2006 Winter Navigator

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Note from the Editor Snow Sports Corrections

2

President’s Letter 3

THEORY TO PRACTICE: Learning Communties at Binghamton University

5

2006: A MySpace Odyssey

7

Parents: Partners in the Educational Process or Obstacles to Overcome

9

NEW PROFESSIONALS SPECIAL SECTION

11-16

Thinking Outside the Office

11

Supervising Your Supervisor

12

Gearing Up for the 2006 Job Search

13

Committee Updates

Presenting at a Conference

17

Secretary’s Report 18

Spring Drive-In Reminder 19

Annual Conference 20

2005-2006 Executive Board

21

Winter 2006 Edition

A Dream Deferred

By Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore--

And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load. Or does it explode?

Just as any student can sit down, explore Langston Hughes’ work above and

learn to decode it’s meaning, we as students of life can continue to probe the pro-gress of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream. Where did it go? Has it too dried up? Do we as a country really acknowledge the struggles of his time? Do we even rec-ognize that it was only 40 years ago that racial justice, economic equality, and world peace were requested, and even fought for?

At times, it would appear that Dr. King’s dream is fuzzy or nonexistent due to the media’s allotment of different cultures on television. Television even uses com-edy to lighten the inequalities of different cultures, so does this mean that we have made it as a race of humans? Are jokes taken too far? Life, as we all know, does not need to be joked about all of the time. When jokes are made to soften hard top-ics, we sometimes leave out the harshness that is needed to remind us all to not allow history to repeat itself. Why is that? Dr. King dreamt of a world where peo-ple were simply judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, yet these things still have not completely been eliminated. Why is it that we often wait for tragedies to re-examine our roots and goals of the past? Not only was this Dr. King’s dream, but the wishes and hopes of an entire generation. Un-fortunately, some would say that it has been suppressed by other everyday con-cerns of our lives. For instance, we could assume that it is more important in life to make money, become famous, or simply exist rather than focus on the meaning of this day.

Dr. King was born January 15, 1929. We as a nation are celebrating his birth this year on Monday, January 16th. While some professionals are granted this day off from work, do they really examine the people that gave their lives for this cause? If not, this is a thank you for them and theirs.

Continued on page 4

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: His Dream, Our Reality

By Unity N. Watts on behalf of the Social Issues Committee

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Page 2 Winter Edition 2006 NEACUHO Navigator

This edition of the NEACUHO Navigator brings something new—a themed sec-

tion that bridges conference content with members who were unable to attend

the conference (or who simply chose a different session to attend). One article,

“Thinking Outside the Office” by Dave Stender was not a conference workshop,

but one professional’s thoughts and experiences on making the most of a new

professional experience.

This special section, a follow up to October’s New Professionals conference

starts on page 11, and includes a comprehensive article on job search strategies, as well as an article on how to

get the most of your supervisor. Of course, this is simply a tasting of what was presented—this could never

make up for the day of fun, information-sharing and networking—but it’s a start. We hope it is one you will

enjoy.

Take care,

Tina Tormey, Cazenovia College

Please send any comments, questions or submissions to [email protected].

Note from the Editor...

Snow Sports Team Meeting Plans Move Uphill ! The 2006 NEACUHO Snow Sports Team meeting

arrangements are coming together nicely! Scheduled dates for the gathering are Tuesday, February 14th and Wednes-day, February 15th with an optional day on Thursday, Feb-ruary 16th. We will meet in Southern Vermont at either Stratton Mountain or Mt. Snow – two of the larger and better equipped mountains in New England. Both loca-tions are approximately 3 hours from New Haven, CT, location for the NEACUHO Middle Managers Institute on Friday, February 17, 2006. Why not combine a little busi-ness with pleasure?

Specific costs are still being determined and one of the factors will be the number of participants. If you’re

even thinking about joining us, please send an e-mail to Jen Jeroy, the Assistant to the Director at the Center for Residence Life at RIT. Her e-mail address is: [email protected]. Don’t ski or snowboard? Don’t worry! There’s plenty of folks who can provide the lessons and rental equipment is al-ways available. We hope to see you with us this year!

Think SNOW! Think NEACUHO!

Corrections: In the last edition that was e-mailed to members, we neglected to credit Robinson Love, from The Juilliard School, for “ A Novel Approach: Using the Tipping Point in Training.” Also, Michelle Eichengreen’s e-mail address is [email protected].

“Experience is the name everybody gives their mistakes.”

~Oscar Wilde, Irish writer

“It was when I found out that I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something.”

~Ornette Coleman, American jazz saxophonist & composer

Tina Tormey Media & Publications

NEACUHO Navigator Winter Edition 2006 Page 3

CAREER RESOLUTIONS & ADVICE FOR THE NEW YEAR Dear NEACUHO Members, During the holidays, many of us seek out much-needed and well-earned opportunities for rest, re-laxation and renewal. Our all-too-temporary reduction in activity also permits many of us to reflect on the year to date and also on our long-term goals. In doing this, some of us may conclude that it’s time to look for a change in position, institution, or even profession. So, as we approach the leading edge of the traditional job search season in higher education, it seems like a good time to put forth a few search-related reminders for prospective candidates: Some people read both cover letters and resumes. Some people only read cover letters. Some peo-ple only read resumes. SO: Make sure both are excellent. Typos and grammatical errors are absolutely unacceptable! They make you look, at best, careless or, at worst, stoopid. (See?)

Your cover letter and resume should be complete, concise and compelling. Use a “you orientation” in your letters to draw in readers. Clearly explain what benefits the employer can expect to

gain by hiring you. If you include a “Career Objective” on your resume, be sure it relates directly to the position for which you’re applying. The forswearance of verbs which have the effect of portraying passivity, combined with abstention from circumnaviga-

tional phraseology, allows one to avoid the creation of any impression of pretentiousness in the mind of the person or persons in receipt of the item of correspondence. Instead, the usage of active and less indirect verbiage is to be preferred. TRANSLATION: Use active verbs and concrete language. Avoid passive verbs and tortured phrases.

Be accurate and honest in your presentation of yourself. To do otherwise is immoral, illegal and unlikely to pay

off. Remember, this is a small profession… Present yourself in a positive manner. Try to seem confident but not cocky. Pay attention to the medium as well as the message. When you’re putting yourself on paper, choose good paper

(classy, high quality, easy to copy). If the request is for electronic submissions, preview your resume to make sure it looks correct when downloaded. This will likely mean omitting formatting like bold and italic lettering, graphics, shading, etc. in favor of simple CAPS and layout for emphasis.

Regularly update your resume to reflect recent activities and accomplishments. It’s easy to forget things if you don’t

keep up with this maintenance. We also seek to provide opportunities for renewal and reflection in all of our NEACUHO activities. This winter’s full slate of events includes January’s Women’s Winter Renewal Retreat and two additional RD2B Conferences (offered due to over-whelming response to our two Fall RD2Bs); and the February Drive-In Conference (for all levels of staff) and the concurrent premiere of the NEACUHO Mid-Level Institute. All of these events are described elsewhere in this newsletter. Thanks to all of the volunteers – officers, appointed board members, committee chairs committee members and hosts – who will make these events possible. Thanks as well to those who worked on our well-attended and highly-evaluated fall activities (New Professionals Conference, our two RD2B Conferences, and the Operations Drive-In Conference). Best wishes for a fantastic spring semester – I hope to see you at one of our upcoming events! Sincerely,

Jon

Jon Conlogue NEACUHO President


Get Out There! NEACUHO Professional Development & Networking Opportunities

Get your calendars and pens ready! The following is a listing of some of the NEACUHO events remaining during the 2005-2006 academic year. Please see more information about these events

(including calls for programs) starting on page 19.

