Let’s start with the museums. Charlotte has a lot to talk about there, as the city gained three new museums in just the past year.

One is the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, where you can see works by Miro, Degas and Ernst, among others. Admire the building too, with its four-story atrium, which suffuses the building with natural light. The fourth four gallery extends far over the plaza outside, and seems to be held aloft by an oblong column rooted in the ground.

Another is the Mint Museum, so named because the building was formally the first branch of the U.S. Mint. (Its name makes me think of ice cream and mojitos, though.) Now it is home to a huge selection of artwork:  early American pieces; ancient pieces from the North American continent; American and European ceramics; costumes and accessories; Asian art; African art; maps and contemporary pieces.  In addition to its usual displays, the Mint has rotating special exhibitions as well. Are you into shoes? “The Heights of Fashion: Platform Shoes Then and Now,” will be on view while you’re in Charlotte. It seems very apros, as platforms have swung back into vogue again. (Current styles are more Louboutin than Disco Stu, though.)

The third is the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. The Hewitt Collection, containing works from prominent African-American artists who achieved international recognition and broke new ground, has a permanent home at the museum. John and Vivian Hewitt were not who you picture when the words “art collectors” come to mind. He was a writer, she a teacher, and they saved and prioritized so they could purchase art. In 1998, they pledged their collection to the Harvey B. Gantt Center. In addition, other galleries display rotating exhibits.

Have students at your institution had these issues, and what programs have been instituted to assist them? Have you found effective ways of identifying these students–or persuading them to identify themselves?

Click the picture to go to our Flickr account for the whole set. (Set aside some time for this.)

]]> http://blog.acuho-i.org/2010/07/annual-conference-pictures/feed/ 0 http://blog.acuho-i.org/2010/07/conference-presentations-are-in-the-library/ http://blog.acuho-i.org/2010/07/conference-presentations-are-in-the-library/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:12:17 +0000 Emily Glenn http://blog.acuho-i.org/?p=2716 Huzzah! Our conference attendees were certainly prolific this year, and generous, offering your work to the ACUHO-I Library for all to use for professional development for years to come. Thank you! To view the presentations, go to the ACUHO-I Library (enter as a guest); then search by a presentation or presenter name. To see them all, search “2010 Annual Conference.” The conference guide is in there too.

Our keynote speaker, Dr. Bertice Berry, started the conference on an amazing high note. She shared her experiences as a residence hall student and how some special people made a big difference in her time as a first-generation undergraduate. One of the reflections I had from her discussion is how some people have a purpose in our lives, a purpose we don’t often see the first moment we interact with them.

As housing professionals, we are called to be people with a purpose in our students’ lives and in the lives of each other. We are charged to impact in positive ways the lives of others: What a wonderful calling indeed! This thought remained with me over the days in Austin. I had time to reflect upon the impact that my fellow ACUHO-I members have on me, even during the short period of three days at the conference. We offered each other programs that helped expand our knowledge of our profession; we networked with fellow professionals and business partners, building stronger relationships; and we honored and thanked people in our field who have excelled.

I had my own high and lows at the conference this year as well, and some special people with a purpose in my life were there with me. My high was celebrating my 42nd birthday on Friday, June 25, by visiting and catching up with many colleagues as they arrived in Austin. My low was an unexpected conflict with someone that left me feeling a distracted. Once again, my fellow professionals were there for me. A few special people let me vent, offered me advice and direction, and purposeful moment of connection to set me in a positive direction. We don’t always know the purpose of the people in our lives but the people I interacted with that day had real purpose in my life. These fellow professionals know who they are.  I have to say to these people: Thank you.

Knowing we have purpose and our impact, while not always acknowledged, is real. This can keep us motivated and focused on what is really important. Our connections to others help motivate us to deepen our impact on the collegiate experiences of so many. Our connections are also ways to have a purpose in the lives of our fellow professionals as well.

Editor’s Note: This is Aaron Lucier’s first–but not last!–contribution to the ACUHO-I blog. Lucier is Director of Housing Operations Campus Living & Dining at East Carolina University.

Editor’s Note: Stacy Oliver has turned over her blog to the interns again. This week’s post is from Dillon Wyatt, a graduate student at Western Carolina University, who is interning at Indiana University South Bend for the summer.

Graduate students usually take an internship for the summer to experience a new place, a new institution, and to learn how things are done elsewhere. Along the way we usually learn a few things about ourselves, the area of student affairs, and how to work better/smarter/faster, gain new skills, or some combination of the above list. These are great opportunities for grad students because internships can exponentially increase our knowledge of the field.

However, those of you that supervise grad students during the academic year or who have grad students working for your department can benefit a great deal as well. When your grad comes back, be open to hearing about their internship. Ask them what they learned and if they notice how things were done differently where they were for the summer.  Think of issues you may be facing at your institution: Did your grad experience similar things over the summer? How did their host institution deal with them? Remember, your grad interacted with a whole different department of people for eight or so weeks. Ask them if they have any ideas on how to improve things at your institution or if they saw any good practices that might work at your institution.

A lot of places are experiencing budget cuts, travel freezes, or some other type of financial limitations that may have kept your department from attending professional development opportunities. Or if it didn’t affect your department perhaps it kept another department from attending an event you were at where you could have learned a thing or two from them. Your grad gaining experience at another institution is a great way for you to gain some professional development by seeing what they have learned. In the end, remember that listening to their ideas and thoughts doesn’t mean you are promising to change things but it does expose you to new ideas.

Editor’s Note: In the July+August 2010 issue of the Talking Stick magazine, we asked members to discuss how they try to harmoniously blend international and local students living in their residence halls. The conversation, however, overflowed the pages. What follows is the full, unedited text. Participating in this conversation are Rebecca Chan, director of the Student Residence Office at the City University of Hong Kong in China; Jack Gibbons,  associate director for the Office of Residential Life at the University of California, Los Angeles; Janice Robinson, director of residence life at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada; and Kristin M. Hunger, residence life coordinator for the Pollock Halls of Residence at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Rebecca Chan: City University is located in the city of Hong Kong, and we have 3,000 on-campus student residence places. We are building 700 more which will be completed in 2011-12. In the undergraduate halls, we have been accommodating all non-local students (international students, students from mainland China, and exchange students) on campus. The number of non-local students has been increasing in the past few years, and it is becoming a problem to accommodate them all. So, starting from students admitted in 2009, we only guarantee non-local students a two-year accommodation in on-campus residences; this way we can adjust students’ and parents’ expectations beforehand. Nevertheless, we are trying our very best to keep students on campus as long as we can.

We do not intend to place all non-local students in residence halls, since this might neglect the needs of local students (students from Hong Kong). We have a policy of maintaining a reasonable ratio between local and non-local students in residence halls, an arrangement that facilitates intercultural communication and learning among students; non-local students will get to know and live with local people and vice versa, which is ultimately beneficial to all. At this moment, the reasonable ratio is 50:50. So in practice, for a typical undergraduate hall of 300 students, 150 will be local students, and the other 150 will come from either mainland China or overseas.

Most of our rooms are double rooms, with a small no. of singles, with two adjacent room sharing a bathroom. Some international students, particularly those from Europe, find it difficult to share a room with another student. They would prefer singles.

For students coming from overseas, our room rate is extremely cheap compared to their home universities. For students from mainland China, particularly those from small towns or remote areas, find us pricey.

In terms of hall life, our local students tend to stay up very late (until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m.), while most students from overseas and mainland China do not endorse this lifestyle. So noise is often a cause of tension on the floor or in the middle of the night. Our international exchange students travel a lot. They use Hong Kong as a base to travel to mainland China or Southeast Asian countries during long weekends or holidays. During the week, they like to hang around in local pubs. In general, their participation in hall life is less than expected. Drinking is part of life for international exchange students, but it is much less so for local and mainland Chinese.

Exchange students mostly stay with us for only one semester, many with the mind-set of “borrowed time, borrowed place.” Unfortunately, they care less about the rules or the need for integration. However, international students who are staying for three years for a degree seem to be more adaptive and respectful of rules and local culture.

In terms of programming for international students, we have different platforms to reach students:

Hall-based activities: In each residential hall, normally with a community of 300 students from both international and domestic, they would organize hall life orientation, floor meetings, desert nights, high table dinners. Each hall we have a faculty member playing the role of Residence Master, assisted by senior students playing the roles of Residence Tutors. Each hall will also have their own elected student government “Residence Association”. Most activities are catered for all, not specifically for international students.

Inter-hall activities: Student Residence Office (SRO) coordinates a year-long inter-hall tournaments including sports and cultural items. Halls will form hall teams to compete with each other and the ultimate champion will be awarded by the end of the year. SRO also engages students in hosting festive celebrations, eg. Mid-autumn Festival in the fall,  Lunar New Year in Spring, and cultural and wellness programs, eg. tai chi class, tea appreciation, healthy snacks competition.

