SEAHO Report - Fall 2021 - 21

FEATURE ARTICLES
about my family in the welcome newsletter to the community.
I have also made it a point to physically visit our next-door neighbors on our floor and sometimes above us to
explain that I have a family and laughter, cries, shrills of excitement and frustration will be heard. I encourage
them to address with me electronically, or verbally, any frustrations or concerns, reassuring them I will respect
their honesty on the matter and do what I can to ensure they are able to live happily and comfortably alongside
us.
If you know you will not be at full occupancy, it never helps to work with your occupancy and assignments team
to see if they can leave the rooms next to your apartment vacant, should you have little humans or even pets who
are happy, healthy, hyper, and whole.
We have also agreed on which planned events the family would come to, to engage with who's who in the
community informally. I cannot tell you how many residents and student leaders have raved about the family's
presence making their day at the events and/or when they see them walking through the community going to, or
coming from school and extracurriculars.
Ways It has been a Burden
Some days are better than others when it comes to living-on with a family. The burdens have been felt on a
myriad of occasions. Some have been internalized and others have been based on external factors outside of our
control.
Internalized Factors - If you have a cry baby that cries a lot at ungodly hours of the night and your apartment
is smack dab in the middle of your community, it can be and will feel terrible. Our first child was that baby. My
partner and I were constantly feeling bad for being the reason quiet hours were violated. We did the best we
could to check in and apologize to our neighbors. All of them were nice saying it wasn't a big deal and they could
barely hear anything and we only hoped that was the truth, because that baby had some lungs!
Not having an official backyard or accessible playground. Expect your furniture and the Housing provided
furniture to suffer if your campus or surrounding community does not afford you a playground or enclosed area
for little ones to safely play without causing a disturbance or being in harm's way. There are times when my
partner and I are too tired to drive to the nearest park and would love to let them outside, while we sit on the
porch.
External Factors - When we have a semester of neighbors that just want to have fun it can be frustrating if
they are not learning their lesson the first few times, we inform them they are disturbing little people's sleep.
Working with the RA on the floor has helped tremendously, in addition to checking in when things are good to
build a rapport and enable the neighbors to mindfully consider us, because we make time to be visible neighbors.
All in all, living on campus has enabled me to be an invaluable asset to my residents, student leaders I advise
and supervise, colleagues within the department and our leadership. I have appreciated being considered,
or respected whenever I have noted that considerations for certain identities needed to be evaluated. I have
appreciated being applauded and supported when I shared that I wrote articles to share and grow my experience
as a partner, parent, and professional, ultimately leading to me writing a book entitled " What A Ride!: Being a
Partner, Parent & Student Affairs Professional. "
I have appreciated seeing conversations normalized and platforms showcasing the realities that have been well
before I obtained these titles and vulnerably shared my experiences as a live-in housing professional. It has
given me hope and peace of mind to know that I do not need to feel like I've reached the end of the road doing
something that I genuinely love, while having a family share in this experience with me. "
Deanna C. Hughes
Residence Hall Manager/ Mother of Three
Florida State University
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SEAHO Report - Fall 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Fall 2021