Spring Drive-In Conference & Mid-Level Training Institute Friday, February 17, 2006

Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT

AND OF COURSE…

2006 Annual Conference June 5-7, 2006

New York University, New York, NY http://www.nyu.edu/residential.education/neacuho2006/

PROGRAM PROPSAL DEADLINE: March 3

For more information on Dr. King:

♦ The King Center, http://www.thekingcenter.org ♦ The U.S. Embassy’s biography of Dr. King, http://www.usembassy.bg/hol/king05_bio.html ♦ The National Park Service’s biography of Dr. King, http://www.nps.gov/malu ♦ Nobel Prize, http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

Continued from page 1

In student affairs, we strive to teach and compliment the efforts of education that are taught in the classroom. We also pride ourselves on teaching life-learned lessons that take place every day. How often do we incorporate social justice in our programming, and if so, what drives us to do so? Some may do it for recognition, while oth-ers from their heart. Do we ask ourselves this question enough?

Colleagues, I ask you to keep this in mind, as will I, when Dr. King’s day approaches. With this, I challenge you to continue in your quest to aid others and to help dreams explode into beautiful realities of time.

Deferred maybe for a moment, forgotten never. Happy Birthday Dr. King.

Unity N. Watts is an Assistant Community Development Educator at New York University and a member of the NEACUHO Social Issues Committee.

http://www.nyu.edu/residential.education/neacuho2006/

http://www.thekingcenter.org

http://www.usembassy.bg/hol/king05_bio.html

http://www.nps.gov/malu

http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

Page 5 Summer Edition 2003 NEACUHO Navigator NEACUHO Navigator Winter Edition 2006 Page 5

The popularity of learning communities on college campuses continues to increase, as does the variety of definitions for learning communities. One of its simplest definitions is that learning communities serve as links, a way to tie together learning opportunities for students (Inkelas & Weisman, 2003). This is an appropriate defini-tion for the learning communi-ties at Binghamton University, which encompass a variety of critical links that a student may make with his or her institu-tion. These connections in-clude a student’s relationship with his or her academic courses, instructors, peers, and residence hall.

According to Shapiro and Levine’s (1999) four mod-els of learning communities, Binghamton University’s program can be considered a residence-based program with a paired course component. This program currently is offered within two residence halls. During fall registra-tion, residents may choose to register for paired individual courses and/or hall-based-courses offered exclusively to their residence hall. Each hall has two sets of paired courses and two hall-based-options (stand-alone general education courses). For both options, in and out of class experiences are truly linked through multiple connections, including instructor and residence hall staff collaboration, limited enrollment, and a shared living space.

Link 1: Student to Academic Courses

The impact of learning community experiences include increased academic achievement and critical thinking skills, as well as a tendency to participate in ac-tive learning and cross-disciplinary studies (Lichtenstein, 2005; Ahlum, 2004; Shapiro & Levine, 1999). In Pasque and Murphy’s (2005) study, participation in a learning community resulted in higher GPAs, even when control-ling for past academic achievement. When examining a learning community program similar to Binghamton Uni-versity’s, Lichtenstein (2005) concluded that positive classroom environments were characterized by multiple linkages between the two courses, and an emphasis on experiential and active learning.

The learning community program at Binghamton Uni-versity focuses on multiple linkages such as weekly/monthly curriculum coordination meetings between in-structors and residential life staff, as well as programs,

review sessions and office hours held in-hall. BU also answers the call for active learning by incorporating group work and peer review into the curriculum.

Link 2: Student to Instructor

In addition to developing active learning and critical thinking skills, students who participate in learning commu-nities are more likely to meet with a faculty member outside of class (Inkelas & Weisman, 2003). Lichtenstein (2005) found that positive classroom environments often incorpo-rated such personal interac-tions with instructors, many of

whom were intentional about their approachability and accessibility. Faculty/student interaction has also been shown to affect academic confidence, leadership skills, and career goals (Sax, Bryant, & Harper, 2005).

As noted above, learning community instructors at Binghamton University tie in-class experiences to the residential component through programs, review sessions, and in-hall office hours. Binghamton University also has other programs that encourage student-faculty interaction. In each of BU’s five residential communities, there is one Faculty Master, a full-time faculty member who holds office hours and participates in the advising and student life of the community. Faculty Master programs such as a community faculty/student potluck have boasted numbers of over 130 participants.

Link 3: Student to Student

Not surprisingly, another component of positive class-room environments was a sense of community (Lichtenstein, 2005). Learning community participation can result in strong and supportive peer networks, as well as a higher level of student interaction (Shapiro & Levine, 1999). Interacting with peers had similar benefits to those derived from linkages between students, courses, and in-structors. Inkelas and Weisman (2003) showed that learn-ing community participants were more likely to discuss cultural issues, develop new perspectives, and participate in service learning activities with their peers than non-participants.

At Binghamton University, the key element for

Continued on page 6

Learning Communities: A Labor of Links By Susie Beederman, Binghamton University

Continued from previous page

student-to-student connections lies in the program’s resi-dential component. Here, students take classes, attend re-view sessions, and participate in programs with their neighbors. All students, regardless of participation in a learning community, have the added benefit of a Discov-ery Assistant, an undergraduate student in each hall whose position includes connecting peers with academic resources and providing registration and advising support. In addition to living and holding office hours in the hall, Discovery Assistants organize programs such as Study Buddy boards. Participants share their class schedules, which are then organized by course and displayed to show opportunities for study partners and groups within an indi-vidual residence hall.

Link 4: Student to Residence Hall

The residence hall environment is what ties all of the above links together for a seamless college experience. In facilitating these connections, Binghamton University’s most important resource is its Resident Assistants. Learn-ing community RAs attempt to synthesize in and out of class experiences as a way to support student engagement. Many of these activities are highlighted by Baker’s (2004) competencies for paraprofessionals in living/learning pro-grams. Many of these competencies were directly tied to the other three links listed above:

Link 1: Student to Academic Courses – Resident As-sistants serve “as subject-matter resources” by facili-tating review sessions and editing papers. They also have guided “students in developing and applying

academic survival skills” through a College Survival program series (p. 214-216). Link 2: Student to Instructor – Resident Assistants support faculty/student interaction by utilizing faculty members for programs. RAs also communicate with learning community instructors by attending weekly and monthly curriculum coordination meetings. Finally, program RAs are assigned one learning com-munity instructor with whom to directly collaborate. Link 3: Student to Student – Resident Assistants support community within the learning community by developing programs such as ice cream socials, a band performance featuring one instructor, and a Capstone Project, which highlights individual efforts of learning community students throughout the semester. As Binghamton University looks to the future for its

learning community programs, student connections to academic courses, instructors, peers, and residence halls will all be considered. One plan for the future is to expand from two residence halls to four. Whether a living/learning program is just starting or continuing to grow and improve, one must consistently return to the definition and purpose of such a community: creating connections for our students.

Susie Beederman is a first year residence director in

Smith Hall, one of two learning communities at Bingham-ton University. She received her Masters in Student Development in Postsecondary Educations from the University of Iowa, and is originally from Skokie, Illinois.

References Baker, D.E. (2004). A national set of competencies for paraprofessionals in residential college or living/learning programs.

Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University. Inkelas, K.K., & Weisman, J.L. (2003). Different by design: An examination for student outcomes among participants in

three types of living-learning programs. Journal of College Student Development, 44(3), 335-368. Lichtenstein, M. (2005). The importance of classroom environments in the assessment of learning community outcomes.

Journal of College Student Development, 46(4), 341-356. Ahlum, S.E. (2004, June). Learning communities: Live to learn… learn to live. ACUHO-I Talking Stick, 28-29. Pasque, P.A., & and Murphy, R. (2005). The intersections of living-learning programs and social identity as factors of aca-

demic achievement and intellectual engagement. Journal of College Student Development, 46(4), 429-441. Sax, L.J., Bryant, A.N., & Harper, C.E. (2005). The differential effects of student-faculty interaction on college outcomes

for women and men. Journal of College Student Development, 46(6), 642-659. Shapiro, N.S., & Levine, J.H. (1999). Creating learning communities: A practical guide to winning support, organizing for

change, and implementing programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.


Let’s play a game. Have you ever heard of the Mil-lennial student? Yes? Good. Okay, how about the charac-teristics that define that student? Oh, you’ve already been to three presentations on that? Well, I guess you know what’s going on with your students then. So how do they communicate with each other? Anyone? Bueller? LOL! Maybe it’s cuz u don’t spend ‘nuff time surfing the web.

The world of online communication is the most important and oft overlooked vessel for you to effectively communicate with your residents. We are constantly inun-dated by roommate conflicts based on AOL’s Instant Messenger conversations and stories of compromising pictures of our RAs party hopping. We hear of keggers being organized and rumors being spread…in fact, when was the last time you heard anything good about Instant Messenger or websites like http://www.myspace.com and http://www.facebook.com?

The truth is that there isn’t a lot of good press out there about these sites when they offer an enormous amount to us as residential life professionals.

So why is it important for us to understand the online world? You may be saying, “Bryan, you’re talking about Pandora’s Box here. What I don’t know can’t hurt me.” Well you are right in one aspect. You must make a choice about how you want to involve yourself with the online world, but that choice has a great effect on your connec-tion to your residents.

You see, our residents “speak” Millennial. And by “speak” I mean type. By type I mean post, and by post I mean blog. If you followed all of that, well done, you are on your way to speaking Millennial. Much research has been done on the characteristics of the Millennial student, but not much attention has addressed how that student communicates. More and more our students are relying on online interactions and with academia utilizing the blackboard system, why shouldn’t residential life have a system that they operate within? So to choose to not have a solid understanding of popular websites and how to use them to your advantage is much like moving to a foreign country with no intention of learning the native language. You may avoid hearing insults and seeing unpleasant things, but you will also lose some ability to immerse yourself in the culture.

So, deep philosophical lectures aside, let’s get down

to the hard facts and talk about how to utilize these online resources. First let us deal with the largest and fastest growing website on our campuses: Facebook. Based on a personal profile created by users who possess an “.edu” e-mail account from their school, users can send messages,

post photos and com-ments, and advertise parties/events to their school or friends. Per-sonal information such

as home address, cell and room phone numbers, Instant Messenger screen

names, class schedules, and email addresses often appear. Students all too frequently share more personal informa-tion than they should on their profile pages which can lead to issues around stalking. Furthermore, students are wholly unaware that the information that they put onto their profiles—phone numbers or photos—are not pro-tected in any way from being sold to third parties.

In order to convince you that there is amazing poten-tial in utilizing Facebook as a tool for residential life, let me provide some statistics. According to Chris Hughes, Facebook spokesperson, the site receives more than 200 page views in any given 24 hour period, it ranks seventh in overall internet traffic, and more than 60 percent of its users sign-in more than once a day (http://www.facebook.com). If you are looking for better expo-sure than a flyer campaign or mass voicemail for your event, then look no further than Facebook. As our stu-dents increasingly ignore flyers and become more reliant on their cell phones rather than our voicemail system, creating an online profile to advertise your events seems to be crucial to the next phase of promoting programs.

In order to create an online profile for yourself or your building, you will need to register with Facebook using your school email account. Once you have regis-tered, you should spend some time crafting a message that will appear on your profile explaining the appropriate use of this website. I’ve included the message from my building’s profile as an example:

Hey Everyone! Glad that you're checkin out Hoosac on Facebook! This will be a way for you to see what's going on in your building! Only RESIDENTS of Hoosac will be added as friends here and just a reminder that you

Continued on page 8

2006: A MySpace Odyssey By Bryan Ames, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts


http://www.myspace.com

http://www.facebook.com?

http://www.facebook.com

Continued from page 7 should be aware that the pictures in your profile should remain appropriate so that no judicial issues arise. Thanks again and enjoy Hoosac on Facebook! We're also on Myspace! ID: HoosacHall. Check out "My Events" to see the upcoming events in the building and beyond!!

This message should clearly state that people will be

held accountable for the picture located in their profile and that judicial action can result from inappropriate pic-tures. It is important for you to determine the internet use policy at your institution so that you are prepared for any incidents that may result from this process.

After crafting this message, click on the “My Events” button on the left side of your screen. This is where you can enter any event that you want to promote within your building or com-munity. It will allow you to enter the name, date, time, description and loca-tion of your event and this will appear on the events page of everyone in your school when they browse the school events.

In order for this tool to be effective you need to make a push around get-ting people to add you as a friend. You can do this in two complimentary ways. First, you must make an advertising push to let your residents know that you have a profile on Facebook. Util-ize your bulletin boards, newsletters and your RAs to spread the word throughout your community. Secondly, you should use your roster and find your residents by us-ing the search option on Facebook and invite them to be your friend. My suggestion is for you to only add resi-dents of your community so that your advertising efforts are focused on the correct audience.

Lastly, you need to make sure that you run a program within your community to educate your residents about the benefits and possible risks of Facebook. This will be another way for you to inform your residents about your profile, while educating them about how much informa-tion they should be sharing online. This is an important time to let your residents know that any information they post to online sites like Facebook and Myspace are con-sidered public domain, so they have no rights to the infor-mation they post. Therefore, these websites can sell the photos, sayings and information that are posted on their websites to third parties.

While Facebook is currently quite popular, MySpace is gaining in popularity. Myspace.com is another site that you can set up a personal profile on much like that of Facebook. However, it is more difficult to find your resi-dents by their name as they are not required to provide an “.edu” account. Users are also able to keep an online journal, or “blog,” and often distribute surveys that in-clude more personal information than you want to know! You can create a calendar on your profile page to adver-tise for upcoming events in your community that users can see when they view your page. Myspace does not of-fer near the amount of exposure of Facebook, but does have a loyal following.

AOL’s Instant Messenger is a sound that is familiar to most of us. Perhaps it’s because it has become one of, if not the, main form of communication amongst our students. In order to tap into this well of commu-nication, you should create an IM screen name that is reflective of your intended use. For example, my screen name is “HoosacHallEvents” and I use it to advertise for the events in the building. I learned of this concept while attending the Regional Entry Level Institute (RELI) at Rochester Institute of Technology. While I was there, I saw numerous banners asking students to “Add me to your buddy

list!” with a screen name that was something like “EventsAtRIT.” So thank you RIT for showing that the way to communicate may not be through ears and mouths, but through eyes and fingertips.

In closing, I remind you of a few things you’ll need to commit to in order to “speak millennial.” First, you must log-in to these sites at least once a day to make sure they are being used properly and update your information. Second, you must avoid “online voyeurism” and combat the desire to surf through your residents’ profiles looking for information. Remember that in your real world you would not read the open page of a student’s journal, so you must keep the same standards in our online world. Lastly, you must realize that this is a powerful tool that will require much attention. You must be ready to commit to this process and treat it as a daily task. Only through a firm dedication to this form of communication will you be able to reap the benefits of the online world. Good luck! J

Bryan Ames is a residence director at the Massachu-

setts College of Liberal Arts.

