2007 StudentAffairs.com Virtual Case Study Competition

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2007 StudentAffairs.com Virtual Case Study
Competition
Technology Issues in Student Affairs

• Canisius College
• Paul Zablocki, Kelly Showard, Pat Marino Amanda
  Kalal

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Institutional Spamming
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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.

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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
  mediaSpamming 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).

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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.

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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 students 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.

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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.

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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.

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Blogging
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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.

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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. als 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.

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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 persons 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 writers life
• To share opinions
• To solicit the opinions of others
• To release emotional tension

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What can we do? Whos 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.

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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

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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.

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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 Astins 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.

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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).

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Online Gambling
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Types on Online Gambling
What is 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

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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

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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/Po
  ker-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) .

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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. Marys 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.

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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.

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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.

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What to do about Online Gambling ?

• Short term solutions
• Ban Online Gambling sites from college networks
• Create Network pop-ups 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

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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

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Benefits

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

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Facebook.com
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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.

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Reason for Concerns 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).

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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.

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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.

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Action Plan - Best Practices for Facebook.com

• 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.h
  tml
• 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 companys legal fees
  in the event of a lawsuit and providing the
  company with the rights to all images and
  information posted within the network.

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Using the Tools that Facebook.com Provides

• Residence Life and Housing
• Staff can create Building and Floor Groups using
  RAs 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 ads, 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.

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More ways to use the tools of Facebook.com

• 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 youve 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
• Students 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.

40
More ways to use the tools of Facebook.com

• 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.

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
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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).

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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.

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Use of Podcasts

• 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.

47
Use of Podcasts

• 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 students 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

48
Use of Podcasts

• 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

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
  colleges 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.

51
Conclusion

• As technology makes its mark on higher
  education, it is important for campuses to
  embrace the challenges and opportunities that
  each new advance presents to the community.
  Students are entering college with a broad
  understanding of technology, which creates an
  expectation that the latest technology trends
  will be available for their use. For better or
  worse, technology will always impact student
  affairs in its operations and philosophies.
• Institutional spamming, blogs, online gambling,
  Facebook.com, and podcasts are five hot topics
  involving technology at this time. Understanding
  these topics and their potential to impact a
  campus positively (or negatively) is essential
  for any college professional. Implementing new
  technologies into practice allows professionals
  to close the gap between students, and staff and
  faculty, creating a unified campus community that
  promotes student learning and development.

52
References

• 7 things you should know about podcasting.
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• Bugeja, M. (2006). Facing the Facebook Unless we
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• Brown, S. J., (2006). The surge in online
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• Brown, Stuart (2006, August). Student affairs and
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53
References Continued

• Keeling, R.P. (Ed.). Learning Reconsidered, 2.
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• Krieger, L.  2005 College poker championship,
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• Koch, W., Its always poker night on campus.
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• Kornblum, J. Marklein, M. B. (2006, March 8).
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• Kumar, R., Novak, J., Raghavan, P., Tomkins, A.
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• Nardi, B., Schiano, D., Gumbrecht, M. (2004).
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• Marino, P. (2006, October). Facebook.com The new
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• Read, B. (2006). Think before you share
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• Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts,
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54
References Continued

• Rosen, C. (2005). The age of egocasting. The New
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• Walters, L. esq., (2006), On second thoughtWhat
  does the UIGEA really mean for internet
  gamblers? Retrieved February, 16, .2007 from
  http//www.gameattorneys.com/UIEGA.html.
• Wikipedia contributors (2007). Spam (electronic).
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