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From the desk of

the MACUHO

President,

Hello MACUHO!

I hope you had a fantastic time with

opening your new semester, or reopening your winter quar-ters after the holiday break! Our association is filled with great opportunities through the people that are involved in MACUHO, and I am sure our students are excited to be back on our campuses!

We have some new projects coming along for MACUHO that I am excited to share. The first is our MACUHO “40 for 40” Campaign which is now available on our website at www.macuho.org. This is our opportunity to raise funds for the ACUHO-I MACUHO Endowment that has been created to support programs such as the Lisa Pierce V.I.P. Program, the ACUHO-I Talking Stick, NHTI, and many other wonderful initiatives through ACUHO-I and MACUHO. We in Housing and Residence Life have an opportunity to leave our mark in history as our Association’s 40th Anniversary is approaching, and I am putting a personal challenge out for MACUHO to raise $10,000 for the year. This is an unprecedented effort for our Association, as we normally try to raise $1,000 during our Annual Conference. I know we can do this, and we need everyone’s help to accomplish this. So, for the name of the 40th Anniversary, we are asking if people can donate $40 to the Foundation, which the link has been set up on our web-site. This is the “40 for 40” program that I would like your support. I will continue to talk about this throughout the year, and also leading up to the November 2012 conference in Baltimore, MD.

Also, please participate in our newly established Webinar programs as well! We have many coming up in the months of February and March, and please take advantage of this opportunities! Please check the MACUHO website for more information about webinars in the next coming weeks! This is all part of the M:375 program that is featured on the front of the website, and if you see, there is an official countdown clock towards our next conference ticking down as well.

So, for those of you that are participating at the Mid-Atlantic

Placement Conference in February 23 & 24 as a candidate or

recruiter, I will see you there, and also wish you the best of

luck at the conference! Please travel safely to Reading, PA,

and thank you as always for your continued MACUHO Sup-

port!

Shigeo J. Iwamiya

MACUHO President, 2011-2012

Inside this issue:

Career Advancement page 5

Taking Charge with R.A.D. page 7

Setting the Tone page 7

40 Years of MACUHO page 8

Money Matters page 12

Diversity Blog Post page 13

Reflections from SSLI page 14

Summer Conferences Spotlight page 16

Creating Unity through Diversity page 18

Magazine Editor Matthew Le Brasseur

Magazine Editor Debbie Scheibler

MACUHO President Shigeo Iwamiya

The MACUHO Magazine is created and developed by the

MACUHO membership. All contributions are from

MACUHO members or our sponsors.

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I recently had the opportunity to participate in

the Stony Brook University’s Resident

Assistant conference the weekend of

November 12, 2011. It was amazing to see so

many student and professional staff exploring

the work that we do through a social change/

social justice lens. I was asked to join the

conference as a moderator for the

professional staff roundtable discussing the

best practices of “moving up in higher

education”. I have learned through research

that Career Advancement is a major area that

millennial staff want mentoring on and expect

career coaching to be a component of the

professional development conversation (Levit

& Licina, 2011).

As I reflected on my career and the fortunate

experiences that I have had being groomed by

exceptional Residence Life & Housing and

Student Affairs professionals, I pondered what

are the “best practices” for moving up? I

thought of a former Resident Assistant of mine

who is now a successful professional staff

member in our region. She recently mentioned

to me that as I left Douglass College to move

on to Philadelphia University, she asked why I

needed to leave so soon and remembered my

response was “up and out in three years”. As I

reflect back on that conversation I wish that

was not my response, but that statement now

haunts her as she enters her third year at her

institution.

That very same advice that was given to me by

a former supervisor has guided much of my

professional development throughout my

career. I have worked to make my mark on a

program, department, the institution, so that

it will provide me the opportunity for

advancement or to move on every three years.