Millenial speak

BRB: Be right back BTW: By the way G: Grin IDN or IDK: I don’t know JW: Just wondering LOL: Laughing out loud/lots of laughs PLS: Please THX: Thanks TTYL: Talk to you later

http://www.studentslackers.com/im.htm


http://www.studentslackers.com/im.htm

PARENTS! I think we can all agree that we spend more and more of our time responding to parents. Some institutions find this a necessary evil and handle parents by taking a “hands off” approach. Others, embrace parents, and have created parent’s programs, parent relations offices and even parent advisory boards. Throughout the history of our profession, the role that parents play in the educational process has changed. In the early years, American Universities were modeled after English institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford and in loco parentis which translates as “in the place of the parent” was the standard mode of operation. The turbulent 60’s brought us the begin-ning of student independence and there was a shift away from in loco parentis. In the early ‘70’s the passing of FERPA added to the belief that stu-dents were adults and campuses should deal directly with the student. In the ‘90’s we saw the beginning of a shift in the continuum and with the emergence of the millennial generation, we are seeing not only involved parents, but students that are embracing their parents’ involvement.

So, who are the Millennials? They were born between 1982 and 2002 and they are on our campus now. They are also known as Generation Y and to put this generation into perspective; they have never known a world without cell phones, computers, CDs or MTV. They are highly educated, creative and technologically savvy. Their parents are the older Baby Boomers who waited to have children. This generation of parents typically has smaller families and views their children as “special.” As administrators, we have adopted the term “helicopter parents” to describe the way the parents tend to “hover” over their students.

On the whole, as administrators, we have a tendency to get very frustrated by this level of parental involvement. Most of us completed our graduate school preparation programs and studied in loco parentis. We were taught that this was an outdated concept and to view students developmentally as adults. However, while we have been receiving these messages, what messages have the parents of today’s college students been hearing?

Let’s take a few minutes to examine what is going on in high schools in this country. In researching this topic

we spent some time looking at high school web sites, sites geared toward parents and also sites for educators. The common message that we found was: “Be involved and Your Student will Be Academically Successful!” Parents hear this consistently throughout their students’

elementary, middle school and high school career. Additionally, we know that there are higher numbers than ever of students who receive special education, and parents of these students are taught to advocate for their students needs. If you take time to review these various websites and you think about these messages; you have to wonder, in the three short months between high school graduation and the start of the freshmen year, can we really expect

parents to just let go? Can we realistically ask them to suddenly see their “child,” as an ADULT? Can we tell these same parents who have been told over and over “BE INVOLVED, BE INVOLVED,” to suddenly not be?

In researching this topic and what information was out there for parents on the web, we typed “parental involvement in college” into a search engine and got hundreds of hits. We looked at several of the sites and were amazed at the amount of information we found. There is a website called Project Appleseed (http://www.projectappleseed.org) which is a national campaign for public school improvement. On that site, there is a parental involvement worksheet that parents can fill out. They receive a “report card” which tells them if they are involved enough or if they need to get involved more.

Another website called College Parents of America (http://www.collegeparents.org) has a program on its site where a parent can enter information about their student beginning in the 7th grade. Parents enter information about what the student has been involved with and what their grades are. Parents then receive e-newsletters with updates and tips about what they should be working on or doing to prepare their student for college.

Finally we looked at several elementary school and high school websites, most of which had links just for parents. These sites often had links about applying to college, financial aid and other similar information. In

Continued on page 10

PARENTS: Partners in the Education Process or Obstacles to Overcome?

By Shelly Keniston & Beth Moriarty, Bridgewater State College


http://www.projectappleseed.org

http://www.collegeparents.org



addition to these types of websites, there are a myriad of books available. Go to Amazon.com and you will be sur-prised at how many titles you find. The college parent has become a target market.

With all of this in mind, it begs the question; are we giving the right message to parents on our own campus? Do you even know what your institutional philosophy is regarding parents? Is your department’s message or ap-proach consistent with what your division or institution’s message or approach is? For instance, is your depart-ment’s philosophy one that supports dealing with students directly and feels that parents should take more of a back seat? Do you discourage parents from calling your office to handle problems for their student? While you are doing this are the upper-level administrators standing up at Open House events and Orientation and telling parents – “My door is always open, call me anytime?”

Research would seem to indicate that the “Helicopter Parent” is going to be around for a while. We have to ask ourselves how are we going to deal with these hovering parents. Are we going to continue to push them away or are we going to attempt to partner with them in an effort to increase student success?

Partnering with today’s parents can be a challenge at times, but here are some things we have done on our own campus and seen other campuses doing:

♦ Create a parent’s section on your departmental website including a FAQ section

♦ Host an opening day social for parents ♦ Adopt a parent friendly attitude in your office ♦ Have printed information to hand out during

opening ♦ Develop a parent newsletter These are just a few suggestions to get people started.

There are many ways your department or institution can adopt a parent friendly attitude.

Crafting your parental message can be a difficult task. For us, it definitely helps that it comes from the top down. Start by assessing your campus and department and see what services or programs you currently offer to parents of your students and what areas you need to be more par-ent friendly in. Make sure your staff is delivering the same message. If the President and Vice President are standing up at parent orientation saying to call us if you have any questions, then that goes for every department on campus. If the Director of your department is telling parents to call us if you have any concerns or questions, then you need to be receptive to getting those phone calls.

You also need to be sure you are spreading your mes-sage consistently. At Bridgewater, we start delivering our parental message to prospective students and their parents at Open House. Our message is “Help Them to Help Themselves.” They hear this message throughout Orienta-tion, the room assignment process and in every communi-cation leading up to when their student arrives on campus to join our residential community. Our departmental mes-sage can be found on our departmental website at http://www.bridgew.edu/RLH/parent.cfm.

So in answer to the question, Parents: Partners in the Education Process or Obstacles to Overcome? We think that parents can be successful partners and through educa-tion, we can work with them throughout their students’ college career to help them let go and let their students develop into mature adults.

Shelly Keniston is the Assistant Director of Residence

Life and Housing at Bridgewater State College. This is her ninth year in the field. Shelly has worked at Green Mountain College in Vermont and Indiana University of Pennsylvania before coming to Bridgewater five years ago. Shelly has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Manage-ment from Green Mountain College and a Master’s de-gree in Student Affairs and Higher Education from Indi-ana University of Pennsylvania. Shelly has been involved in NEACUHO since coming to the region five years ago. Shelly has participated in numerous conferences and has presented several times on various topics at different NEACUHO events. Shelly served on the annual confer-ence committee for 2004 and is currently a member of the Program Committee.

Beth Moriarty is the Director of Residence Life and

Housing at Bridgewater State College. Ms. Moriarty has worked in the field of Residence Life for 18 years and in addition to BSC, she has held various positions at the University of Hartford and Roger Williams College. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the Uni-versity of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master's De-gree In Human Development, Counseling and Family Studies from the University of Rhode Island. Beth has been active in the NEACUHO region for over 15 years and served on the executive board for eleven years in a variety of roles, including co-chair of the Training and Development Committee and the New Professionals Com-mittee. She is a past secretary of the Organization and served as President. In 2004, Beth served as chair of the annual conference committee.

http://www.bridgew.edu/RLH/parent.cfm


Thinking Outside the Office: Getting connected to the broader campus community

By Dave Stender, Northeastern University


After graduating from Northeastern University in June 2003, I accepted a full-time position in Residence Life. By January, I was involved on campus through ac-tivities that were traditionally outside of the Residence Director position. I found myself volunteering more fre-quently as I became further connected to students and staff throughout our large urban campus.

