ACUHO-I News Blog

Education Trust released two reports Monday on the graduation rates of white, black and Latino students. The nationwide average percentage of minorities who graduate is significantly lower than that of Caucasian students; this fact is both unfortunate and well-known. However, the Education Trust’s reports note there are institutions that have beaten these odds, or at least improved them.  Inside HigherEd has an article that sums up these results. Some institutions have a historical advantage. Their histories of serving minority populations are longer and there are more minorities that go to those institutions, leading to more programs and greater student comfort with the academic and social scene of college. Other institutions have improved their minority graduation rates with concentrated focus on the problem. Wayne State University, for example, has raised its African-American retention rates considerably through need-based financial aid programs and learning communities. Demographics, the quality of the high schools from which the institution draws its students, and students’ feelings of belonging at the institution all play roles, but the institution can attempt to counteract negative issues.

What are the factors your institution has to its advantage and disadvantage when it comes to student success? How has housing participated in programs to emphasize or counteract these?

Happy Monday, blog readers! I’m sorry the news is late today, but you know what they say about late vs. never? Hopefully it’s true, too.

CONGRESS’S ‘SECRET SHOPPER’: Government Accountability Office uncovers fraud and deception in for-profit colleges’ recruiting practices.

PRIVATIZED PATHWAYS FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS: Universities increasingly turn to for-profit companies to offer comprehensive first-year programs — including academic courses — to students from abroad.

WASHED UP: Google Wave was supposed to be the most revolutionary Web 2.0 tool yet for higher ed. This week, Google pulled the plug. What happened?

CALIFORNIA DREAMER: Christopher Edley has a vision for bringing an elite university into the world of online bachelor’s degrees. Is he building a new financial base or putting the faculty role at risk?

NCAA GRADES COACHES: Organization now tracking how well teams’ athletes perform in classroom under specific leaders.

How will the overturning of Proposition 8 affect our campuses?

I spent a good deal of time on Wednesday anxiously awaiting the decision from California regarding the challenge to Proposition 8. I reflected back to the similar feeling I had on election day almost two years ago when I was watching the results come in from the voting. As I was waiting for the decision to be made public, I started thinking about the impact that will hit our campuses regardless of which way the decision would go.

Many members of our campus LGBT populations and their allies have had to endure a lot leading up to the vote on Prop 8 and in the following years of public debate and opinion sharing nationally and on all of our campuses. People have had to defend and explain why the acknowledgment of same-sex relationships matters and had to endure almost daily news reports and opinion pieces debating the pros and cons of this issue.

Today was a big victory for many who have been watching this situation in California. It is a time to celebrate. But it’s also a time to get ready for the next wave of debate and public opinion. A lot of college students are politically engaged and elections can tend to call our students to action. The upcoming midterm election should a time when are students are talking about local and national issues and same-sex marriage will definitely remain in the forefront of a number of political campaigns. For many members of the LGBT community, it can be depressing, infuriating, or even downright hurtful constantly having one’s lifestyle publicly debated.

We need to find ways to support our students and campus communities on both sides of this issue as the debate rages on. We need to encourage our students to continue to have conversations and to find ways to do so both authentically and respectfully at the same time. We should do all that we can to continue to provide safe spaces to share their thoughts and opinions on this issue. A quick scan of Facebook updates, Twitter posts, or a listen in the dining hall and it’s easy to see that our students are paying attention to this.

What can we do to be there for all of our students as the debate continues?

At first, beer pong and Twitter may seem to be unrelated. But in this story, they get intertwined.

A student affairs pro was in Target, doing what we all do there–probably buying more than he planned– when he noticed a back-to-college display. Of beer pong supplies. Red Solo cups, ping-pong balls, and the table. All that was missing was the beer.  Disgusted, he took a picture, and posted it on Facebook. It was discussed, re-posted, and Tweeted by a colleague of his, Cindy Kane. She called Target out, using their Twitter username, and directed them to a blog post she wrote about it:

She got no response from Target.

Another student affairs pro, Eric Stoller, gave it a try:

No response.

Then Shel Israel, author of Twitterville, a book about business on Twitter, offered to assist Target (hint: REPLY), and Eric Stoller re-tweeted this.

Silence.

