SMU Student Affairs Impact 2019-2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

20

A Year of Building

Assistant Vice President and Dean of Residence Life and Student Housing, Melinda Carlson, reflects on the foundation her team has built for continued success

26

Our Student Center: Refreshed and Reimagined

42

Outcome by Outcome

How five Learning Domain Champions led a division to write 423 learning/development outcomes over the course of a year

IMPACT

6 Advocacy, Friendship, and Growth President of the Multicultural Greek Council, Victoria Garcia (’21), recounts an unforgettable year

10

Training Student Leaders BY COLE FONTENOT

36

Roots of a Movement: Hair to be Heard Fro, a natural hair organization on campus, is creating a space on campus for critical dialogue and community

BY ANAKA ADAMS

41

Many Hats, One SMU Leadership takes many forms on the Hilltop BY THO LE

STRATEGY IN THE COVID-19 ERA

12

Born at the Crossroads of Challenge and Support

FOCUS

8

Returning to the Hilltop

Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, Dr. Mindy Sutton, recounts her first year back at SMU

55

A Year Like No Other

Reverend Dr. Steve Rankin bids adieu to the Hilltop in the midst of an extraordinary year

58

Welcome Home

Incoming Faculty-in-Residence share their hopes for the type of impact they are sure to make on students as they join the Residential Commons Communities

STRATEGY

33

Sometimes Plans Change; That’s Okay

Dr. Adam Cebulski, Assistant Vice President and Chief of Staff, knows sometimes the best laid plans must be put aside to adjust to a changing world

40

What’s in Your Cup?

Revamp of Online Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Training Lends itself to Key Assessment Insights

44

Reflections on Career Services in the Time of COVID

Dr. Crystal Clayton, Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center, reflects on growth during a time of uncertainty

How the Student Emergency Fund Committee is serving students in a time of need

14

Creating a Sense of Community Wherever Students Are Daniel Heard (’21), President of Program Council, has learned what it takes to deliver student programming anywhere

22

Going Virtual Innovations in Student Well-Being during COVID-19

BY GRIFFIN SHARP

48

Managing a Move in the Middle of a Global Pandemic

How does an institution move thousands of students off campus rapidly and safely?

Note to the reader:

Near the time this publication went to print, the Black Lives Matter movement and the historically silenced voices of Black and African American students at SMU were elevated (though there remains a great deal of work to do in this regard) to hold space on the national/world and institutional stages, respectively. Insofar as this publication highlights the work of our Division during the 2019-20 academic year, it should be noted that while it does include some references to it, this issue does not fully address the experiences of our community nor the subsequent programs or policies put into place. The Division of Student Affairs has begun the process of looking to critically address our practices and policies to ensure we better serve these communities as meaningful allies. We eagerly look forward to the next iteration of this annual publication to share our progress in doing so.

reflections from the VICE PRESIDENT

What a year! The 2019-20 academic year has been unlike any other I have experienced in my nearly two decades of working in higher education. I vividly recall my address to our incoming students during Stampede Kick-Off—I told them the next four years on the Hilltop will be among the most transformative and critical years of their lives. I stressed to them the importance of “finding their purpose”—that sacred space where their interests, passions, and God-given talent meet, in a way that benefits and serves the needs of others. As I reflect on this year, I am reminded of our collective purpose and impact and the important role we (the Division of Student Affairs) play in supporting student success.

As Student Affairs professionals at SMU, we work diligently to create a vibrant student experience for all Mustangs—one that fosters student development and success. This is achieved in large part by providing a variety of engagement opportunities and shared experiences, through which students forge meaningful relationships with each other, ultimately leading to a sense of community. That sense of community was exemplified throughout the first half of the year when we gathered for New Student Convocation, when we took part in our annual Residential Commons traditions, and when we packed Ford Stadium cheering our football team to a historic 10-win season (including a win against TCU!). In retrospect, I, and many of our students, took these celebrations of this special community for granted.

The COVID-19 global pandemic not only interrupted the rhythmic pace of the academic year, it abruptly disrupted every aspect of our university’s operations. This invisible enemy attacked the very core of our work and what makes SMU distinctly unique—it attacked our ability to experience and celebrate community. Most students left campus for what they thought would be spring break, but never returned to campus for the balance of the academic year. Classes transitioned from in-person to online, and so too did all co-curricular engagement and community experiences. For many students, especially our seniors, they were robbed of those time-honored campus traditions that we co-create with students: Perunapalooza, Sing Song, Relay for Life, and Hilltop Excellence Awards. I heard from many students during the last two and a half months of the semester. They relayed how badly (continued)

they missed their friends, the opportunities to engage with faculty and staff, and the overall campus experience; they expressed grief about the manner in which their SMU student experience concluded. The loss of their campus experience helped them realize how much they love this community and how much being a Mustang means to them. For me, it was a great reminder of the importance of our work.

As we continue to navigate our way through this pandemic, our work in Student Affairs is more important than ever. Our campus and the student experience that were thoughtfully designed to encourage social interaction, must now be re-engineered to support social distancing. We will play a critical role in helping students adjust to a different collegiate experience—ensuring they have access to the many resources that support their success, all while creating new ways for them to engage with campus and each other. Equally important is caring for, and meeting the needs of our Student Affairs staff—many of whom have faced disruptions of their own due to COVID-19.

Our staff have been forced to work remotely and many of them are juggling personal responsibilities in addition to their professional duties. Supporting my team so they can provide excellent care and service to our students and campus community is my foremost priority as Vice President for Student Affairs. Despite challenges that await us in the year ahead, it is still an exciting time to be on the Hilltop—I am honored to work with such exceptional colleagues in support of our students and the campus community, and I am confident we will rise to the occasion in true Mustang fashion. Pony Up!

MEGHAN 2020

PEREZ Congratulations,

COURAGEOUS CHANGE leader

Meghan received multiple nominations outlining why she is deserving of this award and it was incredible to see the common threads amongst all of the narratives. Meghan’s influence extends beyond her specific areas of responsibility to the entire division. She has repeatedly been sought after to serve on committees, task forces, search committees, and special projects. Meghan is known among her colleagues as a serious Student Affairs professional, committed to excellence and dedicated to maximizing the effectiveness of each project. She is also a ton of fun and the type of person you want

Dr. K.C. Mmeje Vice President for Student Affairs

to work with no matter the task. She certainly models the type of division member we need, remaining committed to personal congruence while achieving goals collaboratively and efficiently. Many of Meghan’s characteristics are admirable, but her commitment to developing students stands out above the rest. Colleagues are consistently impressed by the way she interacts with a student that stops by her office, engages a student that comes to eat lunch in the suite, or talks about students in her program. Each interaction is personal and caring—she knows specific details about what is going on in everyone’s world and uses those details to intentionally check in on students or push them to submit an internship application. Meghan easily develops meaningful relationships and students trust her personally and professionally. While students are attracted to her fun-loving

nature, they also know that she is committed to their growth and does not shy away from difficult conversations intended to push them forward in their development. It is no stretch to say that Meghan actively shapes world changers in her daily work through the leadership programs she creates and oversees as well as the individual relationships she cultivates with students.

Meghan Perez pushes division members to be better Student Affairs professionals, better friends, and better colleagues. She is committed to saying our commitment statements as loudly as possible at every division meeting (she can be heard above the crowd), and more importantly, she is committed to acting out every single one of those commitment statements. Meghan is working every day to develop world changers and innovate our work, and she is more than deserving of the 2020 Courageous Change Leader Award.

Staff Highlights

Our staff continue to excel not only on campus but in the field of higher education. While we cannot possibly list every accomplishment from all the staff in this issue, we do want to highlight some key accomplishments that exemplify our strategic plan goal surrounding professional excellence.

LIFELONG LEARNING

Kristin Smart, Associate Director for Career Development, completed all requirements to earn her LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) certification in September 2019.

Madison Mucci-Ferris, Residential Community Director, completed her MBA from SMU’s Cox School of Business.

Essence Smith, Assistant Director for Employer Relations, and Veronica Davis, Associate Chaplain, defended their dissertations and are now Drs. Smith and Davis.

Jennifer “J.J.” Jones, Executive Director for Student Development and Tyler Kim, Program Coordinator for the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, were admitted to SMU’s Ed.D. program and will begin courses fall 2020.

SCHOLAR PRACTITIONERS

Jennifer “J.J.” Jones, Executive Director for Student Development was a contributing author for the text book entitled "Fraternities and Sororities in the Contemporary Era.”

Dr. Dustin Grabsch, Director for Academic Partnerships in RLSH, was a contributing author for the article CUE-ing Student Success: Evaluating Academic Support Space in Residential Communities in the Journal of College and University Student Housing.

Lauren Anne Cove, Residential Community Director for Armstrong, was a grant recipient for the project: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM, Hopper-Dean Foundation Collaboration Commitment to the Profession,

The following individuals hold leadership roles within various professional associations or organizations in the field of higher education: Dr. Allison Kanny, Dr. Crystal Clayton, Erica Zamora, Meghan Perez, Dr. Mindy Sutton, and Dr. Wendelyn Donahue.

The following individuals were selected as presenters, panelists, or speakers for conferences or events across the country: Dr. Adam Cebulski, Erica Zamora, Lauren Chapman, JJ Jones, Melinda Carlson, Sandra Scheidegger, & Dr. Sidney Gardner.

The Courageous Change Leader award is the highest honor bestowed on a staff member within the Division of Student Affairs. It was created to honor the individuals who have embodied the commitment statements outlined in our strategic plan and any member of the campus community is welcome to nominate a staff member. It is with great pleasure that we announce Meghan Perez, Assistant Director in the Office of the Student Experience as the recipient of this year’s award.

UNIVERSITY AWARD WINNERS

Blake Pollard, Student Center and Activities Coordinator, was selected by the SMU Student Senate as the 2020 Staff Member of the Year.

M’ Award Recipients: Dr. Lindsey Koch, Director, Office of the Student Experience and Dr. Liljana Elverskog, Faculty in Residence for MHPS Commons.

Many of Meghan’s characteristics are admirable, but her commitment to developing students stands out above the rest.

My time serving as President of the Multicultural Greek Council at Southern Methodist University is a time that I will never forget. The year was not without hardships, but it was also filled with growth, friendship, and constant support.

Over the course of the 2019-20 academic year, I ran meetings, hosted events, and attended leadership retreats and summits—all while balancing my involvement in other student organizations, a part-time job, and being a full-time undergraduate student. It was because of this ambitious schedule that I quickly learned to time manage like I never had before. I did my best to run effective and structured meetings in which I was mindful of not only my limited time, but that of my fellow students and advisor who all had busy schedules of their own. I learned to be honest about my capabilities and no longer feel hesitation when I needed to reach out for assistance. I took time to ensure things were done with care and quality the first time to avoid having to repeat and rework a task that had already been completed. Lastly, I was reminded of the fact that we are limited to 24 hours in a day. Therefore, I made sure that everything I invested time into was meaningful, purposeful, and impactful.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Advocacy, Friendship, and Growth

An Unforgettable Year as President of the Multicultural Greek Council

- Victoria Garcia,

is what initially motivated me to run for President. With that notion in mind, I ran with the promise to become a voice in our community and to advocate for all of its organizations.

The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) was founded at SMU in 2000 under the three ideals of academics, community service, and culture. Three organizations currently compose the SMU Council: Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc., Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity, Inc., and Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority, Inc.

As President I was invited to sit on multiple student advisory boards, including the board of the campus Cultural Intelligence Initiative, CIQ@SMU. It was here where I sat in a room full of campus leaders and University VIPs and was given the opportunity to not only listen to important conversations, but was encouraged to participate in them as well. It was in these meetings that I learned to speak up on behalf of the Multicultural Greek Council and voice our opinions because no one can ever truly begin to understand our perspectives and experiences if we do not take the time to try and explain them first.

It was amongst all this constant movement that I was reminded of why I ran for President of the Multicultural Greek Council to begin with. I believe that each organization works to create a supportive and inclusive space for all SMU students, not just for its members, and this

The conversations I was a part of, the friendships I gained, and the network I formed will follow me long after my one-year term as President. I proudly led, advocated for, and spoke on behalf of the Council, its organizations, and their members for an entire year to ensure their voice did not go unheard. Now prepared with the confidence gained from this experience, I am excited to enter my final year as an undergraduate student at SMU.

‘21

Victoria Garcia (’21) is a rising senior originally from Dallas. She is majoring in Computer Science and is affiliated with Ware Commons.

The Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports houses an indoor climbing center which consists of the 40-foot tall Taos Climbing Tower and the Hueco Bouldering Wall. Upon their first visit to the climbing wall, many students look up at the tower in awe and wonder how one gets all the way to the top under their own power. They soon find out that it takes learning a few things to become proficient as a climber; one of these is the belaying technique certification. So, for the learning outcome assess ment, we decided to discover the answers to some questions:

• How does belay technique certification affect usage of the climbing facility?

• How does a first belay technique certification affect a second certification after the six-month expiration period?

• What percentage of taught and tested students passed the belay test?

We gathered belay technique certification data for the spring and fall semester of 2019 for students who took belay classes and took (and passed) the belay tech nique test. A belay class involves teaching a participant how to properly wear a climbing harness, tie into it, and learn and use belaying commands while using a proper belay technique. A belay technique test assesses proper demonstration of what was taught in the belay technique class. This data excluded students who work as staff at the climbing facility to remove bias. A belay technique certification is good for six months, meaning one has to recertify to continue to belay another climber. We collected data for 40 climbing wall student users with belay technique certification as well as for all students that came to use the climbing facility. A comparison was made between usage of climbing facility by the total number of belay technique certified students and a randomly selected 40 non-belay technique certified students.

We analyzed the data collected for the 40-belay technique certified and the 40 non-belay technique certified students and the frequency of times they visited the climbing center. The mean for the belay technique certified students was 8.65 while for the non-belay technique certified students was 1.45. Belay technique recertifi cation after the expiration (six months) was also monitored for the 40-belay tech nique certified students and 15 of those were found to have renewed their certifica tion for another six months.

So, what did we find out?

We found that belay technique certified students on average use the climbing facility more frequently than the non-belay technique certified by a factor of more than six times. A significant number of belay certified students renewed their certifications to keep more active at the climbing facility by being able to belay each other without wait ing for the availability of the climbing wall staff to come belay them. Also providing belay classes and belay technique certification tests at the climbing facility fostered habits of well-being for the students and 95% of the belay technique taught and tested students passed the belay test.

Written by Albert Mitugo, Assistant Director of Outdoor Education in Campus Recreation

Leveraging Learning to Engage Students

Returning to the Hilltop

Dr. Mindy Sutton, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, reflects on returning to her alma mater and her new role in preparing world changers

When I think back to who I was when I arrived at SMU as a first-year student moving into McGinnis Hall (it wasn’t “MoMac” back then…just “Morrrison” OR “McGinnis”), I don’t think I could have predicted the person I would become by the time I graduated, the experiences I would have, or the amazing people who would shape my life. I am forever blessed by the opportunities SMU provided me as a naïve and sheltered 18-year-old woman from a small town in rural East Texas who was entering a world very different from the one I was leaving.

Like my undergraduate first year at SMU, when I think back to who I was when I arrived at SMU on May 20, 2019 as a first-year dean of students moving into my new office in Hughes-Trigg (that I moved out of six months later…only to have moved in again this summer post renovation…yay!), I could not have predicted the ways I would be challenged personally and professionally during this academic year. And, like my first year as an undergraduate, I have been fortunate to join an incredible team of individuals at a place I truly love. Also like my first year at SMU 26 years ago, I have been challenged and supported; I have been energized and exhausted; and I have laughed and cried. It has been a year I will never forget.

Certainly, none of us could have anticipated that the world we entered at SMU in 2019 would be shaken in the ways it has in 2020. There are many issues to sort through and address as we look to the future. My role at SMU is to help make our campus a healthy, safe, and welcoming place for all Mustangs, and the state of our nation and our world makes my job an even more daunting and difficult one these days.

As I connect my SMU experiences, reflecting on the past and looking to what is ahead, I know my time as an undergraduate on the Hilltop helped to shape me in ways I could never have imagined, and I also believe it helped prepare me for the challenges we face today—as overwhelming as they may seem at times. Likewise, I know this academic year, with all its twists and turns, wilI help shape our current students and prepare them to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow, as well.

My world has truly come full circle. I am grateful to be home and to be a part of the journey of the next generation of World Changers. We need them to live up to that description now more than ever.

“As I connect my SMU experiences, reflecting on the past and looking to what is ahead, I know my time as an undergraduate on the Hilltop helped to shape me in ways I could never have imagined, and I also believe it helped prepare me for the challenges we face today—as overwhelming as they may seem at times.”

-Dr. Mindy Sutton

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

TRAINING STUDENT LEADERS

In the fall of 2019, 95 Resident Assistants (RAs) and more than 100 student leaders from a variety of different Residential Commons leadership positions gathered before the semester began for student leadership training. I was one of those RAs this past year who, for the first time, attended student leadership training and I was excited to develop my skills as a leader in the SMU community.

- Cole Fontenot, ‘22

O

n the first day of training all of the RAs met in Dallas Hall for our pinning ceremony and spent the rest of the afternoon on the lawn eating a food truck dinner with one another. It was a lovely introduction to what would be the next five days of RA-specific training before the rest of the student leaders arrived.

The next few days consisted of enlightening presentations on a variety of topics: policy enforcement, community building, and how to develop a strategic plan for our individual Commons. A great thing about these days for me was that no two presentations were alike in the way they were actually presented to us. I remember distinctly loving the facilities policy presentation as it consisted of Faculty-in-Residence (FiRs) and Residential Community Directors (RCDs) acting out scenarios in skits. We were all laughing as Dr. Liljana Elverskog and Dr. Alice Kendrick dressed up in funny outfits and were caught by an RCD for having an animal in their room!

The week continued on with detailed information regarding how to form an inclusive community (taught to us by SMU’s Hidden Scripts) and what to do in times of serious mental health trouble for our residents. By the end of RA training, I felt like I had been given the knowledge to not only do my job to the best of my ability, but also to be a resource and friend for my residents.

The last remaining days of student leadership training consisted of not just the RAs, but the entire leadership team of each Commons. Commons Councilmembers, Peer Academic Leaders, Peer Honors Mentors, Student Wellness Champions, and Housing Unification Board Directors were all a part of the same training session. The biggest thing I learned that came out of these next few days was how to effectively work together as a group to achieve the goals you set for yourselves. We were taught many skills and ways to work as a team through learning how to provide great programming, how to make con-

nections with residents, and how to create a welcoming home for others. Outside of the time we were in educational workshops, we were back in our own individual communities bonding and getting to know one another.

My leadership team and I went out to eat together every night and by the end of the week we were all great friends. Since this experience, I’ve been surprised to learn that most schools don’t have a component of student leadership training that isn’t just limited to RAs – this was one of the most invaluable aspects about my experience with student leadership training. It made everyone closer. You can be taught all the information in the world, but it means nothing if you can’t establish those close working relationships with your team members. In fact, I know I speak for the rest of the student leaders when I say that most of the time our roles never feel like work! Instead, we are able to see each other’s passion for providing a wonderful community for every resident, and that continually inspires me in my role as an RA.

If someone was to ask me what my favorite time of the school year is, it would have to be the week or two right before classes start. There is something great about student leadership training where you are brought together with your peers and you’re able to discover a vision for your Commons and determine how that vision can be realized. I have regularly gone back to my time during training when confronting a variety of situations in the RA role. I was lucky enough this year to also have served on the Student Leadership Training Committee within Residence Life and Student Housing. I never realized until then the collective effort it takes from the entire unit to pull it all off. Looking forward to the future, I am excited for next fall’s leadership training as I’m sure it will prove to be just as great for others as it was for me.

Cole Fontenot is a History, Philosophy, and Economics major from Franklin, TN. His Commons affiliation is Morrison-McGinnis.

I felt like I had been given the knowledge to not only do my job to the best of my ability, but also to be a resource and friend for my residents.

Photo of Morrison-McGinnis Resident Assistant Staff Back Row: Julia Baca, Zach Evans, Cole Fontenot Front Row: Cole Wilbourne, Zainab Noshahi, Aja Tom, Wyatt Platts

Born at the Crossroads of Challenge and Support

HOW INSTITUTIONAL SERVICES CAME TOGETHER IN THE MIDST OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC TO ENHANCE SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS IN CRISIS

The Student Emergency Fund has been a critical, yet concealed resource at SMU for years as a partnership between the Office of the Dean of Students and Parent and Family Programs with the Office of the Student Experience. The fund, originally established by a donation from the Mother’s and Dad’s Clubs in 2012, has been used to support students who experience an unexpected financial hardship by providing grant-based aid to address the hardship. In the past, we’ve assisted a student who lost possessions in a house fire, a student who needed a plane ticket home to care for an ailing parent, a student with unexpected medical bills after a traumatic incident, and a student who needed graduation regalia, to name a few examples. The onset of COVID-19 has catapulted this lesser known resource to the forefront and fundamentally changed the ways we have been able to support our students.

While we have assisted students in a multitude of ways with the Student Emergency Fund, we began to think critically in the Fall 2019 semester about how we might better utilize this resource and align ourselves with best practices. In the past, when a student had a financial emergency, we would contact other areas on campus as necessary and work to support the student as best we could; the process was less formal and less efficient. We knew we needed to make some changes. We retooled the application and began to brainstorm a committee review process that would allow us to make better decisions for our students and collaborate with other areas of the university in a more intentional, streamlined way. The pandemic brought on the necessary push to finalize those changes and the Student Emergency Fund Committee was born!

The current committee consists of the following members:

Dr. Evelyn Ashley

Associate Dean and Director of Student Support, Advocacy, and Accountability

Elsie

Johnson Director of Student Support

Dr. Deanie Kepler

Director of Parent and Family Programs

Dr. Sidney Gardner

Director of the Women and LGBT Center

Meredith Turner

Associate Director, Financial Aid

Mary Jones

Associate Director, Financial Aid

Dr. Alan Itkin

Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies

The committee meets weekly to review student applications to the fund. Students are asked to describe their circumstances to help the committee understand needs and to outline other options they may have, should they not receive funding. As a committee, we make determinations to award students funding for rent (paid directly to the landlord) and/ or funding for other expenses (paid directly to the student). We have read heartbreaking and heartwarming stories. We

have laughed. We have shed tears. We have been stunned to silence as we think through what our students are currently experiencing. We have collaborated. We have disagreed with one another, and then acquiesced as we understand that we’re all working with the same goal in mind—student support. We’ve also been able to work together on other initiatives as a result of conversations started in committee review. Serving on this committee has been one of the most difficult and intrinsically rewarding experiences I have had in my career to date.

The pandemic has created an interesting crossroads of challenge and support, a term we student affairs professionals are deeply familiar with. It has broken apart the cone of silence around economic hardship at SMU. This is a particularly fraught time for so many, as we grapple with the unknown and make decisions with limited information. Still, I am particularly proud of the way our colleagues in the division and other areas of campus come together and work hard on this committee. I am proud of the SMU community, stepping up to provide over $100K in donations to the Student Emergency Fund over the last few months. I am hopeful about this work and look forward to continuing to support our students in need.

Written by Elsie Johnson, Director of the Office of Student Support

25 SEF Committee review meetings held SINCE MARCH 2020

$81,340 awarded from the Student Emergency Fund

114 student applications reviewed

CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY ON CAMPUS wherever students are

Although I am only halfway through my term as Program Council President (term spans January—December), I feel as though it’s already been a year. It’s been stressful, frustrating, and confusing, but I know that this experience is helping shape me to become a better leader.

I started out the year nervous and unsure of myself. This position has been the biggest leadership role I’ve ever taken on, and I was initially scared of doing a bad job. My main difficulty was understanding what the role of President was in Program Council. In other organizations, the president tends to have the loudest and most important voice in the room, but that has never been the case for Program Council. I have an extremely capable and high achieving executive board that is amazing at what they do. A good leader adapts to the needs of their team whether that means being a motivator, strategist, or comforter. I’m not the kind of leader to micromanage and call all the shots, and that’s not the kind of leader Program Council needs either. I want the exec and board members I oversee to have a voice and be able to take ownership for their accomplishments within Program Council.

Program Council at SMU is the major student-led programming organization on campus and is committed to providing free and fun events for all. Our goal is to unify and celebrate the SMU student body through fun, innovative programming that aims to enhance the individual experience of students, faculty, and the entire university community. By structuring ourselves through committees, we ensure a place for everyone to belong.

The spring semester provided a lot of challenges, but I am very proud of what our organization was able to accomplish. Prior to spring break, we put on two amazing new events which had some of the best attendance numbers of this academic year. We had an amazing Sing Song production in the works and we also resolved a lot of organizational issues regarding 24 Hour Musical. It was devasting to cancel some of the most anticipated events of the semester, but I think it helped all of us learn how to be more flexible and prepared for change.

After spring break, I faced my first big challenge as president. How can an event planning organization exist while in quarantine? I took a step back and re-examined our purpose as an organization. Program Council exists to unify and celebrate the SMU community through fun and innovative programming. Our purpose is not to put on movie nights, Sing Song, or 24 Hour Musical. We bring fun to students wherever they may be, even if that is away from campus. After a good brainstorming session, we came up with several digital “events” which provided students with opportunities to connect with each other while isolated. These new events presented our organization with obstacles we were not used to facing. It wasn’t easy, but I am so proud of what we were able to do.

Going into the fall, there are a lot of uncertainties. But given the past semester we are better equipped to be innovative and flexible. We will continue to bring fun to SMU, even if it looks a little different. Additionally, I think this experience for all members of Program Council will be extremely invaluable to them long term. In an interview for a summer internship, I

was able to talk about my response to COVID-19 as Program Council President. I ended up being offered the job and I know I will continue to talk about this experience with potential employers. This is why I think student leadership is so important in general. The lessons that I have learned as a leader within student organizations, the Residential Commons system, and Greek life are the ones that have best prepared me to be a world changer. Undoubtedly, student leaders across campus have been tasked with steering their organizations and peers through unprecedented challenges, and it is making us better equipped for our futures.

Daniel Heard (’21) is double majoring in Creative Advertising and Marketing. He is from Dallas, Texas and is affiliated with Crum Commons.

“Culture seems to champion leaders who are the loudest voice in the room, but I have found that humility is more powerful than volume.”

-Daniel Heard

Cooper McElvaney

Last Monday night, I was ziptied and plopped onto the rough pavement of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge by police officers and National Guardsmen. Over three hours of kneeling beside seven hundred other protestors in anxiety and exhaustion, I reflected upon the metaphorical and literal roads that had led us all to that bridge to shout “Black Lives Matter” at the Dallas skyline. I considered the myriad of circumstances that lead anyone to sacrifice their own safety, security, and certainty simply for the opportunity to speak. For me, it was a relentless series of events that had revealed my own privilege to me and convicted me to lend my privilege to justice. For most of those around me, it was centuries of trauma and oppression coursing through their veins and a determination to create the world they have been systematically denied.

This sobering reflection reminded me of the students with whom I worked the previous summer. Many young clients of the Human Rights Initiative of North Texas had traveled a road filled with similar sacrifice and similar hope for a life of dignity and fairness. Forced to flee their home countries under threats of persecution, these students carried the weight of generations before them. As I learned more about their individual and parallel experiences as immigrants to the United States, discussions of college goals and financial aid applications began to seem trivial. I questioned whether I was qualified to support and advocate for these students or, for that matter, anyone whose experience I could never fully understand as a White person in spaces of advocacy. However, I quickly realized that the alternative, silence, was an unacceptable option. It became clear to me that I had no other moral choice but to use my voice of privilege, while intentionally making space for historically silenced peoples and communities.

My experience last summer was much bigger than a college access program or educational equity or even immigration justice. That summer taught me how to be an advocate for others by amplifying their voices rather than speaking in their places. In this sense, the internship that I completed through the Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship led me to the bridge last Monday. It prepared me to stand firm as an ally seeking justice—for Black lives, for immigrant lives, for all lives that have ever been discounted or marginalized.

Tannah Oppliger (‘20) is a Human Rights and Public Policy major. She is from Carrollton, Texas and her Residential Commons affiliation is Mary Hay Petyon Shuttles Commons.

The Cooper McElvaney Fellows, Madison and Tannah, talking with Bob and Shirley Cooper.

Fellowship

Student reflections on learning through the Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship

AsI stepped off the plane in Washington D.C. in the summer of 2019, I was filled with excitement and humility at the thought of how far I was able to come because of the Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship. Little did I know, arriving in D.C. was only the beginning of the enormous impact on my life I would experience from my time as a Peace and Justice fellow. Just a few months prior to my interning with the Combatting Human Trafficking Team at the McCain Institute in Washington D.C., I was unsure of whether I would be able to afford to take such an opportunity. The Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship made my internship and so much more possible. As I worked and met with leaders in the field of anti-human trafficking work, I engaged in research that would then lead to the crafting of recommendations on how the state of Texas could strengthen its fight against human trafficking through a greater focus on primary prevention education.

From gaining valuable research experience and networking opportunities, to recognizing how my passions could blend with my career, I walked away from this research fellowship with a unique perspective on the future of my educational and professional goals. First, I quickly fell in love with both the type of work I engaged in at the McCain Institute and the experience of conducting my own research. Gaining real-world experience working on the issue of human trafficking solidified my goal of working on social justice issues from a policy and research perspective. I was also able to engage in conversations with former U.S ambassadors, attorneys, special advisors, the CEO of the largest research-based anti-trafficking organization in the United States, and more. These conversations were significant in opening my eyes to the diversity in educational and career paths that could lead to fulfilling and meaningful work for me. Each of their backgrounds were unique.

Although it may seem a simple fact, it was so comforting for a college intern like me, exploring the world of professional opportunities, to simply hear that there is not just one “right” path that will lead to success. I don’t have to worry about one moment of failure when the path to achieving my goals can be filled with twists and turns or ups and downs, and still lead to amazing outcomes— just like those of the incredible people I got to learn from through this entire experience.

About the Fellowship

Instituted in 2015 with the generous endowments of Robert Cooper and William McElvaney, the Cooper McElvaney Fellowship provides students an opportunity to explore and deepen their understanding of social justice work. Fellows engage in over 100 hours of research and/or service related to a social justice issue of their choosing over the summer months and present their findings and reflections upon their return to the SMU campus. The overarching goal of this Fellowship is to move students from research to long-term action and engagement with these issues as they move into subsequent environments and chapters in their lives.

Madison Lopez (‘21) is from Lewisville, Texas and is a junior double majoring in Political Science & Human Rights and Public Policy. Her Residential Commons affiliation is Crum Commons.

Emerging Emerged

During the third week of the new academic year, 30 nervous first-year students shuffle into a florescent-lit classroom in Annette Caldwell Simmons Hall for the first time. In the classroom, they are greeted by three eager faces, ready to welcome them into the Emerging Leaders program family. Each year, this leadership development program serves 30 incoming first-year students. The program’s leadership team includes two upper-division students; this year it’s Sam Borton (‘22) and Amy Tippin (‘22), who have previously graduated from the program and now serve as student facilitators and the staff manager, Meghan Perez.

For the rest of the semester, the program hosts weekly workshops facilitated by Sam, Amy, and Meghan in order to dive deeper into what it means to be a leader on the Hilltop. Each week the workshop topics look different. One week the first-year students work in small groups to build a tower made of balloons as they learn about the relationship between vision, action, and teamwork. The following week the Emerging Leaders might engage in a values auction where they “bid” against each other to own the values they hold most dear and then participate in a conversation about values and leadership. Through these activities and conversations, Emerging Leaders develop relationships and connections with each other that will last far beyond their time on the Hilltop. They also gain priceless insights into leadership that propel them into roles and responsibilities all across campus.

Antwan Richardson (‘23), a Business major in Boaz Commons, remarks, “In Emerging Leaders, we were constantly learning about the SMU Leadership Framework and working to improve ourselves as leaders. I have been able to apply those skills in various situations in my current role as the Vice President of Boaz Commons.” He also credits the program with shifting his ways of thinking about leadership.

“Before Emerging Leaders,

Antwan Richardson

“To lead is to work with others towards a goal that in some way, shape, or form has a part in benefiting society as a whole.”

-

Antwan Richardson

Brooklyn Dean

my definition of leadership was leading others towards a common goal. Emerging Leaders helped me realize [my definition] was pretty vague, and it was not very relational.” After becoming an Emerged Leader (this is what the program calls its graduates), Antwan now defines leadership as “to lead is to work with others towards a goal that in some way, shape, or form has a part in benefiting society as a whole.”

Another Emerged Leader, Brooklyn Dean (‘23), a Business major in Lloyd Commons, has applied what she learned in the program to her everyday life:

“Since being a part of the wonderful program, I have gotten involved in The Big Event, was selected as the Homecoming Philanthropy Chair, and now serve as a member of the philanthropy committee for my sorority. I truly believe the lessons I learned about responsibility and time manage-

Innovation to Engage

ment impacted my choices to put myself out there and apply for these positions. The emphasis that Emerging Leaders put on the fact that anyone can be a leader truly impacted me and challenges me every day to improve my leadership skills and help shape my peers into leaders themselves.”

These two students highlight the program’s ability to help students further shape their leadership journey. The thirty students who entered the first meeting as nervous first-years have emerged as confident and capable leaders making a difference in their communities while developing themselves and others around them. They are world changers ready to make a difference at SMU and beyond.

Written by Meghan Perez, Assistant Director for the Office of the Student Experience

As the SMU campus rushed to adapt to a COVID-19 context, every area in the Division of Student Affairs had to become innovative, not only in the ways we modified existing programs to fit into a virtual context, but with the creation of new programs as remote operations to address new student needs. While there are too many examples of significant innovation to list, a few stick out as particularly pioneering.

We know there were many challenges for our students who had planned to participate in internships over the summer. Organizations implemented hiring freezes or, in many cases, were unable to onboard interns due to quarantines across the country. During the spring semester, the Hegi Family Career Development Center led campus-wide career services efforts in partnering with Parker Dewey, an organization that works with companies and organizations to offer micro-Internships for students who are looking for alternative summer opportunities. While it was not what many students expected, it gave them the ability to participate in a rewarding experience.

Additionally, Intramural Sports introduced eSports to the SMU Community to engage each other online through friendly competition. Eleven leagues were offered across six different games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, FIFA, Madden, NBA2K, Rocket League, and Super Smash Brothers. Intramural eSports amassed a total of 229 teams, serving 296 unique students with 30 percent of the participants playing in more than one league. The regular season ran throughout mid-April and playoff brackets were played late April, crowning a total of 12 Intramural eSports Champions. These and many other new programs and services saw tremendous engagement levels from students–we’re excited to watch these programs adapt and continue as we approach the next academic year.

“The emphasis that Emerging Leaders put on the fact that anyone can be a leader truly impacted me and challenges me every day to improve my leadership skills and help shape my peers into leaders themselves.”

- Brooklyn Dean

According to Dictionary. com, “build” means to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials, to establish, increase, or strengthen, to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. The 201920 academic year has certainly been a year of building for Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH).

A YEAR OF BUILDING

Reflections on the 2019-20 Academic Year from Melinda Carlson, Assistant Vice President & Dean of Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH)

As I reflect upon the year, I am proud of our team and humbled in my role. Together, we have built a mission statement, constituent outcomes, a strategic plan, a full team of staff (yes, you read that correctly), and the framework to redefine and recommit to the Residential Commons at SMU. We’ve solidified our priorities and became data informed in our practice while focusing on innovation and collaboration. We’ve also, quite literally, built a building—a beautiful, 72bed facility; with the construction of Daniel House Apartments, RLSH will provide an attractive alternative for upper-division students to remain on campus. While no RLSH staff member has actually swung a hammer (yet), we’ve made sure the facility supports our mission with creative common space that fosters collaboration and community.

The work that RLSH has done in planning for the future via building a solid foundation, germinating ideas and creative initiatives, and the mindful cultivation of a transformational student experience has provided a solid footing in these times of uncertainty. Our team stands together, even more committed to our mission.

The accomplishments are many and to the team goes the credit. While the building analogy is a good one, when I think about our team, I believe a building analogy ultimately falls short. Teams are more like gardens than buildings. If I’m building a construction project, my work is done when the project is over. A garden, on the other hand, requires regular presence, ongoing attention, and participation. The talent of the RLSH team at SMU is outstanding. The work we have done is a direct reflection of the talent by which I am surrounded.

- Melinda Carlson

den. With the creation of the RLSH research team, we were able to capture the first five years of the impact the RC system has had on students and their success. Through the engagement of campus stakeholders (students, staff, and faculty) we have been able to define the future of the Residential Commons program. This includes thoughtful engagement across faculty and staff as affiliates, the continued investment of our Faculty in Residence (FiR) toward the intellectual life of the Commons, and the intentional connection to the University Curriculum through Engage Dallas—a place-based community initiative that establishes a long-term relationship between the Residential Commons and area agencies that work to solve a student identified community need. Launching fall 2020, Engage Dallas is an innovative program that highlights high-impact practices through partnerships between RLSH, the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement, the Office of General Education, and the Office of Engaged Learning.

While we built the Residential Commons almost six years ago, we identified a need to better understand where we had been, where we were going, and why it mattered. In other words, we needed to tend our gar-

The work that RLSH has done in planning for the future via building a solid foundation, germinating ideas, and creative initiatives, and the mindful cultivation of a transformational student experience has provided a solid footing in these times of uncertainty. Our team stands together, even more committed to our mission: Residence Life and Student Housing fosters the foundational SMU experience where every student belongs, learns, and connects through their residential community. We make campus home.

IfI had to use one word to describe how I saw the Office for Community Health Promotion respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the SMU community, it would be “innovative.”

As I sat in my office in March, I was in full planning mode. We were preparing for our upcoming Mental Health Awareness Week, our next guest speaker Keyon Dooling, the March and April Common Grounds events, and two Farmer’s Markets. Then, with one email, everything changed. “Due to rapidly changing issues related to the spread of Coronavirus, SMU will move students from classrooms to online instruction.” That one sentence shifted our entire student well-being strategy for the entire spring semester.

I was left with many questions that now had to be answered including: what to do with our already scheduled programs, how to meet student health needs across the country, and how to keep engaging our amazing Student Wellness Champions. A majority of our office programming is done in-person. Most, if not all, of the programs we had planned for simply could not be executed online. Not only that, but now the topics of interest and student health and well-being needs had drastically changed. This was my cue to go back to the drawing board and strategize how to engage students from a distance. I needed to lead my team to a new solution for how to promote health and wellness at SMU, even from a distance.

After several meetings and days spent planning, my team came up with a new plan. We agreed that we would not just cancel everything, but rather move as many programs as possible to social media. Then, we would work together to create social media content focused on how students could stay healthy at home during this tough time.

This started with Mental Health Awareness Week. Instead of hosting several events around campus, we partnered with Student Affairs Administration to conduct a weeklong takeover of the Student Affairs Instagram account. We created several stories and posts that were shared to the

account and engaged student followers in conversations about their mental health. Our team worked quickly to come up with daily social media videos, mental health bingo games, and content in collaboration with other departments. It was not only well received by students, but fun for us to put together. I personally found it entertaining, albeit a little awkward, to film myself each morning in my living room introducing the topic of the day and discussing its importance with the account’s followers.

Our success with Mental Health Awareness Week led us to theme each week for the remainder of the semester. Our team proceeded to create unique social media content focused on nutrition, physical activity, healthy relationships, and finals stress management. The greatest part of all this was the involvement from our Student Wellness Champions. Instead of doing in-person programs on campus, we changed their semester requirements to allow them to do virtual programs. They made short movies, designed informative posts for social media, and sent tons of pictures of how they were staying healthy. Their participation added so much to our new digital media strategy because it allowed us to show the different experiences of students across the country. I loved getting pictures and videos from the Champions and

seeing what they were doing while at home. I also got some great fitness resources and recipes from them! The content we created mixed with the content from our Student Wellness Champions made our social media accounts the go-to place for SMU student well-being tips.

SOCIAL MEDIA DATA

The greatest part of all this was the involvement from our Student Wellness Champions. Instead of doing in-person programs on-campus, we changed their semester requirements to allow them to do virtual programs. They made short movies, designed informative posts, and sent tons of pictures of how they were staying healthy. Their participation added so much to our new digital media strategy because it allowed us to show the different experiences of students of students across the country.

Overall, from the workspace in my living room, I saw this program reach hundreds of SMU students. From students participating in Mental Health Awareness Week to those helping us spread positive words of encouragement through our finals #YouGotThisSMU challenge, each one made a positive contribution to the health of the SMU student community. In a time of rapidly escalating sickness and disease, I was proud of the innovate work of our health promotion team. We continued to follow our mission to educate, engage, and empower students and did so in a way that was accessible to any student in any location. With our student leaders, we created content that helped students focus on their physical and mental health while at home in quarantine. The work was innovative, the team was dynamic, and our community benefitted because of it.

Written by Griffin Sharp, Assistant Director for Community Health Promotion

TOTAL VIDEO VIEWS

1,161

TOTAL VIDEOS

8

AVERAGE STUDENT REACH PER POST

AVERAGE ACCOUNT INTERACTIONS DURING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS REACH

746

TOTAL POSTS 50

LEVERAGING POSITIONALITY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH THAT RESONATES

Infall 2019, Student Affairs Administration launched an interdisciplinary undergraduate research initiative through which a team of students identify a phenomenon of interest related to student experiences on campus, conceptualize and execute an IRB-approved research study, and then provide subsequent findings, strategies, and recommendations to the Division of Student Affairs.

“The beauty of a program like this is that when we engage students in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data from their own college campus, we benefit from insights gleaned from the unique lens of a student—these are insights that would otherwise be unavailable to our division and institutional community. All the while, these students are gaining important research experience and getting a first-hand look into what conducting this type of applied research can mean.”

- Dr. Allison Kanny, Director for Student Affairs Administration

The 2019-20 Student Affairs Undergraduate Research Team study focused on student sense of belonging among SMU students. Using visual research methods rooted in a participatory action research approach, the team developed a study to better understand the unique individual, organizational, and environmental factors that play a role in shaping the extent to which students feel a sense of belonging on the SMU campus. In light of Covid-19, data collection will resume in fall 2020.

Tara Greig (‘21) Mathematics and Statistical Science Major Phoenix, Arizona Boaz Commons

Working as an undergrad student research assistant under the Division of Student Affairs has been an incredibly enriching experience. I learned invaluable skills surrounding qualitative analysis from coding using inter-rater reliability and triangulation, to selecting data collection methods from standard surveys, to art-based inquiry. I now also understand the IRB process, as well as how to prepare interviews - from advertising, to participant selection, interview protocol, data collection, and protection of participant responses. The topic under study revolved around sense of belonging of undergraduate college students, but specifically whether there were certain factors SMU has implemented/should implement to facilitate better relationships with those affective outcomes. We also wanted to focus on how

diversity (or lack of) related and contributed to these student-level outcomes. I found our study to be a very compelling subject pertinent to SMU’s campus and hope my team members and I will have the opportunity to contribute to research surrounding this theme in the future. Outside of the research component of this position, I really enjoyed meeting and working with my teammates. I probably would have never met Ben, Kish, nor Cole as we are all spread out between the different schools, so it was very nice to meet every week in our group and chat with one another. Perhaps the best part of this was seeing the different perspectives everyone brought to the table given our various different backgrounds, both academically and culturally.

Cole Fontenot (‘22) History, Philosophy, and Economics Major Franklin, Tennessee Morrison-McGinnis Commons

Serving as a student research assistant for the Division of Student Affairs this past year provided me with lots of insights into social science scholarship and the SMU campus as a whole. I and the other three members of our undergraduate student research team were able to take diverse responses to survey questions and code them into distinct categories which clearly highlighted the main concerns of the student body. Additionally, the work I did with the team opened my eyes to some issues students deal with that I never would have guessed were present beforehand. This has helped me become a better Resident Assistant for my Residential Commons and also a better leader in the organizations in which I am involved. I look forward to continuing this research in the fall, as providing SMU students with an accepting environment where individuals can achieve academic success and develop their social identity is an incredibly fulfilling purpose underlying this project.

Kish Parikh (‘22) Business and

Psychology Major

Dublin, California Shuttles Hall

During the 2019-20 school year, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant with the Division of Student Affairs. In short, this was a priceless experience that provided me with numerous tools, skills, and an overall understanding of the research process. It also allowed me to develop a newfound appreciation for SMU by examining it through an academic lens. Even though the data collection component of our project was temporarily halted due to COVID-19, I really enjoyed the process and am looking forward to continuing it after we return to school. From learning to code and analyzing student responses from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data, to conducting semi-structured and formal interviews with students and faculty, to actually coming up with research questions and conceptualizing a concrete study, I felt I was learning something new at every step. In my career as a User Experience Designer, research and empathy are two key elements, and without a doubt my experience as a member of the undergraduate research team has helped me build these skills. My favorite part of the experience was getting to talk to students and hearing their opinions on their student experience and how they view SMU as an institution overall. My perspective on the

wide range of experiences that can take place within one school really expanded. I have a newfound appreciation for being at SMU, and am thankful to have had this opportunity.

Ben Woods (‘23) Theatre Major Kenosha, Wisconsin Morrison-McGinnis Commons

From learning to code and analyzing student responses from the National Survey of Student Engagement data, to conducting semi-structured and formal interviews with students and faculty, to actually coming up with research questions and conceptualizing a concrete study, I felt I was learning something new at every step.

- Kish Parikh

Serving as a member of this research team was such a great experience in my first year at SMU. I loved working with my fellow team members and developing great relationships with each and every one of them. Being the only first-year student in the group, I was afforded the opportunity to learn a lot from my peers. Going into this group, I had no knowledge of what research really was; quite frankly I didn’t know that research could encompass so many factors. But I am grateful for the opportunity to better my own understanding of research and how to come about thinking about and conducting it. I was most interested in qualitative research because it dives directly into individuals’ thought processes and opinions, which helps the researcher develop an adequate hypothesis to continue exploring as themes emerge from the data. I really enjoyed every aspect of this research team; I’d do it all over again if I could.

The SMU Undergraduate Research Team initiative was made possible in 2019-20 via collaboration and partnership with the Office of Engaged Learning.

REFRESHED and Reimagined OUR STUDENT CENTER

The Hughes-Trigg Student Center (HTSC) sits in the heart of campus offering a number of services to students, faculty, staff, and guests, along with space for students to eat, study, plan organizational activities, and hang out. While that all sounds great, one year ago around this time you’d walk through and find a building desperately in need of renovation: mauve tile, stained carpet, one outlet per room, drab furnishings—you get the picture.

What a difference a year makes!

BE PART OF THE STUDENT CENTER

transforming

There are a handful of spaces still available to name within the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Learn more at giving.smu.edu/hughes-trigg-renovation/ or scan the QR code with your smart phone camera.

If you make that same walk today you’ll find half a brand new building with the other half under construction. A walk taken a year from now will include a 100 percent renovated space designed to meet the needs of students, show our Mustang pride, and welcome all to the dynamic new student center!

SMU launched a long-awaited renovation of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center in May 2019. The phased project allowed the Center to remain open throughout construction. Phase One included a full renovation of the Varsity and Mane Course during summer 2019. When students returned in the fall they fell in love with spaces designed just for them. The Mane Course welcomed the Dallas-based Cinco Taco, featuring made-to-order tacos and the exclusive-to-SMU “Mustang Taco,” while Chick-Fil-A expanded to provide full-service dining options. The newly imagined Varsity featured a top-to-bottom renovation and pairs a lower-level dining and hangout space with an elevated, fully accessible gaming area featuring pool tables and shuffleboard. Eight big screen televisions and a SMU-centric design complete the modern and inviting space.

Phase two launched in spring 2020 and encompassed the entire second level. This summer we’ll move into Level Two, into Level One in the fall, and the Lower Level early spring 2021. Design elements will showcase Mustang spirit and pride with modern conference and meeting rooms outfitted with user-friendly technology. The open floor plan will feature a monumental staircase in the atrium and a new entrance on the east side of HTSC to support the southeasterly growth of campus. Additional new features include family restrooms on every floor, a mother’s room, accessibility improvements, and the addition of Panera to our dining options!

Written by Dr. Dawn F. Norris, Executive Director for Student Involvement

The Varsity

Office suite entry

Student commons Level 2

Conference room with technology

Enhanced Education A BETTER SMU COMMUNITY

Creating structures of training and support for students on campus is complex and requires the cooperation of many offices, departments, and professionals. The Student Support Steering Committee worked on two specific initiatives (Green Dot and CIQ@SMU) during 2019-20 to pilot new elements, adjust to campus needs, address shortcomings, and create a foundation that will lead to enhanced education for a better SMU community.

Spinning your wheels is never fun, but sometimes it is a necessary step in the program development process— especially with a program that aims to create a cultural shift.

GREEN DOT

If you’re unfamiliar with the initiative...

In July of 2018, the Division of Student Affairs sent staff members to the Alteristic Green Dot Institute, a fiveday intensive training program that guides institutions through the process of starting a Green Dot bystander intervention program on their campuses. The institute aims to equip campuses for a multi-year implementation phase that starts slowly with building up campus stakeholders and then implementing with students based on peer to peer accountability and influence. Sounds good, right?

Awareness is key.

In 2019-20, the Green Dot subcommittee held several on-campus events in order to make students aware of the goals of the program and to let students know that there would be trainings available soon. Tabling is everyone’s favorite! The team ordered swag with our new Green Dot at SMU branding, green sugar cookies, frisbees, stickers, coasters, and pens. There were grand plans of reaching hundreds and hundreds of students while sitting by the flagpole but those plans were squashed by—you guessed it—rain. While the team was still able to pass out information to many students, as more conversations evolved, it became clear that the initiative is not a one-size-fits-all undertaking.

Collaboration is vital.

After piloting a few trainings and meeting with other campus stakeholders, new team members Dr. Sidney Gardner and Dr. Evelyn Ashley joined the Green Dot initiative to help fill in gaps and create a more solidified plan for future implementation. One committee member said, “the addition of Dr. Evelyn Ashley and Dr. Sidney Gardner to our Green Dot team has brought a breath of fresh air to the initiative. Their experiences have already showed us many new possibilities and we are excited to work with them.”

CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE

Rollout.

While CIQ@SMU is a university-wide initiative and program, the Division of Student Affairs plays a key role in ensuring a widespread rollout of the Hidden Scripts curriculum to students through the Cultural Intelligence subcommittee. The curriculum of Hidden Scripts aims to show students how to recognize personal biases and then utilize that knowledge to make change in their own spheres of influence. With 15 Student Affairs staff members trained as facilitators and students as the main focus for our subcommittee, the facilitation team was able to host 25 trainings reaching approximately 615 students in 2019-20.

More than checking a box.

A particular stand-out training from this year occurred at the Crain Leadership Summit, where students from many different organizations on campus came together. The storytelling and sharing within the group was particularly powerful, and it further illustrated the need to continue to deepen conversations around topics of implicit bias, structures of oppression, and campus inclusion. While it’s easy to check a box, these students demonstrated the desire to push SMU forward to ask more of the community.

Dr. Bob Smith Health Center in the COVID-19 Era

With the unleashing of COVID-19, the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center underwent major transformations in processes, protocols, and products to keep the delivery of care going—all while keeping staff and students safe as priority number one. Adapting under intense pressure, Zoom triage fielded the lion’s share of patient encounters, enabling our providers to focus on students who most needed them and protecting patients and clinicians from in-person exposure. Students were granted access to a Health Center doctor who had all the relevant information for their personal health situation. Throughout the course of the pandemic, the Health Center has continued to maintain vital services and meet students where they are. Moreover, the pandemic has been the impetus for change that will truly enhance access to care and benefit our students for years to come.

The physical facility was modified to provide physical distancing and protective barriers; mitigation practices were initiated such as temperature checks at entrances and required facial coverings. The classroom wing and adjacent area of the Health center was converted into a respiratory clinic and site for COVID-19 testing for students and essential employees.

The Center digitalized business processes and student-customer relations. Digital forms, scanned check-in, and access to medical services from laptops and smartphones are now the norm.

The telemedicine program rollout was condensed from a gradual 12-24 month plan to two weeks. The Health Center went from zero telemedicine visits in February with only a handful of doctors trained, to where we are now: nearly 1,800 telemedicine visits, more than half of which were video visits. Visits are now conducted by all of our clinicians, across primary care and behavioral health lines. BY

THE NUMBERS

2.2 Incorporate cultural intelligence and inclusive leadership concepts into all formal student leader training as well as staff development opportunities.

2.4 Create an interdisciplinary approach to cultural awareness through relationships with academic partners including the implementation of the Cultural Intelligence Initiative.

4.6 Implement a comprehensive bystander intervention training to enhance knowledge and response for interpersonal violence to build a campus culture of care and action.

1.1 Develop a framework for a comprehensive experience guiding students from orientation through graduation to increase retention and persistence

2.5 Implement fraternity and sorority programming to strengthen collaboration among the four governing councils

2.7 Establish a sequence of experiences and learning opportunities to explore self-identity, engage across difference, and promote respect for all people

2.1 Increase intentional opportunities within every Residential Commons, and across the division, for students to engage in topics of diversity, inclusion, equity, civility, personal responsibility, and cultural intelligence concepts throughout their experience

1.2 Develop action plans across the division to support the Residential Commons model to strengthen the vibrancy of our living learning communities

1.5 Enhance University and division traditions and events to build affinity and foster a vibrant sense of Mustang pride and belonging

1.8 Enhance programs to build affinity to campus through residential commons, fraternities and sororities, spirit groups, and student organizations

The

What an experience this year brought to my career in Student Affairs! I was honored to have an opportunity to not only serve on the Comprehensive Student Experience committee, but was selected to co-chair the committee. I felt that this was going to be a big challenge as I stepped into this type of role, but I also felt ready for that challenge. The core of my passion for this career field is not Intramural Sports or Sport Clubs or physical activity; at the core of my passion is students. They are the reason for my career, and I hope that every student I interact with leaves feeling a little more comfortable, challenged, and confident in their path. The opportunity to help lead the Comprehensive Student Experience Committee provided me an outlet to impact students beyond the realm of Campus Recreation. Reflecting back, this year was a year of creation for the Comprehensive Student Experience Steering Committee—we created a new team, buy in, and a rules set to push the Comprehensive Student Experience forward.

CREATING a new team

The Steering Committee not only welcomed a new co-chair, but also added several new members from within the division as well as other campus partners. The addition of these new members required a lot of catch up as the steering committee itself was in the middle of creating a new concept that impacts everyone on campus. Our first few meetings were riddled with questions and answers that seemed to be never ending. As co-chairs, Dr. Koch and I were able to learn about our team and implement strategies that best fit the needs of our members to create an environment that best fosters the development of the Comprehensive Student Experience.

CREATING the buy in

The team began brainstorming ideas, all while the search for an appropriate application developer continued. We saw the application development take big strides forward in January through on-campus presentations and conversations. The concept of the Comprehensive Student Experience and the application development were met with equal parts intrigue and excitement. There was now a buzz and curiosity about how the Comprehensive Student Experience could positively impact not only Student Affairs, but how it could positively impact academic departments, programs, and services.

CREATING the rules set

It was following the increase in campus buy-in and excitement about the application development that the steering committee really stepped up and produced the necessary foundation for the Comprehensive Student Experience to move forward. Going from the Game of Life to a random card game found in the Hainline game closet, the rules set for the Comprehensive Student Experience came together. A family’s love for games and a career spent writing rules for over 30 different sports and events came in handy in developing the foundation for the Comprehensive Student Experience. A draft of the rules set for the Comprehensive Student Experience is ready to be put to the test in the coming year. The hard work that everyone has put in across Student Affairs to complete program-service overview forms for all student-facing programs, services, and resources will help fill out the way students will progress within the Learning Domains.

We will start this next year by moving the Comprehensive Student Experience into the next phase of development. It will require still more creativity as more aspects of gamification will be incorporated as a point system is developed to compliment the rules set. I am ready for the challenge as we thoughtfully consider how to best motivate students through a point system, which will combine two things I truly love: math and “self-competition.”

Written by Bonnie Hainline, Assistant Director for Intramurals and Sport Clubs

PLANS CHANGE

That’sOkay

Dr. Adam Cebulski, Assistant Vice President and Chief of Staff Knows Sometimes the Best Laid Plans Have to be Put Aside to Adjust to a Changing World

We had grand plans for 2019-20. This past year was going to be a new era for the Division of Student Affairs and the Student Engagement and Success unit within it. For the first time since I started at SMU four years ago, we had a fully staffed senior leadership team for the Division, and I had a fully staffed leadership team for my unit. Several years ago we developed our strategic plan Cultivating Courageous Change and we were well on our way to implementing the goals and objectives within it. This academic year held the promise of being able to see many new initiatives make significant progress including starting to beta test some new programs and services. Plus, we were excited to see some of our favorite regular programs like Perunapalooza, Curlchella, Crain Leadership Summit, and more. Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be.

As everyone is aware (and you’ll see throughout this magazine), we could have never predicted at the start of the fall of 2019, what 2020 would have in store. Throughout this issue and all across the news you can find how COVID-19 quickly reshaped the higher education landscape. We saw a new reality in which staff are expected to work and students were expected to learn; that is, entirely remotely. In a lot of ways students became the teacher in terms of technology, adaptation, and resilience. We saw Student Senate move their operations entirely online and there were student groups and offices setting up Slack channels and Netflix parties. From the staff side we showed productivity can happen even from our living rooms. Offices engaged students in new and innovative ways from launching virtual orientation with only one month’s notice to recognizing our highest achievers with a virtual Hilltop Excellence Awards release on Instagram. Throughout all of this we were also able to work with our facilities and construction partners to open the newly renovated top floor of the Hughes-Trigg student Center.

But the last year has not just been about COVID-19. We’ve also witnessed a call as a nation, as a city, and as a campus community, to do better for our Black and brown students and colleagues. Even though much of the publicity and the responses happened after the academic year ended, we know these issues have permeated the experience our students have had in the U.S., in Dallas, and on the Hilltop. Making change happen on a systemic and socio-cultural level is not easy, but it’s the necessary work we have to do. After the senseless murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and unfortunately many more, businesses, governments, universities, all issued statements of solidarity and support but for many it was simply “thoughts and prayers”—performative to say the least. I am proud of our student leaders in SMU’s Association of Black Students, Student Senate, and the staff within my unit who have committed to turning words into actions. For some, that has meant marching in protests and for others it has meant educating themselves on how to be a better ally and advocate. Where we once might have faced barriers that felt insurmountable in creating change, it now seems there’s a crack in the armor and real progress can be made.

Like I said, we never could have predicted what the past year was going to look like, and we didn’t get everything done we wanted to, but plans change and that’s okay. There’s one thing I can plan on for certain in this coming year, however–it’s going to be one of positive action.

Inthe 2019-20 academic year, the Hegi Family Career Development Center participated in the CAS (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education) program review process. As a departmental leader, I have taken part in accreditation processes previously, but this was my first experience with a CAS program review. If I had to choose three words to describe my overall experience working with our CAS review in the past year, I would say the rigor has been comprehensive, dynamic, and empowering.

This process was COMPREHENSIVE! And, the Hegi team took the process very seriously. In the evidence gathering stage that took place in summer 2019, the Hegi team submitted over 2,000 documents to support the twelve competency areas of student affairs targeted in the CAS review. Under the guidance of the Director for Student Affairs Administration, Dr. Allison Kanny, our team was instructed that when gathering evidence, “more is more.” Therefore, our documentation was thorough, diverse, and expansive in order to give both internal and external reviewers the most accurate view possible of our work in career services at SMU.

The opportunity to host three experts in our field from aspirational universities and organizations working in career services was DYNAMIC! After the completion of the internal review process in the fall of 2019, our team prepared to welcome reviewers from Emory University, Rice University, and Handshake (our career services platform vendor) on campus. On January 23 and 24, 2020, for the purpose of conducting an extensive CAS external review process, our Center hosted a total of 18 meetings which included 65 SMU community members consisting of students, staff, faculty, employers, alumni, and board members. After onsite review completion, this experience culminated in receiving a 23-page report that grouped significant takeaways from the process into 12 key themes, and cited corresponding recommendations for next steps in continued improvements in the Hegi Family Career Development Center.

Receiving the final report from our external review team was immediately EMPOWERING! There were no surprises for me in the report, but I did find the report affirming that outside experts were seeing the growth, opportunities, and challenges that I have faced leading the Hegi Family Career Development Center since 2017, and offering reasonable recommendations for next steps in improvements.

For next steps in fully maximizing this CAS experience and clarifying strategic planning to effectively utilize the information the Hegi Center received from this experience, I have most recently worked with the Hegi Team to clarify top priorities and form a CAS Workgroup for summer 2020. This CAS Workgroup consists of Hegi representatives from both the Employer Relations and Career Development Teams and select Hegi Board members. Over the course of the summer, there will be three meetings where key Hegi CAS priorities will be thoroughly discussed and strategized at each session. Expert campus partners from appropriate priority collaboration areas are invited to these meetings, and follow up is formed with these partners as needed as strategic planning continues.

My advice to departments facing this process is to take it seriously and embrace it! This is a chance to highlight signature programs, demonstrate concentrated departmental need, receive guidance for building continued resources, and accept expert backing for new vision and directions. There is no other opportunity like this granted in Student Affairs, which is not tied to any academic college or concentrated accreditation process.

Overall, I have greatly enjoyed our CAS program review process in the Hegi Family Career Development Center. The yield for the Hegi Team through guidance received and potential for positive change has been worth all the work. I look forward to working collaboratively with the Hegi Team, Hegi Board, and campus partners to implement CAS recommendations and continuing to create productive strategies to improve student resources and employer programming in the Hegi Center.

A Year of Review

Dr. Crystal Clayton, Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center Reflects on CAS Program Review

What is the Program Review Process?

Evidence Gathering

The unit undergoing review identifies and collects all available documentary evidence as it pertains to the 12 CAS Standards.

Internal Review

Five to seven members of the institutional community meet over the course of the fall semester to conduct and interpret ratings using documentary evidence; a final internal report is produced that outlines areas of strength, areas for improvement, and recommendations.

External Review

A team of three external reviewers from peer and aspirant institutions and/ or associated organizations visit the SMU campus in spring to participate in open dialogues with various institutional partners and stakeholders. Using the internal review report as a foundation, the team further explores areas of strength and areas for improvement, ultimately penning their own final report that comprises suggestions for improvement.

Final Report Development

The unit’s director, in concert with their supervisor, evaluate and adopt recommendations from both the internal and external reports to develop a five-year action plan for enacting recommended steps.

Hegi External Review Team Members

Navigating the Road as a Hegi Career Leader

I will admit the beginning of my Hegi journey was not the smoothest... I had no concept of what a resume, cover letter, or even what an internship truly was. Entering into the Hegi Career Leaders Program, I was unsure of the level of commitment that was expected of me and signed up for multiple events of which I did not attend.

But let’s back up for a moment—I originally applied to participate in this program the summer before my first year of college when I saw an informational email about the Hegi Career Leadership program. The email caught my interest because I was involved with a similar program at my high school called the Green Key Ambassador program where I toured prospective families around my high school as well as organized prospective student events. I also knew coming into college that I wanted to be more involved and grow my leadership qualities. So I applied and was inducted into the program.

Dr. Paul Fowler (Chair) Executive Director, Career Center Emory University

Nicole Van Den Heuvel Executive Director, Center for Career Development Rice University

Erin O’Keefe University Lead Handshake

After a few bumps in the road initially, I was fortunate to be able to sit down with some of the career counselors involved in the program and explain my position on the issues at hand and articulate my interest to stay in the program. This meeting was a turning point for me not just as a Hegi Career Leader, but as a student in general. I learned to prioritize my schedule and how to be responsible for knowing when certain events were occurring and when assignments for classes were due. This allowed me to prepare further in advance and be ready for the challenges ahead. At the end of my freshman year, I won the most improved Hegi Career Leader for being able to attend every event I signed up for following the meeting I had in September. I currently work as a Hegi Peer Mentor where I aid SMU students and critique their resumes, cover letters, and CVs as well as help them find internships and set up their Linkedin and Handshake accounts. Hegi has not only taught me what a proper resume and cover letter look like, but intangible lifelong skills such as accountability and prioritization that will serve me well for the rest of my life.

Alex Brody (’22) is double majoring in Applied Physiology and Sports Management and Public Relations and Strategic Communication. He is from Dallas, Texas and he is affiliated with MorrisonMcGinnis Commons.

“Fro has created a space for us to engage in important cultural dialogue, to break down the barriers of hair discrimination, and to contribute to the prosperity of the younger generation in embracing their natural selves. Fro has given me more than I could ask for and was critical in molding my undergraduate experience.”

- Anaka Adams

Roots of a Movement : Hair to Be Heard

Ihave been involved in various organizations since being at SMU but Fro easily won my heart. I recall feeling lucky to be on a campus that had a group that catered to such a niche but important cause for people like me. Fro is a natural hair organization that serves as a safe space for Black men and women to discuss the stigma, versatility, and prowess of Black hair. The org also serves as a catalyst to disrupt the reigning beauty standard. As soon as the opportunity to join the executive team arose, I took it. I wanted to be as involved as possible in the org that relates so heavily to experiences that myself and so many Black people identify.

For many, hair is just hair, but for us it is an integral part of our culture. Our hair is peculiar, with unique textures and growth patterns. Historically, Black features have been degraded and the onslaught has continued into the present through workplace hair discrimination policies, school dress codes that disproportionately target natural hair styles, and general respectability politics. The Natural Hair Movement, and subsequently, orgs like Fro, encourage Black men and women to love their natural hair as opposed to taking drastic measures to disguise their natural textures. Fro also creates a platform for us to share our experiences with our hair from unlearning stigma to trading tips with one another.

My first position in Fro was serving as Community Service Chair. I was tasked with finding a way to intersect the purpose and values of our organization with service. Through this, I created Crown Class. Crown Class is essentially a crash course on natural hair. During this “class” our executive team would partner with local community organizations or churches to teach young girls how to love and care for their natural hair. I was motivated to create this program because I felt that Black girls have a unique relationship with their hair that is not a universal experience. From a young age, the world casually teaches us that if our hair is a certain texture, it is unacceptable to go out in public with it in its natural state. It teaches us that kinky hair is ugly, unkempt, unprofessional. It tells us that for our texture, the rules of presentability are different, and that we have very little wiggle room. It tells us that our curls need to be chemically relaxed, straightened, or tucked under a wig. Crown Class works to foster self-love and confidence within young girls who are silently learning to dislike the genuinely beautiful things about themselves. Even if it is in the form of a three-hour workshop on a Saturday, I wanted Fro to go out of our way to reverse these lessons and encourage those girls to appreciate their natural selves first.

From initially serving as Community Service Chair to leading the organization as President, Fro has had a tremendous impact on me. Through curating service projects and organizing Curlchella, a black culture festival that seeks to bridge the gap between SMU and local Dallas residents, Fro has served as a beacon of support, community, and understanding for me. Fro has created a space for us to engage in important cultural dialogue, to break down the barriers of hair discrimination, and to contribute to the prosperity of the younger generation in embracing their natural selves. Fro has given me more than I could ask for and was critical in molding my undergraduate experience. The org transformed my leadership skills, gave me community, and taught me how to give back and unify.

Anaka Adams (‘21) is a rising senior from Dallas, Texas. She is majoring in Political Science and French and is affiliated with Virginia-Snider Commons.

Curlchella 2019 Executive Board

Pictured from left to right - Hanan Muzemil (‘19), Maura Mangum (‘22), Anaka Adams (‘21), Lezly Murphy (‘19), Lexxi Clinton (‘21), Bre Reems (‘20), Tyne Dickson (‘22)

Productivity in an Altered COVID-19 Landscape

Student affairs has never traditionally been an environment that can stick to an 8:30am to 5pm schedule. Between the advising, the crises, the events and activities, and the things that just happen to come up, flexibility and adaptability are critical to any role. Add onto that working remotely during COVID. Understandably, some people wonder how a job may translate during this time or assume if students aren’t on campus, then what is there to be done? The staff within the Division of Student Affairs showed that just because the same number of students may not be living in our buildings, working out in our recreation center, or frequenting campus to participate in in-person events and activities, it doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done. In fact, the work has arguably become even more critical and more challenging. It’s not easy for students to be thrust into a remote learning environment and while our students managed the transition, our staff was there to support them the entire way. For extroverted students it was figuring out ways in which they could still connect to one another and be social. For students who were already struggling, it was about making sure the environments they returnedto could help sustain their ability to be academically focused. Often this meant longer days meeting as the Divisionplannedfor the summer and fall during traditional work hours and then spent time engaging with our students in the evenings. It was not uncommon to have a Slack conversation in the evenings or join an organization meeting after dinner. We saw people working through the times in which they would normally be commuting to the office; we caught ourselves forgetting to check the clock at home and looking up to realize it was well past 5pm. These scenarios taught our staff how to create boundaries for ourselves and for our work, and while working remotely during the COVID-19 era has ended, we are confident that these experiences will continue to inform our professional development and strategies.

PROGRESS TOWARD STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVES

6.5 Develop a dynamic professional development curriculum preparing and supporting staff and graduate assistants to advance the components of the strategic plan

6.6 Develop position pathways for each role within the division including identifying opportunities for collateral assignments to promote cross-departmental skill building

6.8 Encourage staff submission for publication based on academic and professional interests and projects

As we developed the appraisal document, we also defined a shared set of professional expectations for what it means to exhibit professional excellence within the Division of Student Affairs.

Through the creation of these expectations, we hoped to establish a baseline for the entire division and what it means to commit to doing excellent work in our roles and in service to our students.

ABOVE and beyond

In addition to making headway on numerous Student Affairs Strategic Plan objectives in 2019-20, the Professional Excellence Committee undertook the charge of revamping the Division’s performance evaluation process this past year. Committee member Amanda Bobo reflects on the process.

