The Student Affairs Collaborative

Tuesday Tally: Living on Campus

Posted by Erica Thompson on 29 Jan 2013 / 0 Comment

Considering a Socioeconomic Class Identity Campus Center

Posted by Adam Ortiz on 28 Jan 2013 / 2 Comments

Two years ago, colleagues and I started facilitating a series of campus dialogues on the topic of socioeconomic class and the culture of our campus. The three of us felt strongly that class, as a social identity, was not salient in conversations about student experiences at our institution. Each dialogue has attracted a significant amount of students, many of whom have claimed that conversations about socioeconomic class are largely absent from their college experience. Every dialogue has brought nuanced differences and topics have ranged from personal narrative to more academic small group discussions. The consistent thought, however, has been the acknowledgement that these students appreciate the opportunity to talk about something so significant, so personal, and so often neglected in day-to-day conversation.

One of the ideas we have discussed is the prospect of creating a campus identity center that is focused on socioeconomic class experience and education. This center would join our other various identity centers as spaces staffed by students and professionals providing resources and support to campus community members who would benefit from having them. A center like this one would also bring attention to the discourse of socioeconomic class, which is one that is not always so common in higher education and student affairs.

Some of the resource possibilities that have arisen in brainstorming this project include:

First-Generation Student Resources. Often, though not always, there is a correlation between first-generation student status and socioeconomic background. More affluent students with parents who went to college might not need as much help navigating higher education. Students whose parents did not go to college frequently face struggles ranging from culture shock to tension with parents who do not identify with the implicit and explicit pulling away from family. Offering first-generation students resources via a center could be helpful to those who need it.

Education About Socioeconomic Class. This could be done through programming, through trainings, through literature, and through collaborations with staff and faculty. If the discourse of socioeconomic class on any college campuses is insufficient, this would be a great opportunity to be a conduit for education. Possible topics could include cultural capital, socioeconomic class history, socioeconomic class cultural differences, and ways in which socioeconomic class intersects with various other identities to form peoples’ experiences.

Peer Support. One of the most powerful components of identity centers is the solidarity students may feel with one another. Offering a space for students who might come from similar backgrounds to bond with one another could be particularly helpful for those students who come from historically marginalized class backgrounds.

Institutional Support. If this center was staffed with professionals who were educated about and invested in socioeconomic class issues, they could also serve as advocates on a wider campus level. Ideally these professionals would be positive allies who could help students mobilize when they need to and be their advocate voice when the occasion calls for it.

No socioeconomic class center could, however, exist without complexities. The reasons for this are numerous, but immediate ones I imagine are:

-Socioeconomic class is often nebulous and differences can be difficult to define.
-Many people do not have a full understanding of their socioeconomic class background or have significant misconceptions of how socioeconomic class functions in the U.S.
-Class can be a shame-inducing, taboo topic that people do not want to talk about.

Despite these complexities, however, I feel that any movement forward to support students in their respective socioeconomic class journeys would be helpful in illuminating effective ways to do so. I also feel that the reality of socioeconomic class experiences in higher education would mean that a center like this one would most benefit first-generation students and students who come from poor and working class backgrounds. As a first generation student with virtually no cultural capital in college, I certainly would have benefitted from such a space.

What do you think of this idea? Are there additional resources that a socioeconomic class center could provide? What are some more complexities? Has your campus ever attempted something similar to this idea?

#SAChat Transcript — 1.24.13 — Reading for Professional Development

Posted by Julie Larsen on 25 Jan 2013 / 0 Comment

Thanks to everyone who participated in our #SAchat focused on Reading for Professional Development. This week’s topic produced 532 tweets from several student affairs professionals, graduate students and undergraduates interested or working in the Student Affairs field!

Full Transcript

View as a Google Document

What are some other topics you would like to see us cover? Please let us know your ideas and feedback to keep #sachat growing strong. Until next week, (if you haven’t already done so) please make sure to LIKE our Facebook Page. Thanks for your continued support!

Insatiable Drive — For Better or Worse?

Posted by Steven Harowitz on 23 Jan 2013 / 1 Comment

Image via Kevinthoule

Have you ever had the feeling that it’s never enough? The work you’re doing is wonderful but there is more to be done and greater things to be achieved? What a strange emotion to encounter. If you think about it the work we do today would look like light years of work only a few decades ago. Booming technology advances and better research led us to a time that must look remarkable to past generations. Yet I find myself, and seemingly many of my peers, never quite satisfied with my accomplishments. I walked through campus today and ended up behind a young woman on the phone, she was sharing that her last final had just ended and yet she felt there was more left to do. She remarked how there was nothing remaining on her to-do list and the semester was over yet no weight was lifted from her shoulders. The most off putting moment of this brief encounter (and slight accidental eavesdropping) was no red flags were triggered. I continued on with my walk not thinking about it until I wrote the first sentence of this post 10 minutes ago. How could a feeling like that exist? Final examinations are over and seemingly no other tasks exist, shouldn’t a wave of relief and freedom be rushing over her at the very moment her exam was laid down in front of the professor? When talking with students I directly advise their feelings are similar. They are “done” for the semester but continue working on various projects or even preparing for the next semester. I hear it so often maybe that’s why it didn’t shock me to hear this woman sharing similar feelings.

It leads me to believe that the world has sped up but only because it’s been forced to do so. Probably by our own insatiable drive. The world spins on its axis at the same rate as it did centuries long passed, it rotates around the sun at the same speed as it always has. Yet wouldn’t you agree that time has jumped to a remarkable and frightening pace? Every moment we feel that more must be done, somehow setting absolutely ridiculous expectations on ourselves while we often miss the beautiful, calm world developing each day around us.

This is a much larger philosophical discussion then I care to dive into within one blog post. Rather I want to focus this discussion and the questions it raises on how we interact with our students. I work at a highly-selective institution that recently ranked as one of the most stressful universities in the country (how much weight you put on those rankings is up to you). I’ve come to realize that because we work at such a break neck pace, as do our students, maybe I’m doing something wrong by not enforcing my statements that students need to slow down. I always tell students to take time for themselves, to relax and find some outlet other then work to find enjoyment. But should I be nudging them harder to stop and smell the roses even though everything inside me keeps telling me to run faster? I don’t know if there are any great answers to these questions (as is normal for any great life discussions) but it would be nice to have a better understanding of the fine line between pushing students farther and pulling students back.

I’ve asked students one question more then any other in the past few months: “How do you define success?” I selfishly admit I love the look on student’s faces as they scramble to come up with an answer. Often their first response is not their final and it takes a few tries until a statement is found that really resonates. When I ask that question internally I wonder if my face contorts in the same way the student’s do. Ask yourself this: How are we defining success for our students? Is it their development (which can be difficult to measure)? Is it achieving personal or organizational goals? Is it defining and living their values? Or is it just helping students slow down and learn to live, love, and embrace the vastly unique world they have been gifted? In my current place in life I come to believe that it is a mixture of them all yet I still wonder whether or not they would continue to work as diligently with or without me and I should instead be advising them to meditate or take long bike rides.

If you want more thought inducing content take a look at this video on the Secret Powers of Time.

The Best of #SAchat Tweets – 1/22/13

Posted by The SA Team on 22 Jan 2013 / 0 Comment

Everyday the #sachat feed is full of great resources, professional musings, and important questions that have been posed to the community. Here is a highlight of some of the tweets from the stream during the last week. We know this list is only scratching the surface, but we hope it will encourage you to keep the conversation going. Chat on!

People in this world continue to prove that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, nor a person by their appearance. #sachat #sapro

January 17, 2013 10:28 pm via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@jjwil325

Joshua Wilson

Supervision is the one part of the job that will always push you, challenge you, and make you grow. #grateful #sachat

January 17, 2013 10:18 pm via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@BMattera

Bill Mattera

New professional goal: responsive administrator, not reactive. #studentaffairs #sachat

January 20, 2013 7:08 pm via iOS ReplyRetweetFavorite

@jonathanfadams

Jonathan F. Adams

Education is an act of faith. We have to believe we are making a difference even when we don’t get to see the results. #sachat

January 20, 2013 10:08 am via webReply RetweetFavorite

@edwardsk14

Keith E. Edwards

What are some factors you consider when deciding whether or not you will attend a conference! #sachat

January 18, 2013 2:59 pm via Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite

@cghenry21

Christina Henry

What are some ways your institution promotes healthy masculinity? How do you prevent violence against women? #wlsalt #sachat

January 18, 2013 2:42 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@athy_b

Athena Bressack

Do students make actions based on their values or on the perceived consequences? #sachat #ahhamoment

January 17, 2013 5:54 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@NDiBartolo

Nicole DiBartolo

Does anyone have their students write essays about where they want to be in ten years? Could help them process career direction. #sachat

January 16, 2013 2:15 pm via Twitter for Android ReplyRetweetFavorite

@oh_hey_jake

Jake Nelko

Are you communicating what you need w/your coworkers or just expressing frustration when unstated expectations aren’t met? #reflect #sachat

January 16, 2013 5:22 am via Twitter for iPad ReplyRetweetFavorite

@SWilsonMerriman

Sarah WilsonMerriman

What makes one an expert on a topic? Title? Experience? Name recognition? Just curious… #sachat

