Summer 2022
ABOUT TRENDS TRENDS is published three times a year by Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO) for members of the association.
GLACUHO is a non-profit organization that strives to: Better prepare housing officers to meet the diverse and changing needs of those we serve with primary concern for students.
Contribute to the improvement of dining services, residential life, residential services, and residential facilities provided by housing officers.
Sponsor activities and services which assist housing officers in the exchange and distribution of information and ideas.
Support the goals and purposes of the Association of College and University Housing Officers International (ACUHO-I)
Advance and communicate professional knowledge and standards in the field of housing.
Provide opportunities for the education and professional development of housing officers.
GLACUHO Communications & Marketing Committee Sara Kennedy
Amanda Mientus
University of Cincinnati
Miami University
Qiana Boyd
Makayla Ostapa
University of Indianapolis
Aurora University
Kyra DeLoach
Alexis Straub
Southwestern Michigan College
Michigan Technological University
Tim McCue
Kellee Steffen
Illinois State University
Ohio University
GLACUHO Board of Directors & Committee Chairs President Quiana M. Stone
Technology Coordinator Jeremy Alexander
Professional Foundations Chair Kate Page
DePaul University
Eastern Illinois University
Miami University
Past President Robin Gagnow
Committee Chair Delegate Rod Waters
Campus Safety & Crisis Management Chair Kevin Krauskopf
Baldwin Wallace University
DePaul University
Elmhurst University
President-Elect Steve Herndon
Conference Host Chair Zac Birch
Conference Host Assistant Chair Dave Arnold
University of Dayton
Northern Illinois University
University of Illinois
Secretary Nathan C Tomson
Health and Wellness Chair Tresa Barlage Zianno
Facilities & Operations Chair Robert King
Central Michigan University
Miami University
Chicago State University
Treasurer Shavonn Nowlin
Student Learning Chair Bradford Peace
Communications & Marketing Chair Sara Kennedy
Saint Xavier University
Ball State University
University of Cincinnati
Exhibitor Liaison Eddie Nguyen-Koelzer
Inclusion & Equity Chair Rodrina Moore
Contemporary Issues Chair Demetrius T. Gary
Michigan State University
Wayne State University
University of Michigan
Editorial Guidelines All members of GLACUHO institutions are encouraged to submit articles for publication. Be sure to indicate the name of author(s), institutions(s), email address(es), and GLACUHO committee or board affiliation, if applicable. Articles not received on time or not published will be considered for the next issue. Submitted content may also be published at any time based on editorial needs and focus of edition. Necessary editorial revisions will be made to ensure publication quality and to meet space requirements. Authors must submit work with GLACUHO to make necessary edits for publication to TRENDS and to maintain consistency across the publication. Submitted content ma\y or may not be published at the discretion of GLACUHO. Material that has been submitted to other publications is discouraged. Authors bear full responsibility of the accuracy of references, quotations, tables, and figures submitted for publication. Authors further hold GLACUHO harmless from any liability resulting from publication of articles. Any editorial mention of commercial interests is intended entirely as an information service and should not be construed as an endorsement, actual or implied, by GLACUHO. Submission should be made at www.glacuho.org/?Trends_Submissions Comments, and questions for TRENDS can be sent to trends@GLACUHO.org Sara Kennedy - University of Cincinnati sara.kennedy@glacuho.org GLACUHO Communications and Marketing Chair
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A LOOK INSIDE THIS ADDITION OF TRENDS... 5
Write for Trends
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Centering Student Staff in Student Staff Competencies Tony Tyler, University of Ohio Jacob Levin, University of Ohio
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GLACUHO Scholarship Application Info GLACUHO 360 Full Data Report - 2021 Leah Wheeler, The Ohio State University Derek Goeglein, University of Cincinnati
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Understanding the Connections of Public Health and Residence Life Gia Born, Eastern Michigan University
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Article References
E T I R W OR F DS N E R T l
l a F sions s i m b : e u S Du h t 6 2 t s u g u A
Centering student staff in student staff competencies
Tony Tyler (He/Him/His) Assistant Director, University of Ohio Jacob Levin (He/Him/His) Senior Resident Advisor, University of Ohio
In the Spring of 2022, Jacob Levin worked with Tony Tyler, the Assistant Director for Recruitment, Selection, Training, and Development at Ohio University’s Department of Housing and Residence Life, to develop competencies for his position, the Senior Resident Advisor (SRA). The process was, on the surface, straightforward and simple – the authors pulled broad strokes from the position description and involved various technical experts who have worked extensively with the role in its various functions at Ohio University. From there, Jacob relied heavily on personal experience to fill in the competencies with Tony, who was a moderating job analyst and technical expert.
