Poster Fair 2012Poster Abstracts and Contact Information

1. Fostering Critical Reflection Through Mixed Method Program AssessmentAbstract: MOXIE SOUTH was a week-long alternative spring break program that engaged eleven Duke University students in an immersive learning experience about the history of women’s activism and resistance in the South. The goals of the program drew upon the shared interests of the Duke University Women’s Center and the Alternative Breaks program in University Center Activities and Events: Student Activities department. Our goal was to highlight the importance of women’s contributions to social change historically and in the present. In a journey that took students from Durham to Western Tennessee and then down to Atlanta, students were challenged to place themselves within this history and use art as a reflective means to document their experiences. Lectures, skills training, and meetings with community members and organizations created unique educational opportunities that engaged curricular, experiential, and relational learning. Through critical reflection and a documentary project, students were challenged to explore how their encounters with historic and present women activists shape their own understandings of justice, the South, leadership, and movements for social change. This presentation will highlight the mixed method assessment used to foster critical reflection throughout the trip and reflect on the benefits of using creative methods to assess program outcomes.

Presenters:

Janicanne ShaneDuke University, UCAE: Student Activitiesjanicanne.shane@duke.edu 919.668.4764Janicanne Shane serves on the Leadership Development and Social Action team in UCAE: Student Activities. Her responsibilities include advising the ACC Student Leadership Conference delegation, marketing/social media/content strategy for leadership development and social action programs, implementation of alternative breaks program(s), advising the TEDxDuke student committee and other avenues of leadership development and outreach.

Erin StephensDuke University, Women’s Centererin.stephens@duke.edu 919.684.3775Erin Stephens is the program coordinator for the Women's Center. Her responsibilities include working with students and colleagues to plan, implement and evaluate feminist programs at Duke. Primary areas of focus are activism, women's leadership and community, and equity across gender, race, sexual identity, and class.

2. Housing and Residential Education Assessment Priorities: The Blue PrintAbstract: The mission of Housing and Residential Education (HRE) is to create an inclusive on-campus environment that promotes development, involvement, citizenship, and leadership. To this end, the HRE Assessment Committee designed, revised, and is implementing the first phase of the Blue Print. The Blue Print is an assessment plan that focuses on four strategic areas in the Department: Facilities Management, Organizational Effectiveness, Student-Centered Learning, and Staff Engagement so that students will achieve success, satisfaction, and self-awareness. Over the course of the next three years, HRE will focus on achieving the objectives in each of the strategic areas. Our achievement of these objectives centers on the completion of an assessment cycle; the Blue Print serves as the plan, implementation of outcomes, assessment of outcomes, and reporting/revising departmental operations. This poster presentation highlights our completed progress in the first year including assessments conducted, results obtained, and how these results can and do inform our practice.

Ciji HeiserUNC-Chapel Hill, Assessment Housing and Residential Educationcatidwel@email.unc.edu 919.962.1285Ciji Heiser is a Coordinator for Assessment at UNC Chapel Hill. She holds a B.A. from Bucknell University in International Relations and an M.Ed in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel from Kent State University. Prior to her role in assessment she worked with International Student Support Services and Residence Life.

Sarah Hoffarth UNC-Chapel Hill, Housing and Residential Educationhoffarth@email.unc.edu 919.370.4513Sarah Hoffarth is a Community Director at UNC Chapel Hill and got her Master’s Degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University. She serves on the departmental assessment committee and has worked on the Blue Print’s creation and consultation.

3. Perceptions of Leadership Language Through Focus Groups

Abstract: The Leadership Development and Social Action team of UCAE: Student Activities hosted focus groups this year on the Duke University Student Leadership Framework. Goals of the focus groups included providing and introducing context for the Framework and gaining student perceptions of the Framework’s language and concepts. We discuss how data collected informed our office regarding leadership language and helped craft programming.

Deborah Hackney Duke University, UCAE debh@duke.edu 919.668.4754

Deborah Hackney serves as Associate Director in University Center Activities and Events and oversees the Leadership Development and Social Action team. At Duke since 2004, Deborah enjoys Duke sports, Duke Chapel, and Zumba at Wilson. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee and a Masters of Education from the University of South Carolina.

4. Life Without Surveys: Assessment of 5 Career ProgramsAbstract: After seeing a significant drop in student responses to surveys in the 2010-2011 academic year, the Master of Engineering Management (MEMP) Career Services team sought to find a way to collect data needed in a manner that was not overwhelming to the students or staff. Thus, during the 2011-2012 academic year, MEMPS assessed student learning through the use of a rubric, New Learning theory’s one time event collection method, 1-minute prompts, pre-determined themes, and emergent themes. We present examples of the rubric used in analyzing resumes, New Learning theory and model of analysis, and 1-minute prompts. In addition to what was learned by students at the events, we present what staff members learned and potential changes for future assessments reflecting better methods for our population.