However, I now ask myself with the current

state of the economy and availability of

positions (or lack thereof), what does this

mean for career advancement? Is “up and out

in three years” a cautionary tale not to be

static in one

position or

one place for

too long in

the hope

that

continued

progression will make you more marketable in

the future? I cannot say for certain, but it has

made my career quite rewarding thus far. It

has pushed me to stay vital and relevant in my

work, to progress my department and my

expertise, to be innovative and creative, and

to become an active leader in MACUHO.

Whether or not, you agree with “up and out in

three years” having an intentional professional

development plan will be a benefit to your

career advancement at any stage. I will share

with you what I shared with the participants of

the roundtable discussion in the chance that

you too may be considering your career

advancement for now or for the future. I

would also challenge you to think about what

you value in your career, what your goals are,

and what steps you are taking to reach those

goals and milestones. And I encourage you not

to think about the years at an institution or in

a position, but the impact that you have been

able to make

Stay Relevant- Stay relevant in your

knowledge and skill set. Be cognizant that higher education and student affairs are academic disciplines. Are you abreast of current trends and research in the field? We are a practice driven field but there is value in continued education. In regards to improving your skill set, what can you master in profession of generalist?

“Understand how to compete…is an important career step”.- Russ Hagey, Bain & Company

Blueprint- Conduct informational interviews with accomplished colleagues who have successfully navigated career advancement and have obtained positions you aspire to attain. This can prove to be a blueprint for success. Seek out professional development- Identify the competencies you want to gain or enhance and seek out opportunities to improve in those areas. Professional development can be formalized training, conferences, webinars, additional degrees and certificates, committee

work, involvement in professional organizations, etc. You must research what works best for you, and diversify your experiences. Mentor up- I will categorize two types of mentors that I will define for the purpose of the discussion: (1) traditional mentors/coaches- those who have expressed vested interest in your professional development that have far surpassed you in experience and expertise; (2) peer coaches- those who are colleagues close in experience to you yet allow you to “shadow” and “partner” with them in a hands-on learning experience; peers often coach to help you learn culture and to navigate your present situation; partnering with creative and competent colleagues can be enriching, rewarding, and a great learning opportunity. Tip: Have both types of mentors at your disposal, there is value in a diversity of approaches, experiences and perspectives. Be Present- Recognize, appreciate, reflect

and learn from your current experience,

position and institution. Be mindful of

focusing so much on where you want to go

that you fail to appreciate and value what is

happening and what you learning now. “Be

planted where you are”..

Be Strategic- Creating an individual development plan (I.D.P.) or a professional development action plan are essential to strategically detail your plan for advancement. Completing inventories that focus on identifying competencies necessary for advancement can be useful in developing said development plans. Complete visioning exercises and develop short and long- term goals to assist in developing an action plan. Partner with your supervisor in guidance on developing an IDP.

Tip: Build your engagement over time.

2. It’s On You- The onus is on you to take

responsibility for your own career development and advancement. The responsibility is not that of your supervisors. Ideally this responsibility would be shared mutually and approached as a partnership. Approach this dialogue as an opportunity to advocate for yourself, communicate to your supervisor your expectations in regards to their involvement in your professional

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development, your areas of interest, and future aspirations. “What you don’t know will hurt you”- Seek out feedback both formally and informally. Identify colleagues and mentors who are constructive and will be direct and honest. Tip: Offer feedback to enhance the professional development program at your institution. Tell us what you need. Contribute to a Culture of Collaboration & Engagement- Wow, that’s not asking too much is it? Foster collaboration, dialogue, an exchange of ideas, and creativity. This type of environment produces forward thinkers and innovators. Being an innovator helps you to develop a niche for yourself in a competitive market and progressive field. Participate in committee work, think-tank & simulation activities, curricular and co-curricular partnerships, collaborate with faculty and other student affairs departments, reach out to regional colleagues for joint training opportunities, participate in

professional organizations. Tip: “Think outside the box.” The box is self-created, only you can limit you. - Shana Alston Networking- “…it’s actually who you know, who knows you and what you do…”. Move beyond conventional networking (meet & greet) to powerful partnerships. Maximize on your relationships with colleagues, what makes you memorable, how can you continue to communicate or partner with those colleagues? Tip: When you get a colleague’s business card find a reason to contact them later, ask if they would be open to the future communication, and follow-through. I recognize how challenging it can be to

