Talking Stick - January/February 2009 - (Page 50)

Conversations McCuskey: Nick, I think you make an excellent point for all of us. We need to understand how our cash reserves work, and they vary by institution. Some institutions’ auxiliary reserves are dedicated to the auxiliary and cannot be used for other purposes. Other institutions may scrape the reserves to balance the institutional budget or for other institutional priorities. In Wisconsin, as you point out, cash balances can be scraped to fund state-wide budget priorities. I think it’s important to recognize the potential for scrapes to occur and to prepare accordingly. Nicklaus: I just came from a budget meeting on our campus. I am struck with a number of thoughts. One, we can lament that this is happening and cry “woe is me,” compete with the instructional side of the house, hold our cards close to our chest, etc. Or we can be the student affairs professionals that we are and engage in transparent discussions: be collaborators, offer what we can and say “no” when it is not possible. We can be active, proactive contributors to the solutions or be lemmings not willing to bend. In most cases, this is when we break, and that, I would suggest, is not good for our institutions or the students we serve. We should be assessing our mission and how this contributes to our division mission and that of the institution. We all know we will be asked (required? mandated? forced?) to contribute to resolving the budget issues facing the institution. For instance, in my situation, 96 percent of all first-years live on campus. I probably could be more active in undertaking more of a role in firstyear orientation, academic advising for first-year students, and other first-year specific programmatic efforts we undertake at the institution. Would this impact the budget of my department? Yes! But I would be undertaking programs/services that directly relate to the students I house. I would much rather we do this than to have to pay for utility costs for academic buildings. tS converSatIonS is dedicated to capturing dialogue between high-level professionals on the topics that affect campus housing. If you would like to be a part of a future conversation – or have a topic you want to see discussed – let us know at talkingstick@acuho-i.org. Knowledgeable people. Fast response. Accurate and timely delivery. Uncompromising product quality, manufactured to your specs. That’s why customers love working with Postcraft. And why that’s been true for more than 75 years. Incredible Customer Service. 1-800-528-4844 Institutional strength mattress covers, pillow covers and shower curtains. It makes Postcraft different. And better. www.postcraft.com email: sales@postcraft.com http://www.postcraft.com http://www.postcraft.com

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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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