SWACUHO Podcast

In the fast pace world of campus housing we have to be effective at communicating through a variety of formats to reach our audiences. One of those formats, is email. This month we are joined by Monique Burkley (UT Arlington) and Maggie Guzman (Texas A&M) to talk about how they manage their email. We start by talking about how many total email and how many unread emails we have in our inboxes, then promptly move towards email etiquette and departmental cultures/expectations for email. Throughout the episode there are many small scale strategies for effective email management. Our guests reveal there is no single right way to manage the never-ending pile in our inboxes.

Be Sure to Thank Our Guests!

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

Transcript forthcoming.

This month we are joined by Adonis Thompson, who served as President of SWACUHO in 2018 and 2019. We start by talking about Adonis’ career on the operations side of the house and how processing conduct cases built the necessary skills to be successful in operations. We talk about catch phrases, picking your battles, balancing job responsibilities and self-care. We then move into his SWACUHO involvement and the pathway that led him to become the first Black man to serve as President. Adonis talks about the expectations and hopes he felt and the platform he ran on to involve more HBCUs. We also breakdown the potential pipeline problem with the pathway to leadership for young Professionals of Color looking to elevate their involvement. Adonis then shares his experience moving to the private sector and working for StarRez. During that part of the conversation, we talk about the lack of knowledge depth housing staff have in the products they use and so-called “power users”. Finally, we close out this episode talking about how many of my staff over the years have told me how much they would rather work for Adonis than me! This is an episode you really shouldn’t miss. 

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Connect with Adonis Thompson on LinkedIn or Facebook!

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

Transcript forthcoming.

April is World Autism Month, so this episode aims to share the stories of residents with autism. To do so, we are joined by Dr. Dustin Grabsch from Southern Methodist University who published an article last year in The Journal of College and University Student Housing exploring the expectations of residents with autism to increase satisfaction with the on-campus living experience. We discuss the five themes that emerged from the resident interviews including academics, campus housing, community, roommate expectations, and the student experience. Throughout the episode it become abundantly clear that professional staff need only think just a little bit deeper to find small-scale and simple ways to better support residents with autism. Plenty of resources are provided for staff to explore on their own time to increase their individual knowledge and skills surrounding the topic.

Be Sure to Thank Our Guests!
Connect with Dr. Dustin Grabsch on LinkedIn

 Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

Resources Mentioned

Understanding the Expectations of Students with Autism to Increase Satisfaction with the On-Campus Living Experience [Journal Article]

003 – Resident Assistant Hiring Decisions [Podcast Episode]

Hiring Decisions of Graduate Assistant and Full-Time Hall Directors on Resident Assistant Recruitment [Journal Article]

Autism Speaks [Organization]

Texas A&M Explores Living Learning Community for Those on Autism Spectrum [News Article]

Talking Stick [Magazine]

College Autism Network [Organization]

Students with Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for College Personnel [Book]

College Autism Network Training Courses[Training Courses]

FEMA Independent Study Courses [Certifications]

Committee on Publication Ethics Cases [Organization]

Today our guests use the book Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking as a vehicle to discuss those inevitable rabbit holes within our mind that every campus housing professional has fallen down at one time or another. Our guests today are two self-described overthinkers, Jasmine Jennings and Sara Frick, who reveal an important truth: you aren’t the only person overthinking your work in campus housing. Takeaways directly from the book include overthinking as a dial versus a switch and questions we should be asking when we find ourselves overthinking things. From there, they provide plenty of real examples related to working in campus housing and cover a range of topics including toxic positivity, imposter syndrome, committee work, performance evaluations, office culture, and the additional overthinking associated with navigating the work environment as a Person of Color. Even if you haven’t read the book, I’m sure you’ll find something to overthink about within this episode.

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Connect with Jasmine on Facebook

Transcript Available!
In February at the 2022 Annual Conference, the SWACUHO Executive Board approved additional funding for the podcast to be allocated for transcription services. This is the first episode to have a transcript provided for people who would like to read the conversation. Moving forward, all episodes will be released with a transcript and all past episodes will have a transcript uploaded by the end of March. 
 

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

People, Places, and Things Mentioned in This Episode

Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking [Book]

Baylor University [University Website]

Southern Methodist University [University Website]

The University of Texas at Arlington [University Website]

Make Your Bed (Admiral McRaven – UT Austin Commencement Address 2014) [YouTube Video]

The University of Texas at Austin [University Website]

“It’s Just a Job” [News Article]

Beyoncé [Instagram]

Taylor Swift [Instagram]

Michelle Obama [Instagram]

Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen [Book]

Understanding the Expectations of Students with Autism to Increase Satisfaction with the On-Campus Living Experience [Journal Article]

We have a special bonus episode of the SWACUHO Podcast today. We recorded live from the SWACUHO Annual Conference during session block 6 where we heard about some programs conference participants ended. Of course we dive into random topics related to our guests who were willing to volunteer their time and experience for the benefit of our region.

On this episode we talk to:

• Nicki Neely, Assistant Residential Life Coordinator at The University of Texas at Dallas
• James Fairchild, Director of Housing at The University of North Texas
• Trish Snow, Area Coordinator at Texas Lutheran University
• Laura Glasgow, Rresidential Life Coordinator at The University of Texas at Dallas

In addition to talking about the programs they attended, we discuss odd jobs in housing, the value of housekeeping employees, Title IX coordinators, cancel culture, the experience of working at a small school and wearing many "hats", small scale behaviors for compounded long-term benefits, and the challenges of being a presenter at a conference. 

“This podcast has positive psychology and solutions-based counseling.” -Jason Titus, Ph.D.

Today’s episode is another feature topic: student staff accountability. If the only times you think about staff accountability are when you are facing staffing situations, this episode will demonstrate the value in considering these topics when things are going fine to better position yourself and your department for when things inevitably go sideways. I’m joined today by Alana St. Cyr, Victor Salazar, and Jason Titus who help explore all things student staff accountability. Yes, that’s right. We are talking about the practicality of RA agreements, whether accountability conversations are actually developmental, coaching people out of jobs, and even terminating people. 

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming episode.

Be Sure to Thank Our Guests!

Connect with Alana St. Cyr on LinkedIn and Instagram

Connect with Victor on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

People, Places, and Things Mentioned in Episode 005:

University of Central Arkansas [University Website]

Our Lady of the Lake University [University Website]

Texas Christian University[University Website]

University of Texas at Arlington [University Website]

Positive Psychology [Wikipedia]

Solutions Based Counseling [Wikipedia]

Motivational Interviewing [Website]

Determine Your Enneagram Type [Free Online Test]

Enneagram Type Descriptions [Website]

Arya Stark’s List of Names [GOT Wiki]

Bachelor Season 22 Episode 13 [TV Show]

Piet Hein, Danish Polymath [Wikipedia]

We start off the New Year with a conversation with another SWACUHO Past President, Tanya Massey from Oklahoma State University. Tanya spent a number of years focusing on the human resources component of campus housing, so we dive into importance and nuance of recruitment and training staff. We then explore the value of developing small skills with long term career impact before jumping into association involvement. In that part of the conversation, Tanya discusses the challenges with balancing volunteerism, professional responsibilities, and personal/family lives. We of course end with some fun stories demonstrating the importance of “making work fun”. Throughout all the discussion items, Tanya reiterates the value of having a professional family.

Be Sure to Thank Our Guest!

Connect with Tanya on LinkedIn

Download the Reflection Guide! - If you put anything into action from the Podcast, please consider sharing it via [email protected] and you may get featured on an upcoming episode.

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

Contact the SWACUHO Podcast at [email protected].

People, Places, and Things Mentioned in This Episode:

Deckard Cain [YouTube]

Ashleigh Beckmann [Instagram]

Katy Pelton[LinkedIn]

Episode 004 – Preventative Maintenance [SWACUHO Podcast Episode]

Oklahoma State University [University Website]

Stillwater School Board [Organization Website]

DampRid [Moisture Absorber]

Kansas State University [University Website]

Aggie Lounge [Business]

Departmental Politics 101 [SWACUHO U Presentation]

Strengths Quest [Personal Assessment]

The Office [TV Show]

MySpace [“Social Media” Site]

Southwest Contract[Business]

Arkansas Tech University [University Website]

Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action [Book]

How Great Leaders Inspire Action [TED Talk]

Lonesome Dove [Book]

Bridge to Terabithia [Book] [Movie]

Fish! Tales: Bite-S<

On today’s episode we explore the maintenance side of the house, specifically looking at solving problems before they are problems with preventative maintenance. Our three guests are Drew Jahr, Katy Pelton, and Miles Oller, all of whom began their professional career in residence life before moving into housing maintenance and operations. We first discuss the differences between residence life and maintenance, then we do a deep dive into the importance of looking upstream for continuity of facility service with preventative maintenance. It’s definitely a complex balancing act between proactive work and reactive work. Our guests provide plenty of real examples highlighting the importance of preventative maintenance while also making some deviation about fostering educational moments with staff and students and the importance of acknowledging and recognizing maintenance and housekeeping staff. This episode is sure to illuminate the wild world of housing maintenance for anyone interested in learning more.

