THE PULSE THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING OFFICERS
MAY 2019
Board of Directors PRESIDENT
CONFERENCE DIRECTOR
Ian Crookshank
Kristin Lennan
Ryerson University ian.crookshank@ryerson.ca
University of Guelph lennank@uoguelph.ca
PRESIDENT-ELECT / FINANCE DIRECTOR
CORPORATE PARTNER RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Valerie Bruce
Shaun McCracken
Ryerson University vbruce@ryerson.ca
Trent University shaunmccracken@trentu.ca
PAST PRESIDENT
ADVANCED-LEVEL MEMBER AT LARGE
Amanda Ziegler Brock University aziegler@brocku.ca
Melissa McNown-Smith
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR
MEMBER AT LARGE
Lauren Gouchie
Humber College tuba.chishti@humber.ca
University of Ottawa lgouchie@uottawa.ca
University of Waterloo melissa.mcnown-smith@uwaterloo.ca
Tuba Chishti
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
MEMBER AT LARGE
Stewart Grunwell
University of Guelph bingolds@uoguelph.ca
Queen's University stewart.grunwell@queensu.ca
Brian Ingoldsby
MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
ASSOCIATION MANAGER
Lauren Silvestro-Arbuthnot
OACUHO info@oacuho.com
Western University lsilvest@housing.uwo.ca
Carol Ford
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Ian Crookshank
Hi OACUHO, I had planned this likely last message from the President to be a bit of a message of celebration and wrap up but admittedly, I am struggling with that. A few short weeks ago, we, OACUHO and Canadian Student Affairs Professionals, lost a dear friend, colleague and leader, when Leanne Holland Brown was struck by a car while walking near campus at Wilfrid Laurier University. Leanne served most recently as Dean of Students at WLU, but got her start in Student Affairs in Residence Life. I had the good fortune to work with Leanne at Wilfrid Laurier as a Residence Don where she played an integral role in both the Housing professional and man that I have become. During that time and for the last 16 years, Leanne found the perfect balance between motivation and support, encouragement and challenge. However, beyond our professional connection, she also found a way to connect with the person that I was, showed me kindness and care, and offered sage advice when needed. Over the past few weeks, I have reflected on this tragic situation and thought about what made Leanne so special. Two things (among many) come to mind that bear mentioning. One, Leanne had a way of making each and every relationship reciprocal. Regardless of position, nature of the relationship or context, if you were chatting with Leanne she was there with you and would intentionally let you know that you mattered. Second, was the level of care and kindness with which Leanne approached life and work. In both of these ways, Leanne created a sense of equity and value for each person she met and interacted with, and in that way, she had an impact far beyond her campus and her role. So, as my term comes to a close and we approach our Annual General Meeting and Spring Conference, I think it is important that we take a moment to acknowledge that many members of our OACUHO family are hurting. For me, as I struggle with my own grief, my thoughts are with our colleagues at Laurier, my peers around the country/province, and most importantly with those who loved Leanne as friend, family member, wife, and mother. As I look forward to what’s next, I am committing to being present, to authentically connect with others and to be kind every moment of every day. Thank you, Ian Crookshank OACUHO President Dean of Students, Humber College THE OACUHO PULSE
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UTM Abroad: Learning & Traveling with Students By: Amanda Luongo, Community Development Coordinator, UTM Jenna Menzies, Community Development Coordinator, UTM Jenna Menzies, UTM
Over the February Reading Week, we had the opportunity to accompany faculty and students on two separate UTM Abroad travel experiences. UTM Abroad offers course-based travel opportunities that are relevant to the course theme and are organized through the International Education Centre on our campus. Our trips were focused on the themes of Health Care in Development in Peru (BIO210), and Religion and Death in Hong Kong (RLG415). Amanda Luongo, UTM After a multi-stage staff selection process, we were each given the opportunity to accompany a wonderful and engaging faculty member, Sanja in Peru & Ken in Hong Kong, and their students. The faculty member’s role is to ensure that connections to course material are effectively embedded throughout the trip for the small groups of student participants. As the supporting staff member, our role was primarily to support logistics and ensure students’ safety and comfort while also helping them process this unique learning opportunity. In addition, we were there to navigate group travel and interpersonal dynamics (expectations, feelings, differing levels of travel experience) within a diverse group of student participants.
Student Housing Professionals are uniquely situated to take on this support role and take advantage of these types of opportunities because of the wide range of student support we engage in on a regular basis in our roles. As an organization, OACUHO promotes ongoing professional learning and development. Travelling abroad with students is a unique way to rethink PD by learning alongside students in a new environment. We’d like to share some of our standout experiences pushing our comfort zones and learning with students during UTM Abroad: In Peru, it was humbling to be challenged physically alongside students on two full-day hikes through the Amazon that left us all exhausted. Through (not-too-serious) injuries, bug bites, some shaky confidence and lots of altitude, we helped motivate each other and learned so much along the way. We visited a rehabilitation centre for substance abuse where we were taught about their use of traditional medicines. Naturally, being UofT biology students, the group had lots of questions to ask about enzyme reactions, neurotransmitter receptors and other very scientific things.
"Our full group, including students, faculty, and our travel guides at a local clinic visit in San Roque de Cumbaza, Peru. Three of the clinic's doctors are also pictured."
However, their interest shifted to confusion when they were met with answers about spiritual health, ancestral knowledge and other ways of knowing beyond the scientific method. Debriefing this experience with students, helping them make meaning of it while at the same time working through my own assumptions was an experience I’m very grateful to have shared with them. Hong Kong was such a unique opportunity to navigate a completely new environment without local guides where the language and culture are very different than most students had experienced. Some of the most authentic conversations had during this trip was processing with students their own thoughts and assumptions and how to bring learnings back to their communities at UTM. For example, we spent a day at the absolutely stunning Tsz Shan Monastery, where we had the privilege to meet with a Venerable Master (a traditional Buddhist Monk) who took the time to share teachings with us and challenged the students to think outside of their textbook understandings of Buddhism. He shared his perspectives of what it means to generate a sense of wellness and kindness with the world around us. Intercultural learning is such a dynamic and important topic that it was such a rewarding opportunity to be able to do that alongside students.
"Our full group on the grounds of the Tsz Shan Monastery. The Guan Yin Statue is also captured in this photo, it is 76 meters in height and is the second highest in the world."
In addition to these experiences, we also built strong connections with our faculty in which we gained a shared level of respect for one another’s roles, and learned how we can use our strengths in tandem to work towards a positive student experience. It reminded us that creating similar partnerships on campus should not be difficult, and of their value and the natural complements between faculty and student affairs roles. As professionals working in our positions for many years now, it can be tempting to make assumptions about how things work based on past experiences or to take some things for granted. These experiences serve as a reminder that there is always more to learn and to encourage us all to apply a level of curiosity even in the sometimes-familiar tasks that we do every day. Both of us walked away with a renewed curiosity and are reenergized in our work with students. We really valued the opportunity to learn alongside students in this way and it made us consider how we can do this more frequently in our regular work and view our role as joining students in their learning rather than providing learning opportunities for them. We would like to encourage everyone to adopt this approach by learning from and with students equally as often as we learn about them or about what might best support them. Our students are challenged every day and we feel it is important that we are too. And if an opportunity like this is available on your campus, take it if you can!
THE OACUHO PULSE
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Themes in Advanced-Level Member Engagement By: Melissa McNown-Smith, University of Waterloo As the advanced level Member-At-Large on the OACUHO Board, my role is to represent the needs and interests of advanced-level members while also providing support to other Board members and association needs. Over this year one of my objectives was to speak with advanced-level members to understand how they engage with OACUHO, barriers to engagement, and how OACUHO could better facilitate their participation. I had the privilege of chatting with several advanced-level members on the phone and in person. Through these conversations, the following themes emerged: • Advanced-level members would like more opportunities to engage with each other throughout the year, especially between the Fall Business Meeting and Spring conference. • One barrier to engagement is advanced-level members may have children, which can limit ability to go to conferences, drive-ins, etc. Webinars and conference calls can mitigate this. • There is interest in filling the Research Writer position again or using those funds to support research that would benefit the association (e.g. research and development of a student staff competency model). • The issue of knowing whom in the association has what information was cited several times. Ideas for addressing this issue included: • The possibility of separating the Communications Director position into two roles – one dedicated to the Pulse and social media, one librarian/information officer type role dedicated to website management and document collection/sharing. • Using the OACUHO web site to create a directory of current focus for individuals and topics they have experience in (e.g. student staff unionization) • Ongoing challenge of knowing who is advanced-level (broad span between new professional and SHO). • Recognition that lack of diversity in our profession needs should be further addressed. It is positive that the Board and OACUHO overall recognizes this but would like to see more introspection around diversity (not only racial, etc. but how do we reach out to more groups
• Consider bringing PD opportunities that are usually only held in United States to Canada, such as when the Curriculum Institute was offered before the Spring 2016 OACUHO Conference. One idea put forward was hosting a drive-in version of the Academic Initiatives Conference and bringing in an expert speaker from the United States. Although I spoke to advanced-level members, I suspect that many of these themes would come up in conversations with individuals at every membership level. Time, money, and other resources are scarce. All of us are kept busy creating great environments for students to live and grown in. Topics such as diversity, information management, and research possibilities are complex subjects that impact not only our engagement with OACUHO but also our day-to-day work. I’m sharing these themes in the Pulse because it will take more discussion and input from a variety of members to better understand overall membership engagement with OACUHO. Initiatives we saw this year, such as the Facebook Live events and the Operations Drive-In, demonstrate that our association is willing to try new things in order to engage more members. OACUHO’s current strategic plan is Vision 2020, which means the process of collecting information for the next strategic plan will begin soon. If the themes here resonate with you, I encourage you to think about them further and share your thoughts when asked for input into the next OACUHO strategic plan.
THE OACUHO PULSE
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Thriving in an Ever-Changing Housing Department as a Senior Student-Staff By: William Logan, Fleming College, with support from Tammy Douglas, Fleming College How many supervisors have you had in the past 12 months? In the two positions I have held, I have had seven supervisors ranging from a Residence Life Coordinator, two Residence Life Managers, a General Manager, a Director, and two Residence Community Development Supervisors. Phew! Flashback to the beginning of my journey in Residence Life as a student staff at Trent University’s Housing department. Over the course of my time there, we went through a fairly major restructuring process. The staff did an excellent job of managing the changes and our teams felt little of the impacts and the process went quite smoothly. As a Senior Resident Assistant with Fleming College’s Housing department, I have been part of another year of significant staff turnover. The year of seven supervisors! It has been unique to be a part of the senior student team during this period. Our job as SRAs is to act as the liaison between our residents, our team of Resident Assistants, and the Residence Management team. Our SRAs are the quarterbacks of the team, receiving the message form Management and tossing it our team for dissemination. (I have no idea if I used that analogy correctly- I’m not a sports person but I gave it a shot!) With great support from our team of leaders, we have been a driving force in supporting the smooth turnover process and it’s been an awesome opportunity to learn more as a Residence Lifer! My challenge to departments managing turnover, whether that be one staff member of several, is to focus on and build the positive and teachable moments of the experience. Here are some key pieces of advice I have form the sometimes unspoken for student staff perspective: 1. Leverage Your Senior Student Staff Your Senior student staff are still with you because they have a certain level of investment and faith in the department. We all know how stressful Residence Life can be, so those that return to advance into Senior positions with the goal of continuing to develop, have your back if you have theirs! Give them leadership roles in helping your wider team get on board with the challenges of change and you will have a leg up immediately! I’m lucky to work in a department where my Managers have been invested in my development and support but the unfortunate reality is that disillusionment with management can sometimes be inevitable on a large team where changes are taking place. If you can get your seniors on board, they can use their peer-to-peer influence to present the positives of your department’s transition period!
2. Involve Your Student Staff in the Recruitment Process One of my best memories in Residence Life is from when I was an Occupancy Management Assistant at Trent University. I was afforded the opportunity to provide 1-hour lunch interview and hour residence tour with a co-worker to our incoming Manager candidates and provide feedback. Losing a Manager, especially one you loved working with, and then awaiting their replacement can be nerve-wracking. Trust in the opinions of your student staff and involve them in your processes to increase buy-in. 3. Provide Training on Leadership Styles One of the greatest challenges I have personally faced in my year of seven supervisors has been adapting to constantly changing leadership and supervision styles. Some of my supervisors have been direct and honest with feedback and some have utilized the sandwich model. Some have taken a hands-on approach to monitoring our work and some have utilized structured check-ins to track progress and address concerns. I have a preferred style for how I manage my team of RAs and for how I like to be managed- as do we all. Each of my supervisors have brought their own unique strengths and approaches to management. Training in areas such as True Colours, and management styles can support your staff in being resilient to the changes in this crucial dynamic by allowing them to understand how their style could interact with their new manager’s. Armed with this understanding, your staff will be better prepared to negotiate new working dynamics. Some other random pieces of advice: communicate updates about hiring processes frequently and accurately with the information you are able to share, acknowledge dissention and promote professional discussion about concerns between student staff and management, and maintain a positive outlook yourself! Thank you to the amazing staff at Fleming College for the great year and all the learning experiences and support in this fruitful and educational year! Best of luck to all the departments managing turnover- your new department will be complete again soon!
THE OACUHO PULSE
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My First Year in Residence Name: Julie West Role: Manager, Research and Special Projects, University of Guelph
About the Photo: My first year in residence was at the University of Windsor in 1976. I remember that I arrived early (before most people came in). I remember making a few friends of other early arrivals as we wandered the campus to figure out where classes were and how we could manage our way around. I was awakened several times by people in the hallway of my residence asking each other about having a cup of coffee. They were dismayed days later to find out they had woken me up each night. It turned out to be the Hall Council who was there planning and preparing for Orientation. My first year was made up of all sorts of learning – how to take notes in a lecture, how to write an exam, how to manage my time (or not), how to negotiate relationships (especially since I had a roommate for the first time). My first year brought me the confidence to branch out and try new things – I ran for Hall Council (and lost), but was appointed just before Orientation due to the President resigning. I thought at the time I was going to be a teacher. That was my plan all through high school. After I received a degree from Windsor, I transferred to University of Ottawa - and changed my major. I began to study the development of late adolescence and realized that that was where my passion lay. I returned to Windsor, and continued my study of early adulthood and eventually became a member of Residence Life. My first full-time job was at Sault College where I decided that I would make a career out of residence living. I continued to study through my Master’s degree and applied everything I was learning to my work. Eventually I came to U of G. And the rest as they say is ‘history’.
What is OACUHO Reading? Is Everyone Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education Review by: Taylor MacPherson, Western University Is Everyone Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education, by renowned Social Justice Educators Robin DiAngelo and Ozlem Sensoy is a frank, critical, and accessible piece of literature for anyone looking to study social justice theory. What I really like about this book is that it serves as an introduction to social justice education and provides tools for developing “critical social justice literacy”, but the authors are careful to avoid too much jargon or theory and often focus on practical applications. This book is by no means the end all and be all for social justice, and much of it may not be a surprise or new information, but it provides answers to the common challenges we experience when doing this kind of work. I constantly found myself sending photos of the aptly named “STOP” footnotes sprinkled throughout the book to colleagues, as they offer succinct answers to the big questions and I was so impressed by how the authors talk about social justice in such an accessible way. I often find the biggest problem colleagues and I have is how to have these conversations without alienating the very students we are trying to reach with language that is inaccessible for them, and this book has a complete chapter on responses to commonly held beliefs/assumptions. Verdict: This book is not going to introduce you to a lot of new information if you’re familiar with social justice theory, but it offers many options for speaking with with students about privilege and oppression in a way that gets to the root of the problem instead of being bogged down by academic language. 4/5
2019 Spring Conference Don't forget! The 2019 OACUHO Spring Conference is being held from Wednesday, June 19 to Friday, June 21 at Ryerson University. Rise Up is a call to action to continually be elevating the calibre of work within the housing profession. Across a variety of functional areas, delegates will be exposed to learning experiences that will leave them with new ideas, new relationships, and new ways of thinking. Leaving OACUHO 2019, delegates will be inspired to think about the ways that they can Rise Up and take their work to a new level. Single-day registration and full conference registration (with and without accommodations) is available on the OACUHO website. THE OACUHO PULSE
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