THE PULSE THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING OFFICERS
JULY 2016
A SUMMER OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: SPRING CONFERENCE, NPTI & ACUHO-I
THE PULSE
Board of Directors PRESIDENT
CONFERENCE DIRECTOR
Daryl Nauman
Sara Wills
York University dnauman@yorku.ca
Carleton University sara.wills@carleton.ca
PRESIDENT-ELECT / FINANCE DIRECTOR
CORPORATE PARTNER RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Amanda Ziegler
Nathan Calder
Brock University aziegler@brocku.ca
Trent University nathancalder@trentu.ca
PAST PRESIDENT
SENIOR-LEVEL MEMBER AT LARGE
Julie West University of Guelph jwest@uoguelph.ca
Christopher Lengyell
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR
MEMBER AT LARGE
Cory Coletta
University of Waterloo mary.stefanidis@uwaterloo.ca
University of Toronto Mississauga chistopher.lengyell@utoronto.ca
Mary Stefanidis
corycoletta@trentu.ca
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
MEMBER AT LARGE
Tammy Douglas
Nipissing University genevied@nipissingu.ca
York University douglast@yorku.ca
Genevieve de Bruyn
MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
ASSOCIATION MANAGER
Hilary Jandricic
OACUHO info@oacuho.com
Carleton University hilaryjandricic@cunet.carleton.ca
Carol Ford
The Communications Committee DIRECTOR Cory Coletta
RESEARCH Aman Litt
COMMITTEE MEMBERS Jen Coulter Weston Eckert Taylor MacPherson Jared Boland Norman Doan Meg McNeil
Danica Bechard Andrew Natale Lindsay Tayler Rachele Marshall Robyn Gundy Marvin JS Ferrer Elissa Cressman
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
“He not busy being born is busy dying.”
A
-‐ Bob Dylan
faculty member shared that song lyric with me and my fellow execu6ve MBA leadership course classmates a few years ago. The lyric drove home a key message within his story, which was the importance for us to con6nue to grow, development and learn. The lyric and message resonated with me then, as it does now as I reflect on the theme of this issue of the Pulse, which is the benefit of training and development opportuni6es offered through our associa6on. What an amazing past few months it has been for OACUHO. Western University hosted our annual spring conference and challenged us to Be Extraordinary and challenged we were. We explored new ideas, stepped up and shared knowledge with our colleagues, and contemplated how we could make the world a beKer place. Shortly aMerwards, the University of Toronto
hosted our New Professional Training Ins6tute (NPTI) where faculty members asked the fiMy delegates to "Think Big. Aim High." I had the pleasure of joining the delegates over the course of an aMernoon and evening and from the conversa6ons I had I know they valued the opportuni6es to learn and connect with others as much as I did when I first aKend one of our early NPTIs. AKending OACUHO conferences and professional development opportuni6es offered in person and online helps you learn, connect with others, and remain knowledgeable on current issues and trends. Also, I encourage you to consider sharing your knowledge and experience at future events and thank those who recently have. I am excited that our five-‐year strategic plan includes a focus on educa6on, and I hope you join me in con6nuing to be busy being born through lifelong learning!
OACUHO President
in house
RESEARCH with Research Writer Aman Litt
From Setting Out to Starting Out: The Transition from University to the Workforce
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he 6me to start working towards your future is right now. Whether you’re a new graduate, in your last year of study or in your first professional job, you need to always be building towards your career. Great jobs are just that, great jobs, therefore, they take a great deal of work to aKain, maintain and build off of. Unlike our schooling, where you are typically assessed based off of a handful of key assignments or presenta6ons, in the workforce, you are assessed on the daily maintenance of your work ethic and deliverables.
your field. Or, is there the poten6al to do some job shadowing? You would be surprised how many employers would be happy to meet with a stranger because of an eloquent, well-‐thought out email or phone call. This creates a great connec6on and the opportunity to discuss poten6al employment opportuni6es in the near future. Do you have a dream organiza6on? Try and meet a key player from there for coffee or lunch. Many people would be happy to spend a bit of 6me telling you about their organiza6on or what they look for in new hires over a cup of coffee.
