Diversity

Carla
Original post
Campus Issues / Careers / Diversity / Social Networks / University / Work/Life Balance — 9 Comments
7
Nov 11

Women…Be More Assertive?!?!?!

I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review and was curious to gain some much needed advice on how to advance in the workplace. The Ambition and Gender at Work study conducted by Europe’s Institute of Leadership & Management concluded women have lower confidence in the workplace compared to their male coworkers. The study also indicated women in management positions are more likely to doubt their performance and are hesitant to seek out promotions.

The study identifies four ways in which women create barriers to their own success:

1. Being overly modest.
2. Not asking.
3. Blending in.
4. Remaining silent.

The article indicates that men are more likely to speak about their accomplishments more openly than women. I was speaking with a colleague about seeking promotions and he asked me was I self-promoting within the office. For a moment I had to think about the last time I consciously sought out opportunities to brag about myself. Sometimes I feel I’m so involved at work, how could anyone not realize this level of involvement. However, the article states your boss and colleagues will not know what you are capable of if you do not tell them. But we don’t want to play the martyr, now do we?

I had a supervisor that used to say, “You don’t ask, you don’t get.” The article states that some women are passed up for promotions because they do not ask for the promotion. When we job search we are told to “ask,” for the job, so it makes sense to “ask,” for the promotion. Asking for a raise or promotion will accomplish two things: 1. You will have communicated your interest and intentions the organization; and 2. Their reaction to your request will determine where you stand with the organization. Ah, but we do this for the students; it’s not about the money or the prestige.

According to the article some women would prefer to blend in and remain silent rather than stand out in meetings or at events. Blending in hinders anyone’s chances to leave a positive impression on a supervisor or colleague. I can recall times that I have sat in meetings silent because I thought what I had to contribute was not important, but I also can recall times when I have spoken from experience on a topic and inherited a project and a committee to assist. But why would the Vice President want my opinion about alternative approaches to student programming?

I realize this study grazes the subject of gender roles; women are not characteristically assertive while men are asserting at all times of the day. What are your thoughts on this topic, considering that student affairs is a heavily female-dominated field? Are women deficient when it comes to self-promotion? Do we fail to speak up for a promotion out of fear of judgment?

 

Carla Finklea Green is a residence hall director at Old Dominion University.

Viraj
Original post
Campus Issues / Creativity / Diversity / Education Theory / Engagement / Event Ideas / Leadership Training / Marketing / Student Activities / Student Discipline / University — 5 Comments
31
Oct 11

Racist Halloween? Not for these students.

By now, you may have seen a link circulating across social media and email inboxes highlighting the ad campaign created by a group of students at Ohio University. The posters show students holding a picture of a Halloween costume, either worn commonly at parties or sold in party stores, depicting caricatures of their culture. You can see the full account with pictures of each of the posters here.


I post about it here on the Student Affairs Collaborative because every year, there is always one theme party that makes national headlines (not to count the thousands that don’t) as being derogatory, racist, offensive, and  whole list of other words that indicate unsafe environments for students with traditional marginalized identities. When I was an undergraduate student, my University community, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was torn apart over a Greek mixer titled “Tacos ‘N Tequila”- I’ll let your imagination do the work here, but suffice it to say that students were not dressed up as food or bottles of alcohol. The experience, which still elicits a physical reaction with me, cast a shadow over my college experience which, for all intents and purposes, was otherwise one of the happiest times of my life. I remember feeling frustrated, alienated, and hurt that people who lived in a place I love and called my home could make me, as a person of color, feel so unwelcome. Last year it was the Compton Cookout hosted by UC San Diego students, but there are plenty more out there that don’t make national headlines.

As student affairs practitioners, I feel that we are the ones responsible for addressing the issues that arise from such incidents. We are the ones that are held accountable for the parties occurring, though they are never officially University sanctioned. They are often a classic example of higher education, and especially student affairs, of being reactive versus proactive. Have you had any proactive conversations on campus about what to do if/when an oppressively-themed party hits your campus? What did you discuss?

As a student, I remember feeling frustrated that the administration didn’t automatically remove these students or ban the particular organizations from campus. Now, with a few more years under my belt, I understand their decisions as a necessary step to protect free speech rights at a public land-grant institution. But it still doesn’t feel good nor does it change the fact that, even though I was not a part of the group directly being stereotyped in the party, I still felt like an outsider in my campus community.

It is wonderful to see students at Ohio U. taking a proactive stand against a very public display of intolerance. I applaud the unsung heroes of the initiative, including the advisors who helped them with the program and funding for the project, the people writing articles about them in major news sources, and all the other supporters of the initiative. I think it is a wonderful example of student empowerment and activism and I hope to see the proactive educational initiatives continue.

How do you feel institutions should respond to theme parties? Can you give where an institution effectively responded to such a situation? What other ways can higher education, or we as individual practitioners, support proactive measures to counter negatively themed parties/costumes?

Viraj S. Patel is a Hall Director at Georgetown University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam
Original post
Books / Campus Issues / Collaborative Learning / Creativity / Diversity / Leadership Training / Work/Life Balance — 4 Comments
8
Aug 11

Cultivating Compassion in Our Practice

Last spring, my supervisor and I had a conversation about Student Affairs and Buddhism. I mentioned to her that, as someone with an interest in Buddhist philosophy, I would like to begin thinking about ways to intentionally incorporate my broad personal belief in compassion into my professional practice. My supervisor noted that she had never had a supervisee mention this aspiration to her before, but that I should pursue it.

In an effort to learn more about compassion and how I can contextualize it within Student Affairs, this summer I read The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology by Lorne Ladner. In the book, Ladner articulates the benefits of compassion as well as how to cultivate a compassionate attitude using Buddhist-inspired meditations. He examines through Western psychology how cultivating compassion is extremely beneficial to both an individual and the community in which they live.

The entire time I was reading the book, I was thinking about ways that actively cultivating compassion could bolster my work in Student Affairs. After all, if one of our profession’s foundational goals is the holistic health and wellbeing of students, I think it’s reasonable to argue that compassion is a necessary component of efficacy. Ideally, we practice compassion when we are helping students understand the impact of their mistakes, when we are teaching them about social justice and identity, and when we are challenging them to become responsible global citizens.

The most competent professionals I have met are those who demonstrate their commitment to students in their compassion for them, even when they behave in ways that are damaging. Yet, so few of us ever name compassion as a professional competency. I think that a lot of us, particularly in the United States, associate the cultivation of compassion as a lofty and spiritual practice. I certainly used to. Since reading about and seriously contemplating compassion, however, I have realized that my best professional moments have come when I have exercised it.

Is compassion an intentional component to your professional practice? If so, in what ways do you practice compassion with your students and your colleagues?

Adam J. Ortiz is a House Director at Hampshire College, Massachusetts

Viraj
Original post
Diversity / Resident Life / Work/Life Balance — 6 Comments
29
Jul 11

How We Talk About Our Jobs (And What Does It Say About Us?)

I am what we call a “new professional”. A proud graduate of the HESA program at the University of Vermont, I spent a good deal of the summer catching up with family and friends who, for the last two years, I had just barely kept in touch with. The conversations always start out with congratulations, excitement about my move to start my new job, and then came the inevitable awkward transition: “So…what do you actually do?”

My student affairs colleagues, you all know this question well. We each have been asked this question and struggle to find accurate answers. It seems that no matter how often I answer it, I have never been able to get down an “elevator speech” with which I am satisfied. Sometimes I try to explain what I do completely accurately. This is usually met with more confusion, an underwhelmed response, confusion as to why this required a post-baccalaureate education, or a mix of the above. However, sometimes when I speak to my friends and family, I catch myself relying only upon the horror stories of the job to get across that what I do as a Hall Director/ResLifer is indeed important. The late nights, student deaths, incident confrontations– I am not comfortable with this– I feel as if telling only the incredibly intense stories overshadows the simplistic beauty of the day-to-day work that we do. I wonder if the way I talk about my job –almost with a need for validation in order to impress my audience– is fueled by my internalized classism related to my education level and job.

Somewhere along this summer journey, this video crossed my Facebook mini-feed and reminded me I am not alone in this struggle. It illustrates a situation many of us, particularly the ResLifers, can relate to on some level. How do we talk to parents/guardians of students, our families, and friends about our job and student affairs as a profession? How does the way we talk about our job reflect the actual values of our profession?