Activities organized by Mainland and External Affairs Office (MEAO): This Office coordinates orientations and farewells for all international and mainland students, both on exchange or for a full degree. They also organize day tours or trips in Hong Kong, plus seminars on academic requirements, local laws and norms.

Activities by Colleges: Each college will have special staff overseeing their exchange students or international students of their disciplines. Sometimes, they also host welcoming or special functions for these students.

Critical Incident Management Team (CIMAT): when there is a critical incident, a cross departmental team will be activated under the leadership of our Vice President (Student Affairs).

Jack Gibbons: Let me add to the conversation by describing accommodations for international students at UCLA.  We guarantee housing for all first-year undergraduate students for three years (95 percent); all transfer undergraduate students, including international exchange students, for one year (45 percent); all “highly recruited” graduate students for two years; and all “highly recruited” graduate family students for the duration of their studies.

International students and non-California domestic students are treated the same as California students.  All are equal.  Undergraduates receive housing if they want it, and “highly recruited” graduate students receive housing.  Total occupancy is 13,500 residents.  We are currently constructing 2,100 more spaces for undergrads and grads, and we are planning an additional 1,000-1,400 spaces to be completed before 2015.  Total occupancy will climb to 17,000.

Currently, international students comprise 2-3 percent of undergraduate student enrollment and 20-25 percent of graduate student enrollment.  This year, UCLA is intentionally doubling enrollment for undergraduate international students.

International students are mixed with domestic students, and they participate in the same roommate matching and room assignment process.  They also receive special services such as orientation, programs, and counseling from the Center for International Students and Scholars, which collaborates with and resides in the same building as the Office of Residential Life.

Janice Robinson: The University of British Columbia enrolls 45,000 students.  Those enrolled on an international student visa make up 12-15 percent of the student population and 30-33 percent of the residential population. They pay higher tuition fees than do domestic students, but they pay the same residence fees. Our largest contingent is from the United States.  The second largest contingent is from China, followed closely by other Pacific Rim countries.

Our campus in Vancouver guarantees residence for at least one year to first-year undergraduate students from outside the Metro Vancouver area (includes international students); first-year undergraduate students from inside the Metro Vancouver area who have a 90 percent average or higher; newly admitted undergraduate international students entering their second year; international exchange students (UBC has exchange agreements with over 150 institutions around the world, and 600-700 students come and go each year); newly admitted graduate students who receive specific awards or fellowships; and Aboriginal students.

At UBC student demand for residence exceeds supply.  UBC is located in a beautiful but high-rent part of Vancouver; and there is no local ‘student ghetto’.   Living on campus is less expensive than living off-campus, saves the hours and energy of commuting, and provides easy access to social and academic peers and resources.

The academic-year beds not set aside for these groups are offered to continuing students, and the number of applicants grows annually.  Like Rebecca, we struggle with how to fairly allocate a limited and valued resource to competing student priorities.  Currently we use a random lottery process to do this.  Why a lottery?  Because everyone presents a compelling reason to live on campus, and the lottery does not make judgments about which are more worthy.  International students typically present two reasons:  (a) distance makes it challenging to seek off-campus housing for September (interestingly, because of Vancouver’s location and British Columbian and Canadian geography, international students from the U.S. may live closer to Vancouver than do domestic students) and (b) their tuition fees are higher than those of Canadian students (who are subsidized by provincial/federal taxpayers).

In the past decade we’ve added 2,000 beds, bringing us to 8,000 students in residence.  In the next five years we hope to add 2,500 more beds.  The majority of the new ones are based on financial pro-formas that require year-round revenue.  While there are both domestic and international students who want year-round residence, most students (undergraduate and graduate) prefer academic year (eight-month) residence with an option (and no commitment) for summer.  This will require a shift in the way that both domestic and international students at UBC plan for accommodation.  To be assured on-campus residence after their first year, they will need to be prepared to pay for it year-round or be selected by the academic-year residence lottery.

Promoting intercultural understanding and global citizenship has been a significant part of UBC’s strategic plan for the past decade. It is one of the goals that guides residence staff when planning events, activities, and programs.  Perhaps more importantly we’re intentional about assigning international students to all of our residence complexes.  This intentionality is not always popular with either international or domestic students if they aren’t assigned to their preferred residence or with all their preferred roommates. Our intent is that students in residence who may not be able to travel extensively during their university career will have the opportunity to meet, live with, and learn from others from around the globe on their floor, in the dining room, in their shared suites and townhouses, etc. It’s a remarkable opportunity.

