Housing STARS On The Rise -- admin | February 6, 2012
I’m sure you can name a number of phenomenal student staff members on your campus who would make exceptional housing professionals. Through various training and development opportunities, we attempt to foster the growth of all of our student leaders, and hope that those with the passion and natural skill will consider student affairs as a career.
Amanda Kalbfleisch, an Assistant Residence Life Manager at the University of Guelph, attended the STARS College last summer in New Orleans, Louisiana. She wanted to share her experience with you, to illustrate the benefit of this program and how it has had a positive impact on her work in student housing.
What is the ACUHO-I STARS program?
ACUHO-I STARS is a three day innovative experience for undergraduates who are interested in pursuing a career in Student Affairs. The program itself delivers a variety of sessions about the field and how to get started in it. Sessions ranged from the History of Student Affairs, to Hot Trends, to Personal Development, and Job Searching. The remarkable thing about this program is the lasting connections it builds between the faculty, students and mentors of the STARS program.
What were your top three take-aways from STARS?
As someone starting out in the field, I found myself often getting caught in a small Res Life “bubble.” This program taught me that the Housing profession is international and that those colleague connections are invaluable. My graduating class and I still keep in contact and they have been a wonderful support to garner some extra ideas. In addition, I learned a great deal about the value of a Graduate program in Higher Education, and plan to pursue this path eventually. Finally, I took away a better understanding for what it means to have a mentor in this profession (but also in life!) and how to foster that relationship.
2011 STARS Faculty
What is the benefit of attending this program?
The benefit for myself was a substantial development in my understanding of the Student Affairs profession and how my everyday tasks fit into the larger picture. It is that broader perspective that I’ve been able to bring back to my institution; it’s created a new appreciation for our work and renewed vision for how and why we operate the way we do. From new ideas around programming, to community management, I’ve noticed a change in the way I do every day processes.
Amanda’s STARS Cluster
How are you using what you learned during STARS in your role as ARLM?
To be honest, I didn’t really notice a difference in my every day work until I slowed down a bit during December and reflected on my semester thus far. Without knowing it, I realized I had been working in a way where I was doing things not because I had to, or because it was the next step, but because it was important to the process of the student experience. I suppose that’s a fancy way of saying that I have a better understanding of why we make the decisions we do, and from that framework I’m able to make changes to better the student experience.
Amanda (right) with the two other Canadian STARS participants (David Protheroe and Sarah Dalzell, both from the University of British Columbia)
What else can you share about your experience?
There are so many things that I would be delighted to share! Utmost, I encourage you to share this opportunity with the undergraduates at your institutions. Being new in the field, it’s like being a toddler who sees everything for the first time; you don’t realize how big of a world it is out there! If I hadn’t been told about ACUHO-I itself, let alone this program, I wouldn’t have had this great experience. Finally, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at akalbfle@uoguelph.ca.
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The ACUHO-I STARS College program is an investment in the future of the housing profession. For more information on STARS College, please click here. The application deadline for this year is Friday, April 6, 2012.
