STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Grant WaltersRegional Advisor

Central Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (CAACURH)

STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Identify some overarching myths

about student leadership advising

some of their converse realities

Discuss the complexities of the student leader and advisor relationship

Examine the parallels and dissimilarities

between supervisory and advisory relationships

Outline elements of advising approaches

that can reinforce students’ ethical

behaviors

Explore some case study examples and discuss how issues of

student leader accountability

present themselves in each

Determine key practices that can

boost student accountability and improve advisors’ relationships with

their advisees

LEARNING OUTCOMES


“The Silent Advisor”

MYTHS, DISPELLED


Where did that come from?

MYTHS, DISPELLED


Publications and research have long identified the advisor role as somewhat passive with a primary focus on guidance and encouragement

Advisor roles are often perceived as voluntary and that there may often be a choice involved in the assignment of the advisor-student leader relationship

Many advisors tend to advise student leadership groups in the early years of their career in the profession, so a smaller disparity in the perception of age, power, etc. can prevail

Is it really true?

MYTHS, DISPELLED


In reality, many student leadership advisors have their responsibilities tied to their official paid positions. Advisors need to be vocal in order to preserve safety, security and integrity as they can be liable for what student leaders do.

Advisors are often the first identified or asked when student leader actions are executed poorly or unethically

Advisors often present a level of history and consistency within student organizations because they often outlast their advisees. Their participation and investment can be critical to an organization’s success.

“The Blameless Student Leader”

MYTHS, DISPELLED



MYTHS, DISPELLED


Because student leaders are not normally official employees of their institutions (with the exception of some), there may be less defined or very ambiguous ways in which remedies can be implemented to address unethical or damaging behaviors

Historically, leadership groups have often escaped scrutiny of institutional processes or policies because of their voluntary nature rooted in student rights/responsibility codes

Is it really true?

MYTHS, DISPELLED


Many institutions (including Miami) are implementing more rigid policies and sanctions for student leadership groups who violate campus codes

While we may not be able to “fire” a student leader in the traditional sense, there are avenues to hold them accountable financially, behaviorally and sometimes academically

Students can be held responsible and/or liable if their behavior harms someone else or is legally objectionable

“Student voice is always > logic, integrity and

common sense”

MYTHS, DISPELLED



MYTHS, DISPELLED


Student advocacy and voice on college and university campuses has a long history in our country (and many others) as a major recognizable force of change which, as history shows, has often urged institutional progress to move forward on various issues

Many students (and some faculty and staff) believe that constitutional rights of free speech and expression outweigh the need for leaders to act with discretion, sensitivity, balanced thought and perspective.

Is it really true?

MYTHS, DISPELLED


Protecting individuals’ constitutional rights or the desire for students to have a loud voice on our campuses does not equate to an ability to operate carelessly or thoughtlessly

Student leadership advisors often act as a sounding board for students’ passionate issues and their desire to enact change. It’s important for advisors to help them understand effective ways for them to achieve results.

Sometimes, this means simply saying “no.”

Think about how you may have embraced or dismissed those myths as an advisor.

MYTHS, DISPELLED


What makes advisor-leader relationships so unique and/or complex?

COMPLEXITIES


Priority (both for student and advisor)Advocacy vs. administration (“us” vs. “them”)Lack of understanding of scope, impactDiffering motivations for volunteers (the “labor of

love”)Distance can play a factorSelection and recruitment can look different for

leaders

Relationships take time, energy and

investment to build and nurture

Good and regular communication is

necessary for success

Established set of expectations or vision exchanged between

the advisor and advisee

Conversations about development, growth, and movement to new

opportunities

Connection to a common

community

Exchange of feedback or perspective

PARALLELS BETWEEN ADVISING AND SUPERVISING


Experience levels of both the advisor

and the advisee might differ

Possible absence of a formal position

description for either role

Differences in systems of

accountability

Evaluative measures might be less formal or

event absent

Perception of a student leader’s power

or position is likely different than that of

an employee

Persistence of both the advisor or advisee

may be less than in a formal supervisory

relationship

DISSIMILARITIES BETWEEN ADVISING AND SUPERVISING


What does the word “accountability” mean

to you as advisors?

DEFINING ACCOUNTABILITY


Working individually, select three of the qualities on the next slide that you believe are important

to helping student leaders understand and connect to the term “accountability”.

Write two to three strategies by which you feel you as the advisor can help them to achieve or

demonstrate that quality.

APPROACHING ACCOUNTABILITY


SupportChallenge

AvailabilityVisibility

InvestmentDevelopmentConfrontation

Difficult conversationsFlexibility

AutonomySharing

ResourceCare

UnderstandingNetworkingEvaluationKnowledgeIntegrity

HonestyCompromiseAgreementAdvocacyTrainingVision

Learning

APPROACHING ACCOUNTABILITY


It’s April, and an enthusiastic student leader on your community council requests to take on a hall/community t-shirt project where they will design and solicit orders from their fellow residents and collect money to reimburse the hall’s budget. The student speaks

with their advisor, who denies their request because of its lateness in the academic year, and encourages the student to rekindle the project when they return in the fall. The

student agrees and no more discussion takes place.

A few weeks later, the advisor receives a call from the t-shirt company informing them that their order is ready and that a large sum of money is due to them immediately. When asked who placed the order, the company names the student leader you had a recent

discussion with.

What are the issues/problems at play here?What is your course of action?

How can you hold this student accountable? What does that conversation look like?

Do you say anything to your other community council leaders?

CASE STUDY 1 (IN GROUPS OF 4-5)


You receive a phone call from your RA on duty that they have come across an intoxicated student that has returned to the hall from an off-campus party. They are allegedly being

belligerent, uncooperative, and they are using profanity with your staff member. You quickly respond and move to a corridor where this incident is taking place. You discover that the individual is one of your hall council members. They are clearly slurring their

words, stumbling and refusing to follow the instructions of your staff. Many residents are in the hallway whispering about the fact that the student is a leader in the community and how out of control they are. Fearing the student may be dangerously intoxicated, you call

for en emergency transport. The student returns to the building very early the next morning.

What are the issues/problems at play here?What is your course of action?

How can you hold this student accountable? What does that conversation look like?

Do you say anything to your other student leaders? Your residents?

CASE STUDY 2


Mutual expectations

Education about the advisor role;

understanding the limits, liabilities and

responsibilities within it

Pursuing difficult conversations with student

leaders; being willing to talk about issues of attitude, approach,

conduct, etc. despite the fact that it may impact

your relationship

Helping them navigate ways they can

appropriately challenge and/or advocate for

themselves and others

Training and ongoing development

Documentation and follow-up

Peer discussions, confrontations

Evaluations process for both you and your

advisee

Public venues, reports, websites, social networking, etc.

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE ACCOUNTABILITY?


LET ME TELL YOU…


Take them with you…

Place and position – understanding

policy, procedure, mission, vision…

De-emotionalizin

g

Using your knowledge to help predict outcomes

and/or pitfalls

LET ME TELL YOU…


LET THEM TELL YOU…


“My RHA board has an accountability contract…they go over it during their transition to help people understand that they need to be responsible. It was a written by a graduate student a couple of years ago and will be revised in the next little while.

I find that 1:1's work best for holding people accountable. When I have 30 minutes with each of them every two weeks it gives me time to talk to them about their projects and how they are motivated.”

Regina DonatoRHA AdvisorLehigh University



“The first time a student doesn't complete a task or follow up on something, I write (or type) out the task(s) they didn't do, with the date, and exactly what is expected of them to complete. I state the clear expectation that not completing tasks is grounds for removal (or requested resignation). Then if they don't complete the task for the following week I use the documentation to put them on probation (with just myself), and if it continues then I write a letter (or email) to the E-Board recommending their removal.

I give the letter to the individual first and give them a chance to resign or last chance to change their behavior. Also, if the student continuously doesn't complete tasks on time but does immediately after our first warning (when I type up the task they failed to complete), I compile all the times I had to have that meeting and write a similar letter recommending removal. It is usually a 3 week process, at the longest, before the student resigns or gets their stuff together.”

Chris WeissRHA AdvisorIndiana University of Pennsylvania



“When students are in conflict with someone on their Exec Board, it is very important to confront the issue head on, either 1:1 or in a large group setting. It usually depends on the nature of the issue. The most common one I have seen is a group feeling like a certain Exec person is not pulling his/her weight. The advisor could approach the individual about the issue, but it is more powerful for the students to confront each other. When students learn to hold each other accountable, therein lies student success.”

Matthew PerryRHA AdvisorUniversity of Toledo

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STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY