The Pulse January 2017

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

JANUARY 2017

2017 SPRING CONFERENCE CARLETON UNIVERSITY MAY 8 - 11, 2017 REGISTRATION OPENS FEB 15TH

THE PULSE

Board of Directors PRESIDENT

CONFERENCE DIRECTOR

Daryl Nauman

Sara Wills

York University dnauman@yorku.ca

Carleton University sara.wills@carleton.ca

PRESIDENT-ELECT / FINANCE DIRECTOR

CORPORATE PARTNER RELATIONS DIRECTOR

Amanda Ziegler

Jessica Nayda

Brock University aziegler@brocku.ca

University of Guelph jnayda@uoguelph.ca

PAST PRESIDENT

SENIOR-LEVEL MEMBER AT LARGE

Julie West University of Guelph jwest@uoguelph.ca

Christopher Lengyell University of Toronto Mississauga christopher.lengyell@utoronto.ca

COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR

MEMBER AT LARGE

Brian Cunha

University of Waterloo mary.stefanidis@uwaterloo.ca

University of Toronto brian.cunha@utoronto.ca

Mary Stefanidis

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

MEMBER AT LARGE

Tammy Douglas

Nipissing University genevied@nipissingu.ca

York University douglast@yorku.ca

Genevieve de Bryun

MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATION MANAGER

Hilary Jandricic

OACUHO info@oacuho.com

Carleton University hilaryjandricic@carletonu.ca

Carol Ford

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Happy New Year OACUHO! Happy New Year! I hope the holiday break provided you with an opportunity to catch your breath, and spend time with friends, family, and loved ones. It is an excellent time to reflect, refocus and think about the year ahead both personally and professionally. There are a variety of ways to do this; for example, you might be into making New Year's resolutions, developing new habits (or breaking old ones), or selecting three words to guide you over the months to come. Of course, if you take stock and you are already doing what you want to do then carry on!

The next few months have a tendency to fly by and if you aren't a huge fan of winter you hope that they do! Staff in residence life are busy reviewing applications and interviewing students

to fill staff teams for the upcoming academic year. Colleagues in residence admissions are often focused on encouraging current residents to come back to residence again while sharing the benefits of living on-campus with next year's incoming class. Those working in facilities are gearing up for that short window of time to complete summer projects.

I encourage you to keep your eye on our listserve and social media channels as there are many exciting professional development and engagement opportunities on the way plus Board nominations to consider. As we enter into 2017, on behalf of the Board, I want to wish all of our OACUHO members nothing but the best for the year to come.

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in house

RESEARCH

with Research Writer Aman Litt

The Problems with Perfectionism

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erfectionism to me, is what is inside of Pandora’s Box, along with all the other terrible things. I know that perfectionism is a funny topic, with respect to the fact that many people see it as a positive thing, but I honestly do not. Perfectionism, especially in the professional setting makes it difficult to be efficient at your job.

The problem I see with perfectionism is when one’s standards are so high, that they surpass the expectations of the job assigned, it is not manageable; that’s when we start to hit a grey area. For example, if your supervisor asked you to do research on the average cost of rent across the province and you provide them with the average cost

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of rent across Canada, for the last fifty years, and a comparison to off campus rental rates, is that a good or bad thing? Well, it depends, if it was not required and if your employer was looking for something very specific, much of the research done may never be utilized.

Perfectionism makes you less efficient, effective and makes you miss the goal you were assigned to do. It is the fear of not being good enough. Perfectionism is correlated with “depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other mental health problems” (Benson, 2003).

IN HOUSE RESEARCH

“While high standards are a part of perfectionism, that alone is not enough to make a person a perfectionist” (Benson, 2003).

Being a perfectionist is not all doom and gloom, there are a lot of positive traits associated with being or striving to be the best.

The issues of perfectionism are only seen and suffered by the perfectionist themselves. “...[A] perfectionist might seem fine under normal circumstances, but lose control under stress” (Retter, 2010).

When we think about the negative side effects associated with perfectionism our minds typically tend to focus on our college and university students, but we tend to disregard our professional staff and the professors who work with us and our students.

Rather than getting into the definitive reasons as to what perfectionism is, but overcoming it or tools as to how to overcome it are much more valuable. Seeking help and talking to people is very therapeutic and can help perfectionists not feel alone in their struggle.

Also, creating realistic boundaries is very crucial.

Types of perfectionism are “...self oriented perfectionism, in which individuals impose high standards on themselves; socially prescribed perfectionism, where individuals feel others expect to be perfect; and other-orientated, in which individuals place high standards in others” (Rettner, 2010).

Perfectionists sometimes struggle to seek help because they don’t want others to know they’re struggling (Rettner, 2010).

A very typical question in an interview is, “So our last question for this interview is what is your biggest weakness?” A candidate typically answers with something along the lines of, “I guess I would say that my greatest weakness is that I am a perfectionist.” When someone answers this way in an interview, I always see it as a way to basically indicate that you don’t have any weaknesses, which, as humans, is impossible.

If you have a colleague or a staff member struggling with perfectionism, creating clear guidelines for tasks and assignments at work can be very useful. Personally, if I feel that a staff member is dedicating too much time to a specific project or program, I try to help them by having them track their time. What I mean by that is that I have them block off their days as to what they were working on and for how long. Sometimes staff can be spending too much of their day on specific tasks which should not be taking so long.

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IN HOUSE RESEARCH

Another technique I use is that I have staff look at their job fact sheets and if their percentages of their job are clearly reflected in their day to day duties. It is important to make sure that one’s job fact sheet is a clear representation of their day to day duties and time allocations.

When I go to work, the first thing I do is create a list of things I must get done for the day. As your day continues, tasks are added to the list and new commitments are added to your portfolio, but I try to ensure that I am leaving work at an appropriate time with the main goals accomplished.

Something I personally do when I feel work and life stresses building up my anxiety, I make sure to keep a journal. Journaling can help you spend some valuable time each day to reflect on your goals and plans for the day, week or month. Journaling can also provide you the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments you have achieved and provide yourself the ability to see how much you do get done day to day for your profession, family and yourself.

Perfectionism is something many hard working professionals deal with, but it is not healthy for the person who is the perfectionist. Take some time to self reflect on how you deal with work stress and have the chance to look at your job fact sheet to assess your day to day. Find stress relief tools that work for you, whether it be exercise or a calming hobby to help with anxiety and stress. If you feel that you are a perfectionist, find simple and small steps to help get you to a better place, professionally and personally.

References Benson, E. (November 2003). The Many Faces of Perfectionism.

American Psychological Association. 34(10).

Retter, R. (July 11th 2010). The Dark Side of Perfectionism Revealed. Live Science.

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March of Remembrance and Hope (MRH): A journey like no other Amanda Luongo
 Community Development Coordinator University of Toronto Mississauga

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his past May I had the opportunity to join a group of strong, caring and proactive leaders to travel through Germany and Poland to learn about the dangers of intolerance through the study of the Holocaust. As a Student Affairs Professional, this trip really opened my eyes to the prevalence of opportunities for global experiences for our students. I found myself thinking a lot about our students living in residence and their own stories that they bring with them. MRH pushed me take the time to reflect on what is important to me and in retrospect the impact that my work has on others. With the application deadline just around the corner for the 2017 trip, I thought I would share my experience in hopes that it may intrigue someone else in our field or any of your students.
 
 This nine-day journey allows for its participants to bring their full selves to the group and pushes them to think big, allowing them to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, building such strength and fortitude. While visiting the monuments, memorials, camps and chambers I was certainly emotional, nervous and worried, but the beauty of MRH is that this looked different for everyone. Many of us came in thinking we would react one way but were surprised when that was not the case.

Although the focus is on the holocaust and the hate that happened during this time it opened my eyes as an educator to the world we live in today and had me think about what we can do in our residences to promote tolerance and create a sense of community and family with our students.

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During the difficult visits and the authentic conversations I found that I was reminding myself of the privilege we had to stand on these grounds where such tragedy took place, and the opportunity we were given to promote better relations amongst our own diverse communities. It was during these moments, and when spending time with Elly Gotz, the holocaust survivor that travelled with us, that I was reminded of the beauty that is to learn alongside another. As student housing professionals we get invited into our student leaders’ lives, hear from our students living in residence and get to come to work and share our days with our wonderful coworkers.

These stories we get to listen to on a day-to-day basis shape who we are and influences the work that we do. This impact is exactly how I would explain my feelings about MRH and the connection it has to the work I do everyday.

I cannot stress enough what a once in a lifetime opportunity MRH is. The organizers of MRH do an exceptional job of bringing together such a great group of individuals. Although the trip is geared towards current university/college students, recent graduates are also accepted and exceptions are made for other circumstances. I push us to think about our professional development with a different lens, as it is through these non-traditional experiences that we gain different perspectives on education and the breadth of human experience and become stronger mentors and educators ourselves.

The application deadline has past but for more information about MRH please visit the website at: http://www.marchofremembranceandhope.org/. I am also happy to answer any questions that may come up (amanda.luongo@utoronto.ca).

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Campus Partners Connections Molly Raffan Manager, Residence Life (Education & Conduct)

We work in a field where relationship building is at the forefront of what we do, yet building connections with campus partners remains one of the primary conversations among colleagues across the country. I often wonder, and occasionally am asked, if there is a magic approach to building sustainable partnerships with campus partners. The answer I think is no.

Not a hard no, but rather a soft no because an approach that works for one colleague at their respective institution within their context likely will not work verbatim at another. I do believe however, that when combined, there are elements of different strategies that can help develop a magic approach for individuals. In my experience it requires a great deal of information gathering from colleagues at your home institution, at different ones, and through trial and error.

I have experimented with different approaches toward building sustainable campus partnerships for the better part of a decade and though I have by no means found the failsafe approach to building successful campus partnerships, I have most definitely learned a few lessons along the way.

It’s all about first impressions.

Always try to put your best foot forward because you never know who you may meet along the way. Worrying about whether you have met before and what kind of impression you left should never be a concern. This is not earthshattering advice, but it is something that I have learned impacts the response from campus partners when approached with collaborative opportunity. Whether through email, over the phone, or in person, professionalism and follow through are key to making strong first impressions that potentially can aid in building a partnership in the future.

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Never assume.

When I first started out as a professional, I would pitch a new opportunity to prospective campus partners from a place of excitement and the expectation that because my colleagues and I thought something was a great idea, the campus partner(s) would not think twice about getting involved. Wrong.

Making assumptions about how others will respond to ideas is counterproductive.

Instead, I have learned that putting together a clear outline of what you are proposing, who is currently involved, why you are approaching the campus partner(s), how the students may benefit, and by allowing space for discussion and questions is a far more successful approach.

following through on the commitments you make to the process and to the relationship is vital to the quality and legacy of the experience for both you and the campus partner(s). Prioritize following through on what you say and do.

Say ‘thank you’.

This is a challenging piece to remember to do when life is going at Mach 10 speeds, but it is an invaluable act that benefits everyone involved. Showing thoughtful, personalized appreciation goes a long way. For example, thanking Faculty members or campus partners by providing student feedback has a positive impact. If you have the time and resources to share that information with the Faculty Department Head/Supervisor as well, it further benefits the Faculty member/ partner and your continued relationship.

Thanking campus partners and including their supervisor in the thank you communication in some form benefits in similar ways. Sometimes sending a form thank you is just simply the realistic option, but if you have the time to make it personal the impact will be very positive. I have found in many of these cases it also makes the partner more likely to get involved with another opportunity to work together in the future.

Ask thoughtful, informed questions.

Do your research before going into the initial approach. Know who you want to speak to, what their roles are, what services the campus partner(s) offer, how you could work together on the opportunity you are pitching, and how they could benefit from the partnership. Prepare thoughtful questions ahead of time to ask at the meeting that open up dialogue to encourage constructive conversation. This also provides space for them to understand what the opportunity involves, how it may benefit them, and what time, resources, and commitment is required on their part.

Follow through.

Some partnerships may be long-term and involve a number of different collaborative opportunities, while others may be for the purpose of one particular opportunity.

Regardless of the nature of the partnership,

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Reaching out and maintaining campus partnerships is a process that involves commitment, patience, understanding, and on-going communication. Every experience is different, but acknowledgement of what works for each of us on our own campus is vital in building relationships that mutually benefit one another and that work toward the common goal of helping our students.

Light Our Darkest Hour: The Leadership of Optimus Prime Tim Lade Residence Life Coordinator MacEwan University

In 1986, at the tender age of six, my parents introduced me to the seminal film Transformers: The Movie. This movie, in all of its geeky glory, has shaped my perceptions of leadership in a lot of ways.

Optimus Prime is the ideal leader. He is entirely virtuous, ethical, courageous, and never asks his followers to do anything he himself would not do. Optimus Prime is the perfect leader. For those of you who have not seen this cinematic gem, and I am sorry to ruin the film for you, but Optimus dies early on. As he lays dying (how a robot dies, I do not know) he passes on the matrix of leadership, the device that makes him the tremendous leader he is, to another Autobot.

It passes hands again to Hot Rod near the end of the film at a critical moment and when Hot Rod opens the matrix and says , “light

our darkest hour”. With these words, he is transformed into the Autobots' new leader, as he grows about 2 feet, his voice deepens, and has all the gravitas of what it means to be the perfect leader.

The leadership myth That idea, that leadership magically happens at some point, like a switch being flipped or a matrix being opened, is far too common.

Leadership capacity, it seems, is a gift we think we are born with and not a competency to be developed and nourished. If you cannot automatically knock it out of the park as a naturally great leader, you will not ever be able to - a sentiment I have heard many times.. The reality is though, and with no disrespect to Optimus or Rodimus Prime, leadership capacity, is not in fact, anything like that. It is not a badge you put on and instantly become a leader, nor is it something you naturally have. Leadership capacity is developed through assessment, goal setting, reflection, and evaluation. If you want to know where you want to go, you need to know where you’ve been.

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I completed my MA in leadership at Royal Roads University and throughout the length of the program, I was trying to answer the question of how to enhance leadership capacity in our student leaders at MacEwan University. At the same time, as one of the Residence Life Coordinators at MacEwan, one of my roles is to lead our leadership development program for all our student staff (Residence Assistants). My day to day job, paired with my grad work, reinforced that question of how to make our staff team and our residence community stronger.

someone at the end of a 20-minute interview. It is ongoing and consistent collaborative work that ended up being the MacEwan University Residence Life Leadership Development Plan. This tool, designed to travel with any given RA for the length of their 8-month contract, is entirely about developing their capacity through assessment, goal setting, reflection, and evaluation. It is about, at the end of the day, asking RAs what their strengths are, where they can grow, setting strong intentional goals, reflecting on what has been accomplished, and setting a further path for the future. After three years of using this tool, I am very pleased to say that we have a stronger staff team where our recruitment and retention is higher than it has ever been before, our staff are performing better as community builders and leaders, and our entire residence community is healthier. Not a single resident had their contract terminated in 2015-2016 for conduct and the retention of our upper year students in residence has also steadily improved over the last several years.

Inspiring student leaders What does the ideal student leader look like?

What sort of impact does the ideal student leader have on a residential community?

Since both are intrinsically tied together, how do we elevate both and offer an exceptional student experience? The answer to that, after some rigorous research, was that we need to intentionally and collaboratively build capacity in our student staff through tools designed to enhance their skills and abilities.

We cannot hand them a matrix of leadership and they will just magically become a Prime.

Instead it takes coaching a student staff member with a predefined set of goals in mind. We identified 14 core competencies that were developed in conjunction with MacEwan University Wellness and Psychological Services and Residence Life.

If a new staff member was able to fulfill the first seven competencies and a senior staff member the second seven, then the capacity of an exceptional student staff member would be developed and our residence community would be stronger.

The anvil on which those capacities were forged (much like the one ring that rules them all) was not as simple as hiring

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In the final analysis, it is easy to say that leadership is something you naturally have and it just takes a switch being flipped to turn you into a Student Affairs Prime. That however is the fodder of children’s science fiction movies from the 80s. Reality and research tell us a different story. A story that capacity is developed and revealed through deliberate and collaborative effort through coaching and goal setting, through strong relationships and feedback, and from asking yourself, how can I be more leaderful?

Sometimes it doesn’t take a momentous occasion to be a great leader, sometimes all that is needed is taking a small risk into the unknown and moving towards your ideal self.

Finding Happiness = Changing Attitude Andrew Natale Residence Life Coordinator Brock University

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eil Pasricha is probably most well-known for his collection of books starting with The Book of Awesome and then proceeding with some other titles of more awesome things. The most recent of his books that I read though is probably one that I enjoyed the most and it is titled The Happiness Equation. In it, Neil lays out his 9 secrets for achieving happiness and what I think is great is about them is that most suggest changing your way of thinking rather than some elaborate plan for action. He really suggests that we can accomplish more when we believe we can and then many more pathways open up.

Secret 1: Be Happy First- stop exerting yourself on things and ideas to make you happy, choose happiness then go on to do all the tasks you need to do.

Secret 2: Do it for You – this secret was about finding internal goals for yourself as external motivation only takes you so far.

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Secret 3: Remember the Lottery – count your blessings and appreciate there is always more you can gain but a certain happiness comes from knowing that you have already won.

Secret 8: Be you – pretty self-explanatory, find an opportunity to be appreciated for who you are every day and you will be much happier than a place that appreciates you for who you pretend to be. What do you do on a Saturday morning when you have nothing to do (247)? Spend some time thinking about the answer to that question, it will say a lot about your authentic self.

Secret 4: Never Retire – when you retire, you risk losing your reason to get up every day and so even if you do retire keep your brain active and keep attaining your daily purpose.

Secret 9: Don’t take Advice – perhaps the toughest one to agree to but it makes sense when you get down to it. If advice conflicts then you are no better off so do your homework and be prepared that not everyone will agree and then advice won’t matter as much.

Secret 5: Overvalue You – spend time doing the things you enjoy. Making more money doesn’t equal doing better if you are not finding value in the work you are doing. He calculates that we have 400 thousand waking hours in life, how much are we really making an hour?

So that’s it on this book! I think some people will be challenged by this books as it can come off as very light and fluffy and light on actions but it is a great late night read for people looking to have that positive read.

Further and perhaps more importantly it focuses on the key idea of attitude. In residence life and I would venture to say other fields, we emphasize the need for attitude and talk about how you can train for skills but you can’t teach attitude and I think that is the core idea behind this book. It is suggesting that your happiness is more than just a feeling but a choice that you play a pivotal part in.

Secret 6: Create Space – focus on the priorities – a common thread now in all 3 of my books – and you can make the space for the things you want and need to do. Simplify your life and start by making choices so you live clearly and purposefully.

Secret 7: Just do it – the Nike secret. This is really about getting started though and when you are faced with something difficult, forget about not being able or not wanting do and just start doing. Easier said than done. Neil states that in fact it’s easier done than said (221).

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it”

-Lou Holtz

Don’t forget to tweet @MrNatale to continue the conversation!

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ENOP

Engaging New Professionals

The ENOP Committee has continued to engage our new professional network to submit reflections on their experiences as they attend various events with OACUHO. Previously, ENOP published reflections in the PULSE from the Residence Life Conference at Trent University.

Below you will find reflections from some of our new professionals who had the privilege of attending the Fall Business Meeting hosted by Humber College in November. Thank you to the new professionals who have made themselves vulnerable and open to the learning experiences brought to them by OACUHO and ENOP. We hope that all new professionals in housing will continue to benefit from and seek opportunities within our association. Happy New Year from the ENOP Committee, and happy hiring season!

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.� - Albert Einstein

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FBM Reflections

The days leading up to the Fall Business Meeting had me feeling quite nervous. I felt unprepared to be around so many people who would have so much experience. Being a new face in a crowd full of people who seemed to have years of history with one another was wholly intimidating until I realized the sea of faces I was seeing were faces of kind, excited and passionate professionals who were more than eager to share their knowledge and learn from others’ experiences as well.

What started off as having the potential to be a very stressful day for me ended up being an experience I won’t soon forget.

Throughout the day, I learned a lot about how best to handle changes in staff, for

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those staff members in the process of leaving, as well as for the ones who would be affected by the change. In addition, I learned what Living Learning Communities are and how they differ from, and resemble, our current operating procedures. Overall, I learned so much from the other professionals, both new and experienced, and I already find myself excited for the next opportunity to mingle with such fantastic people!

Veronica Field Residence Life Coordinator Niagara College Residence – Welland Campus Campus Living Centres

ENGAGING NEW PROS

SPACE 2016 at Humber was a wonderful experience, and provided insight and strategies to assist in facing some of the challenges that I was experiencing with the student staff team that I supervise. It’s always a pleasure to get together with friends in OACUHO and learn from each other, and I’ve found that as I gain more experience in Housing, the professional development and networking opportunities become more valuable. It was nice to reunite with the NPTI 2016 cohort and past coworkers, as well as to build new connections, particularly through the keynote activities and the ENOP social.

Attending my first Fall Business Meeting as a new OACUHO professional was an exciting, intimidating and enlightening experience. Networking is something I have feared since I began my university career 6 years ago.

The gut-wrenching feeling of walking in to a room with colleagues who hold such great knowledge and experience, I feel, is common among many new professionals. Over the past year, as a para-professional and now recently as a professional staff member, networking has become less painful and more enjoyable.

Here are some of my tips to new professionals like myself:

#1 – Breathe, take things slow and reach out for support if needed.

#2 – Be yourself (Our quirks, different interests, and unique experiences are what make us interesting. People are interested in what you like, have done, and want to do in the future).

#3 – Don’t lie about or elaborate on your experiences. Be honest and truthful with where you are at, what you are feeling, and what you would like to get from specific sessions and conversations. Honesty is the best policy and you'd be surprised how many people share similar feelings.

In addition, I appreciated the emphasis on space. The role that space can have, and how it is used has not been at the forefront of my mind, but is something that I now include in conversations and meetings more frequently. Thank you to all the presenters, as well as to Humber for a great Fall Business Meeting!

My confidence had grown immensely since gaining new skills and challenging myself in new environments. The FBM was not as intimidating as I had made it up to be in my mind. I walked in to the room only to find some old friends from NPTI this past June, as well as some old student-staff colleagues, and even my new OACUHO professional mentor! My advice to new professionals is to immerse yourself, get involved, have conversations, and be yourself. When you are comfortable, show interest, and challenge your comfort zones, great personal and professional growth can happen!

Jillian Lue College Residence Life Coordinator Housing Services | Trent University

Alexandra Cecchin Residence Life Coordinator Sheridan College Residence – Trafalgar Campus Campus Living Centres THE OACUHO PULSE JANUARY EDITION

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Hiring New Professionals Hary Shanmuganathan and Brad Martin – Residence Managers Carleton University

Coming out of the holiday season and fresh into the New Year, one of the first things that is on every Housing professionals mind is hiring. For many of us, this will be the first time going through the hiring process as a professional staff member. As such, we may not know what to expect throughout this process. Even though every institution has their own spin on hiring, there are useful tips that can apply to all new professionals.

value when hiring for new student staff. This is how we “Carleton-ize” the hiring process, and make it our own. Every institution does this, looking for different values in their applicant pool.

An important thing to consider when approaching the hiring process is to keep an open mind. Many new professionals come from different backgrounds – whether we just graduated and made the switch from student staff to professional staff, or if we worked in different fields before coming into Residence Life. It is important that we build on those past experiences, while keeping an open mind with whatever institution you work with. This will allow you to choose the best candidates for your institution and help you to develop your Residence program.

Tip Number One: Keep an Open Mind Many institutions share common practices – such as group assessments, carousel groups, and interviews. However, each university looks for something different. For example, here at Carleton we hire for attitude, while another institution may look for academics as their core

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ENGAGING NEW PROS

Tip Number Two: Balancing Your Role and Hiring As housing professionals, we have our hands in a lot of different areas. From conduct cases, community engagement, student staff supervision, and so on and so forth. Adding hiring into your schedule can make it difficult to complete your day-to-day tasks. However, there are some strategies that you can use to ensure that you have a healthy balance between fulfilling your everyday tasks and hiring expectations. One proactive step to take during hiring is to allocate time to go through applications and interviews. Booking out time in your calendar for the month of hiring can prove extremely useful, as it will help you to see what time slots you have available to complete your usual tasks. Doing things like intentionally booking out some time each day will allow you to better budget your time for hiring responsibilities and daily tasks.

returning, can be a difficult part of your role.

Once student staff find out they have been unsuccessful in the application process, they may be feeling unmotivated in their current role. This is where we can focus on developing a plan to motivate the individual.

Asking questions such as ‘what do you still care about in your role?’, and ‘how can you continue to develop the skills that you want to work on?’ will allow them to re-focus their skills, strengths, and overall purpose for being in the role. Reminding student staff of their goals for the year and why they joined Residence Life in the first place can often times be very helpful to motivate them.

If you are continuing to have a difficult time with motivating staff members who were unsuccessful in the re-hiring process, it can be beneficial to remind them that at the end of the day you will be a reference for them.

Here there can be active conversations in regards to accountability and expectations.

Asking the question of “what do you want to be remembered for?” fuels the kind of conversations that will allow student staff to finish the year strong. This allows the staff to focus on what drives them, and concentrate on their strengths.

Another proactive step to take would be willing to be transparent with your student staff teams. Letting your team know that if they are wanting to meet with you, or if they contact you via email, you are only available at specific times in the day. In other words, you won’t be able to answer things right away and you may need more time than usual. This requires them to be more diligent with their tasks, ensuring they are using their time management skills, resources and overall supports effectively.

Tip Number Three: Motivating Student Staff After Hiring Decisions After hiring decisions are made, there are some current student staff that may not be successful in the rehiring process.

Navigating this aspect of hiring, and ensuring that you are motivating your staff after finding out that they may not be

Next Up: Hiring Season The tips highlighted above are some ways to help you through the hiring process. They may not be all encompassing, but they can help you to tackle some initial uncertainties around hiring. Some of these situations are things you may face, and some you may not face. But regardless of this, it is good to be prepared. Moving forward we wish you the best during the hiring season, and hope that these tips help you navigate through your hiring process!

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Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers