Against the
Odds
Shaydean Saye & Kyle Trafton
Montana State University
Bozeman, Montana
Objectives
• Be able to properly identify struggles on own
campuses
• Be able to properly identify resources available to
support working through our struggles (short and
long term/permanent)
• Discover new ideas incorporated on other campuses
that might apply on our home campuses
• Find comfort in resources and ideas are available
• Be able to prepare historical references for future
response needed for similar situations
What brings you
to this session?
AIMHO Trends
Challenges Housing Departments Face
AIMHO Trends
By State
Arizona
• Increased enrollment and need for student bed space
Colorado
• Increased enrollment
• Mental health issues among students
Idaho
• Decreased enrollment and need for student bed space
resulting in less financial flexibility for departments
• Mental health issues among students
AIMHO Trends
By State
Nevada – no data provided  sorry
New Mexico
• Increased enrollment
• Mental health issues among students
Utah
• Facility and financial resource constraints
Wyoming
• Understaffed
AIMHO Trends
By State
Montana
• Increased enrollment
• Mental health issues among students
Trends
Plan of Action
Montana State Challenges
•
•
•
•
Increased Enrollment
Mental Health Issues Among Students
Roommate Conflicts
Student Financial Need
Montana State Approaches
Increased Enrollment impacts:
- Student housing needs/proactive planning (overflow &
new construction)
- Staff increase
- Facility upkeep
- Roommate conflicts
- Decreased living option change flexibility
- Pre-arrival communication with students, families and
campus community
Montana State Approaches
Mental Health Issues Among Students:
- Helping students self-identify & develop plan of action
- Crisis response plan
- Positive inter-department relationships
- Training staff to identify warning signs and direct
approach with timely follow-up
- Finding creative ways to program towards
homesickness/depression
Montana State Approaches
Roommate Conflicts:
- Proactive approach implementing roommate contracts
- Continued staff training using challenging examples
- Diligent follow-up after conflict
- Identifying emergency rooms to diffuse extreme
situations
- Encouraging resident centered approach to
confrontation
- Community Living Agreements
Montana State Approaches
Student Financial Need:
- Referrals to offices on campus (Office of Student
Success, Financial Aid, etc.)
- Student job opportunities
- Intentional programming - refund checks & budgeting
AIMHO
Challenges vs Solutions
CHALLENGES
SOLUTION IDEAS
Increased enrollment
-Northern Arizona = Comprehensive analysis of current and projected on-campus housing plan coupled with decisional impact modeling so that housing inventory
may be dedicated for students for whom living on campus would have the most positive impact.
-Colorado School of Mines = Additional training for the staff
-Embry-Riddle Aeronautical = created business case to show the financial benefit of new housing
-New Mexico Tech = We have rented hotel rooms to accommodate any overflow residents.
Minimal resources
-University of Idaho = Working to retain current students with targeted retention initiatives
Understaffed
-University of Wyoming = everyone works harder, training
-Colorado School of Mines = Through advocating and showing the data assessment
-Dixie State University = Creative approaches. Trying to do "more with less".
-Embry-Riddle Aeronautical = creative staffing practices - using more student workers to do things a professional would typically do. I have 3 undergraduate hall
directors rather than 2 full time RDs
Lack of communication
-Boise State = Increasing opportunities for communication (dept mtgs, sharing agendas, etc.) and involvement in dept decision making
Mental health issues
-Northern Arizona = Close collaboration with campus colleagues such as Counseling Services, NAUPD, Dean of Students Office and weekly Student Behavioral
Intervention Team Meetings.
-North Idaho College = Work Hand in Hand with Counseling Services
-Boise State = training for student/pro staff; working closely with the Dean of Student's Office
-New Mexico Tech = We send students to our Counseling Center.
-Colorado State = Working closely with counseling resources on campus and case management
Student financial need
-Northern Arizona = Continued focus on campus rent rates in relation to overall cost of attendance and in-state competitiveness.
-Colorado School of Mines = Financial Literacy Workshops
-Grand Canyon University = We use an appeal process for students to email and explain their situation so we can make the decision of a room switch
-North Idaho College = Try to help educate students on how to use money wisely
-Boise State = increase communication and flexibility about policies; allowing payment plans
Departmental financial need
-Dixie State University = Fiscal conservatism. Deferred maintenance.
Increase in student policy violations
-Grand Canyon University = 1.Roommate mediations with RA 2. Roommate mediations with RD 3. Room Switch
-Colorado State = working closely with our student conduct office
Roommate conflicts
-Grand Canyon University = Violations Increase: RD is the first line of defense. If the violation goes beyond them it is reported and brought to the Student
Conduct Manager who decides the punishment (sanctions) for the student to complete. A lot of times this results in a room switch
-New Mexico Tech = We conduct roommate mediations.
Any others?
“Managing student issues is
sometimes like . . . when
architects don’t talk to
engineers, we become the
carpenter and can’t turn our
wrench”
Questions?
Contact Us
Shaydean Saye
shaydean.saye@montana.edu
Kyle Trafton
kmtrafton@montana.edu