While the residence director job can be very busy, it’s important to make connections with students and other professionals outside your traditional duties. Doing so may require a little extra time, work and energy, but the benefits—quality connections with students and staff and learning more about the larger campus or even commu-nity environment and issues–far outweigh the costs and can enhance one’s motivation and understanding of the world of higher education.

As a new professional I found myself signing up for opportunities outside of my department: serving on a search committee in our Housing Services Department, joining the Community Rebuilding Task Force formed in response to the Super bowl rioting in the winter of 2004, and teaching a leadership class offered through students activities.

These opportunities allowed me to connect with staff outside the Department of Residence Life. To this day I have relationships with these professionals in student ac-tivities and other departments due to my working along-side them. Although all of this sounds like more work, but meeting other professionals on your campus actually makes your job easier in the end. I have made numerous contacts within Housing Services, Student Activities and the broader campus community through my involvement outside Residence Life. Knowing these individuals is a great resource to have on our large campus. My help on the Housing Services search committee has further strengthened the working relationship I have with several employees in that department, which helps in our weekly work-related functions between our two departments—from room changes to housing withdrawals. My contacts in student activities have only been strengthened through my help with the leadership class as I now have more peo-ple to bounce ideas off and also chat with on campus out-side of the ResLife department.

I also was able to connect with students outside the traditional Residence Director role. Combining my back-ground as an undergraduate RA with my new full time position in Res Life, I was able to have many valuable conversations with students in the leadership classes I

taught. Talking to students in these settings about their views on campus from everything from student role mod-els, to their quality of life in the residence halls is not something I will forget. Though these classes were addi-tional unpaid responsibilities, the insight gained from a student conversation was invaluable. My interactions with the dozens of students in the leadership program helped in identifying quality RA candidates and great hires for our department in my role on the RA Selection Committee. This past semester I taught an introduction to college class, designed for students who hadn’t declared major. This highly structured class offered a syllabus that I had some freedom in adapting. Again I saw how valuable the conversations I had with my quaint class of 10 first year students. Again, through this class I have seen some great students who I will be referring to our RA selection proc-ess this coming winter. This also allowed me to stay con-nected with new students since I was recently transferred to work in an upper-class area.

The balance of being connected with students as well as to the larger campus is an important issue that you must consider and develop a strategy that best fits your individ-ual strengths and campus environment. Think outside your office and identify those opportunities on the larger campus that you can become involved in. You never know—you may find your next stepping stone in higher education by working on the next search committee or task force. I have discovered that I enjoy teaching and will continue to try to include this opportunity in my schedule.

As a new professional, ask your supervisor or a col-league that has worked in the university for several years about opportunities outside the traditional Residence Life/ Housing arenas. You never know what exciting opportu-nities await you outside your office door. Get involved on your campus and the benefits you receive will be power-ful and genuinely worth your time.

An alum of Northeastern University, Dave Stender is

entering his third year working full-time in the Depart-ment of Residence Life. A Residence Director for an upper-class hall this year, Dave continues to search for opportunities both within and outside the Department of Res Life to further connect to students and staff alike. Dave completes his Masters in Public Administration in May and looks forward to the future challenges that are presented in his current position and beyond.



Supervising Your Supervisor By Donna Swartwout, Merrimack College

References Briggs Myers, I. (1993). Introduction to Type (5th edition).

Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.


As new professionals we spend a lot of time thinking about what will make us a good supervisor and how we will lead from our place in the organization. We give little thought to how we may lead/supervise up the or-ganizational chart. I thought about this idea when one of my staff brought in a chocolate frosted donut for me the following morning after a particularly tough day. She said “I’m managing you–you will be happier today.” I believed she was just being thoughtful, because she knows I love chocolate frosted donuts. The donut ex-change with my assistant director prompted me to con-sider how I manage my boss. After some reflection I de-cided to present this framework as a program for the NEACUHO new professionals conference. Following the conference I was asked to share my presentation with those that couldn’t attend.

I framed the first part of the presentation around a series of questions:

♦ What do you worry about as a supervisor? ♦ Think about what is really important to your su-

pervisor and then what is really important to your boss’ supervisor – what do they worry about?

As you might imagine what Resident Directors and Area Coordinators worry about and what Directors of Residence Life, Vice Presidents worry about are some-times the same things and sometimes not. When we an-swered these questions in our session, budgets, occu-pancy numbers and strategic plans emerged as themes for our supervisor and our boss’ supervisor. RDs and those on the very front line worry about consistency and fairness and those above are more comfortable making exceptions. Naturally the difference in perspective does-n’t make one way more right—simply the view is differ-ent. Although these different views can lead to decisions that may frustrate a new professional or a middle man-ager, understanding the view may reduce the tension. Framing the question from your boss’s perspective can help you answer the question for him/her in a way that satisfies both of you.

Needing to understand perspectives led me to con-sider Myers Briggs as a framework to look at how we are more likely to respond and then answering how our su-pervisors are more likely to respond. If you know your strengths and think about the strengths of your supervisor you will find places where you can compliment each other. What your supervisor needs from you in order to

make him/her successful is not something we typically focus on during the course of a day. We usually think about what we need from our supervisor. Framing the question in a different way will make the supervisory relationship less frustrating and more enjoyable.

So, for a moment consider, are you more… Into people Into ideas Organized Open ended Objective Subjective Detailed Big Picture Like closure Open to change Make lists Pretend to make lists Loyal Fair Goal oriented Process Oriented Communicate by Writing Communicate by talking Tough minded Tender hearted Trust experience Trust inspiration Avoid last minute stresses Feel energized by last

minute pressures Prefer step by step info Jump around, leap in

anywhere Once you have answered for yourself consider how

your supervisor might answer. Are they similar to you or different from you? How does their perspective shape their decisions?

The following are important questions to consider and share with your supervisor:

♦ What three things do you think you will learn from your supervisor?

♦ What three things will you teach your supervi-sor?

We often ask students to consider things from a dif-ferent perspective. This advice fits beautifully up and down supervisory lines. Walking in your boss’s shoes is a useful skill and looking at things from his/her place in the organization can help us improve our own skills as supervisors and supervisees.

Donna Swartwout is the Director of Residence Life

at Merrimack College.


Gearing Up for the 2006 Job Search By Zach Newswanger, Ithaca College & Sabrina Tanbara, The Juilliard School


For those of you out there preparing to look for your first professional position, graduate position, or a new position in general, the following are some helpful tips and resources to use as you begin and work your way through the job search process.

Getting Started To begin, you need to establish your ground work and

goals for finding the perfect position for you. The follow-ing is a sampling of questions you may want to ask your-self prior to beginning your search:

Location: Region of the Country; Out of the Country; Particular State; Anywhere

Type of School: Size – Small, medium or large; Pub-lic or private, religious affiliation or not; 2-year or 4-year; liberal arts, community college, technical school, etc.

Evaluate what you have come up with: What do I want to do? Where do I want to work? When can I start? When do I want to start? Why do I want to work there? How much will I make?

Following the completion of the above outline, the next step to take would be review the resources that will help you find potential position openings. See “Online Search Tools.”

As you are reviewing the positions available, it is time to start comparing them to your checklist of necessities, which is the list of components that are important for you to be happy at your new or next position: Your personal mission statement, area of interest in student affairs, pro-fessional goals, professional val-ues, personal values, ideal type of institution, geographic area of interest, references, your selling points, areas of improvement, and appearance (career wear, body language and communica-tion style). You may have other items you would like to add to the list (for example, if it’s a live-in position, do they allow pets or domestic partners?) but the above are definitely key pieces to look for as you begin to identify jobs that you would like to apply for.

