APCA Fall 2023 Campus Life Trends Magazine

FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERIC LAMBERT

elambert@apca.com

The Importance of Gathering the Campus Life Community

Dear Friends,

Student Life funding can be a significant challenge for many mid-sized to smaller institutions. Limited resources and budget constraints often make it difficult for these colleges to provide a wide range of activities and programs for their students. This will result in a less vibrant and engaging campus life, which will impact student satisfaction and ultimately retention.

Attending an APCA conference is an important resource opportunity for small colleges facing these challenges. The APCA Fall Regional Campus Activities Planning Conferences offer a platform for colleges to connect with industry professionals, vendors, and other institutions. These conferences provide valuable networking opportunities, allowing colleges to learn from others who have successfully navigated similar funding challenges.

During the APCA fall events, there are also various workshops and sessions specifically designed to address funding issues and provide practical solutions. These sessions cover topics like grant writing, fundraising strategies, and creative ways to maximize limited engagement resources. Financially challenged campus activities programs can gain valuable insights and ideas to improve their student life funding strategies.

Most of all, APCA conferences also showcase a wide range of vendors and performers who offer affordable and engaging programs for colleges. These vendors understand the budget constraints faced by small colleges and have agreed to provide cost-effective buying solutions to enhance campus life through the

APCA Cooperative Buying system. APCA Cooperative Buying discounts are the most generous in the market, and purchasing your talent cooperatively with other schools at APCA can easily save more than the entire cost of your conference attendance. By attending and taking advantage of these exclusive artist discounts, colleges can discover new opportunities to bring exciting events and activities to their campuses without breaking the bank.

Attending an APCA conference can help small colleges overcome the challenges of student life funding by providing access to valuable resources, networking opportunities, and cost-effective solutions. If you’ve never attended before, reach out to me personally at elambert@apca.com to chat about it. Let APCA get you connected with industry experts, mentors from similarly affected institutions, and innovative approaches to enhance your campus life.

2023 Fall Campus Activities Conferences

• OCTOBER 20 - 22, 2023 • HOUSTON, TX

• NOVEMBER 3 - 5, 2023 • SPRINGFIELD, MA

• NOVEMBER 10 - 12, 2023 • LINCOLNSHIRE, IL

•

Till

Lambert

Transitions, Training, and Tuning Up Your Campus Leaders

Welcome to a new year of student leadership, events, programs, activities, and more! There are a number of different types of groups on campuses and they all need to plan for transition, get necessary training, and even get a tune-up as the year goes on. This article will be of value to advisors, leaders, and members of Programming Boards, Student Governments, Greek Life, clubs, organizations, Residence Life, and any other groups on your campus.

Transitions

Here are some key points about transitions, especially if you have not done this with your previous boards:

1. It is not too late to have the 2022-23 officers meet with the 2023-24 officers, even if the old officers have graduated. After a year of service and leadership, your retired or retiring officers have valuable insight and information to share that can be useful to the new team and help them to get off to a great start. Meet in person, if possible, or use a virtual platform, or go hybrid, but make sure this exchange of ideas happens.

2. This is a time of openness and honesty. Encourage the discussions to be about what worked, what didn’t, what could have been done better, what great ideas did we have that we could not get off the ground, etc. What kind of legacy are those officers leaving and what momentum can the new board pick up on?

3. Pass on documents, folders, flash drives, hard copies of documents, scrapbooks, meeting materials, etc. There is a lot of valuable information to be passed on and maybe even a few hidden gems for the new officers to find.

4. Start planning for next year’s transition now! Encourage your board to start saving items in folders,

either on their computer or in a physical folder; take notes on what they are working on and key details of events, projects, and activities; and have them think about what legacy they want to leave for the next team of leaders.

I have found that election cycles vary from group to group and school to school. Some programming boards and student government officers are elected in the spring, while committee chairs for CAB and senators for SGA have a fall election. Many clubs and organizations try to elect their officers in the spring to have a leadership team in place for the fall, but they don’t always fill all their spots. Lots of two-year schools elect everything in the fall to benefit from the influx of new students. However you do it, here are a couple of things to help the transition into leadership:

1. Have a formal induction of your new officers. Leadership is exciting and taking on a role of responsibility is a special time in a student’s academic career. If you have pins denoting officer positions, do a pining ceremony. Perhaps hold a candle lighting activity to celebrate the new leaders. Have former officers or alumni assist in the recognition of the new team. If you are part of a state or national organization, invite officers from those levels to participate or lead the ceremony. Have a special guest speaker either in person or take advantage of technology to bring them in remotely. I have spoken for chapters of my honor society and clubs and districts of the collegiate service group that I belonged to.

2. Meet with your new leadership team and have them set a vision and goals for the year. This is of value to every kind of student group and will give them focus on what they hope to accomplish.

3. Suggest they set up standards for accountability and

participation amongst their board. It is important for everyone to know the expectations that are being held for them. Share the resources that are available to help them to be successful.

4. Conduct a training session for them on how to run meetings, Robert’s Rules, policies and procedures, dealing with conflict, and other important leadership topics. You can do this for just the group you advise, or bring all of the campus’ clubs and organizations together for a half- or full day of training.

Training

Whether you are going to do training for the whole campus in a single event, leadership conference, retreat, etc., or you’re just planning something for your group, there are certain topics you may want to consider. Also, decide on a format that works best. Prior to the pandemic, I did a lot of full-day leadership events, sometimes by myself. I have found over the last couple of years, however, that a full day is a long day and too much if you are going to have a virtual or hybrid component. It helps if you can mix things up with a ropes course or a service project or some other team-building activity that gets everyone together and moving around.

Here is an example of an agenda that I have used for training. This is a full-day format, but you can adjust this as you see fit or maybe set some of the topics up as concurrent breakout sessions with different presenters. If you are going to do this virtual or hybrid, you may want to split some of the sessions up over a couple of days or do a weekly workshop to get all the topics in. Virtual or hybrid also works well along side of an in-person event for continuing education.

9 am - Welcome and Opening Keynote

9:45 am - Membership Recruitment

10:30 am - Break

10:40 am - Conflict Resolution

11:20 am - Officer Roles and Responsibilities

Noon - Lunch

12:45 pm - Teambuilding/Service Project/Ropes Course

2:00 pm - Time Management

2:45 pm - Break

3:00 pm - Motivating Members and Delegation

3:45 pm - Goal Setting (students get into their leadership teams and meet together to set goals)

4:45 pm - Wrap-up and distribution of Completion Certificates

After the wrap-up, everyone can leave, or you may want

to have some treats, drinks, and other snacks to thank and reward them for participating. Some schools that I have been to have had novelties such as photo booths, caricature artists, balloon animal creators, and even a band or a solo singer/guitar player. You can make this as elaborate as you want.

Tune-Ups

Leadership training and development is not a one and done type of thing. Have refreshers for your students throughout the year. You can do this on a group-by-group basis or consider bringing your campus leaders together for a monthly roundtable or workshop series. This can and should happen throughout the semester leading up to a spring event to address pressing needs and provide leadership training for students who may have stepped into leadership roles since the fall leadership conference. I presented for such a program called the Club and Organization Spring Refresher.

Even if your school does not do a campus-wide event, you could do a mini-retreat with your board. Get away to an off-campus site and cover some leadership topics, pending business or issues, and then play board games, watch a movie, do painting kits, and more.

Be intentional with your campus leaders, clubs, organizations, SGA, CAB, Greek Life, and Res Life and you should see increased involvement and engagement and, hopefully, more satisfaction in your students with the nonacademic side of their educational experience. This will help them to continue the work that was begun before they arrived on campus and to continue it after they graduate or move on to the next level of their education. Remind them that their legacy is what they choose to make it!

Dave Kelly is a professional speaker, trainer, author, and coach. He is known as America’s Student Leadership Trainer™ and has spoken and trained more than 700 times for over 350 different colleges and universities, including more than 250 virtual programs. He is the founder and coordinator of APCA Serves™ and has been named the APCA Campus Speaker of the Year twice (2019 and 2022) and the 2023 Lecturer of the Year for the Canadian Organization for Campus Activities. You can reach Dave by email at DaveKelly@GonzoSpeaks.com or by phone at 404-403-1481.

Living with mental illness is an isolating experience. Despite the fact that 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime and the incredible efforts of the mental health community to destigmatize mental illness, I still feel there is an undeniable sense of shame intertwined with mental health struggles.

Living with OCD, major depressive disorder, and in recovery from an eating disorder myself, the severity of the symptoms and the way I have coped with them have shifted throughout my life. However, I have always hoped that I could better understand my pain in the pursuit of helping others who feel just as alone or isolated.

Over the years, my coping, advocacy, and work have shifted, in many ways mirroring the ways I have

come to understand myself. For example, growing up, I loved musical theater and performing on stage. I saw any and every show coming to my local theater and spent all my time in voice and dance classes. So, when I turned 8 years old and I wanted to “change the world”, I did that by creating shows for the elderly in my community. As I have grown, my work to change the world and the methods of doing so have reflected my interests and healing through creativity. I experimented with painting, spoken word poetry, and even calligraphy. I have found that the coping mechanisms I turn to most often are based in creativity and joy. Living with depression, it’s not always easy to get in touch with things that spark joy and excitement, so I often think about things that brought me joy when I was younger -what did my true self actually love? How did she cope?

There is no one way to live with mental illness, nor is there one recipe for mental health recovery, but for those who feel lost, it is through my story I hope to help others find healing.

This process helped me discover baking, which has been my most influential coping mechanism to help others.

This all began in 2017. It was the summer after my first year of graduate school and I was living at home with my parents. I was also in a depressive episode—the perfect storm of triggers including the end of my first long term relationship, being away from my friends, and on rocky ground with my parents. This all came to a head in late July when I was driving to a SoulCycle class. I was making a left hand turn out of my neighborhood and was hit by another car. I can remember as the airbags deployed, I was waiting to wake up from this nightmare, but things just got harder.

Not having a car in the middle of suburbia with no one I could confide in, I felt completely alone. There were many days I stayed in bed until I turned to find comfort and confidence in the kitchen. I didn’t really have anything else to do, so when I found a boxed cake mix in my parent’s kitchen cabinet, I started baking. I never baked anything complicated; for me this was the only time I felt present and the only time I felt at peace—so it didn’t need to be hard. I learned how to focus on one thing at a time, especially when washing dishes. Allowing myself to be present in the dishwashing process, noticing all the other thoughts in my head but imagining them as soap bubbles that ran down the drain, only living in the now. No other place in my life really allowed me to do this.

In the process of finding my own rhythm in the kitchen, I had the idea to create a mental health cookbook —a physical space for people to share their stories coupled with meaningful recipes that I would tie all together with resource pages. It was really important to me to equip my readers with resources. Whether that was sharing websites like psychologytoday.com or Zencare.com to find a therapist, or explaining what it would be like to call a crisis hotline, I knew it was one thing to say

there were resources and another thing to give them. It can be scary to call a hotline, and I wanted everyone to know that they are free, confidential, and available in hundreds of languages. It is so exciting to also share that as of last July, there is a three-digit number for mental health crises: 988. Calling or texting that number at any time brings you to warm, caring professionals that are knowledgeable and able to help.

In 2017, this all became a pipe dream, but in 2019, I turned it into a reality! Once I had the cookbook out in the world, I began to explore ways to share my story.

I began speaking about the book in my community, and when I was asked to prepare a presentation for students at my alma mater, I decided to think about the ways in which I could use baking as a metaphor to talk about mental health. It was then I started to think about lining up parts of my story with relevant steps in the recipe…like cracking an egg when I felt my world was falling apart or adding semi-sweet chocolate chips to describe the feeling of graduating from college! I started to realize that using a common frame of reference was a great way to share personal experiences. This is something I would recommend regardless of the topic.

I began to see that not only did this draw people in who loved to bake, it also brought in those who wouldn’t find themselves at a mental health presentation otherwise, in my front row…and I think that is where the magic is!

We never really know when someone may struggle or what life will put in our path, but I truly believe that not only understanding resources but also being exposed to a message of authentic recovery will help people heal.

Dayna Altman Contemporary Issues Agency info@ciaspeakers.com

It seems like some people are able to move mountains in a day, while other people struggle to accomplish even minimal tasks. If you are a college student, you can feel overwhelmed with all the different duties and obligations you face. Is there a skill you were born with, or can develop, that makes you more productive and successful?

I've developed a pretty simple and straightforward method of completing tasks. I call it the ACORN technique, and the mighty oak of success can come from this acorn. I use ACORN as an acronym, where each letter stands for a step in completing your tasks. But before we delve into how it works, let's look at what we are trying to achieve. All those little jobs, chores, assignments, duties, and obligations are basically tasks that you need to complete. Understand that just making and following a to-do list can be deceptive, because not all tasks are alike.

There are basically two types of tasks. Simple Tasks involve one thing or one action that you need to complete. If you look at your to-do list, you might see a number of simple tasks like “read Chapter 4 for history class” or “pick up laundry” or “attend club meeting.” These are simple tasks, a

How to Get Stuff Done

Del Suggs, M.S.Ed.

single action that you can easily complete.

The other type of task is the Complex Task. At first glance, it may appear to be a single action; however, it's actually a number of individual tasks. For example, your list might include an item such as “write history paper” or “plan club meeting.” We know those are complex tasks, and each of them have several steps. In order to “write history paper,” you must choose a topic, do the research, write a draft, edit the draft, rewrite it, format, print, and turn it in. That's a lot more than just “write history paper.”

You must always break down those complex tasks into the small tasks that they require. Until you've done that, you will be faced with unachievable to-do lists every day.

ACORN

ACORN is an acronym I use to help me complete the obligations I face every single day. Each letter notes a step to follow in creating and executing a successful to-do list.

Assemble

Write down all the things you have to do. Collect

all those tasks, and gather all of them together. Capture any information you need and write it down. This is the beginning of your list.

Clarify

Once you've got a collection of tasks, you need to clarify. Which of these tasks is important and urgent? Which of these tasks can wait until later? It can be a challenge to clarify your tasks, but you must clarify to execute your list of duties. Break down those complex tasks into lists of simple tasks. This will help you to clarify your assignments, duties, and responsibilities. Once you are clear on what needs to be done, it's time for the next step.

Organize

There are many ways to organize your list. One is the Pareto Principle, which says 80% of the work takes 20% of the time, and 20% of the work takes 80% of the time. Look at your collection of tasks. Which will take the most time, and which will take the least amount of time? Use that information to help organize.

Another method of organizing is the ABC method. With this approach, you label each task based on importance. Anything that has to be completed today gets an A. Anything that has to be completed by tomorrow gets a B. Everything else gets a C. Now you can organize your task list based on what is most important and urgent.

Review

Now that you've organized your list, it's time to

review. Take a long hard look at your list. Is every task listed? Are there any holes or omissions? Is there anything obvious that you forgot? Did you include every task from the original list you assembled to begin?

Navigate

Now it's time to take action. You've created a solid, workable plan, a list of tasks that you can complete-- and need to complete. At this point, the route is clear. All you have to do is begin to complete those tasks.

Eat That Frog!

Mark Twain once said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” That sounds pretty gross, I know, but Brian Tracy found a way to relate it to procrastination.

Brian Tracy says we need to look at our to-do list every day and find the one task that we will procrastinate. There is always at least one task on the list we really don't want to do. Think of it as that live frog you have to eat.

Go ahead and eat it first—right now! If you do, you won't be worrying about having to eat it later. Plus, when you've done it, you will find the energy to tackle the rest of your list.

There are a couple of additional points that I'll add when it comes to doing that first hard task every day-- eating that frog. First of all, some days you'll look at your list and find two frogs. Eat the ugliest one first! Second, if you have to eat a live frog, it's a good idea not to sit and look at it too long. Do it now!

Eisenhower Matrix

Here is one more trick to help you prioritize your tasks. President Eisenhower had a unique way of analyzing all the tasks that he faced every day, both as the Commanding General of the US Troops in World War II and as President of the United States. Imagine a matrix with two rows, and each row has two squares. Across the top you would label “Urgent” and “Not Urgent.” On the side, label

The bottom left square is for tasks that are Not Important but Urgent. You delegate those (find someone else to do them).

The bottom right square is for tasks that are not Important and not Urgent. Those you can probably eliminate all together!

This can be a handy tool for managing a project or a leadership role especially. You may be able to find other members to delegate some of the urgent but not important tasks.

Getting Stuff Done

It's always a challenge to get organized and motivated to complete a project. By breaking those complex tasks down into simple tasks, you can get a better handle on what needs to be done.

Use the ACORN method of Assembling, Clarifying, Organizing, Reviewing, and Navigating your tasks. You will find this to be a useful tool in creating that daily To-Do List that leads to accomplishment!

“Important” and “Not Important.”

The top left square is for tasks that are Important and Urgent. Those are the tasks you do right now. The top right square is for tasks that are Important but not Urgent. Those are tasks that you schedule and plan to do later.

Copyright by Del Suggs www.DelSuggs.com Del@DelSuggs.com

Keep in touch! Follow me on Facebook.com/DelSuggs, @DelSuggs on Twitter and Instagram

Don’t Be a ‘Karen’, Be a CAREN™: The Empathic Advisor

Marissa F. Cohen marissafayecohen.com

*Disclaimer: The title is supposed to be cheeky, not offensive. I’m sorry if any Karen’s were hurt in the reading of this article*

Growing up, we’re told to go out and make friends. We’re told to treat others the way we want to be treated. We’re told that one day, we’ll meet a person and fall in love. But we’re never taught how. We act like socialization comes naturally to everyone, and that we’ll just fit together like a puzzle. But truthfully, that’s not the case. Yes, we learn best by trial by fire. Yes, we learn and absorb socialization and social cues from the people around us. But we really never learn the fundamentals of friendship.

Think about it: if our family, friends, and partners have bad socialization habits, doesn’t that teach us the wrong social skills? How do bullies come about? They learn from their environment, through socialization. How do abusers develop their abusive and narcissistic tendencies? They aren’t born that way, they learn it. Conversely, manners and appropriate behaviors are also learned through social interactions. Assuming that every person is raised the same and learns the same lessons is misguided.

So, rather than leaving all of these situations to chance, personally, it seems easier to train people about HOW to be a great friend, a great partner, and a great advocate. That way, they have the tools not only to provide support, respect, and empathy, but can also track the behavior patterns that they are now willing or unwilling to accept. We don’t know what we don’t know.

These five qualities make up a healthy friendship, partnership, and allyship. Think about your best friend. Do you communicate well together? Maybe have inside jokes or your own language? Do you feel safe talking to them about personal situations? Do they support you? Connect you to hobbies and interests that you like? Get you help when you need it? Do they care about your feelings? Respect your boundaries? Defend you? Do they meet you where you are? Bring over your favorite drink or snack when you’re having a bad day? Are you the same person you were when you met them, or did they encourage you to grow somehow?

I hope that you answered yes to all, or at the very least most of these questions. Our friends are supposed to make us feel safe, respected, heard, and supported.

At the very basis of it, Communication is the foundation for any relationship. If you don’t communicate concerns in a healthy and efficient way, how can you expect anyone to give you what you need? You can’t. Knowing and understanding how to communicate with friends, family, and partners is the first step to creating a healthy

Don’t Be a Karen, Be a CAREN. CAREN is an acronym for:

relationship. Being able to discuss issues without escalating to fights. Knowing when to take a step back, or give yourself time to decompress before the situation gets out of hand. These are simple tools that we often don’t learn, especially if we grow up in difficult homes. We need to understand effective ways to express ourselves so people can relate to us and know how to help us.

Next is Advocacy. When we’re advocating for someone, we’re supporting them by being exactly who they need in that moment. Whether it’s a friend or partner having a bad day, or a colleague going through a difficult time, we show them the support they need in that moment. To advocate is to connect. Connecting someone to a therapist or resource they might need who can help them through a situation, or a person who might be able to help them through in a better capacity than yourself. Advocating for them to other people who might be interested in working with them. We advocate in many ways, even when we don’t really know we’re doing it. But to be a good friend and partner is to intentionally advocate for people because we want to help them succeed.

Respect is one of the three most important traits in a healthy relationship of any type. Respecting someone shows them you care. Respecting their opinions and beliefs, even if you don’t agree. Respecting their privacy and personal space. Respecting their wishes and boundaries. All of these actions show a person that their opinions, wants, needs, and boundaries matter, and therefore, that you care enough about them to show them that respect. Setting healthy boundaries is a positive way of showing and gaining respect. If people don’t know one of your pet peeves, they will continue to irk you and eventually cause you to resent them. It’s mutually beneficial. So, look at respect as a key ingredient to a healthy relationship of any kind.

Empathy is your ability to relate with someone. We all want our friends to understand us, and in many cases, foundational understanding and overlapping interests are the reasons we become friends with someone. But empathy is a little deeper. Sometimes, we show up to our friend’s house with a bottle of wine and some chocolate or ice cream to help them through a bad day or

difficult time. We meet them where they are and show them that their experiences are valid. It comes down to showing support, and not trying to control them or tell them what they need to do. That’s empathy.

And finally, Nourish. To nourish someone is to help them grow. When we plant a seed and water it, what happens? It grows. We’ve given that seed the nourishment it needs to blossom and grow. What is the difference between that and nourishing a friend or partner? We hopefully don’t throw our friends in the dirt and dump water on them. I kid, but it is the same concept. Think about who you were before you met your best friend or partner. Are you still exactly the same? Probably not. Maybe they’ve introduced you to something that you love and have become really good at. Maybe they helped you learn about yourself, and you’re more outgoing or stronger. That’s what healthy relationships do, they nourish you. And you nourish them.

All in all, to be a good friend and partner is to be a CAREN. If you communicate well, support and advocate for them, respect them, empathize with them, and nourish them, you’ve created a dynamic, strong, and healthy bond that will withstand the tests of time.

Embody your inner CAREN, and show people the type of person you are. Someone who is there for the people they care about. Who listens and understands, advocates, respects boundaries and helps them grow. Ultimately, we’re all looking for the same qualities in friends. Someone who cares about us, validates us, supports us, listens to us, respects us, empowers us, and makes us laugh. If you know that’s what everyone is looking for, be that person for the people in your life that you care about.

Embracing the Unique Lessons of Leadership Now

Kathy Graves Farley

So, are you ready to be a leader? You bet you are! This world needs leaders with the background to do what is right, not what is trendy or politically correct. The world is waiting for you and the time to start is right now. Since the longtimers out there running things see a decline in prepared leaders, it’s a perfect opportunity to step up and stand out. Doors of opportunity will open. Relationships will develop that last a lifetime. And your confidence will grow exponentially!

Being a young adult leader is remarkable, and often an underestimated experience. In a world where eight out of 10 business owners believe that young adults are not ready for leadership, it is crucial to recognize the immense potential and advantages you gain by assuming a leadership role in a club, team, group, or through service work. In fact, it’s while you’re conquering the advent of adult hormone levels, peer pressure, social media cues, along with changes in relationships and your personal interests, that empowers you with a distinctive vantage point. The things you expose yourself to now will set you up for accomplishments the rest of your life! So, jump into the exceptional opportunities and benefits that arise from being a young adult leader, including a life with higher earnings, greater freedom in your work, a wider range of skills, more meaningful relationships, and the abilities to achieve your goals.

As a young adult today, you’re adapting quickly to emerging learning styles, utilizing new technologies before the adult world “gets it”, and deciphering complex online platforms. And let’s add to that, navigating the evolution of societal norms in everyday life. This new era of constant content and daily adaptability is yours, and it allows you to quickly address situations that require creative solutions. Your resilience, confidence, and ability to realize your best self will be on a whole new level when you introduce a leadership experience. Getting into leadership now provides the opportunity to create personal and long-term goals that will be at your core for the rest of your life!

You have several advantages over people farther down the road in life. Developing leadership skills is much easier for young adults that are energetic, full of curiosity, and fully engaged with life, open to change and taking on new and various challenges are big benefits when developing leadership skills.

I can state as a fact that you have a fresh perspective! You have new ideas, and your way of thinking is your asset in getting them done. It is you that will challenge traditional norms and find new solutions for our world. Your community, city, and state need you. Learn to take on the challenges that will make a positive impact on

the world around you and the lives of others. Refine your ability to communicate face-to-face and watch your angst wither away. What you will discover is a higher purpose and more meaningful experiences.

Watch your energy boom like a super nova as the level of your enthusiasm ignites a team. In turn, watch that team reciprocate your high vibration with action. The Band-Aid of safety you find in seeing the world and others on a phone screen will be ripped off; knowing tech is an advantage, but involving yourself personally with a team and its goals is where the magic happens. Your involvement with your team will define your impact and accomplishments.

Like any endeavor you have succeeded in already, the growth from leadership is going to build inner strength through some growing pains, so embrace them. Lean into the challenges and go after solutions head on. Doing so yields unique qualities that contribute to success in life! Here are just a few for you:

1. The Potential for Higher Earnings:

One of the most popular reasons for being a young adult leader is the potential for higher earnings in the future. By taking on leadership roles now, you gain valuable experience and essential skills that are highly sought after in the world. Companies recognize the dedication, responsibility, and initiative demonstrated by young adult leaders, making them more likely to offer competitive salaries and advancement opportunities. And experienced leaders tend to play well with others as adults; even when not in leadership positions, they make great teammates!

2. Greater Freedom in Work Life:

Adults that have youth leadership experience have a higher likelihood of shaping their work life according to their preferences. Whether you wish to start your own business, pursue a passion project or climb the corporate ladder, past young adult leaders have shown the ability to better

choose careers that align with their values and aspirations.

3. A Greater Variety of Skills to Utilize Daily:

School settings provide a unique environment for young adult leaders to explore and develop a wide range of skills with a much lower level of risk or personal damage when errors are experienced. From public speaking and project management to teamwork and problem-solving, the opportunities for refining abilities are abundant. It is my promise that through leadership you will develop your strengths and interests, allowing you to succeed far more confidently.

4. Utilizing and Building on Skills:

When you embrace a leadership role, you constantly see opportunities to learn and develop. Right now, you have boundless energy and an innate desire to learn that will give you experience and wisdom, as time passes. Failures? You’re at a peak time to absorb and conquer setbacks. In short order you will see them as setups for the next big thing.

Being a leader now is a unique and transformative experience. It’s now that you possess distinct advantages to learning the craft of leadership. By stepping into it, you can shape your own destiny, enjoy higher earnings, and make a lasting impact on the world around you.

So, let’s get to it! Embrace the uniqueness of your personal journey and unlock your full potential through leadership. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? There’s never been a better time to seize the magic of leadership and define yourself!

Kathy Graves Farley Conristian, LLC

kathy@kathyfarley.net

Are you ready to attend the PEACE, LOVE, AND PROGRAMMING Conferences this Fall?

All 3 conferences are jam-packed with tons of fun and information to help you and your schools gain the knowledge to upgrade your engagement!

• LIVE SHOWCASES

• EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS AND

• PROGRAMMING CERTIFICATION

• COOPERATIVE BUYING - HUGE BLOCK BOOKING DISCOUNTS ON

• ENTERTAINMENT, NOVELTIES, SPEAKERS, AND MORE!

• FOUR HOT MEALS INCLUDED IN EACH DELEGATE FEE!

Marriott Westchase Hotel

SPRINGFIELD

November 3 - 5

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LINCOLNSHIRE

November 10 - 12

Lincolnshire Marriott Resort

ENGAGED STUDENTS ARE RETAINED STUDENTS!

2023 Fall Regional Conferences 2023 F Fall Regional Conferences

Why Attend an APCA Campus Activities Booking Conference

APCA Fall Conferences are annual events that bring together college and university students, SA professionals, and performers from across the country to program various campus events and activities. Attending these conferences can be highly beneficial for schools for several reasons.

Engaging Campus Event Resources at the BEST Pricing

We provide a platform for schools to discover new talent for their campus events. The conferences feature a wide range of performers, including musicians, comedians, magicians, speakers, and more, allowing schools to find the perfect fit for their campus community. Most importantly, they can save a LOT of money doing by booking at APCA!

Peer to Peer and B2B Networking

The events also offer valuable networking opportunities. Schools can connect with other institutions and share ideas, strategies, and best practices for organizing successful campus activities. This networking can lead to collaborations and partnerships that enhance the overall campus experience for students.

Keep Up With Industry Innovations

The APCA Fall Campus Activities Conferences are a great way for schools to stay current with the latest trends and innovations in campus activities. APCA conferences include workshops, educational sessions, and round table/panel discussions on topics such as event planning, marketing, assessment, and student engagement and retention. Schools can gain valuable insights and knowledge from industry experts and experienced professionals in the field.

Enhance Your Campus Environment

Participating in APCA Fall Conferences will help your school enhance its campus culture and create a vibrant and engaging environment for students. By bringing in diverse performers and organizing exciting events, schools can foster a sense of community and school spirit among their students. Join Us!

Attending the APCA Fall Campus Activities Conferences are a valuable investment for schools looking to enhance their campus activities and create a memorable experience for their students. Click HERE for more details and to register.

APCA Cooperative Buying

The APCA Cooperative Buying System is a program designed to help colleges and universities save money on booking events and campus activities. This system allows institutions to leverage their collective buying power to negotiate better deals with vendors and agents. It’s a valuable opportunity for schools to enhance their student life programming while maximizing their financial resources.

The APCA cooperative buying system also provides a platform for schools to share travel, lodging and logistical costs with the other campuses attending.

Learn more HERE!

Making Finance Fun

Peter Bielagus

Metropolis Management. www.metropolismanagement.com

Of course, everyone is different, so everyone has something different on their mind. And no matter what is going on, everyone is carrying a phone full of distractions.

But statistically speaking, it is safe to say that nearly all your higher education leadership team members, and nearly all your college audience members, are worried about the same thing: Money.

According to the research firm Think Impact, money management problems are still the number one reason for college dropout. Money management problems bleed into all areas of a person’s life. Finances can affect relationships, academic performance, and mental health.

But with an already packed semester, how can you possibly fit financial education in your programing? Here are 4 simple and easy ways to promote money management:

1. Give a Financial Prize

Most campus events offer some sort of giveaway (Tshirts, water bottles, an Amazon gift card, etc.). While these prizes are great, there is an opportunity in every giveaway to promote financial literacy. Consider giving away a financial prize, such as:

• A 1 oz silver American Eagle coin. These coins are .999% pure silver. At the time of this writing, they cost about $37. You can buy them online at websites like www.apmex.com or www.goldsilver.com or from a local coin dealer. The beauty of these coins is that not many students have seen them. Give just one of them away and every student will be asking:

• What is that?

• Where do I get one?

• How much is it worth?

• How do I sell it?

• A United States savings bond. For the past twenty years, savings bonds weren’t such a great investment because interest rates were so low. But now that rates are on the rise, these little bonds are pretty cool. Contrarily to popular belief, you can buy a savings bond for anyone—you do not need to be related.

You can buy one of these bonds for as little as $25, simply by going to www.treasurydirect.gov. Consider giving one away at your next event.

• One share of stock: The website www. giveashare.com allows you to give one share of stock to anyone. Sure a $50 gift card to Walmart

When your team shows up to a meeting, are they engaged? How about when an audience shows up to an event, are they present in the moment? Is there something else on their minds? And if so, what is it?

is helpful, but how about one share of Walmart stock? Students do not need a stock brokerage account to receive the share but they do need one to sell the share. But that’s just another way to motivate someone to look further into their finances.

By offering a unique financial prize, something that most students have never seen before, you get the spin-off benefit of creating viral financial excitement. Everyone knows what a T-Shirt is. There’s no mystery to a water bottle or a coffee mug. But in this age of digital money, few students have ever seen a 1 oz silver coin. Everyone will be interested, even the students who don’t get a coin. Give audiences something they haven’t seen before and watch the viral wonder take fire.

2. Switch the Word “Free” With “Already Paid For”

How many times have you advertised a campus event as “Free”? The idea behind the word free is to eliminate any mental barriers a student may have about attending. But the truth is, no event on campus is free. Events are just already paid for.

They’re paid for through student activities fees, tuition, and other income sources (such as money from vending machines and dining hall income). Often when something is “free”, we don’t respect it. But when we’re told we’ve already paid for something, well then, we definitely want to get our money’s worth.

So, stop labeling campus events as “free” and remind students that this is an event that they’ve already paid for.

(Side note: As I am typing this article, I am in my city’s public library. Some will say the library is free, I

realize it’s just already paid for.)

3. Financial Action Contest

Wouldn’t it be great if you could eat just one salad and lose ten pounds? Wouldn’t it be great if you could take just one lesson and then be able to play the guitar?

Well sadly, if you want to be healthy, you need to keep eating salads and if you want to be a musician, you need to keep practicing the guitar.

But in the financial world, there are some things you just need to do once and you’re all set for a year. Or five years. Or in some cases, forever. I call these things financial actions. There’s no theory, not much to learn or discuss. In the words of Nike, Just Do It. Encourage students to take these financial action steps and build a prize around it for students who actually complete these tasks.

Here are some financial actions people can just do:

• Check Your Credit. The website www.annualcreditreport.com is a free and safe way for students to check their credit report. Even students who think they don’t have any credit should check, as there could be a mistake on their report. (Checking your credit on this site will not hurt your credit score.)

• Opt Out. Visit www.optoutprescreen.com. This website allows people to “opt out” of pre-approved credit card offers that can flood a person’s mailbox. These pre-approved offers increase your exposure to identity theft and increase your own temptation to fill one out. This website will block these offers from being sent to you.

• Create an A.I. Password. For years, identity theft has been the fastest growing crime in the world. Sadly, Artificial Intelligence has only made it easier for identity criminals to take what’s yours. A.I. can be used to recreate someone’s voice, even a video of them. Your friend or mom or parent or whoever might appear to be “calling” you, asking for some harmless bit of financial information.

“Honey, it’s mom, can you read me the three digit number on the back of your debit card? The bank is calling.”

She sounds like mom, but is it really mom? To protect yourself, establish a password that only

you and your parents know. That way, when you get a call like that, you can say, “Sure mom, I just need the password.” If your mom can’t provide the password, it’s probably not your mom.

4. Financial Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great way to introduce the campus to new students or introduce unexplored or unused aspects of campus to seasoned students. Aside from a few prizes, scavenger hunts don’t cost much money.

Some “stops” on the financial scavenger hunt could be:

• Video with someone from the financial aid office after asking them: “How much have I borrowed so far?”

• Video with a finance professor after asking them: “What’s the most important thing students need to know about their financial lives?”

• Video with a local banker asking them: “What’s

one thing I need to know about banking that I probably don’t know already?”

• Video with a random student after asking them: “What is your biggest concern when it comes to money?”

(Be sure to get people’s permission before including them in your video.)

Money is on everyone’s mind. Help your community by injecting fun financial education where you can. It’s easier than you think.

Peter Bielagus is a financial author and speaker who has delivered over 1000 presentations on money management to students, servicemembers, and young professionals. He is the author of four books on money management and is the creator of the YouTube show “Money In The Movies” which uses popular movies to teach financial lessons. He can be reached at www. peterbspeaks.com.

Profiles in Leadership and Character from a Minority Perspective

Ron Jones Executive Director of Dialogues on Diversity

When you think of personal character, what traits do you assign to it? If you say things like wisdom, courage, or honesty, you would not be wrong. Now narrow that question down to who are the people that personify character for you? Depending on who you choose, I’m sure you’ll come up with more traits.

Now here’s the big question:

defines your character?”

What is more important than the terms you land on are the ways you express it. How do you know you are on track? And what will you do with all this character?

As students, you will be given opportunities to develop your intellectual and academic skill sets. All this work is done in the service of making you, as some say, “the leaders of tomorrow.” All that preparation to lead will mean little if you cannot face down the old ideas and narrow thinking that conspire to strip humanity from others.

Following the striking down of Affirmative Action by the supreme court, this fall will be the first time many students will be dealing with the real-world effects of this decision. Moreover, the last few years have been defined by a consistent wave of legislation restricting women’s autonomy, as well as unprecedented attacks on the transgender community among others. We are in a moment where people and policies are conspiring against the very being of an individual.

Your generation of students will be faced with leadership challenges like few before you. Learning to protect people is a sign of character. Standing up

for another’s dignity is what leaders do. There are just a few things to keep in mind.

We have always been “a multicultural society”. For as much as some want to deny it, there have always been people that span the gender spectrum. There has always been racial and religious variety, but the narratives of those who do not reflect dominant status get marginalized.

One of the central reasons we are seeing so much “othering” is that the dominant culture doesn’t realize that people who represent these non-dominant cultures are far more weaved into their lives than they know. I am not just talking about the social or civil icons that you may have heard about in one way or another. I’m talking about people who are a part of the tapestry of most everything in our lives we take for granted.

Every field of study. Every industry. Every profession has people who have, in one way or another represented non-dominant cultural identities.

It does not take a ton of research to find the groundbreaking LGBTQ+/ Black/ Asian/ Latinx/ Poor/ Female /Non-Christian/ etc. persons who fought for their place to be seen.

Forged by time and circumstance, they broke through barriers. Revolutionized fields. They proved the naysayers wrong, in most instances while walking a solitary path. They had to fight against the waves of dissent from those who deemed them as unworthy or undeserving of many of the basic dignities others took for granted.

“What

They represent the type of courage, tenacity, and inner strength necessary to succeed in any arena. It’s not easy being the first of your kind through any door. I guarantee you that these individuals deserve more visibility; not just because they were the first from an underserved and underseen community. They should serve as icons for leadership and character development.

So, as you go into the new school year, I urge you to do two things:

1. Look for non-dominant cultural icons in the fields you already care about.

2. Share them in the places where you have influence. What is your degree program? What is your favorite pastime? What clubs are you in? I guarantee there is someone you didn’t know who made in impact that will surprise you.

One great example would be Vivien Thomas. Armed with only a high school education, this African American man went on to develop tools and practices that made heart surgery possible. Sophie Wilson is a transgender woman whose work helped to make cell phones. Her genius can be found over 95% of all cell phones to this day. Syukuro "Suki" Manabe’s pioneering work is the foundation for all weather analysis and reporting. It was his works that allowed us to start to measure global warming.

These are just three examples of people who make our lives better every day. Who knows how many more of them are deeply woven in to our shared history, yet their communities suffer from compromised dignity. Just think of all the people within those communities who struggle to be seen and honored now. What could they bring to us all if we focused more on their gifts. This is where you can make a character-building difference.

Once you have found these unseen heroes, take them to your deans, advisors, or professors who may have the power to help you elevate them. Work with your campus programming or multicultural offices to produce an event. It does not have to be huge - it may even be for a single class. The point is to practice

advocacy, organizing, and action. This is how you build leadership skills from the ground up.

Personal character is a process built on examples. Use this time to give yourself a few. Anyone with wisdom will tell you that the lesson is in the process, not the outcome.

Role models are never one dimensional. Do not be fooled by those who would force you to believe that history’s icons are such. They are deep and complicated. Defining ourselves through the binary lens the way some see Thomas Jefferson or Malcolm X says little to the day-to-day character challenges we deal with. We definitely need to do a better job compiling the stories of our big icons. But what is equally important is to tell the stories of the marginalized icons that were the first in their own right. These are the everyday people that reflect most of us.

Another critical thing that gets overlooked in considering the marginalized are the stories of how they had to just adapt to meet basic needs. They had to improvise to create resources and opportunities, to move past obstacles and hold on to their beliefs.

By not learning or sharing these stories of grit and determination, we overlook many of the very traits that would serve us best in this fast-changing world. We also lose the knowledge of how history’s hatred and ignorance played out in granular ways. It’s never just racist politicians and media figures. By overlooking these very human behaviors, we risk falling into the “doomed to repeat a history not learned” category.

I ask you to take on this simple task in this school year. It will help you begin to define the types of traits in yourself that build purpose-driven character. No matter where this journey takes you, I know it will be something to see.

Ron Jones has been an educator, writer, actor, and social activist for over 25 years. He is an EMMY Award winner and the 2023 Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities Cultural Speaker of the Year. He is currently Executive Director of Dialogues on Diversity.

How to Engage Your Super Users

Tom Krieglstein tom@swiftkickhq.com

SAS is a massive global analytics software and solutions provider with just over 380,000 users engaged in their community. However, within those 380,000 users, only 23 members get the official title of "Super User" each year. That's right, only 23 people per year!

The invite-only application to become a SAS Super User is based on an individual's activity within the community. The SAS leadership team tracks user activity over a 180-day period to determine who they should invite to the exclusive club.

Online Community Manager for SAS, Shelley Sessoms, says that through all the activity, "One characteristic that makes Super Users stand out is that if they can't answer a question themselves, they go out of their way to help someone find an answer."

Once a person is dubbed a SAS Super User, they are given additional training and access to tools to expand their ability to help others within the community. They are also asked for their opinion on new ideas and the future direction of SAS. Super Users are considered a part of the team... even though they are paying customers of SAS.

So why do the SAS Super Users do it? Well, they do get very cool personalized swag, but that's not their primary motivation. To understand their main motivation, let's take a step back.

Every community has a group of users that are involved in almost everything you do. They comment on your posts, they attend your events, they respond to your emails, and they fill out your surveys.

These are your super users.

In our Dance Floor Theory Engagement Pyramid, these are the "5s" of your community.

5s are asking, "How can I help?"

The difference between a 4 and 5 within Dance Floor Theory is that 4s are still only thinking about themselves and their own expanded leadership growth, whereas 5s are thinking about the whole organization and engaging everyone else.

The way to engage your 5s is to expand their leadership responsibilities by voting or nominating them into an official position within the organization.

5s show a commitment to the community. They are ready to lead. It's now up to you as the organization leader to find a place for them either officially on the executive board or in a new position you create.

Through SAS's Super User program, they have found a way to engage the 5s within their community. 5s are motivated by giving back to the community, by helping others, by being a community leader. They want to be seen by the community as a contributor. So while the swag is nice and appreciated, the real motivation for 5s is intrinsic and comes from helping increase everyone else’s engagement in the community.

Next time you look at your members, follow this 4-step process to engage your Super Users:

1) Identity your 5s

2) Build a relationship with them

3) Offer them a leadership position so they feel like part of the team

4) Give them additional insider training or tools

Lastly, remember that less than 1% of users are usually highly engaged in any community, so make the Super User Club exclusive and something someone has to earn the right to be a part of. But once they are in, do everything in your power to support them because they are the backbone of your community.