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MISSION OF THE UMR-ACUHO MAGAZINE The Communications Committee provides the UMR-ACUHO membership with an opportunity for information-sharing, professional dialogue, and a forum for ideas to increase knowledge, wisdom, and excellence in our field.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chair Note Student activism has become part of the college and university landscape. It has become commonplace for
Adam Neveau
Peru State College Committee Chair
Benjamin Markl
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Sarah Weiler
Carleton College
to become even more involved with these causes, lead-
Phil Neuman
Minnesota State University, Mankato
ing to new challenges for each institution to navigate.
Dillon Pearson
University of Nebraksa - Lincoln
This issue’s theme, “Debate and Discourse: Voices
Matt Diischer
South Dakota State University
Across Campus,” is intended to solicit examples of how
Kristi Preston
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
our institutions are navigating these challenges. We have
new causes and initiatives to emerge quickly and for students to band together in support or opposition. The 2016 presidential election has encouraged our students
Katie LaSota Jackson St. Cloud State University
been excited to read submissions about how campuses
Pamela Lisowe
University of Iowa
have helped to support student learning through these
Barbara Braga
Kansas State University
Steven Steinman
Northwest Missouri State University
This theme evolved from conversations that the Commu-
Bre Sinner
North Dakota State University
nications Committee had at Winter Meetings in January.
Terrance Davis
Wayne State College
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Articles should be limited to approximately 1500 words long (may be edited for length or content) and include a separate head shot of the author(s). Articles should be sent preferably through e-mail (in Microsoft Word format). If there are particular fonts or graphics that you would prefer, please include them with your submission. To receive feedback on your article, please be sure to submit 15 days prior to the deadline. Please send articles via e-mail to: aneveau@peru.edu.
experiences.
I have the pleasure of serving in my second year as chair of this committee. This year’s group of members is very talented and a lot of fun. We are very excited to continue to produce quality issues of Perspectives for our members. Our next issue’s theme ties into our annual conference; “Living and Learning Together.” Submissions are due July 1st. Please consider writing an article around this theme or for any of our sections of the magazine. If you are interested in writing and have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact myself or any of our committee members. Thank you for your continued involvement in UMR-
UMR-ACUHO NON-DISCRIMINATION CLAUSE UMR-ACUHO promotes and provides an environment of full opportunity and service for all persons regardless of ethnicity, creed/ religion, age, gender, disability, sexual/affectional orientation, or any human circumstance. The Association will not arbitrarily discriminate in its programs, procedures, or activities. COVER DESIGN & MAGAZINE LAYOUT Able Printing Company 623 N Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502
ACUHO and your interest in the magazine. On behalf of the Communications Committee, we hope you have a great summer!
Adam Neveau Chair, UMR-ACUHO Communications Committee Director of Residence Life Peru State College aneveau@peru.edu Inside UMR
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The 2016 UMR-ACUHO Executive Committee President
Aaron Macke Associate Dean of Students Director of Residence Life University of St. Thomas (651) 962-6470 ammacke@stthomas.edu
UMR-ACUHO Summer 2016, Vol. 52, No. 2
Vice President/President Elect
Tracy Gerth Assistant Director for Residence Life Programs Marquette University (414) 397-0183 Tracy.Gerth@marquette.edu
Inside UMR
Immediate Past President
Make it AIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Secretary
UMR Personal Side
Christina Hurtado Area Coordinator for Student Development Kansas State University (785) 532-2233 cmhurtad@k-state.edu Linda Varvel Residence Education Coordinator University of Iowa (319) 335-2976 Linda-varvel@uiowa.edu
Treasurer
Nicholas F. Rafanello Director of Residence Life University of Northern Iowa (319) 273-2333 nicholas.rafanello@uni.edu
Corporate Sponsorships Coordinator Brian Faust Director of Residential Living University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (715) 346-3511 bfaust@uwsp.edu
Inclusion and Equity Coordinator Coree Burton Residence Life Coordinator University of Northern Iowa (319) 273-2080 coree.burton@uni.edu
President's Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Doctor Who, Romeo and Juliet, and Compassion at Work . . . . . . . . . . . 8 You Can Go Home Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Seeing Through the Residential Looking Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 It’s More Than a High Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 When Grief Strikes, It May Strike Hard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
UMR Student Side Training First-Year RAs to Think Like Third-Year RAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 “Defining Your Role.” The Conflict between Student Leader and Student Activist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
State Membership Coordinator Beth Miller Assistant Director of Residence Life University of Central Missouri (660) 543-8121 bsmiller@ucmo.edu
UMR Perspectives
State Membership Coordinator
An Executive Board Divided: Generation Z and the Iowa Caucus . . . . . 22
Abby Sylvia Assistant Director of Residence Life University of Wisconsin – OshKosh (920)-424-3212 sylvia@uwosh.edu
Technology and Sustainability Coordinator
Greg Thompson Assistant Director of Residence Education University of Iowa (319) 335-3700 gregory-r-thompson@uiowa.edu
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Inside UMR
Campus Expression Protections and Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Opening Lines of Communication: A Year Long Journey of Racial Caucus Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 First #CriptheVote, and then #CripCollege? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Vonversations: A Dialogue with UMR Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
President’s Corner By Aaron Macke, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, University of St. Thomas
W
elcome, UMR-ACUHO colleagues, to the Summer edition of Perspectives. Thank you to our Communications Committee for selecting
such an important and timely theme for this magazine, “Debate and Discourse: Voices Across Campus.” A special appreciation to all those who contributed to this issue with articles, editing, and support. The climate of our nation, our campuses, and likely our personal relationships is demanding that we engage with this theme, especially regarding impactful topics like racism, activism, politics, and social justice. Your UMR Leadership Team and the 100+ members serving on our ten committees value the voices across UMR. Together, we have been hard at work providing professional development opportunities and experiences for dialogue across our region. We appreciate your engagement with the organization and ask you to please share feedback and ideas on ways to improve our discourse.
where we value the sharing of ideas, knowledge, practices, and policies, and where we support one another in our professional development. We help prepare and develop each other because we know how important our work is. When we are at our best, the students we serve benefit. As we examine the discourse our students are involved in – in the classroom, around campus, and in the larger community – we are reminded of our important role in these conversations. We are reminded of our role in bringing diverse students together to engage in dialogue and, at times, debate, about meaningful topics. We are reminded of our role in encouraging and inspiring the students to act upon their learning, their convictions, and the missions of our schools. And we are reminded of our role in helping them assess their actions and continue the cycle of learning and acting. On behalf of the Leadership Team, we wish all of you the best this spring as we engage each other and our students in discourse across campus to support the inclusion of all voices on our campuses.
This June, the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be host to our summer planning meetings, and an opportunity for us to discuss your ideas. We are so grateful for the diversity of voices, perspectives and talents that we have within our region. The theme of our annual conference this fall is “Living and Learning Together.” This theme helps guide our work over the year and reminds us of the importance of
Aaron Macke Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life, University of St. Thomas (651) 962-6470 ammacke@stthomas.edu
coming together. It is a benefit to work in a profession
Inside UMR
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Make It AIM By Liz Hanley, Hall Director, North Dakota State University
O
ne of the most common concerns professionals share with the Assessment and Information Management (AIM) committee is “Assessment is daunting. I don’t know how to implement it in my work, but I know it is important.” If this is your mindset too, don’t feel alone. The best thing you can remember is to “make it AIM”- Assessment Is Manageable, Meaningful, and Multi-dimensional.
Assessment Is Manageable Don’t let assessment be daunting and overpowering; it is possible to seamlessly include it in your dayto-day work. Assessment shouldn’t be big and scary, but implemented simply into our everyday work. It can be used as a check-in point with our staff, a reflection moment with a student during a conduct meeting, or a bonding moment for our student staff team. Don’t let assessment be daunting and overpowering, find a way to help it fit seamlessly into your work. Many of us are already implementing assessment strategies in what we do, we just need to track it and find the connections across time. When in a conduct meeting with a student, ask them to summarize what you just shared about policies and why they are important. Then dig deeper by asking why the policy applies to them or presenting a misconception, and see if they agree. Talk about it more, have a discussion, and then have them reflect back on how it fits with them. Take note on what the student’s mindset is in that meeting. If it is similar across other meetings with other students, is this a topic to teach students about in a different way? Is there value in reaching out with different educational strategies? Are student staff having similar conversations with students? Begin to make connections within the work we are already doing in order to improve. Be mindful of what is happening around you, and keep track of it. 6
Inside UMR
Assessment Is Meaningful The purpose of assessment is not to research and develop new innovative ideas, it is to evaluate what students are learning and to see if what you are doing is working how you intended. Not only can a survey serve as assessment, but it can also be a reflecting point for your audience that deepens their knowledge and investment in the topic. Think about it this way: you could send out a quick survey to your staff after a training session to get an idea of what they took away or still have questions about, or you could give each of them three post-it notes and have them write on one of them what are three things they learned, on the second write two things they want to know more about, and on the third write one question they may have. Have them post them on the wall by category (take-away, want to know, question), then take the next 10 minutes and have everyone in the room walk around and read the post-its. Staff will start talking with each other and answer the questions on the post-it notes or reflect back on how “that was such an awesome point so-and-so brought up”. Not only does that get them thinking deeper, but also it connects them as a staff. Make assessment interactive! Another great assessment strategy is to utilize the four corners of a room. Designate the four corners of a room to mean things such as “strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree” for the different topics you’re discussing. From there, ask questions and have staff pick corners of the room that align with their thoughts. Then discuss. It is entirely led by staff, but you can take away so much on what they have learned, and deeper learning often happens in that moment as they are discussing and digging deeper into the topic.
