Vanguard Scholars: Leadership Development Within Residential Life
~Jarrett Coger & Reginald Wilborn (Morehouse College)
"The Morehouse College Business and Economics Department and the Office of Housing and Residential Life discovered that many of the opportunities for leadership on campus were for those who already possessed leadership qualities. Based on this realization, the decision was then to collaborate in creating a mechanism within the Morehouse College community that could cultivate leaders from those that simply had the desire, but not necessarily the skills. Thus, the Vanguard Scholars Program was created in an effort to develop and enrich the leadership experiences on the Morehouse College campus for students who would otherwise not have them" (ACUHO-I, 2011).
Morehouse College strongly believes in the role of leadership in the development of its students. Many of the students that arrive to the campus, are interested and already have been exposed to leadership roles. There is a drive for it, and the Morehouse team decided that they wanted to cultivate the talents of students at all levels of leadership. The program (Vanguard Scholars), was thus created to recognize students that were not at the top tier of leadership. The Vanguard Scholars are in essence, a role that is created above the standard Don or RA. It is a role that involves teaching students about leadership, and the continual development of their skills and self. There ultimate goal for these student-staff members is to have conversations with students so that they can be left to ponder the question: what will your legacy at Morehouse College be?
The session was brief, yet revealed that the structure in which the Vanguard Scholars program was based upon was relatively simple to create. Vanguard Scholars were students that were recognized top tier leaders, and they were given extensive training on several topics,over and above the standard Don/RA training. The curriculum for this training included:
- Models of Leadership
- The Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)
- Ethics & Character
- The Element (Ken Robinson, PhD)
- Social Cognizance
- Role of Professionalism
- Contextual Leadership
- Civic Awareness
- Virtual Proficiency
- Models of Activism
The Vanguard Scholars are expected to live in residence and to teach occasional nightly classes. They lead monthly excursions of the Morehouse College campus.
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So You Want to Be a Director? Then You Want to Change a Department's Culture
~Justin Price, Carrie Ponikvar, & Mike Furno (University of Denver)
"This program will highlight a director's journey from RA to his current role as director at the University of Denver. This session will examine the journey involved in changing the culture of a department through reorganization, vision, values, hiring, committees, assessment, and patience. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the keys to preparing for the role of director, as well as to be informed about lessons learned, mistakes made, challenges faced, and success stories revealed. Participants will be provided examples, strategies, assessment tools and documents created as part of the culture change" (ACUHO-I, 2011).
For those Residence Life professionals that wish to become a Director or to move into senior-level management, this session provided great tips for moving in that direction. The session began with a discussion from Justin Price, the Executive Director of Housing at the University of Denver. Justin detailed his journey from the role of an RA (ever since he saw the first "We Want You" RA advertisement), to becoming an executive Director. He suggested to the group that one of the most important things was to begin to create connections within different departments within your own institutions. This allowed for him to increase his knowledge in a variety of disciplines, and was fortunate then to know everyone that showed up in his interview panel for a management position he applied to. He further discussed the importance of having a vision. Knowing your goals and direction for the organization/role you are applying for, is huge. Have a plan, make sure it is big picture ideas. Consider things that you would not normally think of. Budgets (get familiar with it), renovations, construction, furniture, unions vs. non-unions, etc. Justin further suggested the value of volunteering (inside and outside your department). The list continued. Politics - have to learn it, have to learn how to deal with it. Human Resources. You need to have an understanding of posting positions, hiring, firing, training, reorganizing, etc. Learn the difference between a manager and a leader. Network. Education - be committed. Finish the job.
The discussion was very empowering, leaving the audience motivated and inspired to continue to better themselves professionally. Justin left the group with a few points for new senior level managers.
- Work on the people first, the process second
- Put students at the center of your work
- Take time to clarify your vision to your staff members (unless you have a place that does not function)
- Don't go to fast
- Create buy-in with your staff members
- Communicate
- Document
- Recognize and understand the institutional culture
- Hiring staff is a great way to make change, however, you may not need to hire. You may have a possibility for reorganization
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What's Changed in Student Conduct: Effective Interventions and Sanctions (Part I)
~Valerie Randall-Lee (Northeastern University)
"As a result of assessment practices, research, and our continued learning in the area of student development, major changes have been happening in the areas of student conduct procedures and sanctioning. Are you keeping up? In Part I of this program, we will be examining student conduct processes, including the purpose of conduct codes and procedures, what motivates students, different resolution techniques, the role of sanctioning, and language used in conduct procedures. This is a quick overview of timely information to help you determine how up-to-date your conduct procedures are and what you can be doing to better meet the needs of your students" (ACUHO-I, 2011).