Some observations I’ve had over the years are these. First, although not true for all short-term exchange students, like Rebecca we too observe a different level of engagement and integration from those here for only one semester (academic tourists?) than we do from international students here for their full academic year or degree program.  Older one-term-only exchange students (20-21 years old) tend to keep a later night life (often coupled with ample drinking) than their residence peers do.  And their cultural assumption seems to be that others will be tolerant of late-night social noise.  This can prove problematic both for them and for others. Second, British Columbia’s drinking age is 19.  Although students from the U.S. tend to be keen about this, it can come as a bit of a shock to their parents on move-in weekend.  We focus less on underage drinking and more on the impaired judgment and disruptive behaviors exhibited if one has over-consumed.

British Columbia’s drinking age is 19.  Although students from the U.S. tend to be keen about this, it can come as a bit of a shock to their parents on move-in weekend.  We focus less on underage drinking and more on the impaired judgment and disruptive behaviours exhibited if one has over-consumed.

We have 500+ student families living in residence.  Most are enrolled in graduate and professional programmes.  Approximately 35% are at UBC on an international student visa.  We offer a plethora of residence activities and events for student families, children, and weekly activities for international student spouses, who are typically women and stay-at-home mums.    We don’t permit subletting, and responding to that when it’s brought to our attention (ie: a family has rented out a bedroom or living room to another student) makes it interesting  to note that pacific rim students, particularly from mainland China, have very different ideas of how much (little) space a family needs to live comfortably.  Additionally many Chinese families come with grandparents who are typically the primary child-care providers.

Our UBC international student development office offers both a 3-week and a 3-day orientation for new international students.  While the longer-term benefits definitely outweigh the challenges, residence life staff observe that because new international students make connections with each other during those first few days, sometimes their ‘need’ to continue to meet and make new friends is less by the time other new and continuing students move into residence.   That said, international student advising staff have observed over time that students who participate in the 3-week orientation grow more involved in student leadership activities and opportunities  in subsequent years.

In addition to the on-campus “International House” that is home to international student advising and exchange offices as well as student events, Student Housing  incorporated a “Global Lounge” facility into our newest residence complex.  It’s a drop-in social and study place for commuter and resident students, and bookable for student events with a global or intercultural focus.  As its first-year anniversary approaches, its staff note that to date it has seemed to attract more domestic students interested in international issues and global events, than international students.   Strategies are underway to broaden the demographic and attract more international students in the coming year and we’re very excited about the future.

Gibbons: Janice, thanks for sharing this.  It seems that a large percentage of your resident population are international students (like City University of Hong Kong). What percentage do others have?

Kristen Hunger: There are 27,618 students enrolled at the University of Edinburgh. The number of international students enrolled (EU and non-EU students, non-UK) breaks down like this: undergraduate students 4,539; taught postgraduates 2,166; and research postgraduates, 1,642. The total number of international students is 8,347, which is about 30 percent of the total student population.

International students are mainly from the U.S. (more than 1,400) and China (approximately 750). The number of international students living in university accommodation is about 3,000 non-U.K. This includes first-year undergraduates and first-year postgraduates.

Accommodation Services of the University of Edinburgh is responsible for providing accommodation and related services to over 6,000 students. Our accommodation is extensive and varied and includes Pollock Halls of Residence which is predominantly first year undergraduates. This facility provides close to 2000 purpose built students bedrooms and associated facilities. This is mix of ensuite bedrooms as well as shared toilets depending on the hall of residence. We also have a few spaces for twinned rooms if students would prefer the option of a roommate. Throughout the city centre we have a number of properties providing students with a wide choice of quality accommodation in shared flats.

You are guaranteed an offer of university accommodation if you are a new single student and you meet the following conditions: Your online accommodation application is received by 16 August in the year of entry to University; You are UF (Unconditional Firm) on UCAS (Universities & Colleges Admissions Service) by 30 August in the year of entry to University; You reside outside the City of Edinburgh; You are studying at the University of Edinburgh for the whole academic year, starting in September.

We guarantee only to provide an offer of accommodation to all new single first year students who meet the above criteria.

During the allocation process we ask our students to provide us with their preferences for allocation – catering or self-catered, flats, halls of residence, etc. We offer accommodation to students based on how the available spaces match the students’ requests. Since we do not specifically take into account nationality when making a placement offer, this generally results in international students being placed in sites with many UK students. This does lead to a mixing of cultures and ideas, and the residence life staff are specifically trained to help mediate any conflicts based on culture and to provide events that highlight the myriad cultures in our residence halls. Some sites may have a majority of people from the same culture based on their desired preferences to be near certain academic buildings and locations. This helps with initial community building and comfort, but the residence life team works hard to encourage mingling and community building among all cultures. This includes highlighting everyone’s knowledge of the city of Edinburgh and Scottish culture.

