the soundingsthe official nwacuho newsletter

northwest association of college and university housing officers

STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATES

GOODBYE, LANDER HALL

TENT CITY

THE YEAR END/MID-YEAR ISSUE

PresidentElaine AmesOperations and Marketing Manager, UHNSPCentral Washington University400 E. University Way, MS 7513Ellensburg, Washington 98926509.963.1838 amese@cwu.edu

President ElectKelly AmmendoliaAssistant Director of Residence LifeUniversity of Puget Sound1500 N. Warner St. #1003 Tacoma, WA 98416-1003 253.879.3317 kammendolia@pugetsound.edu

Past PresidentSteve FittererDirectorResidence ServicesMount Royal UniversityAlberta, Canada403.440.6279sfitterer@mtroyal.ca

TreasurerMicheal Seraphin Coordintor of PurchasingWillamette University900 State StreetSalem, OR 97301 503.370.6055 mseraphi@willamette.edu

SecretaryJenni ChadickResident DirectorUniversity of Puget Sound1500 N. Warner St. #1003 Tacoma, WA 98416-1003253.879.3317jchadick@pugetsound.edu

Newsletter EditorAndrew K. Rogers Residence Life Coordinator Seattle Pacific University206.378.5290andrewkrogers@spu.edu

Website Administrator Patrick Cunningham Application DeveloerUniversity of Oregon 541.346.4281pcunning@uoregon.edu

Products and Services CoordinatorEsther GainesArea CoordinatorGonzaga University502 East Boone, MSC 2515Spokane, Washington 99258509.313.4155gaines@gonzaga.edu

Alaska-Yukon RepresentativeMaria BonifacioAssociate Director ofResidence Life University of Alaska Anchorage3700 Sharon Gagnon Lane, Suite 101 Anchorage, AK 99508907.751.7448 mariab@uaa.anchorage.edu

Alberta RepresentativeJudy EybenRes Life FacilitatorLakeland College 5707 College Drive,Vermilion, AB T9X 1T2 780.853.8480 Judy.eyben@lakelandcollege.ca

British Columbia RepresentativeLawrence LamResidence Life Coordinator University of Victoria.PO Box 1700 STN CSCVictoria BC V8W 2Y2250.853.3136laml@uvic.ca

Oregon RepresentativeErik T. ElordiAssistant Director of Family Housing & Conference ServicesSouthern Oregon University1250 Siskiyou Blvd.Ashland, OR 97520541.552.6229elordie@sou.edu

Washington State RepresentativeMichelle Primley BentonAdministrator for North Campus/Diversity InitiativesUniversity of WashingtonHousing & Food Services206.543.4862mprimley@hfs.washington.edu

executive committee

The Year-End, Mid-Year Dichotomy

the soundingsthe official NWACUHO newsletters

soundings editorial boardThe editorial board is comprised of volunteer members throughout the NWACUHO region. Duties include assisting in the development of an editorial

schedule, submission of interest articles, and soliciting articles and feedback from the members of the association. If you are interested in being a member of the editorial board, please contact your state or provincial representative or the newsletter editor.

 editorial and submission policies

Deadlines for publications are based on distribution needs, and therefore it is important that members honor the established deadlines. Material not received on time, or not used due to space limitations will be considered for use in the next issue. Because soundings is the official publication of an

educational association and reflects the professional standards of its members, necessary revisions will be made to ensure publication quality. sound-ings also reserves the right to edit submissions for space requirements.

 Authors bear full responsibility for references, quotations, and data accuracy of publications submissions. Authors also hold NWACUHO harmless from

any liability resulting from publications of articles submitted for printing. 

Be sure to clearly indicate the author(s) and institution(s) on all submissions. Permission is granted to reproduce portions of soundings’ contents with proper attribution and credit to soundings.

 Advertisements in the soundings should not be considered an endorsement. For information on exhibitor advertising rates please contact: Esther

Gaines, Product & Services Coordinator at gaines@gonzaga.edu or 509-313-4155.

Please send all submissions (articles, letters to the association, updates from around the region, and announcements) to:Andrew Rogers, soundings editor at arogers@spu.edu

**Please attach articles using MS word document or type the submission into an email.

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Saying Goodbye to a UW Landmark

In-Hall Academic Support

the soundingsthe official nwacuho newsletter

northwest association of college and university housing officers

12The Story of Student Loan Interest Rates

11Tent City On Campus

soundings2012

The Year-end, Mid-Year dichoToMY

BY elaine aMes

While writing this article, I am straddling several different timelines at once. We are closing the residence halls for the 2011-2012 academic year, assigning students for the 2012-2013 year, and working on marketing for the 2013-2014 year.

It is the same in NWACUHO. Countless hours have already been spent preparing for the February 2013 conference; negotia-tions and preparations are underway for the 2014 conference; work on the master plan is progressing; decisions and arrangements are being reached for the regional reception at the ACUHO-I conference, plans are being final-ized for drive-in conferences, and upcoming webinars are being constructed. The list goes on and on.

I find myself wondering how I can be early and late at the same time. It is interesting to me that we are at year-end at mid-year. During this transition when one year ends, we need to celebrate our accomplishments while being continuously aware of the opportunities that are coming in the new year even at mid-year. I suspect the scenario is the same for all of you as well, regardless of whether you are involved in residence life, facilities, operations,

or whether you are entry level and upper administration. With the closing of the academic year, it is also the time when many of you may be job searching or interviewing at different institu-tions. In some cases, you may be leaving our northwest region. While we wish the very best opportunities for you, we will miss you. Although we may catch up with one another at events like the ACUHO-I conference, know that you always have friends here and you are welcome at NWACUHO!

Before we know it, fall will be here along with training and students moving on to campus for another year. It seems we barely have time to catch our breath from finishing one year before starting another. Enjoy your summer, look for the NWACUHO announcement of webinars and drive-in conferences, and plan for fall opening.

The NWACUHO executive board will be meeting in Tacoma, WA in October, and in the meantime, we will continue to straddle all of those timelines to make sure we continue working on the master plan, the 2013 confer-ence, recruitment of candidates for executive board positions, and more.

a letter from the president

the soundings6 summer 2012

NWACUHO Soundings

Creating a cultural shift within an institution is a challenging, lengthy process. Historically speaking, residence halls have served as spaces in which social interaction and community involvement flourish, often times resulting in a divide between the residential experience and academic career of a college student. Untapped potential exists within residence halls to truly enhance student skills and academic competencies outside of the classroom. For three years now, University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) at Oregon State University (OSU) has been actively pursuing further opportunities for enhancing the academic experience of our residential population. Much of this work stems from feedback provided by campus partners (academic departments and support services), as well as critical reflection on the part of leadership within the department. Reorienting the strategic goals of UHDS to account for academic success and student development (our first strategic goal), the Residential Education branch of University Housing aims to make academics a

In-Hall Academic SupportHow OSU and other universities, are enriching the residence life experience, one tutor at a time.

by Nicholas Martin, Oregon State University

central component of the community experience. As the Graduate Teaching Assistant for Academic Success and Engagement, my task has involved leading programmatic efforts that challenge students to look beyond traditional measures of a successful college career (grades, GPAs, and even getting a degree) as well as creating ongoing conversations on the subject of academics within our residential communities. Why are students choosing Oregon State or any institution of higher learning, for that matter? How does the college experience tie into one’s life goals or career aspirations? What does a student need to know to complete their first year? These questions have informed and guided our efforts to meaningfully enrich and enhance the academic careers of our on-campus population. Such efforts have included supporting the implementation of in-hall tutors from both our Writing Center as well as Math Learning Center. With social cognitive theory in mind, we hope that students seeing other students working with tutors in a lounge may convey the fact that, in a residence hall, individuals focus on their studies. Refining and facilitating transition-themed, skill development-based “RE-THINK” workshops within residence halls has provided residents with opportunities to reflect on their own practices and develop the skills and knowledge sets necessary to become self-reliant.

Hopefully, the workshops have sparked and will continue to generate greater conversation among students on definitions of success and practices to achieve such success.

On a surface level, our efforts seem fairly simple - a few programs, tutors, in addition to intentional check-ins facilitated by Residents Assistants;

7 summer 2012

soundings2012 soundings2012

yet, the subject of academic success remains incredibly challenging when marketing programs or in-hall services. The topic itself is highly personal, especially so when a student believes they are unprepared or are already struggling to succeed in college (especially in terms of course grades). Identifying tangible channels via which critical reflection, self-exploration, and knowledge of resources can be fostered is ultimately critical if we are to effectively support students in their development. We believe that

a community that is continuously invested in dialogue on the subject of academics and supportive of its members in this respect is paramount to nurturing student success; hence, we have altered our approach to crafting a residential experience. We are eager to expand our efforts, and hope that others might draw inspiration from and provide constructive feedback to the work that we are attempting to accomplish with respect to changing the dynamics of residence life.

8 summer 2012

NWACUHO Soundings

Parting is Such Sweet SorrowMichelle Primley Benton says “goodbye” to a University of Washington landmark - and “hello” to an exciting new residence hall.

9 summer 2012

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”

– Orson Welles

For the past 2 years, West Campus at the University of Washington – Seattle has been abuzz with cranes, scaffolding, and all of the typical accoutrement that come along with a large-scale housing master plan. As we’ve watched four new buildings rise up, the joy and excitement from residents and staff have been infectious. But sometimes, in order to make way for new and exciting improvements, it means letting go of a piece of campus. Last year, we said goodbye to Mercer Hall. This month, we said farewell after 55 years to Lander Hall.

As home to many of the Housing and Food Services offices, as well as the primary meeting spaces within our system, Lander holds a special place for many staff members throughout the department. From new staff experiencing their first HR trainings in one of its meeting rooms, to the thousands of first-year students who have called it home, Lander has welcomed many to the University of Washington. In Residential Life our Assistant Director, Chris Jaehne, began his UW career as the Lander Hall Resident Director in 1992. We

saw firsthand with the closure of Mercer that, while what’s to come is exciting, residents past and present appreciate an opportunity to say goodbye. Working in student affairs, we know that change and transition are never easy; with that in mind, we wanted to make sure that the existing Lander got a proper send-off.Multiple units across our department came together to bid adieu to Lander in style. The Lander Residential Life staff hosted a year-end event entitled Lights Out Lander, giving current residents an opportunity to not only wrap up the end of their first year of college (Lander served as a First Year Experience community), but to leave their mark on the building itself. Equipped with paint, Lander residents gathered in the first floor entry and placed their multi-color handprints on the wall, along with their signature. Residents were thrilled to engage in a little bit of sanctioned graffiti.

As news spread that Lander would not be renovated, but would need to be demolished, former residents and staff came out of the woodwork looking for an opportunity to say goodbye to their former stomping grounds. From that interest came the Farewell Lander event, an open house inviting past residents to share their memories and experiences on the walls,

as well as get a sneak peek at some of the plans for the new Lander site. Folks got creative, with everything from Batman, Far Side cows and the Landa Panda etched on the walls, to whimsical poems ode to Lander. Residents from the 50’s to this year took part in the celebration, and many got to leave with their very own Lander mailbox as a unique keepsake.

