2007 StudentAffairs Virtual Case Study Competition

1. 2007 StudentAffairs.com Virtual Case Study Competition Canisius College Paul Zablocki, Kelly Showard, Pat Marino & Amanda Kalal Technology Issues in Student Affairs

2. Presenters • Paul Zablocki - Hall Director at Canisius College and 2nd year student in the College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) Program • Kelly Showard - Web technology and information manager for Residence Life at Canisius and 2nd year student in the CSPA Program.

3. Presenters • Pat Marino - Hall Director at Canisius College and 2nd year student in the CSPA Program. • Amanda Kalal - Assistant Director of Alumni Affairs at Colgate University and 2nd year student in the CSPA Program.

4. Introduction • Why is technology important to student affairs? • As technology develops it is no surprise that students are quick to adapt and utilize new resources. We as student affairs practitioners must stay abreast of the changes to ensure that we are communicating with students through channels that are familiar and current from the students’ perspective. • Additionally, if we are to meet the holistic educational goals of this profession we need to be aware of changes in technology, and more importantly their impact on our students. By understanding the trends we can help to educate students about potential dangers, foster informed decision making, and improve our services.

5. Hot 5 - Top Topics The world of technology is constantly changing, and there are a wide variety of topics for discussion related to the impact of technology on higher education. For the purposes of this presentation we have identified five key technology topics that should be discussed by student affairs professionals. We feel that these five issues are sources of both concern and opportunity. The five topics are: • Institutional Spamming • Blogs or Web journals • Online Gambling • Facebook.com • Podcasting

6. Institutional Spamming

7. What is Institutional Spamming? • The term ‘institutional spamming’ refers to mass email messages, which are sent to large mailing lists or listservs. These listservs can target all students, or a specific population of students such as, graduate or undergraduate students, residents, commuters and even audiences as specific as students living in a particular residence hall, or students who are in the same academic program. • Spam email, or unwanted messages, come from outside a campus as well, however most college email systems include tools to help block or reduce the volume of these messages. These tools do not generally apply to internal messages.

8. Spam Background • “Spamming is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages, which are almost universally undesired. While the most widely recognized form of spam is email spam, the term is applied to similar abuses in other media…Spamming is economically viable because advertisers have no operating costs beyond the management of their mailing lists” (Wikipedia, 2007) • “The California legislature found that spam cost United States organizations alone more than $10 billion in 2004, including lost productivity and the additional equipment, software, and manpower needed to combat the problem” (Wikipedia, 2007).

9. Why do institutions send spam emails? • Spam emails are a way of transmitting important information to students who need it. It is also an effective way to reach large groups of students very efficiently, with no additional cost. • Spam email also ensures that each student receives an email, while only having to send one message. It is also nearly instantaneous, as opposed to traditional mailings that can take several days. • Furthermore, email merge tools available through Microsoft Outlook allow users to connect a generic spam message with a spreadsheet or database. Using these tools a user can send one email to a huge group of students, and the mail merge will place custom information in each message. For example, if you have an Excel spreadsheet containing first and last names as well as email addresses for a group of students, it would be possible to send only one merged email message, and still have each student receive an email that contained their first and last name in the salutation line. These tools can be used for any information that you wish to customize in a message, as long as it exists in a spreadsheet or database.

10. Challenges and Concerns Related to Internal Spam Messages • Students are inundated with junk email from a wide variety of sources, and as a result have been trained to delete most mail without reading it. • This means that often the messages sent through internal spam systems are not read by students. • A major problem is that students often receive many spam messages per day from various sources within their institution, and it is likely that out of all these messages only a small percentage will apply to a student’s interests, and those few important messages may be lost in the shuffle. • The result is comparable to posting a printed flyer on a wall that is already covered with flyers - the information overload means that very little information is properly retained.

11. Who is Impacted by Institutional Spam? • Nearly everyone on a college campus is connected to the institutional spam issue. Students most often are the recipients of these emails, as various departments send out important updates and announcements. Faculty and staff listservs are also prominent on many campuses - taking forms such as newsletters, human resources announcements, or even messages about changes in benefits packages, or invitations to faculty and staff events. • Offices such as campus activities, residence life, academic departments, international student services, multicultural programs and any other office that may wish to share information with large groups of students, or to invite individuals to programs and activities, are often Email Spam users. • Alumni affairs can also be impacted if regulations are put on mass messaging through the campus email system. Often Alumni relations relies on spam email messages to reach out to Alumni to announce events or to request donations.