If you are currently wrapping up your academics, now is the 6me to start working towards that job. It is not a clear blocked off succession, school then work; start making contacts in your field via professors, colleagues and poten6al employers now, for your upcoming gradua6on.
Once you do land that first job, remember that everything you do builds off of itself. What that means is that, do not take things too personally, you are new to the working environment, invest 6me, energy and passion into understanding your new role, as well as the organiza6on you work for. It is not enough to just know what your role is well, but also knowing your colleagues’ roles, company’s mission and strategic goals are pivotal. Remember, you are always part of a team, so being a good team player is impera6ve.
Many students will say that it is easier said than done, but there are simple things, that can get you started. For example, research conferences in your city and surrounding area and see if there are opportuni6es relatable to
IN HOUSE RESEARCH Another change would be 6me expecta6ons; you could be entering a very free flowing work environment, with respect to scheduling your day or you could be entering an environment which upholds strict standards about clocking in, clocking out and monitoring your 6me. Understand where your organiza6on is on this spectrum and clearly understand the expecta6ons. Learn that if your employer expects you to be there at 8 a.m. and you come in at 7:59 a.m., run to the restroom, grab a coffee, put away your lunch and chat with your colleague about your night, before logging into your computer at 8:21 a.m., but then, at 3:59 p.m. you are the first one packed up to go, that this has bearings with your supervisor, your comple6on rate and most importantly, your colleagues. On the other hand, if you work in an environment, which allows you more freedom to schedule your day, breaks and mee6ngs, be sure to not take advantage of the situa6on. It is really easy to start taking longer lunches, or leaving early, but in the end, your work will catch up with you and your ac6ons will not go unno6ced by your work neighbours. Knowing and understanding things, such as 6me expecta6ons, are simple, but can go a long way as to how you are seen as an employee and colleague. Understanding that how your employer or supervisor sees you is just as important as how your colleagues see you. Your professional reputa6on is something which is difficult to rebuild if broken. Make sure that you are contribu6ng to your work environment in a posi6ve way and that you are not focusing on the nega6ve. This is not to say that you should not point out inefficiencies or areas for improvement, but it is important to recognize if you start loathing Monday mornings, or major chunks of your job; I would say this is a sign to start looking for something which beKer fits your expecta6ons.
Another thing, which may sneak up on you, is employment dissa6sfac6on. How you see your employment success can weigh heavily on your personal well-‐being and happiness (Haase, Heckhausen & Silbereisen, 2013). A recent study has shown that transi6ons into employment for individuals, which assume it will be seamless, but it ends up being cumbersome, inconsistent and disheartening, can increase workplace disengagement, while decreasing mo6va6on and overall contentment with one’s life (Haase, Heckhausen & Silbereisen, 2013). This, I feel, can be very real in today’s social media age. People is always uploading and pos6ng about all of their successes and some6mes it can feel that you are the only one not progressing; let go of these sorts of ideologies. It can be hard, but they can be more of a deterrent than a mo6va6on. Con6ngent on your loca6on, professional experience and educa6on, aKaining key jobs takes 6me and pa6ence. You have to learn to give yourself the room to grow and prove yourself before you get that golden 6cket. Also, as men6oned above with coming to work on 6me, understanding simple things about workplaces can have strong influence on how you are seen. Knowing your workplace structure, expecta6ons and poli6cs can prevent you from making simple or honest mistakes, which can damage your credibility or efforts. Lastly, there might be luck involved with gekng a prized job, but I would recommend focusing on hard work. Put in your dues, work hard, and challenge yourself daily. OMen in life, we focus on what others are not providing for us or giving to us, rather than focusing on what we can give to others, so that they naturally see our value. References: Haase, C.M., Heckhausen, J. & Silbereisen, R.K. (2012, November). The Interplay of Occupa6onal Mo6va6on and Well-‐Being during the Transi6on from University to Work. Developmental Psychology, 48(6), pp. 1739-‐1751. Retrieved from hKp://dx.doi.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1037/ a0026641
THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
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Spring Conference
OAKUDOS
Molly Raffan Coordinator, Living Learning Communities Queen’s University
For
me with the end of the academic year comes the promise of sunshine, a million excuses to get outside to do things, space to reflect on the year… and the OACUHO Spring Conference! The Spring Conference is always a fantas6c opportunity to re-‐connect with friends I made at NPTI (2010…eek), colleagues I’ve met at past Spring Conferences and to network with those well established in the field and those who are new. This year’s Spring Conference at Western certainly did not disappoint. From the food to the wellness ac6vi6es; the learning opportuni6es to the networking; and from the sledge hammer to the fascinators, I think it is safe to say that Western knocked it out of the park.
