Case Study Student Leader Training-Part 3

Student Life Case Studies
Reproducible Case Studies, Assessments,

Activities & Self-Tests
Part 3 of the Student Leader Training Suite
Copyright 2009
PaperClip Communications
125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424

tel 973 . 256 . 1333 fax 973 . 256 . 8088
Written & Researched by Tamie J. Klumpyan, Julie Phillips & Vanessa Strickley
With Contributions from the PaperClip Staff
Edited by Laura L. Betti & Julie Phillips
Designed by Joellen Collins-Cardona
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Fax 973.256.8088 www.Paper-Clip.com Copyright 2009
Prepared for our institution by PaperClip Communications. Reproduced or retransmitted under license with PaperClip Communications from July 2009
through June 2010. Reproductions made after this date violate US and International copyright laws.
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
The Leadership Dilemmas Case Study Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Case Studies
Some Leftover Change (Ethics and Finances) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Been There, Done That (New Ideas) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Theres Gotta Be Something More (Service and Leadership) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
The Unknown (Working without Seeing Results) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Productivity Over Personality (The Impact of Charisma) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
The Non-Cooperation Clause (Overcommitted Student Leaders) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Programmatic Backlash (Controversial Programming) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
YouTube Displays (Underage Party Posted Online) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Debt Disaster (Personal Financial Challenges) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Decision Dilemma (Officer Conflict) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Controlling Coach (Working with Advisor/Supervisor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Just the Secretary (Identifying Transferrable Skills) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Information Not Needed (Not Attending Move-in Day Events) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Stop Taking My Picture! (Unwanted Attention) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Pushing Himself to the Brink (Concerns for a Student Athlete) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Letting Go (Leadership Transition) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Collaboration Station (Collaborating Across Campus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Rude Recruitment (Successful Recruiting Practices) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
The Group But Head (Brainstorming Derailed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
This is Ridiculous! (Rude Behavior) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
A Night Out Gone Wrong (Reputation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
The Busy Transfer Life (Transfer Students) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Meeting Mayhem (Meetings Gone Wrong) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Learn It, Not Earn It (Competing Agendas) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Hand$-Off (Budget Challenges) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Parental Posturing (Parental Involvement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You (Taking Credit for Others Work) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
If You Arent Part of the Solution, Youre Part of the Problem (Appreciating Diversity) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Is Honesty the Best Policy? (Answering Tough Questions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
On Over Drive (Abuse of Prescription Meds) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Last Year We (Returners vs. New Members) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
From Volunteer to Victim (Sexual Harassment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Nothing Can Go Wrong (Event Planning Breakdown) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Is There Room for All Faiths? (Meeting the Needs of Different Populations) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Reply AllRewindReverse (Making Mistakes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Relationship Issues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
S.O.S. (Feeling Overwhelmed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Taking Tau to Task (Negative Press) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Burning the Candle at Both Ends (Sleep Issues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Academic Woes (Struggling Academically) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Micromanaging Mayhem (Student Leader Doing It All) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
A Night Gone Bad (Alcohol Issues) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
A Disorganized Mess (Organization & Time Management) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
One is a Lonely Number (Dealing with Disrespect) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Dropping the Ball (Not Pulling Weight) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
You Say Tomato, I Say (Agreeing to Disagree) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Professor Problems (Supporting a Veteran/Non-Traditional Student) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
To Censor or Not to Censor, that is the Question (Controversial Programming) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Risky Behavior (Assessing Risks) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
A Flower & Flattery (Student Media/Ethics) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
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Table of Contents
continued
Assessments, Activities & Other Practical Resources
Behind Closed Doors Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Reflection & Discussion Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
The Icebreaker Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Team Builders
The Stories of Our Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

People Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Flip Out! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Snowball Fight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Creative Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Innies & Outies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Create-a-Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Group Activities
T-shirt Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Public Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
The Resource Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
The Welcome Wagon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Assessment
Immediate Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Measuring Quality & Usefulness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Self-Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Creating Self-Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Presenter Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Journaling as an Assessment Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
A Sample Follow-up Letter After Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
The Thank You Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
How to Write a Training Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Proactively Putting Things in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
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Introduction
Welcome!
Welcome to the Student Leader Case Studies binder, filled with 50 reproducible case studies plus assessment tools, printable resources, activities and
more. This is your training during and after resource sure to add necessary
layers to your training program.
Case Studies
In order to make meaning of certain situations they may encounter, student leaders need learning tools that help them bring topics to life. Case
studies are some of the best tools around, as they allow students to examine
the nuances of a situation while providing the basis for discussion.
The 50 case studies presented here address a variety of real-life leadership
situations. From event planning dilemmas to ethical scenarios and everything in between, youll find useful tools to help supplement your training
on important student leader topics.
Assessments, Activities & Other Practical Resources
The remainder of this binder is filled with checklists, templates, self-tests
and other tools to use during and after training. Youll find Behind Closed
Doors ideas, assessment suggestions, team builders, group activities and
much more.
All of these reproducible resources are designed to help you run a more
intentional training programand to take a good, hard look at the results
once its over. We wish you the best with your training program, from start
to finish.
All the best,
The Folks at PaperClip Communications
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The Leadership Dilemmas

Case Study Competition
Here is one way you can use the case studies included
in this binder during your training program
In a Nutshell:
Students will have a chance to face possible leadership scenarios in the form of case studies. They will
compete in teams to come up with the best solution to
each dilemma.
Materials:
A series of case studies (see this binder)

A podium and microphone
A judges table
What to Do:
Choose a series of 2-4 case studies as the base for

your competition.
Create rules that state things like:
Each team will have 5 minutes per case study
to make their case.
Answers need to be based on the realities of
your home campus.
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Clear rationales for actions need to be outlined.

No name-calling or uncivil action will be tolerated throughout the course of this competition.
Good sportspersonship is expected at all
times.
Have student leaders form teams of 3-5 people each.
Solicit a panel of judges to score the case
study competition. Provide them with parameters.
Hold the competition within an atmosphere of
learning and collaboration.
To Consider:
You may even want to secretly instruct judges to

give extra points for teams that collaborate and
contribute to the success of others.
Consider having returning student leaders serve
as judges for this competition. It gives them a significant role to play while also valuing their experience.

Some Leftover Change

(Ethics and Finances)
Lydia is the treasurer for the Psychology Club at

Bayshore Community College. The club has been
active for years and has functioned on a healthy budget this fiscal year as the membership has successfully
managed bills, held various fundraisers and sustained
revenue from last years budget. With only a month
left in the semester, Lydia is pleased that she will get
to share with the executive board that the group is in
the black, with over $1,000 that will be rolled over into
next years budget. This will be an all-time record
high for the organization.
At Wednesdays executive board meeting, Lydia
shares the good news with the officers. Everyone congratulates Lydia on her stellar management of the
budget and acknowledges the good work of the
organization in setting priorities and making good
choices regarding expenses this past year. Lydia recognizes the hard work of the chairs, and takes a few
moments to put the spotlight on Geoff, the current
programming chair, who coordinated four speakers
within his allocated budget.
As the meeting concludes, Geoff approaches
Lydia and Ryan, the club president, and asks if he can
take his programming committee of six out for a nice
dinner as a show of appreciation for their hard work
this year. Before Lydia can even respond, Ryan gives
Geoff the go ahead and tells him that he has $250 to
spend on the dinner, and that Ryan would like to join
them and personally recognize the group himself.
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Lydia is surprised by Ryans executive decision,

as the by-laws outline a specific process for budgeting
decisions, not to mention the fact that the Psychology
Club has three committees and none of the other volunteers will have the opportunity to be recognized in
the same fashion.
Lydia says nothing, but leaves the meeting feeling very uneasy about the conversation she just overheard. With only a few weeks left in the term, she is
not sure it is even worth addressing, as there will still
be a healthy balance in the organization account even
with this extra dinner.
Discussion Questions:
If you were Lydia, what would you do?