This post is how worlds collide; Target, beer pong, social media, and public relations, all coming together for this teachable moment.

As Israel puts it on his blog:

“Social media, it seems to me, is not an app. Nor is it a channel, or an outreach program. It is a communications tool set. The tools are not what is vital to the emerging modern enterprise. The communications is.”

Twitter is about communicating, and that word implies a back-and-forth exchange. Many companies seem to view social media as a way of broadcasting their message, but forget that it’s also a way to interact with consumers. Interaction takes more work but it’s a critical part of the process, and the impressions this makes on consumers can be huge. Obviously, there’s only so much Target can manage over Twitter, but as Kane put it:

“The Target corporation has 29,213 followers so I am quite sure they have a long column of @ Mentions. However, 65 mentions on the same topic should probably be worth noticing, even if over the weekend. This is a great example of why any organization should be monitoring their online brand. One response to my tweet at some point today may have helped to quell some of the dissatisfaction.”

If, as a company, you open a line of communication–such as Twitter–then neglect to respond to comments directed your way, the resulting annoyance is worse than if the Twitter option hadn’t been offered at all.

What communications options do you have for your students to “talk” with you, and how do you monitor these accounts to ensure prompt responses? Are there communications methods you haven’t adopted (or have abandoned) because you felt you couldn’t maintain a “presence”? Let us know.

Well, not really. However, August and September are the months in which the student housing profession appears regularly in the news. It would be nice if housing pros could feel the warm glow of attention, but unfortunately, the press coverage coincides with one of the busiest times of year. So here’s a quick rundown of what’s been in the news lately. Read–or skim–as you have time.

“Variations on a Theme,” Joanna Nikas. New York Times, July 2010.
A photo essay on unusual theme houses at colleges and universities.

“Earned Housing,” New York Times, July 2010.
Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY, assigns upperclass student housing based on students’ behavior the previous year. Students with the best behavior, campus involvement and GPAs choose first. This photo essay documents the process.

“Failure to Communicate,” Abigail Sullivan Moore, July 15, 2010.
Roommates have long been forced to work out conflicts of interests and schedules. But housing officials feel students are less willing, or able, to work out problems themselves. Students are more likely to text each other rather than talk; more likely to text other people than each other, or they lean on their parents or R.A. to resolve relatively simple conflicts. There’s an accompanying blog post at the Learning Network, the NYT education blog.

“Overbooked, University Struggles to Find Room,” Jacques Steinberg, August 3, 2010.
The University of Iowa is hardly alone with this problem. More students will be arriving on campus than they estimated, and so lounges, apartment buildings and other “extra” spaces are being utilized.

It’s Monday, again! (Funny  how Monday keeps coming around, but we all act surprised anyway.) Here’s your news from Inside HigherEd: Articles on who speaks for the higher ed community; the limits of affirmation and the fate of competitive cheerleading, among other issues.

THE NEW CLASH OF RIGHTS: Federal judge upholds right of public university counseling program to kick out student who wouldn’t “affirm” gay clients. Legal climate remains unsettled.

PRIVATE PARTNERS: Colleges team with outside developers to finance and fast-track building projects, but ratings agencies say these ventures are a real part of a college’s debt picture.

IN WHOSE INTEREST? Why would a few minority organizations that don’t normally speak on higher ed issues suddenly issue statements backing for-profit sector? Could this be “astroturfing”?

A SEPARATION AND A RETURN: Catholic center will no longer nominate and pay for adjuncts to teach Catholic thought at Illinois. And for at least one more semester, controversial adjunct will be back.

COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADING ADVOCATES UNDETERRED: Despite last week’s ruling that one institution could not count the activity as varsity for gender equity requirements, other colleges sponsoring the sport hope for its eventual legitimization.

USA Today published this article earlier this week with the headline “Report: Colleges Don’t Do Enough to Stop Student Drinking.” To be fair to the researchers, the headline is not entirely true to the real story.  The research conducted by Toben Nelson at the University of Minnesota focuses on college communities, not necessarily institutions themselves. Nelson and his fellow researchers studied use of server training, liquor law compliance, or restricted number of venues – all arguably matters in which an institution would have little sway.  In fact, Nelson’s report states that 98% of surveyed institutions are providing education about consequences through a variety of media.

Perhaps more notable, though, is the overwhelming supportive response of the commenters on USA Today’s website. With a few exceptions, commenters placed the responsibility for making educated decisions on the students while demonstrating support for the university’s educational efforts.

Where do you land on this? Should institutions be doing more externally or focus efforts on educating students?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is 20 this year.

Ben Mattlin, asked to commentate on the anniversary, mentioned a college experience that must have been common for disabled students pre-ADA.

Still, the issue of reasonable accommodation is difficult. What a disability is can be hard to qualify, and since there are a great variety of disabilities and accommodations that can be made. Every situation can’t be anticipated and codified in policy; some decisions must be made relatively quickly. Lately, on the ACUHO-I listserv, there has been discussions on accommodations. One query concerned a student who needs a live-in attendant. The attendant must live in the room with the student, but is not a student himself. Were there any legal issues with allowing a non-student to live in the hall (normally against policy), and  how should the institution charge for the room? Our listserv members contributed their own experiences and suggestions regarding the tricky situation.

What would your suggestions be?

There are college students who find managing coursework easier than managing to bankroll food and shelter. National Public Radio did a report on a student who is in that situation. They talk to University of California-Los Angeles officials about the problem. It’s hard to identify and deal with, since students are reluctant to admit they’re in need of that kind of help, especially at places such as UCLA, where some people seem to have more money than they know what to do with. Students likely assume there isn’t anyone who can help anyway. So they quietly struggle, often dropping out. While not all students are homeless and hungry regularly, many have a hard time making their dollars last the whole term.

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?

This all-too-brief photo essay in the New York Times visits several student theme houses, with focuses you may not have heard of…the Bro’chet Society, the  Civil War, and pop culture of various decades in the 20th century.

More and more, theme housing is what students make of it, not what the institution thinks they should do. What themes have your students selected and executed? Were you surprised by the success of some of them?

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

This week, Inside HigherEd revisits a story they featured earlier (and we featured it here too), about a residence hall named after a notable alumni…and Klan member. The University of Texas has decided to change the name. Also, the line between academic freedom and separation of church and state; studying abroad may be good for the soul, and it’s definitely good for GPAs and what happens when you give away too much money.

REMOVING AN HONOR: Should campus buildings feature names of Klan leaders? Professor’s research spurs U. of Texas to change a name, but it’s not the only university that might face the question.

AN ERROR WITH CONSEQUENCES: Birmingham-Southern finds it was awarding millions more in extra aid for years — and tries to recover through layoffs and deep cuts.

ACADEMIC OUTCOMES OF STUDY ABROAD: As emphasis on assessing education abroad increases, one system-wide study finds it’s associated with higher GPAs and graduation rates upon return.

TEACHING OR PREACHING? Controversy at Illinois involves academic freedom, gay rights, adjunct rights and separation of church and state. Where some see issues as black and white, others see a lot of gray.

A MOVING GOALPOST: NCAA aims to adjust measure it uses to judge academic progress of teams’ athletes after concluding that it does not predict graduation as accurately as once thought.

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.

Austin, Texas is a wonderful city with what I believe is a unique brand of “Texas Spirit.” It was a great host city for our association’s Annual Conference and Exposition. This was perhaps one of my top “ACE” experiences in my fourteen year involvement with ACUHO-I. Why? This is the answer I give in terms of why I value and enjoy my connection to ACUHO-I. It is the people of this association that make the difference.

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.

Monday is welcoming you, even if you don’t feel similarly! Get into the week with news from Inside HigherEd. Among our stories: accelerated degrees at community colleges and the fate of Dubai-based operations.

THROWING IN THE TOWEL: Having attracted far fewer students than expected, Michigan State shuts down undergraduate programs in Dubai. Is the bubble bursting?

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Delta Cost Project’s newly released database will allow anyone to see where individual colleges get revenue and where it goes.

PICKING UP THE PACE: Many community colleges are embracing call to decrease time to degree completion by starting accelerated programs.

HOW TO TEST WRITING: College Board revamps tests used by many colleges to place students in or exempt them from composition courses. Will a new, different kind of essay win over the critics?

AVATARS TO TEACH THE TEACHERS: U. of Central Florida research team says it has built a virtual training ground that could improve teacher preparation and retention.