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Ivan Coyote was a fantas6c, engaging and thought-‐ provoking speaker whose perspec6ve sparked many discussions and reflec6ons that spanned over the course of the conference. Coming from the LLC perspec6ve where I’m always looking for new ideas to consider when programming for current or planning the development of new communi6es, Ivan’s keynote sparked some cri6cal thinking around challenging assump6ons and leaving space for important conversa6ons regarding inclusion. The expert speaker piece of the conference was a nice addi6on to the schedule and the concurrent sessions I aKended offered many different opportuni6es to gather new ideas and build on previous knowledge. Many of the sessions I chose to aKend were primarily focused on LLCs and I was able to gather some useful 6ps and ideas about curriculum development, assessment strategies, and data collec6on and sharing.
OACUHO SPRING CONFERENCE
Networking opportuni6es were endless, but I was par6cularly excited to connect with the LLC Knowledge Network Lunch on the Tuesday. It was awesome to put faces to names and have brainstorming conversa6ons around the table. I think from my experience at this year’s conference, the concurrent sessions that impacted me the most were done through the vein of story-‐telling. The stories told in the sessions were not framed that way in the descrip6ons, but I was delighqully surprised by the personal accounts and honesty of the perspec6ves shared. The first was Elsbeth Dodman’s story of the strength and resiliency it took for her to persist through her post-‐secondary degree with support from her mother Nancy and Dr. Sandra Fishman. Elsbeth confidently shared her story of earning a degree despite the challenges she faces with Au6sm through humour, brutal honesty and determina6on. Her remarkable story again made me cri6cally consider the assump6ons I make as a professional in a field where I have the privilege of working with many different students who, as Elsbeth said, “may not LOOK like they have extreme challenges, but do”. The second was the Indigenous Flipped Classroom. The simplis6c approach of a talking circle and explora6on of indigenous teachings through sharing, story-‐telling and the details about Waawaahte Indigenous Ini6a6ves at UTM was incredibly impacqul for me. I believe the process of learning is life-‐long and that experiencing learning by “doing” it is one of the most
effec6ve ways to retain, re-‐apply and share knowledge gained. Dr. Helfand’s closing keynote blew my mind. I grew up with parents who pushed me to think outside of the box and taught me that “stepping off of the edge of what I know” is where the coolest learning happens. As I gain more confidence as a life-‐long learner, I am realizing more and more how true that is. For me, Dr. Helfand echoed much of what I have been taught and what I strive to share with the students and student staff I work with. Throughout Dr. Helfand’s talk, I found myself madly typing away notes on my phone with ideas born from his keynote that I have started to work into programs and ac6vi6es for the LLCs at Queen’s this academic year. The learning opportuni6es and teaching approaches at Quest that Dr. Helfand shared were inspiring and I so wish that I had made more 6me to speak with him over the course of the conference. This year’s OACUHO Spring Conference was the sixth one I have been to and accep6ng that I am no longer a “twenty-‐something”, I wondered coming into it if the Conference would s6ll be a good fit for me. Thanks to the connec6ons I’ve made over the years as a member, the new connec6ons made, the wealth and variety of learning opportuni6es offered and the well thought out pace, experiences and events, I was extraordinarily pleased to find that it absolutely is a good fit for me and will be for many years to come! Thank you to Western for all of the hard work and dedica6on it took to plan such a well-‐run conference.
