Student Residences Management JournalVolume 10 Number 2

THE AUSTRALASIAN

SRMJ

Celebrating our Past, Shaping our Future

PP324494/0062

www.aacuho.epicconferences.com.au

Volume 10 The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal OCTOBER 2015

No. 2

THE AUSTRALASIAN

SRMJ

AACUHO FEATURED

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal is published by Adbourne Publishing in conjunction with AACUHO, the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers Inc.

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AACUHO President’s message

29 NAAUC Conference 2015

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Celebrating success

33 ACUHO-I International study tour

CLV creates future leaders

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14 Returning the favour

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18 Transitioning from resident

20 International House Wollongong plants seeds for peace

23 AACUHO and NAAUC knowledge exchange

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6 Celebrating our past, shaping our future

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DISCLAIMER Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisers appearing in The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal comply absolutely with the Trades Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication.

Adbourne Publishing and The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal reserve the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication.

All original material produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors and all submitted editorial are the author’s views and are not necessarily those of the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers, or the publisher.

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President’s message W

hat an exciting time to be a member of AACUHO! For the Executive and the Committee, it’s been a hectic and rewarding start to our term, and in this edition of the SRMJ I take great pride in sharing some of our key projects and achievements from the first half of our time in the role: The AACUHO Committee enthusiastically launched into May following on from the great work of the previous committee in introducing our enhanced Membership Restructure, providing membership rights to all staff within an institution, the inclusion of one full conference registration (as part of institutional memberships) and our new corporate membership option. This was swiftly followed by more great work previously undertaken, in particular by past Exec members, Edwina and Mel, in announcing the release of the National Housing Census Survey in cooperation with UCA in June this year, providing an insightful snapshot on the current status of student housing and planned growth in the industry.

June and July featured the release of new guidelines for this very journal with the aim of encouraging submissions from members near and far – and it’s been great to see articles included within from Campus Living Villages, the University of Newcastle, and International House, Wollongong, amongst others. We also hosted our first networking

event at Mannix, a residential college of Monash University, (also highlighted in this edition for their recent renovations), featuring robust debate and discussion around the topic of ‘personal responsibility in a customer service age.’

August was also jam-packed, with the official launch of our new logo and our member survey, the results of which will be available shortly via our E-News bulletin, and the AACUHO calendar hasn’t quietened down in September either, with two networking events taking place. The first was held at the newly developed Queen Mary building in Sydney on the topic of ‘value for money,’ and the second, our first ever AACUHONAAUC knowledge exchange collaboration, involving members of both groups and student leaders from member institutions, featured discussion about how we can best ‘celebrate diversity’ across all of our campuses.

The notes from both networking meetings are now accessible via our website. We also launched our very exciting membership database on the AACUHO website, with this new feature enabling our members to search for, and contact, individuals in the industry within particular streams and by location (for example, management, operations, finance, student development etc.). I encourage every member to make sure your details are up-todate so you are included in the search engine, and to make use of this feature next time you are seeking information or an example of best practice in our field.

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

October, November and December promise to hold even more for our membership cohort, with the official launch of our 2016 AACUHO Conference website including a call for presentation submissions, details of our study tour, the AACUHO awards (including several new categories), and the exciting news that our mascot, Ressie, will shortly start his journey around Australia and beyond in the lead up to April next year. Look out for photos from Ressie’s adventures shortly! This is also a great time for all of our AACUHO members to start thinking about ideas for a conference presentation – with more information and submissions now open online at http:// aacuho.epicconferences.com.au/program/ proposals.html. We will also be hosting a Virtual Professional Development Session providing hints and tips on making a submission for the conference on Friday 13 November at 11am – add this to your calendars today!

In conclusion, as always, and as I encourage in my article within, ‘For the love of the job,’ the AACUHO Committee relies on the input of its diverse and creative members to guide new projects, initiatives, content for publications such as the SRMJ and E-News, and for hosts and facilitators for our networking events.

If you would like to be more involved, in any capacity, then please get in touch!

Laura Burge AACUHO President

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AACUHO FEATURED

Celebrating our Past, Shaping our Future www.aacuho.epicconferences.com.au

Celebrating our past, shaping our future The 25th Anniversary 2016 AACUHO StarRez Conference “With the theme Celebrating Our Past, Shaping Our Future, our aim at the 25th Anniversary conference in 2016 is to provide a wide-ranging programme that will have relevance across the diversity of roles within the Student Housing industry.With an underlying focus on building upon success and preparing for the future, the conference will provide a variety of ways in which delegates can engage and interact to ensure their business, and their students, are successful for many years to come.

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he 25th Anniversary 2016 AACUHO StarRez Conference will feature engaging keynote presentations, concurrent workshop sessions, round table and Q&A sessions, and a variety of social events including

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AACUHO FEATURED the Welcome Reception, the 25th Anniversary AACUHO Gala Dinner & Awards Night, sponsored by StarRez and the famous Closing Conference Dinner.

From practical workshops through to large scale plenaries, the 25th Anniversary conference is sure to provide the knowledge, tools and networks that will support the professional development of all staff working in post-secondary education accommodation.

Always a highlight of the program, we are now accepting proposals concurrent sessions which will cover four “streams”: Student Development & Support, Management, Operations, and Administration.

To register, or for more information about the conference, applying for an award, or making a presentation, visit our website: aacuho.epicconferences.com.au”

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AACUHO FEATURED

Celebrating success: AACUHO needs your stories!

Have you considered submitting a conference presentation?

VINCE WILSON | Vice President/Conference Committee Chair

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ACUHO is now seeking submissions for the 2016 25th Anniversary AACUHO Conference and we’re looking to our members to share the great things they’re doing around Australian and beyond!

The Conference will feature both interactive workshops and presentation sessions led by AACUHO

members across the three days of the conference.

Table shows styles of presentations available in 2016.

Presentation Time Style Frame

Information for Authors

Member Presentation

• Presented at a time concurrent with other presentations (usually 3 or 4).

60 – 90 minutes

• Formal lecture style presentation in front of a smaller audience.

• Content must be evidence-based (via industry or institutional research, qualitative or quantitative data).

• Effort should be made to encompass any challenges, key learnings and transferability as part of the presentation.

• Must include an opportunity for questions (10 minutes).

• May include 1 – 3 speakers.

• Eligible for the ACUHO-I My Favourite Student best presentation award

Roundtables/ Workshops

60 – 90 minutes

• Presented at a time concurrent with other presentations (usually 3 or 4).

• Informal and interactive facilitated discussion and group-work.

• The facilitator will usually introduce the topic (no more than 20 minutes) and then encourage smaller group discussions/brainstorming.

• Provide an opportunity for the group to reconvene to debrief.

• May include 1 – 3 facilitators.

Q&A Session

60 – 90 minutes

• Presented at a time concurrent with other presentations (usually 3 or 4).

• Involving 3 – 4 panel members who share a common interest/expertise/knowledge/hot topic.

• An AACUHO Committee member may assist in facilitating a question and answer style presentation (or the panel may choose to provide their own facilitator).

• Panel members are each required to provide a brief presentation following by a series of pre-determined questions.

• An opportunity for questions from the audience is required (10 – 30 minutes).

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Why should I submit a proposal?

AACUHO need the imaginative input of its members in order to be truly relevant and productive for student housing professionals.

Presenting your work at conferences is a way to explore new ideas, receive feedback on your work, develop your professional confidence and standing and open new discussions. It is important to note that not all presentations are formal or require expertise in public speaking enthusiasm and willingness to share information on a topic of choice is all that is required!

Those who wish to submit a presentation can do so by going online to www.aacuho.epicconferences.com.au. As part of your application, you will need to provide: • Title (this can be changed at any stage) • Abstract (300 words) • Nominated Stream (Student Development, Management, Operations or Administration)

• Social Programming • Community standards and discipline • First Year experience • Later-year programming • Student Leadership models, training and remuneration • Crisis Management

• Nominated Presentation Style (Member, Roundtable, Q & A)

• Staffing

• Name of Author(s)/ Name of Speaker(s)

• Organisational Structure

• Biography (of Speaker/Author) (150 words)

• Professional Development

• Target Audience (50 words)

• Strategic Planning

• Learning Outcomes (at least three outcome which will highlight the aims of the session and what participants will take away from the session) (150 words)

• Higher Education – Australian, New Zealand or international

All submissions will be reviewed by the AACUHO Committee and/ or Conference Committee with relevance, presentation style and adaptability to other housing operations taken into consideration as part of the selection process.

• Off-campus housing management and support

All submissions are due Monday December 7th, 2015 at 10am.

• Student Demographics • Facilities • Regional operations • Health and Safety • Cleaning & Housekeeping • New builds/development • Campus planning • Catering

Some handy hints and tips when considering submission for a presentation:

• Conferences

We can help! Not sure what to talk about or where to begin.

Get in touch with Laura or Vince to discuss your ideas and we can assist in determining which presentation style best suits and what you might like to cover as part of your submission.

• Sustainability

We’re looking for a varied range of topics. Authors are encouraged to present on any topic relevant to the selection criteria. Members of the AACUHO Committee are happy to speak with members to discuss potential topics and provide advice. Potential sub-topics can include, but are not limited, to:

• Contracts

• Health and Wellbeing

• Innovative programs, events or activities

• Academic Support

• Example of best practice

• IT • Customer Service • Applications • Systems and Processes • Finance • Social Media • Communication and Marketing

• Research

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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AACUHO FEATURED

You might be eligible to receive an Award. All those who submit for a member presentation will be eligible to receive the ACUHO-I Award for Best Paper and $1000 towards attendance at the next ACUHO-I Conference in the US. Eligibility is subject to the following conditions:

• Authors will be asked as part of the selection process if their institution is willing and able to provide the nominee with support to attend the ACUHO-I conference the following year.

• The primary presenter must be a member of AACUHO • Membership of ACUHO-I is not required to be considered • Applicability to the ACUHO-I strategic plan and body of knowledge is desired. Information is available on the ACUHO-I website.

Don’t forget to register! The presenting author is required to register for the conference and pay associated registration fees.

Please note if registration and payment for the presenting author is not received by the Early Bird registration date, the presentation will automatically be withdrawn from the conference program. All presenters will be required to pay and register for the full conference program or for the day of their presentation by the given deadline.

Got lots to say? Multiple presentation submissions per person will be accepted.

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AACUHO FEATURED

Last but not least – All presentation details will be reviewed by the AACUHO Committee and Conference Organising Committee who reserve the right to reject any presentation it does not feel meets the conference criteria, and in submitting your proposal, you consent to your presentation being published on the AACUHO website for AACUHO members to access following the conference, should your proposal be selected.

Still not convinced?

AACUHO is hosting our first Professional Development Virtual Presentation on Friday 13 November at 11am. Hosted online by the AACUHO President and Vice President, this session will cover everything you need to know about making a submission for the 2016 AACUHO Conference. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions. More details on how to register for this FREE event are available online at www.aacuho.edu.au

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AACUHO FEATURED

CLV creates future leaders with Elev8 development program

Australia’s leading student accommodation specialist, Campus Living Villages (CLV), has implemented a global future leaders program designed to help high performing staff progress within the business.

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aunched in 2014, the 24-month Elev8 program takes selected employees from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States on eight one-week training sessions across the four countries.

Leveraging CLV’s global platform, it is the first professional development program ever created across the business’s four regions of operation.

“Elev8 offers tremendous opportunity for talented staff to fast track their careers with CLV,” said Global HR Director, Jan Wilman. “

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As a business dedicated to creating exciting student experiences, we recognise the importance of providing equally exciting opportunities for the staff who make CLV what it is.”

Developing a program for success The program was designed by a US-based team led by Doris Collins, Assistant Vice President of University Partnerships and former President of ACUHO-I, and Jackie Hughes, Director of National Operations.

“It was important for the program to focus on the practical, rather than the theoretical or academic,” Doris said. “It needed to add to participants’ existing knowledge by focusing on all facets of student residence management, including finance, marketing, human resources, governance and compliance, residence life, legal and business planning.”

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Training begins with a week focusing on leadership and organisational culture, both of which are crucial elements of the CLV business philosophy. Development is by in-class training, distance learning projects, academic study and on-the-job experience, underpinned by a support framework provided by Elev8 mentors. These mentors, CLV staff who are experts in their fields, provide participants with essential information and guidance, as well as new connections within the business.

AACUHO FEATURED

Where possible, the program is timed so participants can return to work and directly apply their newly developed skills. Finance and budget workshops, for example, are held before annual budgets, and human resources workshops take place before annual performance reviews are completed.

Since its launch, Elev8 has taken participants to Sydney in Australia, Houston and Ogden in the United States and Salford in the United Kingdom. Upcoming trips have been planned to St Louis in the United States and Auckland in New Zealand. On these trips, staff visit local CLV villages to extend their knowledge of the global portfolio, gain a wider understanding of the business and share knowledge outside the boundaries of their own villages.

Promoting from within CLV is committed to recognising and developing its most successful and capable people as well as motivating all staff to learn new skills and build their careers with the business. Elev8 makes an important contribution by offering staff an opportunity to develop into excellent managers.

“Working with a company for the long term has become the exception, not the norm for people looking for the next challenge or quick progression,” said Lauren Storey, an Elev8 participant who has been with CLV for over 8 years. “Luckily for me I discovered a company that inspires, develops and offers opportunities for employees to progress.”

Since participating in Elev8, Lauren has taken on a role as Project Manager for a strategic project designed to position the business for growth. Based at CLV’s Australian head office, Lauren’s new role will add to her extensive experience with CLV, which has included positions across Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Elev8 has given me a unique insight into the global business and enhanced my leadership skills, which I’m sure will assist in achieving my career aspirations,” she said.

Sharing best practice By building a supply of highly capable and committed managers and by retaining ambitious staff members, the Elev8 program supports the growth and success of the business itself.

Another Australian participant, Siobhan Russell from Yarra House at Melbourne Polytechnic said, “the workshops provide the chance to bond with the other Elev8’ors as well as benefit from the experience of leaders in the business.”

“It is refreshing and energising to see CLV invest in their people and I’m really looking forward to the opportunities that my property, my team and I will benefit from,” she said.

Siobhan has recently been appointed Village Manager of CLV’s new 648-bed property developed in partnership with the University of Melbourne and is preparing for the opening of the village in January 2016.

A successful result After less than one year of the two-year program, a third of all current Elev8 participants have been offered more senior roles and others are ready to move to a new location to develop their careers with CLV. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing people develop from ‘good doers’ to ‘excellent leaders’, and helping them to build a career with us,” said Jan Wilman. “People with great potential come from all backgrounds, and my hope is that the Elev8 program encourages all staff to consider their futures and where they want to take their careers.

After seeing the impact of this program after one year we are launching a second program with eight more participants.”

CLV is always on the lookout for high calibre staff and is committed to supporting new talent and helping employees excel in their careers.

Keep an eye out for the latest job opportunities at www.clv.com.au.

Elev8 participant, Lennon Prothro-Jones from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, called the program “an invaluable chance to learn from the ‘best of the best’ in CLV”.

Making the most of CLV’s global network, Lennon has since been appointed Residential Life Manager at Queen Mary Building, a new site managed in partnership with the University of Sydney.

Leanne English, a participant from Edith Cowan University’s ECU Village in Perth said, “I now truly understand the global nature of this business, not just my little part of the world. Gaining an understanding of the big picture has made my everyday work so much more important to me.”

Leanne’s newfound knowledge is also achieving a flow on effect, she said, as she passes her learnings on to her team.

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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AACUHO FEATURED

RETURNING THE FAVOUR: La Trobe’s Staff Exchange

LAURA BURGE | Residential Education Manager, La Trobe University

“There is a flickering spark in us all which… can light the rest of our lives, elevating our ideals, deepening our tolerance, and sharpening our appetite for knowledge about the rest of the world. Educational and cultural exchanges… provide a perfect opportunity for this precious spark to grow, making us more sensitive and wiser international citizens through our careers.”

Ronald Reagan,The White House, May 1982.

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n the October 2014 edition of the Student Residences Management Journal,1 I first detailed a staff exchange program newly introduced by Accommodation Services, La Trobe University, which invited international colleagues to combine attendance at the AACUHO Conference with an ‘internship’ at La Trobe, with a reciprocal opportunity to be provided by the visiting institution at a later stage. In the article, the first participants of our program, Kirsten Eichstaedt (nee Bamford), University of Otago, NZ and

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AACUHO FEATURED

her return and learn more about some of the unique project underway at Otago, including her student community garden, which had been created in 2014.

Whilst the organisational and staffing structure and geographic layout of the residences at Otago was completely different to ours here at La Trobe, my time at Otago was extremely well-spent and in my role as Team Leader managing applications, offers, debtors and customer service, I have been able to bring home plenty of new ideas in regards to payments and check in arrangements, amongst many others!

Jo Tomlinson, University of Brighton, UK, highlighted some of the key learning outcomes from their experiences ‘down under,’ including the development of enhanced international networks, knowledge exchange and the exciting opportunities which continued to emerge for future collaboration.

One year on, Accommodation Services, La Trobe, has been delighted to send Nicole Deller, Team Leader Accommodation Services on a return visit to New Zealand to reconnect with Kirsten, and I was thrilled to participate in a return visit to the UK to return the favour with Jo in the lovely seaside city of Brighton.

My own experiences on exchange in the UK were similarly of immense value, with the opportunity to combine a weeklong exchange at Brighton, with attendance at the AMOSSHE Conference in Newcastle, and a brief research tour of several universities and accommodation sites around London in July this year.

