Talking Stick - November/December 2016 - 16

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Ask the Librarian
Beyond Year One
Search freshman in the ACUHO-I library, and you
get 139 results. First-year experience gets you 139; first
year gets you 244. However, sophomore nets only 84,
while junior gets 45, and seniors gets about 6, when
one excludes references to "senior leadership" and
the like.
There are very good reasons for this; firstyear students are the majority of the on-campus
population, and they often need intensive support
as they undergo a major transition. However, if
students who are in their second year or beyond
are on your campus - or they will be, or you would
like them to be - how can you support them? One
of the resources highlighted below, "Going Beyond
FYE and SYE," by Philip J. Tompkins and David
Pe, presented at the 2009 Annual Conference &
Exposition, cites a chart created by the Advisory
Board Company that is titled "The Relative
Abundance of Student Retention Practices, by Class
Year." Freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are
printed horizontally across the bottom of the chart;
the trend line slopes steeply downward to the right
side of the chart, recovering slightly at the senior
year point.
While the quantity of resources on sophomores,
juniors, and seniors living on campus isn't great, the
quality is solid. Here are a few good picks.

Sophomores
Larry C. Christenson, "Why They Stay," Talking Stick
(March/April 2013).
Focusing on retention generally and sophomores
specifically, Christenson discusses how critical
the sophomore year is to eventual graduation
persistence.
Lance Kennedy-Philips and Elizabeth Fines,
"Making the Most of the Sophomore Year" (part
of "Now Starring Sophomores"), Talking Stick
(January/February 2014).
Even though they differ across the globe, higher
education institutions agree that supporting
sophomores improves retention and student
satisfaction.
Luke LaCroix, "Variations on a Theme" (part of "Now
Starring Sophomores"), Talking Stick (January/

TALKING STICK

February 2014).
There's pomp and circumstance upon graduation
from high school, followed by the festive purchase
of shower caddies and bean bags for the residence
hall room and a year of settling in, going to classes,
making friends, and making your home away from
home feel like home. Then you return for another
year, as a sophomore, with much less ado. You might
not even have a new shower caddy. This package of
stories discusses what colleges and universities have
done to address the sophomore slump.

Juniors and Seniors
Philip Tomkins and David Pe, "Going Beyond FYE
and SYE: Creating Distinct Class Experiences for
Junior and Senior Level Students" (2009 Annual
Conference & Exposition).
Tompkins and Pe report on Arizona State
University's surveys and focus groups on junior
and senior students' needs and wants and the
recommendations to address the students' feedback.
Cynthia Janney, "Retaining Upperclass Students
on Campus: A Path to Success" (2009 Annual
Conference & Exposition).
Janney shows the decision-making process that
campus housing professionals at Minnesota
State University Mankato undertook to plan new
campus housing options created with the intent
of encouraging upper-division students to stay on
campus. The MSUM team researched local student
housing options, surveyed students, and created
mock-ups of potential room configurations for
student feedback.
Meredith Whipple, "Shining the Spotlight on
Juniors and Seniors," Talking Stick (January/
February 2010).
While the economy has improved since this article
was published, résumé writing, networking, and
budgeting are still essential skills for post-collegiate
life.
Emily Glenn is the ACUHO-I librarian and is available
to assist with most of your questions. She can be reached
at Emily@acuho-i.org, and she is on Twitter as @
acuhoi_lib.

Talking Stick - November/December 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2016