ACUHO-I News Blog

Stories of assessment used successfully are nothing new, but like stories of couples happily married for 40 years, it’s nice to take a look at how the major players made things work. Even though both are common, successful assessments and enduring, loving relationships take a lot of work.

Witness this article about Hoffstra University’s effors  to transform its campus from a commuter school, where students came and went like office workers, to a more residential environment, with its own sense of place and community. It wasn’t easy, and it took a lot of time, but university officials and students seem pleased with what has been accomplished.

As diverse as your student body is, there’s one thing they have in common. All of them spend at least a certain amount of time in the bathroom, and they’re nothing if not a captive audience during that time.

During my freshman and sophomore year, girls in my residence halls took this opportunity to post magazine articles and pictures thought to be of general interest on the inside of the stall doors. Thus a bathroom visitor could scan a blurb on ab exercises, a bit about new summer novels and skim the Guy of the Month’s interview during her necessary delay. It wasn’t deep stuff, but it was better than the blank door, and then we could all discuss the Guy of the Month with equal knowledge.

As the Chronicle of Higher Education has observed, campus health centers have also taken advantage of this opportunity, and publish periodic newsletters, which are posted on the inside of restroom doors. In addition to offering helpful information, the newsletters have clever names: Stall Street Journal (Arizona State University, Dartmouth University and Colgate University); Tissue Issue (Northern Kentucky University) and the Stall Seat Journal (University of Virginia) are examples.

After all, if there’s anything you can do to keep cellphones and iPods in backpacks in the bathroom, it’s probably worth it. (Have you fished enough of those out of the plumbing yet?)

Hard times make for greater interest in RA positions. So says a story in the The New York Times. According to the article, applications for 30 RA positions at Seton Hall University, in South Orange, NJ, jumped to 168 this year, from 104 two years ago. Other schools the Times mentioned saw similar increases.  Of course, the compensation–often free room and board, or a combination of discounts on both–is alluring, especially to students who need to cover their own expenses.

But the housing professionals quoted in the article, including ACUHO-I’s president, Norb Dunkel, stress that the job has more long-term benefits, and these outweigh the monetary gains. Given the multiple skills and long hours, RAs earn more in problem-solving, conflict resolution and crisis management than they do in money.

The question of how to recruit and compensate RAs is often on the minds of ACUHO-I members. Discuss the topic with your colleagues in our forums.

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?

As our members welcome students to campus and help freshmen get acclimated to college life, I wanted to share this great story from the Chronicle of Higher Education on how Houston’s Rice University (and their football players–very useful for moving sofas) handle move-in. The accompanying photo is by Rice University photographer Tommy LaVergne.