ACUHO-I News Blog

The snowpocalypse! Snowmaggedon! Whatever you wanted to call it, the storm that moved through the United States late last week certainly gathered it’s share of headlines. Now it’s time to reflect back and share how we weathered the storm.

Use the comment section to share stories about the antics that your sledding (or stir-crazy) students came up with to pass the time other than watching the Weather Channel radar. Tell us how you and your campus managed Mother Nature’s wrath. How did this storm stack up to ones from the past? (Reminiscing about past blizzards will be allowed.)

And for those who work at campuses where words like “snow emergency” are foreign concepts, we graciously ask you to please keep your comments about “mid-60s and sunny” to yourself. If we have to have the snow, we’re at least allowed to vent about it a bit.

You can even e-mail us photos of your campus scenes if you like. Let the flurry of comments begin!

What would it take to spur change? President Barack Obama spoke last week brilliantly about where he is hoping to take the nation. In his address he mentioned green jobs and our push toward becoming number one in the green sector. As I watched I thought this was brilliant another opportunity to push a vision. This vision is very aspirational when considering the size and consumption level of this wonderful country. However this is a great idea to pursue with implications towards a bright future.

After watching the speech I wanted to find other discussions or general information regarding green jobs on college campuses. Through a bit of Web surfing I pulled in a blog that highlights the discussion of green jobs. This particular blog did a great job of touching on the transition of brown to green jobs. I think it would be very interesting to see how campuses are creating these jobs and whether they are being fueled by green funding.

During the President’s address I pondered two questions:

Question #1-Have we reached the tipping point in regards to how green jobs are advertised? What I’m trying to say is in this economy are green jobs just jobs? I think we have moved passed the label far enough that we often do not notice the green unless its explicitly spelled out.

Question #2-How well do green positions fold into the housing and residential life organizational chart? In other words are green positions becoming stand alone positions or are they still seen as a collateral assignments for housing and residential life professionals?

Progress is good but with the current economy I could understand why there may be hesitation in reorganizing the organization and adding a position. However there is serious value in recruiting our incoming green students into our greening residential communities.  They will consume less. With this in mind it would be important to consider creatively positioning our organizations now to focus our efforts on attracting these students to live with us now and possibly work for us in the future.

This is my first blog contribution to the sustainability discussion/green movement. I have to admit that just typing this post feels fresh and green.

Hope to post more.

Virginia Tech will now notify parents of students under 21 who are disciplined for any alcohol violation. Previously, the institution only notified parents in serious instances (drunken driving, hospitalization due to excessive drinking) or after two violations. Some parents complained of being caught off-guard when  second incident resulted in sanctions, as they had been unaware of the first violation. Now any drug or alcohol-related violation will lead to an unpleasant conversation with the folks back home.

Virginia Tech officials say the move is welcomed by parents, as partners in their student’s well-being, but, shockingly, students aren’t happy about it. While the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act restricts how much an institution can tell parents about their adult children, there’s an exception for drug- and alcohol-related incidents for students under 21. In these instances, institutions can set their own policies.

How does your institution manage this tricky situation? Have you made changes to your policies because of parents’ requests or legal issues? Are you considering doing so?

The biggest challenge for college students with Asperger’s Syndrome?

The residence hall.

This is according to Diane Rogers, the director of the Learning Differences program at Mercyhurst College in Erie, P.A. Mercyhurst has been working to make their institution more welcoming to students with Asperger’s.

Our apologies to Mr. Wm. Shakespeare for our appropriation of his quote from Macbeth, Act I, Scene I. It seemed so apropos, however, because there’s been quite a few bird-related stories on campuses lately. Check these out:

Fluff-Up at Reed College Over Chicken Dinner During one week at the beginning of spring semester, Reed students can offer and take brief no-credit courses on any topic of interest — striptease, pool, or chokin’ the chicken. No, not that kind of chicken-choking; get your minds out of the gutter! A college senior who raises chickens for eggs and meat, proposed to demonstrate how one of the birds is slaughtered and dressed for dinner. Some students and organizations raised a ruckus, however, because of their distress that ” Reed students are taking part in the killing of live animals.” (I’ve heard it’s really hard to kill dead animals, though.) The course was ultimately canceled.

A Wily Chicken at Glendale Community College An apparently unnamed black chicken at Glendale Community college poses for pictures and accepts food from student fans. But when animal control stops by, he or she (they’re not sure which), crosses the road–natch!–and evades capture.

Turkey Overstays Her Welcome at Harvard Business School This is so ripe for jokes, I’ll let you think of them yourself. Nicknamed Turk Turkee, the wild bird was initially welcomed into the Harvard community, but her esprit de corps is lacking; attempts to roust her from napping in the dean’s garden (a favorite spot) results in pecks and snaps. Her, um, fowl-ness seems to increase when observers don’t offer food. She’s also vain; she’ll stare at herself in the clean, reflective windows of the business school buildings for hours. Some students find her cranky presence entertaining; others have created an “HBS Students FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE TURKEY” Facebook group. Massachusetts state laws regarding wild turkeys make her removal problematic.