After you have identified the positions you have applied for, it

is time to get down to business. The following are a com-pilation of the different pieces of the job search process will help you in your preparation for your new venture.

Applying for the Position The Job Description. This sounds like common

sense, but really read the job description so that you have some questions to ask. Not all positions are alike—not at all! Here are some things to think about: Titles, titles, ti-tles! Don’t rule out a job because you think the title isn’t what you want. An area coordinator at one school may be functionally the same as an assistant director at another. Titles are generally school-specific. You need to look at the context of the school (overall size, size of housing program, size of staff). You need to realistically balance the title with the functions. Take a close look at the func-tions of the position: is it something you really want to do? For example, if you really want an operations posi-tion, should you apply for jobs with a heavy program-matic component?

Qualifications. Make sure that you have what the employer is looking for, particularly at the mid-level range. For example, if an employer says 3-5 years experi-ence, they want 3-5 years experience. Keep in mind that some schools do not consider graduate assistantships as a full time position and will equate 2 years as a graduate hall director with 1 year of full-time. Check to see if a job

Continued on next page

Online Search Tools In addition to linking you to job openings, some of these sites will provide you with valuable information on the schools you may consider throughout your job search. 50 States, http://www.50states.com/college (links to university and college home-

pages, by state) Academic 360, http://www.academic360.com (links users to the human resources

sites for colleges and universities throughout the world) American College Personnel Association, http://www.myacpa.org Chronicle of Higher Education, http://www.chronicle.com Higher Ed Jobs, http://www.higheredjobs.com Massachusetts Colleges & Universities, http://www.masshome.com/univ.html National Association of Student Affairs Professionals, http://www.naspa.org Student Affairs.com, http://www.studentaffairs.com


http://www.50states.com/college

http://www.academic360.com

http://www.myacpa.org

http://www.chronicle.com

http://www.higheredjobs.com

http://www.masshome.com/univ.html

http://www.naspa.org

http://www.studentaffairs.com


NEW PROFESSIONALS SPECIAL SECTION Continued from page 13

description specifies post baccalaureate or postgraduate experience. Look for special skills desired (i.e. web de-sign), and if you’ve got those skills, highlight them! Con-sider the order of job responsibilities listed in the position description. What are the first items listed? Chances are those are the things you’ll be doing most of the time. What’s on the description that’s new that you would like to gain experience in? What caught your eye? Items to look for when reading a job description: level of supervi-sion, fiscal management, opportunities for institutional involvement, collateral responsibilities, reporting struc-ture, salary range, and additional benefits.

The Cover Letter There is a mix of opinions about cover letters just as there is a mix of opinions about re-sumes. As you probably read in “Career Resolu-tions” (page 3) some employers don’t read them, some do. Bottom line: it will help more than it will hurt you to write a cover letter. Address it to the appropriate person or the search committee. If there is no one specific, ad-dress it to the chief housing officer (CHO). Most schools will give a name or committee name. Be formal—even if you have met the person already, don’t start with “Dear Zach.” Tell the employer what position you are applying for and how you heard about the job. We like to know. For those larger schools that may have multiple positions, it makes it easier to sort resumes and eliminates the guessing game. Some brief tips:

♦ DO keep the cover letter to one page. Do not re-view your resume detail by detail.

♦ DO write in your style, be you. ♦ DO tell the employer why you are interested in

the position – BRIEFLY! ♦ DO tell the employer what your overall skills and

qualifications are for the job. Use one or two BRIEF examples to demonstrate your point.

♦ DO show confidence in your letter, not cockiness. YES: “I believe that my extensive program-ming experience coupled with my sound de-cision making skills make me a strong candi-date for this position.” NO: “It would be to Juilliard’s detriment to not take a meeting with me. You will not find a better candidate for this position.”

♦ DO make your cover letter error free. Have two different people proof it. (Don’t rely on computer spell check.)

♦ DO share a brief explanation of a gap in your re-sume, if it is reasonable and appropriate.

♦ DO tell the employer how to contact you (include

e-mail and phone number). ♦ If you are participating in any upcoming place-

ment service, list the conference and your candi-date number.

♦ DO be enthusiastic and original. The Resume. Contact information (name, address, phone number and e-mail) should be accurate and indicate where you want correspondence sent. If you don’t want your employer to know that you’re job searching (that’s another workshop in itself) and your mail goes to the cen-tral office, you may want to have an alternative.

Format. Everyone has differing opinions about re-sume format. For some, resumes represent personal styles. Choose the format, you feel most comfortable with but be professional.


www.foliot.com


Generally, resumes need to have the following: 1. Education: institution name, city and state, degree earned, major

♦ Do list if the degree is anticipated ♦ Do list special award or recognition

2. Work experience: Place of employment, city and state, title of position, length of employment

♦ Do list basic functions ♦ Do not list acronyms, instead spell them out. ♦ Bullets or prose: your choice

3. Other/related/associated experience ♦ List only those activities are that are relevant

or that you are really proud of or passionate about.

♦ List other work experience if the skills are transferable.

4. Professional Membership ♦ Listing general membership in a national or-

ganization like ACPA, NASPA or ACUHO-I or attendance at a conference is up to you.

5. List presentations made, leadership involvement in professional organizations.

Other tips: ♦ Be wary of hard to read fonts and don’t use more

than two types of fonts ♦ Use an easy to read font size (if you have too

much to say, edit—this goes for the cover letter as well); stick with 11 or 12 pt.

♦ New professionals shouldn’t have lengthy re-sumes (1-2 pages is the norm.)

♦ Have two or three resumes tailored for different job types or for specific functional areas (i.e. resi-dence life versus orientation)–this will help pare down your resume and allow employers to see the information that matters most to them

♦ “References available upon request” isn’t neces-sary on your resume anymore. It is assumed you have three references and will supply them, if asked. You should have a list with you when you interview (at placement or at an on campus inter-view).

♦ Be prepared to discuss ANYTHING on your re-sume in depth, don’t use fillers or list something you were involved with superficially or for a short length of time. Once you put it on your re-sume, it’s open territory.

♦ Do list technical skills if it is not already listed

with a job summary. If you’re a post-graduate new professional and are

applying for mid-level positions, be discriminating about undergraduate and graduate school experiences.

Online Applications. When using e-mail as your main form of communication, be just as professional as with hard copies. Get rid of any extraneous information or graphics on your signature line. This just becomes screen junk for employers. Remember that certain formats or graphics may not print or format well on the employer’s computer. So, keep formatting simple and follow up with a hard copy via snail mail. Attach your resume and cover letter as one document (it makes things easier for the em-ployer). If you put your cover letter and resume in the body of the e-mail, we advise attaching the cover letter and resume as well. Imagine how lousy your resume will look printed out in an e-mail format. Spell-check your e-mail too! When sending e-mail, use the same account that you list as a contact on your resume. If you know you will be relocating (for example, graduating and moving), use a permanent e-mail address as opposed to an institutional one. When using NASPA or ACPA online placement ser-vices, make sure you give yourself a good chunk of time to fill out all the necessary information. Have your resume in front of you. Make sure your information is error free. Employers are now screening candidates based on what you list online. For example, if you say you will consider Minnesota; be prepared to get correspondence from insti-tutions in Minnesota. Be prepared to respond to e-mails (and phone calls for that matter) promptly. If you will be away, leave an away message. Keep in mind that a font you use in an e-mail may translate into plain text on the other end, so don’t depend on the aesthetic value of your e-mail communication.

