The Pulse February 2015

THE PULSE THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY HOUSING OFFICERS

FEBRUARY 2015

STUDENT DELEGATES 2015 RESIDENCE LIFE CONFERENCE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

Board of Directors PRESIDENT Laura Storey | Carleton University laura.storey@carleton.ca

MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Brian Ingoldsby | University of Guelph bingolds@uoguelph.ca

PRESIDENT-ELECT / FINANCE DIRECTOR Julie West | University of Guelph jwest@uoguelph.ca

CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Brittany Gawley | McMaster University gawleyb@mcmaster.ca

PAST PRESIDENT Chad Nuttall | University of Toronto Mississauga chad.nuttall@utoronto.ca

CORPORATE PARTNER RELATIONS DIRECTOR Colin Ryrie | Brock University cryrie@brocku.ca

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR Brian Cunha | University of Waterloo b2cunha@uwaterloo.ca

SENIOR-LEVEL MEMBER AT LARGE Glenn Matthews | Western University glenn@housing.uwo.ca

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Matthew Harris | York University maharris@yorku.ca

MEMBER AT LARGE Mike Porritt | McMaster University porritm@mcmaster.ca

ura

MEMBER AT LARGE Samantha Wiebe | University of Waterloo swiebe@uwaterloo.ca

The Communications Committee DIRECTOR Brian Cunha CONTRIBUTORS Drew Simon Heather Lang

THE PULSE EDITORS Victoria Gadon Alison Kavanagh Lyn-Marie Farley Katie Calcaterra Laura Mammone

THE HISTORY PROJECT Glenn Matthews Matt Waghorn Andrew Quenneville

Table of Contents 5

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EDITOR Brian Cunha

OACUHO elections

residence life conference membership engagement OACUHO Research

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President’s Message

B

onjour OACUHO!

The winter semester is half-­‐way done and I’d like to take a moment to recap a fantas8c event from more than a month ago: The Residence Life Conference hosted at University of Guelph!

This year’s conference showcased more than 40 student sessions, several professional sessions, two great keynote speakers and a well-­‐aFended banquet. With 31 different ins8tu8ons and more than 300 delegates, the energy, ideas and enthusiasm was really flowing over the weekend.

I heard one staff delegate say, “ THAT was the culmina8ng experience of my university life.”

You made a difference, aFendees, volunteers and hosts.

On behalf of OACUHO, thank-­‐you to University of Guelph for hos8ng and thank-­‐you to all of the ins8tu8ons sending delegates. A great engagement opportunity for all.

Laura Storey OACUHO President

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31 “ With different institutions and more than 300 delegates, the energy, ideas and enthusiasm was really ?lowing over the weekend.

”

OACUHO ELECTIONS

2015 President Elect (3 year term) | Conference Director (2 year term)| Membership Engagement Director (1 year term) Professional Development Director (1 year term) | Communica>on Director (1 year term) Member-­‐at-­‐Large* (1 year term) | Senior Member-­‐at-­‐Large** (1 year term) *2 posi(ons ** Experience of 5 years or more and supervise full (me staff

Nomina>ons Now Open | Nomina8ons Close: Friday March 20 Vo8ng commences: Thursday March 26 | Vo8ng concludes: Wednesday April 8

Jennifer Ashenden Assistant Director of Residences Western University Senior Member-at-Large 2013-2014 Last year I had the privilege of sitting on the Board of Directors for OACUHO. Mine was a new position geared to addressing the needs of the mid to senior level membership of our Association. Over of the year, we were able to identify four levels within the association – new, mid, senior and CHO – which helped to create professional development as well as networking opportunities geared to those specific groups. I also had the opportunity to sit on the Professional Development Committee for the Association as part of my role.

I must admit that although I had been in Housing for a decade, I did not consider running for the Board until a colleague from a different school mentioned the idea to me. As I’m sure everyone in Housing feels, I thought I was just “too busy” to consider taking on another commitment. However, I am glad that the bug was put in my ear. The experience allowed me to gain a better understanding of the Association and the work it does. More importantly, it helped me to see the potential of the work we could do and new heights we can achieve together. It requires interest from all levels of the Association and in all areas of Housing to really make a difference.