When I engage with a parent like in the video above (which I have done to a lesser extent), I realize I am not only acting upon my internalized classism (insisting upon the proper title), but I am also going against my value of meeting people where they are. How important is it to get my title across to the parent if all they really need is the “head RA.” Of course, I am speaking only from my particular identities, and there are plenty of individual reasons for insisting upon getting a title or language correct. I am speaking from my class identity as I struggle to find a response to the eternal question that satisfies me. How do I talk about my job, and what does the way I respond say about me and my lived values?

How do you talk about the work you do? What is important for you to convey to the other party?

Viraj S. Patel is a Hall Director at Georgetown University.

Tyler
Original post
Campus Issues / Collaborative Learning / Creativity / Diversity / First-Year Experience / Freshman / Games / Leadership Training / Low Cost Programming / Resident Life / University — No Comments
18
Jul 11

Build This House: An activity for discussing first-generation students with student leaders

Explaining the experience of first-generation college students is a task that many of us quickly deflect if at all possible. Just because a subject can be classified as “well, every situation is so different” does not mean that we cannot try. A few years back, a hall director I worked for needed me to come up with a first-generation college student (FGCS) program for her resident assistant staff. After some thought, I came up with the following, relatively quick program:

Materials needed:

Two (or more) sheets of paper

Pencils (preferably the stencil pencil kind)

Or use a whiteboard/chalkboard

(Groups should be 5 or less/group)

Preparation:

1. Design two like house outlines (basic blueprints with basic room options)

2. On back of each, list:

Rooms needed:

Kitchen

Bathroom

Living room

Master bedroom

Spare bedroom

Upstairs bathroom (shared between the two bedrooms)

Appliances needed:

Oven, fridge, sink, pantry, island, counters, cupboards, dishwasher

Sofa, couch, TV, coffee table, plants (x3)

Soap and towels

Bed, armoire (x2), treasure chest, nightstand (x2)

Repeat for spare bedroom (add a desk)

Rules:

Designate 2 “parents”

Divide group into (two) equal halves

Parent 1 = you know the ins-and-outs of home building. Feel free to help with all aspects of the basic design. Give pointers but allow for choices!

Parent 2 = you try to help with basic design but have no prior experience. Accidentally, you give the group bad advice and misguided direction. Five minutes into the activity, you get frustrated and leave.

Allow for 15-20 minutes for groups to finalize their houses.

Once completed, ask the following questions (plus your own):

  1. How did the “parents” help/hurt?
  2. What were the difficult decisions?
  3. Why did you place/label each room where/what?
  4. What are the differences between groups?
  5. How does this relate to first generation college students?
    1. Parents who can help/ parents who are inexperienced
    2. Some decisions are made without understanding
    3. Communication between student-home is stressed
    4. Transitioning as a freshman becomes immediately more difficult
    5. Does FGCS correlate with low socio-economic status (SES)*?

Treat this as a basic start to get the discussion/training session started. The point of the project is to metaphorically show students that matriculating through a successful college career is similar to building an efficient house— it helps to have an experienced architect. However, it takes student leaders and student affairs professionals to make sure that each student who does not have an experienced parental architect is aware of the plethora of resources offered by their university.

Remember, first-generation college students (FGCS) and students of low socioeconomic status (SES) are not necessarily correlated and should be understood as separate but equally important variables when further understanding our student populations.

Tyler Martin recently completed his M.Ed. in Higher Education and is seeking a position in Student Affairs.

Tyler
Original post
Diversity / Leadership Training — 15 Comments
14
Jul 10

Stop, Drop, & Roll: What to do When Facing a New Culture

Since it’s Student Leadership Season, I wanted to throw this thought-process out there as another way to approach teaching our student leaders how to approach their peers who are different from themselves. Since part of the experience of student leadership is learning how to work with people of vastly different ideas, views, and backgrounds than their selves, it’s important that we give them a little guidance so they do not have awkward experiences leaving them baffled.