12. Suggestions for Best Practice: Internal Spam System • Create a system through which students can add and remove themselves from a variety of listservs. This way students can sign up to only receive messages for classes, their residence hall, or about clubs and events that fit their interests. • This may be achieved with an interest inventory form, or through an online form that informs students of the various listservs available and allows them to choose which messages they will receive. • A filter system should be put in place for outgoing messages. The filter system should require the sender to indicate which listservs should receive their message. Often spam emails are sent first to a staff member for approval, to avoid having inappropriate messages sent out to large groups of students. This individual could be responsible for ensuring that each message reaches the correct audiences, without clogging up the inboxes of students who are not interested. • The system should include an ‘all students’ option for messages that should reach everyone. Students should not be allowed to opt out of the ‘all students’ listserv, however, it should also be reserved for the most important messages.

13. Blogging

14. What is a Blog? A web log or blog is an easily created and updated website wherein there are reverse chronological entries updated frequently by the author(s) (Richardson, 2006). Blogging is the activity by which individuals frequently update their websites, often sharing opinions on many topics ranging from their daily adventures to political commentary, usually in a diary format. As a collective, blogs are called “blogspace” and can be created using a wide range of software including free to moderately priced programs. Some examples of blogging programs are: Blogger, MoveableType, Xanga and Blurty (Nardi, Schiano, & Gumbrecht, 2004) they are all easily set up and maintained by the author.

15. Why is Blogging Important? • Three out of four bloggers using the popular livejournal website are between the ages of 16 and 24 (Kumar, Novak, Raghavan, & Tomkins, 2004) • This is our key age range of current and incoming students. Similar to The Facebook, understanding and utilizing this online environment is crucial to understanding and keeping in touch with our students. • The 19 to 21 year old population reports in Kumar et. al’s 2004 study that their interests include dorm live, fraternity parties and college life. • These are the same issues commonly affecting our students. Campus life, alcohol consumption and Greek life are frequently the subjects of campus educational programming and judicial issues.

16. Why do people blog? • There are an estimated 1.3 million blogs currently on the Internet. The blogs of individuals are similar to diaries, in that they catalog a person’s experiences (Kumar, Novak, Raghavan, & Tomkins, 2004). • According to Nardi et. al. (2004, p. 225) there are several motivating factors that led individuals to create blogs. The factors that relate to our students include: • The ability to keep friends and family updated on the writer’s life • To share opinions • To solicit the opinions of others • To release emotional tension

17. What can we do? Who’s Involved? • We suggest that we develop a blog site attached to our campus website that will be open to academic and administrative departments. • Blogs can be created by any department wishing to increase student involvement. • Admissions can recruit freshmen to document their first year; these blogs can be provided to incoming students to help them learn about life at our institution. • Academics can use blogs to increase student participation in classes, as well as to provide information outside of class. • Residence Life can use blogs to open discussions on the daily events of residents and resident assistants. • Greek Life can use blogs to create and/or enhance Greek unity on campus • Leadership Development can use blogs to discuss internship experiences. • Professors and administrators can use blogs to discuss their transitions on campus or new theories and research • To implement this program, we will need to work closely with Information Technology (IT) services. It is recommended that all Deans select a point person that will coordinate with the IT department to determine how each group will utilize the software. IT will need to allocate a large amount (approximately one terabyte) of hard drive space to ensure that there is enough room for all departments to utilize the program. Since the blogs will be maintained by the authors, there will be no need to increase personnel services. • It is recommended that each department utilizing blogs appoint a ‘go to’ person to encourage student, faculty and staff use.

18. Benefits • Embracing this particular form of technology will allow us to utilize the methods our students use to communicate with each other. Understanding this, we can position ourselves to influence this population and promote their education and development. • Showing the current and prospective students that we utilize this form of technology can be beneficial in the indirect marketing of our institution. • Allowing faculty and staff to create personal blogs brings a human face to the administration and can work to break down the barriers between us and the students

19. Risks associated with the Project • There is the risk that students will attempt to upload and publish to the website information that is inappropriate or not according to our institutions mission and goals. In order to be proactive and prevent this from happening, the committee proposes that training sessions and a one-page how to guide be created to educate those involved with the blogging project. In addition, we suggest that a moderator be appointed by the director of the respective departments to review content prior to being updated on the web. We will need to ensure that only inappropriate content be prohibited from being placed online. • It is imperative that those recruited to write blogs have relative autonomy in their blogs. We do not want to impose our views on the bloggers nor do we want to appear to “ghost write” blogs. However, we want to ensure that those selected will uphold our mission and vision.

20. Theory Theories abound and each professional will utilize the theory or combination of theories that best fits their practice. However, there should be a unifying theory to guide this endeavor. Assigning Astin’s theory of involvement (which states that the more students are involved, the better they develop) as the unifying theory we can create an environment that guides the use and development of the blogging experience.

21. Determining Learning Outcomes • It is important to not only embrace this technology but to relate it to the education and development of our students. Humanitarianism, civic engagement and the increase of intrapersonal competence should be the focus of embracing the blogging concept. To this end, we should expect to see a growth in how students relate to themselves and their environments (Keeling, 2006).

22. Online Gambling

23. What is Online Gambling Types on Online Gambling • Using the internet to wager money on sporting events, card games and casino games • Poker, specifically Texas Hold-em • Sports Betting, including professional and NCAA games • Casino Games

24. What is the Online Gambling Problem? • Most institutions have gambling policies but do not specifically mention online gambling. • Online gambling sites are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week over institution high speed internet connections. • The institution is enabling student gambling. • Problem Gambling is an APA accepted addiction. • An addiction that can negatively impact a students life during and after college

25. What is the Online Gambling Problem? • Online gambling has exploded in popularity among college students since 2000. • Students have increased their gambling behavior since ESPN and other major cable networks began airing poker tournaments. • Online gambling is a billion dollar industry that targets college age student. • Students involved in online gambling may choose to gamble with money earmarked for education purposes (tuition, room & board or book supplies). • Online Poker Tournaments were once targeting college students specifically. • 2005 College Poker Championship: Open only to College students, the prizes consisted of scholarship money (http://www.pokermagazine.com/Poker-Tournaments/poker_news_college_tournament.html). • Once a student starts to play, they are barraged with spam emails from Online Gambling sites offering free money to sign up and play (Kanne, 2005). • Student who participate in online gambling also receive an increase in credit card requests (Kanne, 2005) .

26. Who is Impacted and Why? • Student Populations • Students use bank debit cards or personal credit cards to provide capital to play. No cash is won or lost. Students can find themselves thousands of dollars in debt without ever touching a dollar of the money lost. • Alex of Indiana University lost $55,000 gambling online (Habib, 2005). • Justin of St. Mary’s in California is down $20,000 (Kanne, 2005). • Athletes • Colleges are under strict regulations from the NCAA and conference bodies concerning sports betting and gambling. • Online gambling adds pressure and resources for athletes to gamble on sports and to participate in card and casino games.

27. Who is Impacted and Why? • Student Affairs Departments • Counseling/Wellness Centers need to know how to reach out and respond to students who are problem gamblers. • Tracy Leva, Counselor, SUNY Fredonia, says that she has never dealt with a student gambling problem. • Leva believes this is due to the lack of awareness about the gambling issue among school officials and students. • Leva also believes that problem gambling is not viewed as a major personal issue because there is no physical harm associated with the behavior, unlike the behavior changes associated with alcohol consumption.

28. Legal Standing • Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 • This is the 1st legislation that focuses on prohibiting online gambling. • It provides legal structure for the Justice Department to attack online gambling (Walters, L, 2006). • Impact on Institutions • The act focuses on the individual, similar to the approach taken with illegal music downloading. • Student are breaking the law by wagering over the internet and may face penalties.

