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MAR 2013

President’s Corner Greetings OACUHO! April is undoubtedly my favourite month of the entire year. After a long winter, I find joy in simple things that come with spring. Whether waking up to birds singing, watch-ing the sunset as I walk home from work, or enjoying that first sunny patio session, April comes with the promise of a new season and new beginnings. Simultaneously, we prepare to say goodbye to the students and staff that we have been co-creating powerful residence communi-ties with since August. Closing experiences come at award banquets, final dinners and ultimately with our students checking out and finishing their 2012-2013 residence experience. Your 2012-2013 OACUHO Board of Direc-tors has been working diligently since June furthering the work of the association. As President, I had two main goals this year. First was to build a strong team among the Board of Directors and second was to en-gage OACUHO members for all 360 days between our spring conferences. With our last Board face to face meeting before “1000 Possibilities” at Queen’s be-

hind us, I am happy to report a strong unit-ed team exists among the board. Despite several changes to our group, the Board has stepped up to produce high quality work. We have worked alongside incredibly en-gaged committee members, taskforce members and volunteers that have lead to a productive year. Thank you for continuing to check in and continuing to contribute to OACUHO this year. As we transition to a new Board and a new year for OACUHO, I look forward to the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead. Yours truly, Jen Gonzales OACUHO President J8gonzal@ryerson.ca @jengonzales8

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QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

Checking Out

In the hope of adding our own special twist, we want to talk about ourselves as professional staff not fin-ishing the year with a bang: remaining motivated, for-ward-thinking and engaged with our current staff de-spite the academic year’s looming end. Since hiring has or is about to wrap up at most of our institutions, it is easy to fall into the trap of looking forward to a new team, a new place or a fresh start. But wait! We encourage you to stay present-minded: you and your staff have gone through tons of ups and downs throughout the term and now is the time for you to enjoy the hard work you’ve all put in.

One strategy that we’ve found highly effective both for ourselves and our student staff is shifting our par-adigm from “end of the year” to “community clo-

sure.” Reframing March and April in these words adds a measure of intention and commitment to what could otherwise become an easy coast through the last final month or so of the term. Model this para-digm shift for your staff and colleagues: engage in self-reflection practices such as journaling or letters to yourself, create memory walls or boxes to commemo-rate the year’s experiences, and celebrate all the learning, growth, and accomplishments by the whole team.

Although springtime weather and the end of classes can make everyone a little antsy (including our-selves!), we are confident that with some intentional programming and self-reflection, we’ll all come out of March with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusi-asm!

Caleigh Minshall and Jordon McLinden

Mid Level Training Institute

Mid-Level Training Institute

“Solving the Mysteries”

July 9-12, 2013 at King’s University College, London, ON

The MLTI is designed for professionals currently employed in Housing who have at least 5 years full-

time experience in the field and who provide supervision to full-time staff.*

Learning themes include:

Staff Development and Management

Risk Assessment and Response

Career Planning and Professional Development

Facilities Management

Watch for the website launch announcement – coming soon!

www.mlti.kings.uwo.ca

*Applications from other housing professional who don’t quite meet this criteria will be considered, if

space allows.

July 9-12, 2013 at King’s University College in London, ON

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Updates from your 2013 OACUHO Annual Spring

Conference host committee

Can you believe it’s been a whole month since our last update? Hold onto your hats, be-cause the Annual Conference is fast approaching and do we at Queen’s ever have exciting news to share! Not to mention that springtime is on its way, and our campus will return to its former state of glory. (See above photo for Grant

Hall in 1919 [top left building] and below for the same storied hall today!)

If you haven’t received our email updates, remember that program

proposals are due March 31st and that the deadline for early bird registration is

April 5th. Our website has more information on all of these topics:

oacuho2013.housing.queensu.ca/

Read on for more tantalizing conference details ...

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New program format option: ResTalks! Could they be for you?

Take advantage of this year’s innovative new program format option. Drawing inspiration from the wildly

popular TEDTalk format, ResTalks are 10-15 minute-long presentations on topics that excite you: current

success, future directions, previous paths, and the road not taken.

Experience Fort Henry—the traditional way

Get ready to get rude (and go against all our approachability training while we’re at it)! One of this

year’s socials will take you to Fort Henry, where traditional eighteenth-century soldier- servants de-

mand to be treated with the (dis)respect they deserved in the historical mess hall. Meanwhile, the

Chief Housing Officers will enjoy a mysteriously-named Fort Henry Spirits Tour ...

Imagine one thousand possibilities with OACUHO

Meet our opening keynote, Dr. Heather Stuart

Heather Stuart is a Professor in Queen’s Department of Community Health and Epide-miology and the holder of the Bell Canada Chair in Mental Health and Anti-stigma Research at Queen’s. She is also the Senior Consultant to the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Opening Minds, Anti-stigma pro-gram. Dr. Stuart’s research focuses on men-tal health services and stigma. She has writ-ten about mental health needs assessments; suicide and suicide prevention; stigma and stigma reduction; and workplace mental health. Her most recent work, to be explored in her keynote, deals with anti-stigma pro-gramming and human rights legislation.