Assessment Is Multi-dimensional Think outside the box with assessment. What haven’t you looked at in your work that would bring a new perspective
“Not only can a survey serve as assessment, but it can also be a reflecting point for your audience that deepens their knowledge and investment in the topic.” to how you or your department function? And how can you gather that information? As mentioned, surveys can be simple and helpful, but there are other strategies that take it to the next level without being overwhelming. Can you have them simply hold up the number of fingers that relate to how well they understand a concept? 5 fingers mean they absolutely understand the topic, 3 fingers is pretty neutral, and 1 finger mean they are completely lost. The same information could have been gathered in a survey, but this is immediate and saves both your time and your participants’ time. Additionally, think-pair-share is an excellent way to do quick assessment that many of us use in staff meetings already. Take notes on what is discussed to see where the true passions are of your staff and how you can tailor your presentations/meeting structure in the future. A third strategy is to use social media. Twitter hashtags are popular and are often an untapped resource for assessment. Create a Twitterfall during a session for participants to tweet using whatever hashtag you create so they can provide immediate feedback, ask questions, and interact with each other. Different strategies are going
may work better for different people, both you as the one assessing and those participating. Assessment should allow you to think outside the box and drive your energy for the work you do. And for a bonus M…make it Magnificent. Find your passion within assessment and soar with it! When you do something great with assessment, share it! Share it with a colleague, your supervisor, and with us on the AIM committee! We would love to hear your successes and failures with assessment. We are all always learning and we will continue to move forward to do better work as long as we remember to make it AIM. Liz Hanley Member of AIM Committee Hall Director, North Dakota State University elizabeth.hanley@ndsu.edu Twitter: @Liz_Hanley
Inside UMR
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Doctor Who, Romeo and Juliet, and Compassion at Work By Chrissy Hollermann, Director of Residence Life, Williston State College
I
am a nerd. I am a Whovian, Harry Potter Fanatic, Game of Thrones enthusiast, Star Wars obsessed, and I am always adding new fandoms to the list. As a member of the nerd community, I feel a duty to warn readers that this article has some major Doctor Who spoilers. If you have not seen all of season 9, and would like to, I would advise you to stop reading now. Doctor Who follows an alien time lord, The Doctor, throughout time and space as he attempts to save various planets and species and enjoys learning along the way. He often has a companion with him during his journeys. These companions help The Doctor be the best version of himself, a version that he can’t become alone. Last night, I was watching “Face The Raven” (Molotnikov, 2015), a particularly gut-wrenching episode of Doctor Who in which Clara Oswald, The Doctor’s current companion, is killed by Mayor Me, someone The Doctor and Clara saved by bringing her back to life and giving her immortality earlier in the series. The betrayal and shock caused a visceral reaction within me. In quick succession I was flooded with and filed through complete outrage, shock, sorrow (accompanied by some ugly crying), and a dash of denial – a saucy little blend of TV-induced grief. I eventually fell asleep stewing in my grief, angry, and convinced that this singular character, Mayor Me, was an ungrateful, no good, jerk-faced miscreant. I woke up and realized my emotions and perspective may have misled me just a bit, blinding me from the whole picture. I was thinking about this loss in the context of the show’s trajectory. Prior to this episode, Clara loses the man she loves. Since his death, we see very little of Clara with her family, at work with her students, or showing any interest in anything other than cruising around the universe and through time with The Doctor in his Tardis. In progressively daring endeavors, Clara continues to put herself in harm’s way, skirting and flirting with death. In her final episode, “Face The Raven” (Molotnikov, 2015), Clara half-listens to a warning that deserved her full attention in an attempt to save someone else, a literally fatal oversight. 8
UMR Personal Side
Since Mayor Me is the person who orchestrated this whole scheme to get to The Doctor, I felt I had a right to be angry with Mayor Me and only her. I, The Doctor, and fellow Whovians everywhere conveniently ignored the signs Clara provided in preceding episodes that clearly indicated that she wasn’t doing well. Mayor Me did not force Clara’s reckless action that day, but it was so much easier, and more satisfying, to blame Mayor Me than to admit that it could’ve been prevented (and to admit that, had I been paying closer attention, I could’ve seen this coming). In a moment of reflection, a thought occurred to me. Broken hearts were more responsible for her death than anything, both Mayor Me’s and Clara’s. Blame, it seems, is a fool’s game because every story is more complicated and complex than we could ever fully understand at first glance, and, all too often, we have a byline in one another’s lives that we would rather leave unclaimed. Such emotional pain led me to thinking about William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (naturally). I had to read that play a half dozen times in school, and every time I held the conviction that the story was a cautionary tale of how foolish it is to believe that love could be present within moments of meeting someone (realistically a partially developed frontal cortex and hormones were the main cause of that tragedy). But in the light of “Face The Raven” (Molotnikov, 2015), I saw broken hearts, and passionate agony was again the culprit. The passing of time is the only thing that can heal this type of loss. Incidentally, that passing of time is the same thing they’re all trying to avoid. While it is healing, time also makes the loss concrete. Every day that person continues to be gone, the pain grows in intensity instead of being alleviated. The darkness gets bigger before it gets better. Suddenly, I had so much more compassion because in both stories, while some characters empathize, try to sympathize, and even attempt to assist in the grief and pain, most of what is being done is equivalent to putting a Band-Aid on a punctured heart: it may slow down the bleeding, but the real damage is much deeper than what is on the surface. What is needed is a greater understanding and assessment of the actual wound and a willingness to truly see the wound and repair it completely. Pain up-front
may be necessary for true healing.
“In the same way
My third thought went to my work within housing and Residence Life. Most of my life is making decisions for the common good, which leads to more than a few frustrated individuals in my office. I would not call my position beloved by any student, but I see its purpose and do my job as best I can. Some days, when a conduct case slides across my desk or a student is yelling at me for things I can’t control, I get frustrated, blaming them prematurely for their partially developed frontal cortex, hormones, and Snapchat. This premature response happens in much the same way as my assessment of the actions of Mayor Me and Romeo and Juliet (sans the Snapchat). I often feel depleted after these interactions, like I’ve failed again, unable to get them to see or learn something through the process. But I have never stopped to consider how my well-intentioned conduct hearings with them are acting. I am unsure if these conversations are simply makeshift mending a punctured heart. If I, like The Doctor with Clara, am just skirting them back to safety instead of assessing why they keep running alongside cliffs and leaping off into misconduct.
that The Doctor
needs his companion to make him a better
version of himself, we need each other.”
I then, thought about my colleagues. Not every attempt to collaborate will be successful and even successful collaboration comes with discord and irritation. I have felt and observed less compassion towards colleagues than students. Here I am, able to see developmental reason for the actions of students, then I do not always extend that same kindness to colleagues. And I don’t think I am alone in this double-standard. I’ve internally persecuted colleagues for their inaction, neglecting to look for where Band-Aids may be holding punctured colleagues together. In this compassionless negligence, I do a disservice to them, to myself, and to my institution. In the same way that The Doctor needs his companion to make him a better version of himself, we need each other. In real life, compared to life on the Tardis, the stakes are a bit lower. In place of a dramatic death, we are more likely to see high professional turnover, burnout, and a decrease in student retention. These are still impactful losses, and if you get enough of them, you’ve got a critical issue on your hands. Juliet fabricated her death to be with Romeo, who missed the memo and killed himself to be with her. Once
she awoke and found the ugly truth, she killed herself too. Clara lost her true love and tried to escape the pain, running towards danger while no longer caring if she lived or died, which ultimately led to her own death. What wounds, heartaches, losses, challenges, and pain are the students we work for carrying? What about the colleagues we work alongside, what is their pain? What about ourselves? How often do we stop to assess if we’re poorly repairing parts of our lives that need intensive care? What cost does this covering up, running away, compassionless lifestyle have for our institutions? For our students?
How would, or could, these stories have changed if someone had sat Romeo or Juliet down (preferably both) and said, “I see your loss. I remember my own losses when time, being the only solution, felt like a curse more than a cure. I can’t fix it, but I can tell you that you’re not alone. I can listen to your story. I can honor your pain”? What if The Doctor had apologized to Mayor Me and explained that his intentions, though honorable, condemned her to an existence she didn’t want? What if anyone had intercepted Clara and asked her, “Do you want to live?” opening up a discussion about the depth of her pain instead of being airbags, trying to guide her from the wreckage of her heartbreak, but ultimately keeping her pinned instead of pulling her free. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts, and lessons, to be taken away from this is best summarized by The Doctor, “We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” (Haynes, 2010.) Perhaps more importantly in our work, we are co-authoring a lot of those beautifully complex and complicated storylines together. Let’s make them good ones, eh? References Sarah Dollard (writer), Justin Molotnikov (director), Nikki Wilson(producer) (2015). Face the Raven [Television series episode]. In Doctor Who. BBC. Steven Moffat (writer), Toby Haynes (director), Peter Bennett (producer) (2010). The Big Bang [Television series episode]. In Doctor Who. BBC.
Chrissy Hollermann Director of Residence Life Williston State College Chistine.hollermann@ willistonstate.edu Twitter: @CHollermann Blog: chrissytravels24.wordpress.com UMR Personal Side
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You Can Go Home Again By Krista A. Kronstein, Director of Residence Life, Coe College
I
remember the exact moment when I first thought I could possibly be working in the wrong field and that higher education was not the right career path for me. It hit me on a cold, Ohio, January morning as I walked my dogs.
“You could work at a non-profit and not have to deal with this.” The thought was so foreign it caused a physical response. I stopped and shook my head. “No, I could not,” I said firmly to whatever voice had popped into my head. I could not possibly choose to leave residence life, the career I had championed for nearly seven years. I could not. And yet, here I was, stopped on the sidewalk in the blustery morning wind, trying to decide if the next step I took was toward something entirely different but somewhat similar or a step into everything I had worked towards since I fell in love with residence life as an undergrad. How was this even possible? The job, my first director position, represented everything I had dreamed of from the moment I decided a career in residence life was for me. I was a product of a small, liberal arts college, and to be working at one in my home state was a dream. But the veil had been lifted. I was not so sure that I liked what I saw.
