"The Human and Organizational Resources competency area includes knowledge, skills, and attitudes used in the selection, supervision, motivation, and formal evaluation of staff; conflict resolution; management of the politics of organizational discourse; and the effective application of strategies and techniques associated with financial resources, facilities management, fundraising, technology use, crisis management, risk management, and sustainable resources" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 16).



Growth in Competency

​Chapman Leaders - Recruitment, Interviewing, Selection, and Training

​One of my primary responsibilities in my internship with the Chapman Learning Community is to supervise and instruct 10 to 12 "Chapman Leaders."  They are sophomore students who were in the learning community during their first year and have been selected via an application process to return to the community and mentor the next group of first-year students.  All of the "leaders" (as they are typically called within Chapman), are required to live in Kohl Hall with the first-year students and aid the faculty and staff of the community in planning and implementing the community-wide events that take place 3 to 4 times each semester.  My work with the Chapman Leaders began with a strong co-advising relationship with the faculty advisor for the program as well as with my supervisor regarding interviewing and selecting the leaders for the 2012-2013 academic year.  At the successful conclusion of this process, I was given full responsibility to train and guide the newly recruited group of leaders.  



My work with the upcoming group of leaders began with spring training prior to their start in the fall semester of 2012.  The focus of the training was on team-building activities, a review of the Chapman Leader contract and general expectations, a discussion on effective role modeling, and preliminary planning of opening weekend activities for the fall.  Going over their contract and the expectations of the work we will require for large-scale events and campus recruitment days helped further explain the need and purpose of the Chapman Leaders, which relates to competency developing by learning to "explain how job descriptions are designed and support overall staffing patterns" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 16).  These discussions continued into fall training, where additional information for the year was provided and planning solidified for opening weekend.  For all of these sessions, professional and relevant materials needed to be both created and presented, allowing me to gain additional experience relevant to the Human and Organizational Resources competency (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 18).



For the recruitment and selection of the 2013-2014 Chapman Leaders, I was given full responsibility of establishing the next group.  Because a new faculty advisor had also been assigned to the program, it was an opportunity for me to better know another faculty member and educate him on the details associated with the Chapman Leaders.  In terms of recruitment, I utilized a variety of methods.  The first was a letter/application addressed to qualified students and those recommended by Chapman faculty members.  Continually encouraging faculty members to recommend students helped develop a significantly more diverse pool of applicants, which was vital to a community as diverse as Chapman.  This connects ACPA and NASPA's emphasis on developing recruitment strategies that "encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply" (2010, p. 18).  This was sent in two formats to maximize response:  paper and a fully-electronic Adobe PDF form.  As the deadline drew closer, flyers and other traditional forms of advertising were utilized.



The new faculty advisor and I reviewed the applications and invited students to interview for the position, which involved the use of standardized questions and the first-time use of a numbered rubric for the interview process.  After a meeting with the faculty advisor to decide who we would offer the positions, I worked with Residence Life staff to verify that all of the finalists did not have conduct records that would disqualify them from the position.  After submitting the final list of names our direct supervisor for approval, I drafted the offer letter and contract (with a new section stating that Chapman Leaders cannot also be resident advisors) and sent them via paper and e-mail.  Both the new faculty advisor and I were beyond pleased to receive a 100% acceptance rate, which had not been achieved with the program for several years!  This experience gave me a substantial degree of experience in "implementing appropriate and effective recruitment strategies, interview protocols, and decisions regarding staff" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 17), as I had the opportunity to develop new or improved materials and procedures to facilitate a fair process.



Resident Advisor Interviews

Because of my experience with interviewing and selecting the peer mentors for the Chapman Learning Community, I was invited to assist with the resident advisor interview process with the Office of Residence Life.  Utilizing the resources provided by the office, I participated in both the RA Carousel process (interviewing alongside a current RA) and the final 2:1 interviews (interviewing alongside a professional staff member).  This process gave me experience in utilizing an intensive rubric and note-taking system for the purpose of facilitating a large-scale interview process, furthering my knowledge of "appropriate hiring techniques" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 16).



Risk Management Presentation

​As a Greek house director for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, I have advised multiple fraternities in a variety of topic areas.  For their annually-required chapter presentation on risk management, I was asked if I could come into a chapter meeting and present on the risk management guidelines of the chapter and explain their meaning both for in the context of interacting with national staff and with BGSU.  Utilizing the fraternity's online risk management documents and an available PowerPoint template, I led a presentation with the chapter's risk manager that included break-out groups which focused on different pieces of risk management policy.  Members were provided with copies of the risk management guidelines at the conclusion of the presentation.  This provided me with a fundamental experience how to "explain the basic tenets of personal or organizational risk and liability" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 16).



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