We all remember being taught to “stop, drop, and roll” when we were young. Of course, then it was for putting out burning clothing. Today, I hope to instill a new reason for us to “stop, drop, and roll:” when we find ourselves amidst a new culture, creed, ideology, etc. No matter how many different ways of life I study and discover, I will never consider myself a cultural guru. In my experience, it has become clear that no matter how many people of a certain race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., that I meet or learn about, there was, is, and will always be a new experience, element, and/or example for me to take away.

When you are faced with someone very different than yourself, no matter what the difference is, try this out and see where it leads you:

1. STOP – Whatever you’re doing, stop doing it for a minute and realize what’s going on around you. How did you meet this person? Is it a resident in your hall that you’ve met for the first time? Is it someone in you class, cohort, department, etc that has introduced his/herself? Is it someone standing by you in line at the check-out who’s sparked conversation? Wherever and whatever is going on, STOP for that brief moment to clear your mind and realize your setting.

2. DROP – No matter what you think you know about this type (for lack of a better word) of person, DROP your thoughts. I don’t care if you have a PH.D in World Cultures (which, if you do, let me know so I can pick your brain!), you must DROP any and all learned stereotypes, preconceived notions, and understandings you think you have. Get rid of them. Shoo these thoughts away!

3. ROLL – Once you’ve gotten yourself ready to learn about someone new by STOPPING and DROPPING, you will be able to ROLL on with the situation/experience. Let them know that you’re interested in who they are and what they’re all about. As weird as it may seem, it does fancy people to know that someone is interested in them and (in all of my experience) they’ll feel comfortable at opening up about themselves and learning about you, too.

This version of stop, drop, and roll works every time if you’re truly interested in learning about someone else. If you don’t believe me, think about what it was like when you were a child and you just oozed with questions about the world around you … exactly. People answered you. People understood that you were just curious and you were excited to learn something that you didn’t understand. People also knew that if they opened up and explained the questions that you had as a child, you would be apt to hold a better understanding than most people, and that you would be able to defend their culture if you hadn’t asked the questions in the first place.

This may sound naive and corny, but it works.

So STOP, DROP, ROLL and learn something new– even if you think you already know it all.

Everyone has a story.

Tyler Martin is a Residence Hall Director at Valdosta State University.

Tyler
Original post
Diversity / Leadership Training — 17 Comments
22
Jun 10

Diversity Training Role Play: Behind Closed Doors

Summer is in full-swing and we’re all busy bees, getting ready for the start of another new academic year. If you’re like me, this means preparing for leadership training opportunities. And for some of you, this is synonymous with Resident Assistant Training. While you’re putting this beast together, I ask how much emphasis have you and/or your institution placed on training for diversity issues? Although diversity is nothing new to us in Student Affairs, I still find that its emphasis is not on par with our students’ needs.

Yes, we may require a diversity program or two for our RAs, Hall Council, and Residence Hall Association, but how much affect do these programs have? Is open support for the various religions, abilities, races, socioeconomic status, genders, and sexual orientations of our increasingly diverse resident student body enough? And more importantly, how well versed are our student leaders? Is the RA ready to handle a student coming out to them? What would they do when faced with a roommate conflict fueled by religious differences? Could they confidently approach the needs of a wheel-chair dependent resident? The more we think about it, the more nervous it may make us.

Fret not, there’s a solution! An easy way to tackle this concern is introducing (if you have not already) diversity training into your leadership curriculum such as RA Training. As professionals and (pre)-professionals, many of us are ready to tackle these difficult situations, and we do. Nevertheless, it’s paramount that our student leaders are able to face these situations with just as much ease since they are the ones who usually are first confronted with these situations. Below are some Diversity “Behind Closed Doors” or BCD scenarios that I wrote for my department’s Fall Training. If you think it’s time your department tackles diversity training, these may provide you with a good start:

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 1

Type: Race Relations (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

It is Move-in Day and your residents are really excited to finally get to college! You notice two residents arranging their room and decide to stop by to see them.

Actors:

(Resident 1, Resident 1’s Parent, Resident 2)

Scene to be enacted:

Move-in Day:  Two residents are arranging their room. One resident has a parent with him/her. The RA stops by to see how move-in is going and the parent begins aggressively complaining about how his/her son was put with someone of a different race and that he/she will not have his/her student picking up drugs and becoming promiscuous because of his/her roommate.

RHD: Processing:

  1. What did the RA do well?
  2. What could the RA have done better?
  3. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
  4. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
  5. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

  1. Ask the parent to join you in the hallway.
  2. Explain to the parent that roommates are required to live together for the first two weeks before they can be moved.
  3. Explain that being moved will be the choice of the students involved once the two-week waiting period has elapsed.
  4. Speak to the students, individually, later to see how they feel about their living situation.
  5. If the situation escalates more, send the parent to the RHD.

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 2

Type: GLBT Coming-Out (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

Two of your residents came to VSU as lifelong best friends and have maintained their friendship despite rooming together. They’re inseparable and never fight. As you’re doing a round, you hear screaming coming from their end of the hall.

Actors:

(Resident 1, Resident 2)

Scene to be enacted:

Two roommates are best friends and are inseparable. They’ve known each other their entire lives and have no secrets—or so one of them thought. After rooming together for almost a semester, one roommate decides to tell the other his/her one secret: he/she is Gay. Roommate 1 is completely flabbergasted and the surprise of it all erupts in homophobic rage. Roommate 1 screams at the other roommate, calling him/her a faggot/dyke and proceeds to run out the door, slamming it behind him/her. The RA calls for your attention but you keep going. The RA stops in to ask Roommate 2 what had just happened. Roommate 2 is in tears and states that he/she just came out to Roommate 1 and doesn’t understand his/her reaction.

RHD: Processing:

  1. What did the RA do well?
  2. What could the RA have done better?
  3. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
  4. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
  5. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

  1. Both roommates are very emotional right now and it’s your task to sift through their emotions to reestablish their common bond.
  2. Have Roommate 2 recount the incident.
  3. Locate Roommate 1 and discuss his/her feelings (they’re important, too!).
  4. Suggest taking both roommates to a GSA meeting, or inform them of GSA and their services.
  5. Discuss the situation with your RHD.
  6. Check up on residents to see if their relationship is rebuilding or further deteriorating.

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 3

Type: Religious Differences (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

Two of your residents are roommates but not friends. You know that they coexist without much communication, but neither of them have explained why. While doing a round, you hear a bunch of commotion followed by screaming and the slamming of a door.

Actors:

(Resident 1, Resident 2, Friends of Resident 2 [if possible])

Scene to be enacted:

Resident 1 is of a traditional, conservative Christian religion. Roommate 2 is a Neo-Pagan (define). Despite Resident 1’s intolerance towards Roommate 2’s beliefs, both residents manage to remain roommates since they have conflicting schedules that keep them separated. Tonight, however, Resident 1 walks in on Resident 2 and his/her friends performing a ritual that involves them sitting in the form of a circle with lit candles and incents amongst them and a religious text in the center of their formed circle. Resident 2 and his/her friends appear to be chanting. Resident 1 bursts into anger and kicks the candles, incents, and text; screams at them and crashes out the door, slamming it behind him/her. Resident 1 sees his/her RA and charges towards him/her demanding a room change.

RHD: Processing:

  1. What did the RA do well?
  2. What could the RA have done better?
  3. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
  4. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
  5. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

  1. Lead Resident 1 back into his/her room and have all non-residents leave the room.
  2. Point out the policy violations with the candles and incents, but do not make the situation about the policy violations, but rather the roommates situation.
  3. Emotions are high right now, separating the roommates and speaking to them individually may be a good idea. Start with Roommate 1 since he/she came to you first.
  4. Bring the roommates together and use the Talking Stick and Roommate Mediation skills.
  5. Be aware that some situations are above your skill set and that is OKAY.
  6. If you feel that the situation will only become worse, contact your RHD or the RHD on duty so he/she may investigate and decide on any further action.

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 4

Type: Socio-economic Status/ First-gen College Student (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

You love community building activities. In fact, you’ve managed to get your entire floor to regularly see movies on opening nights, go off-campus to eat, and they even designed and purchased several floor pride shirts! One of your residents, who used to be just as active as the rest of your floor, has recently stopped going to the movies and off-campus to eat. Tonight, you decide to stop by and see if he/she’s okay and find out why he/she’s changed.