“And I didn’t run away, even though there were colleagues that told me I may have killed my career.” 10
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And yet, I felt empty and lost. The campus didn’t seem to sparkle as brightly, and my job no longer offered the glow of satisfaction and accomplishment it once had. So I stood on Avalon Road, with wind chapping my cheeks and dogs trying to pull me down the road, and a voice in my head was telling me it is okay to do something different. I could, of course, continue the work I was doing and continue the pattern of self-doubt, frustration, and stress. But the more I reflected on that, the more I realized that when I could not be my best self, I could not support my staff in a way that allowed them to be their best selves. And if the department was not functioning as well as it could, it could have a negative impact on the students we were trying our hardest to support. So I took the plunge. I quit my job and began searching for a position that more closely aligned with my values and my personal and professional student development philosophies. I convinced myself for too long that being unhappy and unfulfilled in my job was normal. I began looking for my new home. But what exactly is “home” when you are just starting in the field and your profession does not often lend itself to longevity? Or when your parents are the only family that remains in the town you grew up in? Or when your partner’s family lives halfway across the country? The more my partner and I tackled this question of home and places we felt most at home, the more we remembered the feeling of starting our life together in our small on-campus apartment during my first professional position in residence life. It was not being close to her family or my family, but instead being together in a place where we both felt like the work we were doing was fulfilling and satisfying. In retrospect, none of it turned out as I envisioned. I was out of work for exactly one year before I started my current position as the Director of Residence Life at Coe College. I applied to dozens of jobs in housing and residence life and student affairs all around the country. I visited nearly 25 campuses in almost as many states. I found myself realizing
more and more that I can say “No.” I could say no to on-campus interview invitations, no to unfulfilling job offers, and no to pursuing positions that would take me and my partner to locations that did not feel like they could ever be our home. Saying yes was a risk. One that left me feeling very vulnerable, but it was a risk worth taking. I was very open during my search, and so it was no surprise when, during my first one-on-one with my new supervisor, I shared that I was scared but that I was ready for the challenge of learning as much as I could about the new campus that would be my home. My desire to be close to this place I considered my “home” and to these people I considered my “family” actually included making one of my own. Together, my partner and I decided that children would be part of our future. We took classes, had our home inspected, and began fostering children in our community. Very few things about motherhood in general are simple or quiet, but I could argue that is doubly true in being a full-time residence life foster mother.
In the end, I wasn’t called away from housing and residence life, and I didn’t run away, even though there were colleagues that told me I may have killed my career. It took the right position at the right time to not be my escape, but instead be the beginning of a new kind of life. This life is not one of tranquility – in fact it is often the opposite – but it is one that forces me to focus outward toward my family and my work with my colleagues and my students, not inward on my own fears and thoughts of self-importance.
Krista A. Kronstein Director of Residence Life Coe College kkronstein@coe.edu
UPCOMING WEBINARS! LATE JUNE - Upcoming Trends and Politics in Higher Education EARLY AUGUST - Assessment: Telling Our Story MID-OCTOBER - Grad School and Job Searching
Part of the work of the Professional Development & Training committee is providing ongoing professional development opportunities for the region. The webinar subcommittee is busy working to develop, solicit, and host 3 webinars for the coming year. Please keep an eye out for information coming soon regarding webinars happening this year! We hope that you are able to fit these webinars into your department’s professional training and on-going development. If you have any questions or suggestions please let us know!
QUESTIONS? Contact Hannah Bendroth, Resident Director @ University of Wisconsin – Stout bendrothh@uwstout.edu UMR Personal Side
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Seeing Through the Residential Looking Glass By Amy Martin McGovern, Assistant Director, University Housing, UW-Stout
they might be looking for attention. They likely also have college and life hopes and dreams.
s someone who has worked in housing for over 20 years, I referenced my “residential life” in a TEDx Talk in November about chronic brain disorders and life’s surprising challenges. This perspective is so ingrained that I consider major life events through it—how I interact with my partner, how we raise our kids, and how I respond to personal illness. Watch “Making Sense of ‘Crazy’” here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nqJhc7-uwS0
Consider what our role actually is. Are we acting in a professional student affairs advocacy role? Are we acting in a conduct role? Are we responding as a friend or family member? As a professional and a human, our actions have boundaries and limits. Some roles have requirements. It is important to remember what is within our influence and what is not. An advocate gets to take a different approach than a conduct officer in terms of supporting a student.
A
As I prepared to give the TEDx Talk, I wondered about how it all comes together—life and family and work. What can I do to help folks understand more? What can others do to assist someone with a chronic brain disorder/mental health concern? Here are some questions I’ve found myself asking: Know that mental health disorders can be chronic and are prevalent in young people. What might it mean if the chronically inflicted are young? Have the inflicted had time to accrue wealth, experience or influence? How much time would their family have after supporting them to plan a fundraiser? Do people come to terms quickly with being a parent/ sibling of any stigmatized population? Do people offer support to families or even the inflicted much after initial diagnosis? How might your days and attitude look 25 or 30 years after the initial diagnosis and battling the same demons? While there are good reasons sock-hops for schizophrenics aren’t happening, are there reasons they could? Do they want to seek help? Will they accept help? Recognize that people are more than their chronic condition. I doubt anyone wants to be the depressed one or one with an eating disorder, even when we believe that 12
UMR Personal Side
Be sincere. It is unbelievably easy to see fake and fear. If we’re scared, acknowledge it with a comment like “What you are saying/doing scares me, please stop.” Focus on his/ her behavior and language, not that the whole person is being “scary.” Send and say short, simple messages, repeated several times, if someone has racing thoughts or is hallucinating. We’re trying to break through the brain static and it’s difficult because a lot is happening. Play some music. I liked instrumental versus anything with lyrics—but others like a driving beat to block out the thoughts and voices. Check-in if they are interested in a different style. Sit quietly together…even if you read a book or handwrite your shopping list. Or you can take a short walk with the individual. The time together is noticed. Offer to hold a hand or give a hug. Many people avoid touching, as if brain disorders were contagious. An offer, even if refused, indicates acceptance. Recognize a hallucination for what it is—a living dream—and just listen for a bit. Avoid trying to fix or correct the misperceptions. Then, redirect the conversation.
Report shared information with care: Think about the situation and use your best judgement when reporting. Is there a risk to someone? Is the risk high? Are all supplies/tools/threats available and viable?
“It is important to remember what is within our influence and what is not.” Is it an emergency or can it wait a few hours? Hallucinating or incoherent thoughts that seem like a rambling dream are urgent, but not a crisis. Documentation of some detail is helpful, but all of the details are unnecessary. Try to stay even, calm and alert. Take a few deep breaths. Use your presence to maintain or de-escalate the situation. If a verbalized threat is shared where the person or someone else may be seriously hurt or injured, report it to the authorities and/or the police. Documentation of language and behavioral details are needed. Look for collateral impacts and offer assistance accordingly and as you can. Does a staff member need some time away from the building? Does a family care provider need a night out? Is a floor being overly impacted by an individual? Identify resources available within the campus, city and community. Some places have an out-patient mental health nurse who meets with clients where college students living in the area qualify for services. What other resources exist? Share this information when possible with students and their families. Recall that stressful situations have a tendency to increase symptoms which may lead to some students use of alcohol or drugs to self-medicate, over-medicate or otherwise.
Hold individuals accountable to work and life behaviors that one would commonly expect. Provide accommodation if requested, yet don’t assume a need. Show compassion while maintaining your professional role and personal boundaries. Keep forgiving yourself for the lack of knowledge and the mistakes you’ve made and will continue to make. Being a human who acknowledges mistakes is allowed and appreciated. Keep working at learning more and acting better. We can do hard things. After giving the talk, I anticipated being approached. I anticipated the stories…some so sad, and also encouraging and resilient. I spoke with students researching portions of psychology because they had been hospitalized. I saw semicolon tattoos from a suicide attempting mother. The mother of an almost first year college student. None of their stories are over; and…neither are ours.
Amy Martin McGovern Assistant Director, University Housing, UW-Stout mcgoverna@uwstout.edu
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It’s More Than a High Five By Erik Heller, Area Coordinator, Gustavus Adolphus College
H
igh Five! That’s right, yo u just received a high five. Did it make you smile? L a u g h ? Motivated? Connected? A high five is something that brings people together in connection, accomplishment, collaboration, and joy. As student affairs professionals, we work with students to help them grow and develop each day. Sometimes we play the role of supervisor, advisor, counselor, life planner, goal setter, team builder, or voice of reason. I have found that sometimes things can be explained easiest in five points or less, quite similar to the five points of a high five. Each finger has its purpose and can help reframe a variety of our conversations with students.
High Five!
Maybe today you are helping a student prepare for an interview. Chances are you may give insight from your previous experiences interviewing or questions you ask as an interviewer. Have you ever been the person to spin your thumbs or play with your fingers under the table? I’ve definitely been in the spot of grabbing my fingers one by one trying to come up with an example. Here is a trick I have found to help someone who is stumbling in an interview. If you’re grabbing your thumb during an interview, share an example about giving encouragement or motivating someone. Index fingers can help us give examples about goals, vision, or having your eye on the target. The middle finger (one which can be interpreted in many different ways) can help with examples about working through negative experiences or working with difficult individuals. The ring finger can help you share a time you followed a passion, found commitment, or brought joy to an experience. Lastly, 14
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and certainly not the least important, is the pinky finger, which can remind you to share an experience of helping someone younger/newer, protecting a teammate, or taking care of the underdog. There can be more uses to a high five than just interviewing. Maybe you have used the high five rules of working on a team when your staff first meets or setting your team expectations. There are a few variations, but here is my approach. A thumb reminds us to always give a thumbs up to encourage and motivate each other or yourself. The index finger tells us to never point fingers or blame each other. The middle finger reminds us to push negativity and criticism to the side. Your ring finger guides you to always love what you do and spread happiness. A pinky finger represents taking care of the outsider or new person to the team. Here we see that by using these five team rules we can bring smiles and stronger connections to the team. Goal setting can also benefit from a high five, but can sometimes be utilized a little differently. This is one approach I have used with students and they often go back to this approach when planning programs, meetings with other students, or general goals for their other commitments. Start with your index finger to determine what the first priority is on the list of things to accomplish. Then, take it a step further to the middle finger and consider what the biggest or highest impact can be from achieving that first goal. Use your ring finger to set a goal related to something you love doing and want to improve. The pinky finger reminds us to take short strides at big goals, so plan out how you can evaluate short term accomplishments. Continue setting goals with your thumb to think about goals that will give you inspiration, encourage you to keep going, or provide motivation. Once you achieve the goal, give yourself a high five…also known as clapping your hands. My last approach to using a high five is creating a semester bucket list. I am intentional on working this into my one-on-ones with senior staff, but it also works for other students who need help in creating a bucket list. Begin from the outside and with the pinky and do something small
“Each finger has its purpose and can help reframe a variety of our conversations with students.”
that will make a difference in your college experience or someone else’s life. For the ring finger, do something you are passionate about with someone you love. The middle finger reminds you to have something on your bucket list that you can do just for the fun of it. Your index finger helps you add something to the list that you have always had your eye on but have not had the time to do it. Lastly, the thumbs up can be something that will give you motivation to push through to the end, send encouragement to others, or it can be a thumbs up that you have completed. These are just a few of the ways I have found uses from a high five. There are plenty of other innovative ways to reconsider how you look at a high five in your work, life,
or on a team. I have found that the little things such as a high five, bucket list, or goal setting can all be simplified to a few simple points. So now that you’ve heard a few of these ideas, how can you use the power of a high five for your own creative approach? Erik Heller Area Coordinator Gustavus Adolphus College eheller@gustavus.edu Twitter: @erikheller
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When Grief Strikes, It May Strike Hard By Barbara Braga, Residence Life Coordinator, Kansas State University
she did. I offered to be there for her, and listen. I cried with her. We both grieved in our own ways.
uring the Fall Conference, I had the awesome opportunity to attend various sessions; some sessions about topics that matter most to my students, some that would help me improve as a professional as I look to the future, and some that were of general interest to me. One of those sessions was about grief as a live-in professional.