Commencing with AMOSSHE, (a professional membership association for leaders of student services in the UK), my days were filled from day one with involvement in concurrent workshops, roundtables, discussions and evening networking events. Despite being the token Aussie in attendance, the ‘hot’ topics were reassuringly similar, and it was great to see how staff within universities on the other side of the world were tackling such key issues and concerns as mental health, afterhours

Nicole speaks of her experiences visiting the University of Otago in November 2014: In November 2014 I was provided with the opportunity to travel to New Zealand on staff exchange and stay on-campus at The University of Otago in Dunedin. As part of my exchange I attended and presented at the NZATEAP (New Zealand Association of Tertiary Education Accommodation Professionals) conference during my first week, which provided a fantastic opportunity to meet a wide range of other accommodation professionals.

It was also a great experience to be able to meet up again with Kirsten, who had visited La Trobe from Otago earlier in the year, and see what ideas and concepts had been put into practice since The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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AACUHO FEATURED

Having now returned back to Melbourne, our wintery weather and an incredibly hectic start to semester two, it’s been valuable to take the time to consolidate learnings from this experience and explore ways we can enhance our own services here within Accommodation Services, share some of our knowledge and approaches in return, and strengthen the valuable connections which have been formed over the past year.

care, customer service, fitness to study and student support. I was also fortunate, as part of my attendance, to be invited to present collaboratively with two international colleagues, Emelie Helsen from Michegan State University and Chistopher Tucker from the University of Sussex, regarding the diverse residential life models in operation in each of our universities. Despite the challenges of preparing a presentation with staff located across three different continents, our presentation on the day was well received, and it was great to make new connections with others in the residential space, and obtain feedback from those in attendance that they had “garnered ideas for enhancement of their own residential programming.”

The following week in Brighton also provided a fantastic opportunity to see the workings of a wider student services team, operating across five diverse campuses, at the University of Brighton. Living within on-campus accommodation (a return to my own life on residence days!) and meeting with a variety of staff involved in student advice, counselling, disability and welfare support, volunteering, mentoring, and careers provided a fantastic opportunity to learn more about broader approaches to student support and development. It was hugely rewarding to have the time to speak one-on-one with the staff at Brighton, who were extremely generous with their time and sharing of resources, and depart with fresh ideas and opportunities for future collaboration.

A final week in a somewhat sunny London – still better than the weather back home at the time in Melbourne! – was a lovely way to conclude my time abroad. Once again, the challenges faced working in student support in higher education were familiar. Drugs and alcohol, mental health, managing increased student expectations, effective communication, enhancing employability and student engagement were all topics of shared discussion and debate.

Above all, a huge thanks must go to Jo Tomlinson at the University of Brighton for her warm welcome and accompaniment during the AMOSSHE Conference and Brighton visit. Additional gratitude also goes to all of the student services staff at the University of Brighton, and those whom I meet with from Unite Students, the AMOSSHE group, National Union of Students, Regent’s University and City University in London.

2016 AACUHO Staff Exchange Program Following on from the success of a staff exchange program first hosted by La Trobe University in 2014 and 2015, AACUHO has collaborated with a number of Universities across Australia to offer and host multiple staff exchange opportunities as part of its 25th year celebrations in 2016. This program will be open to all domestic and international working within student housing in higher education and provide an opportunity to combine attendance at the Australasian Association of College and University Housing Officers Conference (AACUHO) in April 2016 in Sydney with an accompanying placement/exchange opportunity (duration to be negotiated. An appropriate reciprocal conference and placement term would be dependent on the location of the visiting staff member’s institution.

More details will be released shortly, but please feel free to contact Laura Burge, AACUHO President (and Residential Education Manager, La Trobe) via email, L.Burge@latrobe.edu.au for more information.

References 1. Exchanging It Up. Why are we only letting students reap the rewards? http://issuu.com/adbourne/docs/student_9-2_issuu/14

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Transitioning from Resident to Residential Education Coordinator

Early beginnings

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n high school I realised how much I enjoyed and took pride in the leadership positions that I held.

I can recall wondering what kind of job this could lead to, and what path I would take. After initially looking for university courses relating to leadership or management, I set my sights on my second passion; history. Undertaking a Bachelor of Arts in History and International Development at La Trobe University in 2010, but living well over two hours away from Melbourne, I was fortunate to also receive an offer of on campus accommodation at Chisholm College, La Trobe University. Little did I know at the time that moving to Chisholm College would be one of the best choices I could make in regards to my future professional development.

I moved into Chisholm College in late February of 2010. On move-in day my mum and nan assisted me in getting settled. Once my bags were in my new room for the year ahead I was directed to the Common Room to receive an Orientation Week t-shirt. Distributing the t-shirts to all the equally nervous and apprehensive first years were a group of people wearing navy and white tops with ‘Residential Assistant’ emblazoned on the backs, and had their names on the front. Meeting my fun and bubbly Residential Assistant (RA) for the first time, I decided at that moment that I wanted to take on that role the following year - I can even recall the conversation with my mum, telling her that she would see me wearing one of the same tops in 2011 – and I right.

Stepping up into leadership Towards the conclusion of my first year ‘on res,’ I applied for an RA role, and was overjoyed when I was selected as the Tower 10 RA for Chisholm College in 2011. I was thrilled to have been chosen as part of an amazing team of leaders, all in place to support the residents of

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CHELSEA MURRAY | Residential Education Coordinator: Academic Excellence, La Trobe University

Chisholm College. Relishing my role and the leadership opportunities it provided, towards the conclusion of 2011, I applied for the Residential Assistant Student Coordinator role – a position of even greater responsibility, leading the team of RA’s, coordinating meetings and working even more closely with staff. To my surprise and amazement, I received the position, and I could not have been happier. As a team over the year, we had our highs and our lows, but I would not have traded any of my experiences due to the lessons I learned and skills I developed.

The following year I reassessed my career pathway, opting to undertake a Graduate Diploma of Secondary Teaching through La Trobe. I also worked part-time as an Accommodation Services Assistant (ASA) within Accommodation Services, gaining experience and understanding of how things worked from the perspective of the staffing team – it was enlightening and a great learning experience.

Looking for opportunities Graduating in 2013, meant the end of my time living on campus, and I moved back to my home town. I had yet to find a full time role as a teacher when a position within Accommodation Services was advertised. I applied for the role and was successful in receiving an interview for the role. I had never been so nervous in all my life, and whilst I received positive feedback from the panel, I ended up being unsuccessful in my application.

Redirecting my focus to teaching I started to apply for roles within secondary schools and ended up applying for well over 70 teaching roles throughout the state between November 2013 and March of 2014. It was an incredibly difficult time, with competition for roles extremely high, and rejection a constant reality. Then came the light at the end of the tunnel – another position within Accommodation Services arose – and this time, I was offered the role!

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AACUHO FEATURED The challenges of transitioning from resident to a staff role Since commencing in April this year, it has been an exciting and challenging first few months. In this line of work there are many advantages from having experienced life as a college resident but also disadvantages. Ironically, some factors have fallen into both categories.

My age has, in many instances, proven to be advantageous because I have been able to relate to students lived experiences. At the same time, my age can also be a downfall when it comes to receiving equal respect from residents. Another disadvantage relating to age can be that sometimes I can find myself too close to the student experience or view and need to take a step back from the situation, viewing it with a fresh perspective.

However, whilst there are undoubtable challenges making the transition from resident to a staffing role, my time as a student leader has placed me in great stead in many other ways. In particular, my passion for the role has undoubtedly evolved from my student leader beginnings. I had an amazing experience at college, both as a resident and student leader, and this has motivated me play an active role in contributing

to the experience students in my care have during their time at La Trobe. Overall, my experience as a student leader on-campus has assisted in developing many areas of my personal and professional life.

I often reflect that we can forget, or perhaps forget to consider, just how important and influential our student leaders can be to our new residents, but my time on both sides of the fence has demonstrated to me the key role we all play in creating the leaders of tomorrow.

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INTERNATIONAL HOUSE WOLLONGONG PLANTS SEEDS FOR PEACE The Davis Projects for Peace is an organisation founded by Kathryn Wasserman Davis, an American internationalist and philanthropist who decided on her 100th birthday in 2007 to assist young people in their efforts to promote peace and new ideas around peace in the world. Kathryn donated 1 million dollars to be divided up into 10,000 grants for students living on campus in New York to “get creative” and work up projects which explicitly aim to foster Peace within our society. Despite her death some 5 years ago her family continue her legacy and the grant is generously bequeathed by Warren Davis alumni from International House New York.

can be used to treat common ailments cheaply and effectively. This was a fantastic extension on gardening, which we originally anticipated being the focus of the project, as it related to the cultivation of a well-rounded sustainable lifestyle.

Front cover of our gardening guide, “Planting the Seeds for Peace” Student leaders pictured include Emma Hart, Courtney Gorman, Oscar Jeffreson and Brendon Hearnden

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he International Houses Worldwide Association (of which International House Wollongong is a member of ) were offered the opportunity to submit proposals to be considered in this funding way back in 2006.

