Talking Stick - March/April 2012 - 56

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yolanda norMan
What’s the biggest issue you see facing the profession right now?
Balancing mental health issues in the residence halls. An increase in roommate concerns, private room requests, and parent worries involving mental health issues must encourage us to stay on top of educating ourselves on this topic. And of course the most important part of that education is not forgetting to include our professional and student staff in those conversations and scenarios in hopes of building a more informed campus team.

What makes your campus unique?
As a religious institution, faith is an important part of our identity, and you see it in all that we do to build community on our campus. Whether it’s the creation of the new Interfaith Student Group on campus or the openness of being able to share your faith journey with others in the halls, it’s a proud and significant piece of what makes us a community of learning and acceptance.

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?
Another self-reflection here: I am a little addicted to Twitter. It’s a daily part of my work tasks to make sure I update our followers (@ustreslife) on what’s happening in the halls and asking how we can make their time better in the community. It has been an amazing response from our community and again provides us another connection to our residents. Downside? Sure, you sometimes miss those meaningful face-to-face interactions, but balancing this medium helps you hold it all together.

What’s your biggest challenge on campus?
YOLANDA NORMAN is the director of residence life and conference housing at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas. Marketing! Students on our campus get bombarded with announcements about weekly events and programs on campus, and they start to become desensitized to flyers and banners. So we have to think of creative ways to announce upcoming events and happenings, and we pride ourselves on getting ideas from our students. You get buy-in from them, they see their idea come to life, and they tell others about it. Instant advertisement!

Have you received any unusual housing or amenity requests?
Yes, funny you should ask. I just approved a pet request today for a sugar glider (a small gliding possum). I had never heard of these little creatures but was enlightened today by the resident that put in the request, along with a YouTube presentation of how it glides. This is the first request of its kind for this specific pet, so my residents are excited to welcome her to our halls. We all tried to convince the resident to name her “Suga” the Sugar Glider. Tweet me and see if we succeeded.

Best book you’ve been impressed by?
I am currently reading First in the Family by Kathleen Cushman (Lumina Foundation publication), and I am extremely motivated by it. The motivation comes from the fact that the book is full of student voices, and here at UST we were afforded the opportunity to purchase the book for our First-Generation College Student group. It is so wonderful to see our students identify with the students in the book and connect their college journeys. Also, I am a firstgeneration college student graduate, and I have a strong passion for educating others about access to higher education.

Favorite campus traditions?
It’s a new tradition that we started here at UST called Celts in the Courtyard. It’s a really low key event that our entire residence life staff puts on each year with the purpose of inviting faculty, staff, and commuters into the hall to build community with our entire resident population. Residents are given special invitations that they are asked to individually present to faculty and staff on campus, inviting them into their homes. Participants engage in a hearty meal and conversation, with a little Bingo kicking off the night.

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Talking Stick - March/April 2012

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