ACUHO-I News Blog

Let’s sum up the young folks in a few words:

I’m Okay, You’re Doomed.
But in the meantime, science technology and math are very important.

Freshman 15 more like “Freshman 5″
It might be 5 pounds of muscle though.

Most college freshmen expect to be wealthy.
But many are in need of financial literacy.

They are the ‘net generation.’
Perhaps we can’t sum them up so easily.

More on pets in residence halls:

CNN reports that MIT, Stephen’s College and SUNY-Canton allow pets-within certain restrictions of course. CNN also points out that Tufts tried a pet-friendly policy for faculty, residence directors and graduate teaching assistants living on-campus, but abandoned it after students with allergies and asthma complained about the dander.

USA Today highlights a Washington & Jefferson student and her bichon frise, Vinny, and also talks to officials at Eckerd College and Stephens College.

Both stories point out the complications of pet housing:

• Dander and student allergies complicate things. As one official points out, after a dog or cat has lived in a room for a year, it is non-allergenic for several years afterward, even with thorough cleanings. Housing professionals often re-appropriate rooms and halls from year to year (making a single sex hall co-ed for example) in reaction to changing demands for housing. A pro-pet policy could limit their flexibility in this way.
• The Humane Society of the United States, while not outright condemning pet ownership by college students, strongly cautions against it. The ASPCA takes a similar stance. According to the USA Today article, the ASPCA is “cautiously supportive” of pro-pet policies, hoping such allowances prevent students from sneaking forbidden animals into their rooms and poorly caring for them as a result of their secrecy. Both organizations point out what housing professionals already know: students are prone to emotional, impulsive decisions and may not think through all the ramifications of owning, say, an adorable little puppy who will grow up to be a ungangly dog, bored and in need of something to chew. The timeline stretches beyond move-out, or even graduation: A commitment to a pet can span 15 years or longer, depending on the animal. (The Humane Society frowns on keeping reptiles as pets in any situation for example, in part because the creatures can live far longer than humans’ attention spans.) Both organizations worry students will poorly care for their charges, or abandon them at move-out time.
• Making and enforcing rules on pets-how big, shots, length of ownership, etc.-is complicated. Stephens College temporarily confiscated dogs from owners who were not caring for them properly; Eckerd codified its policy on snakes after a student brought a 12-foot boa constrictor to live in the hall, which frightened his hall-mates.

For those of us who are pet-lovers, the issue seems simple at first: I can bring my dog to school? Great! But as you dig deeper, it is more complicated, especially when you try to determine who such a policy benefits: the humans, the animals, or both?

The American Council on Education provided this handy summary of what the Higher Education Act, recently signed into law, means for higher education professionals. Much of the precise rules and how they will be applied will be worked out in the coming year, as the Education Department determines how it will use the provisions. If you are unsure of how the act will affect your campus, let us know: emily@acuho-i.org. We’ll try to help you figure that out.

Well, it’s not sexy, but it’s gaining popularity. Courses in public health - which include many and diverse topics such as disease transmission and prevention, education campaigns and laws surrounding the health and well-being of a population - have been growing in popularity, reports the Washington Post. Professors in the field speculate this may be the result of a generation that has grown up with the AIDS epidemic as a fact throughout their lives. Also, opportunities in public health careers are growing, and it is a field that offers the chance to make a difference in many lives. There are opportunities for hands-on experience establishing education programs, conducting research and providing services. With regular hand-washing, alcohol responsibility and cleanliness campaigns being as necessary in residence halls as WiFi, how can housing pros tap into this interest and provide programs-and possibly off-campus activities-for students interested (professionally or otherwise) in public health issues?

The ACUHO-I central office has regained power. After Sunday’s windstorms knocked out electricity to almost 2 million Ohioans, the ACUHO-I central office re-established power and network services at approximately 3 p.m. this afternoon.

We are working to get back up to speed on faxes, phone calls, and e-mails from these past days. If you attempted to contact an ACUHO-I staff member during that time, you will receive a response as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please contact the central office at 614.292.0099 if you have any questions or concerns.

We thank you for your patience as we worked through this event. Rest assured that we have a much greater appreciation for all the contingency plans and exercises our members must create and implement on their campuses.

Power and computer network service continues to be non-operational at the ACUHO-I Central Office as workers continue to respond to windstorms last Sunday.