While there was an added time commitment, it was not as onerous as I thought it would be: four or five in-person meetings combined with regularly scheduled telephone conferences and a number of added hours here and there to complete tasks and action items. But it was time well-spent On a personal level, I learned a lot about our professional association and had the opportunity to meet wonderful people from across the province. I built a fabulous network of OACUHO members from whom I can seek advice and information. At the end of the day, I felt a sense of accomplishment participating on the Board and in future years, I will run again. I highly encourage others to consider the opportunity. The year goes by in a flash and it will give you the opportunity to give back.

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MYTHS ABOUT BEING ON THE BOARD MYTH ONE

It’s only for new professionals We need a wide range of housing professionals. In fact, this year, Laura, Mike and Chad are all Chief Housing Officers – and none for the first time! Both Glenn and Julie have been worked in housing since the mid-1980’s. We need variety or experience, expertise, perspective and outlook.

MYTH TWO Being on the board costs $$ There may be some costs borne by your institution, but for the most part, board work is covered by the OACUHO budget. We have $$ to support travel, meals, lodging and conference calls.

Conference registration needs to be paid by your institution, but your institution will also benefit from your attendance.

MYTH THREE

Face to face meetings are done on the cheap – you sleep on the floor at another board members house for the face-to-face meetings.

In fact, before the Fall Business meeting at Trent Oshawa, the board stayed at the same hotel recommended for meeting participants. In the summer we stayed in residence at Trent. At the Residence Life Conference at Guelph, some board members stayed at the Delta Hotel.

MYTH FOUR It’s for Residence Life people only and I’m not in ResLife.

Now there’s a great myth. We need EVERYONE’s participation. It’s the only way we can represent the views and wishes of the range of members. If you think that’s the case, WE NEED YOU!!!

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Residence Life Conference

35th Annual Residence Life Conference Celebrating its 35th year, the Residence Life Conference comes back to its birthplace, The University of Guelph. With over 300 delegates, it is one of the largest of its kind.

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a warm welcome from Guelph’s residenc e mascots

all smiles at the sign in table

delegates getting their “country on” at the opening social

ng openi te by
 keyno n in row Paul B morial e War M ll Ha

meeting new friends

Carleton celebrates the Spirit Award

student delegate session

Brock University posing at the banquet

board of directors photo booth

UTM in their tradition of top hats and suspenders

from left: Brian Ingoldsby (Conference Chair) 
 Evan Berry (Julianne Pettigrew Award Winner), Reba Campbell (Runner Up), 
 Julianne Pettigrew (Founder of the Residence Life Conference)

Res Life Conference Experiences- York University

The Residence Life student staff at York were asked to share about their experience at the Residence Life Conference and what were some of their key learnings and the following are some of the delegate responses:

What was my favourite moment from the conference?

My favourite moment at the conference was the opening key note speaker. He was very mo8va8onal and touched on a lot of the topics that were going to be discussed later on in the presenta8ons by our peers. He was able to engage me as an audience member and help me to apply myself to the informa8on he was talking about.

One of the key things that I took away from the conference was a point made about body image. The presenters took the phrase, "treat others the way you want to be treated" and changed it to say "treat yourself the way you want others to treat you". This really stuck out to me because I find that it is so easy to cri8cize yourself, but if someone else said the same things to you then it would not be okay. If it's not okay to hear the feedback from others, then you shouldn't be saying it to yourself either. I think a don could make a really successful program based off this phrase, as making students aware of the impacts of their words on their own self esteem might help change their aftude towards themselves and relieve some of the unconscious pressure they may be pufng on themselves.

What are three things I learned at the conference?

The 3 main things I learned at the conference was

1. The importance of learning from my peers 2. Being comfortable with stepping into new roles of leadership and socializing is beneficial for personal growth 3. School spirit amongst ins8tu8ons is contagious!

How can I use what I have learned to address current challenges being faced by my ins>tu>on?

-­‐ Allison Garner

Obviously, I thoroughly enjoyed my 8me at the conference and learned a few things that I would consider to be extremely valuable. The most noteworthy lesson I took away was that in our posi8on, we need to learn to appreciate small moments that bring either joy or sa8sfac8on. It is so easy for those that work in Res Life to feel defeated or frustrated when our plans fall flat, however, if we learn to enjoy any victory, it makes or posi8on more than worth-­‐while.

I learned a lot about speaking with inten8on so that residents will listen to what staff have to say. This is something that is proving to be difficult within my building and probably ongoing across campus. It was an informa8ve session because it helped me to re-­‐ evaluate my conversa8ons so that the quality of what I say is more important than how frequently I say it.

