Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 66
28 CONTINUED
FACILITIES
connection worthwhile by prioritizing
the areas immediately outside those
windows. Create an exterior amenity
that will draw students and their
laptops outside to study on a nice day.
Add landscaping features
that are comfortable, flexible, and
complementary to the architecture.
At Rutgers, for instance, three
new residence halls form a series
of courtyards. Landscaping at the
perimeter of the buildings can be
enjoyed through floor-to-ceiling
windows from the inside of strategically
planned common spaces. The center
of the courtyard remains an open,
flexible-use lawn with several seating
opportunities that embellish the
edges and draw design inspiration
from the building architecture and
materials. Students can actively and
passively engage with the landscape.
"With a refocus of use as the center
for graduate/professional studies, the
Livingston Campus went from one of
the least desirable campuses to live on to
the most desirable," says Jeff Livingston,
the university architect for Rutgers.
"The entire precinct was designed
as a single integrated project, from
sustainability, infrastructure,
transportation systems, and student life
both internally (housing) and through
outdoor spaces. And every aspect of the
landscape architecture is interconnected
with the buildings."
The Rutgers courtyard illustrates
an excellent spending strategy. It
isn't important or even necessary
to landscape every square foot of
ground. If institutions spend dollars
around the edges of a space and leave
the middle open and flexible, they
can save money. While this strategy
worked perfectly at Rutgers, it is not
a one-size-fits-all solution for every
campus. Careful planning is still
required to determine the best solution
for each unique space and campus.
Landscape architecture -
welcoming, well-thought out, and
well-layered - offers an invaluable
contribution to the campus experience.
Investing the time to integrate site
design into the master plan and
optimizing allocated funding to
landscape elements can contribute to
a singularly unique effect within the
campus and the institution as a whole.
Landscape changes the lives of all who
experience it for the better. ■
Brian L. Reetz, RLA, ASLA, is senior associate
with Design Collective, Inc. in Baltimore,
Maryland.
breetz@designcollective.com.
57 CONTINUED
ALL TOGETHER NOW: FINDING A COMMON LANGUAGE
forces assessment professionals
to do the work of interpreting the
data, evaluating the links to practice,
making specific recommendations,
and inspiring the audience. With the
heavy lifting completed, the audience
simply has to evaluate the argument,
get inspired, and act accordingly.
Telling a story that leads the
audience on a journey through
every twist and turn in the plot until
reaching a final, dramatic moment
can have a powerful effect. However,
different structures may be needed
to drive the messages for some
audiences. Once the assessment data
is collected, the question remains:
How does one tailor a message
if there are only five minutes to
present it to the vice president?
How can assessment data best be
used to start a conversation with
the resident assistants and increase
66
TALKING STICK
their engagement? How should a
presentation be structured to best
inspire a residence life staff to action?
Whether considering a new housing
professional, a senior campus
administrator, or anyone in between,
there is much that can be learned
from the lessons and structures of
other storytellers. The journalist
harnesses the power of an inverted
pyramid to focus on the headline
and key facts at the beginning. The
blogger engages the reader and
begins conversations. The preacher
frames a speech with the specific goal
of inspiring action.
As a researcher or a housing
professional working with assessment,
storytelling concepts may seem
strange, almost counterintuitive. Good
assessment focuses on theory, methods,
analysis, and research. Framing and
summarizing analysis to fit a headline,
engage an audience, and compel others
to take action may not be the first thing
we focus on. However, the purpose in
conducting assessment is to reinforce
and transform campus housing's work
with students. To accomplish that,
employing methods of storytelling
makes a lot of sense and allows one
to escape Cassandra's curse. After
all, what is the use of being able to
speak the truth if no one can hear it,
understand it, and turn it into action?
Matthew Venaas is a research manager for
Skyfactor (formerly EBI).
Matthew.Venaas@macmillan.com
Sherry Woosley is the director of analytics
and research for Skyfactor.
swoosley@webebi.com
Talking Stick - July/August 2015
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - July/August 2015
Talking Stick - July/August 2015
Contents
Vision
Just In
Calendar
Your ACUHO-I
Transitions
Res Life
Facilities
Special Focus
It Takes a Village
Finding a Common Language
Conversations
First Takes
Around Student Affairs
New Members
Snapshot
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Intro
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - BB1
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - BB2
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Talking Stick - July/August 2015
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Cover2
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 1
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 2
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 3
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Contents
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 5
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 6
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 7
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Vision
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 9
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Just In
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 11
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 12
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 13
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 14
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 15
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 16
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 17
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Calendar
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 19
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Your ACUHO-I
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Transitions
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Res Life
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 23
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 24
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 25
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Facilities
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 27
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 28
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 29
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Special Focus
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 31
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 32
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 33
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 34
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 35
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 36
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 37
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 38
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 39
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 40
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 41
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - It Takes a Village
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 43
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 44
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 45
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 46
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 47
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 48
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 49
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Finding a Common Language
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 51
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 52
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 53
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 54
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 55
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 56
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 57
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Conversations
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 59
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 60
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 61
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - First Takes
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Around Student Affairs
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 64
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 65
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - 66
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - New Members
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Snapshot
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Cover3
Talking Stick - July/August 2015 - Cover4
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