In what is a highly competitive process, International House Wollongong has now won 7 grants over the past 8 years and received the first grant issued outside the USA. In 2015 The International House team headed up by KK Kwok (Resident Program Co-ordinator) and Emma Hart (Resident Life Co-ordinator) received a grant for their project titled “Planting The Seed for Peace”.

Emma Hart talks about the project below: “The aim of this project was to enhance youth understanding into the importance of sustainable produce as an integral facet of a healthy and happy lifestyle. It was our aim to address the prevalence of food insecurity in the Illawarra region through the education of different youth communities in the benefits of local, sustainable produce and through supplying these groups with the resources to make this a realistic and long lasting vision,” said Emma.

The project began in early 2015 with a number of information sessions from the local Wollongong Botanic Gardens. These were highly successful and informative sessions incorporating a strong practical element in order to engage residents in the issues we all face. One session that was particularly popular and relevant was a “bush medicine” workshop. We learnt about the properties of local plants and how they

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AACUHO FEATURED We then collated all of the knowledge we gained about gardening and planting different fruits and vegetables into a booklet titled “Planting the Seeds for Peace”. This booklet was written in a simple manner in order to target primary school aged children. It focussed not only on the practicalities of planting each vegetable but the importance of why we wanted to convey this information and how even primary school aged children can contribute to the solution. It taught them what time of the year to plant each vegetable and how to best care for them.

Our next step was to buy all of the resources we needed to carry out the practical element of the project. We wanted to focus on the planting of gardens but also on the sustainability aspect of growth, for example in seed propagation, water irrigation systems, weed matting and garden beds. We then ran some popular gardening workshops at international house where residents were encouraged to learn a variety of new skills in gardening and were able to make their own pot of herbs, vegetables or fruits for their own use. We also taught them how to best care for their pots and how to propagate seeds for further growth.

The next stage of this project was to visit local primary schools and teach them some skills. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to schedule a time to visit schools and we were not able to in this timeframe. Our first primary school visit will be next week to Gwynneville Public School.

Gwynneville is a highly multicultural yet disadvantaged primary school in our local area and the students there will greatly benefit from the skills we teach them and the resources we provide them with. We are aiming to establish a number of garden beds around the school and teach the children how to set up water irrigation systems, weed mats and how to plant a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. We are also going to teach them about composting and worm farms and provide all of the resources to make this possible. Not only are we going to be leaving gardens at the school but we also aim to give students the opportunity to take some resources home with them, so that they can share what they learned with their families and implement this into their lifestyles.

Furthermore, on the 7th,8th and 9th of October this year there will be a wellbeing festival held at the University of Wollongong. It aims to showcase and engage students in a variety of activities that are designed to increase overall wellbeing in their lives. As a part of this festival, International House will be presenting a gardening workshop where seedling planting and seed propagation will be at the forefront.

As students often struggle with the realities of living away from home and lacking access to fresh, healthy and cheap fruits and vegetables we anticipate that this event will have a significant impact on the wider university community.

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The biggest challenge we faced was being able to conduct all of the workshops we wanted to by the deadline date of project completion due to the schedules of outside groups we were working with. However as we believe this project holds such great value we will continue beyond the deadline in order to meet our goals. This project has a highly sustainable nature. Not only have we provided University students and school children with the resources to make their own gardens but also an information booklet to teach them how to make their own in the future as well as providing a sustainability aspect in every stage of the project such as in the propagation of seeds. We hope that what we have all learned from this project will be shared with family and friends for years to come.

“The success of this project can be measured in what has been learned and taken away from the information we have provided. I have seen people learn an incredible amount about things they were perhaps never interested in or appreciated in any way. We now have residents who are enthusiastic and motivated to learn more about not just gardening but the sustainability practices involved and who are excited to share what they have learned with others. Not only that, but these residents have shifted the way they think about their lifestyles; that food is not a constant nor a given in life but something that can easily be taken away by issues such as climate change if we don’t preserve the sanctity of sustainable living.”

“The societal conflicts created by food insecurity and the economic dislocations it causes are debilitating to our local communities causing strain and conflict. Our project aimed to repair such conflict thereby planting the seeds for peace”. – Emma Hart

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AACUHO and NAAUC knowledge exchange ALICE DRAFFIN | NAAUC President

On Friday the 25th of September the inaugural AACUHO and NAAUC Knowledge Exchange was held at Deakin University’s Burwood Campus in Melbourne.The premise of the event was the coming together of residential staff and students to collaboratively discuss and celebrate ideas surrounding diversity in residences.

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oth AACUHO and NAAUC are excited to partner to provide residences with the opportunity to bring staff and students together. We appreciate the effectiveness of collaboration in discussing many of the issues that impact our industry. It was fantastic to see a broad range of both residential staff and students attending and actively engaging in robust discussion.

Diversity in particular is a topic that many residences have been interested in engaging with in recent years as the face of higher education continues to dramatically change and evolve. The “typical student” is not what they once were, with the student cohort becoming more diverse than ever. During the Knowledge Exchange staff and

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students broke into groups to discuss several different themes including engaging all members of a student body, promoting inclusive events and the promotion of cross-­university collaboration.

Thank you to those who attended for contributing an excellent range of ideas and perspectives on the topics. AACUHO and NAAUC are excited about furthering our partnership and providing further opportunities for residential staff and students around Australia.

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FOR THE LOVE OF THE JOB: Why Working in a Student Services is a Great Career Choice LAURA BURGE | Residential Education Manager, La Trobe University

Student Services, or student affairs as it is frequently known in the US, is without doubt a dynamic, innovative, and life-changing field. Unlike in the US however, where student affairs is well-recognised and one of the fastest growing career choices, similar roles in Australia are far less well-known, with career paths decidedly more indirect and varied.

In the first instance we need to do a much better job of marketing the benefits of working within student services – in other words, the reasons ‘why’ more students need to be considering student affairs as a viable career choice in Australia. Were you to ask my own perspective on the ‘why,’ the reasons would be simple:

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Whilst most professions involve a level of ‘customer service,’ nearly every role within student affairs involves some kind of direct contact with individuals at a time and age when we can actually make a difference to the direction their life takes. The programs, services and suppor t we provide can frequently help a student to succeed in their academic pursuits, under take something they have never tried before, or develop or enhance a new skill. Whilst not every contact point might have a positive result, the success stories when they occur - like the student who passes their exam with your suppor t, or the one who receives a job offer following a volunteer role in your area - truly make all the hours and hard work wor thwhile.

rom my own perspective this proves to be both a blessing and a curse - in terms of the former, we are fortunate that our industry brings together individuals with a diverse range of experiences, qualifications and backgrounds – indeed many of my colleagues are former teachers, social and youth workers or police officers – and this adds significant value to the collective pooling of ideas and perspectives which drive our activities, education initiatives and programming. At the same time however, such indirect career paths often mean that many individuals fail to recognise opportunities or even consider their potential suitability in this space, be they recent graduates or seasoned professionals looking for an alternative career direction. This issue particularly rears its head whenever I am involved in recruiting for positions within my own team – what key words should I use to describe the role? How can I attract the right kinds of individuals to apply?

How do I describe exactly what the roles involves?

Whilst we may never have the level of career support and recognition which exists in the US, in my mind, in the Australian market, the responsibility to better promote our industry, and the incredibly varied and rewarding career development oppor tunities it provides, lies with those of us who currently work in the space.

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1. Life Changing Impact:

2. An Empowered and Innovative Working Environment: It would be fair to say that when you work in student affairs, no one day is ever the same – and that’s a truly wonderful thing! I love that whilst my day usually has some sense of order, (checking emails, meetings and the like), there’s always a curveball coming at you from one or more directions, be it in the form of a student activity, issue or new project, and there’s always someone new to meet or work with. It’s a dynamic and innovative working environment – with huge potential for creativity, flexibility and the fostering of new ideas. Very few of my friends or family understand exactly what it is that I do, but when I describe my day, all agree that’s it’s an exciting place to be.

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AACUHO FEATURED 3. Dynamic People: In a similar vein to the point above, based on my own experiences, student affairs appears to be the stomping ground of some of the most dynamic, knowledgeable, motivated, committed, and passionate individuals. As many would agree, the hours are frequently long and irregular – students rarely require only 9 – 5pm suppor t – and there are days where nothing seems to go your way. Regardless, the colleagues I’ve met and had the pleasure of working alongside throughout my time in the field have continued to embrace the oppor tunity to develop and enhance their own skill set, look for new ways to suppor t or enhance student learning, and encourage and engage in knowledge exchange, be it as the institutional, community or global level.

