ACUHO-I News Blog

Editor’s Note: The January+February 2010 issue of the Talking Stick [coming soon] took at a look at residence hall programs geared toward junior and senior year students. The following is a continuation of that story.

One of the most beneficial outcomes of junior and senior programming is a final opportunity for students to connect with the college or university. The Alumni Association at Bard College is an important part of the Senior Year Experience Web site, which includes information on events, networking, and getting involved. “We’re trying to get them thinking that soon they’ll be alumni,” says Erin Cannon, dean of students. “The Alumni Association reminds them of the opportunities that they can take advantage of so they know that we aren’t just sending them off and don’t really care about them.”

The University of Connecticut’s “Young Alumni” section on the STEP Web site has the same goal. Dan Doerr, assistant to the vice president for student affairs, notes that junior/senior programming is not only beneficial for individual student success, but it also helps to achieve the institutional goal of having an active population of alumni: “It is important for students to have strong alumni relations.  Including the Alumni Association and creating a partnership with students helps keep them strongly connected to the institution.”

The programs specifically for upperclass students give them what they need when they most need it:  when they move out of college and into the larger world of jobs and families. Jennifer Keup, director of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, which is affiliated with the U101 program at the University of South Carolina, emphasizes how important it is to focus on students at the end of their college experience. “The first-year experience program has gone from being a grassroots effort on campuses to a national and international movement,” she says. “But it’s not just about the first year in transition; it’s about the multitude of transitions. The success of attention on the first-year experience has brought attention to other transition points in a student’s educational career. Truly everyone at the institution has the capability to make significant change in how we support and address student needs throughout their entire educational trajectory.”

There are lots of experts trying to explain an entire generation: the ever-fascinating “Millennials.” The experts contradict each other. They contradict what higher education professionals claim to see in reality. Are any of them right? Does what you see at your job jibe with what they’re saying?

The public radio program This American Life is visiting Penn State, this year’s “#1 Party School,” according to the expert party-evaluators at the Princeton Review.

This American Life notes that the first place ranking (a prize, perhaps, for some students; a booby prize for administrators) rotates regularly. The University of Florida, West Virginia University, the University of Texas-Austin, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the State University of New York-Albany, the University of Colorado-Boulder, Indiana University and Ohio University (Athens) are other recent “winners.” The University of Florida won “Best Career School” this year, so perhaps all that party networking does one good. The only constant is the year’s most “Stone-Cold Sober” institution, which is always Brigham Young University.

The methodology may not be academic journal-worthy, and given the lack of consistency, the rankings may not mean much (Indiana went from unranked to #1 in a year) but the party school ranking always gets a lot of press. This American Life decided to check out Penn on a football weekend to see what there is to be seen.

The story is on public radio stations nationwide this week; check your local public radio listings to see if they carry This American Life. (See the right sidebar on the This American Life website to locate a public radio station near you.) Next week, the broadcast will be available on the This American Life website.

Last week, Public Agenda and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released a study, With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them, on why students drop out of college. The report, the first of a series of three, says their study found that students leave college for financial reasons, to work to support themselves or their families. Many survey respondents said they couldn’t afford to return to college even if their tuition and books were paid. The report also noted that the students may have not chosen the best college for them, as students who are financially independent have fewer resources to make these decisions, and that most don’t realize the impact dropping out will have on their lives.

These are interesting results, but commenters at Inside HigherEd had a different take when a brief article about the study was posted last week: While there are some students who definitely have financial need, some seem unable to discern between needs (food) and wants (dinners out).

At the Chronicle of Higher Education, some commenters also brought up the needs/wants argument; some wondered if some of these “dropouts” later return and finish their degree (the study was silent on this) and others said they saw these problems at their institutions.

What’s your take?

This week’s headlines from InsideHigherEd.com show the benefits of transparency, discuss a First Amendment controversy in Maryland, and analyze levels of student engagement among others. Read on to learn more.

SPOONFUL OF SUGAR: When pressing students to pay a $1,000 surcharge, Wisconsin-Madison promised them a say in how the money was spent. That’s made the hike easier to swallow, students say.

MORE ENGAGED: Annual survey of student engagement finds notable gains across sectors, and offers new analysis on gaps between science and non-science students, the transfer experience, and impact of learning management systems.

HUMANIST CHAPLAINS: A group of non-religious students at Tufts want an institutionally appointed spiritual guide, just like the Christians, Jews and Muslims have. Is this the next wave of campus clergy?

PORN, WITHOUT PROTECTION: Citing First Amendment, Maryland’s public universities defy legislature’s demands for a policy barring the use of public facilities for the display of obscene materials.