continual think about our career

advancement and to balance that with

being present and dedicated to your

current position and institution. Yet,

ultimately I believe if you invest in your

own professional development and work

towards the advancement of your

department and institution that you will

find great reward. And in that reward you will

learn what aspects of your work that you are most

passionate about and take steps to pursue those

passions. My advice to any young professional or

colleague thinking of their career advancement is

to be creative, collaborative and intentional in all

that you do, and to seek out new opportunities in

which to challenge yourself for now and for what’s

next.

Levit, A., & Licina, S. (2011) How the recession shaped millennial and hiring manager attitudes about millennials’ future careers. [PDF Document]. Retrieved from http://newsroom.devry.edu/images/20004/Future%20of%20Millennial%20Careers%20Report.pdf.

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According to a recent ABC news clip, in

2010 an alarming 1 in 5 college females

were the victims of rape or attempted

rape on their campus. What this means

is that we have students on our

campuses who could be silent victims of

sexual assault. While I am fortunate

that my campus, located in Hoboken,

New Jersey, is very safe, not all

campuses are so lucky. R.A.D (Rape

Aggression Defense) is a self-defense tactic taught across the

country that empowers women to take a more active role in

their own safety. As a resident assistant at Stevens Institute of

technology, I felt that I had an obligation to educate my

students about taking a role in their own safety.

The stage was set. A brightly lit student lounge had

been turned into a mysterious dark alley, emulating a possibly

dangerous situation college females may find themselves in. The

program ‘Learn Self Defense’ was directed towards female

students on the Stevens Institute of Technology campus. Led by

Area Coordinator Tomasita Jallad, the program gave a basic

tutorial in R.A.D. Through their participation in the event,

female students were provided with tips such as the proper way

to walk home alone and how to take down a possible aggressor

by a twist of the arm. Participants were also asked to volunteer

to learn how to project their voice to shout ‘NO! Stay Away!’ to

an aggressor.

Tomasita, our expert R.A.D. specialist, provided

additional tips as well as pamphlets and numbers of hotlines to

aid in coping with a possible rape situation. The event was well

received and residents left confident and empowered! Check

out http://www.rad-systems.com/ or contact your own

Campus/University Police or Public Safety Office for more

information on hosting your own R.A.D. program.

nspiring our staff members to take an active role in the

MACUHO region should be a goal of every supervisor.

We all have the intentions of empowering them as profession-

als, encouraging them to attend conferences, present sessions

and become published in the MACUHO Magazine, the Talking

Stick or other publications in our field. So often though, the

daily obligations of their jobs (and ours) can get in the way of

being as active in the region as we would have hoped. This is

why I have been so impressed with Steven Couras who is the

Assistant Area Coordinator in the Office of Residence Life at

Stevens Institute of Technology. Every time we have a call for

articles, Steven is always one of the first to send in a long list of

submission from his staff. Additionally, Steven takes his staff to

almost all MACUHO functions and always has pictures and a

kind word to send our way. Most importantly, Steven supports

his staff in their MACUHO and professional development en-

deavors.

Supervisors like Steven and staffs like that at Stevens

Institute of Technology are what our region needs to hear more

about, and I know that there are amazing people and staffs at

all of our campuses! Indeed, it is what our organization is built

upon. I wish to applaud Steven for always encourage his staff

and for letting our membership know about the great programs

that are going on at his campus… and I’d like to challenge each

of us to do more of the same. We sincerely thank each of you

who have sent in submissions for this issue and for past issues

and we want to hear from more MACUHO members about the

great things going on at your institutions such as your RA selec-

tion process, CHO issues for discussion, innovative programming

efforts, graduate student research, conferences/sessions that

you have attended, regional updates, new campus construction

and facilities updates, and what sets your campus and staff

apart. Consider submitting an article to tell us all about it!