Ontario Hall, Western University
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OACUHO Spring Conference The Value of Personal Connections by Brie Sadler, Residence Life Manager, Fanshawe College I look forward to the Spring Conference every year; it’s a chance to (re)connect with colleagues from across the province and the country, and it’s an opportunity to learn so that we can do more for the students in our care. In the five conferences I’ve aKended in my six years as a Housing professional, I’ve never walked away from a conference session feeling that it wasn’t a valuable use of my 6me. While we don’t necessarily take each other for granted between August and April, I think that the Spring Conference is a good touchstone for reminding us of the talent that exists in the Canadian Housing field. So I want to take a moment to acknowledge everyone who has ever put the 6me and effort into presen6ng at an OACUHO func6on – thank you for sharing your knowledge and your exper6se with the rest of the Associa6on. This year’s conference was par6cularly meaningful for me; to be back at Western – back at home – was really wonderful. As an alumna who loved her 6me at Western and on Rez Staff, I appreciated the effort that the host commiKee put into showcasing campus culture with the evening ac6vi6es. I missed homecoming in September, and trivia at the Spoke more than made up for it! When it comes to the sessions I aKended, I was fortunate enough to get to learn in a variety of different ways. From lectures, to flipped classrooms, to workshops, to
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THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
panels, there was something there that catered to every learning style. When I think about the biggest thing I learn, though, it seems to be the same each year – I learn about available resources. Whether those resources are colleagues who are experts on sekng and achieving goals, or policy documents that other ins6tu6ons have made publicly available, or books on student development by authors I haven’t read yet, I always walk away with things to read and people to call if I’m working on a project and I need help. And as valuable as it is to learn in the moment, equally as valuable is the ongoing professional development that those resources offer on a long-‐term basis. I think that OACUHO func6ons like the Spring Conference, the Fall Business Mee6ng, and the Residence Life Conference all embody the core of what it means to be an associa6on – to connect with, and learn from, others. These func6ons help us put faces to listserv emails and make it easier to reach out to the group in between when we have ques6ons and want to “ask the audience.” This is why I find OACUHO conferences immeasurably valuable. While the topics we discuss are important and they help us stay on top of trends in the Housing field and develop best prac6ces, more than anything the conferences ensure that we stay connected in a more personal way that benefits all of us long-‐term.
OACUHO 2016 Highlights
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8
OACUHO Spring Conference: Hosting is Something Extraordinary Jennifer McLean
Assistant Director, Residence Life Western University
C
o-‐hos6ng the OACUHO Spring Conference was an “extraordinary” experience!
It began with an ini6al rush of exci6ng ideas while we sat in a room and brainstormed… “Have you ever heard of a long table dinner?”, said Chris Alleyne. I think that was our very first idea and I don’t think we ever thought we’d pull it off. Those ini6al planning stages were a lot of fun with great ideas flourishing. We sent our proposal into the OACUHO Board and we were awarded the 2016 conference. Then 6me went by and we suddenly realized that we were actually hos6ng a conference in less than a year! We borrowed from McMaster’s commiKee structure when they hosted in 2012 and this helped immensely to get us started (Thanks Mac!). We held an ini6al mee6ng and invited any Housing staff interested
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THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
in helping and we were overwhelmed by the response; everyone wanted to pitch in. We know we are fortunate to have such a big team of commiKed individuals from which to draw. We then began building the budget and reality set in! We would need to let go of some of our ideas – so maybe Chris Hadfield won’t be our keynote speaker. It was interes6ng to watch the budget change from red to black as we added things, let things go, and realized some plans would be more expensive than others. We were very fortunate to have the immense support from Peggy Wakabayashi, Director of Residences, and Susan Grindrod, Associate Vice-‐ President of Housing & Ancillary Services. Some6mes they would look at us with skep6cal faces but instead of saying, “No”, they simply said, “ Tell me more.” Our steering commiKee was given a wide breadth to dream big. The OACUHO Spring Conference simply would not have happened this year without the help and hard work of our departmental and campus partners -‐ Conference Services, Facili6es Management and, of course, Food Services.
HOSTING OACUHO SPRING CONFERENCE
Everyone was engaged and commiKed to showcasing our campus to our Housing colleagues across Ontario and other parts of Canada. We are grateful to those groups of people for helping us stay on track to provide an “extraordinary’ conference.
Some highlights for me were our two keynote speakers; Ivan Coyote and David Helfand (also our Faculty in Residence), the plenary sessions with expert speakers, the Pecha Kucha sessions, the long table dinner, and the banquet. . Thank you to all our Housing colleagues who submiKed proposals and to those who presented. We know it takes 6me to pull together a great conference session and we received posi6ve feedback on the content of the sessions. At 6mes planning the conference felt like a full-‐ 6me job and, in the month of May, indeed it
was! BUT, the experience of hos6ng a conference was well worth it. We had the opportunity to work with our colleagues in a different way and watch them use new and different skills to shine. It was a great teambuilding experience where together we saw this long term project come to frui6on culmina6ng and a fabulous sense of accomplishment. For those of you considering hos6ng a conference, I encourage you to go for it. You won’t regret it. On a personal note, I would like to thank every Western staff member who par6cipated in assis6ng with the conference, all our incredible student volunteers, our extremely dedicated Steering CommiKee and Chris Alleyne, the other Co-‐Chair, for his aKen6on to detail, great ideas, and for taking this project on with me. You are all extraordinary!
OACUHO Spring Conference Long Table Dinner
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My New Professionals’ Training Institute Experience Wes Forget
Residence Life Coordinator Queen’s University
When
students leave high school for post-‐secondary
educa6on, my guess is none of them are thinking of going into a career in housing. Students learn of housing careers when they become residence staff members which only leaves them three or four years to gather experience before applying to these roles. Experience is gained outside of the classroom from peer helping conversa6ons, being on-‐call and planning programs. If someone wants to pursue a career in housing they might find themselves as a Residence Manager or Residence Life Coordinator where they learn more about the day to day work associated with the role. NPTI (pronounced EN-‐ PEE-‐TEE-‐EYE) exists to create the founda6on for these new professionals to succeed in their roles. Before NPTI, I considered myself someone with a decent range of experiences who was competent when it came to the day-‐to-‐day work of a Coordinator, but student development theory and helping design residence-‐wide programs were things I was happy to shy away from. I also did not consider myself as someone who had even a
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THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
remote chance of making a career in housing, and, more broadly, higher educa6on. NPTI changed that. There were several sessions that I thought specifically built my confidence. Nic Weststrate’s session on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion was not a presenta6on but an experience culmina6ng in a case study involving a student inquiring about an all-‐gender residence space at your school, where none was to be found. It gave our cohort a very tangible example of something that faces housing and something we can work to improve as we con6nue in the field. Echoing this presenta6on (when it comes to ques6oning current prac6ce and barriers to advancement) was Lara Hof’s presenta6on on Community Management. To say that Lara shocked us into rethinking the way the world has itself “follow” and understand rules would be an understatement. Dave Shorey and Melinda ScoK’s presenta6ons on Development Theories and Learning Outcomes came together to provide a strong founda6on in designing and assessing programs.
