Talking Stick - May/June 2016 - 29

to pull all the relevant information
together to keep stakeholders up to date.
Beth Moriarty, director of residence
life and housing at Bridgewater State
University in Massachusetts, noted
that this multi-faceted process is not an
exact science, and because it affects the
bottom line, making mistakes can be
costly.
The second major challenge,
reported by 30 percent of respondents,
was the mental health needs of
students. As John Yaun, executive
director of housing and residential
life at California State University, San
Bernardino, noted, "The complexity
of stressors facing college students is
at an all-time high, which often takes
up hours in a day of at least one staff
member. Small college programs
feel it the most." One complicating
factor is that mental health problems
are not often visible; the symptoms
of depression or anxiety can be easily
misinterpreted as normal signs of
adjusting to college, and it is something
people simply don't want to talk about.
As Mary Gallivan, assistant director
for residential life at the University
of Buffalo in New York, explained,
"the hidden nature, broad spectrum,
lack of coping skills, and stigma that
are associated with mental health
issues" make the problem particularly
challenging. "Unlike a physical disability,
mental health problems are not visible
and can be concealed by a student
who is good at hiding or ignoring their
issue, and oftentimes when a staff
member recognizes that a student
needs counseling of some sort, it is
because of an incident that the student
has been involved in." Mental health
problems interfere with student success,
diminishing students' capacity to deal
with stress and anxiety, affecting their
motivation, and interfering with their
ability to sleep or study. Edwina Ellicott,
marketing and occupancy manager at
the University of Wollongong in New
South Wales, Australia, noted how
devastating this can be. "It impacts so

many facets of their lives and other
people's lives. If not managed well, it
jeopardizes their student experience and
education."
Deferred maintenance of facilities

operate residential facilities that were
built during the 1960s. Upkeep to the
structures is expensive, and the design of
the buildings often makes modernizing
them an additional financial challenge.
With the evolving needs and interests

What Can ACUHO-I Do for You?
These presidential chats provided a valuable opportunity to learn
what services ACUHO-I members most desired from their professional
association. Among the respondents, 42 percent said they counted on
ACUHO-I for professional development opportunities, 39 percent said
research, and 35 percent said networking.
Jen Richardson, director of residence life at The College of St.
Rose in Albany, New York, summed up the thoughts of many when she
explained, "It is important for ACUHO-I to continue providing the most
current resources and data on the trends in the field that can assist us
in providing the most rewarding and challenging experiences for our
students' and our staff's needs." Others noted research gaps that need
to be filled. Terry Tumbarello, dean of students at the University of
Wisconsin Whitewater, and Steve Nygaard, director of student housing
at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, California, both made strong points
that more time, advocacy, and education is needed from the association
to address the impact of current legislation such as the Affordable Care
Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and Title IX.
This feedback was instrumental as the ACUHO-I Executive Board
formed its current strategic plan. As current President Allan Blattner
notes, the plan is to "help us organize the diverse member input
and give ACUHO-I the ability to strategically prioritize what is most
important. Based on this framework, the association makes decisions
about how we will move issues from ideas to actions that meet the
most critical needs of our members." Recognizing the value of ongoing
member feedback and transparency, the Board hosts an online
suggestion box for ACUHO-I members at www.acuho-i.org/about-us/
executive-board/suggestion-box.

has become a common challenge
for many campuses, as noted by 28
percent of respondents. As buildings
age and more money is invested in
new construction, the maintenance of
older buildings is deferred, leading to
a backlog of expensive projects. David
Brown, assistant director of university
housing at Case Western University
in Cleveland, Ohio, explained the
central problem: "Many campuses still

of incoming students, particularly
surrounding technological changes,
older, less flexible facilities can place
a regular strain on the bottom line."
When maintenance projects are put
off for too long, they become more
expensive and more difficult to fit
into an already packed budget. Tracey
Mason-Innes, director of residence and
housing at Simon Fraser University in
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada,

MAY + JUNE 2016

29
http://www.acuho-i.org/about-us/executive-board/suggestion-box http://www.acuho-i.org/about-us/executive-board/suggestion-box
Talking Stick - May/June 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - May/June 2016