There was another reason why I attended that session that day. The weekend before UMR, someone very close to me was diagnosed with a very serious illness. My biggest fear was knocking at my door; my mother was diagnosed with cancer. And, of course, as fate would have it, she was diagnosed with the same type of cancer as the one my student’s family is battling. The fresh wound, the numbness of not knowing what to say, and wondering how to deal with it all culminated in the decision to attend that session.
D
You see, at the time it was just something I wanted to know more about; a topic that scares me yet causes me to want to be prepared, especially when talking about the elephant in the room: the death of a student. Over my time as a professional, tragedies, both big and small, have hit the students that I work closely with, and I have been one of the first people they have contacted to talk about it. Sometimes I knew what to say to console those students, while there were other times that my heart ached, yet I could not find the words to say. All I could do was be the listening ear they wanted. Yet, I wanted to be able to do more and be prepared to help students if a tragedy was to happen in my community. I also attended the session with a student leader that is an aspiring student affairs professional and works closely with me. This year has been particularly challenging for her, and in turn for me. We have spent multiple hours together, running through boxes and boxes of tissues, emotionally talking about the bitter C-word. Cancer has caused so much pain and hurt in the ones she loves, as about a year ago one of her family members was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The pain and hurt touching her family has rocked her world this semester, many times causing her to turn to me for consolation, advice, and guidance. Though we have a great relationship, and I find myself learning more during our one-on-ones than teaching her, there were multiple times that the conversations we were having scared me. Due to the history of cancer in my family, it has always been a fear of mine, and something I had never had to deal with so closely and personally as 16
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The aftermath of the session was not pretty, as we both sat in our hotel room, emotionally drained, me with tears running down my face. Yet, we were thankful to have attended. If I learned anything in that session, it was this: we all struggle with tragedies, sadness, and illnesses, and there is no one way to deal with it. We have to find what works for us. Hearing the perspectives of the presenters and some of the courageous participants helped me understand that it is normal to not know what to say or how to feel. It also helped to hear how some people have coped with the grief they have had to face. Since UMR, I have been adapting to my family’s new normal and trying to navigate this new journey, which has new complications every day and is far from over. I made the decision to inform the student leaders I work with of what is going on, after walking into my office the Monday after receiving the news and staring at the “Be real with us” and “Communicate your needs” expectations displayed in my office from fall training. Being “real” with them was the best I could do; it helped them understand if I am not bubbly and happy as I normally am, it was not something they did. It helped them to give me grace when I had to take off for the weekend. Since then I have even had a few staff members remind me of the same things I remind them: “take care of yourself”, “you are a person first”, and “remember to take time away.” I have also been very lucky to work for a department and institution that has loved and cared for me through the
highs and the lows of my life. It has been difficult to admit to my supervisor that I need this time to be with my family to love, care, help, and be away from my community so often. I also had to communicate my needs with him. Aside from the need to be away, one of my needs was related to work. I needed those around me to give me grace as I found my new normal, but not enough grace that things were taken off my to-do list. My work has become a way for me to find my presence, through conquering tasks and projects in and for my community, I can remember to put students at the focus. This small act has reenergized me to be able to make it through week by week, and made me feel more like I have a little more harmony in my life. I share my story not to ask for pity or sympathy, but to remind us of some key points when dealing with grief, whether big or small, close to you, your colleagues, or with the students you work with: Everyone grieves when tragedy strikes, from the ones closest to the person, to the people that may only vaguely know them. Students may need to express their sorrow and grief when an event happens on campus, and those affected the most by the tragedy need to do the same. There is no magical formula telling us exactly how long we should grieve for. In fact, sometimes grief is a long and complicated process. The one thing we know is that grieving in all its stages takes time. Everyone handles grief in a different way. Some people need to be alone; others need to be with people. Some need time away, while others put their focus on their work. Some choose to tell only those who are closest to them, some share with all in an announcement, and others tell people individually if asked. It is important to realize that all those things are OK. The sharing of these kinds of news may cause more hurt and suffering. Find an outlet for your feelings. Running, writing, baking, painting, talking to a best friend. You name it. There are plenty of things that we do to make ourselves well again, and when dealing with grief, these things become much more important. The self-care we may neglect when we
get busy needs to become a priority. Find what works for you to let off some of the steam that may build up. Communication is important. Whether it is to tell your students that you need a minute when working through a difficult situation with them, or letting those around you know that you need to take some time away to process and deal with things in a healthy manner. You need to let people know what you need, especially because we live in a fishbowl as student affairs professionals, and are sought often to have the right answers and consolation. It is OK not to be OK, and it is OK to ask for what you need to be OK. We need to role model to our students this behavior. You do not have to go through it alone. Like the students that come to us to talk through their major life events, we too may need that. We can find that support through supervisors, friends, family, and we should never discount that counseling may be a viable option for us in the tough times we may face individually or in situations we may help in our institutions. The most important thing is that we must always remember that not dealing with our grief is not an option. The results of ignoring our pain, hurt, anxiety, and other feelings may be devastating and impact the work we do. As professionals, we need to role model to our students that while grieving is perfectly normal and a part of life that many of us have to go through, we must take measures to work through the stages of grief and get ourselves to a place of well-being. The truth is that we will never be “the same” after an event in our communities hits close to home or the loss of a loved one shakes us, but we can find our new normal and healthy ways to deal with the feelings associated with those tragedies.
Barbara Braga Residence Life Coordinator Kansas State University bbraga@ksu.edu Twitter: @babbiebraga
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Training First-Year RAs to Think Like Third-Year RAs By Jake Wakem, Hall Director, Marquette University and Sarah Beattie, Resident Assistant, Marquette University
“Y
ou become a better RA the moment you stop worrying about being a better RA.” These words hang in McCormick Hall’s duty room on Marquette University’s campus. Many McCormick RAs can identify moments they became a “better” RA; moments they trusted their trainings and abilities. So, what is “better?” Looking at last year’s Educational Benchmarking, Inc (EBI) results for McCormick, many results regarding satisfaction fluctuated between RAs, such as resident satisfaction with hall environment, diverse interactions and overall learning. However one result remained consistent: returning RAs’ resident interactions scored significantly higher than their first-year counterparts. In a conversation-focused community development model, that realization was significant. Utilizing this information, the focus shifted to two RAs in McCormick: Sarah, a third-year RA on the 10 East community; and Jesi, a first-year RA on the 10 West community. Their varying approaches were analyzed through the three components of the Marquette community development model: One-on-one conversations, weekly traditions, and community standards meetings. Additionally, 40 students were surveyed on the 10th floor community to further the study.
Methods The EBI data was analyzed from the 2014-2015 academic year in McCormick Hall, Marquette’s largest first-year residence hall on campus, which is comprised of more than 726 first-year students. The EBI survey was administered during the fall of 2014 and analyzed throughout the spring of 2015. In an effort to build upon these findings through comparative data, 40 first-year students were surveyed in the spring of 2016. There were 22 students from Sarah’s community and 18 from Jesi’s community. The survey was rooted in experiential learning, satisfaction, and residential perception of their RA. Jesi, the first-year RA, and Sarah, the third-year RA, were individually interviewed about their views on the RA position and personal beliefs and methods for conducting 18
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Marquette’s community development model. The model is in its second pilot year, and unique in structure due to a shift from RA programming to personal resident interactions.
How more structure leads to less awkward conversations:
Marquette’s community development model focuses on three developmental conversations accompanied by an online tracking database to help RAs learn about residents and vice versa. Jesi, the first-year RA, scheduled all three rounds of conversations, by posting sign-up sheets on her community’s bathroom door. She felt scheduling allowed her to dive into deeper conversations one at a time. Jesi understood the necessity of the first conversation, but admitted to not understanding the tracking aspect or the final two conversations. Sarah, the third-year RA, completed these conversations the year prior and experienced the positive impact ongoing knowledge and conversations has on relationships. She said the more prepared she felt going into conversations, the more confidence she possessed. This confidence led to more organic and less awkward conversations. Now she uses tracking to remember key conversations, enabling her to facilitate fruitful future conversations. Interestingly, when both RAs’ wings were surveyed regarding “the most significant thing the RA has done,” Sarah’s wing had all but two residents respond about their RA’s casual conversations, while answers varied from Jesi’s wing. Our returning RAs naturally see the year holistically and understand the deeper importance of ongoing conversations because they have already lived it.
TAKE AWAY: Focus on preparing RAs for
one-on-one conversations during training
The more time for planning RAs had before move-in, the more comfortable they felt in conversations occurring organically. As a returner, Sarah had a goal to plan the year. She determined how to structure each conversation, personal deadlines, and how to access deeper conversations. McCormick staff built upon Sarah’s practices from the fall term and instituted change for spring training to reflect the importance of planning and preparation. Those new developments included:
RAs chose three questions to explore in their community for each conversation, otherwise known as conversation themes. RAs brainstormed ways to incorporate questions organically into community. RAs developed goals, resources, and a week-by-week timeline for their semester. RAs were required to do an interactive bulletin-board rooted in resident reflection. During their training, RAs came up with creative ideas on how to incorporate their plans, including coffee hours discussing deeper topics late at night, post-it note responses to a question of the week pinned on the wall, and individual advising sessions.
Why non-traditional programming facilitates natural conversations:
Weekly traditions, or weekly programming, is the second portion of Marquette’s community development model. Weekly traditions are inherently different from traditional programming, meant to be low-key and less planned out opportunities for RAs to simply interact with residents weekly. RAs approach these traditions differently, especially looking at first-year Jesi and third-year Sarah. Jesi said she struggles to maintain good attendance and the residents who do come are regulars. She holds her traditions on varying days of the week, and continually changes the activity in hopes to attract different residents. Jesi focuses on creating experiences for her residents and works hard to develop interactive programming. Sarah’s philosophy when it comes to her weekly traditions is, “It’s not that I don’t care, I’ve just stopped thinking about it.” She holds them on the same night weekly and focuses on relaxed environments instead of experiences, allowing residents to come and go. This allows her to have brief and meaningful conversations with a variety of her residents. When Sarah reflected on her first year of holding weekly traditions, she admitted to having similar struggles to Jesi’s. Sarah’s positive change came when she stopped putting as much work into the tradition itself and focused on resident conversations. Resident survey responses from Sarah’s wing confirmed that residents appreciated this approach.
TAKE AWAY: Help first-year RAs
overcome over-thinking sooner by utilizing returning RAs
If RAs think less about weekly traditions as an experience, and more as an opportunity for conversations, the more positively residents respond according to both Sarah
and Jesi’s resident surveys. It’s not that Sarah doesn’t care about weekly traditions, she’s simply shifted her effort from planning events or interactive moments to seeing traditions as more relaxed opportunities to gather in community. In McCormick, the following ongoing training methods have been employed to help RAs overcome over-thinking: Returning RAs share their different methods and successes with weekly traditions (e.g. casual coffee hour, crafting nights, tournament style games). Professional staff stress to RAs not to over-think weekly traditions; it shouldn’t be stressful. RAs brainstorm three tangible weekly tradition ideas which model their style. RAs develop weekly plans to ensure simple implementation. RAs track via database which traditions residents respond to and adjust in following weeks. RAs begin to use weekly traditions as a catalyst for required conversations.
Who RAs compare themselves to and how they develop personal style:
Three separate floor meetings round out Marquette’s community development model, a welcome meeting when residents first arrive, a community standards meeting a month later, and a community standards meeting at the beginning of spring semester. Jesi said she modeled her meetings after her RA, or how other RAs had demonstrated during training sessions. During her meetings, she thought about how she wanted to be perceived by her residents and followed a pre-made script. Jesi was comparing herself to other RAs, to ensure information was correctly conveyed. As a third-year, Sarah prepared for her meetings thinking about what she had done in previous years, reflecting on what she had done well and adjusting what she hadn’t. Sarah didn’t focus on the script specifically, but was able to convey the same messages in her personal style. She still focused on delivering all the correct outlined information, but did so in a way which felt more natural and unrehearsed. She didn’t feel compelled to compare herself to others because personal experience was her guide. Marquette focuses on inclusivity and safety in our halls. Jesi read the first floor meeting script verbatim to convey Marquette’s messages on safety and inclusivity. Sarah skipped the script definitions and explained how inclusivity would look on her floor: open doors, RA room hours, and personal challenges for students to find her within the first week and ask a get-to-know-you question. This created See “Training First Year RAs” on page 21 safety and inclusivity. UMR Student Side
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“Defining Your Role”
The Conflict between Student Leader and Student Activist By Billy Donley, RHA President, University of Missouri
T
here is an inner conflict for students at the University level when it comes to acting out your role as a student leader and your personal desire as a student activist. In this conflict, you find your emotion and passion fighting against the responsibilities you hold in your position. To elaborate, in student leader positions, there is a sense of responsibility in representing the opinions and concerns of those that elected you into your position. When speaking about student leader positions during this article, I will be speaking from the perspective of student government. I currently attend the University of Missouri and hold the position of Residence Hall Association President. This organization represents the students living in the residence halls on our campus, around 6,500 students. In this role, I act and speak in the best interests of the students who live in the campus environment on a daily basis. Little did I know that this position would take a whole new meaning when I was faced with some of my first encounters of student activism.
many individuals correlated the vandalism incident with the demonstrations. In result, I was being included in the conversation about student activism at the University without me knowing. It was then that I began to attend the protests, march with other students, and find that I had a passion and burning desire in me to speak up and stand with the individuals around me. From there, I found myself being questioned by not only friends, but also other students on the campus. It seems that when you involve yourself in student activism, it’s hard to define who you are representing in that point in time. This leads me to the topic of defining your role as a student leader and student activist. Most student leaders are vocal about issues on campus, especially when it affects the students that have elected them. However, with recent events, it seems more difficult for a student leader to get involved because of the politics of activism. While one person may agree on an issue, another may not. For me, being a fresh student leader on my campus, I was unprepared to handle the criticism that I received for involving myself so heavily in the demonstrations. I was always wondering what the best method was for me to take to ensure a balance between representing my position and allowing my personal self to fight for the things I saw worth fighting for.
As many know, the University of Missouri has become a hotbed for student activists with the recent protests and demonstrations. I came into this picture when a student vandalized one of our residence halls in the fall semester, resulting in wide concern about anti-SemiWith my own experience, I can see the challenges to tism on our campus. As a student finding a balance between leader and activist, leader, I immediately began but I came to some conclusions of what reaching out to the affected involve it takes to find that balance: “It seems that when you communities on campus to it’s m, activis t It takes time to not only collect yourself in studen show my support and bring are you your thoughts, but also to gain who define to hard to light the tougher issues the most knowledge you can on the that students are faced with representing in that point in time.” issues that are facing the students on your every day. As a student activcampus to build legitimacy in your actions. ist, I began challenging those around me and asking the University if they were doing enough to prevent these incidents. That involvement and a letter that I later wrote on the matter was the start of a role that I would never expect. It was after this incident that the protests began on my campus. When they began,
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It takes patience to have difficult conversations with those that disagree with you so that you can respectfully work out differences and find solutions towards these issues. It takes courage to act in the best interest of the students when they ask for you to get involved despite the possible criticism.
Lastly, it takes reflection to find a balance to uphold your responsibilities and also allow yourself the room to speak as an individual. On my campus, the students have made clear how much they desire an inclusive campus. This clarity has made it easier to balance the student leader and activist. However, I am transitioning into a larger role in the coming months as the incoming Regional Director of the Midwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls. In this role, I will be representing more than just my own institution. I will be representing the opinions of schools all across the Midwest and that presents a larger challenge to finding that balance. Defining your role is not easy. I personally have struggled drawing a line between my position and individual self. When I play the part of a student leader, I am searching for ways to host conversations between those who disagree and also find the best ways for my organization to play its part in addressing campus issues. As an individual, I separate myself from my position and speak from my own values.
In short, it’s difficult to be both student leader and student activist because you represent opinions of all the students you represent at all times. That’s why you must define your role as a concerned student and as a more diplomatic leader that uses their voice to bring to light issues and sets the stage for productive conversation. If even just one student has a concern, it’s our role to address it. If we are the concerned student, we must address that as well and work to fulfill our passions. In any case, you have a role. Now it takes finding the balance and level of involvement you want through your position and person. From there, it’s all patience and desire. Billy Donley RHA President University of Missouri Wjdrk9@mail.missouri.edu Twitter: @HAPresident
“Training First Year RAs” continued from page 19
TAKE AWAY: Explore an RA’s style from day one As RAs mature, they are less likely to compare themselves to others. Instead, they develop a personal style by reflecting on experience. In McCormick, in-hall training focuses on workshops where RAs are continually engaged and moving around, allowing them to develop style through experience. The staff spends 10 minutes writing and planning, and 20 minutes practicing without looking at our plan. The goal is to have RAs define their “style” with conversations, weekly traditions, and meetings through these activities before residents move in. These are some of the ways McCormick training develops personal style: Require RAs to write a plan and practice with other staff members a week before any given event. Replace regular in-hall trainings with fun opportunities, which allow RAs to break out of self imposed molds and develop personal style, such as McCormick incorporating the improv group Comedy Sportz Milwaukee into an in-hall training session.
Practice one-on-one conversations with supervisors (develop a one-on-one curriculum). Incorporate practice-based training into weekly staff meetings. Encourage RAs to think of themselves as more than simply resources and to build relationships by referring residents to a variety of campus offices.
Conclusion It is known that experience makes a significant difference in the RA role. Experience leads to confidence. Confidence leads to individual style. The staff is learning ways to replicate the lived experiences of our returners throughout a multitude of ongoing training techniques rooted in simulation, practice, and planning. It’s becoming clear, when RAs understand and develop a yearly plan, they feel experienced and confident, as if they have already developed their style. One could say that the earlier the attempt to replicate that experience, the “better.”