University of Toronto
NEW PROFESSIONALS’ TRAINING INSTITUTE
These were two areas that I certainly had less knowledge of – in my daily work, I already find myself referring back to the notes I made to ensure projects have a purpose and are delivered in an effec6ve manner. Dave Shorey did an excellent job providing group exercises on recognizing levels of student development and consolida6ng what we had learned, all while taking us through a history of Student Development Theory. It is almost as if we were experiencing the theories themselves as we discussed the scenarios…. Melinda ScoK’s presenta6on was a natural follow up and had the cohort consider the role that housing officers play in learning outside of the classroom. She also had us experience wri6ng learning outcomes aMer offering a history on the discourse of student development at the post-‐secondary level. Another significant learning experience came in the form of the Capstone Project. We were given two hours to prepare a response to the issue of lacklustre interna6onal student awareness and support at a fic66ous ins6tu6on. AMer about an hour of preparing responses to the scenario, I may or may not have derailed our group in arguing that the real issue of the case was that the interna6onal student who was harmed was not even given a name in the case itself. We knew the names, interests and facul6es of the two residence
student staff members plus a slew of informa6on about the university layout itself but the interna6onal student remained faceless, indica6ng that perhaps the theme of the case had bled over into the case wri6ng itself. The fact that our group recognized this was proof that experien6al learning works. We were trained to no6ce it because of the hands-‐on nature of the sessions un6l that point. It was difficult but we were prepared for it so I believe an OAkudos is in order for the en6re faculty! I would like to give a final nod to both Greg Hum and Jen Gonzales for reminding us what it means to be human and having us think about ourselves in the midst of pursuing our careers and burying ourselves in work and theory. The conversa6onal and personal tone of their presenta6ons was well-‐received. Thank you to the host commiKee, the University of Toronto and its affiliates for offering wonderfully air condi6oned accommoda6ons and the perfect venue for a group of people to get to know each other. That area of Toronto had so much to offer and the group bonded quickly thanks to a wide-‐range of socials. It would be remiss of me to not men6on Brian, Elizabeth and Coco by name for the amount of work they put in to keep the ins6tute running smoothly despite food and ver6cal transporta6on troubles – shout out to The Elevator Eleven #seKhemfree.
Queen’s University NPTI Delegation
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Continuing to Learn at NPTI
J
Lindsay Tayler Residence Life Area Coordinator Wilfrid Laurier University
une 26th, 2016 was a date I had been looking forward to all summer. Since beginning at Laurier as a professional in May 2014 I had heard about the New Professional Training Ins6tute. With many of my colleagues having aKended in the past, they all shared their passion for the conference. When describing NPTI, many past aKendees can’t quite give you their favourite part, the session they learned the most in, or what exactly made the week one of the best professional development opportuni6es of their career. And so, spoiler alert, I too cannot pin point one exact session, moment or interac6on that I can describe as the best part of NPTI. Reflec6ng on my four days of learning, I find myself unable to rank one session or social over another, and therefore will share a few of my key highlights.
Arriving at the conference I was excited and nervous to begin a week of learning with the “NPTI class of 2016”. However, aMer an outstanding opening keynote from former NPTI par6cipant, Adam Kuhn, we were set to start our week. Adam shared how to make the most of NPTI, and help us to understand that those we meet will be our colleagues and confidants for years to come. Over the course of the week, our cohort of 50 New Professionals (the largest cohort yet!) spent 6me throughout the day learning from leaders in the field. Discussing such topics as trends in housing, student development theories and coaching and supervision helped our class to understand where our field is headed and how our ins6tu6ons navigate various policies and procedures. Each session culminated at the end of the week with a capstone project that allowed us to put our knowledge to the test.
NPTI Class of 2016
NEW PROFESSIONALS’ TRAINING INSTITUTE
This was a highlight of the week for me, as each group presented their solu6on, it was clear that amongst our gradua6ng class we all have a diverse set of skills and crea6ve ideas to combat trending problems in the field. On top of all of the learning, the socials, including a tall ship ride on the Toronto Harbour, board game café night and drag show were the perfect end to each night. It’s fair to say that most of the stories and laughs, were “you had to be there moments” but each experience was perfectly planned by the NPTI host commiKee and helped to make NPTI 2016, unforgeKable.
Overall, June 26-‐30, 2016 has been marked as one of my best conference and professional development experiences to date. Between the knowledge that was gained and connec6ons that were made, it has set me up to be successful as a new professional in the student affairs, and residence life field. I am proud to say that I am a graduate of the NPTI class of 2016, and look forward to the next 6me I get to celebrate with my fellow graduates!