Concordia College Chicken Put to Work A poster on Inside HigherEd offered up this chicken story, with a happy ending (for the college and the chicken). “Rocky,” a small, white hen, selected Concordia College as her home in the summer of 2009. Unlike Turk Turkee, Rocky was a good ambassador, welcoming students to campus in the fall and amassing a number of fans. But as winter neared, Concordia officials worried for Rocky’s safety; they also feared a larger predator would make a chicken dinner of her. So they found her a new home, where Rocky can continue her public relations work in safety.

Has your campus adopted an animal, avian or otherwise? Tell us about it!

In Inside HigherEd this week: Campus counseling centers report a 16% increase in their visitors in 2009; the gender gap has quit growing (mostly), and plagiarism education helps prevent that form of cheating — perhaps because students are aware their institution is paying attention to the issue; perhaps because they previously didn’t realize what qualifies as plagiarism.

NO MORE EARLY VACATIONS: Think it’s not worth holding class the Friday before spring break? Faculty leaders at Penn State want you to know they disagree.

LOOKING FOR HELP: Campus counseling centers report a 16% increase in last year in students seeking assistance.

GENDER GAP STOPS GROWING: New analysis suggests that — except for Latinos — the decline in male enrollment rates has leveled off:

PLAGIARISM PREVENTION WITHOUT FEAR: New trial suggests that teaching students about integrity issues can be effective, especially with those who may otherwise be the most likely to copy.

AWAITING THE TABLET: Will Apple’s new electronic device galvanize the market for e-textbooks and transform higher education?

Ever challenged with a new project – creating and implementing a style guide, recruiting new professional staff, or launching a branding campaign – and knew you remembered hearing about another institution that did something similar?

The ACUHO-I Marketing and Communications Committee recognizes the need for resources to be your fingertips. Fellow professionals and their experiences are invaluable resources. The ACUHO-I Online Resource Library will provide just that; a showcase of successful communication strategies among its members. Our hope is to share examples of the following types of publications: view books, brochures, on-line promotions, media advertisements, direct marketing collateral and much more. Each example, whether a design or campaign, can be labeled under specific topic areas such as staff recruitment, room selection, branding documents, job descriptions, and marketing campaigns.

Everyone has an experience to bring to the table. We need you to provide examples of your publications, campaigns, media strategies and more. If you have examples (and we know you do!) that you think would be helpful to your fellow professionals, please submit to the online library. The submission form can be found here. Please submit your submission form and electronic publication sample to mccresource@gmail.com. If you are submitting multiple publications, please submit separate e-mails for each piece and/or campaign. The deadline to submit material is March 1, 2010.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions and appreciate your time in providing details of your work and/or campaigns.

After a hectic morning, the Veterans Administration is hoping the afternoon goes a little more smoothly. The fall administration of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill was confusing for veterans, institutions, and, seemingly, the VA itself. Some payments were delayed as the agency dealt with an upswing in demand for education benefits. The increased demand was probably due to the more generous provisions of this bill compared to other recent G.I. Bills, and the slow economy.

V.A. officials say the have received 132,000 enrollment certifications for the current term, and 105,000 have been processed. They didn’t say how many veterans have their benefits in-hand. The agency has promised all veterans who submitted materials by January 19 will have received their benefits by February 1. Materials received after that will be processed as soon as possible.

There are still about 500 veterans who have yet to receive their fall benefits. The V.A. and institutions blame each other for the fall delays, and relations between them are frosty. The V.A. says it didn’t receive some enrollment certification forms until the late fall; institutions say the V.A.’s work was backed up well before the late fall, and that they offered students leniency, and even interest-free loans, to help veterans stay in school and pay for necessities.

Both parties are hoping things will be easier this spring; the V.A. is expressing confidence about this; institutions are expressing doubt.

Okay, that post title might be a bit cynical. But forgive me; it’s January in Ohio. I’m feeling a bit cynical, just like everyone in the Midwest does during these gray days of winter.

Anyway, once again America’s college freshmen have been surveyed for their opinions on everything from politics, to society, to what they’ll be when they grow up. According to the freshmen:

Most, 66.7%, have major or some concerns about paying for college. Just over 53% plan to cover some expenses with loans. Both of these numbers are up slightly since 2004.

Perhaps because of this, a vast majority of respondents, 78.1%, say “being very well off financially is an essential or very important goal.” According to the U.S. Census 2008 Current population survey, all those under 65 with a bachelor’s degree have mean earnings of $58,613, but y’know, bright eyes, bushy tails, all that. And $58K is hardly shabby.

So what have the future titans of America been doing in the meantime?

Well, 66.5% take notes in class; 53.9% ask questions in class; 57.8% support their opinions with logical arguments (that won’t be necessary for the 20.8% who plan to influence the political structure); and 30.9% research topics independently, when not required for class. While 51.2% “seek solutions to problems and explain them to others,” fewer are interested in  seeking solutions to problems they have: 47.3% look for feedback on academic work, and 46.6% revise their papers to improve their writing.

Many, 44%, identify as politically moderate. About 24% say they’re conservative or far right; 31.8% say they are liberal or far left. Students who identify with either political extreme are in a tiny minority; less than 4%.  On major issues of the day, 64.9% feel same-sex couples should be able to legally married; 62.8% feel only volunteers should serve in the armed services and 37.4% feel students from “disadvantaged social backgrounds” should be given preferential treatment for college admissions.

In addition to piles of money (perhaps to swim laps in, a’la Scrooge McDuck), most of our freshmen hope to have a family (74.7%), help others in difficulty (69.1%), and become authorities in their fields (58.5%). Fewer hope to excel in the creative arts; about 16% want to create artistic works, such as sculptures and paintings; 16% wish to become accomplished in a performing art, and 16% hope to create original works such as poems or novels. Hopefully, these students aren’t the same ones who find it extremely important to be wealthy. My post-college life has been very clear on one thing: creativity is nice, but it doesn’t bring in the big bucks.

As for their parents, 46.5% of respondents have fathers who do not have a college degree; 45.2% of their mothers don’t have one either.

During their first term, most plan on living in the residence halls (79.5%); 14.2% live with family, 2.8% live in a private apartment or house and 2.7% live in some other form of campus housing.

To see these numbers and more, check out The American Freshman: Fall Norms for Fall 2009, published by the University of California – Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute. The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Higher Education Research Institute have conflicting numbers when it comes to how many students were surveyed and how many institutions were involved. If we can get some clarification, we’ll post it here.

And keep in mind, if they were in Ohio in January when the survey was conducted, their answers might have been a lot different.

A body, likely that of one of the students from the Lynn University group who was in Haiti for a service-learning project, was recovered, and her parents were informed. The students and faculty members were at their hotel when the earthquake occurred. A layer-by-layer recovery of the hotel debris will begin soon. Three other students and two faculty members are still unaccounted for. One of the missing students had a 20th birthday was recently: A sawhorse on her parents driveway, with a sign requesting privacy, was festooned with Mylar balloons. Eight other students were found and have returned to the United States. Lynn University is maintaining a site with updates.

This week on Inside HigherEd, institutions assist Haitian students, fewer freshmen are choosing to study business, and there have been historic cuts to higher education in many states, among other news items.

FRESHMEN ABANDON BUSINESS: Amid recession, incoming students find field of study less appealing than ever, according to national survey.

HISTORIC DECLINES: Study shows extent of state cuts to higher education and key role of federal stimulus funds in minimizing (but not preventing) absolute drops in support over last two years.

HELP FOR HAITIAN STUDENTS: Colleges in New York City and Miami rush to provide counseling and other services to large populations of students affected by last week’s earthquake.

FREEZER BURN: Tuition freezes may be politically popular, and even appropriate in emergencies, but they often lead to dramatic hikes in future years.

SPORTS SUBSIDIES SOAR: At time of financial peril in higher education, ‘USA Today’ data show level of institutional financing for athletics programs is large and growing.

Ball State University has an emerging media living learning community, which is discussed in this short article. We’re not familiar with any other communities like it. However, there’s probably a lot of unusual living-learning communities out there. The often-seen living-learning communities–those based on a major or profession; ones for freshmen; for honors students–are great support systems for those students. But sometimes an unusual theme for a living-learning community can say a lot about the student, staff or faculty population at a certain institution or the area around it. Do you have an unusual living-learning community? Tell us about it!

Perhaps given the popularity of Glee, Yale University is trying the musical-theatre approach to recruiting. The production, created by current and former Yale students, touts the residential colleges too.

The musical-recruiting made James Baumann think of some other productions they could stage: West Quad Story, Joseph the RA and the Amazing Technicolor Pass Key; Quadspell; and The Phantom of the Study Lounge. That got me thinking: There’s A Cafeteria Line and Seven Credits for Seven Hours. If another university wishes to follow suit, they could try Oklahoma…State! If they wished to branch into plays, and reach transfer students, there’s You Can’t Take Those Credits With You.

Got any for us?

The UD Daily, a website operated by the University of Delaware’s media relations folks, has posted a story about the positive experiences three of their graduate students had with internship programs last summer. All the students mentioned in the story are majoring in counseling and student affairs in higher education. Two of the students were involved in ACUHO-I’s Internship Program. Carly Day went to Jacksonville University, Florida; and Christina Busse worked at the University of Minnesota – Deluth. A third student landed a National Orientation Directors Association (NODA) internship: Sara Jaques was at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Today’s Doonesbury strip mentions retention issues among college students: family, work, children…and the circus?