Jenny Sloop JohnsonDuke University, MEMP Career Services, Master of Engineering Managementjenny.johnson@duke.edu 919.660.1057Jenny came to Duke in January 2010 and works in Career Services with the Master of Engineering Management program. She received a M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from NCSU and previously served as the Student Affairs Coordinator at the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at Campbell University.

Carrie Hawes: Assistant Director, MEMP Career Services, Master of Engineering Management 3120 Fitzpatrick (CIEMAS), 27708Carrie.hawes@duke.edu 919.660.1071Carrie Hawes is the Assistant Director of MEMP Career Services. Prior to joining Duke, she worked for NCSU coordinating recruiting and retention efforts for the Dept. of Forest Biomaterials. Carrie received her M. Ed. in Higher Education

Administration from NCSU and B.S. in Communication Sciences & Disorders from James Madison University.

5. The Integration of Assessment into Strategic Planning: A Five-Year ReviewAbstract: Assessments are typically conducted on the programmatic level, independent of one another. However, effective assessment includes implications for the future -- and future assessments. This poster will broadly explore 5 years in the Duke Student Wellness Center (DUWELL) and the ways in which theory-guided assessment has driven each step and been incorporated into the overall vision and direction of the center from a director's perspective. Included in this review are the steps taken to: 1) Define the terms/issues that we are discussing with the student body; 2) identify a message; 3) measure change based on objectives; 4) communicate findings and implications to constituents; 5) reassess messages and programs in order to develop the next cycle of initiatives. In broad terms, this poster will show ways in which planning and measurement have tied into larger divisional and university goals as well.

Tom SzigethyDuke University, Wellness Centerts86@duke.edu 919-681-4646Tom joined the Duke family in 2008. He obtained his BS in Mental Health from the Franciscan University in Ohio and his Masters in Counseling with a focus in Child Welfare from St. Joseph College in Connecticut. Prior to working in Higher Education Tom worked with families of abused and neglected children for over 15 years primarily as an investigator. A native New Yorker he loves the beach, gardening, riding his Harley and spending time with his wife and four children.

6. Identity Development: A Document Analysis of the Blue Devil's United BlogAbstract: One of the goals of the Center for LGBT Life is to provide support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Ally students, staff, and faculty. In this study, we explored whether students who frequent the Center for LGBT Life will reflect on their identity development in relation to the LGBTQA community. We examined the Center’s contribution to LGBT students’ identity development through content and document analysis of the Blue Devils United (BDU) blog. Blue Devils United (BDU) is the undergraduate LGBT student group advised by the Center for LGBT Life. The BDU blog is a very active space where students “effectively capture LGBTQ life at Duke and in America,” and “effectively convey the diversity within the LGBTQ Community, something that is often underrepresented and underestimated.” Center staff work closely with blog editors throughout the year and host a discussion group centered around topics that arise on the blog. A content analysis helped to find emerging themes, latent emphasis, and views of students and document analysis examined ways in which students reflected on their individual development as members of the LGBT community. The process and findings of this study are presented and discussed.

Jess Evans Duke University, Center for LGBT Life jess.evans@duke.edu 919.668.6242

Jess joined the Center for LGBT Life at Duke in November of 2010 after earning a B.S. from Virginia Tech, a M.S. from Radford University, and working as a Residential Learning Coordinator at Virginia Tech for 3.5 years. She currently serves as the Program Coordinator and is responsible for conducting educational programs that promote further awareness of the lives of LGBTQ individuals and also challenges bias and intolerance. Jess married her partner of five years in March of 2012 and is one of seven children. She also has a cute dog named Jayden, aka J-Dizzle.

7. Pre-gaming, the next step.....Abstract: Pre-gaming, otherwise known as front loading or the event before the event, plays a significant role in the Duke drinking culture and social scene. In this study, we question whether pre-gaming really is the warm up to the social event later in the evening or whether pre-gaming become the main event? To answer this question, we interviewed Duke students and examined data collected from multiple student surveys and other interviews. From the data, we were able to learn more about the drinking culture and its most dangerous event, the pre-game. We discuss our findings and present our Center’s next big prevention initiative and welcome those who want to be a part of the solution.

Liz Prince Duke University, The Wellness Center elizabeth.prince@duke.edu 919.684.1154Liz Prince has worked in the wellness and prevention field for over 22 years. She arrived at Duke in 2010 and supports the alcohol and other drug prevention work at the Wellness Center located on East Campus.

