It may be happening online this year, but the 2021 ACUHO-I Conference and Expo will mark the 70th anniversary of the Association's official formation. While there were gatherings of housing professionals in 1949 at the University of Illinois and 1950 at Purdue University, it was the 1951 conference at Michigan State University where the recommendation to form the Association of College and University Housing Officers was formally adopted. It was also here where the first Association officers were elected: S. Earl Thompson of Illinois was named president, Kenneth Lawson of Michigan State was named vice president, and Ruth Donnelly of the University of California-Berkeley was elected secretary. This and other milestones of the Association's history are available through The History of ACUHO-I, edited by past president and long-time member Bob Mosier.
To further the celebration throughout 2021, the ACUHO-I Foundation has created a special campaign. The proceeds of this campaign will help support a number of ACUHO-I’s strategic areas of focus, including diversity and inclusion initiatives, resources for historically Black colleges and universities, professionals working at small colleges and universities, and programs for live-in professionals. Learn more and donate.
As COVID-19 vaccines increasingly become available, ACUHO-I has led advocacy efforts to prioritize vaccine access for front-line campus staff. In February, a letter from ACUHO-I was delivered to the governors of all 50 states and U.S. territories, urging them to prioritize residence life and housing professionals. That letter drew responses from a number of state governments as well as coverage in The Washington Post. In addition, ACUHO-I CEO Mary DeNiro made the case in an Inside Higher Ed op-ed that housing and residence life professionals have been on the front lines of the pandemic, often without access to appropriate personal protective equipment or regular testing. This work continues almost a year's worth of efforts by ACUHO-I to educate professionals, as well as campus leaders and other audiences, of the challenges and potential solutions experienced throughout the pandemic. Other resources include the ACUHO-I online community as well as an extensive series of virtual roundtables where professionals were able to share their experiences.
For much of 2020, in response to the perpetual incidents of racism/anti-Blackness, police brutality, and racially motivated violence across the United States and around the world, the ACUHO-I Anti-Racism Task Force conducted research and prepared a list of areas of focus as well as short- and long-term recommendations for the Association. The group worked primarily in three subgroups that explored the history of ACUHO-I, information gathering, and an evaluation of professional standards. This work has come together in a report that outlines their findings and discoveries. Leaders also recorded a fireside chat that discussed the approach and importance of their work.
The work of the task force will continue in a number of ways as the recommendations are explored. One such outcome is a short form where members can share their insights, recommendations, and feedback after reviewing the report. ACUHO-I extends its thanks to all the members of the task force and those who assisted in their work. Members of the task force were Steven Herndon (co-chair), assistant vice president/executive director of housing and residence life at the University of Dayton; Luis Inoa (co-chair), dean of student living and wellness at Vassar College; Harold Fields, director of residence life at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Faith Fitzgerald, executive director of housing and residence life at Norfolk State University; Courtney Francis, assistant coordinator for night staff at Florida State University; Kathleen Gardner, director of the office of residence life at Central Michigan University; Daniel Gonzalez, coordinator of residential life at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Amanda McLittle, director of diversity and inclusion at the University of Michigan; Christy Ortega, senior coordinator of residential education and leadership for university housing services at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona; Brian Reece, assistant director of housing and residence life at Hawai'i Pacific University; Dirk Rodricks, assistant to the dean of residence life at the University of Toronto, New College; and Aramis Watson, associate director of residence life at the University of Kansas. Learn more about the ACUHO-I Anti-Racism Task Force.
SEAHO Welcomes New Leaders: The Southeastern Association of Housing Officers held its 2021 conference on February 24-26. The virtual programs kicked off with keynote addresses by Paul Jahr, retired associate vice-president for student affairs at Georgia College and State University; Stephanie Carter, the director of residence life at Wake Forest University; and Stephanie Hill Skerlak, community director for housing and residence life at Mississippi State University.
The conference also marked the election of new SEAHO board members. Dei Allard of Mississippi State University will serve as the new president. Newly elected members include Jeannie Hopper, The University of Mississippi (president-elect); Mike Jones, Vanderbilt University (director of committees); LaFarin Meriwether, University of North Carolina Greensboro (treasurer-elect); and Kaila Kowalski, University of Central Florida (director of communications).