Morehouse College, an institution for African-American men, has instituted a dress code. President Robert M. Franklin has stressed the “five wells”: to be well-read, well-spoken, well-traveled, well-dressed and well-balanced. The clothing aspect of this philosophy is receiving more attention lately, as Morehouse just instituted an “appropriate attire” policy, which specifies that low-slung pants, d0-rags, t-shirts with derrogatory messages, baseball caps indoors, and women’s clothing may not be worn. In addition, dressier clothes must be worn for special events.

The code won’t force most students to change their style, Franklin points out; on average, Morehouse students are snappier dressers than other college students. However, some gay students have objected to the dress code, as there are a handful of gay students who wear women’s clothing on occasion.

Morehouse is a private institution, which means they have considerable latitude to implement a dress code to fit their vision of the “Morehouse Man,” and encourage their students to dress more formally. Do the protesting students have a case? Where’s the line between institutional standards and personal freedom?

A study, discussed in the article “Parental Transfers, Student Achievement and the Labor Supply of College Students,” has determined what many student affairs administrators have likely figured out: Many college students work, and most of the four-year students work about 20 hours a week, mostly for daily necessities and spending money. The article, by Charlene Kalenkoski and Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia, will appear in the Journal of Population Economics.

The researchers found that 46% of students at four-year institutions and 72% at two-year institutions were employed during their initial semesters in college. Four-year students averaged 22 hours a week; two-year students averaged more than 30 hours. The researchers noted that if parental contributions dropped, the students’ working hours increased nominally–not nearly enough to make up the difference. They also found that attending a more expensive institution, or rising fees, did not prompt students to work significantly more. The researchers hypothesize that while many students do pay for their education, they’re doing it after the fact–by taking out loans during college and repaying them later. The structure of a job seems to be a benefit: Students who worked about 20 hours a week had higher GPAs than students who worked more, and students who didn’t work at all.

A great article in The Chronicle of Higher Education dissects all those who are dissecting the Y Generation, the Millennials, the Me Generation, etc. Who are these cultural theorists? Do their ideas actually bear out in real life?

This week on Inside HigherEd, read about how colleges and universities are attempting, with mixed success,  to social-network for money; how fewer students are coming to the United States for higher eduation; and how students’ paid affects their lives.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA MAZE: Colleges are eager to leverage Facebook and Twitter to boost recruiting and fund raising, but many still don’t have a coherent strategy for how to do it.

WILL WORK FOR BEER: Economists find evidence that college students choose to take jobs not to pay tuition but to cover other expenses and, unless they work a lot, those jobs don’t do much to harm their academic performance.

INTERNATIONAL ‘LEAPFROGGING’: Study examines impact of decline in share of world’s college students who are educated in the United States.

COURSE HERO OR COURSE VILLAIN?: Professors worry that new companies might be making money from their copyrights while encouraging plagiarism among their students.

DARWIN, FROM THE CREATIONISTS: Anti-evolution group plans to distribute 100,000 copies of Origin of Species next month — with an introduction designed to undercut the book and promote a literal view of the Bible.

I felt like a bit of a hypocrite during the move-in process this year. I vividly recall one mother catching my eye as she moved in her oldest son, and asking “Do you feel my pain? You look like you understand.” I smiled and nodded, deciding not to explain that my sons’ recent transitions were from the infant room to the toddler room, and from being the youngest in a cohort of many to being the oldest in his preschool class. They still come home to me at the end of the day and I still choose what they read and wear and consume.

As housing professionals, we speak of “helicopter parents” and hope that they will let go of their children. This is where I have to call myself out on neglecting to let go of a “baby” of my own.

I am breaking up with the student organization I have advised for the last seven years. Or at least that’s how I feel. But I’ve decided that I am going to take a full year to do it. Some would say this is dragging out the process, but for me it’s allowing me to savor each event and interaction one more time. I was in my first official committee meeting as a full-time hall director, in perhaps my second day at work at Ohio State, when a colleague asked me to co-advise the group with him because he had heard I loved musical theatre. Over the years, they have taken time and patience, as much of our work does, but they have also earned a significant space in my heart.

(more…)

As some ACUHO-I members have sent their own children off to college, they have faced the prospect of becoming collegiate “helicopter parents” themselves, and perhaps felt some sympathy for the urge  one has to make sure everything goes well for one’s children as they venture into the world. Pamela Matthews, in an article in Inside HigherEd, says she can relate.

A Detroit News article reports that living-learning programs are popular in Michigan, often filling all available spaces with some students being turned away or put on waiting lists. Several institutions interviewed interest has risen steadily since the programs were introduced as students become more familiar with the concept. Wayne State involves commuter students in the living-learning programs, hoping they will make stronger ties with the educational experience and other students that way.

Here’s a feel-good quote for Friday too:

Beatrice Hilado, an 18-year-old sophomore who commutes to classes from Plymouth, participated in one of Wayne State’s living-learning groups last year.
“Friends are a big part of it,” she said Monday. “It helps you make friends, gives you a group to study with. The best part of it was that most of us had classes together. So when we wanted to get together or if we needed to study, we could arrange that.”

A collection of this week’s stories from InsideHigherEd.com. In the news, rommate selection tools, flu-ball, Pell grants and more.

MATCH AT FIRST SITE: More colleges let students search for their ideal
roommate using online services — and several companies aim to attract
business in that market:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/26/room

FLU AND FOOTBALL SEASON: How bad would an outbreak of H1N1 have to get
before an institution decided to cancel or postpone a big-time sporting event? Most athletics departments say they have no clue, but hope prevention efforts will keep them from finding out:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/25/h1n1

BIG SHOES TO FILL: Death of Edward M. Kennedy leaves gaping hole in federal higher education policy arena. In today’s political environment, can anyone else step in? And if so, who?
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/27/kennedy

SAT SCORES DROP, GAPS GROW: By wealth and ethnicity, those groups that were doing well gain even more.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/26/sat

ENROLLMENT BOOM SENDS PELL COSTS SOARING: Midyear review of federal budget situation shows price of Obama Pell Grant proposal rising to
$67 billion, potentially putting other administration priorities at risk:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/26/pell

Here are some move in stories. Have fun helping everyone get settled!

The Methodical Madness of Move-In Day: How do institutions manage the overpacking, politicking and crying that is move-in?

Roomie Matches Made in Cyberspace: Students match themselves up and meet for the first time, arms filled with bedding, shower caddies and posters.

Preventing Flu in Focus During Virginia Tech Move-In: Move-in is a good time to start off flu-prevention right.

Rules Tail Raucous Students Off Campus: Keeping tabs on them even when they aren’t in your halls.

 An opinion piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Linda Sax discusses the differences between men’s and women’s college experiences.

I know what you’re thinking. I was thinking it too. Sax beat us both to the punch:

“The popular messages are oversimplified,” she writes. ”Gender equity has been achieved, women are an academic success story, and men are experiencing an educational crisis. Each of those messages has some truth, but they tend to convey the status of women and men as a zero-sum game: If one gender is succeeding, the other must be failing. The reality is that both genders face obstacles and challenges in their pursuit of higher education, and we need a deeper understanding of the nuances and implications of the gender gap in college.”

Having re-oriented her readers to her subject, Sax goes on to discuss the benefits and deficits that women and men each bring to college, and the ways the higher education affects each.

Here are a few highlights of particular interest to housing professionals:

• Connection to home and family: Until recently, it was assumed leaving home and developing an independent lifestyle was an important milestone for both men and women, writes Sax. However, recent studies seem to show that for men, living close to home or far away doesn’t make a difference in their college development. However, it is important for college women to leave home; college women forced to cope without the support of family develop academic confidence, leadership skills and emotional resilience.
• Academic and social involvement: Perhaps the above facts can be explained, in part, by the differences between men’s and women’s academic and social lives before, and during college. During high school, and even in college, women tend to take on more responsibilities within their families. While this can be a source of support, it can also be stressful, and limit how much the student can become involved in college. Perhaps women who live further away from home are freed from these responsibilities, either because they are living far away, or because they were able to live far away. Men are less likely to have such obligations. Both before and during college, men report spending considerably more time relaxing: watching TV, playing video games, partying, etc., than women do. A goal for colleges, writes Sax, is to encourage men to be more socially and intellectually involved during their free time–anything from volunteering to an internship–while encouraging women to relax a bit more.A fact that we’ve all heard has an interesting corollary. It has been often-repeated that women have better study habits in high school and in post-secondary education. However, when men do study, their gains, in interest in the subject and their academic ambition, are much greater than those of women. How can men be encouraged to study more? How can women be encouraged to study more deeply?
• Diversity programs’ disparate impacts: Men are more unnerved by diverstity experiences and programs. This grouping includes informal experiences, such as having a roommate of another race, to a class project on diversity. Interestingly, men also benefit more from diversity experiences as well, becoming more interested in the topic and how they can affect race or ethnic relations. Women are not as emotionally challenged by diversity experiences, but they are also not as changed by them, either.
• Crisis of confidence:Despite usually being more diligent students, women report lower academic confidence than men do. This occurs at the beginning of college, and then the gap grows during the following four years. Why is this? Are the women under-reporting, out of an obligation to modesty, or are they less confident for other reasons?

For more of Sax’s discussion, see the Chronicle’s website. It’s refreshing to read an article about gender differences in education without pitting women and men against each other. After all, men and women aren’t in separate vacuums, but going through this experience together. Perhaps their different perspectives can be used to each others’ benefit.