Promoting intercultural understanding and global citizenship is one of the basic tenets of residence life and is one of the goals that guides residence staff when planning events and activities. Due to the large numbers of international students in our residence halls, our staff is very aware that not all of these students have the funds to travel. As a result, we specifically host events that allow the students to meet, live with, and learn from others from around the globe on their floor, in the common rooms, in their shared flats, and at site events.  Many of our most successful events are multicultural holiday celebrations and traditional Scottish events like ceilidhs. We also offer a number of different trips to places that international students or students in their study-abroad years may find interesting; these specifically include trips to the Scottish Highlands and to Firbush.

Gibbons: I was surprised to learn from Kristin that the University of Edinburgh provides a Residence Life Staff and that the Staff implement intentional programs.  I had thought that UK universities do not provide housing programs, and that such programming would be implemented by “the college”. Kristen’s description of programming seems similar to many USA models.

Hunger: Jack is correct – the University of Edinburgh’s residential program is a blend of American ideas and traditional UK educational practices. The University of Edinburgh’s res life staff has actually been around in some form for years with wardens in the residence halls and the accommodation managers in the flats fulfilling the roles that those of us in the states call hall/residence directors or complex coordinators. While the wardens are not full time members of the residence life staff (they actually work full time in other sectors of the university) they are the first line of call for welfare issues, homesickness, and oversee the planning of events with the help of their paraprofessional staff members. They hold the on-site duty phone after 6 p.m. for any emergencies that security needs assistance with.

I will admit this level of residence life and desire to make the student experience well-rounded and purposeful is what drew me to the position of residence life coordinator.  Since I’ve joined in August and moved from Boston, Massachusetts we’ve begun to focus our events more around a student development theory based events programme but in many way this has been a formalisation of the things that the warden and residence life team had been doing instinctively for years.

The University of Edinburgh does continue to try new initiatives and has learned quite a lot by attending the ACUHO-I study tours.

As I’ve grown in the field, I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to serve that combined my skills, talent, and passion. Writing is an important piece of who I am; the opportunity to blog for ACUHO-I and several other professional blogs is an easy, fun way to contribute. I love social media; volunteering to teach people how to utilize Twitter at the conference was an engaging volunteer opportunity. Making connections and meeting new people is important to me; volunteering at registration was a good use of my time on Saturday morning.

Throughout the conference as I was thanked for things like those mentioned above, I noted that my reaction was almost always surprise. I’m surprised that people thank me for what I consider to be the opportunities given to me. I feel like I should be thanking them in turn (and often do) for what’s been given to me as a vehicle of professional and personal growth. I’m appreciative of these opportunities – they’ve helped me both expand and define who I am in our field.

I wrote last week about the 362 days a year that members of ACUHO-I aren’t at the Annual Conference and Exposition. I encouraged all of us – whether we attended ACE or not – to make the most of those 362 days and stay connected to our association. I’m taking my own challenge and intend to spend Day One demonstrating my gratitude by using time on the flight home from ACE to write thank you notes to the people who give me opportunities.

How will you spend Day One?

ACUHO-I Conference Romance Ends Abruptly

If you feel like you didn’t represent yourself well, this article may be helpful:

Blistex Executive Makes Fool of Himself at Lip-Balm Conference

The 2010 winner of the Research and Publication Award is Tony W. Cawthon, department chair of Leadership, Counselor Education, Human and Organizational Development at Clemson University in South Carolina. Cawthon’s teaching, research, association and administrative work make him very deserving of this award.

Prior to his faculty career, Cawthon served as a student affairs administrator at Clemson University, Mississippi State University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville, in the area of student housing. He has written and presented scholarly work on student affairs in higher education, including work on careers and professional development and administrative issues. He has contributed to ACUHO-I’s Journal of College and University Student Housing, NASPA Journal, College Student Affairs Journal and the Journal of College Orientation and Transition.

Cawthon is ACUHO-I’s current Director of Knowledge Enhancement on the Executive Board. He is a past editor of the Journal of College and University Student Housing and served as a program chair as well. Within ACPA, he serves as a Senior Scholar and was recently a reviewer on The Journal of College Student Development. He is the former editor of the College Student Affairs Journal from SACSA. He is serving  n the editorial board as a reviewer for the Journal of the Professoriate and Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice.