Student Housing Matters

How do you design a marketing plan that attracts residents to a particular student housing community? What if you're responsible for promoting 35 different sites, each with their own unique culture and set of amenities?

Brittany Pieper is the Site Marketing Coordinator for COCM, where she works with our 35-plus partner institutions and their onsite team members to ensure that each of our student housing communities is properly positioned in the market. A rockstar when it comes to marketing and leasing in the student housing world, Brittany is committed to achieving maximum demand and occupancy at each site.

On this episode, Brittany joins Leigh Anne to share her journey from multifamily marketing and leasing to student housing, explaining what she learned from her first property manager and how she designs creative initiatives to attract and retain residents. Brittany discusses how having an entrepreneurial spirit has helped her develop a business mind around sales and walks us through the AHA moment that inspired her to pursue a leadership role in the marketing space. Listen in for Brittany's insight on customizing solutions to individual sites and get her top five tips for ambitious student housing professionals.

Brittany's early interest and experience in marketing and sales

Brittany's journey from multifamily marketing and leasing to student housing

Designing creative ways to attract and retain residents

How Brittany's first property manager trained her to do things the right way, take ownership of her mistakes and strive for her goals

How an entrepreneurial spirit helped Brittany develop a business mind around sales and marketing

What inspired Brittany to pursue a leadership role in marketing and leasing

The challenge Brittany faces in customizing solutions to work at individual COCM sites

Brittany's top lessons learned around adapting to change and working with diverse personalities

Brittany's top five tips for aspiring student housing professionals

Brittany at COCM

Student Housing Matters

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Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

Student housing professionals have faced one challenge after another in 2020. When it comes to residence life, this has not been an ideal year, as the pandemic has kept us from doing most of our traditional programming. So, how are housing directors building community in the COVID era?

Katherine Warren is COCM's Assistant Director of Residence Life Campus Housing at Illinois Central College. She earned her BA in Communications and Media Arts from Bethany College and her master's in Student Affairs and Higher Education at Indiana State University. Katherine chose a career in student affairs because she loves working with college students as they begin to carve out their own niche.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Katherine joins Leigh Anne to discuss the recent roundtable she led with COCM housing directors across the country and share the team's commitment to maintaining a positive attitude as we adapt to changing circumstances. She describes the challenges housing directors face in preparing for 2021 and explains what our colleagues are doing to maintain their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing through this challenging time. Listen in for Katherine's insight on how COCM housing directors are innovating around residence life to build community (within social distancing guidelines) and facilitate student interaction online.

Katherine's approach to the recent roundtable discussion she led with COCM housing directors across the country

The COCM team's commitment to maintaining a positive attitude as we adapt to changing circumstances

How housing directors are building community through pop-up events and DIY programming

The challenges housing directors face in preparing for 2021 (i.e.: RA interviews, room selection, etc.)

How housing directors are using Discord and social media platforms to promote community and interact with students

What our COCM colleagues are doing to maintain their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing

How COVID is teaching Katherine to be more intentional about making time to do the things she loves

Katherine on LinkedIn

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

Over the course of 2020, different industries have been impacted in a variety of ways. Today, we take a look at the topic of security – specifically the tracking of the coming and going of people within facilities. Students come and go from student housing facilities all hours of the day – so how do we keep them safe and secure during a pandemic?

Charlie Regan is President of Gorrie Regan and Associates based in Birmingham, AL, a company dedicated to making sure that your property and facility is secure, your gate system is functioning, and your employee's time is calculated accurately. When it comes to security systems, they focus on the control function of opening and closing doors and gates to properties, video solutions, as well as analytics and monitoring.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Charlie joins host Alton Irwin to talk about security issues and how they have changed during 2020and the pandemic. When COVID-19 hit, GorrieRegan was able to continue to work as an essential business as they were implementing security systems. He discusses how the industry as a whole is focusing on ramping up the touchless technologies that have been developed over the last several years and how all projects are resuming later this year are wanting to take the approach of utilizing these touchless technologies. He also shares that during times of crisis, the innovation of different technologies grows exponentially, mentioning thermal technologies that over the course of this year have become more widely used. Along with an increase in usage, they are also seeing systems with thermal technology becoming more affordable and being utilized in creative ways.

