Talking Stick - January/February 2011 - 38

the Revolution Will Be Digitized

rapid pace of technological advances, they are scrambling to keep pace. As quickly as they may move to catch up, they find their initiatives still lagging significantly behind the technological savvy of incoming students, and they may be forced to reevaluate the work they do and the ways they get it done.

Administrative Services

n years past, students like John were inundated with mailings and paperwork as part of housing’s administrative processes, but today’s students can expect many of these services to be automated. For most, signing a housing contract actually printed on paper is a thing of the past. Much like Jane, a new student can expect to receive numerous e-mails, links to websites, and text messages with administrative information. This not only speeds up response time but also increases the efficiency of many administrative processes. In any housing department, just keeping track of things like applications, contracts, and assignments requires a significant amount of work and time. Depending on institution size, this can translate into keeping track of hundreds or even thousands of students and their corresponding applications, contracts, and bed spaces. Given the sheer numbers at some institutions, any technological advance in reducing paperwork is considered significant.

In addition to the faster turnaround time, staff also noticed a change in the quality of correspondence with students. “A paper process is very labor intensive. When sending out information we would get 10-15 percent back with bad addresses. With e-mail, it’s more like a 5 or 10 percent rejection rate, and those we can follow up on quickly. Once we follow up, it gives us almost zero percent failure rate,” says Michael Ospitale, information systems coordinator.

At the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the housing applications and contracts are now completely webbased. “As a large system, this is huge for us,” states Sheryl DeCoster, housing advisor. For years, Michigan staff would mail application packets to students, often seeing a turnaround time of 10 days or even longer, especially for their international student population. However, now they “see the majority of students signing their contracts in 24 to 48 hours,” DeCoster notes, and there has been a savings both in the amount

Talking STick

For years, Michigan staff would mail application packets to students, often seeing a turnaround time of 10 days or even longer, especially for their international student population. However, now they “see the majority of students signing their contracts in 24 to 48 hours.”

In addition to online applications and contracts, both Stony Brook and Michigan have shifted to online management of assignments and occupancy with positive results. “In the past we had to print alpha lists, key cards, etc. Now we get the information faster and can run reports whenever. It’s immediate, real-time: this is what it is for this minute,” DeCoster explains. Students are having their needs met quickly and in a way that is “the norm for them.”

of time spent corresponding with students and in the cost of postage and materials. Within the last six years, Stony Brook University in New York has begun to utilize technology to automate their application process.

or many campus housing operations, the largest event of the year is move-in, which can set the tone for a student’s entire year and often sends subtle messages about the institution itself. Students, parents, housing staff, and sometimes campus colleagues unite in a common goal: getting students checked into their assignments in the most efficient, stress-free way possible. Among the many necessary steps are having staff fill out forms documenting the condition of a room, verifying that a student has arrived on campus, handing out a room key, and distributing important information about campus policies. It’s easy to see where pieces could be missed or, at least, how nerves can be frayed. On today’s campuses, though, technology can expedite this process. Students and their families arrive on campus with access to information

Check-in and general Operations

Talking Stick - January/February 2011

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