Saying goodbye is always difficult, and indeed if we stopped the story there the result is a bit sad. For Lander, the story continues: demolition is underway, and new Lander Hall will be an important anchor in our West Campus community, housing our regional desk and introducing a new architectural element to the area when it opens in 2014. You can find more information about our growing West Campus Community here. As we continue to implement our Housing Master Plan, we learn from each new building we bring on and offline. Knowing we will say goodbye to Lander’s attached sibling Terry, we can begin to celebrate what it’s been, and look forward to what it will become. The closure of the building is not where we stop our story, and we look forward to welcoming some very happy residents to the new Lander in 2014!

soundings2012

NWACUHO Soundings

Creating a cultural shift within an institution is a challenging, lengthy process. Historically speaking, res-idence halls have served as spaces in which social interaction and community involvement flourish, often times resulting in a divide between the residential experience and academic career of a college student. Untapped potential ex-ists within residence halls to truly enhance student skills and aca-demic competencies outside of the classroom. For three years now, University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) at Oregon State University (OSU) has been actively pursuing further opportunities for enhancing the academic experi-ence of our residential population. Much of this work stems from feedback provided by campus part-

ners (academic departments and support services), as well as critical reflection on the part of leadership within the department. Reorient-ing the strategic goals of UHDS to account for academic success and student development (our first strategic goal, to be exact), the Residential Education branch of University Housing aims to make academics a central component of the community experience one encounters at OSU. As the Graduate Teaching As-sistant for Academic Success and Engagement, my task has involved leading programmatic efforts that challenge students to look beyond traditional measures of a success-ful college career (grades, GPAs, and even getting a degree) as well as creating ongoing conversations

on the subject of academics within our residential communities. Why are students choosing Oregon State or any institution of higher learn-ing, for that matter? How does the college experience tie into one’s life goals or career aspirations? What does a student need to know to complete their first year? These questions have informed and guided our efforts to meaningfully enrich and enhance the academic careers of our on-campus popula-tion. Such efforts have included supporting the implementation of in-hall tutors from both our Writing Center as well as Math Learning Center. With social cognitive theory in mind, we hope that students seeing other students working with tutors in a lounge may convey the fact that, in a

10 spring 2012

2012

11 summer 2012

soundings2012

Tent City goes to schoolby Andrew K. Rogers, Seattle Pacific University

On a warm Saturday during Spring Break, when many students were out enjoying time off, dozens of Seattle Pacific University students chose to forgo relaxing in favor of helping their homeless neighbors. For the previous two months, SPU hosted Tent City 3, a portable community of 100 homeless men and women, on their athletic field. Now, Tent City 3 was scheduled to move to a new site, and many students wanted to help their new friends with the transition, loading moving trucks with crates and supplies, giving hugs and saying their proper goodbyes to their neighbors.

During the winter quarter, SPU had the opportunity to assist TC3 while bringing awareness to students of the issues of homelessness.

Students were more than eager to get involved. When Tent City 3 moved to SPU in January 21st, almost 200 students greeted the residents and helped them set

up their site. During those winter months, on any given day, students would visit their new neighbors, bringing them meals or knitted clothes, read books together, take tours of the community, offer haircuts, wash feet or talk about life.

Tent City 3 Resident Tracy Arant was overwhelmed at the gracious welcome. “They make us feel like real people,” Arant told reporter Rachel Belle from Kiro 97.3. “You’re on the bus and they’ll start a conversation with you. They come down all during the day and hang out. When you’re used to be looked down on for being homeless, or people are leery of you or afraid of you because they think you’re gonna rob them or kill them or something. These people, it seems like they really do understand that we’re them, just in an unfortunate set of circumstances.”

In return, the Tent City 3 residents talked about their experience and taught students about issues regarding homelessness.

Once a week, TC3 residents and students would gather to hear SPU professors talk on topics ranging from “Women in Homelessness,” “Affordable Housing Crisis,” and “Advocacy” in an open forum.

Peer Advisor Audrey Riddle was selected by SPU administrators to act as the Tent City 3 liaison. Riddle visited the community on a weekly basis, spent time getting to know the residents and helped relay information from their community to the SPU community. For Riddle, being in community with the TC3 residents was deeply impactful. “It’s not about me serving someone, it’s about us both serving each other,” she said. “It was such a blessing to be a part of their story for a season.”

“The best part is it’s not like it’s an act,” Arant says about SPU students. “They’re genuine, in everything they say and do. It’s really cool. For what it’s done for my spirit inside? Words won’t explain.”

From left to right: Tracy Arant, (student) Audrey Riddle, Lisa Ewing, (student) Alex Mikulas. (97.3 KIRO FM Photo/Rachel Belle)

12 summer 2012

NWACUHO Soundings

The Story of Student Loan Interest RatesJosh Gana, University of Washington, explores the political debate on how to keep interest rates low on students loans - and the price students may have to pay.

13 summer 2012

soundings2012

If you have been following political landscape in the United States over the past couple of months, you may be scratching your head and wondering what the heck is going on with student loan interest rates. You’re not the only one. It’s probably all the more perplexing for our Canadian colleagues. What is clear is that the July 1 deadline is drawing near and it’s an election year, so really, anything could happen – and likely will have by the time you are reading this article.