8. An Evaluation of the Sophomore Year Experience: Associations with Feelings of Belonging and Loneliness on CampusAbstract: This presentation describes an evaluation of the Duke Sophomore Year Experience (SYE). This program is designed to empower sophomore students throughout their transitional second-year at Duke by providing opportunities to enhance academic and professional success, sense of community, engagement with faculty, overall wellness, and community citizenship, and leadership. Items assessed in the evaluation of the SYE included factors related to academic experiences (e.g., contact with faculty, readiness to declare a major), knowledge about future careers, and social experiences (e.g., satisfaction with social activities for sophomores, sense of community, feelings of connectedness to the class of 2014). Students also completed measures assessing their feelings of belonging and loneliness. Findings indicated that students who were more

uncertain about their major reported lower levels of belongingness; students who reported a strong sense of community in their residence hall and students who were satisfied with the availability of weekend activities on campus reported higher levels of belonging to Duke. Descriptive data about the SYE program will also be presented and implications for future programming will be discussed.

Kate Parkinson Duke University, Doctoral Student kate.parkinson@duke.edu 919.660.5661Kate Parkinson is a first year Ph.D. student in developmental psychology working with Dr. Steven Asher. Her research interests are focused on friendships and peer relations.

Jenica DavidsonDuke University, Housing Dining and Residence Lifejenica.davidson@duke.edu 919.613.2320Jenni Davidson, M.Ed., is the program coordinator, West campus, in the Housing, Dining, & Residence Life division of student affairs.

9. The Chronicle Project: A Qualitative Analysis of Duke Culture Through the Eyes of a Daily PublicationAbstract: In the 2011-2012 academic year, Duke Student Wellness Center’s undergraduate interns, with guidance from full time staff, undertook a document analysis of the Duke Chronicle. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to present a picture of health/wellness perceptions, attitudes, and transitions through the use of local media. Four academic years were examined (‘05-’06, ‘06-’07, ‘10-’11, ‘11-’12) and key themes were presented to Duke Dean of Students staff in May of 2012. Key themes included student perceptions of policy changes around alcohol, conflict between perceived impact of policy and actual effectiveness, and the change of student voices regarding wellness issues over the four years. The Chronicle Project offers a glimpse into changes in Duke Culture, as well as offering possible next steps for administrators and students to improve health and well-being on campus.

Brittany O’Malley Duke University, Wellness Center

brittany.o.malley@duke.edu 919.668.0997Brittany O’Malley, MPH, CHES, began working as a Program Coordinator at Duke in August 2011. Before that, she finished her graduate degree at UNC, where she worked as an Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Specialist in Counseling and Wellness Services. A Midwest native, she has happily called the Triangle her home for almost five years.

Maralis Mercado Duke University, Student Wellness Center maralis.mercado@duke.edu 919.668.5666Maralis Mercado earned an MPH from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health. She currently serves as a Program Coordinator at the Duke Student Wellness Center. Among other things, she advises students on projects related to social advocacy and works on projects that promote responsible sexual health on campus.

10. LAUNCH: Duke's Peer Leadership and Student Involvement TeamAbstract: The mission of LAUNCH, a student-led program supported by UCAE: Student Activities, is to enhance student involvement and leadership development at Duke University. The LAUNCH team provides web-based resources, individual and executive board appointments, retreat planning assistance and workshops to facilitate peer to peer development for the purpose of enhancing individuals and groups in the Duke community. This poster presentation will outline the process used to develop this new program and will highlight plans for implementation and continued assessment throughout the 2012 - 2013 academic year. The presentation will demonstrate how a team of undergraduate students, lead by Student Activities staff supervisors, assessed the current student involvement and leadership cultures at Duke, researched best practices from other universities, and applied this knowledge to create a new service for Duke students and organizations beginning in Fall 2012.

Caitlin Shaw Duke University, UCAE: Student Involvement Caitlin.shaw@duke.edu 919.684.2003Caitlin Shaw is a member of the UCAE: Student Involvement Team. She is responsible for advising duARTS and the Duke Dance Council as well as management of the Duke Arts Warehouse. Additionally she helps oversee the LAUNCH program, which helps student organizations improve operations and assists students in expanding their leadership skills. Caitlin also advises several DUU committees including the Duke Coffeehouse and VisArts.

Heather Smith Duke University, UCAE: Leadership Development and Social Action heather.haynes@duke.edu 919.684.4740Heather Smith has been with Duke since July 2008. She coordinates a variety of leadership development and social action programs such as the LeaderShape, Alternative Break Programs, Sophomore Leadership Retreat and advises Duke Partnership for Service. Heather has been instrumental in developing LAUNCH, a peer-to-peer mentor program that is new to Student Activities. She also sits on the Division of Student Affairs Leadership Steering Committee. Her research interests include: Leadership Development & Social Action Programs, Multiraciality and Multiple Identities in the Collegiate Setting and Access Issues in Higher Education.

