SEAHO Report - Winter 2013 - (Page 27)

SEAHO FEATURE Advising 101 By Maggie Gillespie Coordinator for Residence Life University of North Carolina at Greensboro Prior to coming to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I had zero experience advising a student organization. Although my graduate curriculum included advising from student development, theoretical and best-practices standpoints, I still had no hands-on familiarity. Other than reading about advising and writing a Student Organization Advisor Manual for a graduate internship, I entered my first advising position with no tangible experience. Fortunately, not only could I capitalize on the increasing publications, research, online resources and conference training our field is seeing on advising student organizations, I was surrounded by colleagues with vast experience and incredible support from the department. An advisor can either be assigned to or chosen by a given student organization. In my case, advising Residence Hall Association at UNCG was my top pick when it came time to preference committee assignments. Although I had done my research on RHA at UNCG – second largest student organization, two year commitment, seven member Executive Council, allotted budget, conference responsibilities, traditions, weekly meetings, one-on-ones, training, retreats – I still had never even observed or participated in any residence hall leadership organization, other than serving as a Resident Assistant at my undergraduate institution and Residence Coordinator at my graduate institution. For those of us who work in Residence Life, it takes a conscious effort to switch from the supervisor to advisor role (at least in the beginning). When serving as an advisor, it is important to recognize that advisors don’t exert control or take responsibility when things go wrong; an advisor’s role is to assist students in reflecting and assessing the less-than-ideal results in order to make improvements for the future. While as a supervisor, I would step in to avoid failure, as an advisor, I sometimes have to let the failure happen. For me, this was challenging. Although clear expectations were set at the beginning of the year, I had to realize that there was only so much hand holding I could do and guidance I could give before letting them experience a fall. SEAHO Report Winter 2013 Given my experience as a full time event planner in the great city of Chicago, it was difficult for me not to just plan the events myself. I worked with the Vice President of Programming to establish to-do lists, timelines, identify resources and contacts, and complete necessary contracts. Event planning requires a great amount of attention to detail, but at the same time, there has to be a big picture. Sometimes the challenge is to get students to think outside the resource box. There may be an incredible vision for a massively successful program, but when it comes down to the details, minds go blank, and they forget about significant things, i.e. reserving space, designing t-shirts, organizing guest speakers ,etc. Although these are incredibly passionate students, sometimes we have to ask the right questions in order to make their visions a reality; we have to encourage them to ask questions. Especially given my status as a new advisor, and new to the UNCG campus, I acknowledge to them that I might not know the answer, but I can certainly figure out a way to get one. When I find myself dealing with a difficult situation or an Executive Council member who just doesn’t seem to understand deadlines, I rely on a few tools. One – revisit the expectations and goals set at the beginning of the year. Two – set long and short term goals. What needs to be done this week? Next week? Next month? Three – Relate to the student. I try to understand the student’s perspective. I’ve learned from my supervising experience that if someone is exhibiting challenging behavior, it’s best to address it head on and explain the impact they are having on others. When a contention regarding a position responsibility arose, I explained that role responsibilities were previously and intentionally designated with the organization as a whole in mind, and that the expectations apply to the role itself as opposed to the person in the role. Some students need to hear that decisions aren’t personal. Having a preexisting personal connection is extremely helpful in these situations. Students I work with tend to know that I provide constructive criticism and feedback because I care. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t take the time to help you grow. 27

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Winter 2013

SEAHO Report - Winter 2013
Contents
SEAHO President
SEAHO “Editor”
SEAHO News
Officer Elections
RELI – 10th Annual Institute
SEAHO 2013 Conference Schedule
Bridging Academic & Student Life Missions: Faculty- Inclusive Community Building in Residence Halls
Are We Ready?
Staff Development Tactics
Sustaining Sustainability: How Housing and Residence Life Can Impact the Sustainability Movement
Starting something that Matters—James Madison University partners with TOMS Shoes
Putting Professional Competencies into Practice
Ten Tips to Revolutionize Your Work Using Your iPad
Advising 101
Hiring Practices and Staff Supervision: Integrating Multicultural Competency to Foster an Inclusive Work Environment
Shifting Sands: Technology and the Shifting Landscape of Residence Hall Student Leadership
Best Practices: Student Athlete Population in Housing
Student Affairs Around the Region
Alabama Updates
Florida Updates
Kentucky Updates
Mississippi Updates
North Carolina Updates
Tennessee Updates
Virginia Updates

SEAHO Report - Winter 2013