Talking Stick - January/February 2018 - 47

OR GENERATIONS, the campus housing structure
was a rule-laden institution designed to protect

students from both the outside world and themselves

("House mothers" anyone?). That began to change in

the United States during the 1960s when in loco parentis slowly
disappeared as the guiding philosophy of most campuses. The
new reasoning was that college and university students should
be considered adults, and they should be held responsible for
their own decisions and actions.
Over the past two decades or so, though, that idea has come
under more scrutiny. It's not that students shouldn't be held
responsible for their actions, but the traditional definition of
adolescence - that is, pre-adult - has expanded to encompass
ages 12 to 26, including the ages of traditional-age college
students. So, the question is raised: Should these students be
considered kids or adults, and how should they be treated? In
Born to Be Wild: Why Teens Take Risks, and How We Can Help
Keep Them Safe, Jess P. Shatkin, an adolescent psychiatrist,
explores the mindset of adolescents, placing specific emphasis
on understanding their risk-taking behaviors.

TALKING STICK

hatkin explains how the
evolution of the adolescent
brain is affected by physiological factors, such as hormones, but
also by external factors such as peer
pressure and increased screen time
with a variety of electronic stimuli.
Students arrive on campuses with
brains that are near fully developed;
a better understanding of how they
got there and the reasoning process
behind their risk-taking can lead
housing professionals to utilize more
significant interventions and educational offerings.

THE DEFINITION OF
ADOLESCENCE HAS
CHANGED OVER
TIME, AND NOW
TRADITIONAL-AGE
COLLEGE STUDENTS
(AGES 18-26) ARE
CATEGORIZED AS LATE
STAGE ADOLESCENTS.

SHATKIN: I think you point to something very important: namely, that college students are developing skills at
living and working independently that
they will need to be successful adults.
To do so, they will need to improve
their ability to regulate their emotions
and establish self-efficacy. In other
words, college students are working
on how to manage the many feelings
they have (in most cases now without
mom and dad to help process those
emotions), and they're continuing to
work on their confidence in achieving
their chosen goals. Therefore, I think
it's wise for residential life staff to view
themselves as the students' family
away from home and do what effective parents do: shelter and protect
as much as possible, turn students
towards activities and experiences that
will enhance their positivity and help
them manage emotional distress (e.g.,
exercise, sleep, good nutrition, prosocial activities, community building/
volunteerism), and act as role models.

Gone are the days of zero tolerance
policies and educating students solely
on the consequences for their behavior; most of them are fully aware of the
consequences of their behavior before
they make the decision to engage.
Instead, Shatkin encourages parents
and educators to focus their efforts on
teaching a healthier decision-making
process and helping students understand the mitigating factors that
contribute to increased risk-taking
behaviors, such as loneliness and mental health issues.
Combining research data with
anecdotal storytelling, Born to Be Wild
is an engaging read that draws on
Shatkin's experiences as a professor
of child and adolescent psychiatry and
pediatrics at the New York University
School of Medicine, but also as a
parent to two teenagers. His lessons
indirectly speak to the work of student
affairs administrators, particularly
those whose work focuses on unpacking students' decision-making with
them in conversation and addressing behavioral issues in the campus community. For every housing
professional who has once wondered
"What were they thinking?" when
considering a student's conduct, this
book provides valuable insight into
just what may (or may not) have been
going through their brain.

TALKING STICK: Residence life staff
welcome adolescents to campus at a
time when they are still developing
their independent decision-making
skills. In addition, they are also less
connected to their families and others who traditionally guide that skill
development. What do you see as the
key responsibilities for staff continuing to support that development in
an educational environment, specifically for those who work outside the
classroom?

Author Jess P. Shatkin and his book
Born to Be Wild shown above

TALKING STICK: In your book, you
explore research that details how
adolescents spending time with peers
can increase risk-taking behaviors.
Campus housing emphasizes the
importance of a community living
experience for students. In what ways
can colleges and universities continue
to support community living, rooted

JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2018

Talking Stick - January/February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2018