Topics Covered

How Gorrie Regan and Associates started out and how they have grown to where they are today.

What happened to the company when COVID-19 first hit.

How they have continued as an essential business.

How they are reapproaching some projects with different technology because of COVID-19.

What changes they are seeing in the security industry.

What they are seeing in the different touchless technologies for security systems.

What they can offer to folks and businesses looking to implement some of these technologies.

Connect with Charlie Regan

Connect with Charlie on Linkedin

Learn more about Gorrie Regan at www.gorrieregan.com

Email [email protected] to get in touch with Charlie Regan

Connect with Alton & Leigh Anne

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton on Linkedin

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

The conference services team at the University of Washington was looking forward to serving 11,000 overnight guests and facilitating 200 overnight conference sessions this summer. But 2020 had other plans, and though the campus did not close, Christine Sismaet and her team had a very different season than expected.

Christine is the Operations Manager of Conference Services at the University of Washington. As an undergrad at UW, she served as Summer Conference Desk Host and Conference Assistant before taking on a full-time position as Conference Coordinator in 2010. Christine was promoted to her current role in 2014, and in her 14 years in conference services, she has developed an expertise in building relationships with her staff as well as the clients they serve.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Christine joins guest host Erik Elordi to explain what Summer 2020 would have looked like for her team without the disruption of COVID-19 and describe what the UW summer conference season actually looks like running at about 10% of its usual activity. She shares how her reduced (and mostly remote) staff is adapting to Coronavirus restrictions and working to keep guests safe and comfortable on campus. Listen in for insight around how Christine's experience can benefit institutions that closed and get her take on what conference services might look like in 2021 and beyond.

How working in conference services as an undergrad inspired Christine's career in the space

What Summer 2020 would have looked like for Christine's team without the disruption of COVID-19

Christine's commitment to building positive relationships with clients and working as a team

How the Summer 2020 conference season at UW was reduced to 10% of its usual activity

What Christine's team is doing to adapt to COVID restrictions and keep summer guests safe and comfortable

How Christine is reorganizing duties around a reduced staff (most of whom are working remotely)

What Christine is doing to keep summer conference organizers engaged and encourage them to schedule for 2021

How Christine's experience can benefit institutions that didn't have guests this summer

Christine's interest in helping develop the new normal for conference services moving forward

Email [email protected]

Connect with Leigh Anne & Erik

Student Housing Matters

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Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Erik on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

Conferences and summer programs offer institutions an opportunity to generate revenue that can reduce the financial burden placed on students during the academic year. And it's not just housing – a strong, efficient summer program brings revenue to other campus entities as well, including dining services, athletics, facilities, and even academic departments. Developing these programs to really work for your campus takes creativity, research, and planning.

Erik Elordi is the Director of National Conference Services for COCM. He specializes in reviewing campuses' summer programs and providing support, direction and management of the implementation of a tailored plan via a management partnership. His passion for approaching campus revenue with an entrepreneurial mindset drives him to help campuses solve the problem of generating revenue over the summer months. While the summer of 2020 brought a set of unique challenges, Erik is looking to summer of 2021 opportunities and currently building a small library of resources for student housing professionals to learn how to leverage the campus amenities during summer months.

For universities and colleges that do not have a management agreement with COCM, our corporate team can help by taking our Fresh Eyes Consulting approach and focusing specifically on conference and summer programming. Our team provides for those interested in knowing how much more they could be making off of the summer months outcomes, reports and implementation plans to help put conference services together or help grow and build on the ones that the campus may already have in place.

Why do so many campuses miss out on the opportunities that the summer months provide for revenue? For a lot of institutions, conferences are a secondary thought – which makes sense. It often falls to the student housing department, and that task often falls behind because during the academic year the student housing department is so focused on making the student experience great for the students. Then, summer becomes a scramble.

By having Erik as a dedicated person, he is able to help campuses think about these opportunities all year round and leverage those summer months as much as possible. COCM encourages campuses to put in the time to prepare for the summer months so they don't leave money on the table by not using all of their campus assets during all twelve months.

Topics Covered

• Erik's background experience in housing in Oregon and Washington
• Why he takes an entrepreneurial approach to summer months and why that excites him
• Seeing summer housing as opportunity to keep rates lower for students during the regular year
• How his team at Cornish College of the Arts built and developed a conference program from the ground up
• How summer programming also helps with recruitment and a pipeline into the college into the future
• The story behind Erik's entrepreneurial approach to building summer revenue
• Why building resources for others looking to develop similar programs is so important to Erik
• How COCM can take a look at your own campus housing through the Fresh Eyes Process providing recommendations on how to grow that
• Why a lot of campuses are missing out on these opportunities and the questions they have about the potential
• Why COCM takes the approach of thinking about potential summer revenue opportunities year round
• How any campus can connect with COCM to get their questions answered and talk about the opportunities for conferences and summer programs

Connect with Erik

COCM's Conference Services

Erik on Linkedin

Erik on Twitter

Connect with Leigh Anne & COCM

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

Serving university students who live off-campus puts Kristen Franklin in a unique position. Yes, she works closely with the highly regarded research institution her residents attend. But her team also has the freedom to individualize their services and work independently. So, what are the pros and cons of this arrangement when a global pandemic closes the campus and takes classes virtual?

Kristen is COCM's Director of Operations at Nine East 33rd, a high-end apartment complex that houses students from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to her work with Capstone, Kristen served as Associated Director of Housing at The George Washington University and Community Director at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She has 10-plus years of experience in higher education and student affairs, and Kristen holds a Master's in Educational Policy & Leadership from Marquette University.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Kristen joins guest host Alton Irwin to explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her residents at Nine East 33rd. She describes the property's unique position as off-campus housing for Johns Hopkins students and discusses the university's thoughtful response to the crisis and role as a trusted resource for up-to-date information. Listen in to understand how Kristen's day-to-day looks different working from home (with two kids!) and learn what her team is doing to maintain contact both with residents who are staying at Nine East 33rd and those who are sheltering elsewhere.

Kristen's background in student housing + current role as Director of Operations at COCM

The unique position of Nine East 33rd as off-campus student housing

Johns Hopkins' thoughtful response to the Coronavirus pandemic

How Johns Hopkins is supporting Maryland's response to COVID-19

What Kristen's team is doing to ensure the health and safety of residents at Nine East 33rd

The gift baskets and door hangers Kristen is using to maintain regular contact with residents

How the Nine East 33rd staff is communicating with residents who are sheltering elsewhere

How Kristen's day looks different working from home with two children

Kristen's message for Nine East 33rd residents and campus partners at Johns Hopkins

Kristen on LinkedIn

Nine East 33rd

Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 Info & Resources

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Alton on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

When the Coronavirus shut down college campuses across the US, most student housing facilities closed as well. But what do you do if the majority of your residents are not from the US and may not have the option to simply go home? How do you continue to serve students and stay connected with them when you're required to stay at least six feet apart?

Lupita 'Pete' Morales is the Assistant Director of Housing Operations at the Campus Corner Apartments at Green River College in Auburn, Washington. She oversees operations for the 340 students living on campus, 179 of whom have remained on campus through the COVID-19 shutdown. Pete is committed to building a diverse and equitable community in an environment where 80% of the residents are international students.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Pete joins guest host Alton Irwin to discuss her team's response to Coronavirus. She describes the diverse population of international residents she serves, weighing in on why she advocated to keep student housing open and what innovative strategies her team is using to stay in touch with its residents. Listen in for Pete's insight around how the GRC team is navigating social distancing guidelines and learn what customer service, communication and cleanliness processes they plan to continue even after the pandemic is over.

Pete's role as AD of Housing Operations at Green River College

The diverse population of international students at Green River

What Green River leadership did to plan for COVID-19 in February

The Instagram account Pete's staff is using to stay in touch with residents

What processes Pete's team plans to continue once the crisis is over

How Pete's team navigated move-in/out with social distancing guidelines

Why Green River student housing advocated to stay open

How Pete's staff communicates with students who are learning English

How a typical day in Pete's office looks different right now

What Pete's team is doing to improve customer service to residents

Green River College

Pete on LinkedIn

Gator Pond on Instagram

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Alton on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

COCM understands the importance of motivating a team and driving engagement during a time of isolation and unfamiliar work environments. In order to determine how residential faculty working on campus and remotely at Marshall University are adapting to conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic we interviewed Heather Smith, Assistant Director of Operations of the First Year Residence Halls at Marshall.

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Email [email protected]

Subscribe on iTunes

We all want to work in an environment that somehow feeds our souls. What happens when we encounter a workplace that does the exact opposite? Heidi Yoder began researching workplace bullying within student affairs in the Fall of 2018. Now, she's sharing some of her insights on preventing toxic workplace environments and handling instances of abusive leadership.

Heidi Yoder is the Assistant Director of Residence Life at Edgewood Commons on the campus of Frostburg State University. She has dedicated 14 years to working with students and is currently working towards a Doctor of Education in Administration and Leadership Studies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. As part of her research there, Heidi is taking an in-depth look at workplace bullying within student affairs. She hopes to use her research to encourage people to have conversations around the topic. Heidi recently published an article in About Campus titled, When the compassionate are abusive: workplace bullying and student affairs.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Heidi joins me to talk about why she chose to take a closer look at workplace dynamics within student affairs. She shares how her research has progressed since she started her doctoral degree, sharing some particular instances of workplace bullying she uncovered through a qualitative survey of colleagues in the field. Listen in for Heidi's advice on how individuals and their managers can take steps to prevent problematic workplace environments.

If today's podcast raised some questions for you about workplace bullying, email them to [email protected]. We hope to have Heidi back on the podcast to answer your questions soon.

Heidi's career in student housing and residence life

What constitutes workplace bullying and abusive leadership

How Heidi gathered responses for a qualitative survey on workplace bullying

How lived experience informs Heidi's research

How residence life and student affairs differ from other workplaces

Why managerial training is essential for new supervisors

Understanding your employee handbook and finding people to confide in

Heidi's Article in About Campus

Heidi on LinkedIn

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email [email protected]

Subscribe on iTunes

It's well known that a career in higher education leaves you with many transferable skills. Are those skills useful outside of your workplace? How can we use what we've learned working with students to better ourselves and our communities?

In 2009, Nicole Terrell joined COCM as a first-time Assistant Director in a brand-new residence hall at Marshall University. In Nicole's role at COCM she developed a resident handbook and worked to guide first years struggling to transition to university life. After COCM, Nicole went on to work in loss prevention at Target. Today, she is raising a family, serving on community boards, and teaching cross-fit to kids.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Nicole joins guest host Tara Wilkinson to reminisce about her time as an AD. Nicole shares how building a sense of community in a first year residence hall relates to supporting members of the community she now lives in. She also weighs in on how working in higher ed pushed her outside of her comfort zone and taught her how to deal with tough situations. Listen in for Nicoles's insight on how her experience with CCOM continues to influence the way she approaches supporting others in her local community and what 'paying it forward' really means.

Topics Covered

How Nicole got involved with COCM

Nicole's experience working with first years in a new residence hall

How Nicole's role as an Assistant Director prepared her for future positions

The importance of reaching out to others in your community

Nicole's lasting relationships with former COCM colleagues

How COCM helped Nicole push past her boundaries

Connect with Tara

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Tara on LinkedIn