What is your routine for the first few hours of your day?
My morning routine consists of three things: showering, getting ready (brushing teeth, get dressed, etc.), and getting coffee. As I learned throughout my time as a college student, coffee is an important part of my mornings. What I learned as I have dived into my higher education career is that coffee is vital for my mornings! I typically go to either Dunkin’ or the local Utica Coffee Roasting to get my large, iced latte or cold brew with a sausage, egg, and cheese most days as well. After a few sips, my day has officially started, and I head into the office.
What is the last thing you read, watched, or listened to that changed your perspective?
In our office, we are reading The Impact of a Sense of Belonging in College: Implications for Student Persistence, Retention, and Success by Erin Bentrim and Gavin W. Henning. Every week we read through a chapter and discuss what we learned and our perceptions of the topic. Recently I read a chapter talking about language as an identity and its impact on students’ sense of belonging on campus. The chapter noted things like “linguistic invisibility” and categorized ESL students as “linguistically minoritized.” Working at a small private Predominantly White Institution in New York, this started to change my perspective on the impact that language has on students, whether domestic or international, and makes me think about how we can better serve linguistically minoritized students on our campus.
What is one piece of advice you wish you had received earlier in your career?
Be patient. The world of higher education can sometimes feel like it’s moving at 100 mph, and we are getting pulled with it. When I was first getting into this field, I felt like I had to do everything all at once in order to be successful and could not let anything slip through the cracks. This was only leading me to burnout. Being patient in higher education has helped me to slow things down and understand that my career is only just beginning and that I have to enjoy it at every stage.
What is your favorite campus dining hall meal?
We have two dining halls and a diner on campus. If I had to pick from the bunch, I would go to the diner and get a patty melt with battered french fries. It’s simple, easy, and really hits after a long morning. Oh, and you have to get a cookie before you leave as well.
What is something that someone has done for you lately for which you were most grateful?
During our campus spring break, our office did a spirit week. Every day we had a different event or activity to come together and have fun while the students were away. I am grateful not only for the spirit week events, but also because during one of the days it was “James Appreciation Day” where my coworkers and supervisors made a printed list of quotations from them saying nice things about me. They did this for all the area directors and our office assistant on different days of the week, and I could not be more grateful for the wonderful team and support system I have here.
What tool does every campus housing pro need to know how to use, and when was the last time you used one?
I think every campus housing pro needs to know how to be empathetic. In terms of our work, empathy is at the heart of everything we do. Through roommate conflicts, peer-to-peer mediations, having 1:1s with our student paraprofessionals, or learning from our coworkers, empathy is at the core of that. The last time that I used this empathetic tool was just recently during a student conversation about their behavior. Not only did I want and need to understand the situation better from their point of view, but I wanted to understand their perspective and how they felt in the situation. Using this tool is powerful as it allows us to better connect with our students and see them through a clearer lens.
What was your favorite class when you were a student?
This is a tough question to answer because my major was so fun, and I genuinely enjoyed every class I took. I was a theatre major in undergrad, so I have taken some fun classes like improv acting, stage directing, directing, dramaturgy, set design, set construction, etc. But the one class that calls out to me when thinking back on it is stage makeup. This class was unique because we were in our dressing rooms at the theatre building, and we would learn everything from normal stage makeup to special effects and horror makeup. Not the most relevant to what I do now, but a memorable class for sure.
What hobby would you pursue if time and money were no object?
This would be one of three things: being a full-time content creator/streamer, playing a lot more golf, or fishing a lot more. Those are three of my favorite hobbies, and I would love to dedicate all my time and money to them if I were given the chance. The only thing is that work and bills sometimes come in the way, but they are still very prevalent in my life.
What is your favorite tradition from any campus where you have worked?
There is only one that truly comes to mind. I went to Canisius University in Buffalo, New York, for my master’s program. While working on my degree, I was a hall director in their student life office. Every year, during move-in weekend, there is a bonfire in the middle of campus. This is not just your typical bonfire to kick off the start of the semester – oh no, this is to re-ignite the flame of a rivalry. During the bonfire, they would burn the merchandise of their greatest athletics rival, Niagara University, as a way to remind everyone that Canisius always wins the “Battle of the Bridge.” Also, no shade to my Niagara colleagues, y’all are great!
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?
This was by far the hardest question to answer, because I have so many good songs to hype me up or celebrate the end of the day with. After much consideration and thought, I am going with “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. Now I know this might not seem like the most fitting hype song, but let me tell you, if you have never heard this before, you are in for a life-changing experience when it comes to the key changes at the end of the song. This one never gets old and makes me want to run through a wall because Whitney’s voice is just so good.
James Mitchell III is the area director for the East Side Buildings at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.Would you like to see yourself or a colleague included in the Snapshot column? Complete the questions on this form or share the link with someone you think we should get to know better.