Jake Wakem
Sarah Beattie
Hall Director Marquette University jacob.wakem@marquette.edu
Resident Assistant Marquette University
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An Executive Board Divided: Generation Z and the Iowa Caucus By Cassie Harrington, Hall Coordinator, University of Iowa
G
eneration Z, or the “Global Generation”, is slowly joining us on our campuses. As such, we are seeing the impact of the generational change with those students born after 1995 (Benhamou, 2015). As a result, studies predict a shift in the worldview of traditional college-age students. Allegedly, Generation Z is not sold on voting or electoral institutions, and they have a shifting definition of liberal and conservative that does not incorporate the same support for choice in relation to gender roles or allegiance to religious affiliation (Matney, 2016). Despite these predictions, The Center for Research and Information on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) has found that young people are voting in record numbers during this primary season (CIRCLE, 2016). The Iowa Caucus specifically tends to be a bit of a mystery to the average non-Iowan, myself included. What is a caucus anyway? The answer: an amalgamation of a normal primary election and a town-hall meeting with some differences in the format between parties (Staff Writer, 2016). Democrats gather in a room, but sit in different places depending on the candidate for whom they would like to vote. A Democratic candidate must have 15% of the total votes in the room to be considered. If a candidate has less than 15% of the voting body’s support those voters are asked to redistribute to a different candidate. Republicans also meet in one space, where they listen to a local representative speak for each candidate and then utilize a paper voting system providing a more secret voting platform. Iowans take their ability to narrow the field of candidates very seriously. The political ads and presidential candidate visits start early in Iowa. You can’t watch a television show without at least five commercials promoting a presidential candidate, and on February 1st, the day of the Iowa Caucuses, Chris Christie, Martin O’Malley, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders all made appearances in Iowa trying to sway citizens of the 29th state to vote for them. Additionally, students could access information from unofficial sources about 22
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candidates, using social media platforms, such as Yik Yak and Snapchat. Buzzfeed quizzes that helped to determine which candidate’s policies were most closely aligned with a voter’s concerns, which play into the interests of Gen Z students, were also readily available. As a live-in professional, my district was aligned nicely with that of approximately half of our on-campus students. Voting alongside so many traditional age college students who were experiencing their first presidential election proved to be a unique and informative experience. Upon walking into the caucus space, I was pleasantly surprised to find that students were running the caucusing by getting others signed in, speaking and organizing the counting, and ensuring viability of candidates. Students were engaged in discussions, specifically concerns regarding the state of the economy, college affordability, and student debt, which is on trend with Rock the Vote and USA Today polls (Richmond, 2016). It was clear that these students had done their research regarding their areas of concern, and were considering more than just the name of a candidate, or the person their parents talk about the most. I was especially excited when I was able to bring some of those Monday night caucus experiences into our Tuesday night Hall Association executive board meeting. Some of the folks on the executive board voted in the Democratic caucus, some in the Republican caucus, and some voted using an absentee ballot. Many of the executive board members were even more deeply involved in the election process by attending candidate speeches, participating in protests of certain candidates, and engaging in local efforts to promote their favorite candidate. We engaged in great discussion around what issues students believe to be important in their election decisions, which candidate they voted for based on their values, and what was interesting or disappointing about their first caucusing/voting experience. In further conversations, I learned that many of the Resident Assistants on my staff team also chose to participate in the caucusing process, vowing to uphold their civic responsibility and ensuring that the future of our nation was in good hands. Again, there were a spectrum of opinions on the
“Voting alongside so many traditional age college students who were experiencing their first presidential election proved to be a unique and informative experience.”
correct candidate, but the message was clear: students today care about the issues, not the credentials of a candidate. Generation Z may be joining us on campus, but it is possible that what we believe we know about their participation in voting processes is incorrect; at least it would appear that way in Iowa City, Iowa. The definitions of liberal and conservative are likely shifting with students sharing values that align with both parties depending on the topic – conservative economists or liberal social justice advocates.
References: Benhamou, L. (2015). Everything you need to know about generation z. Retreived March 15, 2016 from http://www.businessinsider. com/afp-generation-z-born-in-the-digital-age-2015-2. CIRCLE. (2016). Total youth votes in 2016 primaries and caucuses. Retreived March 18, 2016, from http://civicyouth.org/total-youthvotes-in-2016-primaries-and-caucuses/. Matney, M. (2016). Meet the global generation. PowerPoint presentation at ACPA, Quebec, Canada. Richmond, E. (2016). Can youth vote change election outcomes?. The Atlantic. Retreived March 15, 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/02/can-the-youth-vote-cahngeelection-outcomes/458730/. Staff Writer. (2016). Here’s everything you need to know about the Iowa caucuses. Time Magazine. Retreived March 18, 2016, from http://time.com/4198842/iowa-caucuses-answers/.
Cassie Harrington Hall Coordinator University of Iowa cassandra-harrington@ uiowa.edu
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Campus Expression Protections and Limits By Dr. Steven K. Erwin, Vice President for Student Life, Pittsburg State University
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he consideration of the voices engaged in debate and discourse across campuses is timely given the rise of social, economic, and racial unrest. A recent survey of over 140,000, first-time, full-time freshmen at fouryear colleges and universities in the United States reveals a five-decade high in students likelihood of participating in student-led protests (HERI, 2015). Since its inception in 1967 (an era of significant student activism) the CIRP - Cooperative Institutional Research Program - Freshman Survey has asked students about their likelihood to participate in protests (Kueppers, 2016). With the increased likelihood of social activism resulting in protests on campus, it is important that university administrators are knowledgeable of individual rights of free speech and allowable parameters in maintaining the safety and order of the campus environment. The free speech and press provisions in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protect freedom of expression at public institutions. Student freedom of expression is also protected by most institutions’ codes of student conduct. Courts have affirmed that students have a right to protest and demonstrate peacefully. However, these same court cases have made it clear that academic communities are “special environments,” confirming a university’s authority to impose reasonable regulations on the use of its campus and facilities. Case law has affirmed that colleges and universities may assert and protect their interests in ways that create limits on freedom of speech in the process of reasonably prescribing and controlling conduct in the schools. The case law emphasizes that freedom of expression does not constitute freedom to disrupt the academic mission of the institution.
community, or the general public for expressive activities. While there are different types of public forums possible on a public university campus, the most common is the traditional public forum (Kaplin & Lee, 2006). A traditional public forum is generally open to all persons to speak on any subjects of their choice. The administration may impose restrictions regarding the time, place, or manner of the expressive activity in a traditional public forum, so long as the restrictions are content neutral. Often it is clear on a campus through past practices and history what locations on a campus would meet the definition of a traditional public forum. For example, a common area on the quad where student organizations display and hold activities, internal and external speakers have made presentations, or groups have advocated positions on issues, would likely be a traditional public forum.
Time, Place, or Manner Restrictions Even though public forums must remain open to all, the courts have upheld restrictions of expression based on time, place, and manner if the restrictions meet a threepart judicial test. The restrictions must not regulate the content of the regulated speech, must be narrowly tailored to serve a significant government (university) interest, and leave alternative opportunities for communication of the information (Kaplin & Lee, 2006). For example, the courts have affirmed that regulating noise levels emanating from a particular location in relation to surrounding locations stands as a substantial governmental interest. Additionally, the courts have made clear that preregistration of use of a location will usually be upheld as long as it is content neutral and based only on the time, place, or manner of the activity.
Public Forum Concept
Regulating Expression Based on Potential Disruption
Free speech protections are at their peak when the speech takes place in a public forum, an area of the campus that is traditionally available to students, the entire campus
Universities can take action to regulate expression when they can reasonably forecast that substantial disruption is imminent. These actions, asserting that the expression has
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“Knowledge and awareness, along with policy and planning, will enable preservation of individual rights of expression while maintaining the safety and order of the campus environment.”
become or soon will become disruptive, can be in response to the individual(s) originally issuing the expression (speech, protest, etc.) or to the onlookers who are reacting to the message or to those speaking. The mere possibility of a reaction to speech is not a constitutional basis on which to restrict the right to speech. The events that are taking place at the time of the expression determine whether an administrator may stop the event (where the speaker is causing the disruption) or remove specific onlookers (where they are causing the disruption).
Hate Speech Court cases in the mid-1990s significantly limited universities’ authority to regulate speech they deemed as hate speech. Case law has affirmed that the First Amendment does not permit imposition of prohibition on speakers who express views on disfavored subjects. The First Amendment forbids the government from restricting expression because of its messages or its ideas. In essence, many court cases demonstrate the difficulty that public institutions face in surviving First Amendment scrutiny if they promulgate and attempt to enforce hate speech regulations. The hate speech court cases’ decisions confirm that public institutions have no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter, or its content. Furthermore, the emotional and cognitive content of speech is protected from regulation, and speech may not be prohibited merely because persons are offended by the message. Case law illustrates that speech activity cannot be regulated with provisions whose language is
either overbroad or vague, creating a chilling effect on the exercise of free speech. Finally, if the institution uses fighting words as a rationale for regulating speech it must regulate all occurrences, not just those that convey a disfavored message (Kaplin & Lee, 2006). As students demonstrate a stronger proclivity to engage with their community through activism, particularly demonstrations or protests, university administrators will be increasingly called upon to manage the before, during, and after of this engagement. Knowledge and awareness, along with policy and planning, will enable preservation of individual rights of expression while maintaining the safety and order of the campus environment. References: Higher Education Research Institute (2015). The American freshman: national norms fall 2015. Los Angeles, CA: Egan, K. et al. Kaplin, W. A., & Lee, B. A. (2006). The law of higher education (Vol. 2) (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kueppers, C. (2016, February 11). Today’s freshman class is the most likely to protest in half a century. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Today-s-Freshman-Class-Is/235273
Dr. Steven K. Erwin Vice President for Student Life UMR-ACUHO President 1993 Pittsburg State University serwin@pittstate.edu
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Opening Lines of Communication: A Year-Long Journey of Racial Caucus Work By Shruti Desai, Associate Director; Office of Residential Life, Washington University in St. Louis, Trish Gomez, Residential College Director, Washington University in St. Louis, and Ally Schipma, Residential College Director, Washington University in St. Louis
A
ccording to Richard Delgado, “The racial insult remains one of the most pervasive channels through which discriminatory attitudes are imparted. Such language injures the dignity and self-regard of the person to whom it is addressed, communicating the message that distinctions of race are distinctions of merit, dignity, status, and personhood” (Delgado and Stafancic, 2000, p. 131). These insults create a compounding effect of stress, hurt, tokenization, etc., that leaves people of color exhausted in the white supremacy of higher education. After the death of Michael Brown and taking into account the location of Washington University in Saint Louis, a focus on racial justice and equity became imperative to support colleagues and students of color. For the last several years students of color living within residential life have been significantly less satisfied with their experience than their white counterparts. After conducting some focus groups, two key themes emerged in narratives from students of color: personnel did not identify with racial minorities, and policies and procedures were inequitable. The necessity of diving deeper into racial justice work became apparent. With a team that is comprised of 11 white staff and 5 staff of color, both live-in and mid-level, a conversation needed to occur about the effect that systemic privilege and oppression has on team dynamics. At the recommendation of racial justice consultants, Dr. Becky Martinez and Dr. Heather Hackman, a year-long journey of racial caucus work began. White people and people of color each have racial justice work to do separately and together. Caucuses, specifically, allow white individuals to understand white culture and privilege, as well as provide an opportunity for critical analysis without it being at the expense of people of color. In general, the white caucus allows white people to educate other white people. For people of color, caucus work allows dialogue around internalized racism, horizontal oppression, healing, and liberation (Building Resources to End Racism). 26
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Specifically for staff of color, “caucusing builds collective [People of Color] voice and power so that individuals (especially leaders) are not abandoned or sacrificed, and have accountability to a collective for actions and decisions” (www.crossroadsantiracism.org). Staff of color focus on naming whiteness, sharing experiences of collusion, privilege, and impact of racism during caucus work. During racial caucus meetings, each staff member of color named several times where they have experienced racism in the department. After several months of caucus meetings, the people of color feel strength in speaking up about whiteness in the department to white colleagues and find liberation in their racial narratives. The impact of this intentional caucus time on white staff members has been an increased understanding of whiteness and how whiteness inherently impacts colleagues and students of color and the work that is done within student affairs. Robin DiAngelo defines whiteness as “the specific dimensions of racism that serve to elevate white people over people of color” (DiAngelo, 2011, p. 56). Ruth Frankenberg (1997) goes on to elaborate that whiteness is multidimensional and that “Whiteness is a location of structural advantage, of race privilege. Second, it is a ‘standpoint,’ a place from which White people look at ourselves, at others, and at society. Third, ‘Whiteness’ refers to a set of cultural practices that are usually unmarked and unnamed” (p.1). Whiteness is rooted deeply in not only society, but institutions of higher education.