Is there anything unethical about this particular
situation? If so, what and why?
How does your organization make budget decisions? What is the specific process in place?

Been There, Done That

(New Ideas)
Joel was recently elected treasurer of the

Residence Hall Association (RHA) at Johnson
University. A sophomore, Joel served as a hall representative his first year at Johnson and is excited to
contribute to the organization as a student officer this
year. After being elected last spring, Joel spent the
summer reflecting on his first year with the organization and brainstormed new things that the group
could do in residence life in the coming year. He is
excited to share his ideas with the executive committee at the fall retreat next week.
Joel arrives at the two-day fall retreat and immediately meets up with Taran, who is also a secondyear RHA member and new to the executive committee this year. With six returning executive committee
members in their junior and senior years, Taran and
Joel are not only the newest members of the RHA
board, they are also the youngest. As Taran and Joel
enter the retreat room, they begin sharing with each
other some of the new ideas they have for RHA this
year. They are both excited about what lies ahead and
how RHA can have an impact on campus this year.
However, their excitement is quickly diminished.
After a full day of retreating with the RHA board,
Taran and Joel are finding little room for their ideas to
be shared, and when they get a chance to contribute
some thoughts, they find many of the returning mem-
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bers are reluctant to listen fully. Often their ideas are

met with comments such as We tried that and it didnt work or That isnt something we have done in
the past.
As the board departs for a dinner break, Joel and
Taran walk out together. Both are surprised at how stifling the brainstorming sessions have been and that
there doesnt appear to be room for innovative and
different ideas.
Joel is particularly disappointed as he had put
some serious thought into new ways RHA could have
an impact on campus this year, and he is quickly losing hope that he will have an opportunity to contribute much in his new leadership role. Taran has
kind of conceded that she will spend the year fulfilling her leadership responsibilities, not worrying too
much about the bigger RHA picture. The retreat hasnt
started out the way they had hoped, but maybe dinner could be a turning point.
Have you ever been in Joel and Tarans shoes? If

so, how did it feel and what did you do?
Have you ever responded to someones new idea
with a been there, done that attitude? What
impact do you recall it having?
How can organizations avoid stifling new ideas
from new and veteran members?

Theres Gotta Be Something More

(Service and Leadership)
Nick and Josiah, juniors at Trails End University,

have both been members of the same fraternity for the
past three years. In addition, they are both business
majors and have taken many of the same classes
together as they prepare to enter the workforce in the
coming year. Nick is really excited to go into international business and travel the world. However, in
recent months, Josiah has become less enthusiastic
about the business field, primarily due to some experiences he has had through his fraternity.
The mens fraternity has always been involved
with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in the local
community. Josiah has served as a big brother to
Mikey for all three years of college. Mikey is an 8year-old boy that lives with his single mother and
older sister. Josiah has spent many weekends with
Mikey and is really proud of the relationship he has
built with the young boy. The community service program has been one of the best parts of Josiahs Greek
experience and he has been exposed to so many new
opportunities and people through it.
Now, however, Josiah is feeling the pressure from
his father and his academic advisor, who are both
pushing him to complete this big brother role at the
end of his junior year and make more room for an
internship with a local company next year. Josiahs
father is adamant about Josiah building his resume
during his senior year so he can transition into his
grandfathers company following graduation. The
problem is that Josiah isnt sure that he is ready to
give up his relationship with Mikey, and even more

problematic, he isnt sure he wants to work in the
business arena anymore.
Through his big brother experience, Josiah has
been immersed in Mikeys inner city school and has
encountered a different socio-economic population
then he was raised in. Josiah has found his work with
Mikeyand Mikeys friendsto be rewarding and is
now considering a career in education or nonprofit
work.
Josiah has shared his reflections with Nick whose
response was, You are crazy; your dad is going to kill
you. Josiah isnt finding a lot of support and is wishing he had never gotten involved in the service program life would have just been easier if he didnt
know what else was out there.
Have you found that some of your leadership and

service experiences have influenced your potential
career decisions?
Has that been helpful, challenging, both and
why?
Who on campus might be able to assist Josiah in
exploring further his future career goals and aspirations?
What are some alternatives for Josiah to consider
in the business arena that might integrate his passion for nonprofit work or working with children?
Notes
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The Unknown
(Working without Seeing Results)
The officers of the Student Government

Association (SGA) at Almond College just returned
from their winter retreat. They are geared up to start
the final term of the year and excited about what they
accomplished in the fall. A part of the retreat was
facilitated by the SGA advisor who was helping the
group address the lack of progress made on a big goal
they had for the year: exploring the need for a campus
center.
Currently Almond Colleges Student Union is
simply a building that houses the cafeteria and a variety of meeting rooms. The current union has insufficient programming space, lounge space and student
organization office space. Students, staff and faculty
have been talking for years about the creation of a
campus center where the entire college community
could gather, however there has been little organization around the idea. Last year Student Government
charged the incoming elected members and board to
make the student center their number one priority in
the new academic year. However, outside of a town
hall meeting in the fall, SGA has done little to move
the goal forward.
At the winter retreat, the advisor facilitated a
variety of activities to help the executive board take
on more of a leadership role in determining the steps
that would create an action plan. As the conversations
ensued, it became very clear that the soon-to-be graduating officers were struggling with how to make this
large goal happen when they would be leaving the
institution in a few short months. We wont even see
the campus center was one of the comments made by
the SGA treasurer, James. Sandy, the vice president to
SGA concurred by stating, Its hard to get excited
about something that is going to take years to accomplish. What can we do in the next few months that
will even make a difference? The SGA advisor challenged this thinking by explaining that, if every group
allowed their inability to see the final result to influence progress, nothing would get accomplished on a
college campus with students coming and going every
year.
The group identified some baby steps to begin
the process, but the officers left the retreat less than
enthused about making the campus center a reality.
Can you think of goals your organization has that

you will not see the results of before graduation?
If so, how does that feel?
What do you hope your organizational, or your
personal, leadership legacy will be?
How do you stay focused on a goal that you may
not reap the rewards from or see the outcome of?
Notes
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Productivity Over Personality