Taking Charge with R.A.D.

By Ann Destefano, Resident Assistant

Stevenson Institute of Technology

Setting the Tone:

A spotlight on Steven Couras

By Deborah Scheibler

MACUHO Magazine CoEditor

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Money Matters:

Helping Students get Financial Edge through Programs

By Derek Mulvey, Resident Assistant

Stevens Institute of Technology

Today’s financial world can be very

confusing. From choosing a bank account to

trading complex equities, it is difficult to

understand what’s what. This is why in

September of 2011 I organized a program

for 30 of my first-year residents which

helped explain money management basics.

As a senior business student at

Stevens Institute of Technology, I have a

good idea about most of the current money

management tools, but I knew I needed a

little help from a professional. This is why I

brought in a professional, Brandt. Brant is a

recent Stevens Institute of Technology graduate who now works for a large

investment bank.

To start the program out, Brandt started with a true story of a

group of bankers turning $1 million into $20 million within just weeks. That

got the attention of the residents in attendance. Within seconds, Brandt

and I had the undivided attention of 30 first-year students. The program

then progressed into discussing the basic knowledge of credit cards and

bank accounts and then rolled into more complex stock-trading options.

Throughout the event, Brandt and I would ask financial “brain teaser”

questions. When a resident answered one of these five questions

correctly, they received a slice of pizza. Keeping each resident locked into

their seat, Brandt and I started to explain the most important lesson of all:

your personal financial success is up to you regardless of the major you

studied. To illustrate this point, Brandt listed countless financial CEOs and

managers who had studied engineering in college. Brandt stated, “The

degree you get only gives you the tools you need. It is up to you to shape

your future.”

Our speaker took his experiences and knowledge of finance and

broke them down into terms that were easy to understand for this group

of first-years. This event was a highly successful program that is easily

duplicated on any college campus within the MACUHO region, simply

reach out to your business department or recent alumni! Programs such as

this are a great way to connect to those students who might not otherwise

attend a more typical craft night or movie night program. Who would have

thought that talking about numbers could actually be fun?

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have a sneaking suspicion about something...

and I'm working (gradually) on a presentation

on this issue, so pardon my initial

experimentation on all of you! I have a sneaking suspicion that

the largest un-served student group on campuses today are

Third Culture Kids. For any unfamiliar with the term, you are

not alone. The definition developed by David Pollock goes as

follows: A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a

significant part of [their] developmental years outside the

parents' culture.

The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the

cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although

elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK's

life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to

others of similar background. (quoted from Wikipedia simply

because my copy of Pollock's book is not in my office at the

moment) Considering that few in Student Affairs are familiar

with the term TCK, let alone express familiarity with their

strengths and struggles, and also considering that these

students come from business, military families, diplomatic

backgrounds, humanitarian, refugee/immigrant, religious and

beyond, I feel relatively confident that they are more common

in higher education than most people are aware. When it is

taken into account that an article published in 1993 stated that

TCKs were 4 times as likely as other students to earn a

bachelor's degree, that TCKs are remarkably good at blending in

and going unnoticed as well as the shrinking nature of our

world... I tend to think that they are very possibly the largest un-

served group of students on campus today.

I am still developing many of the sources of research

for such a claim, but if there is any truth there, then we need to

at least be aware of the particular struggles and potentials of

these students who live in our halls and pass through our

campuses. I will attempt (as briefly as possibly) to give an

overview. Please keep in mind that every individual is unique -

and these are simply broad generalities summarizing the

spectrum of TCK experiences. The benefits of TCKs are many.

Having experienced multiple cultures, they are skilled at

adaptation and mimicking. Many are natural cultural chameleons,

blending into wherever they live and effortlessly picking up social cues

(incidentally, they tend to make very good diplomats and spies!).

Many are readily able to see things from multiple perspectives, having

lived in parts of the world with widely varying worldviews. This can

make TCKs phenomenal RAs, as they tend to be quick to make friends,

diverse in their own experiences, understanding of other students and

compassionate.

