ACUHO-I News Blog

The Talking Stick magazine is the authoritative source for campus housing. The latest edition is now available online and we are excited to share version 3.0 of the NxtBook interface. New features and design will make the experience even smoother and more valuable than before.

This issue delivers the information you need to succeed as a college and university housing professional. Check out stories such as:

• Courting Change in Judicial Affairs: Is a kinder and gentler approach to judicial affairs the secret to improving student conduct?
• The Other Side of the Street: When the need for new housing spills past a campus’ traditional boarders, careful planning can successfully blend town and gown.
• Six Degrees of Separation: Real-life social networks show how students connect.
• Balancing Values and the Bottom Line: When and why should you consider outsourcing your maintenance?
• Budget 101: Learn to wisely navigate the budget-making process.

Plus, don’t miss the quick-hitting stories of Just In, a Conversation about curbing student substance abuse, the latest Transitions, and turning the spotlight on North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.

After reading the issue, you can share your thoughts in the comment section below, or on the ACUHO-I online network.

Last week saw the 2009 ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition come to a close. For the almost 1,100 people who were able to be in Baltimore, they left with pages full of notes and minds full of ideas and inspirations. They also left with the memories of connecting with colleagues and friends: a sentiment captured in a photo slideshow that was shown at the closing banquet (and embedded below).

Because we know there were people who wanted to be in Baltimore but weren’t able, for whatever reason, this year ACUHO-I will offer a condensed, online version of the event. More details are forthcoming, but plans call for some of the most widely-attended and highest-scored sessions to be offered, as well as a video of the conference’s keynote address by environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Look for more details on the ACUHO-I Web site and e-mail announcements in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, you can download the conference program guide as a PDF, view a list of conference attendees, and enjoy the images from Baltimore. Plus, in the coming days, presentation materials from the conference sessions will be available in the ACUHO-I online library.

What were your favorite memories of the conference? Share in the comment section below.

This story in the Boston Globecaught my eye. The Boston Foundation, a clearinghouse for charity dollars in Beantown, is giving $655,000 this year to several nonprofits that help students apply for college, request financial aid, and adjust to college life. Among the recipients is Bottom Line, an organization that says its students graduate from college at the same rates as more affluent, advantaged students do. Many institutions have programs that offer similar help, usually for lower-income or first-generation students, whose parents aren’t able to offer a great deal of monetary or social support for their college lives. The Boston Globe article, and similar ones I found, made me wonder… do nonprofit programs work with your institutions, your R.A.s, hall directors, and counselors? Are these partnerships formalized or on an as-needed basis? Comment here.