SNAPSHOT GREG THOMPSON What's the biggest issue for the students on your campus right now? Space seems to be a big issue for our students right now. Our campus enrollment has continued to grow over the past five years, and we continue to use our creativity in finding residence hall spaces for students who want to live on campus, dining hall capacity for the lunch-time crowds, and classroom spaces to educate them. The next few years promise some exciting solutions as we open reconstructed classroom buildings that we lost during the flood of 2008, as well as new residence halls on campus that offer good housing and dining options. What's the biggest issue you see facing the profession right now? I believe the biggest issue is how we build communities that truly embrace inclusion while supporting student demographics that our campuses are not always well equipped to support. We know that the data on student success and retention is not good for historically marginalized groups of students. Living environments on campus must play a crucial role in not only promoting student success, but also allowing students to feel like they have a safe and brave space to call home outside of the classroom. Working at an institution with a large population of majority identities means figuring out how we challenge those students to enlist their help in creating communities that are inclusive for all students. What are your favorite campus traditions? GREG THOMPSON is the associate director of residence education at The University of Iowa in Iowa City. What motivates you the most in your job? The same things that motivated me to get into the field are the things that motivate me today. Every day I feel like I get to make a difference in somebody's life. Some days it is doing something that improves the student experience. Some days it is having a great learning moment with one of my staff members. Some days it is talking with a graduate student about their career search. Some days it is telling a joke to make our secretaries smile. The day that this job stops giving me the chance to educate and impact others, or have them do the same for me, is the day I will know it is time to do something different. 68 TALKING STICK One of my favorite campus traditions occurs the Sunday before classes start, when all first-year students gather on the Pentacrest for convocation. The feeling of formality makes things feel very collegiate, and the differential between the party on the stage and the students in the crowd helps remind me of the work we are all engaged in together. At the conclusion of convocation all the students then stream down the street to the president's residence where a giant cookout and spirit rally is held. The two events in combination demonstrate to students the importance of their academic pursuits as well as the connection they can make to the university. What is the most challenging part of your work? Watching students struggle in their transition will always be the most challenging aspect for me. Working closely with students and getting invested in their success or in their stories can break your heart when things don't work out for them or they keep running into roadblocks. Doing everything I can to get rid of those roadblocks is one way that I try to work through those challenging days. What do you think will be the most significant change in student housing in the next five years? Continuing to show that in spite of the cost of living on campus the experience we provided is essential to student success in and outside of the classroom.