Talking Stick - September/October 2011 - 25

for students in order to develop a more purposeful and collaborative community. In times of budget cuts and restructuring, incorporating visionary ideas into the building of residential life communities is paramount.

communication and more positive interactions. The study particularly recognized the importance of these relationships in strengthening the disciplinary process at smaller institutions. In the study, 8

notes that this variety of interaction has become an important feature in helping students realize the wholeness of their college experience, both inside and outside the classroom. She emphasizes that this tactic encourages students to apply what they are taught by staff in one situation to other aspects of their lives: “For instance, having a discussion with a student about civility in the residence halls then translates to their time on the intramural ﬁeld, where they are able to better manage their emotions or response when the referee makes an alleged bad call.” Despite DePaul’s vast growth within the past decade, the university has continued to stay rooted in its original mindset of a small college. With an emphasis on person-oriented education, the university prides itself upon establishing opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about students and to address their individual needs. “DePaul’s students actually push us to do these things,” Miller says. “Our students expect to see staff engage in these experiences.” A similar opportunity is available to residence life staff at Binghamton University in New York, which has an approximate housing capacity of 6,800. Each week, resident directors are given the chance to work several hours on a collateral assignment in various other department areas, including career development, safety training, and recruitment and marketing. According to Sharon O’Neill, associate director of residential life for staff and marketing, the program provides not only valuable skill development for staff but also more opportunities and services for students. Developing from a small liberal arts college of 1,200 students into a signiﬁcantly larger university, Binghamton has also remained true to its roots in regards to its residential education. O’Neill highlights the university’s mission to stimulate closer student-faculty relations and to allow
SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER 2011

A distinct way that smaller connections can be established at larger universities is encouraging faculty to dip their feet into several different roles on campus. In a study of small college judicial affairs programs, Delony found that each of the interviewed individuals held multiple roles within their professional appointments. This strategy not only helps balance school budgets but also increases overall faculty interaction with students, helping to further establish and strengthen these relationships. According to Delony, having residential life faculty participate in alternative roles, like serving as intramural coaches, can result in better

out of 10 administrators speciﬁcally noted student relationships as the cornerstone to the authenticity of their educational responsibilities in student discipline. Delony emphasizes that, for smaller colleges, these highly complex and collegial relationships have an integral role in student development. At DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, which has an approximate housing capacity of 2,451, crossfunctional involvement of staff has played an important role in establishing personalization within the larger campus setting. Ziena Miller, coordinator for residential education,

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Talking Stick - September/October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - September/October 2011