One of the key components often missing from professional staff development or trainings is naming whiteness and how it directly and indirectly affects those around the workplace. By failing to name whiteness and its relationship with residential life and students affairs, the staff implicitly gives an unprecedented amount of power and control to white ideology and normativity within departments and institutions. In doing this, toxic spaces where colleagues of color are unable to work and thrive are created. Naming whiteness dismantles the hegemony of its ideology within policies, processes, and the expectations for which we hold each other and our students accountable. In the caucus space, which matched some research already published, it was discovered that white people experience discomfort when thinking about an all-white space. The idea of learning across race is often more appealing. In many social settings, people segregate by race often and conversations look different based on the people in the surrounding environment. Since white people often find learning about whiteness and white privilege difficult at first, doing work in race-specific caucus spaces is important Core Concepts). Doing work in racially grouped caucuses is also necessary because research demonstrates that white individuals are often at a different level of learning than people of color. While white people are oblivious to the systemic privilege they hold, people of color have had to learn about whiteness to survive (Michael and Conger, 2009). The result of this racially-grouped caucus work for white staff members has been an increased comfortability in naming whiteness and white supremacy and connecting lived experiences with
their own racial identity. White individuals also empowered themselves to reframe systemic privilege to fight against the racial inequalities that institutions of higher education and America are grounded in. Overall, the team is experiencing an improved sense of wellness and community - specifically for the staff members of color. The team has developed a more effective skillset around analyzing policy and procedures from a critical race lens, which will shape our work as a department moving forward. As student affairs practitioners, providing opportunities to self-reflect, educate, and practice racial justice work with colleagues, before trying to educate our students on how to be advocates of racial justice, is a necessity. References: Delgado, R., Stefancic, J., (2000) Critical race theory: The cutting edge. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 131. DiAngelo, R. (2011). White Fragility. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3(3), 54-70. Frankenberg, R. (1997). Introduction: Local Whitness, localizing Whiteness. In R. Frankenberg (Ed.), Displacing Whiteness: Essays in social and cultural criticism (pp. 1-33.). Durham, NC: Duke University Press (n.d.). Retrieved from Core Concepts, http://racialequitytools.org/ fundamentals/core-concepts#FUN06 Building Resources To End Racism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2016, from http://www.racialequity.org/ R. A., E. D., & W. G. (n.d.). Racial Identity Caucusing: A Strategy for Building Anti-Racist Collectives. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from http://www.crossroadsantiracism.org/wp-content/themes/crossroads/PDFs/Racial Identiy Caucusing Strategy.pdf
Shruti Desai
Trish Gomez
Ally Schipma
Associate Director Office of Residential Life Washington University in St. Louis Shrutidesai@wustl.edu
Residential College Director Washington University in St. Louis Tgomez@wustl.edu
Residential College Director Washington University in St. Louis Aschipma@wustl.edu Twitter: @AllySchipma
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First #CriptheVote, and then #CripCollege? By Daniel Freeman, Assistant Coordinator for Departmental Initiatives, Kansas State University
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here has been much discourse about issues of race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status at universities across the country, echoing conversations taking place at state and national levels. Yet, these conversations—like those taking place in the on-going election cycle—continue to ignore a critical component of diversity: disability. This ignorance, particularly in politics, is what prompted the creation of #CriptheVote, a social media movement started by disability activists Gregg Beratran, Alice Wong, and Andrew Pulrang. The hashtag itself--#CriptheVote—aims to provide a space for people with disabilities to share their views on policy-making decisions and the political process: “I’m speaking for myself, but ‘crip’ refers to our culture…When people with disabilities speak out, they’re changing spaces through their culture, bodies, words, and viewpoints…the ‘cripping’ of spaces. Voting and political participation needs to be cripped—that is, infused with the perspective of disabled people. This is the approach we’re taking with our campaign” (A. Wong, personal communication, March 11, 2016). The mission of #CriptheVote is to encourage discourse on disability policy—so I asked the founders of this movement how we can #CripCollege, and bring these issues to light on campuses. Wong (personal communication, March 11, 2016) notes that there is no definitive proof that the campaign—which is gaining attention on the national and international scales— has actually affected the current, ongoing election, but she does mention that there have been, and continue to be, thoughtful and engaging discussions about the issues at hand on Twitter. Students today utilize social media as a means of communication, networking, and interacting with each other on a scale that is largely unprecedented. Often with social media, information is disseminated at the touch of one’s fingertips, retrieved at a moment’s notice. Why are the issues that #CriptheVote seeks to address largely being ignored not just by the candidates running for office (“Unfortunately, the Presidential candidates have said relatively little so far about disability policy,” Pulrang notes), but by savvy social media users, particularly college students? 28
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#CriptheVote Pulrang (personal communication, March 11, 2016) thinks that “Disability issues may seem obscure and wonky, even boring, but they have a direct impact on the ability of disabled people to live independently, work, and become financially independent.” What Pulrang notes is at the heart of the larger problem: few people outside of the disability community actually understand the policies that affect this population. But this does not dissuade Beratran from thinking that such difficult issues are above the heads of college students to discuss, digest, and decide upon. On the contrary, Beratran believes that the #CriptheVote movement could thrive in and on college campuses: “… [I]f it’s going to have an impact on American political culture, it will have to move beyond social media. College campuses are the perfect place for this to happen. You have a politically engaged group of people and many wonderful venues for discussion and activism. The idea behind #CripTheVote was to get the American public as a whole to engage with disability issues. Not many places better to start that than on campuses around the country” (G. Beratran personal communication, March 11 2016). Beratran also realizes that there are fundamental and perhaps even systemic problems facing those with disabilities who are in college. Noting that “[c]ollege campuses tend to be a microcosm of the rest of the country,” Beratran acknowledges that various institutions have issues with being accessible and creating inclusive environments, both of which tend to be a topic of conversation amongst those who are participating in the #CriptheVote chats on Twitter and also in school (G. Beratran, personal communication, March 11, 2016). Beratran himself has experiences with these issues, saying “as someone who has spent much of their life in Universities as both a student and as faculty, they aren’t always the most inclusive places; in terms of both the learning environment and the social environment. Not only in regards to disability, but certainly our community has experienced its share” (G. Beratran, personal communication, March 11, 2016). There are numerous articles about
students with disabilities facing these types of barriers at universities across the country, but the fact of the matter is that while the disability community does a great job of engaging in dialogue about these issues, such topics are actively avoided by entities that should be leading these discussions: policy makers, corporations, government factions, and yes, educators. Avoiding such dialogue hinders the ability of the community to shape paths for individuals with disabilities. It also hinders the ability of certain individuals to actively understand and advocate for such paths to be made. Educators working in higher education should be especially invested in the #CriptheVote movement because disability belongs in diversity: it is a tenet of human existence. Yet, disability is frequently left out of social justice conversations or treated as something that is not as important as other social justice topics. But there is still hope to #CripCollege. Beratran (personal communication, March 11, 2016) says that there is more to come after the #CriptheVote movement “ends” after the 2016 election cycle. There will be a video produced in
conjunction with The Huffington Post “to further amplify the voices of the disability community” as well as a continued partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the group, YO Disabled & Proud. A movement to #CripCollege can only start if there are people willing to make it happen, as was the case with #CriptheVote. To this end, Beratran (personal communication, March 11, 2016) implores “disabled students and allies wanting to participate, [to] please join our discussions, but more importantly start your own, on your campuses and in your communities. The current generation of college students is one of the most politically engaged and energized I’ve seen. It would be wonderful to see them take #CripTheVote and force disability into federal, state and local politics.” Daniel Freeman Assistant Coordinator for Departmental Initiatives, Kansas State University Twitter: @danfreem
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Vonversations: A Dialogue with UMR Professionals By Von Stange, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director, University of Iowa, facilitator
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Residence Life, Webster University Javier Gutierrez, Assistant Dean of Student Conduct/ Director of Residential Life at Hamline University
elcome to Vonversations, a new regularly occurring article series for Perspectives Magazine. What are Vonversations? Vonversations are
Matt Hansen, Asst. Dean of Students & Director of
where I will take a topic – normally the theme of the partic-
Michael Harwood, Assistant Dean of Student Life,
ular issue – and ask professionals in the region to respond to some questions I develop. This issue’s theme is “Debate and Discourse: Voices Across Campus”, so what better way
Residence Life, St. Ambrose University North Dakota State University Christina Hurtado, Area Coordinator for Student Development, Kansas State University
to hear about voices across campuses than to hear from campuses across the region?