During the Fall 2019 semester student affairs senior leadership approached the Professional Excellence Committee and asked us to take on the responsibility of completely revising the performance evaluation process for the Division. This was a particularly exciting task for me as I had struggled both as a supervisor and as an employee with the previous goals-based evaluation document. I felt the document didn’t provide the opportunity to actually evaluate job performance in our roles. As our co-chairs, Drs. Norris and Ashley, discussed the new initiative, I could barely contain my excitement and an enthusiastic “PICK ME!” to help develop the new performance appraisal tool.

I am grateful that our committee co-chairs did in fact pick me to serve as chair of the project, and in September our team began working quickly to develop a draft of the new performance evaluation process and tool for the Vice President’s Leadership Team to review in November. Ideally, the Division would begin 2020 with a brand new performance appraisal tool that would be even more useful and intuitive for supervisors and employees across Student Affairs. As a first step, our committee gathered documents from previous roles and other institutions, and supplemented them with peer institution benchmarking and best practices from the Society for Human Resource Management.

As we developed the appraisal document, we also defined a shared set of professional expectations for what it means to exhibit professional excellence within the Division of Student Affairs. Through the creation of these expectations, we hoped to establish a baseline for the entire division and what it means to commit to doing excellent work in our roles and in service to our students.

We also realized we were missing an avenue for staff and supervisors to capture any of the additional responsibilities and “other duties as assigned” that staff take on in addition to their primary job tasks.

Once we created a rough draft of the appraisal tool, we edited, clarified, and condensed the document through multiple iterations until we reached a deliverable that does all of the following:

Reflects professional excellence within the Division of Student Affairs

Accurately captures job responsibilities through Human Resources position descriptions

Allows staff to celebrate the above and beyond work they fulfill outside their role at SMU and in the field of higher education

The new Student Affairs Performance Appraisal Tool is a living document with built in review periods allowing supervisors to provide timely feedback and opportunities for improvement. Our task force met weekly for two months (and crammed a lot of work into those meetings!) so that we were able to happily implement and begin using the new Performance Appraisal tool in January 2020. The committee is both proud and eager to monitor the impact of the Division’s use of the tool as the calendar year continues.

Amanda Bobo serves as Assistant Director for Residence Life in Residence Life and Student Housing.

Alcohol consumption by undergraduate students on college campuses remains an important issue across the nation. In order to understand the landscape of college student drinking behaviors both nationally and at the campus level, institutions turn to data to accurately obtain a snapshot of alcohol-related behaviors, perceptions, and knowledge among students on their respective campuses. Such data is often collected by programs involving alcohol education initiatives. But what happens when participant data begins to wane?

Last year, in light of a gradually declining completion rate in the online acohol education program, SMU moved to significantly revamp its approach to this initiative. The implications of the decline were twofold—not only were fewer incoming students receiving critical alcohol education, but the campus was also missing an opportunity to collect the most robust possible set of student-reported data around alcohol use and understanding. Accurate, representative, and timely data are paramount to an institution’s agency to plan and act with an evidence-based approach to these issues.

As a result, the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center chose to assess the online alcohol and substance abuse education program and make changes to improve its effectiveness. Based on a thorough evaluation, Health Center staff identified three key program components they believed would directly increase student engagement and yield more data if altered: program structure, course deadline, and student incentives. To change these components, staff met with key university stakeholders and representatives from a digital health education company called EVERFI to discuss possible changes.

Following these meetings, it was agreed that the best course of action was to implement a new alcohol-specific course called AlcoholEdu in concert with shifts in the timing and coordination of the requirement. Among these changes, the following represent the most substantive:

• new program structure whereby online alcohol and substance abuse prevention content is separated from sexual assault prevention content

• advanced completion deadline from late February to mid-September

• coordination with the academic hold system to enforce program completion requirements

By the close of Fall 2019, staff began to witness promising results from the revamped online alcohol education program. A total of 1,793 students completed the course equating to an astounding 98 percent completion rate. While this vast improvement in the completion rate was significant, what came from that data was perhaps even more powerful.

As a result of the higher completion rate, staff obtained far more data on the alcohol-related behaviors of incoming students. Through multiple in-course surveys, data provided a clear picture of the alcohol knowledge and behaviors of the incoming class. Questions asking about alcohol consumption rate, general attitudes towards alcohol, and interest in alcohol-free programming yielded much better data than previous online courses. Data also showed insight on the effectiveness of the course using pre- and post- knowledge assessments. Most notably, over 75 percent of students who completed the AlcoholEdu course indicated they felt better prepared for making responsible decisions with alcohol, helping a friend experiencing alcohol poisoning, and preventing overdose.

Staff members using this data now have a solid, representative sample that can be used to inform programming needs and justify the use of university resources for alcohol prevention initiatives. This has never been seen before. Data yielded information on key alcohol-related behaviors and knowledge, which in turn provided a comprehensive overview of alcohol culture on campus.

Going forward, SMU will be able to make evidence-based decisions on alcohol prevention strategy and use the representative data gained through these courses to track student behavior patterns year over year. It will also help further the alcohol prevention initiatives, inform areas needing attention, and allow for comparison to national trends.

Improving an educational alcohol prevention platform leads to great things: more data, increased engagement, and the ability for the University to make strategic decisions that will make a positive impact on a student’s experience at SMU. Alcohol culture exists on every campus, but initiatives like this can help prevent negative alcohol-related outcomes and ultimately keep a campus safe.

Written by Griffin Sharp, Assistant Director for Health Promotion.

WHAT’S IN YOUR CUP?

75% of students who completed the AlcoholEdu course indicated they felt better prepared for making responsible decisions with alcohol, helping a friend experience alcohol poisoning, and preventing overdose.

WHAT’S YOUR

Many Hats, One SMU

- Tho Le, ‘21

Patterned or pleated, hats are a great way to add some personality or make an impact on an outfit. Similarly, the many figurative hats that we wear can make an impact in our lives and on our experiences.

Over the past few years here at SMU, I have had the opportunity to participate in a number of leadership roles on the Hilltop, giving me an all-encompassing view of what it means to be a Mustang. I have served as an Orientation Leader, Student Ambassador, Alpha Chi Omega Vice President of Intellectual Development, Panhellenic Council Vice President of Community Development, Relay for Life Vice President of Communications, Program Council Communications and Graphic Design Chair, in addition to being involved in several other organizations like my nonprofit, YouLead GYL. All of this, of course, has taken place in tandem with my academic pursuits that involve balancing a double major in Business Management and Biology, and a minor in History. These leadership and involvement opportunities have provided me with invaluable skills that have enabled me to live the true SMU experience. I have loved seeing different facets of SMU in different lights, and each of these experiences have made an impact on me.

My time here at SMU—wearing so many different hats—has taught me a great deal about myself and my passions. Through multiple endeavors, I have been able to redefine my goals for my future by experimenting with what I love (and don’t love) in each of these roles. This provided me with a strong background in a variety of areas that have impacted my learning and development. These leadership roles have also taught me about responsibility and discipline. I have learned not only how to know and understand which hat is best to wear in different scenarios, but I have also learned how to find a balance and harmony with everything I do. These roles helped me to get to know SMU, which has provided me myriad resources and support that I could not be more thankful for. While I know that I will continue to try on new hats in the future, I am confident in knowing that I will always draw upon the lessons and experiences of those I’ve previously worn here at SMU.

Originally from Prosper, Texas, Tho Le is a rising senior majoring in Business Management and Biological Sciences. Her Residential Commons affiliation is Armstrong Commons.

OUTCOME OUTCOME by

Laying the Foundation for Student Learning and Development

How has the impetus for the creation of the Learning Domain Champions Committee and its charge evolved since the adoption of the Student Affairs Strategic Plan?

In2019-20 members of the Learning Domain Champions Committee undertook the monumental task of leading the entire Division of Student Affairs in an exercise to refine and articulate learning/development and program outcomes for all studentfacing programs, services, and resources. Working over the course of the past twelve months, the SMU Division of Student Affairs has proudly accomplished this undertaking.

141 student-facing programs/services/resources

423 learning/development outcomes

611 program outcomes

The Learning Domain Champions were originally appointed in the spring of 2017 in line with the announcement of the Division of Student Affairs strategic plan. The charge of this group is to carry forward the work of the Division as it pertains to conceptualizing, facilitating, and assessing all learning and development centered around the six learning domains in the plan: Courageous Leadership, Global Consciousness, Personal Congruence, Social Responsibility, Holistic Wellness, and Amplified Capacity. One of our first concrete tasks was to develop rubrics that could be used across the Division to assess this learning and development in a consistent way. However, after many iterations of the rubrics and scratching everything and starting over more

times than we can remember, we realized that we couldn’t develop division-level rubrics without first focusing on the development of learning/development outcomes at the program- or activity-level; in effect, we were putting the cart before the horse. Upon that realization, a new charge for the Learning Domain Champions became clear: to work with areas, departments, and offices to develop learning/development outcomes that could be used to assess these program-, service-, resource-level experiences. Now, as we work from this “bottom-up” approach, we are finding that we will be fully equipped to eventually revisit the development of consistent assessment tools that are now grounded in concrete, well-articulated learning/development outcomes that capture exactly what is taking place in our Division. - Amanda Bobo, Assistant Director for Residence Life

Why is it so incredibly important for the Division to clearly articulate learning/development and program outcomes for all student-facing programs, services, and resources?

The pursuit of learning is what propels students to seek degrees from SMU. Education, though, is not only found inside the classroom. Learning happens all over the Hilltop through programs hosted by the Division of Student Affairs. Our staff are educators; they facilitate learning through co-curricular programs where students can gain hands-on experiences.

While the Learning Domain Champions knew that learning and development was taking place through co-curricular programs, we also acknowledged we lacked expressed learning and development outcomes for each program. This made it harder to assess and demonstrate the learning we knew was taking place throughout the Division. The Learning Domain Champions knew we needed to embark on a journey with the Division to formulate learning and development outcomes so that students would understand the value of participating in each program the Division offers. The stated learning/development outcomes would not only help members of the Division assess the learning taking place in their programs, but also help students determine what they can gain from participating in programs. Furthermore, by having articulated outcomes for every student-facing program, service, and resource, we are now better positioned to more easily conduct assessments that will help us determine if we are meeting our goals for student learning and development and how we can be more effective or efficient in doing so. This type of informed assessment allows us to evaluate our programs honestly so that we can capitalize on our strengths and address our weaknesses to serve our students best.

- Meghan Perez, Assistant Director for the Office of the Student Experience

How did the Learning Domains Champions plan and manage this large-scale Divisional initiative?

The Learning Domain Champions met weekly to determine the best course of action that would maximize the proficiency gained in our decision to go “back to basics” and leave space to embolden our colleagues serving as departmental assessment contacts to engage in the process. The culmination of our work over the past

year led to the creation of the Program/Service Overview Form, a document that was versatile across all areas, and concisely captured learning/development and program outcomes. The form allowed for consistent and seamless conversations across the division as offices, departments, and areas worked to articulate and refine outcome statements. Each Learning Domain Champion accepted responsibility to lead one of five cohorts (typically comprising two to three departments or offices) that they would support, including oneon-one consultations with assessment contacts, full-team training, and a commitment to ongoing feedback through completion. -

Dr. Wendelin Donahue, Associate Director of Employer Relations

What were the most challenging parts of this process?

Some of the most challenging parts of this process was getting started and not overthinking our assignment. The group found ourselves overthinking what we were charged to do. We went through about four different iterations of how we could tackle the charge, but we continued to come back to the way in which we were thinking. This was a huge undertaking for not only the Learning Domain Champions but offices and departments as well because we are shifting our mindset on what our work is and how we do that work, and identifying ways to measure our work. On top of all of this, we are a dynamic Division with many moving parts, various interrelated committees, and a constantly changing environmental context.

- Jennifer Jones, Executive Director for Student Development

How does this initiative carry the division forward? Where do we go from here practically?

As a Division, part of our mission is to create purposeful learning and leadership opportunities for our students. Our collective work this past year in developing learning/ development and program outcomes for our offices and departments is a critical piece of the puzzle to achieve our mission. Our colleagues’ work this year sets a strong foundation for our programs, services, and resources and demonstrates the intentionality we take as educators in carefully curating experiences for our students.

Given this foundation, we now have an accurate idea of the learning domains and taxonomy levels our programs and services currently meet. More importantly, this inventory demonstrates where our gaps lie and provides an opportunity for us to be creative and develop programs, services, and resources to fill those needs. We now can also identify avenues to articulate to our students what we hope they will take from the experiences they participate in. Finally, we can begin to conduct solid assessments, which will inform us of which pieces of our work we can improve on and will provide us with an opportunity to highlight those in which we excel. The Division’s work this year was invaluable and is key as we make progress toward achieving the goals set forth in Cultivating Courageous Change - Staphany Lopez-Coronado, Assistant Director of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement

ven with the extraordinary challenges that emerged in the 2019-20 academic cycle, it was truly an amazing year. In 2019-20, the Hegi Family Career Development Center increased our number of employer and career events by 69 percent, experienced a 14 percent uptick in the number of career counseling appointments, created several new influential student programs, and participated in the CAS (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education) departmental program review process. By university measures, the Hegi team has continued to work together to improve our resources, services, programming, and options for student career connections—and the SMU community is beginning to take notice.

However, the true measure for our Hegi Team’s success came this year in the face of a spinning job market and an uncertain professional landscape due to COVID-19. This isn’t the first time I have experienced industry and employment uncertainty as a higher education professional. In September of 2008 I worked with Rice University career services when Lehman Brothers folded, the markets crashed, jobs became scarce, and student panic set in. In the time of COVID-19 however, this crash has felt more looming, unsure, and multi-dimensional in nature—for students, employers, and staff.

In times when it is difficult to access easy solutions and uncertainly looms, I have learned that the persevering heart of my work in career services continues to thrive in a place where purpose meets innovation. Throughout the spring 2020 semester, I have been continually reminded of this in both large and small ways. After over two decades working in higher education, I have found a professional sweet spot located in an elusive center where challenges are overcome with a consistent emphasis on purpose. When purposeful work brings talented people together to create new ideas that impact communities for the greater good, significant and necessary change happens. This evolution is what the Hegi Team was able to accomplish in spring 2020 against the backdrop of a global pandemic. We did this by evolving our Career Connections program to a remote mentoring experience, launching our Hegi Foundations of Career Development online course, partnering with Parker Dewey to connect students with virtual micro-internships, and working collaboratively with employer partners to educate students on best practices to land a job in this swiftly evolving professional environment. Leading and participating in this phenomenon of innovation as a supervisor, colleague, coach, and fan for my team was and is a satisfying and invigorating place to be.

I am happy to be in an impactful position of helping students find work that matters to them. Meaningful work gives people the will to get up in the morning, a means by which a person can provide for self and loved ones, builds self-confidence, and allows the opportunity to construct a legacy of professionalism and truth. For our students, this pilgrimage starts here at Southern Methodist University. As a career services professional, I am privileged to serve in a role to create opportunities for these next steps as well as providing innovation for the journey. COVID-19 has changed many things, but it won’t change this.

Reflections on Career Services in the Time of Covid

Dr. Crystal Clayton, Executive Director of the Hegi Family Career Development Center reflects on growth during a time of uncertainty

“After over two decades working in higher education, I have found a professional sweet spot located in an elusive center where challenges are overcome with a consistent emphasis on purpose. When purposeful work brings talented people together to create new ideas that impact communities for the greater good, significant and necessary change happens.”

- Dr. Crystal Clayton

Last summer, Courtney King arrived on SMU’s campus to complete an eight-week internship as part of the NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education Undergraduate Fellowship Program (NUFP). Living on campus in upper-division housing, Courtney interned with both the Office of Social Change and Intercultural Engagement and the Office of Student Support. In these roles, she developed and implemented a matching program for the CONNECT Mentorship Program mentors and protégés. She also created mentor training resources and designed a social media plan with associated graphics for the CONNECT Institute. Additionally, she benchmarked other institutions’ LeaderShape Day 7 Programs and developed an outline and plan for LoneStar LeaderShape Graduates Day 7 programs.

SMU’s NUFP summer internship program is designed to expose students to various aspects of the field of student affairs in higher education while simultaneously receiving on-the-job experience in specific functional areas related to their interests. The ultimate goal for our NUFP interns, however, is that they have the opportunity to explore, consider, and develop their interests related to the field in a way that is tailored to who they are, and wish to be, as developing professionals—both in the immediate-term on campus and in the time that follows after they’ve left the Hilltop. Student Affairs Administration reached out to Courtney at two different timepoints to better understand the impact of her NUFP summer internship at SMU.

AUGUST 2019

Having just completed your NUFP summer internship at SMU, describe your favorite experiences and what you’ve learned during your time here at SMU.

My time at Southern Methodist University (SMU) has been full of growth, opportunity, and connections. Throughout my internship I had the opportunity to participate in several professional development components. I participated in informational interviews where I had the chance to meet with staff from across the Division of Student Affairs at SMU. The interviews gave me a chance to learn more about the field in an intimate setting. I also enjoyed

weekly coffee chats with the other interns. These chats allowed me to obtain valuable information on interviewing, developing campus partners, and much more! My favorite part of my internship, however, were the connections I made. The staff at SMU are very welcoming and willing to help. I enjoyed fellowshipping with a number of professionals across the division and getting to know their journeys into the field of higher education. The Division not only provided substantial resources for my professional development, but they also did a remarkable job in fostering relationships with myself and the other interns. My experience at SMU left me feeling knowledgeable and confident in my decision to pursue a career in higher education.

JUNE 2020

Now that it’s been nearly a year since arriving on SMU’s campus for your internship, what lessons or experiences from your NUFP internship have continued to play a role in your life?

It is hard to believe that is has been nearly a year since I began my time at SMU! A lot has changed since returning to my campus. After leaving SMU, no one could have told me how impactful my experience would have been as I entered my junior year at the University of Alabama. I found myself surrounded by a quickly changing Division of Student Life at my own institution. The changes were unexpected but my experience at SMU had fully prepared me for the roles I was about to assume.

Like many students interested in higher education, I am actively involved on campus. Just having left SMU, I assumed the roles of Vice President of the Black Student Union, Second Vice President of my sorority, and various titles across campus. Due to my experience at SMU and my campus involvement, I was awarded the opportunity to serve on a high-profile search committee within the Division of Student Life. SMU taught me many lessons that I would come to use on this committee and in my everyday involvement. One of my biggest takeaways from my time at

SMU was the importance of being multifaceted. Throughout my internship I met with a variety of people, worked on several projects, and learned important etiquette within the field of higher education. I found myself serving at the forefront of my campus alongside my peers. All the facets of my internship had become a part of my campus life. Because of the skills and lessons learned at SMU, I feel confident and reassured that I am an asset to my campus and that higher education is a field I know I can thrive in and affect meaningful change.

My time at SMU and the year after propelled me into this career that I cannot wait to be a part of as I conclude my undergraduate degree. As I look at various higher education programs, I am eager for what is in store for my future. My internship experience awarded me the knowledge and confidence to seek out opportunities within the field of higher education as I begin the transition into graduate school.

Having renewed my NUFP membership this year, I was looking forward to applying for the Dungy Leadership Institute and attending the NASPA Annual Conference. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak both events were canceled. Despite these setbacks, I look forward to renewing my NUFP membership for my final year in hopes of seeking more opportunities to learn about higher education. My NUFP internship at SMU ignited my passion for the field and equipped me with the necessary tools to embark on a successful career. I am thrilled for my senior year as I continue my involvement and process into higher education.

Courtney King (’21) is from Schertz, Texas and is currently pursuing Elementary Education at the University of Alabama.

Because of the skills and lessons learned at SMU I feel confident and reassured that I am an asset to my campus and that higher education is a field I know I can thrive in and affect meaningful change.

It is often said that moving is one of the most stressful life events. Imagine, if you will, having to move during a global pandemic when you are halfway across the country. This is the exact situation that our residential students found themselves in shortly after Spring Break 2020. In this time, Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH) staff were tasked with creating a move out process to enable students to gather their belongings safely and efficiently. We knew there would be challenges, and we knew we would not be able to create something that worked for everyone. However, we planned a process to meet the needs of most students. From that point forward, our staff worked with diligence and compassion to support students through their unique and personal situations.

As we approached this challenge, we quickly thought through the situation and created moving options for those students with travel restrictions, health concerns, or financial hardships that prevented them from returning to campus to collect their belongings. These included the option to choose a moving company or identify a proxy to help move belongings on their behalf. Additionally, we had to think through options for those students who had nowhere else to go or were unable to leave campus during the pandemic. In the midst of all of this, we were able to create a pathway that allowed these students to remain in their on-campus home. Our hope for both of these processes was to provide all residential students the ability to choose what was best for them based on their own personal needs.

While the dust settled from students moving out and our team transitioning to a limited number of residential students, Residential Community Directors, Faculty-in-Residence, and their leadership teams worked together to create virtual programs and initiatives that kept students engaged in their community and with one another. One such success was the Virginia-Snider Trivia Night. Trivia Night is a wildly competitive, semesterly program that attracts multiple teams, and the Virginia-Snider leadership team wasn’t going to let a global pandemic stand in their way! They utilized their technology skills to pull off a well-attended and successful virtual experience that allowed students to feel connected to a commons’ tradition while remote.

During this time, RLSH didn’t operate as an island unto themselves; our staff collaborated with multiple campus partners to help support our students through these unprecedented and ambiguous times. Whether it was connecting with the Dean of Students office for an emergency fund request or working with Associate Provost for Student Academic Engagement and Success, Dr. Sheri Kunovich, and her team to support students in their remote learning experience and retention efforts, RLSH staff made sure to connect residents to all of the SMU resources available to them.

Residence Life and Student Housing is a unit equipped to handle the most obscure and random emergencies you can imagine; yet, a global pandemic was not something we had ever imagined. As we reflect on the processes developed to safely close our communities during these ever-changing and unprecedented times, we would say the RLSH staff rose to the challenge of meeting the needs of students and providing the same level of care and support they would have found if they were still living with us on campus.

MANAGING A MOVE IN THE MIDDLE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

“We want to thank you for creating such a safe and efficient move out process. [We] had multiple flights cancelled on our way from Charleston to Dallas, but you and your team supported us all along the way. Thank you for being flexible as we made requests to change our move out time. When we made it to Dallas, the move out was simple and easy. I can’t even imagine the hours you all have put in to manage this process. We just want you to know

GOING DIGITAL

Starting in March, Zoom became the name of the game for the Division of Student Affairs. Virtually every program and offering from one-on-one advising to large student group gatherings were moved to a digital format. Within the first month alone, over 1,300 Zoom meetings were held by Student Affairs staff. Everyone learned new things like the term “Zoom bombing” and what the difference between synchronous and asynchronous offerings were as technological acumen was put to the test. The Friday Update and residential community newsletters transitioned from highlighting in-person activities and events to identifying the ways students could connect to each other and offices virtually. Just because campus went virtual, didn’t mean the engagement stopped. There were virtual cooking and painting tutorials, fitness classes, trivia games, Wednesday Worship, and Netflix watch parties. Not surprisingly, social media became a popular vehicle for not only communication but also as an engagement tool. We even announced the Hilltop Excellence Award winners on Instagram including the prestigious “M” Awards. While nothing beats an in-person interaction in our eyes, the Division will continue to utilize every technology, communication medium, and approach to make our students feel connected—now and post-pandemic.

that we appreciate your efforts, and it is a job well done!”

-SMU Parent

HUB Leaders Leadership

that unifies

What is The HUB?

The Housing Unification Board (HUB) is a group of nine undergraduate students who work to support and enhance the residential experience, and the Residential Commons system. Accomplishing their mission through advocacy, training and development, inclusivity, and programmatic opportunities, the HUB benefits and impacts all residents of SMU.

Stephanie Dodgen, ‘21 Executive Director, Housing Unification Board

Oneof the first interactive experiences I had on campus was through Commons Cup. You might ask, “Well, what is Commons Cup?” It is an opportunity on SMU’s campus wherein each Residential Commons comes together in friendly competition throughout the year. There are four categories with multiple events and programs that count towards the Commons Cup. One of my favorite events is Battleship in the Pool, which involves three canoes with four team members in each who attempt to sink the other canoes. Through Commons Cup, we try to reach all students within the commons system by providing various types of programming. For example, we include intellectual opportunities like a trivia night in an event called QuizBowl, creative ones such as a Talent Show, service-oriented experiences including The Big Event, and physical

activity-related competitions such as RC games and intramurals for athletics. Every event requires planning on our side but also the drive of each commons to show their spirit.

The Housing Unification Board (HUB) started my sophomore year at SMU and I was given the opportunity to be a part of its charter year. From these experiences, I’ve learned what it takes to make a successful program through meticulous planning and active marketing. This year is my second on the HUB, and as the Executive Director and the past Director of Community Collaborations, I’ve had many experiences and opportunities to learn how to program on a large scale.

I first joined HUB to become active on campus and to be able to make an impact on the residential experience for all students. This leadership position unites the different commons and fosters a culture on campus where students can participate in a safe campus

life experience. Together with the other directors, we worked to represent resident issues on campus and provide Hall Improvement Funds to build more community within each Residential Commons. One of our goals is to provide opportunities for each of the commons to continue to build community through Community Development Funds.

I’ve learned many things from this leadership experience, but the main thing would be self-discipline. Although it takes time to set up the events, I’ve learned to plan ahead and schedule around classes to ensure that programs are successful. Serving as Executive Director on the Housing Unification Board has been a wonderful experience and a great opportunity for me to develop my interpersonal and leader-

My involvement with Student Affairs, specifically as HUB Director of Marketing, has pushed me outside my comfort zone in two main ways. As an engineering major, I don’t often have the opportunity to flex my creative muscles, but the HUB has challenged me to think in different and out-of-the-box ways with graphic design and advertising. I try to incorporate this creativity into my work in ways that also allow me to learn new skills-like stop-motion animation, PhotoShop, and various audiovisual editing platforms. HUB has also made me incredibly passionate about building community-something I didn’t realize I cared so deeply about until involvement with Student Affairs. I think the HUB opened my eyes to the incredible spectrum of people on campus and how important it is that we are connected with each other. As a result, I’ve become very invested in listening to people’s stories, experiences, and ideas and making it a part of not only my position on the HUB but my everyday life to make those things heard.

“Stephanie and Madi embody what it means to be a HUB leader. Both continually push themselves and others around them to be the best leader they can be by exceeding expectations and supporting other directors.”

Madi Tedrow, ‘22 is a Management Science major from Naples, Florida. She is affiliated with McElvaney Commons.

Madi Tedrow, ‘22 Director of Marketing, Housing Unification Board

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

How partnerships improve the student experience and success at SMU

Studentsuccess is an enterprise that involves the commitment of various stakeholders at SMU who provide critical components to support students during their time at SMU. When these groups work collaboratively and merge their forces, the result is a more comprehensive and robust student experience.

As one of the four divisional steering committees tasked with executing a number of the division’s strategic plan objectives, the Division Partnerships Committee works to understand, grow, increase, strengthen, and leverage strategic partnership efforts within and beyond to strengthen the overall student experience and improve student success. The committee centers this work on a commitment to break down barriers, model the way, and work innovatively.

By way of an extensive data collection process and divisional audit of existing partnerships during the 2019-20 year, a central theme became clear—one size does not fit all. The Division Partnerships Committee analyzed and catalogued 103 programs, events, and initiatives across the division, representing a total of 657 partnerships.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

Dr. Sheri Kunovich, Associate Provost for Student Academic Engagement and Success in the Office of the Provost, highlights the critical partnership between student and academic affairs in bolstering student success. Such partnerships break down barriers within organizational structures.

Kunovich remarks, “I have been incredibly fortunate to spend time each week with the Student Well-Being and Support unit. Working closely with the Caring Community Connections team, we try to implement solutions that positively impact students who are currently struggling. Many times, their personal struggles impact their academic lives or their academic lives exacerbate problems in their personal lives.”