-­‐ Lauren Sproule

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How will I share what I have learned with other Residence Life Staff members from my ins>tu>on?

RLC 2015 was the first residence life conference that I was able to aFend and it did not live down to my expecta8ons! The energy among the delegates from all of the different schools was electrifying and truly contagious. I cannot recall a 8me where I've been in a more welcoming and upbeat atmosphere! The weekend overall was a great success as our collec8on of delegates lej Guelph in high spirits with new ideas and programs to implement throughout our remaining school year. One concept that really stuck with me was from a presenta8on on Self-­‐Love. The presenta8on had different liFle trinkets to work with (puzzle to build, mirror to reflect on yourself with) while the presenters spoke to us about key concepts that we must build towards in order to have a strong feeling of self-­‐worth and apprecia8ng ourselves. It was a very engaging presenta8on and I came away a great new way on how to present self-­‐love to my residents.

I will share my experiences with RLS by discussing the opportuni8es available at the RLC. In whole, talking about the personal and professional opportuni8es as well as the fun, learning and socializing that takes place. I hope to integrate material from at least one presenta8on into programming within my building.

How will I create momentum when I return back to campus and my residence community?

I will create momentum within my community ajer the RLC by programming with inten8ons of making a difference for my residents and trying to provide them with experiences that they would not find elsewhere.

Another important thing to me is that heading into the end of the year, residents feel that the support from their Dons throughout the year will con8nue to be ongoing.

-­‐ Erica Fearnall

On February 23rd the York U delega8on embarked to the University of Guelph to partake in the 2015 Residence Life Conference. Having the opportunity to co-­‐present about Cultural Differences, and Diversity as an asset, I was excited and nervous about what this year's conference had in store. From the moment we stepped onto the Go bus, the York U delega8on was pumped, and excited to try to win the Spirit Cup award this year. We as a team came together, met some wonderful people from various ins8tu8ons and learned a lot from one another. Personally, one thing I learned is just how much privilege different groups of individuals have, and how it affects their percep8on on life. I was able to take that knowledge and see how it pertains to my role as a Don at York University. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend, filled with fun, and spirit (with York coming in 2nd in the Spirit compe88on), and the connec8ons, and the memories made will last an eternity. Thank you RLC 2015.

-­‐ Patrick Hazzard

The York delega8on is beyond apprecia8ve of the work that the Host CommiFee put into the Conference and looks forward to an amazing experience at McMaster in November.

Matthew Harris York University maharris@yorku.ca

-­‐ Michael Korovin

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Membership Engagement Brian Ingoldsby

Membership Engagement Director OACUHO

In the midst of all this snow and ice, it’s hard to believe that the OACUHO Spring Conference is only a few short months away. However, with the warmth of June on the horizon, the Membership Engagement CommiFee wants to inform you that OACUHO’s year-­‐end awards process is once again gefng underway.

OACUHO’s award process gives us an opportunity to recognize our colleagues who have done outstanding work this past year. Do you have a co-­‐worker who rou8nely goes above and beyond in being of service to students? Do you have a colleague who has shown outstanding leadership and vision in helping your department navigate new changes? Perhaps you work with someone who is always looking to encourage the development and growth of others in your office or within OACUHO? If so, let’s recognize them!

The OACUHO Membership Engagement CommiFee Timeline:

March 16 – Nomina>ons open April 3 – Nomina>ons close April 20 – May 1 – Membership Engagement CommiUee reviews nomina>ons June 10, 2015 – Awards conferred at Closing Banquet, OACUHO Spring Conference

See the end of the ar8cle for a 8meline of this year’s nomina8on process and, for further informa8on on the

awards available to be conferred, as well as award nomina8on forms, please see the newly revamped Awards sec8on of the OACUHO website, at: hFp://oacuho.com/ index.php?sec8on=Awards

NHL Pool Standings:

Let’s all start thinking about our colleagues that deserve to be recognized this year!

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Victoria Gadon, 81 Bob Pritchett, 80 Paul Reifenstein, 79 Melanie Howard, 77 Colin Ryrie, 75

OACUHO Research Trevor Corkum

with OACUHO Research Writer

Happy 35th Anniversary, Residence Life Conference - An interview with Irene Thompson

Irene Thompson from Guelph University has played a pivotal role in the OACUHO Residence Life Conference over the years. I had the chance to ask Irene a couple of ques>ons about this year’s conference and how the conference has evolved to support OACUHO’s professional development mandate.