In Human Resource Management (HRM), there are 2 components that arise from job analysis: the job description (i.e., the list of tasks and duties that are assigned to the position) and the job specification (i.e., the variety of knowledge and skills that individuals need to succeed in the position). The job incumbents are the most valuable source of information for job analysis. It was strategically important that the SRA play a role in developing the professional competencies of an SRA. In a 2003 meta-analysis of job analysis reliability from Dierdoff and Wilson, there are 3 identified sources of information: 1) incumbents, those bringing information from the job itself, 2) analysts, those bringing information from 3rd-party interviews and observations, and 3) technical experts, those bringing information from a supervisory level and technical view. When looking at the consistency that the positions provided, job incumbents provided both the most consistent scoring between scorers (inter-rater) and were consistent with themselves across time (intra-rater).
Including technical experts in the process would mitigate the lower overall scores from the job incumbents, and the consistency that job incumbents provide gives the technical experts a reliable source of information. In developing SRA competencies, the job analysts and technical experts are filled by the full-time professional staff members who have worked with undergraduate student staff in the role and by staff (undergraduate or otherwise) who have filled the role previously. This collaborative approach to the creation and development of competencies and other job functions/roles can bring, at minimum, two benefits: 1) higher retention rates for student staff, and 2) higher student staff involvement and investment. In Karl Rishe’s thesis, cognitive dissonance is shown to have a negative correlation with retention (Rishe, 2006). Reducing cognitive dissonance through transparency in competency development and in competencies in general has strong potential to help increase retention rates (Rishe, 2006). Jacob’s involvement in the examination of the position description for SRA, translating it to competencies, resulted in conversations that required him to reflect on his own experiences; what occurs in the position, what expectations are wrapped around those experiences, and thinking critically about how the blending of these things should inform the development of competencies. While not every SRA has participated in this process, incorporating student staff into the development of position descriptions, competencies, evaluations, and various other processes, reduces the cognitive dissonance between the stated expectations and the experience most have. While this article focuses on undergraduate student involvement in the development of position competencies, undergraduate students can also benefit from individual and group examination/updating of position descriptions, evaluations, marketing for hiring processes, and interviews.
This practice may cause some discomfort and challenge for Housing/Student Affairs professionals that have traditionally maintained the sole input into these processes. However, by flipping this power dynamic, and bringing undergraduate students alongside our processes, Student Affairs/Housing Professionals can devote more to their educational experience and development as students. We cannot allow the continued professionalization of the higher education field to occur at the expense of student development. The second benefit of having stronger involvement and investment in their roles also increases, in Jacob’s case, the ability for involvement in the creation of competencies.
Being involved in departmental functions broadly, but specifically in Jacob’s case, the creation of competencies encourages higher rates of involvement and investment in the roles that student staff hold. It is a generally accepted business practice and understanding that the more employees feel they are invested in by an organization, the higher retention rates tend to be. This passes the smell test by general observation that when an employer invests in professional development, wage and benefit increases, and other opportunities for staff, the more likely staff are to stick around, though it does not have to be directly monetary in the case of a pay raise. This plays itself out in undergraduate staff by bringing in undergraduate staff members and involving them in the development of the competency set. It’s an effective way to initiate that investment and support staff feel more connected to the organization and have greater transparency in what the organization is seeking for employees.
In recent years, like many other universities in our region and across the nation, Ohio University’s Housing and Residence Life has experienced significant change. Our new leadership has cast a vision of OHIO becoming the exemptional residential experience in Ohio. By centering the student experience in our staffing procedures, we are striving toward attaining that goal. As student affairs, and specifically housing and residence life, professionals, we often have a strong focus on student development, relationship and community building of supporting our undergraduate staff.
However, leaning too far into that dimension of our roles often comes at the expense of remembering that our student staff are also employees who draw a wage, work hours, and gave obligations, rights, and aspirations as employees. In the search for exemplary student services, the employee aspects of the student staff experience can be neglected. Actively engaging our student staff in all aspects of their positions, from creation to position descriptions, competencies, and evolutions, to re-examining and updating those same materials, we embrace a broader developmental process that benefits both our student staff professional and personal lives.
e h t r o f d e r e t s i g e r u ? o e y c e n v e r a e H f n o C O H U C A L G 2 2 0 2 Regular registration ends September 30th @ 5pm
Visit glacuho.org/page/2022Conference
GLACUHO SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION GLACUHO is excited to announce we are currently accepting applications for scholarships for the GLACUHO 2022 conference. The conference will be held November 6th to 8th in Springfield, Illinois. The scholarship covers registration to attend the annual conference and applications are due on Friday, September 30, 2022. The First Time Attendee Scholarship is awarded to a new member to GLACUHO who has not previously attended the conference. Up to one scholarship will be awarded to each of the four states, Illinois Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The GLACUHO Committee Member Scholarship is awarded to an active member who currently serves on a GLACUHO committee. This scholarship will be awarded to up to four current committee members. The New School and School Re-Involvement Scholarship is awarded to enable the attendance of one staff member from a school across the GLACUHO region who has not been engaged in GLACUHO during the last two years.
All scholarship winners will be notified prior to the on-time registration deadline for the conference. To learn more about the scholarships and eligibility, visit GLACUHO.org
GLACUHO 360 Full Data Report - 2021 Leah Wheeler Leadership & Involvement Specialist - The Ohio State University
Derek Goeglein Area Coordinator - University of Cincinnati Conference Host Committee: Assessment & Marketing Subcommittee
Report Snapshot: This is the brief snapshot of our data report that is about. To create the 360 Report, we compiled data from the Needs Assessment, webinar evaluations, program proposals, Guidebook conference program evaluations, registration details, and the programming slate for the 2021 conference. From these documents, we then decided what pieces of data we wanted to compare and share for the future of our organization. This information while focused on Programming and Development is not only helpful towards programming, but for the direction of the future of GLACUHO.
Overall Session Attendance During 2021 Conference Data: To create the table below, we looked up each program and categorized it to what session it was presented during. Then we calculated all evaluations submitted for each session.
The data outlined above reflects the overall attendance at each session based on survey participation using Guidebook. The highest attended sessions were those on Monday (1-3) and the lowest attended were sessions 6, 7, and 8 on Tuesday. This marks a slight difference from 2019 where the highest attended session was session 1 rather than session 2 in 2021.
Average Overall Session Rating with Context Data: To create the table below, we looked at all overall average ratings for each program presented during each session.
This table reflects the overall average of the programs considering session times. For 2021, the lowest rated sessions occurred during the session before lunch on Tuesday and the last session on Monday. This may be because we pushed lunch to start at a later time in 2021, but this is a pattern that occurred at the 2019 Conference as well. The highest rated sessions were right after lunch on Monday and Tuesday, the first session on Tuesday.
Overall Average of Conference Program Evaluations based on Job Level
The above table illustrates average in-person conference program rating over the last four years based on self-reported professional level. The 2021 data showed the same average rating for entry-level, mid-level, and graduate professionals of 4.33. However, mid-level and graduate professionals’ ratings have decreased from 2019 while Entry-Level ratings increased in 2021. This is likely due to the smaller pool of programs people were able to attend at our 2021 conference. It’s possible entry-level professionals were simply excited to connect with folks in the field after not being able to in 2020. Senior Housing Officer (SHO) overall ratings of the programs they attended were at its lowest from the past 4 years, but only 19 SHOs attended the conference and it’s possible fewer than that number attended and filled out the program evaluations.
Throughout the course the last three years, entry level professionals represent the largest group of professionals completing program evaluations. In 2019 we noticed a three-year decline of average program ratings. We saw a few increases as explained above, but this data is also based on a smaller population attending the conference. We believe that the 2021 conference was well-rounded, offering programs for all levels of professionals and the goal is to continue that balance moving forward.
ACUHO-I Competencies Wanted vs. Provided vs. Attended Data: We looked at needs assessment results regarding number of people interested, number of sessions listed in the accepted program proposals, and number of people who evaluated that ACUHO-I competency related session at the conference.
The competencies highlighted in gray were the top 10 competencies that GLACUHO members wanted to learn more about at the Annual Conference based on the 2021 Needs Assessment results. Highlighted in blue are the top 5 ACUHO-I competencies that were presented at the conference, which were Leadership, Equity & Inclusion, Resident Education - Student Development, Resident Education - Hall Director Development, and Human Resources. The top 5 ACUHO-I competencies that had the highest attendance at the conference are highlighted in green and include Leadership, Human Resources, Resident Education - Hall Director Development, Equity & Inclusion, and Crisis Management. The table shows us that crisis management was the third requested competency in the needs assessment, but only 4 programs were submitted and accepted to be presented at the conference. It is clear that GLACUHO wanted more opportunities for this topic as it was the 5th highest attended competency but wasn’t in the top 5 program competencies provided. The Fiscal Resources and Control competency only had 3 programs offered at the conference but had high attendance and may show a need to provide more programs around this topic in the future. For the Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Human Resources, and Resident Education - Hall Director Development competencies, we met the needs and provided various programs that had high attendance at the conference.
Top 5 Equity and Inclusion Topic Trends from 2021 Needs Assessment Data: To create the table below, we reviewed responses from 2019-2021 Needs Assessments that asked, “In hopes of furthering our goal to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity through GLACUHO’s educational services, what topics would you like to see addressed in this area for the upcoming year?” and then categorized responses to determine the top 5 topics.
We began asking this question in our Needs Assessment survey in 2019 to see what diversity, equity, and inclusion topics GLACUHO members would be interested in learning more about. We asked, “In hopes of furthering our goal to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity through GLACUHO’s educational services, what topics would you like to see addressed in this area for the upcoming year?” This question was asked in collaboration with the Equity and Inclusion Committee as they were looking to expand efforts made to engage presenters in creating programs that are more inclusive and culturally competent. We also wanted to identify the types of programming people wanted at the conference. One limitation of this section is that some inferencing was necessary to generate categories.
Top 10 Things to Know from the GLACUHO 360 Report When looking at the overall trends in the region for 2021, the following are important analytic points. 1. Programs that were focused on Leadership (career trajectory development, professional development, etc.) were the second most requested topics and the most attended programs of the conference. Equity and Inclusion programs were the most requested and the second most attended programs of the conference. 2. Differing from the past three years, the second programming session of the conference was the most attended. 3. The first programming session of the day on Tuesday morning (Session 1 from 9-10am) continues to be in the top three average rated sessions since 2018. For 2021, this session was also the highest rated session of the conference. 4. For the Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Human Resources, and Resident Education - Hall Director Development competencies, we met the needs and provided various programs that had high attendance at the conference. 5. GLACUHO members want to see more programming about fiscal resources and control (budget development, reporting, accounting, and purchasing) and about evaluation and planning (assessment). 6. Career Advancement and Equity & Inclusion topics continue to be topics that GLACUHO members want to explore more. 7. GLACUHO members reported wanting to learn more about how to train students and staff on DEI topics and how to support underrepresented populations. 8. We’re seeing a trend since 2019 that we’re better meeting the needs of Mid-Level professionals as we’ve continued to increase programs targeted at these professionals and the average program ratings from this group are higher than 2018 and 2017. 9. Senior housing officer professionals had the lowest average of conference program evaluation scores, which is a continual decline reported since 2017. This suggests that we can do better at engaging our SHOs in the region. 10. After a decline between 2017-2019, the 2021 Conference represents an increase of average program ratings
What’s Next: For the 2022 year, we are planning to combine some assessments into one survey so we can ensure a better response rate to inform our GLACUHO initiatives. We also plan to continue to compare longitudinal data, but want to add new relevant questions to our assessments to inform our association. If you would like to review the full report in its entirety, please contact Leah Wheeler, from the Conference Host Committee at wheeler.1110@osu.edu .
GLACUHO AWARDS On behalf of GLACUHO, we would like to encourage you to take time to submit a nomination for a deserving colleague on your campus or within our great region. Take a moment to recognize someone who has made an impact on you, your staff, or your residents. This is a terrific way to show appreciation to a deserving colleague and/or friend that does impressive work behind the scenes. We offer awards in excellence in service, programming, diversity initiatives, graduate, and professional staff, with many other categories. Take a moment and consider a nominating, work with other colleagues to submit a nomination for 2022 Annual GLACUHO Conference.
We are currently accepting nominations for the following awards: Dr. John E. "Jack" Collins Distinguished Service Award GLACUHO Service Award Outstanding Entry Level Professional (one awarded per state) Outstanding Graduate Practitioner (one awarded per state) Outstanding Facilities Manager Award Willie J. Young, Sr. Commitment to Inclusion and Equity Award Outstanding Project Award Outstanding Research and Writing Award Professional Development Award Mary Smith Women’s Issues Award
Additionally, we are accepting submissions to recognize those who have retired or have passed away through the following: Retiree Recognition Memorial Recognition For further information on the awards and the link to the application form, please visit our website at glacuho.org/awards. Award nominations require a nomination letter and demographic data. The awards page provides an outline for each award as well as a scoring rubric. Awards will be announced during the 2022 GLACUHO Annual Conference in Springfield, Illinois. The deadline for award submissions is 11:59 PM EST on Friday, September 16, 2022. If you have any questions, please contact me at pastpresident@glacuho.org.
Understanding the Connections of Public Health and Residence Life Gia Born Graduate Hall Director Eastern Michigan University
Professionals have not stopped to consider the parallels between residence life and public health; both fields center community and inclusive practices in order to make a more just world. Both fields center education; one works directly in a residence hall community while the other works broadly in cities or towns. Residential curriculums often center health and wellness programming and public health often works to educate communities on different topics such as Truths Campaign (About truth 2022). While evaluating the field of Housing and Residence Life and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that the role of health and wellness in our residence hall has shifted and grown. Oftentimes we don’t think of the role of Resident Advisors, Graduate Hall Directors, or Residence Directors as public health educators, but in fact, public health is a crucial part of their role and the residence life experience. According to the Society of Public Health Education, a Health Education Specialist “teaches behaviors that promote wellness. They develop and implement strategies to improve the health of individuals and communities (2021).” This can be seen in the roles of live-in staff when adjusting our focus to educating residents about the importance of wearing a mask, enforcing social distancing, and supporting residents through the ongoing pandemic.
In addition to the changes of live-in staff responsibility due to COVID-19, public health is prominent from room checks, to serving on call, to the programming provided to residents. This is because room checks aren’t something we do just to do, but to ensure residents have a safe room to move into by checking for water damage, mold, broken furniture or fixtures. Through serving on call, our live-in staff is serving as first responders to residents in crisis, providing support, and maintaining the security of our communities. Programs such as laundry bingo, safe sex trivia, or creating your own stress balls, promote wellness and safety in our halls. While we don’t always think about these actions as public health, they are because they are improving and maintaining the health of our community and according to the CDC foundation public health “ is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities (2022).” The everyday work our live-in staff does to create a safe and fun environment for residents has roots in public health.
Public health is essential to the work that we do in housing and residence life and assists us in meeting our goals to create safe and inclusive communities where students can learn and grow. Public health is rooted in the idea that all people deserve equitable access to health and wellness which is paramount to creating communities where all residents feel safe and included. Similarly to Housing and residence life, social justice and cultural competency are viewed as “a critical, influencing factor common to all forces of change in health care and public health (Cushman et al., 2015).” This is also true for housing and residence life because in order to make change and create inclusive communities, we have to understand that people hold multiple identities and that show and interact in different ways (Cushman et al., 2015). It is important to understand the way
Additionally, access to quality, affordable, and accessible housing is a growing concern in the public health community and an important social determinant of health. This is because unaffordable and substandard housing can lead to food insecurity, increased prevalence of mental health conditions, and risk for injury (Krieger & Higgins, 2002). Building design and maintenance are important to prevent the risk of injuries due to low ceiling heights, slippery surfaces, and inadequate lighting (Krieger & Higgins, 2002). Assistive indoor heat has been associated with irritability and social intolerance, while excessive coldness has been associated with anxiety and depression, and excessive exposure to noise has been linked to sleep deprivation (Krieger & Higgins, 2002). Our efforts as Residence Life Professionals to provide quality, affordable, and accessible housing options addresses
"...in order to make change and create inclusive communities, we have to understand that people hold multiple identities..." trans women of color and a cis white males experience residence life and the support they need is different. We must also understand the interactions between individual identity, power, and privilege to understand how people may feel silenced or unheard based on who is in leadership and the identities they hold. Without understanding the dynamics of multiple identities, power, and privilege we are unable to provide equitable solutions to meet the needs of all of our residents to build inclusive communities. Our work in residence life to call out oppression and build inclusive communities is rooted in public health because oppression and discrimination can be linked to negative mental and physical health outcomes (Cushman et al., 2015). As residence life professionals by creating safe and inclusive communities for our residents, we are also promoting healthy communities for them to thrive.
public health needs and challenges. Through connecting residents to campus resources for additional support, maintaining the safety and quality of our halls, and ensuring fair prices for on-campus housing. Understanding the connection between live-in staff to health educators, the mission of housing departments to public health, and housing as a social determinant of health shows clearly the field of residence life is rooted in public health and community. Illuminating, while we don’t always see, our roles as public health professionals we are, and we have a major impact on the health and safety of our residents.
Article References: Centering student staff in student staff compentencies Dierdorff, E. C., & Wilson, M. A. (2003). A meta-analysis of job analysis reliability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 635–646. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.4.635 Rishe, K. (2006) First year resident assistant retention at Grand Valley State University (631). [Master’s Thesis, Grand Valley State University]. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/theses/631/
Understanding the Connections of Public Health and Residence Life About truth. truth. (2022, January 31). Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://www.thetruth.com/about-truth Cushman, L. F., Delva, M., Franks, C. L., Jimenez-Bautista, A., Moon-Howard, J., Glover, J., & Begg, M. D. (2015). Cultural competency training for public health students: Integrating self, social, and global awareness into A master of public health curriculum. American Journal of Public Health, 105(S1). https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2014.302506 Krieger, J., & Higgins, D. L. (2002). Housing and Health: Time again for public health action. American Journal of Public Health, 92(5), 758–768. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.92.5.758 What is a health education specialist? - society for public health education. SOPHE. (2021, October 6). Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://www.sophe.org/careerhub/health-education-profession/ What is public health? CDC Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://www.cdcfoundation.org/what-public-health
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