Actors:

(Resident 1)

Scene to be enacted:

Resident 1 hails from a family of low socio-economic status and is a first-generation college student. Although the HOPE Scholarship and his/her Financial Aid covers most of the cost for college, he/she still had to take out a loan for some books and living expenses. Resident 1’s floor is very engaged and regularly sees movies on opening nights, goes off-campus to eat, and even designs and purchases several floor pride shirts. Even though Resident 1 has really enjoyed this, he/she’s realized that continuing this will deplete his/her fixed finances. The RA has noticed that Resident 1 has stopped attending the movies and no longer goes out to eat with the floor. He/she stops by tonight to ask Resident 1 why. Despite Resident 1’s embarrassment, he/she places pride aside and explains his/her situation.

RHD: Processing:

  1. What did the RA do well? What could the RA have done better?
  2. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
  3. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
  4. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

  1. Finances can be a sensitive subject to students, so approach them with diligence.
  2. Do not hesitate to use the programming budget—designing low-cost and free programs is very simple. Be sure to utilize CAB, RHA and general University events as programs!
  3. All students need to understand finances: program a Budgeting/Finance 101 program.
  4. Be aware that First Gen students may need more assistance than other students. Plan for this by knowing basic questions to University services and guide them to the resources/services/offices that may help them.
  5. Praise your residents’ academic success through programs and conversation: ask residents how they want to be recognized (some wish to be, others do not).

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 5

Type: Students with Disabilities (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

One of your residents uses a wheelchair for mobility. This resident has been very social and active all semester—coming to hall events and spends a lot of time in the lobby being chummy with other residents. Recently, however, you’ve not seen this resident around. Being concerned, you stop by why the resident is out and ask his/her roommate if everything is okay.

Actors:

(Resident 1)

Scene to be enacted:

Resident 1’s roommate uses a wheelchair for mobility. Lately, Resident 1 has noticed that his/her roommate has become frustrated with the way other residents are treating his/her disability. Resident 1 has seen other residents walk around his/her roommate as he/she is leaving the building since he/she uses a proxy card that automatically opens the doors. Resident 1 has also seen residents make faces, gestures, and comments about his/her roommate being slow and taking up the whole hallway as he/she navigates the building. Resident 1 knows that his/her roommate has become aware of the ignorance/intolerance of other residents has become less active in the hall and is now spending most of his/her time outside the resident hall. When the RA stops by to ask about Resident 1’s roommate, Resident 1 explains the situation.

RHD: Processing:

  1. What did the RA do well? What could the RA have done better?
  2. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
  3. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
  4. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

  1. Start the year by discussing a climate of acceptance and expecting diversity. This will set the tone for the year and make residents more aware of one another initially.
  2. Talk to the resident experiencing the issue to assess his/her feelings and sentiments.
  3. Ask the resident if he/she would be interesting in creating an ability-based program (some residents with disabilities are more than willing, while others would rather not).
  4. Become acquainted with the Access Office (aka Disabled Student Development)—they will be glad to help you understand your resident and his/her needs.
  5. Do not tolerate any intolerance of any diversity element: treat it as you would any other inconsiderate behavior.
Jennifer
Original post
Diversity / Event Ideas — 7 Comments
31
May 10

Happy Memorial Day.

It’s easy for us to count off, probably on more than one hand, the programs we’ve been a part of this year. Those that stand out in our minds probably gave us the greatest challenge, taught us something about ourselves, allowed us to see that “A-Ha” spark of engagement, or provided us an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in departments outside of our own. But, what programs had the greatest impact on our special or unique populations?

On this Memorial Day, one unique student population comes to mind: our veterans. Having worked at an institution that was less than 10 miles from an air force base, currently working at an institution with a significant percentage of students serving or recently transitioning back to life as a civilian, and coming from a family of proud military men and women, this group is always in the forefront of my mind.

If you were to assess your campus programs and services right now, could you explicitly list the transition services offered at your institution to men and women returning from deployment? Did you host a roundtable to hear what your veteran students need from your department? Have you done all you can to help these students transition from a battle mindset to your campus grind? Have you opened the dialogue to discuss how your institution can do more?

Like many of the veteran students on my campus, I care a lot about action and less about words. It’s easy to make services for unique populations a checkbox on an ever growing list of tasks, and a greater challenge to create a relationship with these students. Building relationships is the key. We know that human beings like to laugh, especially those who are returning from high stress situations like the battlefield, so why not extend a personal invitation to a veteran to attend the comedy show your program board is hosting? Military men and women have received many hours of leadership training; are you looking at the future facilitators of a workshop in your leadership portfolio series? If your residence hall floor is looking for a service project, how about becoming pen pals for deployed servicemen and women? Opportunities are endless and reaching out to a unique population can be incorporated into programs and activities you’re already offering.

Your campus is not alone if this unique population hasn’t been in the spotlight. Admittedly, my campus is in the beginning phases of having organized transition services for students going to or returning from deployment. However, together we face this challenge: instead of flowery words, truly honor the service of the many men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice –extend a hand and build a relationship with your veteran students.

Happy Memorial Day.

Lisa
Original post
Diversity / Event Ideas / Leadership Training / University — 70 Comments
26
Apr 10

The magic of high-impact learning experiences

We all want to create learning experiences that transform lives. Students spend such a short time in college (which may be even less with three-year degrees!)–what opportunities can we offer that will have a big impact? This challenge seems impossible at times, especially with tight resources. However, when we are able to pull one off, it can appear almost magical.

That’s the way I would describe the weeklong Lakota cultural experience offered recently to UW-Green Bay students. I had the pleasure of accompanying students to the Pine Ridge Reservation and Rapid City, South Dakota, to build relationships with the Lakota people, to learn about their culture, and to participate in service with them.

From our arrival to our departure, we encountered opportunities to stretch our minds, hearts, and bodies. Our guides encouraged us from the start to observe and listen, to learn and understand, to resist judgment.

In this frame of mind, we witnessed Lakota people, who, despite past and present losses, demonstrated true generosity, compassion, spirit, and hope. We heard a bit about Lakota history, defined by manipulation and worse; however, we heard a great deal more about a future defined by tribally driven education, cultural restoration, and community development.

Despite the short time we spent with various individuals, we formed strong connections. Each person we met deepened our understanding, not only about the Lakota people but also about ourselves. We observed values that some of us will build into our own lives: a broader definition of family, a spiritual connection to all things, and a reverence for our elders and their wisdom. Lakota resilience and tenacity empower us.

I almost missed this trip. It had been many years since I last crawled into a crowded van and drove for hours to get to a destination, whether that was an R.A. conference, NACURH, or some other lively and learning-filled event. Like living-in perhaps, road trips seemed a thing of the past for me. A selfish quandary rightly resolved.

This trip’s life is far from over. The group is presenting its experiences to the campus in a couple weeks, a participant is writing a paper on Wounded Knee for a history class, and next fall we will facilitate a discussion of the book Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog as part of our leadership programming. And that’s just the beginning.

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to join the students on this journey. It was a transformative experience for all of us and a program thick with learning: history, culture, white privilege, economics, and so much more. Magical.

Were you lucky enough to have a transformative experience as an undergrad? What are some recent high-impact learning experiences you’ve been a part of or observed? Who is finding success creating quality experiences with limited resources?

View the UWGB Student Life Facebook page for photos from our trip.

Lisa Tetzloff is director of student life at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Debra
Original post
#sachat / Diversity / SA Humor — 8 Comments
22
Apr 10

#SACHAT Under the sea?

In case you missed this evening’s edition of #SACHAT, we had our first celebrity sighting since Irma Pelt joined the conversation. Yes, it was none other than everyone’s favorite mermaid, Ariel!

During our evening chat on the topic of Staff Motivation and Recognition, Miss Ariel weighed in to share her approval of staff and student recognition.

Our trusty #SACHAT moderator was surprised as much as anyone by this celebrity appearance and sought confirmation of the mermaid manifesting herself in the conversation.

Miss Ariel continued to show that she’s got the scales and chimed in on a question about handling staff jealousy over recognition.

As the conversation clearly slowed to focus on the star in our midst, Ariel bantered a bit more about the “ism’s” represented in Disney animation and then swam away, under the sea, down where it’s wetter, take it from me.

Just goes to prove, you miss a day of #SACHAT, you miss a lot.

I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see them dancin’
Walking around on those – what do you call ‘em?
Oh – feet!

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