Talking Stick - January/February 2019 - C13

clusion in our communities. In all four
programs, faculty partner with the livein staff to create programmatic engagements for students. This collaboration
has proven exceedingly helpful during
times when communities are called on
to be proactive or reactive to bias and
race-based incidents in the residence
halls. Faculty serve as role models and
work as partners with staff in discussions about how to make the residence
halls a welcoming home for all. This experience is beneficial both to the community and to the faculty as they also
learn about inclusivity in a way that
impacts their role in the residence halls
and the classroom.
The NYU housing department also
works to make sure the value of equity
and inclusion is supported by the resident assistant student staff. During
paraprofessional training, held before
the academic year begins, the department facilitates an interactive training
session called Navigating Multicultural Communities for all student leaders.
This training provides participants an
opportunity to discuss how cultural
awareness relates to the RA role, to understand how culture shapes perspective, to develop strategies for facilitating a cultural dialogue around multiple
perspectives, and to build skills to help
fellow team members and residents
navigate difference. Part of this training incorporates a storytelling exercise
in which each person has seven minutes to tell stories based on their social
identities. There are conversations
about what inclusive community looks
like through the lens of different social
identities as well as an exercise called
Pay Attention Now (PAN) which helps
participants name identity dynamics.
Finally, twice per semester during
team meetings RAs have an opportuni#acuhoi

On most campuses, this initiative remains a work
in progress as they work with staff on ongoing
training and development, try new initiatives, and
learn from others, in the hope that, every year,
improvement is made and the campus becomes
more inclusive in all its practices.
ty to engage in a dialogue facilitated by
the professional staff and focused on
topics related to social justice learning. This allows them to see the professional staff role model how to facilitate a dialogue. During training, RAs
also attend roundtable discussions
about issues such as navigating white
privilege, understanding religious and
spiritual communities, and supporting
residents who are Afro/Latinx, differently abled, black, Asian American and
Pacific Islander, or multiracial.
Efforts to hire and retain professional staff of color have shown a
number of secondary benefits as well.
Along with assisting individual staff
and increasing representation for minority students, the NYU housing department has seen an increase in the
number of resident assistants from
diverse backgrounds. This benefits not
only NYU as an institution, but also
the next generation of people who will
be impacting laws, hiring practices,
and educational institutions. The staff
has come to view this effort as a way to
make a difference, one student and one
staff member at a time.
While this article highlights one
department at one institution - and
one benefiting from resources and
privilege not available on all campuses
- it is representative of the many chal-

lenges and opportunities that exist on
other campuses. On most campuses,
this initiative remains a work in progress as they work with staff on ongoing
training and development, try new initiatives, and learn from others, in the
hope that, every year, improvement is
made and the campus becomes more
inclusive in all its practices. Regardless
of one's role, race, or ethnicity, any actions taken to address diversity issues
can help a colleague feel more comfortable within the profession, encourage their involvement in regional and
national organizations, and inspire
them to stay in housing and residence
life and seek opportunities for senior
leadership roles.

Tom Ellett is the senior associate vice president of student
affairs at New York University.
Delmy Lendof is the director of
residential staff and programs
at New York University. Christina Duncan is a residence hall
director at New York University.
Jonathan Wiggins is a residence
hall assistant director at New
York University.

Talking Stick - January/February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2019