Whilst the reasons ‘why’ will vary according to whom you ask, and marketing them is a great star ting point, equally important is the need to star t to provide oppor tunities for students to be better exposed to the kinds of work and duties we perform – in other words, we need to explore ‘how’ we can encourage more of our students to consider a career in this exciting field of work:

1. Mentoring: Whilst it’s cer tainly not possible to Mentor every student, I firmly believe that we can play a crucial role in providing guidance and sharing our story with the students in our care through our daily interactions and work tasks. There are many ways this can be achieved – at the most basic level we can connect and engage with students via the programs, events, activities and services we host and provide. This can mean sharing a meal, facilitating a training or social program, hosting or judging at an event, or attending and engaging in student forums or meetings. If we are prepared to allocate more time, it may also mean offering one-to-one mentoring with a student who has expressed par ticular interest in ‘learning the ropes,’ or understanding more about what it is we do.

2. Volunteer or Academic Placements: Another way we can ensure that students have the oppor tunity to learn more about the work we perform, helping them to decide if the environment is right for them, is to offer opportunities to under take volunteer or academic based placements or project roles.

As my two team members, Ali and Brendan discussed in the last edition of the SRMJ, Accommodation Services at La Trobe offered two social work and one event management students credit bearing placements within our area last year. Not only did the students involved meet their academic requirements and learn more about the work we perform, but my team also reaped the rewards of having fresh perspective and extra suppor t in completing additional projects which never would have eventuated without their suppor t.

their insight into what the event needs to look like and what will encourage students to attend, and they walk away with a better understanding of our role ‘behind the scenes’ and a fantastic addition to their resume. Best of all, where it is not suitable for students to be ‘placed’ within our depar tments, perhaps due to conflict of interest, we have oppor tunities to use our established networks to facilitate placement allocations or volunteer project roles at other higher education campuses or institutions.

3. Publicity and Promotion: The final way in which we can impar t our wisdom and share our within student services here in Australia is to promote our work via conferences (including AACUHO, NAAUC and fur ther afield), projects and success stories in journals such as this one, blogs, online forums, peer review ar ticles, or via professional sites such as LinkedIn (either our personal profile or in the many number of relevant networking groups). It also means working with promising or motivated students to encourage them to consider a future career in the field by involving them in networking events, sharing relevant ar ticles and providing them with advice and guidance as to where to look for oppor tunities.

Ultimately, demystifying the student services space, and promoting it as a viable and rewarding career path, is in all of our best interests.

If we can attract the most enthusiastic, creative and passionate individuals into our field, we can only go from strength and strength.

Make it your mission this year to recruit the next student affairs superstar!

Link: http://blog.internationalstudent.com/2014/06/fastest-growing-jobs-educationmajors/

Whilst offering credit bearing placements may not always be possible, offering students the chance to engage in volunteer based projects is usually viable. The projects themselves can be simple and shor t-term – this semester I’ve got three students whom have volunteered their time to help plan a social event on-campus for the benefit of the wider University. It’s fantastic from my end to obtain The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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STUDENT LIVING Convenience, Community and Peace of Mind MS BRĂ?D CORRIGAN | Head, UON Student Living

My first impressions were of a strong community, a very committed team and a solid framework within which to work. There was however a need to strengthen our business processes and the quality of our planning and data in order to provide an evidence base for our practice. In many ways the community was functioning as separate to the University of Newcastle community, rather than as the hear t of the community. I could see oppor tunity to strengthen our residents’ connection with their Faculties, with alumni, and with the numerous University suppor t services and activities available whilst at the same time drawing the University community in and building their connection with resident life. I was also keen to build the pride of residents in living within the UON community and to clearly establish the distinctiveness and quality of our program in providing residents with social, academic and leadership oppor tunities.

I joined Student Living late in 2014 as a newcomer to the University residential sector. My University background included roles across student and academic administration, complaints and privacy management. My most recent role was as Workforce Strategy Manager within Human Resources where I was involved in a number of projects focused on building the leadership capability and performance of academic and professional staff. As I moved into residential services I was excited to again work closely with students and to explore how my prior experience and my interest in leadership development could be used to benefit the Student Living community and to align our objectives with the strategic direction of the University.

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n 2015 Student Living expanded our accommodation with the addition of four new residential apartment complexes. As one of the largest single providers of accommodation in Australia with over 1700 rooms across nine residences, one of our first challenges as a team was to ensure a smooth integration between our new and established residences.

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Having worked as a University staff member for many years I was conscious of how little many University staff knew of life within the residential community and of the numerous fundraising and volunteering initiatives par ticipated in by residents. Neither had I heard of the long-standing competition held between the residences to secure academic, spor ts, ar ts, charity and community shields which culminates with an overall Residence of the Year award. This unique competition encourages positive rivalry and has helped to build strong engagement between residences over the years.

With the goal of building community and University pride in Student Living and with the suppor t of the Student Living team we began to review our current practice and our ResLife program.

As a team we agreed that our vision would be to create a suppor ted, engaged and respectful community that facilitates academic success and provides oppor tunities for the development of life and leadership skills. It was clear that we could only achieve this vision through a distributed leadership model where we work as one with the Residential Leadership Team to guide and enact positive community change.

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Our Residential Leadership Team comprises Residential Mentors who suppor t the wellbeing of residents with 24-hour suppor t from Student Living Suppor t staff. Residents can also be employed as Program Officers who manage events and organise residents’ involvement in ResChallenge or as Academic Mentors who assist in suppor ting residents to achieve the best academic results possible. We have put a lot of work into improving our training and ongoing communication and support for the Residential Leadership Team through clarifying expectations, seeking their feedback and consulting prior to new initiatives. In turn our Residential Leaders are encouraged to meet, socialise with and provide two-way feedback between residents and staff.

Initiatives such as monthly barbeques cooked by staff for residents, leadership breakfasts and ensuring considered and swift responses to residential queries and complaints all contribute to building a closer and more connected community and a quality student experience. We continue to work to connect residents with changes and plans within the community and will hold our first Consultative Committee meeting later this month.

Our ResLead Program encourages first year residents to under take training in preparation for leadership roles both within and external to the residential community. The program plays an impor tant role in building a respectful community and in providing residents with a distinct advantage through their membership of Student Living.

The ResLearn program is designed to facilitate the academic success of residents and helps residents set goals and identify specific strategies around achieving strong academic results. Residents are encouraged to attend academic mentor sessions as par t of the program and students are also linked with academic suppor t services offered within the University. We will continue to develop both of these initiatives in 2016 to strengthen offerings.

under taken research into misuse of alcohol and event management practices within the community. In early 2015 we published the Reswise Social Toolkit online with the aim of encouraging safe and positive social engagement for all residents living on campus. This provided an oppor tunity to promote to the University community how we planned to use this toolkit to encourage incident repor ting and event diversity and safety as well as improve event planning, management and evaluation within the Residential Toolkit.

To align with the roll out of Reswise we introduced a 10pm ‘quiet time’ requiring all events to finish by 10pm, with special approval to 12pm on Friday and Saturday nights upon application. The roll out of 24 hour Student Living Suppor t staff has facilitated compliance with our events management process and safe and suppor tive management of incidents after hours. These initiatives combined with the introduction of ‘lifestyle’ floors and blocks in 2015 (to accommodate residents seeking minimal alcohol usage and a quieter lifestyle) have all been positive influences in building a respectful and inclusive community for all residents.

As we begin to plan for 2016 we are keen to brand all of our initiatives and to continue to build on, benchmark and expand our current program and services. We are currently recruiting our 2016 leadership team and are confident of a strong pool of graduates from our Reslead program.

Our vision is to establish Student Living as a leader in the provision of student accommodation. There is much work still to be done, but for those looking for a career with variety and challenge, I can strongly recommend working within residential services where there is never a dull moment!

ResTalks bring a range of speakers of interest from within and external to the University with the goal of ‘sharing insights and inspiring change’ within our community. Our first speaker, Doctor Karl created great excitement within the community and has set a high bar for future talks.

We plan to build and expand this program and see it as an opportunity to connect residents with the many talented academics, researchers and professional staff within our University and global community.

As for many residential communities the issue of alcohol misuse is often a hot topic and during 2014 Student Living had The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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NAAUC CONFERENCE 2015 at the University of Queensland MARK THORNTON | Deputy Head of St Leo’s College, UQ

There is an old saying that suggests that the conference you enjoy most is the one after the one you organised.With the memory fresh in your mind of just how much work it takes to pull one together, it is so good to be able to sit back and enjoy the content - and you don’t have to do anything! Seeing the anxious faces of the NAAUC organising committee racing around ensuring that everything was holding together was a reminder of just how much work and nervous energy goes into every conference. And they were doing it so well! With President Alice Draffin and Conference Directors Patrick Walsh and Tamasin McArthur leading the team, they produced an excellent mix of speakers, talks and activities.

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he venue was the University of Queensland St Lucia Campus which is arguably one of the most beautiful in Australia. The centre of action was St John’s College with the larger talks being held at a lecture theatre within UQ. Many AACUHO members may have only heard

worrying stories about NAAUC but I can vouch for the fact that the bad old days are gone! There was a time when their conferences made the Munich Oktoberfest look like a temperance meeting, but the way a contemporary NAAUC conference is designed is a credit to them.