The OACUHO Residence Life Conference is celebra>ng 35 years this year. Can you tell us any more about how the conference first came together, or at least the early years of the conference? What has your role been over the years?

The conference was founded by Julianne K. Pefgrew, the Assistant Director Residence Life at the University of Guelph. Guelph was one of the early adopters of student development theory as a means of understanding our student clients and professionalizing our prac88oners. The first conference was held on January 30, 1981 and it was a one-­‐day, very hands-­‐on event. I found receipts for the first conference and they totalled $855!

organizer for many years when I assumed the Residence Program Coordinator role at Guelph. During my tenure we developed the professional stream. While the conference was s8ll the Guelph Residence Life Conference we were able to bring in several leading student affairs researchers (such as Susan Komives, Phyllis Mable, Floyd Hoel8ng, and Bob Capalbo) and notable public figures like Lincoln Alexander.

What would you say have been some of the highlights of the conference over the years?

How has the conference changed over >me?

Personal highlights included a couple of babies being born to conference organizers on the opening day of the conference ;). Julianne’s son Jonathan decided to make his appearance one year. My daughter Rebecca decided to make an early appearance one year! We had a few years where delegates were snowed in and needed to stay an extra day.

The event was very hands-­‐on, with an all-­‐ hands-­‐on-­‐deck approach among the Guelph staff gefng the program together and making the snacks and lunch. I was a delegate at the first conference, leading a delega8on in from the University of Windsor. The conference was a casual affair and we moved from presenta8on to presenta8on as a group. Sessions were held in a number of different residence lounges. I was part of a panel discussion with the topic being Residence Problems Today. As you can - 15 -

expect, we discussed alcohol use and vandalism among the various topics.

I have been privileged to have had a long associa8on with the conference as a delegate, organizer and host. I served as the conference

A major highlight had been the evolu>on of the professional stream at the conference. Ini>ally, the professionals aUended to provide supervision and support to their delegates. As the residence programs at more schools embraced more residence life professionals, the conference expanded to include a stream dedicated to their needs and professional development.

Why is this conference in par>cular so important to the housing profession?

This conference has always been the incubator for our profession. It is an opportunity for RLS to check out other schools and how they approach different topics and issues. It allows them to learn for others and to transfer that knowledge to their own schools. It allows them to see that residence life and housing are indeed career paths and that they are prime candidates to follow that calling.

The biggest advancement at the conference was the introduc8on of the Julianne K. Pefgrew Award, which provided recogni8on to the most outstanding s t u d e n t p r e s e n t a 8 o n a t t h e conference. This award has become very pres8gious and has served as a catalyst to increasing both the quality and content of presenta8ons. The p ro g ra m s l ate at t h i s ye a r ’s conference certainly reflected that. It is quality and content that has r i v a l l e d a n d e xc e e d e d m a n y professional conferences.

The conference is also a gathering of l i ke -­‐ m i n d e d i n d i v i d u a l s w h o understand the demands and expecta8ons of the job. They have a chance to get away from the fishbowl of their own campuses and to relax a m o n g k i n d r e d s p i r i t s w h o understand the responsibility and how difficult it is to truly relax on your own campus. I love aFending the conference and seeing the incredible talent and then going to the OACUHO conference and seeing them as newly hired professionals!

The evolu8on has also included making the conference an alcohol-­‐ free event. This change met with resistance from some professionals when it was first proposed. Anyone who aFended this year ’s conference could see that alcohol was clearly not missed! The networking has remained intense and incredible. The social media factor has taken it to new heights.

What does the theme Momentum mean to you as a housing professional, and why was it chosen for this year's conference?

Momentum was our Res Life theme for the year and was first rolled out during training. The theme was so appropriate for the Annual Residence Life Conference. I like the theme for its ability to mean a “driving power or strength”.

The conference has grown from a grassroots event with fewer than one hundred delegates to one with the highest professional standards. It has gone from an experience where delegates were billeted on campus to one with hundreds of delegates accommodated within a hotel sefng.

The conference is an opportunity for each ins8tu8on to send a representa8on of their strength (their shining stars) where collec8vely at the RLC they combine to create the driving power or strength. They come to the conference as individual ins8tu8ons and they leave taking a liFle of each other with them.

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Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers 312 Oakwood Crt, Newmarket Ontario, L3Y 3C8 
 Telephone: 905-954-0102 Fax: 905-895-1630