Talking Stick - July/August 2008 - (Page 46)

Support System Faculty residence programs are the ultimate model of involvement. Some schools intentionally build faculty apartments into the halls to ensure faculty presence. Usually, this space is available to the faculty member and his or her family at no cost or at a reduced cost, but the faculty member is expected to help with advising, offer special programming, and maintain ongoing communications between and among student affairs and academic affairs staff. In this kind of environment, students who are struggling have immediate access to a person who can help with the specific academic content or, if not, who can offer concrete advice about ways to be a successful student. Purchase College and the University of Central Arkansas are two institutions that have programs with faculty living in residence halls. Faculty Fellows at Purchase College live in apartments in the halls, direct residential learning communities, and provide intrusive advising. The administration at Purchase College feels that knowing, seeing, and interacting with residential faculty has a positive impact on students. Central Arkansas has created apartments in halls for faculty who are committed to the academic well-being of students. The faculty serve as mentors and tone-setters, but do not function in loco parentis. is the real possibility of roommates and neighbors inviting others to attend with them. Offering tutoring in the halls also delivers the message that the institution wants students to succeed. Offering programming in the areas of time management and study skills is another common way that residence halls support students academically. Students new to college find that time is measured differently there than it was in high school, and most college students encounter assignments and testing procedures different from those they have experienced before. Offering workshops in the basics of adjusting to the rigors of college studies is a sure way to support students in their academic endeavors. Additionally, these kinds of workshops can usually be offered in a variety of spaces and with different types of facilitators. The residence hall staff, student affairs staff, academic affairs staff, or faculty can facilitate workshops on academic skills. At DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, a selective institution with academically strong students, professors regularly offer workshops in the halls on subjects like time management as a way to support students academically and to build congenial faculty/student relationships outside the classroom. These workshops can provide an excellent opportunity not only to help students develop valuable skills but also to give them opportunities to meet different people on campus in an informal context. PRogRAmming Various kinds of programming offered in the residence halls can significantly support students in their academic efforts, whether they are struggling with a particular course or the academic demands of college in general or are doing well academically. Most schools – even those with strong admissions standards and relatively few students struggling academically – find it useful to provide direct academic support through activities like tutoring and supplemental instruction. The University of Charleston and Southeast Missouri State offer tutoring sessions in the residence halls by request. Prairie View A&M’s facilities were especially designed to accommodate academic activities, and they regularly offer tutoring in residence halls. Iowa State offers academic help in selected first-year halls. The proximity of the activity allows for increased visibility, the convenience is undeniable, and there ioWA STATe uNiVerSiTy Buchanan Hall is specifically for students 19 and older, has a special section for those 21 and older, and is home to the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Learning Community. Talking Stick

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Talking Stick - July/August 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar When Politics Come to Your Town Support System Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members Snapshot

Talking Stick - July/August 2008

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