Kunovich illustrates how this partnership spans the work of all areas within the SMU community to benefit students:

“Working together, we look for solutions that simultaneously address their personal concerns while maintaining or meeting their academic goals for the semester. I also rely upon my partnership with Student

“As a long-time educator I have experienced firsthand how academic achievement and success are positively influenced when an institution works together to develop the whole student.”

-Dr. Jennifer Ebinger

Conduct and Community Standards to increase faculty understanding and utilization of the SMU Honor Code. Without these partnerships I would only have a narrow understanding of students’ lives. I am always reminded in these meetings that students spend about 25 percent of their day in the classroom and it’s how they spend the other 75 percent that can help determine academic success.”

Not only are organizational structures broken down through our partnerships, but interpersonal barriers are as well. Dr. Brian Fennig, a Faculty Affiliate for Boaz Commons, shares, “I have found this partnership to be meaningful because it adds a more dynamic dimension to the lives of both faculty and students. Ultimately, it’s good to see and get to know people outside of the classroom.” With fewer structural and interpersonal barriers, students can focus on thriving and achieving their own versions of academic success.

MODELING THE WAY

As more barriers come down, we can effectively model the way with new partnerships. Dr. Sue Bierman, Executive Director of Student Academic Success Programs, has shared many examples of successful partnerships with different units within Student Affairs. For instance, Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH) provides a home for the Academic Center for Excellence which serves our Rotunda Scholars and first-generation college students. Such collaborative programming has also resulted in joint programs in various Residential Commons with Faculty-in-Residence.

WORKING INNOVATIVELY

Relationships cultivate rich environments for us to take calculated risks and innovate to improve the campus community. Jennifer Ebinger, Director of the Office of Engaged Learning, notes that such partnerships enable “great synergies.”

Ebinger cites the Hegi Family Career Development Center and The Office of Engaged Learning as examples wherein partners maintain an ongoing, open exchange of ideas and a willingness to test out programs with one another. These units exchange open feedback and promote opportunities within their networks accordingly. Ebinger reflects, “As a long-time educator I have experienced first-hand how academic achievement and success are positively influenced when an institution works together to develop the whole student.”

Partnerships shape the college environment on the Hilltop and have helped form a success incubator. Ebinger writes, “Student Affairs and RLSH leadership and staff have given entrepreneurial-minded students the chance to prototype and pilot ventures with wellness programs, admissions, and the Residential Commons. As you can imagine, many early entrepreneurial ideas are formed by their college life experience so these intersections with the Student Affairs network are invaluable.”

The Division Partnerships Committee comprised the following members in the 2019-2020 academic year: Michelle Madsen, Dr. Dustin Grabsch, and Emily Kilburg (Residence Life and Student Housing); Blake Pollard (Student Center and Activities); and Whitney Wells (Hegi Family Career Development Center).

PROGRESS TOWARD

PLAN OBJECTIVES

“Working together, we look for solutions that simultaneously address their personal concerns while maintaining or meeting their academic goals for the semester.”

-Dr. Sheri Kunovich

I’m a little too old to use language like “like no other.” I got the notion to check what it means, fearing that I might be misusing it (there’s nothing quite like a Baby Boomer trying to look hip and falling flat), and the Merriam Webster online dictionary actually has a definition. Not surprisingly, it means “very special.” With that said, even though using “like no other” goes against my anti-cliché sensibilities, it seems pretty apt...2019-20 has been like no other.

First, it became clear to me that 2019-20 should be my last as SMU’s chaplain. Making that decision public last September has made this year somewhat surreal for me personally. The time has come all too soon.

Second, this year has demonstrated that I have some really talented colleagues in Tyler Kim (Program Coordinator) and Veronica Davis (Associate Chaplain to the University). I can depend on them to see what needs to be done and to take initiative to get it done at a high level of competence. Their eye for detail, diligence, and creativity has helped us to sharpen a number of administrative and strategic procedures— Assessment? We are on it! More importantly, it’s just fun to work with them. We laugh a lot in our staff meetings.

Third, we have finally(!) added a Jewish and a Muslim chaplain to our staff and, even though they serve part-time, they’ve made their presence felt already. Having them on staff opens up a number of very exciting possibilities. Many of you already know Rabbi Heidi Coretz, who has been directing the Hillel student ministry, and Imam Bilal Sert, who has been my “go to” resource when I need an expert Muslim perspective. They bring lots to the office and will enrich the campus.

Finally, this year has shown that the Center for Faith and Learning is firmly established, though still young, as centers go. We have a director, Matthew Wilson, who is a political science professor. We have an advisory board. We have consistently good programming for the public and for students. In the past couple of years, we have doubled the number of Faith and Learning Scholars, which means that we’ve added another faculty facilitator in Jack Levison of Perkins School of Theology. Next year will bring a pilot project for a second-year student experience.

You can see a theme in my reflections. As much as the work itself is interesting, what really makes coming to work a joy are the relationships that develop with coworkers and students. As I prepare to take off and move into a new season of ministry, this is what stands out. Work situations come and go, but relationships endure. Not all, of course, but many, many do.

This year has been like no other in my time at SMU. I’m confident, though, that there will be many more “like no other” years for the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life and for the Division of Student Affairs at Southern Methodist University. God bless all y’all!

A Year Like No Other

Reverend Dr. Steve Rankin reflects on an extraordinary year for the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life

RELATIONAL LEADERSHIP FRAMED IN SOUTH DALLAS

Inan open room in south Dallas, every other weekend, nine SMU students gather with five high school students from across the city to share in an evening of fellowship and learning. Around the dinner table, you can hear laughter and the constant chatter of genuine conversation from this community. Following dinner, the group transitions into a space of worship; you can feel the energy and joy in their song. The evening concludes with an engaging resume workshop; it is apparent the group is full of potential and their futures are bright. The evening has been meticulously planned by the Champions Mentorship Program—a Caswell Leadership Program sponsored project.

Johanna Pang, a Caswell Leadership Fellow, and Nia Kamau founded the Champions Mentorship Program to connect underrepresented youth with a support network that supports them through and beyond high school graduation. In the program, each high school mentee is paired with a SMU student mentor, and together they spend the year developing a mentoring relationship wherein the mentee prepares for life after high school. The program focuses on college and career readiness by providing various workshops (e.g., SAT tutoring) and inviting community members to speak to mentees to help connect them to resources.

The Champions Mentor Program is one of several Caswell Leadership Program’s sponsored projects this year. In the Caswell Leadership Program, fellows spend a year planning and implementing a project while developing their leadership skills. Fellows participate in monthly leadership workshops focused on the SMU Leadership Framework and, in turn, apply what they have learned within their projects. The SMU Leadership Framework establishes a campus-wide common leadership language that intentionally develops student leaders. Through participating in these leadership workshops Johanna has been able to grow in two specific frames of

the SMU Leadership Framework: “leadership is relational” and “leadership is committed to developing more leaders.” As a reflection of this growth, she has infused these principles into the Champions Mentor Program.

At the heart of the Champions Mentor Program is relational leadership and leadership multiplication. When a mentee walks through the door on a Saturday evening, they walk into a community where they know they will be challenged but guided and valued via a unique, one-on-one relationship with a mentor. The individual student and their growth are the focus of this Champions Mentor Program. Johanna and Nia instill in the mentors that each mentee has a story and emphasize the importance of valuing and honoring that story. They encourage mentors to meet their mentees where they are such that each mentee receives the proper support to build upon and grow. Simply put, more leaders are being developed through these relationships.

When a mentee walks through the door on a Saturday evening, they walk into a community where they know they will be challenged but guided and valued via a unique, one-on-one relationship with a mentor.

Johanna Pang, ‘22 is an English and Human Rights double major student from Rockwall, Texas. Her Residential Commons affiliation is Boaz Commons.

- Johanna Pang, ‘22 and Meghan Perez, Assistant Director of the Office of the Student Experience

Pictured from left - Brooke Betik and Johanna Pang

The Women and LGBT Center (WLGBTC) hosts various ally trainings aimed at educating faculty, staff, and students on strategies to become active allies to the LGBT community in partial effort to achieve the following departmental constituent outcome: Students will improve their understanding of LGBT identities and issues faced by members of the LGBT community and will learn strategies that enable them to serve as active allies to the LGBT community. An assessment study conducted in 2018-19 demonstrated an overall satisfaction with previously implemented changes to the Ally Training model. However, a majority of participants expressed a continued interest for the trainings to be even more interactive and for greater campus participation. In 2019-20 the WLGBTC hosted six Ally Training workshops and trained over 50 participants. Based on the amount of time spent between lecture-style instruction, discussion, and interactive training activities, this year’s workshop level of interactivity was increased to 88% (compared to 75% the prior year) with the inclusion of an interactive and educational identity coloring sheet that uses a unicorn to talk about sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This year’s participants expressed that they learned about the LGBTQ+ community and how to be better allies and identified discussions and interactive pieces as the most valuable components of the workshop. In the spirit of continual improvement and “closing the assessment loop” once more, the goal for Ally Trainings in the upcoming year is to increase opportunities for discussion and interaction to 90%.

Written by Dr. Sidney Gardner, Director for the Women and LGBT Center.

IDENTITY UNICORNS and

Innovating How we Tell the Student Affairs Story

For the 2019-20 year, the Division of Student Affairs Innovation Grant was awarded to Stephanie Howeth, Assistant Director for Marketing and Communication within Student Affairs Administration, to support her proposal to expand the Division’s video production capacity. One year later, Stephanie recounts the impact of her efforts.

One of the most important aspects of my work is to tell the story of how the Division of Student Affairs cultivates courageous change in our students. When I learned that video accounts for 80 percent of all consumer internet traffic, I realized that it was no longer adequate for us to rely on graphics, photos, and written word to communicate with our constituents – whether that be to recruit students to participate in our programs or to portray learning and development outcomes to our stakeholders. We, as a Division, needed to quickly expand our capacity to tell our story through video to keep current with our audience.

The SMU Division of Student Affairs Innovation Grant allowed me to strategize how we could make video production more

accessible to our Division, even with limited resources. My goals for implementation in the initial year of the grant became twofold: equipment and education.

The $2500 grant allowed me to purchase a 4K video camera, lighting equipment, sound equipment, backdrops, royalty free music subscription, and more. With limited personal experience filming and editing video, the next important component was training for myself and my colleagues, including using video editing software, making videos accessible, and most importantly, telling the story of our work through our students’ voices. Though this year has encompassed baby steps in getting this project up and running, now that we have equipment, we can continue growing our capacity for video marketing year after year.

Hover over the QR code with your smart phone camera to see a few of this year’s videos on our IGTV!

How the Women and LGBT Center Closed the Loop Using Assessment Data

HOME Welcome

Incoming Faculty-in-Residence share their anticipated impact on their new homes in the Residential Commons

Thisisn’t a thing at most universities—faculty don’t typically live in residence halls among college students. But in 2014, the launch of the Residential Commons and the Faculty-in-Residence (FiR) program cemented SMU’s goal to transform the social and academic dimensions of the campus culture. With faculty members living in Residential Commons among students, Mustangs can appreciate them not just as instructors, but as community members who have passions, aspirations, families, pets, and hobbies.

As SMU Residential Commons enter their seventh year, the Division of Student Affairs caught up with three newly selected FiRs and their families. We asked these FiRs to tell us about their “why” and about the impact they hope to make on their residents.

Debra Branch is a senior lecturer in Sociology for Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. She teaches regularly at SMU-in-Taos and has taken students to Cuba as part of the SMU in Havana/Miami abroad program. Deb and her wife Molly are elated to join the community in Morrison-McGinnis Commons.

Willie Baronet is the Stan Richards Professor of Creative Advertising for the Temerlin Advertising Institute in Meadows School of the Arts, as well as the creator of the WE ARE ALL HOMELESS project. Willie and his partner Tanya are thrilled to be joining the Armstrong Commons family.

Leanne Ketterlin Geller is a professor and Texas Instruments Chair in Education at the Simmons School of Education & Human Development, where she also directs the Research in Mathematics Education unit. Leanne, her husband Josh, and her son Zachary are excited to join Crum Commons as the newest Crumbums!

What was your decision-making process when deciding to apply to be a Faculty-in-Residence? What factors did you consider?

Deb: As a lesbian couple, Molly and I decided there couldn’t be a better way to enhance SMU’s commitment to an inclusive community than to be a part of the FiR program.

Willie: I was strongly encouraged by people I trust to apply. The main things I considered: Would it work for Tanya and me? Would it align with my mission to make a positive impact on my students? Would it be fun? And the answer to all of these questions was “yes!”

Leanne: Josh, Zachary, and I love being part of SMU, and we thought, “What better way to build meaningful relationships with our students than spending time with them where they live, play, and work?”

What are you bringing to your Residential Commons?

Deb: Too often, our students feel pressured to stay on track down a narrow, linear road to success. Both Molly and I have followed unconventional paths in our lives and hope to encourage students to broaden their definitions of success. After all, those who wander are not always lost.

Willie: I hope to bring my curiosity and my passion for creativity and create a place where students can celebrate and explore their own creative passions. I want to share my ongoing personal journey with the WE ARE ALL HOMELESS project as a way to model awareness, kindness, and compassion, and encourage students to embrace those qualities in themselves.

Leanne: We bring a sense of wonder, adventure, and well-being. We love good food, playing games and laughing, and having new experiences. Equally valued is time to look inward and maintain balance and peace.

What do you hope students say at the end of their experience in the Residential Commons with you?

Deb: My wish is that students will feel that both Molly and I were approachable, passionate, and open-minded. That we were inclusive community builders. That we encouraged engagement and curiosity. And that we were the best doggie moms in the whole world!

Willie: I hope they would say that they learned a bit more about how to love themselves and others. And that they feel clearer about their purpose and will use their creativity and passion to make the world a better place.

Leanne: I hope they will leave knowing that I believe in them; everyone has amazing potential within them to reach their goals. I hope they will know that I am a solution seeker and am always happy to roll up my sleeves and problem-solve.

After our conversations with these new FiRs, we are even more eager to witness the difference made on our on-campus community by these families. Starting in fall 2020, they will join an established program of faculty who go above and beyond in their commitment to student learning and success. While faculty living in residence halls among college students doesn’t exist at most universities, it certainly has become an element of the SMU environment that’s making a big impact on the Hilltop.