January 15, 2013 4:13 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@bchelminiak

Bryan Helminiak

Multilingual Leaders in Student Affairs http://t.co/L92OhTz2 #highered #EDUniverse #sachat

January 20, 2013 4:03 pm via Buffer ReplyRetweetFavorite

@eduniv

EDUniverse.org

3 Most Common Mistakes: Confusing #Management with #Leadership http://t.co/dJbM19ht #SAChat

January 19, 2013 3:30 pm via Buffer ReplyRetweetFavorite

@sharonlstead

Sharon Stead ♥♫

The Most Important Interview Question of All Time (Do you agree #sachat?) http://t.co/k5NEO48C #sasearch #sajobs

January 17, 2013 3:51 pm via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@lmendersby

Lisa Endersby

Tuesday Tally: MLK / Inauguration Day

Posted by Erica Thompson on 22 Jan 2013 / 0 Comment

Your browser doesn’t support iFrames <img src='http://thesabloggers.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' /> Vote for this poll <a href="http://twtpoll.com/dtnbqk" title="here" target="_blank">here</a>.

Integrating “Intentional” Failure – #FailSafe

Posted by Benjamin Lamb on 21 Jan 2013 / 2 Comments

Image borrowed from Chaoscomedy.com

Nobody likes failure. But in the world of student affairs, and in the “real” world in general, it’s a fact of life that we need to engage, appreciate, and learn from. It’s imperative that we work to create well-rounded, holistically educated citizens, part of which, is failing. So what is our role then when it comes to helping our students to embrace their failures, and the lesson’s learned from them? Intentionally integrating failure!

Don’t get me wrong. We shouldn’t push our students to fail, rather, we should let them stumble and fail from time to time. As role models, we need to learn to hold ourselves back from holding their hands every time a fail is on the horizon, but actually increase our presence post-fail to help them utilize the experience for developmental value. Assessing situations with them, letting them take the lessons learned forth into a repeat program, or even just offering up a level of expertise to help them understand what could have been done (and thus can be done in the future) to better ensure success. We need to provide these support elements to make it obvious that failure isn’t something to fear; it’s a tool for us to learn from. Understanding that encountering an epic fail has more value than succeeding in a mediocre, bland toast way.

The fact of the matter is, failure helps student’s brains become more flexible to adversity. It engages portions of the brain that need to be plastic as one moves through the developmental stages of life. Those who are highly successful in the world, have regularly experienced more failure than those who have had all of their potential failures prevented. So as you work with your students, encourage them to take on challenges that have the potential to fall through. Let them take the lead on projects that might lead to a discouraging result. Above all else though, when that fail hits the fan, be there, support them, engage that teachable moment, and be their fail safe, so that they can safely and comfortably fail successfully in their future.

A Leader’s Biggest Enemy: Ego

Posted by Christopher Tyner on 16 Jan 2013 / 0 Comment

For the last several years in my leadership roles, I have always enacted and espoused a solidified grouping of values connected with my leadership identity. A prominent value in that grouping has consistently been a drive to minimize my ego in my interactions with staff and students. It is a lesson that I was taught very early on by faculty in my graduate preparation program, and by a variety of mentors during the early part of my career. I believe I have always done an effective job of doing this throughout the majority of my career. I have also been very intentional about checking in with my past supervisors and fellow colleagues about my specific leadership styles ensuring that I was maintaining an optimal balance in this regard.

Lately, however, I’ve begun to question this aspect of my leadership style. In anonymous feedback opportunities I have offered my staff over the last two years, I’ve read a few remarks that questioned if my ego became prevalent in various decisions I made as a leader. Each time I read these remarks, I was obviously taken aback with how important this value is to me. Initially, I dismissed it as simple misconceptions and opinions. I knew who I was, so why should I worry about erroneous feedback? I then started to think more critically about the feedback and my initial reactions.

I ultimately concluded that it was the topic of the feedback that impacted how I was receiving it. At some level I was becoming exactly what I told countless staff members and for that matter, students, over the years not to be: the egomaniac. Initially, I was shocked and concerned about this. I then realized this was the same learning experience that staff and students I had worked with through the years had gone through. Why was I any different than them? Wasn’t I a learner in life the same way they were in those moments? Wasn’t I allowed to have moments of failure in the same regard?

As leaders, we all continuously learn lessons as we progress through our development. Those lessons can come from a variety of sources and experiences. This experience forced me to once again be reminded of one of my most important teachers: the staff that I lead on a continuous basis. Something tells me that this is not the last time I will learn this lesson. I think that is probably a good thing. There is something about humble pie that makes us all better people and professionals!