I attended as one of about a dozen HRCs (Heads and Residential Coordinators) who we think were barely discernible from the College delegates. The main conference runs for a frightening seven days but thankfully the HRC registration is from Sunday to Wednesday.

It is a bold idea to invite us to their conference and is a sign of its maturity.

The conference theme was Challenge Yourself, Shape Your Community, itself an excellent aspiration, which was supported by their five discussion pillars, Leadership, Identity, Wellness, Diversity and Community.

These topics were visited in the talks and revisited in the seminars and discussion groups.

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While all delegates attended the talks together, and we were able to blend in with our youthful counterparts in the seminars, once or twice each day the HRCs broke into their own discussion group ably chaired

by Pres. Alice and VP Aiden Davey. These were very successful as an opportunity for the HRCs to compare and discuss the topics raised in the pillar presentations and seminars. Many aspects of college life were covered from the complexity of integrating international students to the banality of room allocations. It was a very interesting and enlightening opportunity. A variant on this was the discussion groups which had a panel of students present who came with many questions and probably left with even more. It was a good exchange of views and both parties benefited.

The three Guest Speakers were very different but excellent illustrations of the theme. Eddy Jaku is a 95 year old living legend. Despite looking fitter than most of the HRCs, he spoke with animation of how he was imprisoned, escaped, recaptured, sent to Auschwitz and repeatedly cheated death at the hands of the Nazis. His parents, sister, grandmother and two uncles were not so lucky. His survival was the ultimate challenge and he has since spent years trying to shape the minds of young people to take the word hate out of their vocabulary and embrace three things above all, tolerance, understanding and friendship.

with his last dive, he scored the highest score in Olympic history to steal the gold medal. Arguably, he faced an even greater challenge in choosing to be an openly gay Olympic athlete in the focus of the World’s media.

Through his sport, his book and his stage play, Matthew has changed perceptions of homosexuality and acted as a role model for young gay Australians.

The name Nas Capanella is a familiar by-line for Triple J listeners who don’t turn off when the news comes on. It is a fair bet, though, that she is not only the only blind newsreader in Australia but probably the world. Notwithstanding blindness and a sensory condition that prevents her reading Braille, she decided on a career as a newsreader.

To accomplish this task, she developed a convoluted and bamboozling blend of audio systems which enable her to compile and then read the news on the hour, every hour.

The other two speakers are young but have shown great determination in the face of challenge. Matthew Mitcham exploded onto our screens in the diving at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when,

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Quotes from other HRCs:

“The selection of guest speakers was excellent.

Eddie Jaku, Matt Mitcham and Nas Campanella were all very impactful. Highly commend the NAAUC team on their selection. “

Apart from the conference opening dinner at the co-hosts, King’s College, the evening entertainment was thankfully tailored to the tempo of the two groups. On Monday evening we had a progressive dinner hosted by The Reverend Dr James Rigney, Warden of St John’s College for entrée, Mr Denis Brosnan, Dean of Students for Duchesne College for the main, and Mr Peter O’Brien, Head of Union College for sweet indulgences. The crimson amphibians then whisked most of the HRCs off to mysterious venues for obscure games and drinks that keep you awake.

“I attended several of the Pillar presentations and seminars… was a handy insight into the reactions of students on those topics (which I felt were a great selection and very relevant).”

The next night was the bizarre and highly entertaining Parliamentary Debating. The venue was the highly colourful Legislative Assembly room which has witnessed some equally colourful Queensland politics over the years, but I am sure nothing equal to the NAAUC debate has been seen since the Legislative Council of Queensland abolished itself in 1922.

“Some of the best discussions I had during the conference were actually outside of the room discussions. I particularly enjoyed the progressive dinner, not just for the good conversation but also to get a sneak peek at the physical structures of other Colleges.”

They have a speaker, a Clerk, advocates for and against the Bill, and a vociferous and inventive room full of Ministers who give their voice to the debate. Special mentions for the Minister for Goon,... A witty and very entertaining performance.

“I thought the conference was good and I really enjoyed being at UQ.”

I was very impressed by the quality of the delegates. They were articulate, involved, committed and fully alive, but this is no surprise. They took it seriously, when they needed to and had a lot of fun when they didn’t. The NAAUC committee, conference organisers and the working party all did a great job. A special mention should be given to Andy Gourley and his team of Frogs who were always there from dawn till dawn. I don’t know what they are on, but I must get some.

As an HRC attending a NAAUC conference, I was glad that I went. I thought the speakers were very well chosen, and the structure was very workable. I cannot speak for the last three days but I thought the content of the HRC days was very well chosen. The only factor reducing its effectiveness for HRCs was the small number of HRC delegates present (delightful as they were). As more people become aware of the benefits, the numbers of HRCs should grow, as it is a worthwhile and eye opening event.

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ACUHO-I International study tour ANDREW RENFREE

As we head towards a welcomed semester beak, it seems like just yesterday during the mid semester break 23 international delegates took to the road as part of the International Study tour preceding the ACUHO-I conference in Orlando Florida. The tour took in 5 separate schools and their housing operations providing the opportunity to experience living within the residential dormitories as we visited the different organisations.

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irst stop was University of Florida’s Gainesville campus and nothing screams “welcome” like a school band! As we came off the bus to the Florida heat and humidity, it was a credit to the band

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to give up their time to greet us as we entered the residential offices in readiness for our first night in residence. While it sounds a bit corny, the band was a wonderful highlight in retrospect with all the local staff adding the “lets go Gators” chant that clearly accompanied the tune at the local sporting events.

The generosity from the University of Florida faculty began with a welcome dinner at the exclusive ‘F Club’, typically reserved for sporting alumni. The Mission of the F Club is to provide opportunities for Gator letter winners to remain involved with Gator Athletics by providing various F Club activities and events so many staff and students would never experience the F Club or view the many trophies

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and memorabilia covering an illustrious and very successful sporting heritage.

From the home of the Gators, to Flagler College in St. Augustine.

This small private residential college is located in the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in continental United States. The college is named after Henry Morrison Flagler, an industrialist railroad pioneer and entrepreneur who in 1888, built the Hotel Ponce de León, his first in a series of luxury resor ts along Florida’s east coast. A masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture and the first major ‘poured-in-place’ concrete building is now known as Ponce de Leon Hall. The college holds the world’s largest single collection of Tiffany stained glass adorning the halls and residences. Students are living within a museum harking back to the nation building times of its origins and demonstrates how architecture and heritage add so strongly to the residential experience and instil a sense of connection to something more than simply a university degree.

Back to the modern day with our return and tours of the University of Florida Gainesville campus. Many AACUHO regulars would remember TJ Logan from past conferences who was our host for much our time at the ‘home of the Gators’. Our tour of the campus facilities took in the construction site of a ground breaking (literally)

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construction that responds directly to the needs of students with severe disabilities. TJ spoke of students who are simply not attending university due to the everyday challenges or feel they are forced to attend institutions that are able to accommodate their individual needs. The new building incorporates much more than universal access, it incorporates technology specifically designed for wheelchairs, rigging and tracks for harness style access within the rooms to allow residents to move effor tlessly without a wheelchair once in their unit. Inspirational and revolutionary thinking within residence to accommodate students for who University might otherwise be out of reach.

Back in the bus and off to University of South Florida in Tampa, home of the Bulls! If you have never been to the USA, the patriotism and connection to ‘your’ institution is striking, and everywhere. Through the course of the tour, we came to recognise this is also strongly tied to fundraising. Financial gifting in exchange for naming rights of the buildings constitutes much of the institutions construction budgets.

For some, the buildings are constructed and named ‘post donation’.

By way of example, the rooms we were staying in were named the Holly Apar tments (being on Holly Drive) until a suitable benefactor might provide a donation that might then constitute a name change in honour of the donation. It’s a process that clearly works and Universities have strong ties to alumni.

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ACUHO-I

The University of Tampa was another institution with strong Moorish architectural styling that allowed delegates to par take in a Minaret climb as par t of the tour. From a traditional building to their latest construction that demonstrated their strong commitment to sustainable design and construction. Mechanical engineering suppor ts numerous buildings and the sustainable focus shifts from a single building and looks to how to respond to the entire block or neighbourhood when designing areas on campus.

Back to the University of Southern Florida at their St Petersburg campus where delegates were treated to some sailing as par t of our rigorous learning about the recreation and water safety courses as a result of benefactors who donate their old sailing boats to the institution for students to learn from and enjoy. Did I mention how the USA Alumni programs provide strong educational benefits!

at times, (let alone the scale of the institutions themselves). Given their size, the personal connections must be a challenge. For us however, this was also a key highlight of the tour in getting to meet fellow residential staff from around the world with 10 different countries represented. The conversations along the way as well as the ongoing connections are difficult to quantify. As you would expect discussions along the way were just as valuable and insightful as the institutions we visited.

Overall the study tour provides terrific oppor tunities for delegates to network and make the most of their time in the USA while attending the AACUHO conference. As we move toward the 25th AACUHO conference in Sydney 2016, the experiences in Florida were a welcome insight that will influence our very own study tour for international delegates or new staff to our industry. I hope to see you aboard the bus... anyone know where I can find a brass band?

Last on the list was the exclusive St Leo University, a private Catholic institution serving all faiths.

The apar tments style accommodation houses over 1600 students and comes with a grounds and facilities more akin to a resor t than a University complete with relaxation Pods, more often associated with Tech companies like Google that allowed students a scientifically proven 20 minute relaxation space for a nap or break from the rigors of Uni life... although the noise from the air hockey and pinball machines in the rec room next door seemed to detract from the experience. The grounds and facilities were something else.

The institutions ranged in size from over 8,500 residents at University of Florida to 1300 residents at St Leo’s. The scale of the residential operations are difficult to come to terms with The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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Association of College & University Housing OfficersInternational

If campus housing is your profession, ACUHO-I is your association.

More than 1,000 institutions and 250 companies from around the world count on ACUHO-I to deliver valuable member resources, all designed to strengthen the campus housing profession.

ACUHO-I delivers: Face-to-face conferences and institutes, including the ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition in Seattle, Washington, July 12-15, 2016.

A growing number of online courses and certificate programs that deliver valuable information on hot topics in campus housing.

Informative publications such as the Talking Stick magazine, the Journal of College & University Student Housing, and the definitive six-volume book set, Campus Housing Management.

A vibrant online library featuring hundreds of documents and resources.

The ACUHO-I online community connecting thousands of professionals around the world to ask and answer their most pressing questions.

And much more.

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Learn more at www.acuho-i.org www.adbourne.com

ACUHO-I

WORLD LEADERS International student staff help increase international student retention ANTONIO L. PEE | BRISTOL DAY

The increasing number of international students on campuses throughout the U.S. has brought with it a host of opportunities and challenges for housing departments, one of which is to make them feel part of a larger community, which could contribute positively to their retention. One way to do this is to hire international students as resident assistants and for other student staff positions so that they can feel more closely tied to the residential community.

A

ccording to the Institute of International Education’s 2014 Open Doors Report, the number of international students on U.S. campuses reached a record high of 886,052 in the 2013-14 academic year, an increase of 8 percent from the previous year. As encouraging as those numbers are, other studies report the dissatisfaction that some international students are feeling with their university experience. In a 2013 study, Uneven Experiences: What’s Missing and What Matters for Today’s International Students, Chris Glass, Stephanie Buus, and Larry Braskamp report that international students lack a feeling of connection; specifically, they note that “international students rate their sense of community significantly lower than their U.S. peers along every dimension, especially when asked whether they feel part of a close and supportive community of colleagues and friends at their institution.” Further, the report suggests that “leadership programs that stress collaboration” can enhance their sense of community, and this is precisely where residence life can step in.

Hiring an international student as a resident assistant gives them an opportunity to learn and perfect leadership skills, and hiring them in other positions – desk staff or facilities or dining services – can help them The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

feel more closely connected to the community and the institution.

Recruiting and hiring international students can help to break down some of the barriers between domestic and international students and can create an inclusive environment with a more global perspective.

Scott Boden, associate director of residence life at The Ohio State University in Columbus, says, “We truly value the overall student experience, and because our population of students is increasingly international, it’s important to be sure that we have students that are reflective of our student body composition. We also think that hiring international students gives them an opportunity to learn about work culture in the U.S. and how we manage our daily work.”

Offering international students jobs is of course only one step. They also need the support of a comprehensive program that will train staff to recruit, interview, assist, and advise these students. At Michigan State University in East Lansing, the human resources unit within the residence education and housing services department provides interview training for staff at all levels, and they make a special effort to eliminate any bias in the interview process that may result from language barriers or cultural differences; for example, in American culture, establishing and maintaining eye contact is perceived as a sign of confidence and attentiveness, but in other cultures it is a sign of disrespect. Interviewers need to be aware of these differences so that they can judge the prospective employee objectively and can succeed in creating an atmosphere of ease and trust. Michigan State’s redesign of the entire resident assistant interview process had a positive impact, resulting in an increase in the number of international student applications for student staff positions – those for resident assistant positions alone rose from 11 in 2010 to 30 in 2013.

Focus groups composed of first-year international students, current international student employees, and graduate students can help clarify what kind of information is most important for international students.

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ACUHO-I

In addition, housing departments can partner with the international student and scholar services (ISSS) offices – as they did at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when training student staff – or other campus offices and programs for international students. Efforts should be made to improve the overall cultural competence of the hiring team and to ensure that training materials are inclusive not only of different learning styles but also of different cultures. These offices can also provide information about the guidelines, laws, and regulations related to hiring international students.

Increasing the diversity of residence hall staff is only one part of a larger effort among U.S. colleges and universities to enhance the on-campus experience of international students, starting at the very beginning of the process. Some campuses send representatives to greet new international students upon their arrival at the airport, helping to ease their transition to a new country and an unfamiliar campus. Others start even sooner by hosting pre-departure orientations so that students have a better idea of what to expect when they arrive in their host country. These attempts to reach out are extended into programmatic efforts on campus. At Michigan State, campus-wide programs such as Lunar New Year and a weekly international-focused coffee hour have helped to bring staff and students together. The ISSS at the University of Colorado Boulder provides programs specifically for Chinese, Indian, Saudi, and Korean students, as well as hosting field trips, poetry readings, and weekly coffee hours. They also make training in cultural competence available to everyone – students, staff, faculty, and administrators – and an annual President’s Diversity Award recognises those who have worked to develop “a culturally diverse, compassionate university community of inclusive excellence.”

Any additional work that may be necessary to recruit, train, and prepare international students for staff positions is worth the effort. Oftentimes, these students are engaged in a confidence battle within themselves, concerned that they do not have the skills, tools, or language ability to be a successful candidate or to complete the job duties. Hiring programs for residential student staff must create systems that build confidence and create reassurance. Michigan State offers several candidate information sessions, several of which are specific to international students, and they present materials in both English and Mandarin, since this is the largest segment of the international student population at MSU. Providing jobs for international students has several positive benefits that lead to better retention: It increases the range of their social interactions, especially with those of other cultures; it makes them feel more connected to both the residential and the campus community; it helps to enhance their overall experience on campus and in the residence halls; and it can provide an opportunity for them to act in a position of confident leadership.

As campuses continue to focus on producing graduates who have a stronger global competence, it is important to retain an even sharper focus on the experience of international students on our campuses.The experiences of both domestic and international students should be positive and balanced, not unequal and uneven. Creating a sense of connection and of belonging is important for all students, but it is especially important for international students, who have left home, family, and friends and can easily feel isolated or marginalised in their new environment if attempts are not

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made to reach out to them. And they have much to contribute.They can make significant contributions to diversifying the residential staff and the larger community, they provide different points of view and allow residents to engage in critical conversations within a global context, and they can serve as a testament to our commitment to supporting all students in our campus communities.

This article has been run with permission from ACUHO-I. Antonio L. Pee is an assistant director of residence education in the Department of Residence Education and Housing Services at Michigan State University.

Bristol Day is a community director in the Department of Residence Education and Housing Services at Michigan State University.

Resources Recruiting and hiring international students can help break down some of the barriers between domestic and international students.

These resources range from seeing things from an international student’s point of view to engaging students in exploring a new culture.

• Rahul Choudaha, Kata Orosz, and Li Chang, Not All International Students Are the Same: Understanding Segments, Mapping Behavior (2012).

• Karin Fischer, “Helping Foreign Students Thrive on U.S. Campuses,” New York Times (March 2, 2014). • Karin Fischer, “Many Foreign Students Are Friendless in the U.S., Study Finds,” The Chronicle of Higher Education (June 14, 2012).

• Chris Glass, “Educational Experiences Associated with International Students’ Learning, Development, and Positive Perceptions of Campus Climate,” Journal of Studies in International Education (2012).

• Chris Glass, Stephanie Buus, and Larry Braskamp, Uneven Experiences: What’s Missing and What Matters for Today’s International Students (October 2013).

• Chris Glass, Rachawan Wongtrirat, and Stephanie Buus, International Student Engagement: Strategies for Creating Inclusive, Connected, and Purposeful Campus Environments (2014).

• Institute for International Education, Open Doors® 2014 Report on International Educational Exchange (November 17, 2014), available at http:// www.iie.org/Research-and- Publications/Open-Doors.

• Jennie J. Lee, “International Students’ Experiences and Attitudes at a U.S. Host Institution: Self-Reports and Future Recommendations,” Journal of Research in International Education (2010).

• Rachel A. Smith and Nigar G. Khawaja, “A Review of the Acculturation Experiences of International Students,” International Journal of Intercultural Relations (2011).

• University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Hiring Guidelines for International Employees (http://www.isss.illinois.edu/common_ studschol/intl_hiring.html).

• University of Michigan, Employer’s Guide to Hiring International Students (http://oiss.isp. msu.edu/documents/departments/Employer_ Guide_Hiring_Int_ Students.pdf).

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Are your rooms’ split system air conditioning a financial black hole?

How can you make significant Split System AC Power Savings without affecting comfort JOHN CLIFFORD | Managing Director of Aircon Off

Air Conditioning remains by far the largest user of electricity in any student accommodation room.

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ndustry studies show that AC costs can account for over 75% of the total in-room power bill and that often over 50% of that AC power is wasted, either because rooms are empty, or the AC is running too hot or too cold.

The reality is that although most students consider themselves environmentally aware, when it comes to the air conditioning they are normally not overly concerned with practicing good energyconservation behaviour themselves.

Energy is an invisible resource. People can’t see it and when you combine this with the fact that they are distracted by work or leisure, the level of concern for energy wastage is usually exceptionally low. This has created a clear oppor tunity for accommodation manager to save power and money with the introduction of simple but highly cost effective room automation and smar t devices.

Because most people mistakenly believe that a lower setpoint equates to faster cooling and cooler air coming out of the vents, air conditioning is consistently set at much lower temperatures then necessary for reasonable comfort. Indeed it has been said that thermal comfort is “90 percent mental and 10 percent physical.” But did you know that by adjusting the room setpoint by a few degrees, you could save between 5% and 10% of power costs for each degree”.

How can you do take back some measure of control when the AC settings are managed by the room occupants themselves?

A solution is here!

There are new well established Smart products available specifically designed for solving these issues and they can be quickly retrofitted without building works or in-wall wiring.

There are various ways you can ensure that you optimise the air conditioning that you provide for guests and staff and in turn significantly improve your businesses bottom line.

An ongoing problem Does this sound familiar? Students walk into their room, put on the AC and turn it down to the maximum available setting. Once the AC is on, it normally stays on... few will turn it off when they leave the room or go out

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SPECIAL INTEREST Universal Energy Saving Smart Remotes with Placebo Effect: Designed to replace any existing hand held remote control, these Smart Remotes can be programmed to restrict the range of temperatures a user can access. This prevents an air conditioner being set to uneconomic (very high or very low) temperatures. They are also tamperproof, so that the owner preferences are completely protected.

The latest model from market leaders, Aircon Off, also has a Placebo Effect feature. This is a unique function where the AC is always runs economically between preset limits but it appears to AC users that the air conditioner remote is operating without any restriction.

Aircon Off Occupancy Sensor Controllers for Split Systems:

With air conditioning being by far the most expensive single consumer of power in the accommodation industry and with energy prices increasing steadily it makes sense to take these sensible reliable and cost effective steps to minimise wastage and optimise usage.

Designed to monitor human presence in a room, these units will automatically either ‘turn off ’ or set to ‘economy mode’, split system air conditioning left running in empty rooms.

Remember, “The best possible way to combat power price increases is to control existing use as effectively as possible”

They have night settings to allow undisturbed sleep, and if you have sliding patio doors, they are available with wireless door and window sensors to prevent the AC running if doors and windows are left open for more than a very short time.

About the author

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

John Clifford is the Managing Director of Aircon Off, developers of a range of products that help motels, optimise air conditioning usage to eliminate wastage, save money and conserve energy. Find out how we can help your business become more energy efficient at www.airconoff.com.au.

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Phil Ellis on 0412 357 499 or email phil@directproducts.net.au www.directproducts.net.au www.adbourne.com

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

The University of Sydney has just completed two exciting new student accommodation facilities providing an additional 1000 beds near campus. .

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he Queen Mary Building at Camperdown was opened in 1956 and once housed nurses training and working at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, but had stood vacant since 2002.

The University has proudly redeveloped the building as a student accommodation facility and operations officially commenced in July 2015.

Seven hundred and ninety nine students have moved in and are enjoying the many exciting and unique features of the building including sky lounges, a fully landscaped sky garden, bbq area, sound-proof music rooms, a theatre, a gym and study hub areas in the laundries so students can study while their washing dries.

The students accommodation consists of beautifully-appointed rooms many with wonderful views of the Sydney skyline. A typical bedroom consists of a king single bed and an integrated bed head, wardrobe, study desk and chair with a pin board, bar fridge and a television.

The building contains a large communal kitchen that features gas cooktops, ovens, food

SPECIAL INTEREST

lockers refrigerators and large dining tables for students to gather together to eat their meals.

A magnificent mural also features in the common area recognising and celebrating Aboriginal heritage and culture and acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the building stands.

The University is delighted that the Queen Mary Building has been readapted to provide a wonderful new home and supportive environment for University of Sydney students to live and learn. Local grants scheme and priority programmes will be an integral part of the student experience in the accommodation facilities. The local grant scheme will allow residents to access student experience funding to organise and lead activities and events.

Priority programmes, instituted by Student Accommodation Services, will be made available to all accommodation facilities. These programmes, which will include leadership conferences and skills workshops, will encourage residents to engage and participate in activities beyond the classroom.

On the Darlington side of campus, the University has completed 200 private selfcatered apartment rooms in the Abercrombie Student Accommodation building. Residents of this facility will also have access to common and games areas, a theatre and meeting and study rooms. The facility will open for business in October 2016.

The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

For further information regarding the Queen Mary Building or the Abercrombie Student Accommodation please go to http://sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation.html

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Are you really that different?

PAPER MONKEY

Every residential college is proclaiming they are different.

Some are really shouting about it while others are quietly putting the message out there. But, when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of it (and be very honest about this) how different are you from every other college?

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our logo might look different however, at a guess, it’s probably still a crest, the same as many other colleges. Your communications material might feature happy students who attend your college – why wouldn’t it. You might have the best accommodation available to students but only until someone else builds something better.

It seems clear that pretty much every college is in fact offering exactly the same as its competitors! What is surprising is that many are consciously acting like sheep – merely milling around and waiting for something to happen.

You are probably aware of the following ‘differentiators’ because you may well use them to sell your college – ‘a well-rounded experience’, ‘preparing global citizens’, ‘a safe environment’, ‘a sense of community’, ‘convenient locality’, ‘modern facilities’, ‘price’. However, as everyone else is using the same differentiators, does that make a mockery of what a unique selling point actually is? How can you expect potential students be drawn to your institution if it’s being sold in exactly the same way as your competitor down the road?

But every cloud has a silver lining. You are in the perfect position to do something about this now, before it really becomes an issue. That might seem a little daunting, but wouldn’t it be more so if you left it too late?

How would you feel if your college’s revenue began to suffer, if its ability to secure future funding became impossible or if its capacity to attract prospective students was notably weaker because you’d been to slow to react to the problem of lack of differentiation?

However everyone else is in the same boat at the moment so maybe this is your opportunity to distance yourself from the pack. And if you don’t, someone else will seize the initiative and beat you to it.

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Continuing to mimic your competitors will ultimately become a race to the bottom of the barrel. Differentiating from your competitors will put you in a league of your own and make you unique. That’s something that everyone should want.

papermonkey.com.au Since 1996 we have worked with schools, residential colleges and universities to refine their brands and marketing material & improve not just the quantity but also the quality of the applicants their marketing campaigns attract.

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The Australasian Student Residences Management Journal

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PRODUCT NEWS

ASSA ABLOY Hospitality ASSA ABLOY Hospitality has served as the leading global technology provider of access control and Energy Management Systems (EMS) for over 35 years.

Our advanced solutions have been further enhanced with the launch of our revolutionary new Mobile Access platform. This award-winning Seos-based technology has been designed to maximise security, operational efficiency and convenience for accommodation facilities within the Education market.

Mobile Access enhances the student experience by allowing facilities to manage and assign security credentials to individuals, allowing them to access accommodations, using their own smart mobile device. This enables data to be transmitted via our application, including the ability to reserve and book rooms, as well as remote check-in and check-out functionality.

Students can arrive at any time and go straight to their rooms using our mobile application. With no need for keys, keycards or having to wait in a reception desk queue, students are given a seamless and secure method that saves time and enhances the value of your facility.

Mobile Access enables you to run a smooth arrival process for the new intake of students, and facilitates efficient ongoing management of the existing student body. This also enhances the reputation of your facility within the highly competitive student market and provides residents with a greater sense of interaction and satisfaction by leveraging the benefits of Mobile Access.

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Nero Bambino Kettles Weatherdon are proud to announce the arrival of their new Bambino kettles – custom designed for budget accommodation and absolutely cute to boot. These

babies are available in black or white to suit any dĂŠcor.

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At Weatherdon we are tireless in our pursuit of the perfect products to cover all bases so our clientele do not waste precious time sourcing and sorting appropriate room supplies. We are the specialists in student accommodation kitchen packs.

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