Placement Services - ACPA (http://www.myacpa.org/placement.cfm), NASPA (http://www.naspa.org/conference/career/index.cfm) and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (http://www.mio.uwosh.edu/ope) run national ca-reer placement services. There are other regional place-ment conferences such as the New England Student Af-fairs Placement Conference (NESAPC, http://www.bacha.org), the Western New York Placement Exchange (http://www.rit.edu/~233www/wnyjpe/) and the Mid-Atlantic College and University Placement Service (MACUPS, www.macuho.org/placement_conference/job.htm). At the placement conferences, employers send representatives to interview candidates. Job seekers





http://www.rit.edu/~233www/wnyjpe/

Continued from previous page

submit their resume before or at the conference to obtain an interview. Most of the jobs listed at ACPA and NASPA are for students finishing up graduate school. However, undergraduates do attend them. Oshkosh Place-ment Exchange is designed for students entering graduate schools and looking for assistantships. Interviews take places in one large event room and each employer has an interview table. Employers schedule candidates whose resumes reflect skills and experiences that might match the position that is open for half hour interviews. The em-ployers narrow down their choices after the conference and invite anywhere from three to six candidates per job opening to campus for a full day interview. At ACPA and NASPA, candidates must register and attend the national conference as well as register for placement services. Once registered candidates can search the database of jobs (posted by employers) and apply online or by mail before the conference. If an employer is interested in your re-sume, s/he may contact you one to three weeks before the conference to pre-schedule an interview at the conference. Candidates may apply for jobs prior to the conference or

at the conference. Employers may add their jobs onsite therefore candidates will get updated job listings at the conference. ACPA, NASPA & OPE are currently register-ing employers and candidates.

Many of the people that work in your office probably attended one of these conferences. Ask them about it and see if they have any helpful hints for you. At this time you should have a good start in the right direction as you be-gin your search. Please keep in mind these tips are not hard and fast rules but are based on our experiences and feedback from other professionals. For more information regarding the job search process, please do not hesitate to contact us, but also remember that you probably have some great resources right on your campus, whether it be your colleagues, supervisors, or even the Career Services Office. Happy searching!

Zach Newswanger is the Assistant Director for Operations at Ithaca College ([email protected]) and serves as NEACUHO Secretary.

Sabrina Tanbara is the Director of Student Affairs at The Juilliard School ([email protected]) and serves as the Chair of the Professional Development Committee for NEACUHO.



StudentAffairs.com Your online guide to college student affairs!

Resources for Student Affairs Professionals at your fingertips! At StudentAffairs.com you can find: • The most accessible job listings site on the internet that

allows users to search by state, school, category or key word. • Online course registration with topics such as diversity, part-

nering with parents, and Facebook. • Links to hundreds of web sites • Student Affairs Online, an e-zine dedicated to emerging

issues in student affairs and technology • Information on more than 100 listserves • Information on national conferences, including travel, at-

tractions, restaurants and nightlife • An online exhibit hall with information on many of the ven-

dors serving colleges and universities • The Campus Legal Advisor with monthly briefs of court

decisions related to higher education • Case studies, blogs, essays, comics, etc.

www.studentaffairs.com

www.studentaffairs.com

www.neacuho.rentfurniture.com


Ah! The age old question “should I do this? The answer is yes; you should present at the 2006 NEACUHO Conference. What will I get from presenting? You will have an opportunity to share your knowledge, research and/or ideas on current research and student pedagogy as it pertains to students, student leaders and housing offi-cers. What will others get from my presentation? Others will be endowed with the new or exciting information you contribute to them. It will create a gateway by which you can share and explore contemporary trends and happen-ings in student affairs. Why me? The NEACUHO Pro-gram Committee believes that each person has a gift; and your gift of knowledge will only enhance the collabora-tive efforts we make every day to ensure our student and staffs are provided the most effective and well organized services. What do I have to offer? You have your self to offer as a gift of the present. There is nothing more pre-cious then the gift of the present. You have had a plethora

of experiences and a world view that maybe some of us have not had privilege to receive during our lifetime in student affairs. Come give us an inside scoop into your world by being one of many program presenters for the conference. What will be the outcome? The 2006 NEACUHO conference will be one of the best confer-ences because you were apart of the GROUP—Giving Resources Onto Ultimate Professionals.

The Program Committee welcomes first time present-ers and experienced presenters. Your contribution to the NEACUHO program will be most appreciated and we are excited to be apart of your mark of history. Lastly, being a presenter at NEACUHO will allow you the opportunity to network and take part in contributing to the professional development of others and yourself.

Patricia A. Birch is a Program Committee member

and an Area Coordinator at Assumption College.

Presenting at a Conference: Why Bother? By Patricia A. Birch, on behalf of the Program Committee

Greetings from the Social Issues Committee! Things have been very busy with our committee since the last news article. We have been doing everything from assessment to writing and presenting in order to give you the best possible informa-tion out there!

In this edition of the Navigator, you’ll read Unity N. Watts’s timely article about rediscovering the dreams and values Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared and encouraged before his tragic death.

At the New Professional’s Conference briana Sevigny from Eastern Connecticut State University presented on focus groups and assessing what our new professionals look for when they hear about the Social Issues Committee.

Trina Nocerino, hailing from Syracuse University, also presented on behalf of the committee about creating safe spaces to talk about diversity issues.

We are really looking forward to the Women’s Issues Winter Renewal Retreat on January 12, 2006 that Jennifer Scaia the retreat co-chair has been working very hard on in conjunction with Stephanie DeRose from The Culinary Institute of America. Thank you to everyone on the committee for working hard on this!

In the spring, we hope to present at both the Spring Drive-In and the Annual Conference so look for us at Albertus Magnus and New York University. Good luck to all of you who might be presenting at these as

well! As always, if you are interested

in joining the Social Issues Commit-tee please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. We hope you had a happy, healthy holiday and wish you a wonderful new year!

Social Issues Committee Jodi Bailey, Chair

COMMITTEE UPDATES

[email protected] @emerson.edu



Notes from the NEACUHO Secretary

Greetings everyone: I hope this finds all of you doing well as we gear up for the spring semester, readying ourselves for the residents’ return. I hope everyone was able to enjoy the winter break and will return re-energized for the new semester. As I began the second year of my term as Secretary of NEACUHO, my main charge remains the same: to take the minutes at the NEACUHO Executive Board Meetings Record and distribute the minutes of all meetings for Executive Board approval within 30 days after the meeting, and subsequently, communicate approved minutes to the overall membership. At this time, you can find the minutes from September 26, 2005, with the minutes from the October 20, 2005 meeting on their way shortly after the Executive Boards review and vote. Executive Board Meeting – September 26, 2005 Update During our September meeting the Executive Board was busy working on the following items. Jeff Horowitz our current Treasurer worked with Sabrina Tanbara our past Treasurer to up the board on our financial standing and our outlook for the year. Following this the board was updated by the Annual Conference Site Visit Team about the upcoming Conference at NYU this coming summer. Jen Hapgood, Membership Coordinator then provided an overview of our membership numbers and the work she has been doing to ensure our membership is strong and growing. At this time we also received updates from our committee chairs regarding the upcoming conference for the fall and spring, the New Professionals Conference, RD2B, and the Operations Drive In, just to name a few. During the continuation of the meeting we continued to work through NEACUHO Business, working to ensure you, our membership, the best possible experience for your membership in our organization. More details on the meeting can be found at the NEACUHO website in the meeting minutes. Executive Board Meeting – October 20, 2005 Update During our meeting in October the Executive Board continued to follow up on work from the September 26, 2005 meeting. Further updates were received on our membership from Jen Hapgood, the Membership Coordinator, followed by updates from Jeff Horowitz, Treasurer, on items he and the Budget and Financial Task Force have been developing. From there we reviewed updates from Jana Jacobson, New Professionals Development Committee Chair, on the New Professionals Confer-ence, RD2B Conferences, from Anne Colacarro, Corporate Relations Committee Chair, and Rene Coderre, Residential Op-erations Committee Chair, on the Operations Drive-In, and from Sabrina Tanbara, Professional Development Committee Chair, Spring Drive-In and Mid-Level Institute. Following this we reviewed the Corporate Affiliate Plan, Proposed NEA-CUHO Scholarship Changes, updates from board members, elected and appointed, and continued working to ensure you, our membership, the best possible experience for your membership in our organization. More details on the meeting can be found at the NEACUHO website in the meeting minutes, coming soon. More detail on these topics and other items addressed at the NEACUHO Executive Board meetings are available in the actual meeting minutes located at http://www.neacuhgo.org under the documents section. If you have any questions or con-cerns please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 607-274-3141. Also, if you currently have any items that you feel should be in the NEACUHO Archives, please contact me at the above given information, so we can make arrange-ments to collect these important pieces of history. I wish all of you warm and cozy times for the upcoming semester, and I look forward to running into all of you soon!

Zach Newswanger Secretary, NEACUHO

Zach Newswanger NEACUHO Secretary

http://www.neacuhgo.org


The Fall Drive-In Conference is moving to a different season and

we’ve added something new!

The NEACUHO Professional Development Committee

presents the

Spring Drive-In Conference and

NEW Mid-Level Institute*

Friday, February 17, 2006 Albertus Magnus College New Haven, Connecticut

Mark your calendars and save the date!

NEACUHO mid-level definition: Four to seven years of post

baccalaureate, full-time housing experience and/or a mid-level position (as determined by your institution).


2006 Annual Conference June 5, 6 & 7, 2006 New York University, New York, NY Dear Colleagues,

The Program Committee is excited to invite you to submit a program proposal for the 2006 North East Association of College and University Housing Officers (NEACUHO) Annual Conference. This year’s conference will be hosted by New York University from June 5-7; and we hope that you’ll Make the Connection. This is your opportunity to share your ideas; programs and services that assist you and your students in the learning process. The annual conference will not be a success without your willingness to present quality programs for the membership.

Please consider submitting a program proposal, all proposals are due on March 3, 2006. Presenters should be able to an-swer all questions on the proposal form; please pay special attention to the program outline; it is the main information that the Pro-gram Committee will use to make the decision. Programs will be selected by the Program Committee on March 31st, and pre-senters will be notified after that date about their program’s status. Please note that all presenters must be registered for NEA-CUHO 2006 in order to present.

Carol Sacchetti, Assistant Director, Residence Life and Housing, [email protected]

PROGRAM TRACKS (click here for program proposal) Diversity/Multiculturalism: Programs focusing in diversity and multiculturalism should provide participants with information on the various “isms” that exist in our society. The programs should be designed to challenge our views, offer perspectives on current trends in the field, and help sensitize participants to areas in which our student and staff may need direction, guidance, or support. Furthermore, programs should help deepen our understanding and appreciation of human differences and other strategies that may help make our own campuses more inclusive.

Housing Operations and Auxiliary Services: Programs addressing housing operations and auxiliary services should focus on facilities management, (i.e. construction of new halls, renovations, working with union employees, custodial/maintenance staff), housing assignments, (i.e. occupancy issues, wait list issues, special housing accommodations), and auxiliary services, (such as conference, vending, and dining services, ResNet, and technological issues.)

Student Development and Programs: Programs focusing on student development and student programs are designed to provide participants with the information needed to support students as they progress from their first to final year at an institution. Possible topic areas include students in transition (programs for first year students through their senior year), ADA regulations, alcohol and drug programs, faculty involvement, and leadership opportunities.

Residence Life: Programs focusing on Residence Life should strive to look at our residence programs and discuss way of develop-ing and improving current systems. Topics could include RA and professional staff processes, residence hall councils, liability, safety, security, and programming. In addition, programs could look at day to day operations, crisis management, and strengthen-ing residential programs.

Professional Development: Programs focusing on professional development could include personal and professional develop-ment, skill building, presenting a program, and getting involved professionally. Programs should encourage the on-going develop-ment, both professionally and personally of those who work in the field and would assist us in developing skills necessary to do our jobs.

Senior Level: This track is designed for professionals who currently work in a “senior level” or Chief Housing Officer Capacity. The programs in this track will offer focused discussion opportunities on issues facing our departments, our institutions, and our profes-sion from our upper-level vantage point.


NEACUHO 2005-2006 EXECUTIVE BOARD


President Jon Conlogue Westfield State College [email protected] President-Elect Terri Panepento St. John Fisher College [email protected] Past President Maureen Owen Wark Suffolk University [email protected]

DISTRICT COORDINATORS

Connecticut and Rhode Island District Michelle Eichengreen Roger Williams University [email protected] Eastern New York District Kate Baier New York University [email protected] Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont District Audrey Place Castleton State College [email protected]

Massachusetts District Josh Hettrick Springfield College [email protected] Western New York District Chuck Lamb Rochester Institute of Technology [email protected] Membership Coordinator Jen Hapgood Binghamton University [email protected]

Technology Coordinator Eric Bross New York University [email protected]

Annual Conference Rachel Alldis New York University [email protected]

Corporate Relations Anne Colacarro Westfield State University [email protected] Media and Publications Tina Tormey Cazenovia College [email protected] New Professional Development Jana Jacobs Emerson College [email protected]

Professional Development Sabrina Tanbara The Juilliard School [email protected] Program Carol Sacchetti Roger Williams University [email protected]

ACUHO-I EASTERN DISTRICT

REPRESENTATIVE

Robert Jose Northeastern University

[email protected]

Residential Operations Renè J. Coderre Binghamton University [email protected] Risk Management and Judicial vacant Social Issues Jodi Bailey New York University [email protected] Parlimentarian Paula Randazza Rivier College [email protected] Marketing Plan Kathi Bradford Westfield State College [email protected]

APPOINTED COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Treasurer Jeff Horowitz Binghamton University [email protected] Secretary Zachariah R. Newswanger Ithaca College [email protected]

ELECTED OFFICERS

Here is your chance to be published!

Consider submitting an article for the NEACUHO Navigator.

Newsletter Edition Deadline for Submissions Publication Date SPRING March 15 April

Submissions should be e-mailed to Tina Tormey

at [email protected]

NEACUHO Mission Statement NEACUHO is an organization of housing, residential life, and student services professionals and paraprofessionals within

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Canadian provinces. The

Association is dedicated to providing opportunities for colleague support, professional development, sharing of information,

collaboration, communication, research and recognition of outstanding contributions to the field.


Start spreading the news….

Countdown to NEACUHO 2006

Thank you to the following corporate affiliates.

Corporate Partners StudentAffairs.com

Foliot Furniture AFR: American Furniture Rentals

Corporate Associates Campus Comfort

The Chambers Corporation IR Security & Safety—Education Solutions

Noelker & Hull Associates Party Vision

RoomChi: Feng Shui for Residence Life

5 months

New York University, June 6-8


http://www.nyu.edu/residential.education/neacuho2006/

Documents

2006 Winter Navigator