Wilfrid Laurier University NPTI Delegation
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NPTI EXPERIENCE
NPTI: My Experience I was fortunate enough to have been able to aKend the New Professionals Training Ins6tute (NPTI) held in June at the University of Toronto and it was posi6vely one of the greatest experiences I have had thus far as a new professional. As someone who is new to the professional side of housing aMer making the switch from working at the federal government I was very excited to be able to meet over 50 new and accomplished professionals all over Ontario and Bri6sh Columbia, all of whom had unique experiences and insighqul lessons that I could learn from and share my experiences with. NPTI taught me various lessons, both tangible and intangible, that will be very useful in my career going forward. Part of the curriculum that stood out in par6cular for myself were the sessions surrounding assessment, housing trends, media6on, community management, student conduct, ACUHO-‐I professional ethics, teaching and learning theory, diversity, student development, building your personal mission statement and the coaching styles. These sessions were led by professionals from various ins6tu6ons who were very passionate and experienced in the topics they spoke about. While very few of the topics were not new to me as I had spent 6me as a student staff member at the University of OKawa, I found it interes6ng hearing about them in a professional capacity because of the new perspec6ves that were thought provoking. Being presented these topics within the framework of being a new professional alongside some of the discussions and prac6cal illustra6ons of how they can be applied was a unique experience that has already been, and I hope con6nues to be very useful in my professional life. The career coaching sessions provided was a fantas6c addi6on to NPTI. Having 6me to talk with and soundboard ideas off an established professional was very helpful in aiding as I begin to map out my career goals. It was also helpful to discuss where the field was going and what educa6onal goals would be helpful in assis6ng me to reach my goals. Alongside the career coaching was the closing panel that allowed the class of 2016 to listen into the journeys of both challenges and successes that other professionals in the field
Jamie Lafrance Residence Life Coordinator Cambrian College
experienced in their earlier years. Having had a panel of professionals who discussed the ups and downs of being a new professional was useful as it allowed myself and others to begin to an6cipate challenges and be proac6vely sekng ourselves up for future successes. A fantas6c part of NPTI that makes this a must aKend event for anyone in the field is the rela6onships and bonds built with the other aKendees. The social events were great at building connec6ons, from being on a pirate themed ship on Lake Ontario with over 40 strangers on the first night, to being trapped in an elevator with other “glowing” (i.e. sweaty and s6cky) professionals for two hours, culmina6ng with a drag show at Crews and Tangos and a closing banquet at the Drake Hotel. The case study was also a great part of the ins6tute that 6ed up the whole ins6tute as it was instrumental in cemen6ng some of the connec6ons forged over the weekend as we worked collec6vely to 6e together the various things we learned. Those strangers on the first night are now friends and colleagues who made NPTI a unique experience in their own way, as well as professionals that have a network to share ideas and resources with. I am very grateful to have aKended NPTI for one final reason, the ability to draw from and learn from many other professionals in similar roles to myself. Having been a student staff member who transi6oned into the professional side I found it extremely enlightening to learn from other aKendees who took a different path both in and outside of student affairs as they presented new and innova6ve talking points to things that broadened and challenged my thinking. It was also relieving to meet other people who have taken similar paths, as it was easier to connect over shared experiences and forge meaningful connec6ons. Being a part of the NPTI Class of 2016 is a professional experience I will forever hold in high regard and I will encourage future new professionals to be a part of the next rendi6on of the ins6tute when it becomes available to them.
