Law, Policy, and Governance - Acceptable

"The Law, Policy, and Governance competency area includes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes relating to policy development and processes used in various contexts, and the application of legal constructs , and the understanding of governance structures and their effect on one's professional practice" (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p. 20).



Growth Within Competency

CSP 6010:  Foundations and Functions of College Student Personnel

​As an introductory course in the College Student Personnel program, this course provided me a historical overview of higher education and student affairs.  One component of this overview was the study of influential court cases such as Gott v. Berea, Brown v. Board of Education, Dixon v. Alabama, Gratz v. Bollinger, and Grutter v. Bollinger.  One of the assignments for the course was a team visit and presentation on a specific type of post-secondary institution.  My team, assigned to the "public, research-intensive" category, elected to visit the University of Michigan.  During this visit, we took the opportunity to learn more about the Gratz and Grutter cases by talking directly with their admissions staff about the current admission processes at Michigan.  Rather than the point systems ruled unconstitutional by Gratz v. Bollinger, we learned of the university's holistic review process  that utilizes multiple reviews without the use of a point system.



The University of Auckland:  New Student Transition Report

​In the summer of 2012, I and a doctoral intern in Higher Education Administration were hired to consult full time with The University of Auckland on the institution's first-year transition programs and provide written recommendations on future directions for the Campus Life Division and the university to take.  An important part of the work both before and during the time we were in New Zealand was learning what legal forces are already acting on the university.  The greatest period of learning came when discussing the concept of orientation.



The university, like nearly every college or university in the United States, conducts a multi-day orientation for all students who are attending the institution for the first time.  This orientation takes place several days before the start of class, much like orientations do in the United States.  We were surprised to learn that this orientation is not required for students, and that no other form of traditional orientation existed for students before or after their arrival on campus.  

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Initially, I and the other intern immediately thought that a mandatory orientation would be a natural recommendation for inclusion in the report.  However, we learned the university is not legally allowed to hold orientation prior to the day before classes begin.  Upon further discussion and research, we discovered that New Zealand law stipulates that no student can be required to be on campus before the disbursement of their financial aid.  Because New Zealand's government has a much larger influence on higher education and financial aid does not disburse until immediately before the start of term, The University of Auckland is not able to require students to attend orientation.  Once this realization was made, discussion began on alternative ways of doing orientation that would allow all students to receive the information and support needed.

Professional Competencies

 

Law, Policy, and Governance

References

ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors