What is your routine for the first few hours of your day?
I am usually up between 5:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on weekday mornings. My wife and I make lunches for the family and combine forces to get our kids up, ready, and out the door. I take my teenage daughters and their friend to attend an early morning scripture study class at our church before they head to high school, and then my wife and I split to get our other three children to their schools before we each head to work.
What is the last thing you read, watched, or listened to that changed your perspective?
Twice a year, our church broadcasts a conference. This is always rejuvenating and uplifting for me. In the last conference in April, several hopeful messages were shared that helped me view opportunities and challenges with a more long-term perspective.
What is one piece of advice you wish you had received earlier in your career?
Probably how the permanence of some roles in life and the brevity of others can help someone focus and set priorities. Early in my career as a graduate student with young children, I recognized one important distinction that clarified this for me. I began to feel guilty that I wasn’t putting as much time into my studies and assistantship as I saw, or at least felt I saw, some of my peers doing. When I settled on the fact that, for me, my roles as a husband and father would remain with me long after my roles as a student and employee, I was able to be more present in all of these roles. Seeing myself as a husband and father who happened to be in graduate school rather than as a graduate student who happened to have a family shifted my perspective and gave my studies and assistantship a richer purpose.
What is your favorite campus dining hall meal?
I’ll start by saying I am generally easy to please when it comes to food, and I like most food in the dining halls. I especially enjoy trying new ones. That being said, I would probably have to say any type of barbecue is generally a good option.
What is something that someone has done for you lately for which you were most grateful?
My daughter is learning to drive, and when backing out of a parking spot recently, she gently bumped another vehicle. Luckily it belonged to a family friend, who is also one of my daughter’s teachers at school. Though there was some embarrassment and tears from my daughter, this friend was very kind, forgiving, and encouraging towards her (it helped that there was no damage done to either car). I appreciated this grace (and no increase in our insurance premiums).
What tool does every campus housing pro need to know how to use, and when was the last time you used one?
There is one piece of knowledge, more than a tool, that I think is important for a housing professional: how to locate and use the water shutoff valve on a toilet (if it has one). While I haven’t had to turn off the water in a residential room like this for many years, I can attest to how this simple knob can keep gallons of water in the pipes rather than on the floor when a toilet is overflowing.
What was your favorite class when you were a student?
I was a biology major, and I loved any class that got me outdoors. Classes like ornithology, field biology, and field research techniques were always enjoyable.
What hobby would you pursue if time and money were no object?
I would love to camp and hike in beautiful places. Visiting all the U.S. National Park Service sites would be a dream come true.
What is your favorite tradition from any campus where you have worked?
On several campuses where I have worked, there has been a day of service for students, faculty, and staff to give back to the local community. I love the camaraderie and bonds this has formed for individuals as well as the larger university and community relationships.
What song do you count on to hype you up to start the day or help you celebrate at the end of a long one?
We often play “The Promise” by When in Rome at our house. It was simple for the kids to learn, and it is a song we all enjoy singing together.
Kyle Ashton is the director for residence life hall staff and student development at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.