There are drawbacks, however, to their experiences. TCKs

can, at times, be harsh and critical of those who speak out of an

ethnocentric or narrow framework. Often, these students also

struggle to build and maintain close, intimate friendships and

relationships. Moving often and changing social groups so frequently

can lead to distrust of the intimacy that comes with the life-long

friendships experienced by many who grow up in one place. After all,

in their experience, such a close friendship would only lead to pain

when they inevitably moved again. Lastly, and important for those

concerned with retention, TCKs can feel flighty and may have difficulty

committing to staying in one geographical location for more than a

year or two. A note on that last point - one of the greatest

opportunities for those who hope to work with and support TCKs lies

in bringing them together as a group. As seen in the above definition,

TCKs tend to feel connections more readily with other TCKs, regardless

of where they grew up or were originally from. It is the experience of

multicultural change that bonds them. Therefore, those schools most

concerned with making TCKs feel welcome and most interested in

keeping them around (they tend to be good students and a

disproportionate number continue to graduate school) must take into

account the value of connecting them with each other.

That connection comes with its own challenges, however, as

some TCKs revel in their uniqueness while others pour all of their

efforts into being "normal" - so it's important to let them self-select to

be part of a TCK group. I think that's probably enough for an overview

- but I leave you with this: TCKs are a model for the future. As our

world shrinks, our businesses become more global and people adopt

increasingly mobile lifestyles, more and more students will walk

through our doors having experienced the high-mobility, multi-cultural

lifestyle of the TCK. We need to be prepared to support these

students, and if we are, we open a new realm of opportunities in them

and across our campuses.

The Largest Un-served student group? A MACUHO Diversity Blog Post By David Stuebing Washington College posted on January 11, 2012

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It might be the start of the spring semester, but SSLI 2011 is

still fresh in the minds of the RAs from Stevens Institute of

Technology. To help renew themselves and plan for this new

semester, they are reflecting on their SSLI experiences at

Penn State and sharing what is inspiring them now.

“MACUHO-SSLI 2011 for me was an empowering

experience because it made me realize the resources and

potential I have to make a difference on my campus. As RAs

we are leaders for the student body and with conferences

like MACUHO-SSLI we are able to learn and apply new

techniques and acquire new tools to take our campuses to

greater heights. It was interesting to see how different

universities throughout the country managed disciplinary

policies, communication and programming procedures.

Through the different workshops and seminars at the

conference you were able to hear different perspectives and

learn from one another. This was also an amazing bonding

opportunity for us as well. Although it was only a brief

weekend trip there was a greater sense of unity amongst

our staff afterwards. What I loved most about MACUHO-SSLI

were the

performances from

different

organizations at Penn

State University. It

served as a reminder

that as RAs, we serve

an important

purpose on our

campuses: to

integrate our

residents and

promote participation

in the life of the

campus.”

Melissa Matos, Resident Assistant

Stevens Institute of Technology

“Attending SSLI gave us the

unique opportunity to sharpen our

leadership skills through the help of

our peers and professionals in the

field. Sitting in sessions led by fellow Resident Assistants

hinted at an informality that allowed us to be ourselves,

being honest with our struggles in the job and even

sometimes off the job. Improving our skills as an RA is a

never ending is process and I could not have learned all the

valuable information I learned by myself. You can never be

the best Resident Assistant you can be without constant

training; attending conferences like MACUHO-SSLI will not

only further develop your skills and teach you knew ones for

the job, but it will also provide you with numerous

networking opportunities with other RAs from different

colleges.”

“I wholeheartedly believe that attending SSLI will

better any Resident Assistant, whether it is your first year on

the job or your last. The job we have is not an easy one, we

Reflections of SSLI

Complied by Deborah Scheibler MACUHO Magazine CoEditor

Assistant Area Coordinator Steven Couras and the following Resident Assistants represented Stevens Institute of Tech-

nology by attending the 2011 MACUHO-SSLI Conference at Penn State University: Dan Tipaldo, Joel Oquendo, James

Holden, Bill Capon, Daniel Sherry, Dayton Rhymes, Sean Richards, Shawn Flanders, Sara Savoia, Melissa Matos, Molly

Bennett, George Lehaf, Jen Field.

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Stevens Institute of Technology

face struggles of our own but most of the time we need to hide those

to show strength for our residents and help them with their issues.

The collective knowledge of all Resident Assistants is massive; every

one of us had dealt with certain aspects of the job, but it is less than

likely that anyone has seen it all. The value of MACUHO lies in us, the

Resident Assistants, because collectively, we really have seen it all.

That helps gets me ready for the new semester with the confidence

that I have great resources out there.”

James Holden, Resident Assistant

Stevens Institute of Technology

“Conferences such as MACUHO-

SSLI allow college students to branch out and

explore the lifestyles of other college

campuses, which can be difficult to do when

schools are typically isolated from each other. The conference

provided forums for discussion and comparison about methods and

procedures at different institutions, giving the attendees the ability to

gain new perspectives for policies and programming within residence

life. Comparing experiences and views with college students from

other universities allowed me to expand my personal view of

residence life. The lessons and discussions of the

workshops provided us with useful concepts to

share with the other staff members from our

schools, and have been very valuable in the past

few months since the conference.”

Molly Bennett, Resident Assistant

Stevens Institute of Technology

As you are beginning your 2012-2013

RA Selection process, consider incorporating the SSLI drive-in

conference as well as the Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland

as part of your training resources next fall. Involving our student staff

in the MACUHO region now will help ensure the success of MACUHO

and will help to build future leaders in Student Affairs.

Reflections of SSLI

Complied by Deborah Scheibler MACUHO Magazine CoEditor

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It might only be January, but like many of us, you are already looking

toward the summer. During the summer months, many colleges

and universities rent out their residence halls and academic

spaces to clients that own or manage camps or conferences with

many different focuses. In these troubling financial times, added

income from summer rentals is always appreciated, and in some

cases depended on to meet a college’s bottom line. We have

several years’ experience working directly with the residential

portion of the summer conference services and would like to

share with you some general information about our operation.

Ramapo College of New Jersey is a liberal arts college

located in northern New Jersey approximately 30 minutes from

New York City, which makes our location ideal for

clients. Overall there are approximately 3,000 beds on campus,

and for the conference season we use approximately 1,500 beds.

We have new guests every year as well as many long standing

clients. Our camps range in number of nights stayed, with as few

as two nights to several weeks.

The Residence Life Summer Conference Staff consists

of one Assistant Director of Residence Life, one full-time

Residence Director, two student Conference Mangers and five

student Conference Assistants. This team works together to

provide a high quality experience for our summer camps and

conferences. In addition to other responsibilities, the Assistant

Director works on the Conference operation all year long and

ultimately oversees the entire Residence Life conference

operation including scheduling and billing. The Residence

Director oversees the day to day operations of the Summer

Conference Office. The Student Managers oversee and delegate

the daily work that needs to get done in order to maintain our

camp needs. The conference assistants work to ensure that all

projects and tasks are completed. Our student staff also serves in

an on-call rotation so that they are available to our customers 24

hours a day.

We hold our client relationships and customer service

to a high standard. While Ramapo College does not have a “one

stop shop” conference service, we take pride in partnering and

working with colleagues in other departments on campus to ensure all of

our customer needs are met and communication is easily streamlined. To

achieve this, we build strong professional relationships with the Office of

Events and Conferences, Office of Facilities and Department of Public

Safety.

Within our own internal staff we focus on training proper

customer communication, service and satisfaction. We also produce an

extensive Summer Guide to Community Living document that gives our

clients a wealth of information about on-campus resources and local

attractions off-campus. We keep the lines of communication open between

clients, specifically by having a student manager assigned to each camp,

providing a unique personal touch. Year after year, we receive

compliments and feedback from clients acknowledging that our staff is

easy to work with and very helpful.

