A debt of gratitude is what brought me back to housing at the University of Oregon. Thirty years ago, I moved into the UO dorms for my college experience. That was a life-transforming event for me in many respects. I liked my dorm experience so much that I spent my four years in college living and working in university housing. I became a resident assistant who worked with our student residents to make sure they had a good meaningful experience while in our residence halls. I worked with them to ensure academic excellence in the classroom. And of course, this also meant having to throw beer down the toilet on more than one occasion, but that was also part of the growth for the residents and for myself.
Housing gave me a chance when there were not many and when odds were stacked up against me. My experiences with housing prepared me to become a leader in the future. Because of housing’s support, I was able to get my degree and have a successful career in human resources.
While I was not actively looking for a job at the time, the job I now have with housing was posted, and someone brought it to my attention to make sure I knew about it. I remember thinking, wouldn’t it be great if I returned? Wouldn’t this job with housing be an excellent bookend to my professional career? Is it time to start paying back? So I applied for the job, and I am now back.
As much as I may have a debt of gratitude with housing, I could never repay them for the difference they made in my life. But what I can do, hopefully, is to inspire others to go out and make a difference in other people’s lives.
Having an employee cry while saying something like “Finally! Someone who can understand what I am saying and someone I can understand.” The conversation I was having with the employee was not an easy one to have, but having the employee actually tell me that they were heard and understood meant a great deal to me. While the employee had working knowledge of English, they felt more comfortable in other languages. That is why I know I made the right choice when I took this job as an associate director for human resources in our housing department at the University of Oregon.
Change is definitely the biggest challenge, and this has been magnified by the ongoing challenges with the pandemic. Human resources staff all over have been at the forefront of the pandemic supporting our workforce. We have not had anything similar to what we are experiencing with COVID-19 in our lifetimes. As a result, we are often having to make decisions with missing or ever-changing information. This has been difficult for everyone, even for HR staff.
Snacks, for sure. I often miss lunch or have a working lunch. Having some snacks, healthy and otherwise, available is always a good thing. Plus, I have a jar full of chocolate candy on my table that anyone is welcome to stop by and grab for a quick chocolate fix.
I would be out and about around campus meeting those I never have a chance to meet. I would attend classes with students. I would teach students a class or two. I would spend the weeknights sleeping in the dorms to get to know students. That is what I would do for a whole week: get to know my community.
It is the home of the Mighty Oregon Ducks! Need I say more?
I am only two months into this job, so I have not learned of any. Yet.
I am and we are a whole lot more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. The last year has been incredibly difficult for many reasons ranging from the pandemic, to social unrest, to a difficult election and everything else in between.
Knowing that I can always make a difference for employees. Over the years, I have received many unexpected expressions of gratitude from employees and those with whom I work. I have seen employees go above and beyond to do their work. I have seen employees who also had the odds stacked against them succeed in the workplace. I have seen employees who are actually happy with the work in their workplace. And I know that part of the reason they are successful is because of advice I have given them over the years. An employee’s success: that is what motivates me in my work.
I would like to be able to speak, write, and understand every language spoken in my community. Now, talk about a super power: the ability to communicate with everyone.
Hector Rios is the associate director for human resources at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Have a colleague you think others should get to know? Please share with us at talkingstick@acuho-i.org and you may see them in a future issue of the magazine.