(The Impact of Charisma)
Sharese has been a member of the Service Club at

Oceanview College for the past two years. She is dedicated to the mission of the group and has worked
hard to recruit new members who are committed to
serving the greater community as college representatives.
The Service Club has gained a great deal of positive publicity in the campus and community newspapers over the past few months. Some of the coverage
is due to the fun, engaging personality of the Service
Club president, Leon. He has been a member of the
club for the past four years, and held leadership positions within the organization three of the past four
years. Leon is a well-known figure on campus. Almost
every professional in Student Life and a good number
of students know who Leon is. He has a wonderful
way of talking with peoplehe remembers everyones nameand is just loads of fun. Plus, everyone
believes he is one of the best student leaders
Oceanview has ever seen and credits much of the
Service Clubs success to Leons leadership.
Sharese enjoys Leons company and finds him to
bring lots of energy to the club. However, she has
been concerned in the past year that Leons success
has more to do with his charisma than it does with his
commitment to the club. Sharese has found herself
and others having to follow up on Leon dropping
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the ball on tasks he said he would complete. In addition, Leon has missed many of the recent club meetings and has been asking other officers to take over
what traditionally is done by the President.
Sharese is on the selection committee for this
years Student Organization Awards. One of the
awards is Student Leader of the Year. There are five
applicants for this years award, and Leon is one of
them. As Sharese reviews Leons application she
knows that a good portion of what he has identified
as accomplishments were actually done by others in
the Service Club. She is not comfortable disclosing
that to the rest of the committee. However when the
conversation begins with one committee member saying, This will be an easy decision, do any of the other
applicants even measure up to Leon? she is not sure
she can hold her tongue.
Is personality an important part of leadership? If

so, how?
Why and how do you think that some student
leaders are recognized more on their personality
than their performance?
If you were Sharese, how would you handle this
situation?

The Non-Cooperation Clause

(Overcommitted Student Leaders)
LaShawn and Ray are two high-achieving members of your organization. They both do very well academically and take pride in that fact. In addition to
being part of your group, LaShawn is the vice-chair of
the student programming board and a reporter for the
campus paper. Ray is on the lacrosse team, has a
work-study job in the communications department
and is also an officer of the campus sustainability
committee.
As a result of all their involvements, they often
ask fellow group members to cover certain events for
them. You havent minded doing this every now and
again, yet it struck you the other day that this relationship isnt very reciprocal. You had been eating
lunch with Ray and LaShawn when you asked them
to switch a shift with you so that you could go home
for your nephews first birthday party. LaShawn
answered, Theres no wayIm so swamped with
everything and dont have that kind of flexibility.
And Ray said with a laugh, Why dont you ask some
of the other members who dont have that much of a
life?
This leaves you in a tough spot, as youd really
like to go home for your nephews birthday but
youre also concerned about asking a few other group
members who youve tapped into for behaviors

before. Youve never asked Ray or LaShawn for a
favor before, because you always view them as too
busy, yet you thought this one time they might come
through for you.
LaShawn and Rays attitudes toward fellow group
membersand to you as someone who has done
them favors beforereally dont sit right with you.
After all, you are busy with the group, you have a job
at the campus daycare center and you serve on several campus committees yourself! It feels like theyre
being a bit elitist and selfish when it comes to sharing
time and cooperating with fellow student leaders.
That doesnt sit right with the team expectations you
all agreed to in the beginning of the year.
Youd like to say something, yet youre not sure
its worth rocking the boat and you wonder if youre
being over-sensitive. Where do you go from here?
What about this situation is bugging you most, if

anything?
What might you do to help resolve the issue?
What are your thoughts on student leaders having
multiple involvements? Why is that?
Notes
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Programmatic Backlash
(Controversial Programming)
There has been a lot of talk on campusand within your communityabout how its hard to identify
as a conservative thinker and get the support you
need. So, you and some fellow organization members
decide to make this a topic for your next all-campus
program, figuring you can provide conservative students with support and a voice, while also educating
non-conservatives about this differing view.
After searching for a main speaker, you and your
fellow student leaders decide to go with someone
from the local Republican Party. He promises that
hell present the conservative viewpoint while also
talking about the importance of being open to views
different from your own. You check with your advisor
to make sure the topic and the speaker are okay.
When she gives the go-ahead, you put the programming machine in motion, promoting the event and
getting other students excited to attend. You think its
going to be great!
However, during the program, the speaker goes
off on some tangents that you hadnt been expecting.
He starts talking about certain conservative viewpoints, from being pro-life to having a particular pic-
ture of what makes up a family, as if they are fact.

When a student asks a question, the speaker jumps
down his throat because the opinion expressed is
something he is adamantly opposed to. Another student jumps to that students defense and the program
soon turns into a nasty exchange between a few people. Two students wind up in tears and others leave
because they cant stand the tension.
The speaker leaves in a huff and the rest of the
program breaks up as angry interactions spill into the
hallways. You and your peers are stunned; you had
intended to create a forum for important discussion
and feel like the event completely backfired.
Once the smoke clears, what are some of the first

actions you believe are important to take? Why?
How can you let students know that all conservative people are not like this particular speaker?
What are some safeguards and policies that you
can put in place when it comes to future controversial programming so a similar incident doesnt
occur?
Notes
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YouTube Displays
(Underage Party Posted Online)
Colin is the staffer on a first year wing at a small

private school on the east coast. The University is nestled in a small town, so social outlets on campus are
somewhat limited. If there is not an event sponsored
by the university, students have very little to do late at
night so they often hit the bar and party scene. When
winter hits, the temperatures drop and the town is
covered in snow. This often means that residents are
less likely to trudge through the snow to an off-campus party and more likely to stay in the residence
halls to drink.
Since all of Colins residents are under 21, his
wing is dry. He has been tightly enforcing the alcohol
policy, but he knows that his residents are still drinking in the hall. One of Colins residents sends him an
email that reads, Thought you should see this. Just
dont let them know that I was the one that told you
about it. The email also has a link to YouTube. This
vague email piques Colins interest. He clicks on the
link and begins to watch the video.
Colin immediately recognizes the students in the
video. Three are his residents and the two others are
friends who are constantly visiting the floor. The
friends are also first year students. The video shows
the residents playing beer pong in their room. The fact
that it is their room in the residence hall is undeniable.
Colin can clearly see their posters, computers and
belongings, which he recognizes from hanging out in
their room. In the video, the residents remove a closet
door and then begin using it to play beer pong.
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After he finishes watching the video, he scrolls

through the other videos posted by that particular
user. He finds more videos of the residents and their
friends drinking in their room. For the most part, the
students play drinking games. He is surprised that his
residents were brazen enough to post these videos to
YouTube. He decides to check out their Facebook
page, and sees that the videos have also been posted
there, along with a lot of photos of the students and
alcohol. Colin cannot believe that his residents have
been able to have this many parties without him
knowing about it. He worries that his supervisor
might think that hes not carefully enforcing the alcohol policy on his wing.
Since the students are underage, Colin knows
they have violated the alcohol policy. Colin also
knows that there is a specific policy against drinking
games at his college. But he is not sure what to do
since he was not there to document the situation in
person.
What should Colins next step be?

