Having Conversations to Help Students Hold Up The Sky

Dan

I’ve become familiar with the “Half the Sky” thanks to my familiarity with the Circle of Sisterhood initiative. I love the initiative but hadn’t read the book or watched the movie until this week.

What I watched has affected me. Stories of sex trafficking, rape, and depriving education for girls and women across the world. I felt helpless.

And not to mention all the crap that we’re dealing with in our own country. I want to help, but where do I start? It’s more than me helping with money – it’s about me helping others to care for the cause. Part of my responsibility is to get better at having those conversations, particularly with the students with whom I work.

But am I really ready?

25 year old entering student affairs Dan could have told a student the value of the cause – almost asking them to adopt my passion. But could he have helped the student understand how they can work to put her/his own interests to the side in order to prioritize others over self? That would have required much more intentional conversations than I typically had.

40 year old, 15 years in student affairs, Dan still struggles with this. Why do I feel so unprepared?

It’s even harder when young adult development basically tells us that our college students aren’t necessarily prepared to place their own (immediate) interests above themselves. Also, there are social structures that can inhibit the kind of development we need and the environment in which it needs to happen. A lot of things are working against me.

For example, I find it problematic that sorority women on college campuses often place the interests of their male counterparts ahead of their own. But it’s my job to have the conversations to help them move closer to owning their space, standing up for their rights, and then standing up for the rights of women everywhere. Not to mention that some of the things which with they are preoccupied matter little when they are possibly the students with the most resources to do something more than just be a stereotype. I also need to help men understand why they should care about issues that have been historically viewed as women’s issues.

I know I have to get better at this, because I want the world to get better. What kinds of things are you doing to increase your competence to have conversations with students about these topics? What kinds of things do you do to move students along the developmental and social goals that student affairs educators should be working toward?

 

 

Collaboration as a Means to Developing Professional Competence

Dan

Last night I attended an event for the Colleges of Memphis initiative. I think it’s awesome. I love the idea that our 14 colleges in the area, each somewhat distinctive from the other, are partnering to educate some 66,000 college students. Collaboration in this context means centralizing data, marketing, and sharing ideas. It also means looking out for the betterment of the whole versus only the interests of the individual institution.Collaboration takes time but in the end, people are better off.

I’ve also found that collaboration is a great way to increase professional competence.

For example, I didn’t come up through health services, but because I collaborate with  our Student Health Center, I learn about how students use their services and the issues they face. I collaborate with academic affairs colleagues on research and assessment initiatives, particularly around our focus on retention. Sometimes collaboration stems from a meeting with a colleague and sometimes I stumble across the opportunity because I am on a university committee.

I’d like for us in student affairs to increase efforts to collaborate. At the beginning it takes time and possibly can be a bit of a drain on human and fiscal resources, but as these collaborations persist, they can actually improve our use of resources. Those are the benefits for the institution, but for me as an individual, I feel like collaboration makes me a better professional.

Collaboration may look different based on your function and your tenure in this field. How can you better incorporate collaboration into your work so that you develop increased professional competence and confidence?

Image below borrowed from http://collegesofmemphis.org/

Assessment, Evaluation and Research: Incorporating Practices Into Our Work

Dan

As with past blogs, I am incorporating the ACPA/NASPA Core Competencies. This week, I address Assessment, Evaluation and Research. Each is distinct from the other. For the purpose of this short blog, I will focus on assessment.

Ultimately we have to find ways to have an assessment framework to do our jobs rather than conduct assessment on top of our jobs. What does it mean to be an assessment oriented student affairs educator? Let’s look at some of the characteristics of professionals at different stages of competence and answer the question.

At the beginner level, one must be able to “facilitate appropriate data collection for system/department-wide assessment and evaluation efforts using up-to-date technology and methods”. An assessment oriented educator views any interaction as an opportunity to collect data. Meeting with student organization presidents over time, why not ask each of them the same question, such as “What are you dealing with in your organization?”. Good notes and analysis of these notes can reveal themes. Themes inform decisions. Using data to inform decision making is one part of good assessment.

Intermediates should be able to “prioritize program and learning outcomes with organization goals and values”. An assessment oriented educator knows the goals she/he wants to accomplish and aligns goals with that of the division and institution. Conversations with students help us collect information to know to what extent those outcomes are accomplished.  At the simplest level, taking the time to reflect on these conversations and document our observations makes existing practices assessment practices. Such practices reveal answers to our questions about what students are learning.

Those in the advanced level focus on such things as using assessment data to make strategic decisions. If you’re having the conversations and you are documenting your observations, at some point you can see if the human and fiscal resources you’re applying are paying off. Making decisions based on this data will help you to be more strategic in the services, programs and resources you provide. Assessment is a precursor to good planning.

It’s likely you’re already doing the following in your work: Having conversations, which leads to making decisions. Really, the missing piece is assessment of those conversations and the use of the assessment results to inform decisions.

How do you incorporate assessment already? What do you need to do to become more competent and confident in assessment, evaluation and research?

Student Learning and Development: Don’t Vector Me!

Dan

I have a friend who shared this picture with me recently:

I’ve been known to apply theories in my work. Some folks say they have no use for theory, but I think that’s because they view the application as much more obvious or blatant than I do. I would never tell a student she’s hanging out in a vector. What I would do is examine how her behavior and see how a theoretical framework can inform my efforts to help her.

In other blogs I’ve offered thoughts on other ACPA/NASPA Core Competencies such as advising and helping and equity, diversity and inclusion. This posting focuses on the core competency of student learning and development. Consider how one might advance through the three stages of competence using the following examples:

At the basic level, one should be able to “identify the limitations in applying existing theories and models to varying student demographics”. For example, Chickering’s (and Reisser’s later accompaniment) was primarily on White students (not intentional). There’s limitations when you avoid race and ethnicity, and other issues of pluralism, when considering identity. How could you connect theories to inform the diverse identities of our students?