11. Dining’s MOP Program: Cultivating the Student Voice

Abstract: The Merchants On Points (MOP) Program provides Duke students with the opportunity to purchase food from eateries outside of the Duke campus through delivery services. The Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee (DUSDAC), a 12-13 member committee which focuses on addressing all student dining issues, wanted to address two concerns regarding the vendors that were currently available through the MOP program. The administration of Duke Dining guided the DUSDAC in their data collection, analysis, and subsequent program recommendation processes regarding the MOP vendors. Working with students in this way gave Duke Dining the opportunity to investigate the special dietary needs of the Duke student body, make changes to the MOP program that were representative of the needs of the students, and mentor a student group through a program evaluation and large-scale program modifications. Our process with the students and subsequent program changes will be discussed.

Barbara StokesDuke University, Diningbarbara.stokes@duke.edu 919.660.3951

Kathleen DayDuke University, Assessment and Professional Development ProgramsKathleen.day@duke.edu

12. Assessment of Resident Assistant Training Learning OutcomesAbstract: The proposed poster describes the assessment of the 2011 Fall Resident Assistant (RA) Training. RAs are an integral part of our Student Affairs team, acting as the front line in responding to crises, building community within residence halls, and maintaining safe and supportive living environments. Using data collected from RAs post-training, we will discuss how our efforts to train RAs matched our RA learning outcomes based on their own self-ratings of knowledge and confidence gained through the training process. We will also use data from the Fall 2011 Resident Feedback Survey to compare RA learning and confidence with residents’ ratings of RA success. Steps taken to enhance training as a result of our assessment and an action plan for future RA trainings will also be discussed.

Jenica DavidsonDuke University, Housing Dining and Residence Life jenica.davidson@duke.edu 919.613.2320Jenni Davidson, M.Ed., is the program coordinator, West campus, in the Housing, Dining, & Residence Life division of student affairs.

Tyrone Jean Duke University, Housing, Dining and Residence Lifetyrone.jean@duke.edu

Laura Kirkland Duke University, Housing Dining and Residence Lifelaura.kirkland@duke.edu

13. Peer Advocates vs. Educators: Understanding the Efficacy of an Integrative Approach to Wellness among College StudentsAbstract: As the diversity of the college student population increases and programs are competing for their attention, a paradigm shift toward strategies aimed at improving the health and well-being is needed. Previous studies on peer educators have shown mixed findings on their efficacy. Following the need for more targeted, holistic interventions, the application to diverse populations, and the competition for students' attention, the Wellness Advocate Program was developed. Using Stage Theory of Organizational Change and the Duke Integrative health coaching model, the Duke University Student Wellness Center (DUWELL) has developed a student-driven advocacy model to promote the health and wellness of the college student. In a pilot program, 40 individuals were identified to become “Wellness Advocates”. This interactive presentation will cover the pilot implementation of the intervention, including the selection of the Wellness Advocates, roles and responsibilities, the integration and dissemination of evidence-based health and wellness messages and strategies to encourage a decline in high-risk health behaviors (e.g., substance abuse and risky sexual behavior). Presenters will describe ways in which this model contrasts to many traditional models of peer education programs, including the self-driven goals and program development. The model used for assessment of the pilot will be shared and preliminary findings on the reach and effectiveness within the organizations will also be discussed. Based on the pilot implementation of the Wellness Advocate program, opportunities for growth and implications for future work on college campuses, including application to a residential community model, will also be considered.

Maralis Mercado Duke University, Wellness Center

maralis.mercado@duke.edu 919.668.5666Maralis Mercado earned an MPH from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health. She currently serves as a Program Coordinator at the Duke Student Wellness Center. Among other things, she advises students on projects related to social advocacy and working on projects that promote responsible sexual health on campus.

Cole Taylor Duke University, Assessment and Professional Development Programscole.taylor@duke.edu 919.684.4186

14. Learning Styles and Student RetentionAbstract: As student enrollment increases in colleges and universities across the United States, due in part to the current economic conditions, it becomes more important for administrators to predict levels of potential academic success. This initial study examines intrinsic factors of learning style and personality to determine the extent to which they predict a measure of academic success among students attending community college. It is the contention of the researcher that one of the main conclusions is that soft skills are pertinent to academic success and may constitute a useful profile of the successful student that could be applied to marketing, advisement, quality assessment, and retention efforts.

James FrawleyNC State, Doctoral Studentjcfrawle@ncsu.edu 919.255.1256James Frawley is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) with an emphasis on Adult Education and Community College Teaching.