• What Can SD Look Like On Campus? •
One of the strengths of SD is its flexibility. This makes determining where it should be housed (i.e. as a student club, supported by a specific Center, run as a course), who should be involved (i.e. faculty, staff, student leaders, Greek life, Resident Advisors, etc.) and how it should run (i.e. within a semester or quarter, in residence halls, etc.) very important for the success of SD on campus.
Learn more:
What SD Can Look Like on Campus
ORGANIZATION: Who Will Organize SD?
| Example | Structure | Benefits | Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Virginia |
Students organize Students moderate |
Strong student ownership Strong student leadership |
Requires significant commitment |
| Cuyahoga Community College |
Staff organize Students moderate |
Paid employees are accountable |
Building student ownership |
| University of Nebraska, Omaha |
Faculty advises Paid student organizes Students moderate |
Spreads out tasks Faculty deal with funding Paid students are accountable |
Requires paid student position |
| Beloit College |
Staff organize Students moderate (paid position) |
Paid staff employees are accountable Paid mods are accountable |
Building student ownership Requires paid mod positions |
AUDIENCE: Who Will Participate in SD?
| Example | Structure | Benefits | Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit College |
Faculty & admin dialogues |
Enhance classroom inclusivity Increase non-student engagement Address inter-faculty tensions |
Hierarchy conflicts Requires invested faculty and admin |
| Case Western Reserve University |
Staff dialogues across departments |
Build relationships across departments Increase quality of life for staff and students Increase non-student engagement Address tensions |
Hierarchy conflicts Requires invested staff |
| Denison University |
Mixed student, faculty, and staff dialogues |
Build relationships between students, faculty, and staff Learn from each other |
Hierarchy conflicts Requires invested students, faculty, and staff |
| University of Nebraska Omaha |
Mixed student and community member dialogues |
Build town-gown relations Give back to the community |
Requires connections off campus Requires invested students and off-campus groups |
CREDIT: Will SD Be for Academic Credit?
| Example | Structure | Benefits | Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama |
SD as a course: |
Improves participation and retention On-going moderator support Attracts hard-to-find students |
Requires faculty member willing Requires institutional support Welcoming to all students |
| University of Nebraska, Omaha |
SD as a course: |
Improves participation and retention Attracts hard-to-find students Satisfies distribution requirement |
Requires faculty member willing Requires institutional support Requires TAs who are mods |
| Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism |
SD participation as a |
Improves participation and retention Reaches entire school Meets goals of college mission |
Requires institutional support Requires strong moderators Mandatory can mean some unwilling students |
INITIATIVES: Is SD an Initiative of a Specific Group?
| Structure | Example | Benefits | Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps College |
SD as a Presidential Initiative, |
Ensures support from the Less trouble from student |
Building student ownership Hierarchy conflicts Campus politics |
| Auburn University |
SD as program of Residential Life |
Trains RA in SD and conflict Large campus impact |
Can be hard to schedule with RAs Not all students live on campus |
INTENSIVES: Will You Have Retreats or Long-term Programs?
| Example | Structure | Benefits | Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tampa |
4-day Retreat at the beginning |
Dive deeply into topics Get through all 5 Stages of SD Build strong relationships Increases participation and retention |
Large time commitment Requires strong logistics Requires strong funding |
| University of Tampa (upcoming) |
Select cohort spends all |
Most intensive program in SD Network Dive deeply into topics Get through all 5 Stages of SD Build strong relationships Increases participation and retention Graduate with special skills |
Requires strong admin support Large time commitment Requires strong logistics Requires strong funding Requires buy-in from |