So, what is the issue? In 2007, Congress approved a law that reduced interest rates on new federally subsidized student loans as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access act. The act dropped rates over the following four academic years from 6.8% to 3.4%. Well, July 1, 2012 is the four-year mark so the law is set to expire – and unless further action is taken, interest rates will revert to the 2007 rate of 6.8%; double what it is right now.The good news is that both Democrats and Republicans have agreed that the loan rate SHOULD be kept at the current level. The dissent comes in how to pay for it. The cost of maintaining the low rates is approximately $6 billion per year, and the funding has to come from somewhere. Republican lawmakers have proposed increasing premiums employers pay on federally insured pension plans, Democrats have proposed eliminating a tax preference for corporations, and other proposals have suggested eliminating a portion of the health care overhaul. So here I write, two weeks before the

sun setting of a law that will result in an immediate increase in interest rates on any new federally subsided student loans. Both sides don’t want it to happen but nobody can agree on how to pay for it. So, it’s deadlocked.

By the way, these subsidized loan recipients represent nearly 8 million need-based students in the United States. These are the students who are borrowing to get through college, often paying to live in the residence halls with student loan proceeds. If they’re anything like me, they wouldn’t make it through college without loans. A doubled rate would incur approximately $5000 in additional interest costs for each of these students; many with tenuous job prospects in this market.

I’m sure that there will be some sort of compromise before this issue of Soundings is published, and whether it is a temporary extension, a compromised long term solution, or a full-fledged reauthorization of the current law what is clear is that education in the USA is very much a political issue, and it all comes down to dollars at the end of the day. Either way, taxpayers end up picking up the tab – but is now really the time to increase the costs of attending college with the state of the economic condition?

Josh Gana is the regional representative

for the ACUHO-I Public Policy Advisory

Committee, a group that analyzes pertinent

legislative action for the Association.

Editor’s Note: According to US News & World Report, in a last minute decision by Congress, the interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans taken out as of July 1, 2012, will remain at 3.4 percent for one more year.

But under a temporary provision that lasts until July 1, 2014, holders of subsidized Stafford loans taken this year and next will no longer enjoy an interest-free grace period after graduation. Historically, the federal subsidy extended for six months after a student completed school, meaning students would never pay for the half year of accruing interest. For more information, visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/

14 summer 2012

NWACUHO Soundings

state and provincial updatesAlaska

Summer at APU comes with some relaxation and planning for the fall. Our student staff is working with conference services for all of the camps we host on campus and our summer students are out enjoying the Alaskan summer and the occasional black bear on campus. Preparations for welcoming back students in August are underway and collaboration is ongoing with our neighbors next door, UAA, for student staff training and welcome week activities for residential students. We are looking forward to a

robust new class of students from all over the lower 48 and Alaska

Our recently completed McMillen Student Center recently received our brand new furniture and also got new technology that will allow us to stay eco-friendly. We are now able to utilize an interactive events calendar so that student groups can post activities on our new flat screen televisions. In addition to our new couches and tables, APU put out new study furniture in the Atwood Residence Halls to welcome back the students in the

fall.Summer in Alaska means construction

and we are in the process of replacing the sidewalks on half of our campus and improving the walkways to and from our academic buildings. A recent energy audit pointed out some areas where we could be saving money and helping save the environment, so APU is in the process of several renovations to improve our carbon footprint.

Alaska Pacific University

Submitted by: Tim Flynn & Sonja Olson

University of Alsaska Anchorage

Submitted by: Maria Bonifacio

We are excited for the arrival of our new Residence Coordinator, Jessie Pooler. She is coming to us from Northern Arizona University, where she received her Master of Education in

Counseling- Student Affairs . She will be taking over for our previous Residence Coordinator, Stephanie Whaley, who after three years in Residence Life here at UAA will be moving over to Career Services.

The last installment of sprinkler renovations are being completed this summer, so our Main Apartment Complex

will be all equipped with fire sprinklers! Hooray! This summer also calls for the arrival of some new furniture and the painting of some of our areas. Along these same lines, Residence Life has received funding to totally reconstruct/ update one of our two on campus classrooms. The classroom is North Hall will be painted, new desks have been purchased and it will become a smart classroom. We are looking forward to showing the students who are enrolled in our Creating Success in College course all about our new and

improved classroom.A handful of our student leaders and two

of our ACUHO-I Interns (Thomas Harwell and Lauren Moguel) got the opportunity to attend a three day E3 leadership retreat. The University partners with Volunteers of America’s Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, who were partnering with our local military base and the E3 High Ropes Leadership retreat. All of the students and staff that participated had a lot of fun, but also learned a lot too.

A group of UAA students learned the value of teamwork at the E3 High Ropes Leadership Retreat.

15 summer 2012

soundings2012

AlbertaUniversity of Lethbridge

Submitted by: Steve BrodrickGreetings from Southern Alberta!The coulees in Lethbridge are very

green after a rainy spring. Despite the weather, construction is moving ahead with a new and exciting building project. The University of Lethbridge skyline is dominated by two cranes on the south end of campus where our new five story 259 bed apartment building is under construction. Situated at the south end of Aperture Park, the new facility will feature a commanding view of the Old Man river valley to the east and the Rocky Mountains

to the west. In support of our academic mission and

the student experience, Residence Life at the U of L is also pleased to announce a new positions being created for fall 2012. The newly created Residence Life & Education Coordinator role will help develop community as well as facilitate academic and social success through programming. Please keep your eyes peeled for a posting coming soon. The past year has been action packed and we look forward to another exciting year of

growth and development in 2013.

Construction is underway for new 5-story student apartment building at the

University of Lethbridge

British Columbia

Lakeland CollegeSubmitted by: Judy EybenFacilities Update: All new windows are being put in the single housing units in Lloydminster this summer.

