by J.C. Stoner, President-Elect

In my first semester of college (Fall 2001) there was a moment where I briefly considered adding an economics minor to my architecture major. Why? Because President Bartlet went to college for economics and maybe me, being someone not all that special in any particular way, might want to be President of the United States someday. But I didn’t add that minor. I was going to be a landscape architect. Then I was going to be a high school physics teacher. And now here I am. I like to think about the roads not taken. But sometimes those roads come back around.

On Friday, May 2^nd, the SWACUHO President inbox got an interesting email out of the blue. Coincidentally, the Executive Board was meeting at that time the email was received, so we discussed it.

The email was from the Chief of Staff¹ for Texas State Representative Lauren Ashley Simmons (District 146) explaining they were introducing a bill (HB 2476) “relating to a grant program for living expenses for certain students enrolled at public institutions of higher education.” Representative Simmons was requesting someone from SWACUHO come to the capitol to “testify on the importance of ensuring stable housing for students and the way that housing plays a critical role in student success.” From reading the bill, it appeared to be providing grant funds for unhoused and homeless students.

Well, this was certainly a new one…

The request to appear was for that coming Tuesday at 8:00am, less than 70 hours away.  We were on the clock. Executive Board discussed this request and given the current landscape of state government and higher education in Texas, there were rational and legitimate concerns about participating. Questions being shared and posed included:

•  Do we actually have to commit to supporting the bill? The request didn’t say that, but is it implied?
• What would it say about us if we did not participate in something aiming to help vulnerable students across Texas?
• Could we justifiably present testimony on something that may impact all Texas public member institutions without consultation?
• Are any of us even qualified to discern bill language to know what it actually means?
• Are there any “but’s” in the bill?
• Should we/can we provide a written statement instead?
• If we do choose to participate, can we logistically throw it all together in less than 70 hours (and less than 12 business hours)?
• Does SWACUHO even want to be on the state’s radar right now?
• Is there any potential fallout or ramifications for participating given the current landscape? 

Ultimately, I personally felt that this is something we were elected and appointed to do; and, if there was fallout or ramifications, isn’t that sometimes the cost of leadership?

But the clock was ticking. SWACUHO President Beth Eppinger and I swapped several messages over the weekend. I volunteered to write up a statement, send it to Executive Board first thing Monday morning, and say I was available to go (after clearing it with my Executive Director and Associate Vice President).

In preparing a statement, I realized the request didn’t even ask for our support. It didn’t even ask for commentary on the bill at all. They simply wanted us to talk about “ensuring stable housing for students and the way that housing plays a critical role in student success.” That’s an easy ask. We all do this every single day. I wrote up a two-page statement that could serve as a written or verbal statement. In hindsight, it read like a love affair with student housing talking about our front-line residence life staff and their programmatic efforts and our facilities staff who keep our buildings functioning, all of whom serve at 3:00pm and 3:00am and every hour in between. If a window of opportunity presents itself to talk about the unsung heroes in campus housing, you better believe I’m going to take it.

Midday Monday, Executive Board approved the statement and voted to send me to Austin. I booked a hotel across the street from the capitol, submitted my vacation time (since I would be off the clock as an Agent of the State every minute I was in Austin, TX), and took my commute home, grabbed some clothes, and was off to Austin.

I had 3.5 hours on the road where I kept thinking about how unqualified I was to be doing this. Let’s get a couple things out of the way. I am not media trained. I have had no interaction with legislative liaisons. And of course, I couldn’t stop thinking, “how in the world can a state bill administering grant money only be 2.5 pages long when I can’t even write a key audit procedure in less than four pages…

I also couldn’t stop thinking about my role with SWACUHO. No matter how well intentioned the bill was in delivering services to students in need, where does the money actually come from? I was reading this bill and it sounded like the money existed or is coming from the State Comptroller, but would it actually become an unfunded mandate for colleges and universities to cover the costs as things sometimes do? This would disproportionately impact our smaller schools…

Needless to say, I would take any advice I could get.

So while driving I called a couple longtime friends of mine. One serves as in city/county government in Minnesota and the other is a director of a state-wide agency in Texas who interacts with the state legislature on budgetary items. A few things I learned in those conversations:

1. When serving as a witness, you are either testifying “FOR the bill,” “AGAINST the bill”, or “ON the bill”. Providing a neutral stance is testifying ON the bill.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Don’t undermine yourself by saying things like “I am not an expert” or other such diminishing comments.
4. Don’t say “that’s a good question,” because every question a legislator asks is, of course, a good question.
5. It’s okay to say “I don’t know the answer to that” or “I don’t have that information on hand” provided you make sure to immediately follow with “I will gather that and get back to you.” Then actually get back to them.

In retrospect, there are some pretty practical professional development lessons within those items. Everything we learn is scalable, I suppose.

I got to my hotel at 10:30pm. I opened up my inbox to find I had received an email while driving from the Chief of Staff about logistics for the next morning. She said I would have two minutes to speak.

So I guess I would be spending my evening “trimming” my two-page statement… with an axe. So I did. But I didn’t have a printer and the hotel printer wasn’t working, so I scrawled it out on a pad of paper. I watched Schoolhouse Rocks’ “How a Bill Becomes a Law” and went to bed.

I got up early Tuesday morning, finished editing my dramatically truncated statement, practiced it several times, put on my big kid clothes, took a deep breath, and walked to the Capitol building. Experientially, this might be a defining moment. And when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment or the moment defines you.

It was an overcast and dreary day. But it was a good day to be a part of the process.

My experience at the capitol will be shared in Part Two.

¹In her email, Chief of Staff Mo Jenkins identified herself as a former RA at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and explained how she “[knew] firsthand how impactful housing can be to a student’s academic journey” and how she believed testimony from SWACUHO “would go a long way to driving that point home.”

By SWACUHO Executive Board

Our next installment of the new Hello SWACUHO! digest is here! Read all about what Exec Board has been up to and upcoming events!

Hello SWAUCHO! - Pre-ACUHO-I Sent 5.28.25

By President Beth Eppinger

Greetings, SWACUHO! Since the annual conference in Norman in February, SWACUHO Leadership has been busy with continuing the work of our organization. Committee chairs have been trained, and committee meetings have started. During our Executive Board meetings, we have discussed legislative matters that affect our campuses and the student housing professionals who work there. We do not have all the answers to the rapid-fire changes in how diversity, equity, and inclusion are managed in the academy. However, after serious consideration, we have removed the SWACUHO Diversity Statement from our website, and we have removed the Equity, Access, and Inclusion section from our strategic plan. Change is ongoing, and this will likely include a repurposing of the Diversity and Social Justice Committee. As your president, I will continue to engage with other regional leaders and ACUHO-I leadership as we continue to monitor policies that may impact our membership.

These changes are occurring to ensure our members may freely engage with our organization as part of an extension of the good work they are doing on their campuses. Our member institutions will be able to host and participate with SWACUHO events with no barriers. It is understood there are different interpretations of how to comply with policies. Feelings you have around this topic are valid. Regardless of differences, what I have always experienced in our organization is that we can find common ground, and I look forward to a renewed focus on those areas as an organization. SWACUHO is more than words on a page. Our 60 years of history inform our future, and we will continue to adapt as an organization. SWACUHO is resilient, and I firmly believe you are as well. SWACUHO will continue to provide educational opportunities coupled with care and empathy.

I hope move-out and closing goes well for you and your campus. I know summer is a different kind of work, but just as busy. May you find time to rest and prepare for the fall semester. It will be good to see you and your colleagues at summer events such as the Mid-Level Summit, Arkansas Drive-in, or Campus Home Live!

If you would like to discuss this blog post or any SWACUHO matters, please reach out to President Beth Eppinger at president@swacuho.org.

By Communications Committee

The Communications Committee reached out and asked two members of the region to share their journey and thoughts on their Mid-Level Journey. Read on below to hear what they had to say!

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Before last year, I had built a career out of being a Residence Life Coordinator. With seven years of RLC experience at three institutions, I accepted a new role as Assistant Director of Residence Life at the University of Oklahoma last summer.

Despite knowing that many RLCs move to AD roles after only a few years, once I accepted the role, I was grappling with doubts about whether I was capable enough, smart enough, and if I wanted to take on the challenges of moving to a new type of job.

As a first-generation student and professional, no one in my family had ever held a role like the one I was stepping into. There were no examples, no insider information on how to succeed. Like it or not, my only professional “strategy” was to wing it, lean on my colleagues for help, and hope for the best.

After officially moving into my role last June, the summer was hectic.

Prior to accepting the AD job, I had been making drastic changes to our RA training experience by developing online learning modules to be used in a hybrid learning model for Fall 2024. I wasn’t ready to let that project go before seeing the fruits of my committee’s labor. Unfortunately, that choice meant from May to August, I was essentially working as both an AD and an RLC at the same time. Summer was a whirlwind of planning RA training, writing modules, interviewing RHA/NRHH exec board members, and planning large-scale Fall programs and curriculum workshops.

My saving grace was attending the National Housing Training Institute in Seattle, WA, in summer 2024. Thanks to a generous scholarship from SWACUHO and support from OU, I spent a week with talented mid- and upper-level professionals, dissecting our roles from every angle, and answering thought-provoking questions. That experience helped me realize I was more ready for this position than I had initially thought.

Stepping into your role won’t always be seamless and can come with some serious turbulence. But like many things, it will settle with time as you grow stronger in your own abilities. Give it a chance and don’t be your own worst enemy when it comes to imposing self-limitations. Once you stop fighting yourself on what you’re capable of, the possibilities that emerge from an open mind and heart are truly limitless.

Samantha Brooks, Assistant Director of Residence Life

The University of Oklahoma

I spent multiple years as a hall director and coordinator and enjoyed every minute of supervising student staff directly.  When the opportunity presented itself for me to take the next step in my professional career, I must admit that imposter syndrome kicked into high gear.  Although I knew deep down that I had the experience and knowledge to move forward, the voice in the back of my head was telling me I wasn’t worthy.  It was a tough battle to fight and one that continues, at least in some ways, to this day.

As I entered the mid-level role and fought the intrusive thoughts, I was eager to supervise in-hall coordinators and share my knowledge with them.  I can honestly say that the experience has exceeded my expectations.  Calling it rewarding might be a bit of an understatement.  I have enjoyed pouring into others to help them become better supervisors and professionals.  I thrive on building personal relationships to get to know each person for who they are and to meet them where they’re at.  Being in a mid-level role has allowed me to continue to grow my supervision skills while also feeling rewarded by knowing that I am making at least a small difference in the professional lives of others.

Ricky Harris, Associate Director of Residence Life

University of Central Arkansas

By SWACUHO Executive Board

The next installment of our newly redesigned newsletter is here! Lots to know and review before we gather together again in February from Save the Dates and Reminders to candidate information and Business Meeting items!

Hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to email webmaster@swaucho.org with feedback so we can continue to improve in keeping everyone up to date with all things SWACUHO!

SWACUHO Newsletter - Pre Conference.pdf Sent 1.23.25

By SWACUHO Executive Board

The Executive Board and Communications Committee have had several talks about our former newsletter. We are excited to announce the launch of our brand-new newsletter!

Each edition will bring you the reader's digest of the latest updates, insights, and highlights from the region. The hope is our newsletter will keep you informed and connected with all the important happenings.

Hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to email webmaster@swaucho.org with feedback so we can continue to improve in keeping everyone up to date with all things SWACUHO!

Newsletter sent 11.15 . 2024

By Crystal Romero, Institute for Shipboard Education: Semester at Sea

“I’m sorry, kiddo. It’s COVID,” Nurse Bob said, leaving me in disbelief. “But I don’t feel sick at all! I usually run a fever, and I’m supposed to lead a camel trek through the Sahara in just three days!” I pleaded, desperately trying to hold back tears. This was the last thing I wanted to hear right before one of my most anticipated field programs during this four month voyage around the world. I had been chosen as a Trip Liaison for Semester at Sea's fall 2024 voyage in Morocco, and my excitement had been through the roof. Instead, I was whisked away to an isolation room, left alone until I could be tested again. Not only was I now in quarantine, but I had also lost my chance to participate in the camel trek entirely.

The last time I visited the continent of Africa was in 2019. I was volunteering at a school and staying at a backpacker hostel in Cape Town, South Africa. One of my first days at the school, I noticed a little girl laying on the ground during recess. Walking over to her, I quickly learned that she was not feeling well and was burning up from a fever. Days later I learned that this child had the flu and would not be returning to school for several days. Consequently, I myself came down with the flu and was sick for the remainder of my time in the country. Being ill is obviously never a good time, but when it is compounded by being so far from home and having severe control issues, it is also a journey through a myriad of emotions.

After several days of solitude in quarantine, my mind had little to do but wander, and that's exactly what it did. I found myself reflecting on my reasons for embarking on this journey, allowing a wave of nostalgia to wash over me. I embraced my homesickness and pondered how the rest of the trip would unfold if I felt this way. Working for Semester at Sea had been a long deferred dream of mine and one that I wanted to gain a perfect experience from. It was hard for me to let go of that image. Then, in the midst of this low moment, something remarkable happened: my community rallied around me. I started receiving encouraging notes slipped under my door and in my mailbox. My residents and colleagues reached out with texts and calls, checking in on me, and some even snuck me extra snacks. It’s hard to wallow in self-pity when you're enveloped in such warmth and support.