The Central Office has set up a temporary location with limited connectivity as we work to continue to provide service to ACUHO-I members. The ACUHO-I Knowledge Summit and the Strategic Planning Retreat will be held as scheduled. Also, as the ACUHO-I Conference Series events near, we have posted links to PDF files for attendee and exhibitor applications below.

Any exhibitor or sponsor questions should be directed to Alison Jones at 614.226.3447. If you have already registered as an exhibitor and need decorator specific information for the ACUHO-I Apartments or the ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference, you can contact the George Fern company directly at 817.481.0043. Information regarding the Information Technology, Living-Learning Programs, or Conference Services conference will be made avaialble on the Web site as soon as power is restored.

ACUHO-I Conference Series applications for exhibitors (all events are included in one file)

ACUHO-I Conference Series applications for attendees:

• Apartments Conference
  
• Information Technology Conference
  
• ACUHO-I/APPA Housing Facilities Conference
  
• Conference Services Conference
  
• Living-Learning Programs Conference
  

The ACUHO-I fax number (614.292.3205) has been restored. Attendees and exhibitors for the ACUHO-I Conference Series events (Apartments, Infomation Technology, Conference Services, Living Learning Programs, and the ACUHO-I / APPA Housing Facilities conferences) who have attempted to fax an application to the central office since last Sunday will need to resend that form. Any questions should be directed to Lisa Martin at 614.403.5656.

If you need a copy of an application, you may call or e-mail Lisa Martin.

The ACUHO-I Central Office continues to have limited service due to damage from the windstorms that crossed the state last Sunday. The latest numbers report more than 1.92 million customers were without power across Ohio.

Estimates still say power may be restored to the office Wednesday evening. The ACUHO-I main phone number (614.292.0099) can now accept incoming calls, but voice mails left since Sunday cannot be retrieved. Also, ACUHO-I has established two temporary cell phone lines for members who need to speak with someone. Laura Pietrykowski, ACUHO-I membership coordinator, can be reached at 614.517.8360 and Sallie Traxler, ACUHO-I executive director can be reached at 614.946.8862.

The ACUHO-I fax number (614.292.3205) is also disabled. Attendees and exhibitors for the ACUHO-I Conference Series events (Apartments, Infomation Technology, Conference Services, Living Learning Programs, and the ACUHO-I / APPA Housing Facilities conferences) who have attempted to fax an application to the central office since last Sunday will need to resend that form. We are working to establish a temporary solution and will post details when finalized. Any questions should be directed to Lisa Martin at 614.403.5656.

Other ACUHO-I events, including the Knowledge Summit and the Strategic Planning Retreat will continue as planned. If participants in those events have any questions, they should contact Sallie Traxler at 614.946.8862.

We will continue to update this blog and the ACUHO-I Social Network as the situation develops.

A windstorm that caused major damage throughout Ohio has also forced the temporary closure of the ACUHO-I Central Office. ACUHO-I regrets any inconvenience this has caused members.

The office and much of central Ohio (more than 300,000 homes and offices and more than 40 percent of the electric company’s customer base) has been without power since approximately 4 p.m. (eastern), Sunday, September 14, 2008. Unfortunately, the loss of power has meant the ACUHO-I Web site and e-mail for staff members has not been operational during that time. Steps are being taken to restore service as soon as possible.

Estimates say power may be restored to the office Wednesday evening. In the meantime, ACUHO-I has established two temporary cell phone lines for members who need to speak with someone. Laura Pietrykowski, ACUHO-I membership coordinator, can be reached at 614.517.8360 and Sallie Traxler, ACUHO-I executive director can be reached at 614.946.8862.

ACUHO-I will send messages regarding the situation to regional presidents and chief housing officers at all member institutions along with posting messages to the ACUHO-I blog and social network. More details will be posted as they become available. Thank you for your cooperation as we work to recover from the windstorms.

The University of Kentucky’s landlines in the residence halls will soon be going the way of the dodo, the Tasmanian wolf and calling cards. Students can still request a landline, but the university’s decision seems confirmed by the fact that only seven have done so. The university’s decision was made after a survey that showed more than 98% of students prefered to use their cell phones.

Have you pulled the plug on landlines? If so, what persuaded you to do so? If you haven’t, have you considered it?