Compliance in Higher Education: Six Considerations
This article first appeared in Academic Leader on February 1, 2019. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. In the past year, compliance issues plaguing higher education touched on nearly every area of academic and social life—public space and free speech, harassment and sexual assault, academic integrity, and athletics. Universities and colleges face…
Two Simple Steps to Inspire Better Student Engagement
The stereotypical college student is always searching for clubs, activities, and other ways to be engaged on campus. Unfortunately, not every student fits that description, leaving department chairs, deans, and other leaders in higher education looking for creative ways to pique students’ interest in those events and experiences that promote…
Creating a Policy and Procedures Manual Specific to Online Education
This article first appeared in Academic Leader on December 16, 2019. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. I’ve had the pleasure of serving as the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse’s primary online administrator for the past 12 years and recently was reflecting upon things we have done on our campus over that time…
On Mixed Marriages: Building Community Between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs
This article first appeared in Academic Leader on November 1, 2018. © Magna Publications. All rights reserved. My partner and I often joke that we have a mixed marriage. Our joking is not exclusively because one of us is Black and the other is White. It is not because one…
The Traumatic Impact of Interpersonal Crime on the Campus Sexual Assault Victim/Survivor
The word victim is derived from the Latin word meaning sacrifice. Suffering seems to be caused by the nature of the crime as it relates to the social character of the specific victim. And it is important to note that when a person is victimized, there may be other issues already present within that person that have caused trauma. As a result of heightened attention to victims, our systems have increased the ability to identify and address the needs of victims. It may be important to note the use of terms and the need to use more than one to include as many perspectives as possible. Both the term victim and survivor are used in popular and social science literature on sexual assault. The use of the term sexual assault survivor first emerged as a way to indicate the therapeutic stage in which an individual began recovery and healing. Those who argued that such healing began with a willingness to inform others about the assault, applied the term survivor more generally.
Dealing with Disruptive Students
Most professors will have to deal with classroom disruptions at some point, from the relatively minor—students who show up for class late or who talk excessively—to the more serious—disrespectful, uncivil, or threatening student behavior. It’s the role of the department chair to create a culture that helps prevent and deal with disruptive behavior effectively.
Guns on College Campuses – Not A Good Idea!
It is hard to believe that the Columbine High School shooting was 19 years ago. The actions of the two suburban Colorado high school seniors who went on a shooting spree killing 13 people and wounding over 20 others before taking their own lives should have been a clarion call for common sense gun control. Sadly, the nation would hear the same refrain in 2012 in the bucolic Connecticut town of Newtown at the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, where the 20-year-old gunman shot and killed 20 six- and seven-year-old children and six adult staff members before killing himself.
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder
The fastest-growing developmental disability is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). There is an interesting debate about whether this growth is a product of increased autism incidence or what has been dubbed “diagnostic substitution” (i.e., moving people from one diagnostic category, such as “language impairment,” to the autism category). Regardless, the number of students arriving on college campuses with an ASD diagnosis is substantially higher now than it has ever been and will undoubtedly continue to grow over time. The disability accommodations process triggered by such a diagnosis is unique and will continue to present challenges to professors and administrators.
Helping First-Generation College Students in Florida
Students who are the first in their families to attend college face many challenges. They’re often unfamiliar with the process of getting into a college. Sometimes their families are not supportive of their attending college. And frequently, they don’t have the financial support they need. So not only can they be difficult to recruit, these first-generation college students can be a challenge to retain.
Food Banks Address Hidden Hunger on Campus
Anyone who’s ever been to college knows the old joke about the “freshman 15.” It’s not uncommon for first-year students to gain around 15 pounds during that first year on campus. But having too much to eat is not the problem many of today’s students face. Instead, they’re up against a day-in, day-out problem that never seems to go away: hunger.