This session began with a discussion on the structure of various institutions conduct processes. The CAS standards were discussed as a good foundation for conduct programs to be created/modelled after (as well as the Stylus Publishing student conduct practices, ACPA Conduct manual, and Reframing Student Conduct document). The group discussed the importance of due process, and ensuring that there is clarity in every conduct situation. Important tips for conduct meetings were next discussed:
- Be prepared
- Answer the who, what, where & how
- Consider motivational interviewing - what's motivating someone's behaviour?
The session moved quickly and ended with a final thought. "Students stay at schools because of the connections they make with people". Work with students, be clear with them, and help them identify future decision making processes.
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What's Changed in Student Conduct: Effective Interventions and Sanctions (Part II)
~Valerie Randall-Lee (Northeastern University)
"In Part 2 of this program we will focus on the sanctioning process in student conduct cases. What works and what doesn't? This program will discuss the options of papers, fines, classroom training using clickers, small groups, and online courses. As a result of lessons learned through NIAA grant on campus, Northeastern has made dramatic changes in how it responds to alcohol and drug violations, and this will be highlighted as well" (ACUHO-I, 2011).
Part II of this session began with a clarification on Motivational Interviewing. "Motivation is not something that someone has, it's what one does. It's about recognizing a problem, searching for a way to change, and sticking with that change strategy." Valerie discussed that the key to motivational interviewing is to establish rapport with students; respect, affirmation and empathy.
The discussion next led to sanctions. The purpose of a sanction Valerie discussed, is to send a strong message to students that will impact attitude and behaviour through their college career. Here are some things to consider when sanctioning:
- Are you maintaining your stated goals of...?
- Does the sanction fit the violation?
- Are you balancing concern of the community with individual welfare?
- Does the sanction make clear the values of the institution?
- Are the non-issues clouding your thinking? (bias - if so, use someone as a soundboard to ensure your decisions)
At this point, several institutions had the opportunity to discuss their current methods of sanctioning. As a synopsis, the group came to represent the following systems:
- Point system (fewer, appeared to be transitioning out of the norm)
- Tiered system (grids developed that associate violation with specific sanction types - less common)
- Minimum systems (violation lists the minimum sanction - more common)
- Maximum systems (violation lists the maximum sanction - more common)
- Open systems (violations listed, sanctions listed - not necessarily connected to each other clearly)
Restorative Justice: Practical Case Examples
~Brian Van Brunt & Anthony Montalbano (Western Kentucky University & University of New England)
"This seminar is designed to provide conduct and residential life staff an understanding of the restorative justice model of student discipline and will compare and contrast this model to the developmental and punitive models of addressing student behaviour. This program will offer practical examples explaining how to address student conduct behaviour according to the restorative justice model and how to work collaboratively through the initial conduct meeting, assignment, monitoring, follow-up, and completion. The heart of restorative justice is to repair the harm caused by the conduct code violation and to build a new trust between the community and the student who violated the code. This seminar will assist residential life staff and conduct officers in identifying the relevant stakeholders and transforming the relationship between the conduct violator and the large community through a cooperative healing process" (ACUHO-I, 2011).
Please see me for additional information on this session. Case studies were given and are available. This session involved much sharing of ideas and concepts
The Student Housing Landscape: Trends and Changes
Eric Luskin, Katherine Lennox & Thomas Kane (The Scion Group, LLC & Appalachian State University)
"Find out how student housing is changing and what trends are emerging in the student housing landscape. This information is based on the work of student housing consultants who have been engaged on more than 90 campuses throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the U.K., with additional insights provided by Dr. Kane, who has over 30 years experiencing in managing campus student-housing. This presentation will be concise and will invite audience participation through discussion and sharing of personal experiences. The focus will be to provide an overview of the fundamental changes to student housing in recent years, as well as to consider what the future may bring" (ACUHO-I, 2011).
This session was led primarily by the Scion Group representatives, and based upon their findings. Overall, the main ideas suggested were that as students mature through their academic years, the desire for student housing decreases. First year students are open to living in any style of housing (focused on single and double dorms, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, 4BR apartments). Cost increases on average $50.00 per month with an added kitchen. Overall, privacy is the number one ideal for students.
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References
The ACUHO-I 2011 Annual Conference & Exposition Conference Program Guide
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