Join us for the first episode of Unpacking SA where we ask, "Who are you?", "What are you?" and more!

Ask any Student Affairs Professional who is of color and working at a PWI, and you'll undoubtedly hear about how they are the go-to resource for an overwhelming number of students who share their identity. James Sparkman and Tom discussed how his identity of being male and African-American shows up in his work now as well as in his graduation program.

Family orientations are on the rise but few schools are doing them, or doing them well. In a wide-ranging conversation with Sylvester Gaskin of Towson University, Tom digs into the details of how they are running their successful family orientation. The two also talk about Sylvester's experience being multiracial in student affairs. 

It's no surprise that colleges service people from all types of backgrounds. One population that is often overlooked, but increasing in demand, is students who were formerly incarcerated and in a correctional facility. Michael Brick is working to bridge the gap between correctional facilities and college as a way to help these people between assimilate back into society and productive citizens. This podcast is perfect for anyone currently working with former or currently incarcerated people, or is interested in the topic. 

Balancing work and life is difficult when both you and your partner are career orientated, especially when a child comes into the picture. Megan Dailey chatted with Tom about the various challenges and blessings she and her partner face while growing their Student Affairs careers and their family. This podcast is perfect for anyone who is currently in a dual career household or can see themselves ending up in a dual career household. 

A popular phrase in Student Affairs is, "Data doesn't drive." Another way to think about this is that if we aren't good at converting our data into great stories...and then telling those stories, then the data doesn't matter. Tom got to interview Lesley D'Souza who's entire job is to bridge the gap between collecting great assessment and then converting that assessment into great stories for both internal and external use. 

Games are engaging and sometimes addicting. Many classrooms have successfully integrated the most engaging elements of games into student learning. Derrick Picard is interested in how the same elements of Game Theory can be applied to student engagement.

It's no secret that Student Affairs Professionals work hard. Long nights. Early mornings. Weekends. And sometimes, even holidays. In between all the work, some SA Pros are figuring out ways to manage their own physical and mental health because they know the stronger they are internally, the more effective they are externally. Today Tom sat down with Wayne Glass of Macalester College to talk about his journey as an SA Pro around the topic of mental and physical health.

With almost 1 million international students attending US colleges and universities, when’s the last time you sat down with one and heard their perspective on student life and college? Tom had a conversation with Ariel Tan who was an international undergrad student who now works as a residential life professional.

Imagine sitting down and having an interview with 50 senior student affairs professionals. What lessons would you learn? Alan Mueller undertook this project and in his interview with Tom, Alan draws out some of the critical lessons he's learned so far that every Student Affairs professional should be aware of.