ACUHO-I News Blog

Another Beloit Mindset List has been released. [Insert grumping about how old it makes me feel, which only serves to make me feel--and look--even older.]

The list is gradually aging, just like the rest of us. It turns 13 this year, and while it doesn’t have to endure the rigors of 7th grade, its founders are mindful of its future. The list that was started partly for fun, to entertain and  inform professors at Beloit College of the “common knowledge” that might not be so common among their students. The wider world took notice, and the list became an annual tradition. In six years, it will be older than the students it profiles.

Here’s a selection of Beloit Mindset list items, from various years of release:

Few in the class know how to write in cursive. (2010)

South Africa’s official policy of apartheid has not existed during their lifetime. (2002)

Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines. (2006)

They have never feared a nuclear war. “The Day After” is a pill to them—not a movie. (1998)

There has always been Diet Coke. (2001)

This generation has never wanted to “be a Pepper too.” (2002)

When they were born, Madonna was still a radiant woman holding a beatific child. (2001)

Harry has always known Sally. (2003)

Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess. (2010)

Males do not carry a handkerchief in a back pocket. (2002)

Dilbert has always been ridiculing cubicle culture. (2007)

There have always been non-stop flights around the world without refueling. (2003)

Margaret Thatcher has always been a former prime minister. (2009)

They have never used a bottle of “White Out.”

Secondhand smoke has always been an official carcinogen. (2010)

They have never needed a prescription to buy ibuprofen. (1999)

Oprah has always been a national institution. (2001)

Woodstock is a bird or a reunion, not a cultural touchstone. (2000)

They may never have heard of an 8-track, and chances are they’ve never heard or seen one. (1998)

A “45″ is a gun, not a record with a large hole in the center. (2000)

Big Brother is merely a television show. (2002)

Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino. (2008)

Their lifetime has always included AIDS. (1998)

John Lennon and John Belushi have always been dead. (1999)

The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union. (2006)

They don’t know who Mork was, or where he was from. (1998)

Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” (2009)

They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly. (2005)

They never “rolled down” a car window. (2007)

There have always been ATM machines. (2000)

They have no idea how big a breadbox is. (1999)

Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option. (2008)

Wayne Gretzky never played for Edmonton. (2005)

Leasing has always allowed the folks to upgrade their tastes in cars. (2010)

Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled. (2006)

For daily caffeine emergencies, Starbucks has always been around the corner. (2005)

Large fine-print ads for prescription drugs have always appeared in magazines. (2003)

Babies have always had a Social Security Number. (2009)

Are colleges’ and universities’ efforts to curb alcohol abuse hampered by the effects of our society’s own issues with alcohol? Edward P. Ehlinger, director and chief health officer of Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota, thinks that’s the case.

Do you feel students–and their parents–arrive with attitudes about drinking that are resilient to education? Are there perspectives within the institution that help or hinder education efforts?

On Inside HigherEd today, Virginia Tech questions an Education Department finding that the university’s response was slow after fatal shootings; DNA is a freshmen orientation project and immigration conflicts with higher education.

VIRGINIA TECH, FAULTED, FIGHTS BACK: Education Department’s preliminary report on inquiry into fatal shootings says the university violated federal rules by responding too slowly, a finding it disputes.

THE DNA ASSIGNMENT: Many colleges send freshmen a book to read before orientation. This year, Berkeley is sending a cotton swab.

WHEN STUDENTS DROP THE F-BOMB: Should a college punish swearing? If professors experience rudeness and profanity from those they teach, are there better ways than sanctions to encourage civility?

SEETHING OVER SPORTS SUBSIDIES: Ohio U. faculty pushes administration to reduce amount of institutional operating funds that flow to intercollegiate athletics program.

FLARE-UP OVER IMMIGRATION: Furor over Kennesaw State senior shows how divisive the issue remains — and how students and colleges alike can be caught in the crossfire.

I’ve gotten several questions about co-ed residence halls and related issues lately. I thought the co-ed issue was a closed case; most institutions have co-ed halls, some don’t (usually because of the institution’s religious underpinnings), and that was that. I was apparently mistaken.

Some institutions are considering going co-ed for the first time. Others are looking for information on existing co-ed halls for administrators or parents. Some are thinking of moving from one form of co-ed (by floor) to another (by wing). Visitation issues have also been the topic of some questions lately. I did a search and found that at West Virginia University, students have been protesting against a rule that bans overnight stays by the opposite sex.

Is this flurry of questions a fluke, or are co-ed arrangements and visitation up for debate? What have you noticed in your professional lives?

Unfortunately for ACUHO-I’s members, researchers seem to think as I did — that the co-ed question is over and done with. There isn’t much recent information on the efficacy of co-ed housing vs. single-sex; wings vs. floors; or strict visitation rules vs. liberal. This may also be because most students live in co-ed housing, so it’s hard to find a control group of students who are otherwise similar, but live in single-sex arrangements. I’ve posted a few sample citations here, along with the authors’ summaries. If you know of good studies I’ve missed, let me know: emily [at] acuho-i.org. Thanks! (more…)

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart is The Awesome. You all know that. Now he can be The Basis of Your Money Management Instruction for Students!

This Daily Show clip, brought to us via Gawker TV (their motto is “Your work can wait,” so be forewarned) can also be a way you can educate your students on how credit cards work, and how credit card issuers likely do not have their best interests at heart. And it will make them (and you) laugh as well. That’s always a good way to learn things.

What are your techniques for teaching students about unpleasant, “boring,” or otherwise un-enticing topics? Let us, and your colleagues, know!

As of today, credit card issuers have to play by new federal rules when trying to entice college students (or anyone younger than 21) to sign on. Consumer advocates say the new rules are a good start.

The Credit CARD Act of 2009 restricts banks from offering credit to people under 21 unless an adult co-signs or the signer can show they are able to make the payment. Credit issuers cannot offer free gifts at campus events (team t-shirts at football games) as inducements to sign up.

For their part, institutions cannot collaborate with credit card issuers to offer institutional merch for credit card signees and the law puts restrictions on cards offered through alumni associations and similar.

The law encourages, but does not mandate, that the institution educate its students on responsible credit and money management. Does your institution do this? Does housing or residence life aid in this program? Let us know.

On a related note, the Talking Stick had a story on aiding students with money management; see that article here: Money Management TS

International Hall Staff Appreciation Day does not, for reasons unbeknown to me, come pre-printed on the blotter calendars that are delivered to my office each year by the local furniture vendor representatives. Each year it sneaks up on me in the midst of staff selection and room lottery seasons, a seemingly innocuous Wednesday in mid-February.

There are traditions for this day in my world. They involve rallying the Community Council, oversize signs on staff member’s doors, a Dairy Queen ice cream cake at staff meeting just when the staff has reached their threshold with my full agenda. They are small things, to be certain, but they are things that highlight my appreciation of these undergraduate students who step up and demonstrate leadership in their community. We know from our own experiences that it can be a thankless job, and while we do our best to demonstrate continued appreciation to student staff, it falls off the to do list amidst all of the other responsibilities we have.

I am reminded of celebrating the same day a decade ago when I was a resident assistant. Having the dining hall’s premiere and rarely served dessert at a staff meeting seemed indulgent for a Wednesday night; the decorations on my door reminded all of my residents that even if they were mad at me that week for enforcing policies, I was appreciated by someone on campus for doing my job.

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Young adults do a lot of dangerous things, things that are widely acknowledged to be risky: drinking heavily; drinking and driving; drugs; standing on slanted, 30-degree rooftops in 5-inch heels (I’m personally guilty of that last one).  But some also do things that seem innocuous. Eating a peanut butter sandwich, some ice cream, or a slice of cake.

Increasing numbers of students have been arriving on college campuses with food allergies they are unable–or perhaps, unwilling–to manage by themselves. Perhaps their parents had done most of the work of coordinating doctors’ appointments, medications and keeping the illicit ingredient out of the way.  Despite the parent’s best intentions, their child arrives at college with limited ability to cope with their own condition. Some students may be reluctant to admit that their allergy limits them in any way. Some have never had a very severe reaction, and regard their allergy as a mere annoyance, rather than something that could be life-threatening.

The situation is difficult for dining halls as well; ensuring that adequate meals are created without allergens and making students aware of the ingredients of each dish, all the while creating delicious meals that appeal to everyone, providing a welcoming environment, and hopefully making a profit, or at least breaking even. Some institutions have opened special allergy-free kitchens and refrigerators to deal with the issue. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network introduced its College Network in 2009, a resource for students on institutions that can accommodate their diets.

Despite an institution’s best efforts, however, there’s no way of preventing an allergic student from eating an off-limits food, unknowingly or otherwise. And these are the sorts of things that keep administrators awake in the wee hours.

How has your institution dealt with this issue? Have food allergies affected the residence halls? Does a student who keeps a jar of peanut butter handy find it hard to live with a roommate who must avoid the stuff? Have allergies affected how the vending machines are stocked? Have you had to confront a student who is eating dangerously? Let us know.

Depending on which school she attends, our laptop-student there might be among a significant majority: female students.

The New York Times ran a story about the gender imbalance on many campuses. At a lot of institutions — but not all — women outnumber men, sometimes by a considerable percentage. This creates an interesting social scene, at least for the men.  Has a skewed male-female ratio on your campus changed how students act, or your operations? How have you adjusted?

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?