Talking Stick - March/April 2017 - 46

R

emaining informed about
new publications has
numerous advantages.
Exposure to new
resources directly
affects professional
practice by informing our planning,
programming, and practice; and dayto-day decisions, strategic planning,
and best practices should be grounded
in current research and scholarship.
The focus of this article is to
provide an overview of current
publications that will enhance the
work of housing professionals.
We have provided summaries and
applications of 14 publications that
were selected using the following
criteria: the publications are recent
(published within the last two years);
they cover a wide range of topics, from
professional to personal development;
and they are applicable to the work of
housing professionals.
We assume that you, as competent
housing professionals, already have
in your library publications such as
Norb Dunkel and James Baumann's
6-volume Campus Housing
Management (2013); Tony Cawthon
and Pam Schreiber's ACUHO-I Core
Competencies: The Body of Knowledge
for Campus Housing Professionals
(2012); James Baumann's The 21st
Century Project Design Showcase:
The Home (2013); ACUHO-I's The
Journal of College and University
Student Housing; ACUHO-I Standards
and Ethical Principles for College
and University Housing Professionals
(2017); Council for the Advancement
of Standards in Higher Education's
CAS Professional Standards for
Higher Education (2015) and CAS
Housing and Residential Life Programs
Self-Assessment Guide; and Mimi
Benjamin's Learning Communities
from Start to Finish (2015). These
publications are foundational ones
that serve as the basis for any housing
professional's library. The resources
below are designed to stimulate your
thinking, inform your practices,

46

TALKING STICK

and motivate you to explore other
publications. We have grouped them
into three themes: understanding
students and others, understanding
ourselves, and understanding the
organization. We have also listed
some other publications that, while
older, remain applicable.

Understanding Students
and Others
Generation Z Goes to
College, Corey Seemiller
and Meghan Grace
(2016, 224 pages).
Overview: Providing
insight into what current
college students value and why they
have certain perspectives based on
their experience, this book describes
how the next wave of students will
change higher education. Topics
include a quick background of each
generation, why they value certain
things, how previous generations have
shaped Generation Z, the generation's
cares and concerns, and how
Generation Z engages in social media
and views relationships.
Application: This is a great read
for housing professionals preparing
to work with the next generation
of students. Each generation is
unique and different, and being
proactive and understanding the
needs of Generation Z will allow
professionals to begin planning for
and anticipating the next generation
of students.

Engaging Students
Through Social Media:
Evidence-Based Practices
for Use in Student
Affairs, Reynol Junco
(2014, 328 pages).
Overview: College students use social
media at frighteningly high rates, and

many higher education professionals
are not knowledgeable about how this
technology can be used for positive
learning and academic benefit. Junco
argues that competent and effective
student affairs professionals must
understand how students interact with
social media and how this interaction
can be used to positively impact
educational outcomes, retention,
and student engagement. He also
articulates how other disciplines are
positively using social media and
explores the benefits of social media
engagement.
Application: This is an excellent
book for bridging the knowledge gap
that often exists between seasoned
techies and digital natives. The
research on the impact of social
media presented can be used as
the foundation for creating and
implementing a departmental
social media plan, and the author
offers specific strategies that can
be implemented by anyone in the
housing organization.

The Lives of Campus
Custodians: Insights into
Corporatization and Civic
Disengagement in the
Academy, Peter Magolda
(2016, 258 pages).
Overview: This book represents the
author's fieldwork at two universities
as he explores the subculture
of campus custodians via an
ethnographic approach. He argues
that most people working on campus
know very little about this group, and,
in offering their stories, he challenges
higher education's values of inclusion
and equity. He also offers concrete
suggestions for improving the lives of
campus custodians.
Application: This book should be
a must-read for all campus housing
staff, professionals, and student staff.
For those wanting to learn more
about ethnographic research, it is an
excellent example. Section two, which
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