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Volunteer Management OACUHO – PD Committee

Volunteers are an absolute necessity in many organizations. Post-secondary Housing Departments are no exception. Overflowing with ideas and projects, our departments are often faced with limited resources and as a result, we find ourselves working with a high number of volunteers. This population is incredibly valuable and must not be overlooked. In this article, you will find best practices for managing your volunteer positions, as well as resources to further your education in this area, both formally and informally. Housing departments have a unique role in volunteer management. We have the privilege of a target rich environment to recruit volunteers. Using volunteers allows us to contribute to the student experience in a new and meaningful way. Making use of volunteers helps us to continue to work towards our goals of a vibrant residence experience that devel-ops our students. Incorporating volunteer positions gives residents (particularly first year students) the opportunity to get involved, make connections, and start to gain valuable experience. Our organization, OACUHO, does a great job of incorporating and working with volunteers in a positive way. This is a great example of an organization that relies heavily on volunteers and role models many of the best practices listed be-low. OACUHO has a formalized process that seeks to involve their volunteers, values and recognizes volunteers for their contributions, and provides numerous development opportunities. Keep reading to learn more! Best Practices in Volunteer Management

Value your volunteers- Volunteers who feel valued and appreciated will be more committed, motivated, and produc-tive.

Communicate your commitment to volunteers – through your mission statement, recruitment documents, training manuals, etc.

Train other staff members to understand the value of volunteers and how they should be working with the volunteer group

Create a program/process to recruit, train, and recognize volunteers. Ensure your volunteers have adequate resources (equipment, supplies, space, etc.) to complete their tasks Include your volunteers whenever possible- meetings, departmental emails, evaluation processes, etc. Ensure the volunteer position has value for the volunteer. If they can see how they are affecting change,

they will be more motivated.

Formalize the volunteer process- Create and follow policies that outline the expectations of volunteers, the applica-tion process to volunteer, determine if/how volunteers will be screened, and any other processes or proce-dures. Creating a formal job description for volunteers (as you would paid employees) will help to increase the commitment level of volunteers and keep your department organized and operating efficiently.

Train volunteers appropriately- Implement a formalized training program for volunteers- providing them with infor-

mation on your organization/department (such as the mission and structure), as well as information on their specific roles. This will help volunteers to understand how their contributions will benefit the organization, keep their interest levels high, and spread the word that your organization is a great place to volunteer!

Supervise volunteers appropriately- Volunteers need an outlet to give and receive feedback. This will help them to

feel valued, as well as providing the organization with a fresh perspective. Provide development opportunities– Create opportunities for volunteers to grow and develop. This will increase

volunteer retention by increasing their satisfaction and the perceived value of the position. These opportunities could include skill development or networking.

Volunteer recognition- Seek out opportunities to recognize your volunteers for their hard work. These opportunities

can be formal or informal. For example: thank you cards, certificates, awards, dinners, etc. Education- Seek out opportunities for yourself for further education and information on volunteer management.

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Fast Facts “13.3 million Canadians contribute 2.1 billion hours, the equivalent of 1.1 million full-time jobs” “47% of Canadians volunteer” “Volunteers typically contribute 156 hours per year” “Canadian volunteers are more goal-oriented, autonomous, tech-savvy and mobile” “Volunteers are looking for volunteer tasks that involve something different from their work life” “Most volunteers are looking for short-term volunteer opportunities”

(Facts taken from volunteer.ca) Continuing Education George Brown College: Fundraising & Volunteer Management Certificate: http://coned.georgebrown.ca/owa_prod/cewskcrss.P_Certificate?area_code=PA0040&stream_code=PS0399&cert_code=CE0012 Humber College: Fundraising & Volunteer Management Certificate http://www.humber.ca/program-2012/fundraising-and-volunteer-management Mount Royal University: Nonprofit Management Extension Certificate http://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/ContinuingEducation/businesstraining/nonprofit/index.htm

British Columbia Institute of Technology: Nonprofit Management Associate Certificate http://www.bcit.ca/study/programs/6310acert

Additional Resources E Learning/Recorded Chats https://charityvillage.com/

Volunteer Canada: http://volunteer.ca/

Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement: http://volunteer.ca/content/canadian-code-volunteer-involvement-2012-edition

References: http://www.volunteeryukon.ca/IMG/pdf/Best_Practices_Volunteer_Management.pdf

https://charityvillage.com/Content.aspx?topic=Playing_for_keeps_Recruiting_and_retaining_volunteer_staff_in_volunteer_run_organizations&last=164

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