University of VictoriaSubmitted by: Chelsey Evans Staffing Changes: We will be saying goodbye to Residence Life Coordinators Dan Cantiller and Olivia Harvey in June. Both Dan and Olivia served our program for two years and we wish them luck in their new endeavors. We are pleased to wel-come our new Residence Life Coordinators David Protheroe (who was a student and Residence Coordinator at UBC) and Alison Dailey (who was a student at Wilfred Lau-rier University, and a Community Coordina-tor at the University of Waterloo), who will be joining our team at the end of June. Training Changes: This year, we have added differentiated fall training streams with associated learning outcomes for our new, returning, and senior paraprofessional staff. The purpose of this addition is to pro-

vide the requisite skills needed to succeed in their positions based on previous experi-ence in the role.- This year we will be piloting a mandatory Roommate 101 Program in our shared, suite-style neighborhood. This program includes the development of a Roommate Guide and agreement for students to fill out with their Community Leader (student-staff member) in the fall.

Initiatives: Our Themed and Interest-based Communities, which launched last September, saw great success throughout this past year. This year, we will be working to further engage students and enhance our intentional programming efforts within these communities. We have readjusted the focus of some of our themes and are

pleased to be offering the following options in September 2012: Health & Wellness, Sustainability, Academic Engagement, and Leadership & Civic Engagement. We will also be offering our Substance-Free and Quiet Floor interest-based communities.

Professional Development Initiatives: In March we held a one-day Residence Stu-dent Leadership Conference for current and prospective staff living in residence. Student-staff ran workshops for their peers, covering diverse topics from programming to student engagement. This year we were pleased to host delegates from both the University of British Columbia and Vancou-ver Island University.

Staffing Changes: Whitney Fordham joined us last November as our Housing Assistant-Accommodations.

Training Additions: Junelle Mah is taking the ACUHO-I RA Training course and we look forward to getting new ideas and

implementing them.

University of the Fraser Valley

Submitted by: Tracey Mason-Innes

16 summer 2012

NWACUHO Soundings

Staffing Changes: We were pleased to welcome three new Residence Life Managers to UBC in June.

First, meet Pamela Wettlaufer. Pamela joined us from the University of Waterloo where she has worked this past year as a Community Coordinator in one of Waterloo’s largest residence halls, UW Place. In her role as a CC she supervised a staff team, supporting them in their personal growth and development, identifying opportunities for team development, and addressing issues that arose.

Before joining the team at UW, Pamela received an Honours BA from the University of Toronto Mississauga with Crime, Law and Deviance and Political Science majors. While at UTM, Pam also worked as a student staff member, both as a Residence Don and a Programming Assistant.

Kyle Lethbridge is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University where he earned a BA in Communication Studies and Geography and Psychology Minors. While a student at WLU, Kyle worked as a Residence Don. Most recently, Kyle has been at

the University of Guelph working as an Assistant Residence Life Manager where he oversaw a student staff team, managed student behavioural issues, and worked with the rest of the management team to provide training and development opportunities.

And finally, say a big hello to Amy Stewart! Amy is very familiar with UBC and the Residence Life program as a former Residence Advisor. Amy spent the first two years of her Residence Life career at Totem Park and then moved to Gage for the suite style experience. In 2011 Amy graduated from UBC with a BA and a double major in Economics and Human Geography. For the past year, Amy has been developing her supervisory skills as a Residence Coordinator at Place Vanier.

Training Additions: Residence Coordinator Book Club – Our Residence Coordinator team of 16 will be assigned to read a book and will take turns leading a book club discussion once/month in conjunction with a partner RC and a Residence Life Manager. The books we’ve selected for this project are:

• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High – Kerry Patterson

• The Holy Man – Susan Trott• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a

World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel H. Pink

• The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho• Networking for People Who

Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected – Devora Zack

• The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team – Peter Lencioni

• Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter – Liz Wiseman

Traditions: UBC’s Mentorship Program is entering its 4th year. Each year students in senior leadership positions in our Residence Life program are matched up with a mentor from the Student Affairs field at UBC.

To prepare our staff to get the most out of the relationship we focus some training around networking, what mentorship means and how it can be beneficial to their experience.

As a result of this program our staff have been able to connect with other professional staff around campus. The culture of mentorship is now strong Residence Life and our student staff are excited about the tradition of mentorship that has been established and the potential it holds. Many staff have shared that their mentors were an influential part of their experience and they continue to keep in touch with their mentors.

Many of our past mentors have mentioned that the experience was beneficial for them, keeping them informed of the current student voice and about relevant topics on our campus.

University of British ColumbiaSubmitted by: Kate Ferguson

17 summer 2012

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Oregon State UniversitySubmitted by: Ann Marie Klotz

Ann Marie Klotz is the new Associate Director of University Housing & Dining for Residential Education. Ann Marie comes to OSU from DePaul University, where she served as the Assistant Director of Programming and Training in Residential Education. She is in the process of completing her Ed.D. from DePaul in Educational Leadership. Alexander Matiash is a new Resident Director who will be working in Poling Hall. Alexander comes to us from the University of Connecticut, where he recently earned a Master’s Degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Leandra Schaffer is our new Graduate Assistant for Academic Success & Engagement. Lea earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Pacific University in 2011, and will be pursuing a Master’s Degree in College Student Services Administration at OSU. Dawn Snyder is our new Operations Manager for Residential Conferences & Building Services. Dawn was a Resident Director at Oregon State University for

three years and prior to that completed her Master’s degree at Penn State University. Aimee Scrivens is our new Residential Conferences & Building Services Coordinator. Aimee was a Resident Director at California State Polytechnic University for two years and prior to that completed her Master’s degree at the University of San Francisco.

We are introducing a new transfer student living experience in or residential program. This will be a unique opportunity for transfers students to live in a community with others who are undergoing a similar transition to OSU. We are in the process of developing learning outcomes, identifying academic partnerships, and budgeting for this unique living community. Transfer students choosing this living option will have the option to live in a double-as-a-single room, have an optional meal plan, and an upgraded community kitchen option. First Year Experience: OSU is beginning the process of

redefining our priority for providing a comprehensive first-year experience on the Corvallis campus. More to come!

Nicholas Martin (Former Graduate Assistant for Academic Success & Engagement): Graduate Student Scholarship for the 2012 Northwest Association of College and University Housing Officers (NWACUHO). David Akana (Assistant Director for Residential Education): OSU Division of Student Affairs Service Award. Ann Marie Klotz (Associate Director for Residential Education): Herstory Award from the Association of College and university Housing Officers International (ACUHO-I). Kathryn Magura (Operations Manager, Assignments & Customer Service ): Robert P. Cooke Talking Stick Article of the Year Award for the article “Making Gender-Neutral Housing Work” that appeared in the July + August 2011 issue of the magazine

Oregon

Pacific UniversitySubmitted by: Jessa Carpenter

In the 2011/2012 academic year the department of Residence Life at Pacific University successfully operated under a new organizational chart. Instead of using 5 entry-level professionals as Resident Directors, one for each hall, the new structure allowed for two experienced professionals to split the campus in half. This meant larger paraprofessional staffs, decreased visibility, and a real hard look at some of the more time intensive administrative tasks that had previously fallen on the Resident Directors. Ben Dictus and Megan Hockert, the newly appointed Area Coordinators, rose to the occasion, not only maintaining the level of services available and student satisfaction

but, in some cases, improving! Ben Dictus was previously a Residence Director here at Pacific University and Megan Hockert joined us after 4 years as Residence Director at Syracuse University.

This summer Residence Life and Housing are continuing along the same path of continual improvement by hosting their very first (and therefore best ever) ACUHO-I intern, Jessa Carpenter (me!). As the inaugural intern I have been asked to benchmark some current processes and protocols against other institutions and to dig deep into assessment. I am currently a graduate student in the University of Florida’s SPHE program and this is my

first time ever living on a college campus!

Meanwhile, the Housing department is spending the summer coordinating Pacific University’s growing pains. Our enrollment continues to increase every year, bringing even more eager students to the doorsteps of our 100% capacity residence halls. Housing is currently exploring every possible option to welcome those waiting list students onto our residential campus while still providing the student services that lead to success.

Together we are tackling transitions, challenges, and opportunities!

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NWACUHO Soundings

We would like to thank Michelle Schuster, Assistant Director for Maintenance and Operations for her years of service to University Housing. Michelle worked for Housing for 15 plus years and will be moving over to the Southern Oregon University Library. We are lucky to keep her in the SOU family.

The North Campus Village - our new Residence Halls and Dining Facilities

are currently under construction and proceeding on time with opening set for Fall 2013. The joint partnership with ACC will allow SOU to add 702 new beds to housing. The residence halls will have suite style and semi-suite style units located adjacent to a new dining facility that will emphasize made to order display cooking. You can track progress on the development at construction.sou.edu/northcampus

Currently Southern Oregon University is in the process of awarding a new Campus Food Service contract. With the new facility and campus changes, the institute is looking at a number of companies to oversee and develop an all encompassing campus food service. The selected company will oversee: residential dining, all retail, concessions, catering and vending.

Southern Oregon UniversitySubmitted by: Tim Robitz

NWACUHO Facebook PageSearch for “NWACUHO” under Groups and ask to join. You can share photos, engage in discussions, or connect with friends from the region.

NWACUHO BlogWe have a blog where you can post your thoughts and com-ments on various topics from the Soundings to next year’s annual conference.

NWACUHO on TwitterFollow the latest trends and institutional updates on Twitter with other professionals from the region. Go to twitter.com/NWACUHO to get started.

NWACUHO on LinkedinIt’s Facebook, but for professionals. Check out all the profes-sional connections you can find by linking into the NWACUHO profile. http://lnkd.in/htviZB

The University of Portland will start the 2012-2013 academic year with several new hall directors and assistant hall directors. Joining the Residence Life team as hall directors are: Mark DeMott, CSC (Shipstad Hall), Gina LoSchiavo (Mehling

Hall), Michael Wode (Corrado Hall), Amanda Murphy (Kenna Hall), Danny Zimmerman (Villa Maria Hall), Sr. Sue Bruno, OSF (Fields Hall), and Joe Burke (Christie Hall). New assistants are: Abi Stokes (Kenna Hall), Tyler Zimmerman

(Christie Hall), Diana Querciagrossa (Mehling Hall), Erin Kelley (Corrado Hall), and Fiona Corner (Fields Hall). We are excited to welcome these new staff members to the University of Portland and to NWACUHO!

University of PortlandSubmitted by: John Merchant

Several changes are taking place at Western Oregon University as summer continues. At the end of June, University Housing said farewell to Valerie Bagley, Assistant Director, and Justin Collins, Area Coordinator for the Quad. Both are moving on to new endeavors that will offer them unique challenges and experiences.

David Sundby, Assistant Director, and currently the RHA Advisor, will assume new duties related to Academic Initiatives and Assessment.

Additionally, we are delighted to welcome new staff to our team. Anelise Montán joins us as the new Quad Area Coordinator. Anelise comes to WOU most recently from the University of Portland where she served as a Resident Director. Michael Mann, Coordinator for Leadership and Programs and the new RHA Advisor, joins us most recently from Illinois State University where he completed his master’s degree. Prior to attending ISU, Michael was an undergraduate student

at Oregon State University and worked in University Housing and Dining Services.

In terms of building projects at WOU, we are taking a break from constructing new facilities in Housing, but are doing a minor remodel in Barnum Hall this summer. However, the University is moving forward on a new Science Building. The groundbreaking for the DeVolder Family Science Center, a 21,000 square foot facility, took place June 16 and is scheduled to be completed by September 2013. The Science Center

Western Oregon UniversitySubmitted by: Tina Fuchs

soundingsproject will help accommodate record enrollment by providing increased space for program development and improved the student learning environment by leveraging current technologies, state-of-the-art analytical techniques and modern safety controls.

Finally, University Housing wishes to congratulate our own Stephanie Anderson, Ackerman Hall Area Coordinator, on receiving the 2012 ACUHO-I New Professionals Scholarship. With the award, Stephanie was able to attend her first ACUHO-I conference this summer. Way to go Stephanie!

Willamette UniversitySubmitted by: Elizabeth Trayner

Willamette University’s Office of Residence Life has had a number of changes. Elizabeth Trayner started as the new Director of Residence Life as of June 1 and is excited to be returning to the Northwest. Most recently she was serving as Assistant Director for Staff Development and Diversity at the University of Southern California. Prior to that she had been at Occidental College, California State University, Chico and the University of South Dakota. Also joining the team is Janae Brewster as Area Coordinator for the Eastside. She had been at a fellow NWACUHO

institution, WSU. Jess Varga has moved over to lead the Kaneko Commons as the Coordinator for that area. Chris Toutain and Heather Coakley are remaining in their current areas. Tori Ruiz continues in her role as Office Coordinator and a wonderful asset to the office.

Katie Hellman of Bowling Green and Amy Collinsworth of University of Tennessee have been a wonderful summer addition to the team as ACUHO-I interns. They are excited to be here and get the opportunity to explore Salem and the surrounding area.

summer 2012

soundings

20 summer 2012

2012

Eastern Washington UniversitySubmitted by: Josh Ashcroft & Toni Taylor

Staffing Changes: Welcome Rachel (Rebar) Briscoe as a new Residence Life Coordinator! Rachel returns to EWU after a stellar student staff career. She left to complete her graduate work and earned a Masters in Student Affairs from Northern Arizona University while a live-in graduate hall director. She just finished a year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a Coordinator of Student Development. Recently married, Rachel and husband Jeff will live in Dryden Hall.

Welcome also to new graduate assistant, Tricia Wahler. While Tricia continues work toward her Master of School Psychology degree, she’ll be working on academic initiatives in the residence halls. Tricia was the Community Advisor for an LLC floor in 2009–2010 and implemented the very popular Library Lights Out program.

Finally, we are grateful to have Joshua Moll working with us this summer as an ACUHO-I intern. Josh is working in many facets of the operations including closing a hall/EOY checkout of residents while the hall director was on maternity leave, summer camps and assisting with FirstSTEP freshman introductions. This

fall, Josh will return to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to complete his Master of Education in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education. We already know we’ll miss him!Construction/Maintenance highlights:

During spring quarter, construction began on the new residence hall! We’ll have a web camera installed by mid-July and you can check that out and learn more about the new building at http://access.ewu.edu/housing/reshallconstruction.xml.

We are contracting the installation of shower stall inserts in Streeter Hall this summer using acrylic custom inserts.

Streeter Hall also will receive a hall office overhaul making it more functional, ADA compliant and easier on the eyes.

Dressler and Pearce will have floor kitchen upgrades to include new cabinets, fixtures, sinks, stoves and increased counter space.

Pearce and Streeter Hall will be fully wireless by end of summer, leaving only one hall without full Wi-Fi.Traditions: The Moonlight Breakfast during finals week was well-attended and expanded to include all students.

Department Initiatives: We purchased RoomSync, a Facebook application that allows residents to select their own roommate. We are pleased with the results thus far. If anyone has any questions about it, you’re welcome to contact our Room Assignments Coordinator, Melanie Duggan at 509-359-6253.Professional Development Initiatives: This summer all staff are reading and discussing “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work” by Shawn Achor.Other news: At NACURH in June we had two students sworn into the Regional Board of Directors for PACURH – Richard Arquette as Director and Cameron Pilkinton as the Regional Technology Coordinator. Our National Communications Coordinator was awarded a conference pin by the Director for her excellent work as a first time NCC. Advisor Michelle Schultz received her 4 and 5 year PACURH Pins of Service.

RHA won the 2011-2012 EWU Outstanding Student Organization at the Student Leadership Excellence Awards.

Washington

Gonzaga UniversitySubmitted by: Esther Gaines

Gonzaga is in an exciting place with new staff joining us in waves. Joey Sammut received a promotion and now holds the position on Area Coordinator.

New to the RD team are Justin Muzzi, Adam Strenge, Rachel Rasmussen, and Marche Simon. We also are gearing up to bring a new Grad RD on board, Chris Doll.

The excitement of new energy and ideas is brought a great level of excitement to the department and we are looking forward to how it will play out this year.

Seattle Pacific UniversitySubmitted by: Andrew Rogers

We’ve said goodbye and well wishes to three of our teammembers in Residence Life that are moving on in their careers and lives. Dana Stadelmen, Apartment Residence Hall Coordinator, is moving to California and excited to

spend more with her newborn son. Stacia Cumberland, our crackshot Administrative Assistant, has moved from teaching staff how to balance their budgets to teaching kids how to play piano. And our sweetest and most optimisitc RLC, Anna

McCulluough, has accepted a Academic Affairs position at Whitworth University. We thank them for their service and dedication to their work and students.

It’s an exciting time of transition on the University of Washington – Seattle campus after a successful closing on June 9. We are pleased to welcome new staff and see some of our returning staff move into new roles. We have added two new Administrators to our unit, bringing our Administrator team from 3 to 5; we are excited to add Alice Schweihofer from The Ohio State University as the Administrator for Apartment Life and Michelle Primley Benton, who has transitioned within HFS to the Administrator for North Campus & Diversity Initiatives. Erica Barton has transitioned to the Administrator for Student Development, focusing on our department’s student leadership and development initiatives and programs. Drew Zimmerman has transitioned from

Stevens Court Resident Director to the Leadership & Programming Specialist position. Anton Zanotto has transitioned from Lander Hall Resident Director to the Conduct & Compliance Specialist. In addition, this month we welcome 4 new RDs to campus: Laura Lambeth, Kira Newman, Christina Shapland, and Susan Sherbak. In addition, we have had the pleasure of working with our ACUHO-I intern, Janie Sacco, who will be returning to Loyola University Chicago mid-July. We have appreciated her hard work this summer. Finally, we are continuing to interview for our confirmed Resident Director openings. UW said goodbye to a landmark, as Lander Hall was demolished after 55

years to make way for additions to our West Campus community. Residents and staff past and present celebrated the hall with events, including an opportunity to sign the walls and take home a Lander mailbox. The new Lander Hall will open in 2014. As we say goodbye to Lander, we say hello to our two new residence halls opening this autumn, Elm and Alder Hall. Elm will feature our first full-service restaurant, Cultivate, as well as a West Campus fitness center. Alder will house our first full grocery store, as well as feature Alder Commons, which includes meeting rooms and an auditorium for programming, lectures, and conferences. Finishing touches are being put on both buildings, and we look forward to welcoming residents in September.

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University of WashingtonSubmitted by: Michelle Primley Benton

University of Washington Nordheim Court

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soundings

As a Residence Advisor in Thunderbird, my colleague Jenny Huang and I identified some gaps in our community in terms of nutrition, sustainability and health. Most of the students in suite-style residence have never had to make a meal prior to living independently, let alone adjusting to UBC’s high sustainability commitments and mandates. So, in November, we planned an event that brought concepts of healthy eating, easy cooking and green living together featuring professionals from UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) – and the Green Chef Challenge was born.

The Thunderbird Green Chef Challenge encompassed two components; education and action. The education portion fea-tured 3 guest speakers. Dr. Jackie Ehlert (registered dietitian with the Food Services branch of SHHS) started the talks with “Wise Eating” where she described how to incorporate healthy choices into an enjoy-able diet. Chef Steve Golob (Chef at Place Vanier) talked about “Cooking Made Easy”

- he gave advice and shared interesting stories on how to make day-to-day cook-ing easy for students. On par with UBC’s sustainability program, Vicki Wakefield (SHHS Purchasing Manager) shared a lot of information on how to recycle properly at UBC and characterized a lot of common mistakes made by students on what can be recycled. After her talk, there was a fun competition called the “Green Test”, where three participants sorted various items into can, paper, glass, plastic or landfill bins. A prize was awarded to the contestant who sorted and recycled the most items correctly.

The second part of the event, the Thun-derbird Chef Competition, featured three teams of two, who had 30 minutes to make a creative salad with the secret ingredient, basil. The twist was that all the ingredients they chose to use had to be used up with no waste or leftovers. While Josie Midha (UBC’s Triple O’s manager) was the commentator in the competition, Chef Steve, Dr. Jackie, and Vicki judged

the salads on taste, nutritional value, appearance, creativity and station cleanli-ness. After presenting the dishes to the judges, the participants and attendees had the chance to bond over delicious salad samples.

Through this event, Thunderbird residents had the chance to get together and learn about valuable health, nutritional and sustainability facts. They had the chance to create some memorable moments with fellow residents, Residence Advisors and UBC SHHS staff. In addition, this event al-lowed the Thunderbird community to learn about and take part in the Green Star Program initiative driven by SHHS which promotes recycling and sustainability by having residents set three specific sustain-ability goals.

This event was the recipient of a PACURH regional “Of the Month” (OTM) award, one of 14 Regional Awards out of 176 nomina-tions in the Pacific region presented by the National Residence Hall Honorary.

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NWACUHO Soundings

Program Highlight: UBC’s Thunderbird Green Chef ChallengeBy Cristel Moubarak, University of British Columbia

L- R, Jackie Ehlert, SHHS dietician, Organizers Cristel Moubarak and Jenny Huang, Residence Advisors

Green Chef Challenge Judges: Steve Golob, Vicki Wakefield, Jackie Ehlert, and competition commentator Josie Midha

 

 

 

MID-­‐LEVEL  PROFESSIONAL      DRIVE-­‐IN  CONFERENCE  

 

nwacuho Northwest Association of College & University Housing Officers  

The  conference  is  $10  per  person  for  NWACUHO  Members  Non-­‐member  registration  fee  is  $20  per  person  

 Register  online  at  www.nwacuho.org  starting  September  1!  

 

AT  

Topics  will  include:  Supervising  professional  staff  Facilities  and  capital  planning  Roundtable  discussions  Budgeting      

SAVE  THE  DATE!  

Register online at www.nwacuho.org starting September 1!