At the intermediate level, one should be able to “utilize theory to practice models to inform individual or unit practice”. Ironically, we presume this level of competence should occur by the time one departs our grad prep programs. Few, if any entering student affairs professionals have actualized to the intermediate level of competence in anything! Why should we expect them to in the area of theory application?

Finally, at the advanced level, one should be able to “analyze and critique prevailing theory” – Chickering ain’t perfect but it’s a framework. No theory is perfect and for us to apply unconditionally is inappropriate. However, as we critique let’s consider what is still applicable.

Applying theory isn’t so much about informing students where they are; applying theory should be about us understanding natural human development to inform where we want to help them to go. How do you apply theory successfully in your work and how can you be more intentional to make it meaningful and contribute to the success of students?

Relationships with Colleagues as Professional Development

Dan

I’ve focused my postings lately on ACPA/NASPA Core Competencies and CAS Standards, but this posting has  different framework: relationships.

Today I had coffee with a colleague with whom I had very limited previous interaction. I thought he and I would have things in common: we attended the same conferences, worked in the same functional area, and emailed about different questions. I knew him from a listserv but sensed that he’d be a good person with whom to have a professional relationship.

I was right.

Engaging in a discussion with colleagues about different issues we face and how we’re going about addressing these issues is really stimulating for me (coffee helps too). I approach my conversations with colleagues as friendly, but it’s clear that while we’re building a relationship, we’re benefiting a lot from each other: we’re increasing our competence in student affairs work.

I believe professional relationships should be intentional: providing support as you build these connections and possibly a friendship. It would be a missed opportunity to not engage in “shop talk” as I create collegial friendships.

How do you approach relationships with colleagues as opportunities to develop your competence and confidence?

CAS Standards: What they’re good for!

Dan

I’m a CAS fan! Recently the latest edition of the CAS Standards was released and there’s a lot in there to be fanatical about!

New standards include Services for Transfer Students, Campus Police and Security Programs, and Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Prevention Programs. Revised standards include the Fraternity and Sorority Advising Programs. More information on the 8th edition of the Standards can be found at: http://www.cas.edu/index.php/updates/

So why should higher education professionals, most notably student affairs educators, use these standards?

1. They provide a shared framework across functional areas. Because CAS has common general standards for ALL of its 41 sets of functional area standards, we have a starting point for collaboration.

2. They provide an assessment tool – do we know we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing well? And, of course, the learning domains kind of kick butt!

3. They provide a launching point for discussions about how our collective and distinct functions support goals of higher education: learning and retention in particular.

4. They’ve been tested time and again – we have had standards for over 30 years. It’s time we infuse these deeply into our work.

How do you use the CAS Standards? What have you found helpful about them? How have they improved your practice?

 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Expanding the Understanding of “other”

Dan

I continue to focus blog postings on exploring Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners (ACPA & NASPA, 2010). This week is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion competency.

The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion competency “includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to create learning environments that are enriched with diverse views and people. It is also designed to create an institutional ethos that accepts and celebrates differences among people, helping to free them of any misconceptions and prejudices” (ACPA & NASPA p. 10).

In the beginner level , student affairs professionals should be able to “analyze the interconnectedness of societies worldwide and how these global perspectives influence institutional learning” (ACPA & NASPA, p. 10). Applying this to your practice, are you able to explain how seemingly divergent religions intersect and overlap (and conversely how they may differ)?

In the intermediate level, professionals must do more than know about social justice but also they should “facilitate others learning and practice of social justice concepts” (ACPA & NASPA, p. 11). For example, if you’re in a conversation with colleagues about diversity topics, do you know the resources and experts to whom you can direct others for information when you yourself may not have all the answers (no one does).

The advanced level has a significant focus on one’s role in enacting policy. To develop skills in this area you might consider what you already know about institutional policies relative to topics such as access and how the functions in which you work can implement practices that are in line with those polices.

What do you need to do to increase your skill set in the equity, diversity and inclusion competency?

Advising and Helping Competency: Supporting Students and Organizations

Dan

The Advising and Helping competency “addresses skills related to providing counseling and advising support, direction, feedback, critique, referral, and guidance to individuals and groups” (p. 6).

For example, in the beginner level of advising and helping, an attribute of this competency indicates professionals “know and use referral services (e.g. other offices, outside agencies, knowledge sources) and exhibit referral skills in seeking expert advice” (p. 6).

So, what if a student came to you with a roommate challenge? A potential mental health issue? Could you properly direct students to the services they need?

In the intermediate level, this competency demands that professionals “demonstrate culturally appropriate advising, helping, coaching and counseling strategies” (p. 7). This in mind, you might consider how you’d advise students in organizations with a large number of people from different backgrounds/countries.

The advanced level has a significant focus on counseling and crisis intervention. To develop skills in this area you might consider to what extent you feel confident talking a student through a difficult time in her/his life such as a family member passing, a friend’s suicide or a disaster or crisis in their hometown.

What do you need to do to increase your skill set in the advising and helping competency?

 

Frameworks for Developing Student Affairs Competence

Dan

While many associations in student affairs have identified core competencies (e.g. AFA, ACUI), I will use the ACPA and NASPA Core Competencies for framing posts in this blog. I will occasionally use CAS Standards as well as I find them really cool!

Here are links for these competencies:

ACPA and NASPA: http://www.naspa.org/programs/prodev/Professional_Competencies.pdf

CAS (General Standards, as each functional area has additional standards specific to their function): http://www.cas.edu/index.php/cas-general-standards/