achieved 2,743 outcomes sequenced throughout the course of the year.

With learning outcomes developed, we began developing sessions including all assessment quesIons. The assessment type depended, of course, on the learning outcomes. For instance, if a training session was on the topic of fire safety, and one of the learning outcomes was for the staff members to be able to demonstrate the safe use of a fire exInguisher, one way to assess this would be through an observaIonal checklist: Observe your staff pracIcing using a fire exInguisher with a checklist of the four steps required for its proper use. As you observe, check off what the staff member demonstrates. If they

are missing some checks, you know that you need to revisit a concept in another session and refine your training session for the next Ime. If all checkmarks are achieved, then you know your training session was successful because the learning you intended took place.

In addiIon to the assessment happening within each individual training session, we developed a pre and post learning gains test. For our pre and post test, we chose to do a quanItaIve assessment tool with quesIons based on our learning outcomes for each training session in August. Since our training sessions are streamed by posiIon, we needed to create a separate test for each of our staff posiIons. This assessment will be delivered before training starts (pre) and aQer training is completed (post). The intenIon is to demonstrate what measurable learning took place during our August training program. We will also be administering a post-­‐post test in late October to determine if our staff retained the learning that occurred in August. Pre, post, and post-­‐post tests for us were perfect for quanItaIve assessment, as we wanted to show proof of learning through staIsIcs. Recognizing that it does not demonstrate learning through the hidden curriculum, we will be also using reflecIve acIviIes at the end of each day. These acIviIes combined with our in-­‐session assessment will help us know in “real Ime” what the staff is learning and if we need to make any immediate changes.

The assessment journey is never complete because we are always anIcipaIng new projects, and new training; it is a constant cycle. It is unbelievable to think that soon we will be starIng our assessment journey all over again for next year’s training, but this Ime with more resources and experience to add to our bundle.

We would love to share our assessment journey with those who are interested in some of the finer details and we welcome any ideas from other insItuIons as we are by no means assessment experts. It is a constant process and one that has been humbling, but rewarding.

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Carleton University A NEW PERSPECTIVE: CREATIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY ASSESSING STUDENT STAFF TRAINING

I

t seems as though in Residence Life we plan all

year long and dedicate most of our summer

months to developing, designing and

facilitaIng student staff training. In no Ime, it seems like the past three weeks flew by and move-­‐in has arrived. When you look back on those busy few weeks, it seems to all blur and blend together and could leave you with a feeling of ‘Thank goodness we got through it’ and not necessarily a thought of ‘How can we improve this for next year?’ Thankfully through various assessment processes during those crazy two or three weeks, our departments can capture those important thoughts, feelings, and demonstrated learning opportuniIes to confidently know once the dust seBles, we can begin to assess and revise our training programs.

This year at Carleton, we are emphasizing the importance of quanItaIve and qualitaIve assessment to beBer build an effecIve training program for the future, as well as to develop a more tailored on-­‐going training throughout the year. Focusing on conInuing to do what was done well, and creaIng posiIve change for the future, our assessment plan emphasizes moving beyond a pre/post survey and daily session evaluaIon model. In addiIon to these tradiIonal assessment pracIces, we are uIlizing social media applicaIons, observaIon, and reflecIon to assess the daily and overall experience of our student staff.

Combining a wide range of assessment pracIces allows for more thorough data to be compiled, and speaks to the enIre training experience, rather than just the informaIon we hope they learned from a

specific session. Moreover, encouraging our staff and students to use a specific hashtag throughout training when posIng status updates or photos provides a more o r g a n i c a n d p e r s o n a l Coordinator, Training, experience, and encourages Assessment, Recruitment them to reflect on each day. & Reten?on

Sara Wills

Carleton University

As you will noIce, our hope is that by implemenIng an sara.wills@carleton.ca assessment program that can c a p t u r e p e r s o n a l a n d professional experiences within a session and outside of it, we will be able to beBer understand the needs of our current student staff when developing on-­‐going training throughout the year. It will also provide us with very clear and specific assessment data to beBer determine what the student staffs’ overall training experience was, and which sessions can be improved in the future. Although assessing student staff training seems like a very daunIng task, when you take notes on observable behavior, assess personal status updates and photos, and value the experience outside of the classroom, the process is a very easy and effecIve one. As long as your professional staff is on board, and your student staff is encouraged to be themselves, share their experiences, and value how the results will impact their professional development in the future, the assessment plan becomes one of the easiest (and most effecIve) aspects of August training.

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Assessment

Keep in mind that when it comes to assessment, we just need to start somewhere, even if it is only the red or green block. Before trying to step up or evolve our assessment plan, it is important to remember that implemenIng several new iniIaIves is

not always as effecIve as the one that we know is currently working well. AQer all isn’t that the nature of assessment?

Best of luck with August Training!

additional resources

ACUHO-­‐I Cer?ficate in Housing Assessment hBp://www.acuho-­‐i.org/onlinelearning/cerIficates/assessment?portalid=0

NASPA Knowledge Community: Assessment, Evalua?on, and Research

hBps://www.naspa.org/consItuent-­‐groups/kcs/assessment-­‐evaluaIon-­‐and-­‐research

NASPA Resource List

hBp://www.naspa.org/consItuent-­‐groups/kcs/assessment-­‐evaluaIon-­‐and-­‐research/resources - 14 -

The Largest ACUHO-I hosted in the US Capital Washington D.C. was a host to 1,300 delates from universities and colleges around the globe.

ACUHO-I Conference Experiences with

Elizabeth Wong University of Waterloo Recipient of The ACUHO-i New Professional Scholarship

Andrew Quenneville Western University

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To Washington and Back

ACUHO-I Conference Experience Elizabeth Wong Where do I even begin? Going to ACUHO-­‐i was an eye opening experience. I had the chance to aBend a variety of workshops presented by a range of insItuIons. I am very grateful for the chance to have aBended and want to thank OACUHO for giving me this opportunity.

Before going to the conference, I connected with Valerie Bruce from Ryerson University. She had aBended ACUHO-­‐i in the past and she walked me through what to expect. I am thankful for this mentorship, as it made me feel more prepared. Valerie menIoned that I was about to aBend a conference that was similar to OACUHO but on a larger scale. MeeIng with Valerie was #OACUHO360 experience (the 360 days beyond the OACUHO Spring Conference), and I knew going to the conference would be as well.

My first impression of the ACUHO-­‐i conference was when I entered the lobby and there was a sign saying “This is where YOU belong”. I looked around and people were wearing the disIncIve ACUHO-­‐i branded name tags, insItuIon shirts, walking past me and smiling, and immediately I knew, this is where I belong.

In the applicaIon for the scholarship, there was a quesIon about how this opportunity would align with my professional/personal growth and development. I menIoned my recent one year extension of my one year contract. This extension includes addiIonal responsibiliIes, such as the development of a new Living-­‐Learning Community being piloted in fall 2014 at the University of Waterloo; the Co-­‐op Living-­‐Learning Community. I wanted to aBend ACUHO-­‐i to enhance my soQ skills and open the door for fresh ideas for my new job responsibiliIes. I was able to achieve these goals through aBending sessions on academic success, Living-­‐Learning programs, commiBee meeIngs and professional development sessions.

Through the Living-­‐Learning session, I was able to learn about how we can draw in faculty members to be more engaged with our current programs. I also learned about how insItuIons are geNng faculty members requesIng to be part of their Living-­‐ Learning communiIes.

the needs of our student populaIon. In this session, it was clear that the insItuIon collected data that helped create a base for their academic programs. This is especially helpful since our insItuIon is currently going through new assessment iniIaIves, and it gave me a perspecIve on how, in the long run, the data we are collecIng will be a resource for future academic support planning.

At the conference, I wanted to aBend a commiBee meeIng as I am currently on the Professional Development CommiBee for OACUHO. I decided to aBend the Sustainability CommiBee because it was a commiBee I had not heard of at OACUHO, and because my academic background is in Environmental Studies. At the meeIng they talked about the faciliIes of the conference, future webinars for the associaIon, and goals and/or accomplishments over the years. It was great to be part of the conversaIon and to hear about how ACUHO-­‐i is implemenIng sustainability efforts. It is similar to the OACUHO Professional Development CommiBee, in the sense that it is a group of professionals who understand the importance of the associaIon. A group that is willing to volunteer their Ime on topics they feel passionate about.

Finally, I had the opportunity to meet professionals from other insItuIons. It was great to hear and talk about our similariIes and differences. I especially found this true, when I aBended a session that was set up as an open discussion and quesIon period about being new professionals in the field. It was valuable because some of the quesIons and or thoughts I had were similar to others’. Most importantly, it was valuable to be in an atmosphere where people could talk about successes and struggles as new professionals.

In retrospect, I learned a lot from the conference, I am grateful and honoured to have gone on behalf of OACUHO. Thank you to the Membership CommiBee and those who were on the selecIon commiBee. I guarantee this was an experience that I will never forget. I honestly sIll have to pinch myself because I cannot believe that I had the opportunity to go, so again thank you!

In the academic success session, I learned about the importance of assessment and seeing the value of collecIng data that reflects

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ACUHO-I Reflections Andrew Quenneville From June 28 through July 1, I had the pleasure of aBending the annual ACUHO-­‐i Conference held in Washington D.C. It was an excellent opportunity to network with peers in the Housing industry, increase my understanding of the issues faced by colleagues around the world, and learn about ACUHO-­‐i corporate partners. The conference surpassed my expectaIons!

The morning of the 29th began with the presentaIon of the ACUHO-­‐i annual awards and an opening address by ACUHO-­‐i President Patricia MarInez. This was closely followed by an exciIng song and dance number presented by professional impersonators of Bill & Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Obama, seNng a fun tone to the Conference. The morning recepIon was then closed by a capIvaIng keynote from T.J. Sullivan, a published author on student leadership and well-­‐ known blogger. T.J. explored the theme of engagement and challenged the audience to begin seeking to moIvate all students. He said, “The single biggest mistake top-­‐third leaders make is thinking that others will respond to the same things that moIvate them.” T.J.’s keynote was energeIc and entertaining, Ied together with an anecdote involving a toothbrush that I’ll leave for T.J. to share with you another Ime! While at the Conference I had the opportunity to aBend mulIple sessions of interest. ACUHO-­‐i did an excellent job offering sessions aimed at various funcIonal areas, which provided an opportunity to connect with peers and share what was learned during the day.

The first interest session I aBended was Itled, “Coaching: Making Supervision Meaningful,” by Erica Barton from the University of Washington. Through audience parIcipaIon, Erica explored the characterisIcs of an effecIve coach and provided us with tools for effecIve communicaIon. Erica’s use of ‘clicker’ technology was well received by the audience and proved to be an effecIve tool for real-­‐Ime assessment. For those who haven’t used a ‘clicker,’ it is a small remote that collects audience feedback (i.e. answers to a mulIple choice quesIon) and returns it immediately to the presenter. The presenter can then display this feedback graphically in his/her presentaIon. Following Erica’s presentaIon I had the opportunity to visit the

exhibitor’s fair over lunch. Prior to aBending the fair I was curious as to why ACUHO-­‐i had chosen to schedule two hours for lunch, but within minutes of arriving I understood why. There were over 150 exhibitors present! I spent the majority of my lunch walking through the fair, engaging our corporate partners in discussion and learning about some of the amazing iniIaIves they have to support our housing operaIons.

AQer lunch I made my way to a second interest session Itled, “Breaking Up is Hard to Do: How to Successfully TransiIon to a New InsItuIon,” by Anna Schmidt (Columbia University) and Rachel Alldis (Northeastern University). Anna and Rachel shared their stories of workplace transiIon up to their current roles of Director at their respecIve insItuIons. They were passionate about their work and encouraged the audience to “make a splash” at their new insItuIon. The dos and don’ts of transiIoning were shared, followed by helpful Ips on how to successfully manage the change. For example, Anna and Rachel encouraged parIcipants to use their first year at a new insItuIon as a Ime to seek change. They also shared the importance of immersing yourself in the culture of your new insItuIon, including the exploraIon of new neighbourhoods.

I ended my academic day with a roundtable Itled, “Can We Talk?

SupporIng Sexual Wellness & Consent Dialogues,” and led by Aramis Watson and Paul Wojdacz from Ohio State University. The conversaIon was admiBedly American-­‐centric, but nonetheless presented an opportunity to hear from our American colleagues about the consent iniIaIves taking-­‐place on their campuses and engage in a dialogue about policy regarding sexual assaults on campuses. I parIcularly enjoyed learning about Title IX, and the offices tasked with enforcing and monitoring that piece of legislaIon, parIcularly in terms of their roles in sexual assault invesIgaIons on campus.

I was then off for an evening of team bonding and peer networking. Conference aBendance is more than note-­‐taking and roundtable parIcipaIon; opportuniIes to speak casually with colleagues are invaluable!

Monday rolled around and I made my way to another interest session Itled, “Growth & InnovaIon: When Your LLC’s are a Campus-­‐Wide IniIaIve,” presented by Pelco Lynn and CurIs Erwin from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Pelco and CurIs shared with the audience VCU’s current LLC model and plans for expansion. It was intriguing to hear about the

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To Washington and Back

collaboraIon between faculty, housing, and community taking place to foster the success of VCU’s LLCs. Further, I enjoyed learning about the resources and planning needed to bring together a LLC the size of a whole residence building! CurIs shared his experience of planning the construcIon of VCU’s new buildings and their posiIve effects on the commerce of surrounding neighbourhoods. Pelco walked us through some of the curriculum of the LLCs, including VCU’s expectaIon of students to be engaged in the community.

FiNngly, I aBended my last interest session Itled, “CreaIng Cultural Capital: Providing OpportuniIes for Low Socioeconomic Students,” by Kelly L. Thacker from Indiana University. Kelly presented her dissertaIon on the experiences of students of low socioeconomic status (SES), using Bourdieu’s Cultural Capital Theory. She helped the audience understand the difference between social and cultural capital through interacIon, and used this understanding to highlight differences between the parents of students of differing SES. Further, Kelly shared data on the low SES students interviewed for her research. The figures were startling, such as the students in her study who had an average annual familial income of only approximately $13 000. Kelly closed by challenging the audience to begin thinking about how we can beBer support students with a low SES.

In the aQernoon I aBended a session Itled, “A Healthy Life Worth Living,” by Gretchen L. Brockmann from East Caroline University, ChrisIne Winget from the University of Florida, and Holly Alexander from the College of William and Mary, that focused on the concept of self-­‐care. Gretchen, ChrisIne, and Holly shared stories of wellness success with the audience and challenged the audience to reflect on what currently keeps them well, and ways to conInue to be well. The ladies then shared with the audience Ips to be well, specifically centered around eaIng, sleep, and exercise. In keeping with the theme of this session, I spent my evening catching-­‐up on sleep!

Closing Banquet, ACUHO-I On Tuesday morning I sat-­‐in on featured speaker Kevin Kruger’s talk about the issues facing higher educaIon and what it means for student affairs professionals. Kevin, the President of NASPA, shared with the audience his insights on student success and socioeconomic status. Further, he presented on the changing demographic of the American student and what that should mean for educators.

He challenged the audience by saying, “If students are spending 15 hours a week online, we need to be there with them in an intenIonal way.” Kevin concluded with his views on the direcIon of higher educaIon and what challenges may be faced by student affairs pracIIoners in the coming years. Kevin highlighted these challenges by sharing the following staIsIc: “48% of US college grads are in jobs that require less than a 4 year college degree, with 5 million in a career requiring less than a high school educaIon.”

The conference then came to an end with a closing banquet. Patricia MarInez gave a deparIng speech and encouraged the audience to reflect on, “What is Your Why?” Following a meal and friendly nod from the ACUHO-­‐i execuIve for Canada Day, Thomas ElleB, incoming President of ACUHO-­‐i took the stage. Thomas encouraged the ACUHO-­‐i to learn through listening.

I really enjoyed my Ime aBending the annual ACUHO-­‐i conference. It was exciIng to be engaged in discourse with other Housing professionals and was an opportunity to learn.

Further, I parIcularly enjoyed the opportunity to bond with members of my home insItuIon and other members of OACUHO. On our off-­‐Ime, we had the opportunity to visit Washington landmarks such as: the Capital Building, the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and Arlington Cemetery. We even made a pit stop at the Canadian Embassy on Canada Day! I look forward to future ACUHO-­‐i Conferences and conInuing to learn about the challenges and successes of this exciIng profession.

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