New Professionals’ Training Institute: Career Coaching Meg McNeil
Manager, Lakeshore Residence Humber College
When
I was asked by the NPTI co-‐chairs to be a career coach at this year’s conference, I was both surprised and excited. In true millennial style, I spend a lot of 6me reflec6ng on my career thus far and where it will take me next. Given that I am always wondering about my own career, I didn’t feel incredibly confident being a career coach to a group of new professionals. However, the experience was extremely reflec6ve for me. By sharing some of the best advice I had received from great mentors in my own life, I was reminded of the valuable lessons I have been taught. I spoke with a range of new professionals working in housing and residence life at universi6es and colleges in both privately and ins6tu6onally run residence buildings. Overall, the ques6ons and concerns I heard from my mentees were very similar to those I had as a new professional. A common theme amongst the new professionals I spoke with was a desire to take
on more responsibility and gain skills outside of the scope of their role. They all expressed a desire to gain experience that will ul6mately prepare them for a role as a manager in the future, but each shared that it was difficult to do so in roles that are oMen very directed and specific in their scope. I reminded them that it is important to discuss topics like these with their current manager and that it is valuable to look outside of the office, for things such as volunteer opportuni6es, to get alterna6ve experience. Each of the conversa6ons I had at NPTI was a reminder to me as a professional that reflec6on on your career is important and necessary for con6nuous growth. As a manager, it reminded me that conversa6ons like these are valuable to have with our staff on a regular basis. Many of us, no maKer the level of exper6se, can benefit from both giving and receiving advice for moving forward within our career paths.
Graduate House, University of Toronto
THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
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ACUHO-I: Internship Program Hilary Jandricic Residence Manager Carleton University
This year I had the privilege of aKending the Annual Conference Exposi6on organized by ACUHO-‐I as the recipient of the New Professional Scholarship. It was an incredible opportunity filled with knowledge sharing, new rela6onships and a truly global experience. In addi6on to the conference I par6cipated in the pre-‐conference Study Tour organized through the University of Washington. Professionals from around the world par6cipated in a five-‐day experien6al learning excursion throughout the city of SeaKle. While at the conference some of the presenta6ons that I enjoyed included, integra6ng curriculum into RLS training, non-‐suicidal self-‐injury, crisis management, maKering and community size, improving services for unique popula6ons and assessment prac6ces. Outside of the formal learning experience here are some of my other takeaways:
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Embrace the overwhelmingness – Before I leM for SeaKle I connected with colleagues who had aKended ACUHO-‐I previously and asked what advice they would give to a first 6me aKendee. They all said the same thing; it’s extremely overwhelming, but embrace it! When I walked into the opening recep6on I knew exactly what they were talking about. Over 1400 delegates
from around the world and all were sikng in one room. Embracing the experience was challenging at first but aMer connec6ng with some conference buddies and finding people with similar interests it became normal and exci6ng! Definitely some advice I plan on taking with me to future conferences.
What else are you passionate about? – I absolutely love student conduct, but I know that there is more to our jobs than just conduct. Someone gave me some very smart advice to help fill in the gaps; find something you are passionate about, other than conduct, and learn all that there is to learn about it. I took this as an opportunity to seek out and learn about fascina6ng things while at ACUHO-‐I. Three of the biggest trends I no6ced were assessment, assessment and assessment. Ins6tu6ons are working towards crea6ng a culture of assessment within residence and taking 6me to incorporate assessment prac6ces in their student programming and residence educa6on models. Great books and research are coming down the pipe so stay tuned!
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Seattle, Washington
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THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
We all put students first – I learned a lot about how ins6tu6ons from around the world func6on. In Scotland 9,000 beds are spread out across the city, In New Zealand their RLC apartments are equipped with alarms that sound when fire alarms or fire exits are set off in their buildings, and in Texas RAs are legally allowed to carry guns while doing rounds. We all have challenges that are unique to our country, province/state and to our ins6tu6on but no maKer where we come from or where we work, we are all here for the right reason which is to priori6ze the needs of our students.
If you are a new professional and are interested in aKending an interna6onal conference I would highly recommend applying for the ACUHO-‐I New Professional Scholarship. The interna6onal knowledge and excep6onal presenta6ons are sure to give you something to bring back to your ins6tu6on to share with colleagues.
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Seattle, Washington
THE OACUHO PULSE JULY EDITION
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Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers 312 Oakwood Crt, Newmarket Ontario, L3Y 3C8 
 Telephone: 905-954-0102 Fax: 905-895-1630