Talking Stick - January/February 2009 - (Page 46)

On your Honor Clear expectations Models of accountability cannot succeed in reinforcing acceptable behavior if they are simply presumed or are buried in the fine print of a campus publication; they must be visible and easily accessible to everyone. Reinforcing the system may be easier if the following recommendations are taken into account: • Begin with clear expectations. • Hire so you won’t have to fire. • Turn the violation and its aftermath into a learning experience. • Allow someone to disagree without being disagreeable. Clear expectations about the behavior of student staff should be apparent from the very beginning, at the hiring stage. Weppler notes that the ”most important decision that anyone is going to make is that they’re selecting people who understand what’s expected of them.” The hiring process provides an opportunity for professional staff to act as gatekeepers of their departmental and institutional standards. At Clemson, this gatekeeping involves coordination with the Office of Community and Ethical Standards. “We do conduct checks pre-employment,” notes Hobgood, “and we don’t hire anyone with any violations within the past semester.” And, she adds, conduct checks are not a one-time thing: “We will re-check between their hire date and right before they start.” Hobgood notes that creating and upholding student staff accountability is a function of communicating clear expectations: “You have to talk to them about what it means to be a student staff member and how that makes the stakes higher when you make the same choices as other students.” The process of clarifying expectations goes far beyond an initial dialogue. Weppler explains that, at Ryerson, it also becomes part of an extensive training program. PoudrierAaronson emphasizes the importance of continual review to reinforce these expectations: “Don’t accept unacceptable behavior: I believe the way to hold student staff accountable to the same rules as you hold students to is to clearly review expectations – both verbally and in writing – and then follow through when expectations are not met.” An educational and developmental approach to accountability allows discipline to become a learning experience. Since people learn and internalize things in different ways, it is important to use a multi-layered continUes 57 Evergreen Hall REDEFINING EXCELLENCE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville IL 800 St. Louis Union Station St. Louis MO 63103 314-421-1815 mackeymitchell.com http://www.mackeymitchell.com http://www.mackeymitchell.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2009

Talking Stick - January/February 2009 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Special Focus Calendar Assessing Assignments On Your Honor Conversations First Takes Reporting Out Welcome Snapshot

Talking Stick - January/February 2009

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