The Talking Stick Discussion Guide supports individual and departmental professional development efforts. These discussion questions, crafted by campus housing professionals, help readers to make meaning of the content and best identify ways the information applies to individual practices and institutions. Some suggestions for how to incorporate them into a professional development curriculum include the following:
building discussions into departmental meetings;
delegating articles to staff and asking them to lead discussions;
reading articles that address topics outside of normal day-to-day responsibilities to broaden knowledge of different campus housing aspects or aspirational positions;
incorporating articles into class discussions for graduate students;
assigning articles to graduate classes and coordinating opportunities to discuss readings and how they would apply to future careers.
Download this guide as a PDF worksheet.
Raising the Flag
Early alert processes help head off a host of students’ issues. Connecting with those students where they live strengthens those efforts.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Student Learning and Development: Create environments and programs that support learning and development. Review student assessment data related to learning and development outcomes.
Student Crisis: Develop campus and interagency agreements. Develop intervention protocols.
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To strengthen your campus’s cross-campus partnerships, what roles should housing, advising, faculty, counseling, dining, and other departments play, and where might you need clearer handoffs or shared ownership?
What balance should campuses strike between formal early alert systems (platform flags, documented workflows) and informal relationships (warm handoffs, “who you know”), and how will we measure and tell the story of our impact?
How does your campus equip front‑line staff (RAs, desk staff, hall directors) to practice proactive, human‑centered outreach without overstepping? What training, scripts, and door‑knock protocols would help?
The End of the Road
Even the best-intentioned living-learning community may eventually run out of steam. Here’s how to see those signs and make the transition as smoothly as possible.
Academic Initiatives: Assess residential learning communities’ effectiveness.
Research, Assessment, and Evaluation: Use current research, evaluation, and assessment data to develop policy and strategy.
Thinking about current living-learning communities on your campus, where do you see the strongest alignment with institutional priorities, and where might there be drift?
What evidence – data, partner feedback, student demand, etc. – do you use to assess your living-learning communities? What other data may be available?
What factors, such as campus politics or partnerships, might make it more difficult to sunset a living-learning community even if the data say it is time to?
Building for Wellness
From basement weight rooms to a wellness ecosystem, student housing’s campus care infrastructure has evolved.
Capital Project Management: Align program requirements with the campus housing department’s philosophy and purpose.
Considering current residence halls, what are the biggest opportunities to move from isolated wellness amenities to an integrated ecosystem that supports belonging, flourishing, and reduced loneliness?
Choose one residence hall and walk through it using the “people, place, and purpose” lens: What changes, even small ones, would make movement easier, social connections more natural, and the environment feel safer and more welcoming for a wider range of students?
If you could redesign one aspect of the housing department’s partnership with health promotion to better sustain staff and student well‑being, what would it be, and how would you assess its impact?
Give It a Try
Internships offer a taste of careers to come.
Supervision and Performance Management: Ensure that supervisors are appropriately trained and supported for their roles and responsibilities.
If your campus hosts interns, how can you design projects that make that learning intentional and meaningful?
Considering your internship job description, which parts of the role feel like true real‑world practice and build transferable skills?
How might hosting an intern be an opportunity to reexamine your own practices, inspire your team, and strengthen your department’s long-term impact?
The Story Behind the Picture
A picture is worth a thousand words. Photovoice may be worth more.
CORE COMPETENCIESResearch, Assessment, and Evaluation: Utilize an appropriate assessment strategy for the assessment goal. Construct assessment instruments and evaluate appropriateness for target audiences.
Considering how photovoice emphasizes participant-centered storytelling, how might incorporating similar techniques strengthen how one collects qualitative feedback?
Which of the challenges associated with photovoice do you think would be most significant in your campus environment, and how might one proactively manage them?
How could your campus use photovoice or a similar approach to illuminate aspects of students’ or staff’s experiences that might currently be overlooked?
Home Is Where the Work Is
Data show ways campuses support their live-in staff.
CORE COMPETENCIESHuman Resources: Provide live-in graduate and professional staff with safe, comfortable, and reasonable accommodations for their positions.
In what ways do factors like housing, family, and pet policies influence a live‑in professional’s sense of belonging, stability, and career longevity? How might departments rethink these policies to reflect today’s workforce?
Given the variability in expectations, compensation, and career pathways for live‑in roles, how can departments more transparently communicate role scope and advancement opportunities to improve retention and long‑term professional growth?
How can housing teams better balance the responsibilities of live‑in roles with the need for personal well‑being and sustainable workloads?