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

People, Places, and Things Mentioned in the Episode:

Texas Tech University [Website]

Sam Houston State University [Website]

Texas Christian University [Website]

Star Wars Death Star [Lego Set]

Star Wars Ewok Village [Lego Set]

Tower Bridge [Lego Set]

TMA Systems [Software]

Example Home PM Plan [PDF]

A recent article in The Journal of College and University Housing Officers explored the many factors influencing the decisions of housing professionals when hiring Resident Assistants. Our guest today is one of the authors of this article, Dr. Craig Seager from the University of Central Arkansas. In addition to breaking down some of the key findings, Craig discusses the value of being a practitioner scholar, writing for publication as a tool for professional development, and integrating research into practice. Craig provides actionable steps for individuals looking to improve their RA hiring process; but even better, his suggestions are grounded in research.

Be Sure to Thank Our Guest!

Connect with Dr. Craig Seager on LinkedIn

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

People Mentioned:

Dr. Stephanie McBrayer [LinkedIn]

Justin Leibowitz [LinkedIn]

Dr. Rishi Sriram [LinkedIn]

Dr. Jody Jessup-Anger [LinkedIn]

Dr. Charity Lovitt [LinkedIn]

Dr. Susan Barclay [LinkedIn]

Dr. Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas [LinkedIn]

Other Items Mentioned:

University of Central Arkansas[University Website]

The Effects of a Safety-Promoting Media Presentation on Resident Attitudes [Journal Article, 1991]

Hiring Decisions of Graduate Assistant and Full-Time Hall Directors on Resident Assistant Recruitment [Journal Article, 2021]

The Placement Exchange [Website]

Oshkosh Placement Exchange [Website]

Addressing Perceived Skills Deficiencies in Student Affairs Graduate Preparation Programs [Journal Article, 2016]

The Journal of College and University Student Housing Theme Issue: Resident Assistant Hiring Practices [Journal Issue, 2021]

Being Intentional with Your Resident Assistant Hiring: ACUHO-I Journal of College and University Student Housing Conversation Series [YouTube]

Factors Residence Life Professionals Consider When Selecting Teams of Resident Assistants [Journal Article, 2021]

Student Affairs by the Numbers [Book]

Laerd Statistics [Website]

The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath [Book]

We often talk about the experience students will have living in campus housing. When we look more closely, experiences are really just a series of moments, one after another after another. The book, The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, outlines four unique types of moments: (a) moments of elevation; (b) moments of insight; (c) moments of pride; and, (d) moments of connection. 

Our guests today are Apefa Cooper and Maddie Reid who talk about The Power of Moments and demonstrate how they engineered specific types of moments to provide a stronger overall experience for their residents. The idea of focusing on moments as a customer service tool was originally presented by our guests at the 2020 SWACUHO Annual Conference, where it was recognized as a Top 5 program.

Apefa and Maddie close out the episode with some advice surrounding the act of presenting and working with others to facilitate impactful presentations.

Download the Reflection Guide, created by Carly Smith at Texas A&M University! If you put anything into action from the Podcast, please consider sharing it via [email protected] and you may get featured on an upcoming episode.

Be Sure to Thank Our Guests!

Connect with Apefa LinkedIn

Connect with Maddie on Instagram

Seeking professional advice? Fill out this anonymous form and a panel of housing staff will give you their take on your situation on an upcoming podcast.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact [Book]

Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi [University Website]

Texas Christian University [University Website]

University of Texas at Arlington [University Website]

Using Elevated Moments to Facilitate a Culture of Service and Care [SWACUHO Program, 2020]

Magic Castle Hotel [Trip Advisor]

Sarah Blakley [LinkedIn]

Watchmen [Graphic Novel]

Craig Seager [LinkedIn]

Hiring Decisions of Graduate Assistants and Full-Time Hall Directors on Resident Assistant Recruitment [Journal Article]