What is your college or universitys stance toward
policy violations discovered through YouTube or
Facebook?
Colin is worried about his supervisors reaction to
the situation. Do you think his concerns are merited? Why or why not?
Do your residents or friends have a good understanding of who might see what is posted on the
Internet? Why or why not?
What benefits and consequences are involved
with posting personal information on YouTube or
social networking sites?
Colin suspects that the resident who sent him the
email might have some issues with the residents
in the video. How should he follow up on that situation?
10

Debt Disaster
(Personal Financial Challenges)
Ryan is a senior business major at Raymond

University, and treasurer for the Society of Accounting
and Economics. He has prided himself on managing
the organizations finances successfully this year, but
has struggled with his personal financial management. As he prepares to graduate in a few short
months he is wondering what impact his financial history will have on his ability to purchase a car and rent
an apartment.
Ryan has begun the process of interviewing for
jobs, and has been told by his career services advisor
that in todays job market employers may look into
his credit history, especially for jobs in business and
accounting. At his last advising meeting, Ryans advisor asked if he was prepared, as an applicant for some
accounting jobs, to disclose his financial history. Ryan
figured that his strong resume, past experiences and
excellent references would be enough for any employer review. However, Ryans credit history is poor due
to major debt, debt his parents are unaware of, and
debt he doesnt necessarily want potential employers
to know about.
Ryan has seven credit cards that are all maxed out
and he has taken out student loans beyond his need
as a source of spending money. He has quickly realized that he doesnt qualify for a car loan and every
apartment manager he has met with is unwilling to
rent to him. He is really starting to worry that his
chances for finding a job after graduation will be
impacted by his poor credit history. Ryan was once
excited to graduate, but is now dreading the thought.
If you were Ryan what steps would you take

immediately? Who on campus could he seek
assistance from?
Did you ever consider how your financial history
might impact your future job searches?
Do you think good financial management is a sign
of good leadership? Why or why not?
Notes
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11

Decision Dilemma
(Officer Conflict)
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) at Traverse

College is comprised of eight officers who have
responsibility for campus programming throughout
the year. The officers apply and are selected by a committee comprised of past officers, committee members
and the CAB advisor.
The CAB board has spent a great deal of time on
team building and getting to know each other. For the
most part, the group has gone through the various
stages of group development without a hitch, but the
storming phase is about to heat up! In recent weeks
CAB has had ongoing disagreements about what act
should be contracted for the annual Spring Fling.
Spring Fling is the biggest event at Traverse
College. Alumni come back to campus, families are
invited and students look forward to who CAB will
contract for the final nights festivities. In the past
CAB has brought in nationally known bands and
comedians for the big night! The Special Events
Coordinator is ultimately responsible for coordinating
the Spring Fling, but traditionally the CAB officers
have all been involved in determining who or what
should be the final act.
This year the CAB officers are split down the middle, debating between a nationally known comedian
and an up and coming singer. Both performers are
available and both names, when thrown out to students on campus, have created a buzz. Those CAB
officers in favor of the comedian feel strongly that he
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would bring a larger crowd since he is appealing to all

ages. Those officers advocating for the singer believe
that she is currently hot and that Traverse could be
one of the first schools she visits on her recently
announced tour. Not to mention, CAB brought in a
comedian last year for Spring Fling.
After weeks of ongoing debate, Selena, the Special
Events Coordinator is starting to worry that time is
running out and that a decision needs to be made. As
she gives her report at the officer meeting, she threatens to make an executive decision if the group cannot
determine who to contract by the end of the day.
Selena blames the President, Michelle, for stalling the
process and not handing the final decision over to
Selena at this point. Michelle is adamant that the CAB
board reach consensus on who to contract. As the
debates continue, Selena is sure that a decision will
never be made.
If you were on CAB, what would you suggest the

officers do to assist in making this collaborative
decision successfully?
How do you deal with conflict? How do the
organizations you are in deal with conflict? What
have you found to be an effective way to deal
with disagreements or debates?
Do you believe conflict can be a good thing? Why
or why not?
12

Controlling Coach
(Working with Advisor/Supervisor)
Reagan is the President of the Panhellenic Council

(PHC) at Eastern State University (ESU). She has had
a great year working with the women on the Council
and contributing to the Greek community at ESU. She
always looks forward to the Council meetings, has
really enjoyed getting to know and work with the
executive committee members, and has personally
grown in her role this past year.
All of the women on the executive committee
enjoy each others company and everyone is working
hard to make some big changes in the Greek community this year, changes for the better. Really the only
challenge that PHC has faced this year is that many of
the women have had a difficult time connecting with
Rachael, the PHC advisor.
Reagan has been approached repeatedly by a few
of the executive officers that are having a difficult time
working with Rachael. In a nutshell, some students
have found Rachael to be a bit controlling and too
involved in the direction of PHC. And, Reagan has to
agree.
Rachael has asked to meet with each of the officers weekly for a one-on-one. Reagan initially looked
forward to the opportunity to work with Rachael and
hoped that she would be a mentor to her as she further developed her leadership skills. However, the
meetings have turned into more of Rachael telling
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13
Reagan what needs to be on the meeting agenda, how

she thinks the other officers are doing in their roles,
and upcoming events that Rachael wants the Greek
community to be involved in. Reagan has asked
Rachael if they could change the format of their meetings a little to enable Reagan to provide her updates
and have more of a peer supervisory role with the
officers. Rachael seemed open to it, but within a couple of meetings Rachael went back to her old ways.
Reagan believes that Rachael is truly passionate
about Greek Life at Eastern, but unfortunately her
dedication is being overshadowed by her advising
style. The PHC women have asked Reagan to give
feedback to Rachael or talk to her supervisor, the
director of student activities. However, Reagan is
reluctant to talk to Rachael, as she doesnt want to
hurt her feelings or make matters worse.
How can advisors/supervisors and student leaders build a trusting and open relationship?
What challenges have you faced in working with
your supervisor/advisor? How have you
addressed those challenges?
What do you believe is the role of an
advisor/supervisor of an organization? What
does your advisor/supervisor think his role is?

Just the Secretary

(Identifying Transferrable Skills)
In her first two years of college at Juniper

University, Terri had been involved in a variety of
organizations, primarily as an active member.
However, she did agree to serve as secretary of her
Hall Council this year. It was the perfect role for Terri,
as she wasnt sure she was ready to dive into any
major leadership role at the start of her third year of
college, but she liked the idea of serving on the executive board and being involved in some of the councils
decision-making and programming initiatives.
Terris primary responsibilities as secretary were
to work with the President to prepare agendas; take
minutes at the bi-weekly executive board meetings
and monthly Hall Council meetings; and manage the
organization office. Terri took her responsibilities seriously throughout the role and by second semester, she
was ready to step up her contributions to the council. She inquired with the president about possibly
taking on some new responsibilities, and he encouraged her to co-chair the spring sibling weekend activities with another council officer.
Terri enjoyed the opportunity to dabble in programming. As a co-chair she had the opportunity to
collaboratively plan a variety of activities, work with a
student committee and even volunteered to take on
the promotional responsibilities for the weekend.
A few weeks before spring break, the Hall Council
advisor, Leann, approached Terri to inquire about her
potential interest in serving as an intern in the
Department of Residence Life next year. Leann shared
that there were two intern positions open and highly
encouraged Terri to apply. Leann further explained
that interns would be responsible for working with
hall staff in providing campus-wide hall program-
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ming and resources.

The internship sounded like the perfect opportunity for Terri to become more involved in some of the
leadership experiences she enjoyed while co-chairing
sibling weekend. However, she is surprised that
Leann would think she was qualified. There had to be
other student leaders on campus with much more
experience than Terri.
After some consideration, Terri decided to apply
for the internship. What was the worst that could happenshe didnt get it? After printing off the application, she sat down to begin the process of completing
it but, after filling in her contact information, she
struggled with the first few questions. The questions
were asking her to identify what leadership skills she
would bring to the position and how she would
define her leadership style.
Terri didnt feel like she really had any leadership
skills beyond being honest and dependable. And as
for her leadership style, well, she didnt really get to
demonstrate any style as just the secretary. None of
her secretarial duties had prepared her to be an intern.
Within a few minutes of starting the application, Terri
is wondering if applying is even worth it.
Do you think that Terri demonstrated leadership

in her role as secretary? How?
If you were completing the application, what
transferable skills would you identify as leadership skills that would make Terri qualified for the
internship position?
What transferable skills have you gained from
your leadership experiences?
14

Information Not Needed

(Not Attending Move-in Day Events)
During move-in day you notice that a mother and

her daughter, Brigit, are sitting in the students room
while everyone else is readying to attend the afternoons events, which include community meetings
and safety presentations, along with a social at night.
You arent sure if they are aware that the sessions are
going on, so you approach them to ask if they are
interested in attending any of the scheduled programs.
The mother brusquely responds with a No and
further explains that they did not come to campus to
get all the extras but they are here simply to move
Brigit into her room, which is the priority. The mother
also wants to spend as much time with Brigit before
having to say goodbye. In the meantime, you sense
that Brigit is chomping at the bit to attend the sessions
and start getting to know other people in her community.
You know that Brigit missing these initial sessions

could put her at a disadvantage, both socially and
knowledge-wise. Plus, the information thats going to
be shared is very valuable! You wonder how to relay
this fact to the mother in a respectful, kind way.
Is there anything wrong with families not attending planned move-in day events?
What is your role in encouraging participation in
all aspects of move-in day?
What are some ways you could approach this parent respectfully while also looking out for the
daughters best interests?
How might you handle situations where the parent is being dominant, yet you want to strike up a
rapport with the student and involve him/her in
the conversation?
Notes
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15

Stop Taking My Picture!

(Unwanted Attention)
Leo is an amateur photographer who loves taking

photos. He often has his camera out during events as
he takes photos of fellow students. Typically, people
are laughing and posing for him, and he seems to
revel in the attention.
However, one night two students, Sheila and
Whitney, come to you and ask if they can speak with
you about Leo. Sheila says that Leo is starting to make
her feel uncomfortable because she really hates having
her picture taken. He always seems to be there, with
his camera in her face, she says, and wont leave her
alone when she asks him to stop taking her picture.
Its almost like being stalked, Sheila says, as she is
close to tears.
Whitney tells you that there are a number of photos tagged to her on Facebook that she never posted.
They all lead to Leos Facebook page, where he has
posted some not-so-flattering photos of her in her
pajamas, coming out of the bathroom and dancing
during an off-campus event. Whitney is a senior

applying for jobs this semester and she is very worried that the photos Leo has posted could negatively
impact how potential employers view her.
As you listen to the womens concerns, you know
that youll need to speak with Leo, yet youre wondering how to approach the issue.
How would you end your discussion with Sheila

and Whitney? What type of follow-up would you
do with them?
What tactic might you employ when speaking
with Leo about these students concerns?
What are your main concerns, based on what
Whitney and Sheila have told you?
Are there any freedom of speech issues within
this situation? If so, how might you handle them?
Do you believe that gender plays a role in this situation? Why or why not?
Notes
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16

Pushing Himself to the Brink

(Concerns for a Student Athlete)
Stefan, a student athlete who is involved with

your organization, has been looking very gaunt and
tired lately. Hes hardly ever around these days, and
youve heard him say that all his time is being spent
at practice or in the library studying. When you ask
him how hes doing, he says that hes fine, just working hard at practice since theres a big competition
coming up. Stefan mentions how their coach is working them four hours a day in preparation and that this
is just an intense time.
One day, a friend of Stefans comes to you after
dinner and mentions that Stefan was feeling faint
right before they headed to the dining hall and almost
passed out. She is really worried about how hard hes
been pushing himself and thinks he needs medical
attention.
You stop by Stefans room to check on how hes

doing. Youre very concerned about his well being
and wondering what your next step should be.
What might you say to Stefan?

How could you also meet the needs of his concerned friend?
Who would you get involved in this situation as
you try to get Stefan back to a healthier place?
What are some of the main concerns you have
regarding this situation?
What do you know about the life of student athletes on your campus?
Notes
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17

Letting Go
(Leadership Transition)
Stu is in the process of transitioning out of his role

as president of Beyond Borders, Southern Colleges
international student organization. Stu will be graduating from Southern in a few weeks, and although he
is looking forward to what lies ahead, he is really
struggling with not being involved in the future of
Beyond Borders.
Stu became a member of Beyond Borders during
his first year of college, serving in a variety of leadership roles within the organization: coordinating the
first international festival on campus and facilitating a
new relationship with the Office of International
Students. To say that he has been a dedicated member
of the organization and promoter of international
diversity on campus would be an understatement.
Two weeks ago, Luca, a junior international business major, was elected as the new president. Luca
will be sworn in at the last Beyond Borders meeting of
the year, which will be held in two weeks. Stu is committed to making the presidential transition smooth.
He has scheduled a number of meetings with Luca for
the coming weeks and is preparing his files to hand
over at some point.
At the first transition meeting, Stu thought they
would go through the organization constitution and
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finances. However, about 15 minutes into the meeting,

Luca shared some of the new ideas he has for Beyond
Border, one of which is to invite the Office of
Multiculturalism to co-sponsor the international festival. Stu is not in favor of the co-sponsorship idea, as
he has always been proud that Beyond Borders created and sustained the widely enjoyed festival for years.
He would like to see it remain strictly a Beyond
Borders event.
Stu just nods his head as Luca continues to share
ideas, but inside Stu is really uneasy about this transition and all the changes that Luca wants to make.
How can he support Luca throughout the transition if
he doesnt trust that Lucas leadership will continue
the success of the organization?
Have you ever felt like Stu? Why and how did
you address your struggle to move on from a
position?
What do you think Stu is really struggling with?
What could he do that would help him transition
out of the position smoothly?
What are some of the most important things that
should be included in any leadership transition
process?
18

Collaboration Station
(Collaborating Across Campus)
The Peer Educators at Northrop University were

recently charged with creating a series of programs for
the residence halls during National Eating Disorder
Awareness Month. The Vice President of Student Life
would like the Peers to provide eight programs during the month that will address different topics and be
provided in each of the six halls on campus. With the
month quickly approaching, the Peers have approximately five weeks to design programs, make arrangements with each hall and promote the programs.
The Peers meet weekly on Monday nights. At the
first meeting following the Vice Presidents request,
the group of twelve peers met to begin planning.
Erica, the lead Peer Educator, suggested the group
spend time brainstorming ideas for programs with the
goal of designing eight in total. At the conclusion of a
1.5 hour brainstorm session, the Peers had identified
eight topics that they felt meet the Vice Presidents
goals, however, there was some anxiety around who
and how all eight programswith 12 Peer Educators
were going to be provided.
Michael, a senior, was unsure if the group was
qualified to present or program on a few of the topics
identified. Cia, a junior, was concerned about how she
was going to fit all of the program dates into her
already hectic schedule. And, Richelle, a first year student, inquired about what kind of budget they had to
work with to make some of their creative brainstorm-
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19
ing ideas come to life.

Erica listened to her peers and was feeling similar
concerns. She didnt know if it was realistic to expect
the 12 students in front of her to pull off eight quality
programs with little time, money and resources. With
five weeks out, they would all have to make this their
number one priority to make it happen.
As she closed out the meeting, Erica considered
who else the group could pull in to assist with their
programming endeavors. The Peers wanted to provide some skits, a few formal presentations, and
something fun and entertaining throughout the
month. The Vice President charged them with the
task, but he didnt say they had to do it alone.
As you consider some of the programs that the

Peer Educators could provide during National
Eating Disorder Awareness Month, whom on
campus or in the community could they collaborate with?
How has your organization gone about creating
collaborative relationships on campus?
What upcoming initiatives could you invite others
to join in? Who might you invite and why?
What are the benefits of collaboration? What are
some of the challenges?

Rude Recruitment
(Successful Recruiting Practices)
Over the years, the social organizations at West

Lake College have been very competitive in recruiting
new students to their organizations. With ten social
groups on campus and 2,500 students, the groups are
vying for every potential member they can nab in the
first few weeks of the semester.
Some of the groups have been very creative with
their recruitment efforts, while others have used the
same old same old approaches such as brochures,
information tables and parties. The advisor of the
Social Group Council has been encouraging the
groups to be more innovative in their recruitment
endeavors by truly identifying who they are and communicating that creatively to potential members.
While several of the groups have taken on the
challenge, others have selected to use alternative
methods in an attempt to increase their numbers.
They have been spreading rumors about some of the
organizations to new students, saying that the organizations dont value academics, party all the time and
have a reputation on campus. In addition, some
social group members who are serving as Orientation
Leaders (OL) have been using their OL meetings to
recruit new students, which is against school policy.
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Lisa, a member of one of the groups that is being

bad mouthed, has talked to a few new students
who have shared that they are not interested in joining her group because they are partiers. Lisa is frustrated with how some of the groups are behaving to
just get numbers and is ready to start doing the
same thing so her group doesnt end up with no new
members and a bad rap to boot. She knows it isnt
right, but no one seems to be managing the situation
or challenging the current recruitment process, so if
you cant beat them, join them!
What are the written and unwritten recruitment

rules for student organizations on your campus?
If you were Lisa, how would you handle the situation?
What are some positive and creative ways that
student organizations can recruit new members?
How can an organization share who they are
through recruitment efforts?
20

The Group But Head

(Brainstorming Derailed)
Your group has been charged with developing an

all-campus program that will enhance community by
getting students out and interacting with one another.
You have received some funds from the vice presidents office to put this program in motion and are
very excited about the possibilities!
At your next meeting, the group starts planning
the program. The ideas are flying fast and furious,
and the energy in the air is palpable. However, Roget,
a veteran group member, starts to argue with almost
every suggestion that is offered. The word but is
present in every sentence he says and you can feel the
creative spark within your groups brainstorm being
extinguished rapidly.
Roget claims that hes just playing devils advocate to help folks see different sides to the ideas
being presented. He says that increases the challenge
to his fellow student leaders so they have to really
prove that they believe in an idea by fighting for it.
These arent the rules of brainstorming that
youve experienced before and Rogets approach
makes you very uncomfortable. Plus, youre seeing
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some of the quieter group members withdrawing

they dont feel comfortable expressing their opinions
or suggestions anymore because they expect Roget
will automatically shoot them down.
You see the value of different perspectives but
want to make sure that a collaborative, cooperative
environment is being created, too. What might you do
in this situation?
What happens when one group member has a

dominant personality and presence?
How can this be balanced among a group of
peers?
What would you like to say to Roget if you pulled
him aside?
What types of things could other group members
learn from this situation?
How do you view the saying that sometimes people develop a cult of personality?
How might your group reclaim their enthusiasm
for the project after this stumbling block?
21

This is Ridiculous!
(Rude Behavior)
Your weekly organizational meeting is tonight

and the group starts to gather. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 pm, but rarely does the meeting get
started before 6:10 due to late arrivals. Typically those
on time just sit around and wait for the last few people to show up. Its a pattern that your group has gotten into over the past few months.
As soon as everyone arrives, the president, Toni,
gets started, but Jodis cell phone interrupts the discussion of the first agenda item. Jodi nervously
answers her phone and quickly gets off, apologizing
to Toni.
Toni continues, but within 10 minutes two other
group members, Mike and Luis, begin a side conversation in the back of the room. This draws attention
away from the subject matter at hand and is very disruptive. When called on it, Mike begrudgingly says,
Okay, were listening while Luis rolls his eyes.
Soon after this, Katie proceeds to rustle bags as
she prepares to eat the dinner she brought with her. I
didnt have time to get to the dining hall before the
meeting, she says, as the smell of garlic and onions
wafts out of her to-go container.
You can see that Toni is getting very upset as she

tries to proceed with the agenda. Then, the final straw
is when two group members get up and excuse themselves before the meeting is done, saying, I need to
get to the library. At this point, Toni loses it, yelling,
This is ridiculous! Cant we have a simple meeting
on time, without interruptions and with full participation? Some of you are incredibly rude!
You agree with her, yet you can see other students
reacting negatively to her outburst. You wonder
where this will go from here.
- What are some other ways Toni could have handled this situation?
When people are rude in group settings, how do
you react?
Are there behaviors that you participate in that
could be considered uncivil?
What might you do to nip rude behavior in the
bud before it gets out of hand?
What does civility mean to you?
Notes
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22

A Night Out Gone Wrong

(Reputation)
Last night, you and some friends were at a fraternity party that got pretty wild. The noise level rose,
people were drinking underage and students were
spilling out onto the lawn, creating a neighborhood
ruckus. Then, some neighbors called the police who
showed up and broke up the party, threatening to
arrest anyone who didnt leave immediately.
You and your friends scatter quickly, because
youre in a student leadership position and you dont
want to get in trouble. However, as youre leaving,
you bump into two students who are part of your
organization. Theyre surprised to see you out and
question if its okay for the president to be out partying. Before you know what theyre doing, one pulls
out her camera phone and takes your photo with the
fraternity house in the background. Then, they run
off.
Youre really worried that these two students will
spread storieswhether or not theyre trueabout
you going crazy at an off-campus frat party. And the
fact that they have a photo to back up their claim has
you even more worried. You take your reputation
very seriously and think that other group members
and your advisor might think less of you when they
hear the rumors.
So, youre wondering what to do to be proactive.

