By Beth Eppinger

I was not yet 30 years old and was somehow a Director. My vice chancellor coached me during my first few years in the position to choose my battles wisely or to not die on my own sword. Those nuggets are not only cliché, but they can be downright insulting to someone who has a lot of passion. If I knew something needed changed or someone was not doing their job, there must be action, right?! My boss recognized that a feature of my organizational skills was the ability to remember all points of situation and map them out when asked. Instead of the devil being in the details, I was in the details. I needed to see the forest through the trees by choosing battles wisely to allow the ultimate goal to be reached.

Focusing on these details and not seeing action would have ruined multiple relationships across campus. A Facilities Director hanging up on me? An Admissions Director watching Netflix during work? A Contracts Director telling me I should be fired for a housing contract they approved the prior year? No medical protection for RAs if they were injured while performing duties? As Housing professionals, we do not operate in a vacuum. We cannot cancel every person or office that does something that impedes our work. We must monitor and adjust as we stay focused on the big picture. Heeding the advice of my supervisor to document and reorient my approach aided in multiple successes over time for my team and students. All those questions/situations mentioned above were eventually resolved, and my department was successful every time. Slow and steady wins the race.

Beth Eppinger

Assistant Director for Housing Administrative Services

Texas Woman’s University