Talking Stick - September/October 2016 - 54

Staten and
Hobgood explain that
"The success of on-campus
housing must take into
account the symbiotic
nature of the broader
campus."

PHOTO COURTESY OF EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

scheduled date. As he suggests, it is
important to "meet with the director
and other personnel on a scheduled
regular basis."
Sometimes you just have to go
to someone and own the issue. You
may have observed a deficit and have
the opportunity to approach a needed
campus constituent and say, "Our
work is intertwined, and we don't
know each other. Let's fix that!" When
we can do so before that disconnect
causes a larger problem, we are truly
serving our department well. April
Barnes, assistant dean of students
and director of housing at Eastern
Kentucky University in Richmond,
explains that she needed to step
forward in order to resolve a problem
of miscommunication between
housing and others regarding the
process for removing students due to
Title IX or conduct issues. In some
cases, you need to be the instigator
and be strategic in approaching
campus partners. "Help them see
how you and your department can
help them do the job they need to do;
when you take the first step, it opens
the door to communication that can
enhance collaborations and create
true partnerships."
54

TALKING STICK

Our original interest here was
to better understand the essential
connections and collaborations that
CHOs engage in. When reviewing
the list of partners, we do account for
the fact that on some campuses these
partnerships are effectively fulfilled by
an individual who is neither the CHO
nor the CRLO. Campus organizational
structures and roles occasionally
call for that collaboration to play out
differently. In some instances, the vice
president for student affairs or other
executive-level leader prefers that all
external partnerships in their areas
play out through them more directly.
In either of these cases we are called
upon as campus professionals to
show creativity in meeting the needs
of students.
It is also worth noting that not all
partnerships are created equal. Each
has its own unique needs and levels of
connection. Some partnerships require
deeply shared belief systems and
connectivity of process and procedure.
One example of this type of partnership
is the shared care and concern and
behavioral intervention that a housing
office, dean of students office, and
conduct office may need in order
to effectively work together. Other

partnerships are more practical or
serviceable in nature and require only
that we agree on the areas of function
that overlap. This may be a further area
for research and classification.
The success of on-campus
housing must take into account
the symbiotic nature of the
broader campus. The evolution of
partnerships is clearly delineated
in the progression of position type.
Each increasing set of responsibilities
opens up a broader view on the larger
campus operation. Interdependencies
between functions become ever more
apparent, as does the responsibility
for relationship building. 

Shannon Staten is the executive director of
university housing at Florida State University
in Tallahassee.
 sstaten@fsu.edu
Kathy Bush Hobgood is the assistant vice
president for student affairs and executive
director of university housing and dining at
Clemson University in South Carolina.
 kbhob@clemson.edu
Talking Stick - September/October 2016

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