Talking Stick - September/October 2013 - 10

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The American University of Afghanistan Completes the First
Year of Residence Life Training
Karla Fraser came to the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in Kabul without expectations
of what it would be like, just the knowledge that the residence hall staff was yearning for training.
Fraser, the associate director for student affairs, is overseeing a program to give the staff the training
they desire. As of the end of this past academic year, the staff
at AUAF have completed their first ever year of training.
“The purpose (of the training) is to introduce the all-Afghan
residence life staff to international standards for student
housing while adapting various areas of these standards to meet
the Islamic cultural norms. The initial focus was on personnel,
building community, and basic operational management of the
halls,” Fraser says. For instance, diversity training was focused
less on sexual orientation and more on accepting different
Afghan ethnicities and religious groups, she explains. Also,
there has been an increased focus on battling corruption.
“The culture here contains things which can undermine staff
development, such as nepotism, ethnic favoritism, and a lack of
transparency in the hiring process. As a result, the residence life
area adopted the ‘Ethical Hiring Practices’ [from the ACUHO-I
Standards and Ethical Principles for College and University
Housing Professionals],” Fraser notes.
Now that residence life staff have completed their first year of training, the program is making
progress, and the RAs are more confident in their leadership roles. “Trainings for the resident
assistants have made some marked improvement in the areas of programming, community
development, and conflict mediation. There has been improvement in understanding [the] role
of the RA,” Fraser says. However, training the residence life coordinators has been a little more
difficult, though progress is still being made. “Training for the residence life coordinators is a daily
work in progress. The RHC staff in most cases has come into their positions with no prior work
experience and definitely no student housing experience. As such, training has begun at a very
rudimentary level,” Fraser comments.
The full-time staff are learning the standards of professionalism but are having difficulty gaining
respect on campus as staff due to their proximity to the students. Next year, more will be added to
the training, including time management, supervision, ACUHO-I core competencies, and many
other topics.
—Brent Hankins

OVERHEARD
On Twitter
Abby Tribble
@AbbyTribble
As a new prof in housing, I
am learning everything I can
about roommate conflict
mediation . . . Advice/
resources are welcome! :)
#ACUHOI

Talking STiCk

nandini bissessar
@nandinibg
Any housing offices
out there conduct
background checks on
applicants? I need some
info on best practices.
#ACUHOI

Jamal Myrick
@Myrick_J
Very thankful
for my #acuhoi
internship. It has
proven to be a
great experience
thus far.

ACUHO-I
@ACUHOI
@briankerrick: Officially
completed the @ACUHOI
Cert. in Occupancy Mgmt!
I highly recommend
it to all in the field! //
Congratulations!

Talking Stick - September/October 2013

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