Talking Stick - July/August 2011 - 56

SNAPSHOT

DELPHI KOZMENIUK
I NE V E R TA K E FO R GR A NTE D WHAT AN AMA ZING TE A M I HAV E . . . . I AM CONS TANTLY COLLAB OR AT ING WITH THE M AS THE Y A R E THE TR UE EXPE RTS . . . .
What’s the ﬁrst thing you do when you get into the ofﬁce each morning?
Check my email – boring, sometimes the most unproductive thing I could do, but true. technologically advanced societies, our attention span and attention to detail has suffered. Where does our responsibility for the “digestion” of our communiqués begin and end, when the users don’t have the patience to read the entire message?

What’s the biggest issue for the students on your campus right now?
While ﬁnances are always at the top, I think that ﬁguring out what they want to do with their education as new professions are continually emerging and morphing is a big one; for many of them, they are training for professions/jobs that don’t even exist yet. I often wonder how they can remain focused when the goal at the end of their studies may be so unclear.

What’s your biggest challenge on campus?
Connecting with and educating the rest of campus about residence and how we, too, are educators and experts.

Favorite campus traditions?
While I really don’t have much of a basis for comparison, I don’t feel that we are a campus rich with tradition. So my favorite tradition within our department is the Residence Community Awards, where we honor outstanding residents and the community of the year. It happens just at the time of year when, professionally, our energy is waning, and it is the perfect reminder for us of why we do what we do. I feel it re-energizes us for the remainder of the year.

What’s the biggest issue you see facing the profession right now?
Communicating with our residents: how to do it and what to communicate.

What makes your campus unique?
Actually, our residences. We offer nine very different residence options, and Lister Centre, which is the residence I look after, is one of the largest residence complexes in North America.

What qualities do you think are important in a housing professional?
Empathy, approachability, critical thinking/problem solving skills, can-do attitude, creativity, a great sense of humor, and highly developed stress management skills.

What resource can’t you live without?
Chocolate. I’m a Luddite when it comes to technology – I can live without most of it – but I could not survive without chocolate. I wish I were kidding.

How do you tell your staff you appreciate their work?
Directly: I say it to them (and everyone and anyone that will listen) as often as I can. I never take for granted what an amazing team I have. Indirectly: I am constantly collaborating with them as they are the true experts, and without their input and guidance, we could not provide the level of service that we do and we would not be constantly evolving that service. Basically, I show them how much I value them. That and I provide them with a lot of chocolate.

When was the last time you awoke to a phone call from work in the middle of the night?
Never. Knock on wood.

What do you wish was different about your job?
I wish the summer months weren’t so stressful; our summers are very short here, so it would be nice to have the energy to enjoy them.

New social technology and media like texting and Twitter: How has it helped your communication with staff and students? Is there a downside to this type of communication?
In theory it allows us to quickly connect with our residents; however, the challenge is what we communicate using these media and how to craft that communication. I feel that, collectively, in all

DELPHI KOZMENIUK is the residence administrator at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

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Talking Stick - July/August 2011

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