We recognize and have lived through many challenges and

growing pains that come with a summer conference operation. This

requires us to use outside-the-box thinking in order to facilitate a solution

to our challenges. We take these situations into consideration when

planning and preparing for future seasons. For instance, in order to keep

our residence halls in high quality condition, our conference season lasts

approximately six weeks. This allows our facilities staff to perform any

maintenance and upkeep during the downtime that needs to be

completed. We are diligent and intentional when closing up at the end of

the summer and assess our needs in order to be the best conference

service team we can be.

We would like to continue to share and learn from others

involved in their college or university’s summer conference operations. If

you have any questions about our Summer Conference operation, or need

help solving a conference related issue, please feel free to contact Lisa

Saita Gonsisko (lsaita@ramapo.edu). Thank you for taking the time to read

this article and we look forward to hearing from you.

Su

Summer Conference Spotlight: Ramapo College of New Jersey By Lisa Gonsisko Assistant Director of Resident Life, Ramapo College

& Anne Greenip Residence Director, Ramapo College

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Do you have an interesting story for the MACUHO Magazine?

Would you like to see your company’s information in the MACUHO Maga-

zine?

Have you always thought about writing but never knew what to do?

Are you a photographer or graphic designer and want to showcase your

work for all of MACUHO?

For more information contact us at magazine@macuho.org

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than to conform to a bland monochromatic patchwork?

More often than not, staff and students will appreciate

your risk to ‘break the mold’ and do something different. Perhaps

you are able to adjust the language in your recruitment efforts

away from ‘Freshmen’ and toward First Year Students. Perhaps

your residence halls could incorporate gender neutral restrooms

or housing in the years to come. Your efforts will not go unnoticed

and for those who do not yet understand, it can provide a

teachable moment for anyone who wants to be more inclusive. In

the end, you will have to develop a strategy for your department

or institution to meet the needs of your students and staff. Discuss

your ideas with a colleague or your supervisor to gauge how

realistic they would be for this year or for the long term. Email me

at bmedina@towson.edu to discuss what other schools have done

and to share resources. Or, you could always go back to interviews

with the tired old ‘describe your strengths and weaknesses.’ You

decide…

The Spring Semester always provides a plethora of challenges

and opportunities for Housing and Residence Life. Staffs have

established a solid foundation for building-wide programs, new

RAs are no longer overwhelmed with ongoing training, and

conferences kick into high gear for professionals to sharpen

their skills or move onto that ‘next position.’

As departments prepare for new staff recruitment, it

can be easy to do ‘what has always been done before.’ We

repeat our standard questions and expected answers, queue up

the quota of a designated male-to-female ratio, and try to

recruit a few ‘diverse staff’ through our candidate pool.

Wouldn’t it be better to take a more integrated

approach by recruiting multiple staff identities to our team? A

growing trend in Student Affairs is to reject a presumed binary

system (male/female, white/black, heterosexual/homosexual)

that often alienates and disenfranchises one group under the

other. Instead, we could appreciate our identities along a

spectrum which helps to create inclusive, welcoming

communities on our campuses. It also builds on the

understanding that the root cause of the ‘isms’ in society relies

less on our physical characteristics, but rather our collective

perceptions and biases of difference that often go back

centuries.

On a practical level, this poses both a challenge and an

opportunity for institutions willing to embrace change. It is

certainly difficult to transition students, staff, and faculty away

from the old binary paradigm. However, starting with how you

recruit a solid and representative staff makes an immediate

impact for those individuals and for the talents and experiences

they bring to your department. Rather than creating artificial

‘quotas’ for gender, sexuality, or race, why not work with your

supervisor or colleagues to match individuals by their

uniqueness. Given our multiple or overlapping identities, would

it not make sense to weave a colorful fabric of staff members

Creating Unity through Diversity:

Building the Best Team by Embracing Multiple Identities

During Recruitment

By Brian Medina, Residence Life Coordinator Towson University

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