SEAHO Report - Spring 2017 - 14

SEAHO Features
Organization charts matter.
Where each team is 'housed' in relation to one another contributed to significant differences in perceptions of
the partnership. 27 percent of respondents indicated that their facilities teams were within the residence life department, 55 percent indicated that their facilities team was organizationally outside of residence life, and 18 percent had no idea where their facilities teams were housed. In sum, respondents that stated their facilities teams
were within residence life departments had a more positive working relationship on their campus. They were
more familiar with the facilities workers in their areas, they worked with facilities on a more frequent basis, and
they felt more competent handling facilities-related issues. Now, this does not mean that the partnership cannot
be strong or an excuse for the partnership to remain weak. However, it does mean that more intentional and continued efforts need to be made for collaboration to overcome challenges. Of course, the ideal solution might be
the consideration of reorganization; on a more practical level, sharing expectations of who responds to what or
training on more low-risk facilities-related issues that residence life staff can address could also work well.
They just don't understand.
Existing misconceptions between residence life and facilities influence current and future working relationships.
Respondents were asked to rank how knowledgeable they were regarding facilities' roles and responsibilities.
Over 85 percent of respondents indicated they were familiar the work they do. Conversely, over 65 percent of
respondents believe that facilities are less familiar with residence life's roles and responsibilities. When reflecting
on this data, I thought about the few hours residence life and facilities spend together physically seeing what the
other does. I wonder if each team, on an individual personnel level, truly understands the complex roles and
responsibilities of the other. Or, do we simply think we understand?
Where do we go from here? While more exploration can be valuable regarding this topic, what has been discovered thus far can guide our current and future relationships. Realistically, there are opportunities for residence
life staff at any career level to put into practice. One recommendation might include on-going meet-and-greets
with facilities teams for professionals, student staff, and residents - not just at the kick-start of the year. With
so many people coming and going, both residents and campus staff alike, it never hurts to host more than one.
Second, invite facilities to participate in professional and student staff training. To feel competent responding
to duty situations or residents' questions, hands-on practice can be helpful to understand and mitigate issues. I
would recommend gathering data on the most common facilities-related issues that occur within your communities. Then, explore how professional and student staff members can help to resolve those issues. On the flip
side, participate in on-boarding processes of facilities members. You can ask to present on a topic pertaining to
residence life, such as student development theories or effective communication in the residence hall setting.
A simple, yet effective, practice of sharing team members' roles and responsibilities can reduce confusion and
tension. When I told the facilities workers in my hall the various situations I commonly handle outside of programming, they were amazed and jokingly said, "nah, that's all you!" Of course, I shared a similar response to
the work they often encounter. Nonetheless, these conversations helped us relay relevant information for us to
do our jobs better. By laying out expectations of one another, we can better determine who the point-person is
for which type of work and for what circumstances (e.g., did you know that electrical is different from mechanical, which is different from preventative maintenance, which is different from custodial, etc.). If possible, ask to
shadow a facilities worker for a day, or sit in on a capital planning or renovations meeting. Ask to join a meeting
with contractors or set up an informational interview with the capital project coordinator. Both are great options
to expand your facilities knowledge base, especially if you get to take part in collateral assignments during the
summer.
Lunch-and-learns or coffee chats are on-going opportunities to improve the relationship; arrange reoccurring
times to discuss current issues or foreshadow upcoming issues, and how the teams can work together. Just as
SEAHO Report Spring 2017

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