Talking Stick - May/June 2008 - 68

44 for the Future 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 39. Take a Walk Pick a nice sunny day to stroll across the campus quad and watch how and where the students gather outside. Then do the same thing on a dreary, rainy day and see if there are any ways to ease the students’ commute to class. Finally, extend your walk beyond the campus borders to re-examine where students are living off campus. What conditions are they experiencing? And, if it is your goal to keep more upperclass students in the residence halls, think about what it will take to make that happen. 42. A More Sustainable Self Take some of those sustainability practices from work home with you and add some others. Use that old conference bag for your groceries. Change your light bulbs. Use online bill-pay systems to save paper. 43. Pay Back Hopefully the collegiate housing profession has beneﬁted you. So think of something you can give back to it either through a ﬁnancial donation, giving your expertise to a committee, sharing your time as a mentor, or even just serving as an ambassador for the ﬁeld as well as your institution. 40. Those Who Can, Teach Volunteer to be an instructor at one of the ACUHO-I institutes. Not only is it a way to give back to the association and the profession, but teaching is one of the best ways for you to study and learn as well. 44. History Lesson Who is the “Smith” behind Smith Hall? Where did those campus traditions get their start? A little time with a campus librarian or the alumni group can give some insight into the campus history that you’ve never heard before. Thinking about the generations of students and staff that walked the grounds before you arrived might provide some new perspective. It might even provide the inspiration to ﬁnd a way to make your own mark for the future. 41. Walk Through Once a month, choose a different building and schedule a walk-through tour with a custodial, maintenance, residence life, and property staff member. Unlock every door and look in every ofﬁce, closet, mechanical room, storage room, communications closet, bathroom, and the like with the exception of student living spaces. Take notes and develop a list of problems that need to be addressed. Then, give the staff two weeks to take care of the list before conducting a follow-up walk-through. This provides not only a wonderful opportunity to work directly with staff and share your standards, but also an opportunity over time to see every building’s spaces. Contributors to this story include Jeanette Brandeen, University of California, Riverside; Ryan Bronkema, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; Terri Bump, American Campus Communities; Connie Carson, Furman University; Norb Dunkel, University of Florida; Sandi Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Kathy Hobgood, Clemson University; Nicole Lenez, Clemson University; Tonie Miyamoto, Colorado State University; Suzanne Mullins, Clemson University; David Pe, New York University; Julie Philips, PaperClip Communications; Michael Steele, Clemson University; Emily Willis, Clemson University; and Jonathan Wylie, Clemson University. 68 Talking Stick

Talking Stick - May/June 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - May/June 2008