As I sat in my isolation room, those small gestures started to shift my perspective. Each note reminded me that I wasn’t truly alone, even if I felt it. My mind began to wander back to my experiences in South Africa. I remembered the little girl on the ground and how helpless I felt in that moment. But just as I couldn’t change her circumstances, I also couldn’t change my current situation. What I could do was choose how I responded to it.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, I was cleared to leave isolation, but the lessons I learned stayed with me. This time, I vowed to embrace the unpredictability of travel and the inherent challenges that come with it. I realized that sometimes our plans get derailed, but it’s in those moments that we learn the most—not just about the world, but about ourselves.

One key lesson emerged from my time in quarantine: community matters. The support I received taught me the importance of connection, whether near or far. It reminded me to reach out to others in their times of need, as well.

When I finally joined the rest of the shipboard community, I did so with a renewed sense of purpose. I approached the journey with a deeper appreciation for the people around me and the unpredictability of life. Yes, plans can change in an instant, but it’s the way we navigate those changes that defines our experience.

In the end, I not only learned about the resilience of my spirit but also about the power of community. And while I had initially feared that my dreams were slipping away, they transformed into a profound journey of connection and understanding—one I would carry with me long after the sun set over the Sahara.

By President-Elect Beth Eppringer

Are you sending a delegation from your department to the Student Staff Leadership Conference? General registration ends September 15th, and capacity is limited! Just thinking about the conference gets me AMPed up, and I’m not even attending! Yes, this blog post is a sales pitch for the conference. The SSLC is a perfect development opportunity for our future colleagues. Right now there are full-time professionals in SWACUHO who attended the SWACUHO SSLC (formerly RA Conference) as an undergraduate. Perhaps their experience nudged them toward the profession. I know my one weekend at the RA conference at UNI was an unknown puzzle piece in developing me for the rest of my college career and beyond. And, it wasn’t the sleeping on the floor of a lounge or managing an alcohol incident that were the highlights.

If you’re still with me, here are some talking points to use to convince someone your university needs to be in attendance.

1. Invest. Show your student staff you care about their development. By investing in their development, you are building stronger leaders for your department. In just a few years, these students could be the advisor taking your delegation to the conference. Your are building future leaders!

2. Represent! School pride is infectious. Everyone in SWACUHO already knows TCU has a great department culture of involvement and leadership. Having your delegation at the SSLC will do the same. Then, when graduate school applications and job searching comes along in the future, candidates will remember your institution’s name.

3. It’s Manageable. The conference is quick, and your delegation can be any size. How much is spent on registration and the hotel is up to your department based on delegation size.

4. It’s Fun! Memories are made during the travel portion of the weekend, students see their networks grow, and the host campus always provide a variety of experiences.

Now that you are certain your school will be represented at the SSLC, go a step further. Encourage the delegates to submit program proposals, create a roll call, and design a banner. Thank you to Texas Christian University for hosting! Reach out to Fred Dillard at conferences@swacuho.org  to learn about YOUR chance to host next year!

Dr. Nechele McClinton-Gates, University of Central Arkansas

There can be balance! As an individual who has been working in Housing and Residence Life in some capacity since 2008, I, too, have heard the many concerns surrounding the work/life balance in this world. I will also say that I have been a participant and enabler of this world as well. However, it wasn’t until I encountered difficulties and health scares in my family life that I knew some reprioritization had to take place. Specifically, I remember traveling back and forth from Texas to Arkansas to sit beside my sister while she was in her hospital bed after suffering from a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and as I was spending the little time I had with her, I was also working on sending out Student Staff Offer Letters. Offer Letters…while my sister was in the hospital sick and of course I had to drive back in a short period of time to be on call because being short staff is just part of the gig. After really looking at that situation, I knew I wanted to make a change.

I started to be more efficient and effective during my work hours, so that there was little to no time that I took work home with me. I set boundaries with my staff where I was only contacted if I was on duty or if there was something personal happening in their life. This set the foundation for when I got married, I already had several boundaries set in practice. This was important to me because in order for me to develop the Godly, Kingdom marriage that I desired my husband had to be my number 1 priority. So, balance and boundaries are important because he can’t be my number 1 priority if I am spending an excessive amount of time after hours or during the weekend at work, if I have several non-emergency phone calls/texts during our time together, or if I am being excessive in my bonding time with my work family. Everything can be done in moderation and with balance. It’s just a matter of changing your perspective on what makes you a good employee, what your values are, or what makes you connected to your staff. If that doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to change your location to a space that correlates with your new found values.

By Marianna Canales, Texas State University

I vividly remember my first day of Graduate Hall Director training. After an incredibly long day of learning every policy and procedure, I couldn’t help but think, “What did I get myself into?”. You see, I didn’t have a traditional residence life background. I wasn’t a resident advisor (RA) in undergrad, but I lived in the residence halls the first two years and then the university apartments. I was fairly confident that those experiences would be enough to prepare me to be a graduate hall staff. Unfortunately, it turned out I knew very little about the responsibilities and work that residence life professionals deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Reflecting back on where I started and where I am now, I cannot compare the amount of growth and opportunities that I had at Texas A&M University to any other assistantship or program that I would’ve been a part of. It is astonishing to think about the type of person I was when I first began the job and the individual that I have grown into two years later. It is one thing to find individuals who will help you and pour into you, but it is another thing entirely to find a whole community that not only believes in you but is willing to guide and push you into the professional they know you can be. I will always cherish and appreciate the family that I built and how they gave me the opportunity to live and grow out of my comfort zone. 

Being a full time graduate student and working part time, it can be difficult to manage competing priorities when you are the type of individual who wants to do it all. I wish I could say I found a balance and sometimes said no to opportunities, but that is not what happened. I immersed myself in all that Residence Life and my program had to offer. I learned to embrace it all and ended up loving a functional area that was supposed to be a pit stop. I continually asked myself what type of impact I wanted to make and how I wanted to be remembered. I didn’t know how to go about leaving my mark which is why when I first started I felt like I didn't know what I was doing—until I did. I believe that is how a lot of us start in these positions. In Residence Life we hit the ground running and I hopped right on board. I relied on my gut, and as time went on, I relied on my experiences, training, and interactions to guide my decisions. I consistently asked questions, which everyone in the department and program was always willing to answer. When there were opportunities to share my ideas, there were individuals who were willing to meet me halfway. Most importantly, I was surrounded by great supervisors and mentors who took the time to get to know me and my passions. The amount of professional development I received through the department and the willingness of others to teach me, helped me see the value in what we do. It helped me realize that in our profession it is the little things that can have the greatest impact. 

As graduate students, we are at a pivotal point in our professional journey. We are trying to find our way and make meaning of our own experiences. We are trying to learn about who we are and figure out the professionals we want to be. When I started, I just knew that I wanted to be the change that is seen in higher education. I didn’t have a clear why until I saw the value in the work that I was doing. It took me a while to realize the true value that my RAs played in my role. I like to tell them now that they are the hands and feet of the organization and I cannot do what I do without them. The sense of accomplishment I feel, the supervisor, and the leader that I am today, is because of my past Lechner/McFadden and FHK Complex staff teams. I, surprisingly, learned so much from them and I can only hope that they learned just as much from me. When I first started the job, I knew that I wanted to make an impact and help students. What I didn’t realize was how students help and teach us to be better professionals. I was not expecting 22 resident advisors to leave such an impact on me and influence the person I was becoming. They became my why. They shaped my outlook on supervision, showed me the leader I want to be, challenged my thinking, helped me come up with innovative solutions, and even encouraged me to apply for my doctoral program. It is for them that we do our work and it is because of them that we will continue to do our best and never settle. My staff will forever have a special place in my heart.

Balancing graduate school, work, family, friends, and any other extra curriculars is tough. However, it taught me to make the best of situations and to be grateful for the chances we are given to make a difference in the lives of others. I learned that we are not the outcome of our circumstances, but we get to choose our outcomes and hopefully change the circumstances in which we are given. I learned the art of having difficult conversations while being clear and kind. If you knew me before my time in Residence Life, conversations, especially difficult ones, were not always easy for me. I have now learned to handle them with my head held high and with grace. I gained confidence in myself and in my decisions, which has allowed me to share my thoughts and insights in different spaces. I became more aware of my surroundings and utilized crisis management skills during power outages, many fire alarms, and flooding. I was able to bring my own personality and positivity into my staff and community, which unsurprisingly, ended up being my favorite part of the job. I “choose success” on days when the going got tough, but found value in being able to make my own decisions and learning when I made a mistake. 

As a Graduate Hall Director, I realized that I was prepared to be the future of the profession and take on my first full-time job as a Residence Director at Texas State University. I even left with a sense of purpose and drive, and is why I will continue my education through my doctoral program. I can already see how my experiences at Texas A&M University are going to make a difference in the work that I will be doing in this new role and all that I be learning in the classroom. As a new professional and an individual who will continue to pursue their education, I have found that it is passion and willingness to adapt that makes a difference in our roles. I appreciated and valued the mentors and leaders who set the bar high and were great examples for me to follow. I want to encourage full-time professionals who have the opportunity to make an impact on graduate students, to continue to be our guides as we navigate all that residence life and higher education encompasses. You might not realize it, but the part you play makes a big difference and you help shape and mold us into the professionals that we will become.