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LOCKER ROOM TALK

the International White Ribbon Campaign that provides a simple way for a group to raise awareness and invite other students to make a pledge to help end violence against women. The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign is yet another educational movement that lets male students play with the boundaries of gender while also raising money for local domestic violence shelters and advocacy organizations.

don’t forget to continue to look towards the future.
As a campus men’s group gains momentum, it is important to look for other creative opportunities to expand conversations about gender. Exploring the potential for courses focused on men’s issues and masculinity is one way of strengthening partnerships within the academic community and can also be a great way to engage faculty members on topics of gender awareness. Leaders should explore any opportunities for campus minigrants for initiatives relating to diversity or multiculturalism, as well as possibilities of working with the campus’s women’s center and LGBTQ organizations to put together
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a proposal for a Gender Resource Center. While there are many schools moving in this direction, there are also those that offer male affinity group spaces in the form of a Men’s Center. The University of Oregon is just one example of a fully envisioned Men’s Center, complete with various programs and curricula, as well as a thorough mission statement and vision. In terms of long-term sustainability and consistency, men’s group leaders may also want to focus on the recruitment of future facilitators throughout the course of their program’s development. Of course, this list of suggestions is neither exhaustive nor prescriptive; rather, the co-facilitators of TLR simply wanted to share the lessons they have learned from both the successes (and mistakes) they have encountered in their adventure of creating a men’s group at Roger Williams University. Depending on the campus climate of an institution, beginning such an endeavor will undoubtedly mean taking on different challenges, as well as thinking creatively about how to meet the needs of various student populations. Embarking on an endeavor like creating a men’s group on campus can seem daunting because of the complexities that need to be considered, the political roadblocks

to be navigated, and the amount of time needed to deepen one’s understanding of collegiate men. However, the rewards of such work are equally compelling. Consider the student who graduated after only one year of attending TLR and reflected that it may have been the most impactful of all of his collegiate experiences. The continuing research on the complexities of college men’s development shows that our male students need safe spaces to explore their multiple social identities in relation to masculinity; therefore, it is our responsibility as educators to challenge ourselves to view this demographic through a more intentional lens focused on finding new ways to encourage male students to play active and positive roles in their campus community. ts
Laurel Dreher
is the coordinator of residence education for Maple Hall at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Email: ldreher@rwu.edu. is the director of student enrollment services at Penn State York. Email: ptanner@psu.edu.

Patrick Tanner

The Journal of College and University Student Housing Volume 39, Issue 1 is a special theme issue of the Journal focusing on men’s issues. Look for it in your mailbox and online in April 2012.

REGROUP

more importantly, as an individual.” Reuter agrees that relationships can be key to demonstrating mission and values, particularly by involving stakeholders from across campus in the interview process. “We make it a point to include many people outside of our residence life staff in the campus interview process so candidates are exposed to those who assist in bringing our mission to life.” While the bells and whistles of
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gifts and notes in mailboxes and welcome signs on interview room doors may continue to be used as gestures of congeniality, residence life officials also continue to find ways to align their recruitment processes with the nuts and bolts of their mission and values. In this way, they can provide a recruitment experience that is enjoyable but also illuminating, in terms of portraying the organizational culture. Such forthright introductions

of the office to the candidate and the candidate to the office are important, for at the end of the process the candidate sitting in the chair across from you could one day be the coworker sitting in the office next to you. ts
.

Stacy Oliver

is the associate director of student success at Lake Forest College in Illinois. Email: oliver@mx.lakeforest.edu.

Talking Stick - March/April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - March/April 2012