Talking Stick - March/April 2013 - 42

their way through bureaucratic systems,
or even participating in class. They
can easily feel overwhelmed by their
daily schedule of classes, homework
and tests, and work responsibilities
– and many struggle to balance these
demands without the guidance and
support that used to be immediately
available from their parents. Faculty
guidance and mentoring can help them
navigate this period of transition more
easily.
Faculty can also provide
opportunities for learning and
connection outside the classroom by
taking part in orientation programs
and first-year seminars, participating in
living-learning communities, advising
students in residence halls, and living
and working within a residence hall
community as part of a faculty-inresidence program.

Understand This
Generation
In one of their several books about
the Millennial generation, Neil Howe
and William Strauss characterize the
present generation of college and
university students as having high
expectations not only for themselves
but also for housing and other facilities;
they have the utmost confidence in
themselves and faith that institutions
will have their best interests at heart.
Higher education personnel must
keep up with the most current trends
and technology in order to keep up
with these students. This includes
remembering how young they are.
Communication with this generation
can be made more nimble simply
by consulting the “College Mindset
List” (produced annually since 2002
by Beloit College), which outlines the
experiences with which students enter
college. For students who entered
college in 2011, for example, Berlin
never had a wall and Fox has always
been a major network. Though most
professors remember life without
personal computers, most students
don’t even remember life before
42

Talking STick

laptops.

Create Communities
at All Levels
Creating a strong sense of campus
culture allows students to feel part of a
larger whole. Traditions and rituals that
are specific to each institution create
a sense of identity and of belonging
for all students, but especially those
struggling to meet new friends and
become engaged in campus life. In
his book about improving the firstyear experience, George Kuh notes
the value of creating a strong sense
of campus culture. “Success-oriented
colleges use rituals and traditions to
introduce newcomers to the academic
ethos and institutional norm, with a
special sensitivity to welcoming and
affirming members of historically
underrepresented groups.” Activities
like orientation or a Week of Welcome
allow first-year students to immediately
feel connected, and living on
campus and taking part in inter-hall
competitions, attending football games,
and participating in homecoming allow
traditions to pass on from one year
to the next. Colleges suffering from a
dearth of traditions often suffer from
higher levels of attrition, so any campus
tradition that draws students together
to interact and feel comfortable with the
college helps to promote persistence
and institutional commitment.
Students also need to feel a more
immediate sense of belonging, part
of the smaller community established
within their residence halls. Resident
assistants should be trained in ways
to successfully engage residents, to
establish a set of shared values and
expectations, and to create an open and
diverse community where everyone’s
voice can be heard. The residence hall
also provides a unique environment
to offer opportunities for student
engagement, ranging from academic
advising, tutoring, or mentoring to
social activities, leadership development
workshops, and diversity awareness
programs. In a commentary in The
Journal of College and University
Talking Stick - March/April 2013

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