Claire de Mézerville López and co-host Kaleigh Mrowka welcome Laura Mack to the Restorative Works! Podcast as part of our higher education series.

 

Laura speaks about the difference between using restorative methods in higher education spaces versus K-12 education. Navigating the transition between teenagerhood into young adulthood requires high support and high accountability. This allows students to sharpen skills that will be most important as emerging adults in the world outside of college. She describes how she engages students facing conduct issues by first building rapport and letting that student know that their individual experience is important to understanding the conflict they are addressing. She helps to foster a sense of community on her campus by proactively using a restorative framework with her staff and students.

 

Laura Mack is the Associate Director of Student Accountability and Conflict Transformation at Moravian University. Her understanding of restorative practices occurred as a residence life hall director, and, after her initial training, she expanded her knowledge of the work and applied it to much of her life. Today, she takes pride in her work at Moravian University, helping college students recognize their actions’ impact on the greater campus community and training faculty and staff on how utilizing a restorative framework can create opportunities for a truly engaged community. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s in Counselor Education from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.