William Sheppard, Hall Director, University of Nebraska
Activism has been front and center in the news this past year. Our college campuses have not been immune from activism. Notably, the University of Missouri has been a flashpoint for student activism this past fall, but it has not been the only site for protests. With 2016 being an election year, presidential candidates arriving on campus have seen protesters from the campus and local community. While issues of race have been most public, they are not the only issues facing campuses. Protests involving sexual assault and LGBTQA issues have also occurred on college campuses. The UMR region consists of both rural and urban schools, and most are predominantly white institutions. Like at Mizzou, students who feel marginalized choose activism to make public their concerns and advocate for change. When the theme of Perspectives was shared, I wanted to gain the perspectives on if and how activism was occurring on college campuses in the region. I contacted a variety of Student Life and Residence Life staff across the region to get their perspectives on activism on campuses. The professionals who responded include: Anna Dickherber, Community Director for Residence Halls, Webster University Justin Frederick, Associate Director of Housing and 30
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Q:
What activism activities have occurred on your campus this academic year? Was there a campus
event that precipitated the activism, or was it in response to other national issues? Javier: We have seen students involved in the Black Lives Matter movement as well as a lot around Title IX and campus sexual assault awareness. Most recently there has been a lot of political activity and support for Bernie Sanders. Christina: Nothing has happened on our campus this academic year, which is more concerning to me than actually having activism take place. Our students are pretty complacent, for the most part. We did have some events occur just after Ferguson last year, but it was only a couple days of events. William: The biggest and most recent activism activity on campus was a Black Lives Matter Rally to help bring forth the recognition that people of color are treated unfairly. The event was peaceful and many came out across campus to show support. The event was mainly in response to national issues that concerned our campus beyond police brutality. There were instances on campus over the past few years that brought attention to the campus climate for not just
black students, but all minorities.
think the cases are clear cut, and of course, they are not.
Matt: St. Ambrose has seen little activism this year. I
William: The biggest concern I have regarding student
would say the level of discourse is up as are the awareness
activism is the negative response that could happen. While
of issues and civic engagement, but not activism. SAU did
most activism is initially peaceful, one act of intentional
partner with the Quad Cities Chamber to be a host site
pressure for violence can spark debate and physically
seeking political candidates to come and speak on campus
unwanted interactions. Can it be reversed once it happens?
which led to many being here during the caucus season.
Justin and Anna: Our biggest concern is that students
Even that, however, went without issues or protest.
do not feel supported as activists. They want to do some-
Justin and Anna: There have been a number of activism
thing, but they don’t always know the best way to go about
activities on our campus. A couple closely timed events are
it and feel hesitant in asking for assistance. This leads to
worth noting. In November, in response to events at the
violations of demonstration policies when staff members
University of Missouri, the Association for African American
could assist with navigating the process to give students
Collegians (AAAC) presented a list of 14 demands to admin-
their best chance for success. Additionally, the relationship
istration regarding issues surrounding African American
with our city (Webster Groves) is not always positive, and,
studies programs (the creation of ), financial aid/tuition,
as such, there have been students who were arrested for
university spending, administration receiving bonuses,
peaceful demonstrations.
increased retention efforts for black students, upgrades/ relocation of Multicultural Center, and required critical race sensitivity training. Later in the month, a student of color dragged a 28 pound cinder block around campus attached via a chain to their ankle, demonstrating that racism was holding him back while weighing him down.
Matt: To be quite honest, we in Student Affairs desire more activism/less apathy from our students. Some of my peers on the Leadership Team of Student Affairs [fondly] remember the more active days of the 60s and 70s, and I attended Macalester College, which was far more politically active/charged. We sometimes discuss how to foment more
A more recent event also impacted our students. The
unrest here to get our students more engaged! SAU has a
university was hosting an event on campus by the “found-
rich history of great political activism during the civil rights
ers” of the Black Lives Matter movement as part of Black
struggles of the 60s and 70s but that is no longer the case.
History Month. The day of the event, someone on social media challenged whether or not these people were the actual founders. Because of this, the presenters believed the “challenger” – who said they would attend and potentially
Q:
What impact have the presidential debates/visits had on your students?
disrupt the event - would take away from the program and
Justin and Anna: I think that these debates and visits
chose to cancel it. This was a major disappointment for
have shaken a lot of our students out of their states of
our students and staff.
apathy. I have seen/heard many of them wanting to see candidates speak and want to become involved in the
Q:
What is your biggest concern regarding student activism on your campus?
Michael: The biggest concern would be the safety of students, faculty, and staff. Javier: In some cases, I think the students feel that they can automatically change policy, but it is not that easy as there are many steps and considerations. An example of this
process. Unfortunately, for some of our students it has not had a positive impact. Seeing in St. Louis the amount of hate/violence that occurred at the Trump rally caused some of our students to question the people who are surrounding them and what their beliefs are. For instance, we had a few students attend this rally who were arrested and subjected to being called names, insulted, and hurt by event attendees.
is that all students who violate our sexual misconduct policy
Matt: The impact has been very positive in terms of
are automatically expelled. I think many of these students
awareness and improving the level of civic engagement and UMR Perspectives
31
“When I have been put in a
discussion. Actively hosting has also led to more student
position of conflict, I have
our students are impressed with the opportunity to rub elbows or get photos with so many national candidates.
“pride” in their institution, as we feel more of a player and
Michael: I have not taken the time to observe this in
learned (over the years) that I must not only take the
depth with our students. I will overhear them talking about the most recent debates and how they serve no purpose other than the candidates one-upping each other. William: The presidential visits on our campus have been mostly positive. The president, presidential can-
emotion out of my response, but that I need to fully research the policies before I attempt to engage with students in conversation.”
didate, and notable supporters of others visiting have brought a high interest in understanding the political views of candidates.
Q:
How has the institution balanced the role and requests of student activists vs. the policies and
protocols of the University – if they are in conflict? Javier: We have tried to be supportive by informing students of what consequences could be of protests, arrests, etc.... We also want them to know they can ask questions and challenge the university administration. Justin and Anna: By helping the students understand the purpose behind the policy. At the end of the day, we want to support the students as much as we are able, and want them to consider how their message will be perceived. They may have a great message, but if they decide to do something like run screaming through an academic building, all individuals will remember is the action and not the message. Overall our institution does a great job of facilitating and encouraging activism, but when issues like this do occur, I find that balance is best found by helping the folks involved understand why balance needs to exist.
Q:
How have you, personally, balanced the role and requests of student activists vs. the policies
and protocols of the University – if they are in conflict? William: I must keep my views of activism and political views silent as this could have a potential negative impact not only for my position in Student Affairs but in the community as well. As a minority I must decide to lose connections or express my opinions. As I work with 32
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uplifting all people, it is my best decision to keep silent at
students perspective and to uphold policy. Do policies
the present time.
sometimes conflict with my personal beliefs? Yes. Do
Javier: I have been presented with this over the past few years. I have to help students navigate their options, but also present them with risks associated with their choices. I let them know what are ways they can work within the system, who to speak to, how to build coalitions with other groups, faculty and staff. I have helped them organize within university guidelines and policies. I have also told them that I cannot be on the frontline with them because of my position and the way I can be an ally and assist is to bring their concerns to my supervisors and other administrators. I also talk to students about what could happen if they are arrested or if they violate campus policies, and help them reflect on the risks associated with their choices. It’s really a conversation about their values and asking them the question of if this battle is worth the risk. Christina: This is a very good question. I believe that my role, no matter my thoughts or beliefs, is to offer
some of the things students or staff say or do conflict with my beliefs? Yes. When I have been put in a position of conflict, I have learned (over the years) that I must not only take the emotion out of my response, but that I need to fully research the policies before I attempt to engage with students in conversation. Disengaging my emotions doesn’t mean that I decrease empathy when having difficult discussions. It means that I do my best to hear the student and give them the best answer I can based on the situation and policies that apply. Working to understand the perspective of the students (no matter how difficult this may be for me personally) helps me see where there are gaps in our systems and helps us identify ways to advocate and educate.
Q:
What else can the university do to meet the request of our students who want to see change?
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33
Javier: We can provide them avenues to voice, recom-
best way of leading towards a positive campus climate for
mend, meet with administration, and options in case their
all. This is not an easy task, but if it is seen as an import-
needs cannot be met.
ant agenda item by upper administration, there can be
Christina: I think our university struggles to help stu-
buy-in from the majority of the campus as a whole. Role
dents engage in dialogue, which creates an “out of sight
modeling positive behavior and not just giving lip service
out of mind” mentality.
will engender more respect. Finally, policies need to be
Michael: We do not see much student activism at NDSU. I don’t think our students are immune to it, but I believe we value and take pride in building good relationships with
reviewed constantly to make sure they are in place to serve everyone, not just advantage some. This is an arduous task, but must be done.
our students. For example, directors in Student Affairs have
Matt: For better or worse, we seem to be meeting
advisory councils that include a number of students. We
our students needs/requests. We are continuing to tone
build good relationships with students through our advi-
down the annual spring festival (called Last Blast here)
sory boards, student organizations, student government,
and some students are frustrated we are taking away their
RHA, etc., and I think this allows us to be in the know about
party, but even that is being accepted in stride by the vast
things they want to see changed. I also think we teach our
majority. Plus, unrest from “eliminating” an alcohol event
students the importance of process when addressing their
is not truly activism.
concerns and issues they want to see changed.
Justin and Anna: Listen. Listen actively and intently. Let
William: The university must be willing to listen to the
students have a voice and see some change. It is difficult
concerns of students, faculty, and staff to determine the
for students to understand that change is often a process
34
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that takes time. For many who have not felt supported to finally air grievances and then continue to not feel supported breeds a lot of derision and anger. We need to create forums for students to air grievances to administration in a productive fashion, rather than feeling as though the only way to be heard is to “ambush” administrators.
Von’s closing thoughts: Student activism is not going away anytime soon, nor do we want it to go away. Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people
Christina Hurtado (cmhurtad@ksu.edu) Justin Frederick (jfrederick88@webster.edu) Matt Hansen (hansenmattb@sau.edu) Javier Gutierrez (jgutierrez@hamline.edu) Michael Harwood (michael.harwood@ndsu.edu) William Sheppard (wsheppard2@unl.edu) Anna Dickherber (annadickherber58@webster.edu)
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” My hope is to channel their thoughts and com-
Von Stange
mitment in a way that respects the individuals and the
Assistant Vice President and Executive Director, University of Iowa facilitator von-stange@uiowa.edu
process. My colleagues advocate listening and action. One without the other only solves part of the problem. The respondents are the stars of this article. If you wish to contact them to discuss activism on their respective campuses, feel free to do so. Let’s talk again next time.
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