29. What to do about Online Gambling ? • Short term solutions • Ban Online Gambling sites from college networks • Create Network “pop-up’s” that warn students connected to campus networks about the possible dangers of gambling, and provide references for gambling help services, and links to the college gambling policy • Enforce the campus gambling policy

30. What to do about Online Gambling? • Long term Solutions • Create a revised gambling policy that includes the latest Federal Laws dealing with online gambling. • Train counselors to aid problem gamblers similarly to how current counselors are trained to deal with alcohol abuse • Present educational programs on the negative consequences of online gambling

31. Benefits • Taking action addresses an emerging issue that is currently facing today’s students. • It also actively improves the services of the counseling/wellness center. • It adds clarification to the college’s position on gambling on campus. • And it raises awareness of problem gambling among the college student demographic.

32. Facebook.com

33. Facebook.com and other social networking sites • Online Social Networks allow users to connect to others, post personal information, form groups, and post pictures. • Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you. • Facebook is made up of lots of separate networks — things like schools, companies, and regions. • You can use Facebook to: • Share information with people you know. • See what's going on with your friends. • Look up people around you. • (Facebook.com, 2007) • Facebook.com controls access by limiting registration to specific email addresses. • Facebook.com is more significant in Higher Education than other online social networks because when it began it was only for individuals with College Email addresses. Now that it is open to the public it still features separate networks for each college that has access.

34. Reason for Concern’s about Facebook.com • Students are posting personal information as well as contact information that puts them at risk for stalking and harassment. • Students are posting pictures and messages that show or suggest violations of college policy – Judicial Affairs must then decide how to respond. • Inappropriate information posted by students, especially student leaders (i.e. athletes as well as club and organization leaders) can negatively impact the reputation of the institution. • Students are generally unaware of the risks and consequences they face when posting various images and messages on the site. Additionally, many administrators are unfamiliar with the functions of Facebook.com (Bugeja, 2006). • Information posted by students can impact their futures as well. Many employers and graduate institutions have started to consider information that candidates have posted online as a part of their decision making process (Kornblum & Marklein, 2006).

35. Who is Impacted by Facebook.com • At its core Facebook.com is a promotional tool, whether you are promoting a person, a group, a club or organization, an event, a company or a student affairs department. • Any department that wishes to promote its services, events, or to share information should be aware of Facebook.com. • Essentially, Facebook is a high traffic area for students, and therefore is an ideal place for advertisements. • Additionally, any office that is responsible for student discipline should take special notice of Facebook.com. Often students exaggerate problem behaviors on Facebook.com as a means of inflating their social image. This behavior is known as egocasting (Rosen, 2005). The high level of messages and images related to policy violations necessitate a need for student discipline departments to understand, and develop a response to, online social networks.

36. Positive Uses of Facebook.com • Advertising tools including flyers (internet banner ads that run 10,000 times per day for $5), group pages (pages that allow users to connect around a common purpose, post on discussion boards and share pictures) and event pages (similar to group pages only they are temporary and designed to advertise a specific event. Event pages also include tools for inviting others to the event, and a list of confirmed guests who will attend) are a wonderful way to attract students to programs. • (Marino, 2006) • Postings on Facebook.com may help professionals to identify students who are having problems or are depressed. • Facebook.com can be used by faculty and staff to communicate with students, through the use of messaging tools and group pages. • Often inappropriate postings made by students provide excellent educational moments, assuming staff and faculty are willing to take the time to discuss online behavior with students.

37. Develop a policy that helps students understand the institutions expectations for online behavior. The Cornell Essay “Thoughts on Facebook” generated by their IT Policy office provides a great example. It is available at http://www.cit.cornell.edu/policy/memos/facebook.html Key items to consider are how the institution will respond to postings that display or suggest policy violations, expectations for online behavior and information for students about the risks and consequences that may result from use of Facebook.com. Student affairs professionals should create educational programs for students that address the risks and consequences related to Facebook.com use including: stalking and harassment, disciplinary action from the college, difficulty obtaining a job or graduate school admission due to a negative image portrayed on Facebook.com, and even identity theft. Guest speakers may also be helpful. Educational programs should also discuss the Facebook.com user agreement, a document that very few students read before accepting. This document gives Facebook.com a great deal of legal power over the users of the site, including restricting when and where users can sue the company, requiring users to pay the company’s legal fees in the event of a lawsuit and providing the company with the rights to all images and information posted within the network. Action Plan - Best Practices for Facebook.com

38. Residence Life and Housing: Staff can create Building and Floor Groups using RA’s as ‘officers’ to manage content. This helps create community, and offers a visual model of connections between residents. Facebook can also be used to promote events Education – The network can be used to share information with students about almost any topic, including health and safety information and housing policies. RA Recruitment and Selection Facebook can be used to advertise and explain the process; however, using Facebook.com to evaluate candidates might create larger issues, at the very least students should be warned in advance if this will happen. Birthday alerts – can be used as a reminder to recognize residents on their birthdays. Facebook.com may provide clues regarding changes in student behavior and signs of depression. Student Activities and Student Clubs: Advertising and Promotion is key for these areas Event tools, Facebook.com ad’s, and invitation tools can all be used to promote clubs and events. Club Pages – Each student club should be encouraged to create a group page. This allows students to: Find out what clubs are available Learn about meeting times and locations Obtain updates from missed meetings Likewise it allows clubs to: Recruit new members Connect with current members Share pictures from events Promote upcoming events Athletics: At many institutions student athletes are held to a higher standard because they represent their institution. Athletics departments should set clear standards and help their students to create positive images on Facebook.com Additionally, the site can be used to promote sporting events, and to report team progress. Using the Tools that Facebook.com Provides

39. Admissions Acknowledging Facebook.com and promoting its positive use on our campus may help attract students. As more high school students gain access to the site, Facebook.com messages and communications may become a great way to attract top students, and student athletes to our institution Judicial Affairs How to know if you’ve gone to far… If you need to add extra staff to patrol the Facebook.com, you are putting too much focus on this site. Use Facebook.com as a talking point (educational moment) when meeting with students suspected of other violations of policy. Set a standard for what you will address on Facebook.com Pictures of Guns, or other weapons Threats Hate Speech *Focus on educating students as a preventative measure, rather than trying to discipline everyone. Orientation Student’s receive their college accounts – including email – in the summer before they arrive on campus. This means they have access to the University specific Facebook.com site before they move in, and in many cases before orientation. New students use this information to ask other students questions, find clubs, meet new friends, hunt for roommates, and to look for dates. By creating an orientation group we can provide students with a place to ask questions and ensure that they receive accurate answers. First-year programs Integrate Facebook.com as a teaching tool, or as a way for students to ask questions. Use Facebook.com to reach out to incoming Freshman in the summer and to have them begin coursework Key topics may include informed decision making regarding alcohol and basic campus navigation information. More ways to use the tools of Facebook.com

40. Greek Affairs The stereotypical ‘Hollywood depiction’ of Greek Life can be reinforced by Facebook.com pictures and messages Facebook.com impacts recruitment as students now have a sneak peek into the lives of the members of a Fraternity or Sorority before they pledge However, Facebook.com groups can be used to advertise pledge week and to recruit new members. Additionally, Greek organizations can promote their positive works and change the ‘Hollywood’ stereotype Alumni Relations Even if a student loses their college email address after graduation they can still maintain their Facebook.com account. Facebook.com is becoming a continuously updated yearbook, providing Alumni Relations with up to date contact information, job status, marital status and plenty of other information about Alumni. More ways to use the tools of Facebook.com

41. Final Thoughts on Facebook.com • There may be some opposition to using Facebook.com among staff and administrators who do not understand the system. Additionally, concerns are sometimes raised about buying in to a system that is controlled by an outside company. • Faculty and staff should lead by example when using the site, and should take full advantage of the networking, promotional and communication tools available on Facebook.com.

42. Podcasts

43. What makes Podcasting a hot topic? As internet activity becomes more pervasive among college students, student affairs professionals must attempt to utilize the media in its newest capacities. The Apple iPod, and other portable MP3 players, have quickly made their mark on the Millennial generation and the uses of video and audio communication. Podcasting utilizes “hot” student technology that is affordable and available to students both on and off campus. Thanks to broadband internet networks, podcasts are easy to download and offer an innovative means to get information out to the masses.

44. Podcasting Defined According to iTunes, podcasts are simply radio shows that are downloaded over the internet, either audio or visual, and played back on iPods or other MP3 players. The name “podcast” is a combination of iPod and broadcast. Using iTunes or Juice, software supporting the downloading of podcasts, students are able to subscribe to certain podcasts of interest and enjoy listening to the material at their leisure. Current podcasts exist in forms of news broadcasts and radio shows from major television networks. National Public Radio also offers numerous podcasts on a multitude of topics. Some colleges are creating podcasts, available primarily through iTunes, with their faculty members talking about current events or issues in their chosen field. A few pioneer institutions on iTunes include Emerson University (who also offers video podcasts, original student productions and television programs), as well as Yale, Princeton, and Colgate University. According to Stuart Brown (2006), “technically, a podcast works through an RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication) which pulls down an .xml file containing the Internet address of the media source.” The file is then read by a podcatcher, a website that is able to “collect, categorize, and then make available podcasts for subscribers” (7 Things, 2006, p. 2).

45. Benefits of Podcasting Although most campuses are using podcasts for academic purposes, podcasts can be used effectively in student affairs as well. Reasons for student services to utilize podcasting technology are widespread. First, podcasts are a new form of communication that can connect staff and students. Students are already using their MP3 players on a daily basis, making it an available media. New breakthroughs in podcast usage have a novelty value to the media and campuses nationwide, giving student affairs offices the potential for positive recognition. Finally, given the resources and the time, podcasts have a relatively easy learning curve (Brown, 2006). Podcasts can be used in the following offices within higher education in a variety of ways to be further outlined: residence life, student activities, admissions, orientation, athletics, career services, counseling, and alumni affairs.

46. Residence Life Training for professional and student staffs (Brown, 2006). Judicial Sanctions – broadcast a variety of educational programs about alcohol and drug use, vandalism, etc. that can be used for students to listen to as a judicial sanction. Student podcasts can be used as audio blogs of campus life and topics of interest to the student population. Student Activities Broadcast: Guest speakers at campus events Concerts that happen on campus, both of popular artists and local student groups Student government election campaign speeches Student organization briefings for members who miss meetings or events. Advertisements for local events and campus happenings in a newscast format. Student radio shows and discussions between student leaders. Use of Podcasts

47. Admissions Record an audio tour of campus to give to prospective students visiting campus or make it available on the website for prospective students to listen to while enjoying a virtual tour. Provide staff interviews from campus partners to better explain services to prospective students. Have current students record personal experiences to give prospective students a better idea of life as a student. Orientation Record student’s first year experiences and advice to the incoming class Share the history of the institution and campus traditions with the new freshmen Athletics Broadcast: Play-by-play action of athletic events Interviews with coaches and student athletes Information about the facilities Use of Podcasts

48. Career Services can provide: Advice from professionals about interview tips and what employers look for in candidates. Alumni discussions on the benefits of working in a particular field or geographic area. Counseling Self-help discussion topics can be recorded for personal use by students. Counselor interviews or bios can be recorded to help students select which counselor to see. Alumni Affairs Can connect former students to their alma mater through updates from staff members and current students. They can also advertise upcoming events on campus and at local alumni clubs. Allow alumni to record their memories to share with current students and each other Use of Podcasts

49. Issues surrounding Podcasting With any new technology, there are advantages and disadvantages to implementing its use on campus. The following issues are related to the introduction of podcasting to student affairs: • Institutional and technological support – As described by Stuart Brown (2006), podcasting must have support within the division of student affairs in order to spend the time, money, and staff resources on such an expansive project. Also, the technology staff must be able to communicate the directives of creating podcasts and be able to work with the digital recording software required. Proper staff training is essential to podcasting success. • Equipment – The institution must have a way to acquire the required equipment and software for recording and editing audio files. Access to the applications that publish podcasts online is also essential (Brown, 2006). • Time – With a multitude of campus projects and issues vying for professionals’ time, the division of student affairs must evaluate the value of introducing another time consuming undertaking such as podcasts. Podcasting requires time for development of new ideas, editing for quality, and training staff members (Brown, 2006).

50. Will students listen? Although the majority of students have an MP3 player, some still do not. For those that have an iPod, it is yet another step to get those students to download and subscribe to the college’s podcasts. Certainly, there are some barriers to getting the information to the students and getting them to care enough to listen. Students must find podcasts to be worth their time or have another positive incentive for them to listen. Like other new technology, podcasting has the potential to make breakthroughs in numerous areas of student affairs.