And youre taking a hard look at your actions that
night to examine if you did anything that was wrong
or on the border.
Would you say something to your advisor in this

situation? Why or why not?
What do you think about the actions of one
impacting the reputation of all when it comes to
your team?
Did this student leader do something wrong?
Why or why not?
How might you address the students involved in
this situation?
What are some rules that youve set for yourself
as a student leader? Why did you choose those
rules?
Notes
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23

The Busy Transfer Life

(Transfer Students)
Yolanda is a transfer student in your organization

who is getting acclimated to life on a new campus.
She is very friendlyand very busyas she has a 30hour a week job off campus working at the local hospital. She also has a full class load as a physical therapy major. You dont see her very often, as a result.
You want to be sure that youre meeting Yolandas
needs as a transfer student and youre worried about
the pace that shes trying to keep up. Plus, members
of the group dont really seem to know her since shes
hardly ever around and they kind of ignore her when
she is.
You honestly dont know much about what transfer students go through, as you are a traditional student at a four-year school. Yet, you want to make sure
that Yolanda knows you are there as a resource. Other
than that, youre not really sure what your role is
here.
What do you know about the transfer student

experience?
How might you approach Yolanda?
What are some ways that transfer students can be
better incorporated into an organization?
How much of this situation is about your needs
and how much is about Yolandas needs?
Presidential Transfer Students
Just FYI, President Barack Obama was a transfer student (from

Occidental College in California to Columbia University in New York) and
so were six other U.S. presidents:
John Quincy Adamsfrom Paris, Amsterdam and the University of
Leyden to Harvard University
James Garfieldfrom Hiram College (OH) to Williams College (MA)
Benjamin Harrisonfrom Farmers College (OH) to Miami University
of Ohio
Woodrow Wilsonfrom Davidson College (NC) to Princeton
University (NJ)
John F. Kennedyfrom Princeton University NJ (where he withdrew
due to illness) to Harvard University (MA)
Jimmy Carterfrom Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia
Institute of Technology (one year each) to the United States Naval
Academy
Source: Obamas Lessons for Transfer Students, U.S. News & World
Report, 1/16/09
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24

Meeting Mayhem
(Meetings Gone Wrong)
Sam is in his junior year of college, and after delving into a variety of leadership experiences during his
first two years, he has taken on a new commitment as
the Chairperson of the Associated Students organization. He began the year incredibly excited about the
opportunities that this student leadership role presented, but is now wondering what he got himself
into.
The chairperson role is ultimately responsible for
setting meeting agendas, serving as parliamentarian
and managing elections in the spring. Associated
Students meetings are infamous for being long,
tedious and not well managed. The culture around
meetings has gotten so bad that even the committee
meetings are taking on the same characteristics.
Sam was nominated by a number of students
who encouraged him to run for the position after seeing his work on two committees last year. Sam decided to give it a go and was elected this past spring. He
spent a good portion of the summer considering how
he could better manage meetings and create a new,
more efficient meeting environment. He began the
first few weeks feeling like things were going well,
but now he feels like meetings are slowly creeping
back to the old way and he doesnt know how to
turn things around.
Between veteran members ignoring the agenda
and monopolizing discussion, random students seeing
meeting time as social time and long, drawn out tangents being presented, meetings are lasting over two
hours and little is being accomplished. Sam has
repeatedly reminded the membership of how meetings are to be structured and run according to the con-
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stitutional by-laws, but he continues to find himself

losing control of the agenda and discussion.
Last week, the Associated Students advisor and
president asked to meet with Sam about concerns they
had been receiving regarding the length of meetings
and the lack of progress being made on the annual
goals. The advisor and president asked Sam to consider a plan of action to get things back on track and
want to meet in two weeks to learn about Sams solution to the meeting challenges.
Sam left the meeting feeling overwhelmed and
unsure of how to proceed. Although he had been feeling frustrated by the way the meetings were going, he
had no idea that others were feeling similarly and is
unsure of who has been sharing concerns with the
advisor and president. Additionally, he doesnt even
know where to begin in creating a plan of action for
turning the Associated Students meeting culture
around. The pressure is on and Sam is feeling the heat
to perform.
If you were Sam, where would you begin in identifying ways to better run organizational meetings?
What are some of the most common meeting challenges that organizations face and how can they
best be remedied?
What are some specific things that you have either
used or experienced that have facilitated positive
and efficient meetings?
25

Learn It, Not Earn It

(Competing Agendas)
Rohit is a third year member of the Eastern State

University (ESU) marching band and was elected last
spring to serve as the new member coordinator for
first year band members. The ESU marching band has
a storied past; being invited to be a member is a huge
honor and commitment.
The band has many traditions for new members,
some of which Rohit and a select few other returning
band members would like to see changed. As the new
year begins, one immediate change Rohit would like
to make is to Hell Week, which takes place the
fourth week of the semester. Each year, the new band
members are initiated into the marching band during Hell Week. Some of the activities are helpful and
positive for the incoming members; however Rohit
believes some of the traditions may be defined as
hazing according to school policy.
In an effort to create change in the Hell Week
activities, Rohit created and proposed a new schedule
to the returning band members at the first meeting of
the year. The proposed schedule passed with a majority vote; however there were six seniors who adamantly felt that Hell Week should remain as it is and that
new members needed to earn their uniform before
they wore it.
Today is the second day of the newly titled
March to Your Own Beat week for new members
and Rohit is feeling pretty good about the changes
that have been implemented. As he leaves the band
room following a scheduled welcome pizza party,
two new members approach him. The first year students are inquiring about a bonfire tonight that some
seniors have invited them to. It is not included in the
schedule. They have no means of transportation and
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are wondering if the marching band will be providing

rides to the fire that is located about five miles from
campus.
Rohit is confused by the question and inquires
about who invited the new members to a bonfire. The
students identify three of the seniors who had
opposed the new schedule proposed a few weeks
back. In addition, the students share with Rohit that
the seniors had taken all of the new members out to
breakfast at 5 AM this morning. They just wanted to
know if he could share any other unscheduled
events in advance so they could plan for the rest of
the week.
Rohit is completely taken aback. So many
thoughts are going through his head. How many
other returning band members are involved in these
nonscheduled activities? The bonfire was something
he had taken out of the traditional schedule, as it had
also included a blindfolded scavenger hunt through
the woods nearby. Were the seniors planning on continuing with that activity? As Rohit is processing all of
his thoughts he sees the seniors in question leaving
the building with some of the new members.
What is the first thing that Rohit should do and

why?
Are the seniors wrong to be giving special attention to the new members, and if so, why?
Could Rohit have done anything differently
before or after proposing the new schedule to gain
the support of the opposing seniors? Could the
seniors have done anything differently?
26

Hand$-Off
(Budget Challenges)
The Residence Hall Association (RHA) at Simms

College has had a stellar year. The group reviewed
and revised their constitution for the first time in 20
years, coordinated 25 programs in five different residence halls, hosted the campus Make a Difference
Day in October, allocated over $10,000 to Hall
Councils and was recognized as Student Organization
of the Year!
The RHA Executive Committee is thrilled to conclude the year with their annual Simms Selebration,
an outdoor carnival for the entire campus community
to enjoy. The annual event is the biggest program
RHA coordinates each year and the planning committee always wants to one-up last years event.
This years event is sure to be the best ever. Gina
and Max, Simms Selebration co-chairs, cant believe
how quickly and easily everything has come together.
The have really let the committee of 10 student volunteers run with their ideas. They have facilitated weekly meetings where each of the committee members
can give updates, but for the most part they have been
hands-off and really empowered the committee to
envision and realize what they want the event to be.
This years committee has contracted two live bands,
four inflatables, a dunk tank, a comedian and a
portable Ferris wheel. In addition, one of the most
popular restaurants in town has agreed to cater the
entire event.
As Gina and Max head into the final committee
meeting before the event next week, the president and
treasurer of RHA approach them and ask if they can
talk with them in the RHA office. Gina and Max follow the officers into an office where the RHA advisor
is waiting.
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The treasurer proceeds to share with Gina and

Max that, according to her records, the budget for
Simms Selebration is significantly in the red. A contract and the catering estimates came in today and
those two bills alone put the budget over $7,000. Gina
and Max know that there is still another contract out
for the comedian and a printing bill for the promotional fliers, which will add another $3,000. The officers inform Gina and Max that being over-budget is
not an option and they will need to make some
changes quickly to ensure that the program is in the
black.
Gina and Max leave their meeting with the officers and advisor, promising to resolve the budget
challenges within the next 24 hours. They walk into
their committee meeting reflecting on their handsoff management approach and wondering how they
are going to break the news to the committee and cut
$10,000 out of a program that is happening in seven
days?
What is the difference between being hands-off

and delegating appropriately?
How might Gina and Max turn this dilemma into
a learning moment for the other committee members?
What might they have done differently to avoid
this budget dilemma?
How can you empower other students yet still
stay in the loop?
27

Parental Posturing
(Parental Involvement)
James is a first year student leader at Lakeshore

University. He is one of 12 student leaders in an allmale residence hall. It is the fourth week of school and
James is feeling very good about the start of the year.
He had a wing meeting during the first week and
since then he has stopped in and met with every resident, checking on how things are going for them.
With the exception of one room, it appears that most
of the roommates are getting along fine and the year
is starting off on a good foot.
However, two roommates have not connected
very well. Jong is a new international student from
Japan and Kurt is a second-year student who is the
fourth in his family to attend Lakeshore. Kurts father,
Mr. William Johnson, serves on the Board of Trustees
and is an influential businessman in the community
whose name adorns the exact residence hall that Kurt
and Jong live in, and that James works in.
After talking with both Jong and Kurt on separate
occasions it is apparent that, due to differences in language and culture, both students are struggling to
communicate with each other. Kurt has complained to
others on the wing about the early to bed, early to
rise hours Jong is keeping and that Jong is constantly
bringing his international friends back to the room.
And Jong has quietly come and gone from the building with little to no interaction with anyone on the
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wing. James has offered to sit down with the roommates together and assist them in designing a roommate plan that will work for both of them throughout
the year, but he hasnt been able to nail down either of
them to commit to such a meeting.
Adding fuel to the fire, Kurts father called James
last night and left a message on his voicemail requesting that he help Kurt find a better housing situation in
the hall. Mr. Johnson stated that, Jong is not an
appropriate roommate for my son and Wouldnt
they both be better off with roommates that are more
suitable? According to campus policy, there are to be
no housing changes within the first eight weeks of the
semester, but James knows that Mr. Johnson has had
previous influence on decisions made at the university and is unsure how to proceed in responding to his
request.
What is the first thing that James should do and

why?
How do student leaders work within a system
that is sometimes influenced by campus VIPs
(Very Important People)?
What are some general rules student leaders
should consider when working with and communicating with upset parents or family members?
28

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

(Taking Credit for Others Work)
The Environmental Club at Blue Mound

Community College has been working hard all year to
raise awareness about ways that the entire campus
community can be more ecological and sustainable.
Only two years old, the club has a small but dedicated
group of students and the founding members will be
graduating this year.
Sonja and Jake are new, but passionate members
of the club and have helped create a number of new
and innovative programs this year. Founding members, Selma, the current president, and Luc, the current vice president, have welcomed new members and
ideas into the group. And, although Sonja and Jake
appreciate the current officers collaborative leadership style, they have noticed that neither Selma nor
Luc is very good at acknowledging the work of others
in the group.
Last week, when the vice president of Student
Affairs attended a club meeting to acknowledge the
efforts of the group this year, Selma and Luc appeared
to take credit for all the new programs and didnt
even acknowledge some of the leadership that had
come from the various members of the group to make
it all happen. And, just today Sonja read an interview
with the two officers in the campus newspaper in
which Selma was quoted as stating that she was
excited to provide new and innovative programming
to campus around environmental issues and hopes
that she has left a legacy that future members can continue for years to come.
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Sonja and Jake appreciate the efforts that the

founding members made to raise awareness on campus, but they also know that many of the programs
and services created this year came from a lot of time
and effort from some of the newest members of the
club. They also are hearing rumblings from the
younger members that they arent interested in continuing with the group next year because their contributions arent recognized and they seem to get all the
grunt work and none of the glory.
Although Sonja and Jake arent in it for the glory,
it would be nice to be thanked for some of the
efforts and new ideas they offered this year. They are
considering approaching Selma and Luc about the situation, but are unsure how they will respond or even
if they have the right to share their concerns.
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt

like you werent appreciated? How did you feel
and what did you do?
What ways can you as a student leader make sure
all contributionsbig and smallare recognized?
If you were Sonja or Luc, what would you do?
If you were Selma or Jake, what would you do?
29

If You Arent Part of the Solution,

Youre Part of the Problem
(Appreciating Diversity)
Lola is a first year resident assistant (RA) for New

Hall on the Western State University campus. A team
of 12 RAs serves New Hall and nine are returners this
year. Lola has learned a great deal from many of the
returning RAs and has turned to two in particular,
Sherri and Monica, as mentors who she has greatly
come to respect and seek advice from when she comes
across various RA challenges. In turn, all three women
have become friends and spend time together in and
out of work. Lola has enjoyed the friendship and the
support through her first year as an RA.
However, last week Lola was introduced to a perspective shared by both Monica and Sherri that she
had not heard previously. The women invited Lola to
join them for dinner, along with a few of their other
upper-class friends, one of whom, Norah, is a resident
on Lolas floor. After everyone ordered, Norah began
commenting on two Indian students who were also
residents on Lola and Norahs floor. Norah began by
stating, I cant understand a word they say, I dont
know how they expect to make friends when they
cant even speak our language. Before Lola could
respond, Sherri chimed in with Yeah, and Im confused why the international students who dont speak
fluent English dont all live together, or are at least
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paired with a roommate from their country. I really

understand why some of my American residents who
have international student roommates are not having
a good college experience.
You are starting to get uncomfortable with this
discussion, especially when you notice that sitting
right next to you at another table are international students who have overheard the conversation. And you
are unsure how to respond to your older mentors, and
a current resident, regarding their comments. You
know, as a student leader, that you should do something, but what can you do?
If you were Lola what would you do?

What are some methods of addressing the conversation that Lola could use to inform and help her
peers understand and empathize?
Why is it so hard to confront inappropriate behavior and language?
How can we support and recognize each other
when we do confront inappropriate behavior?
Have you ever been in a situation like this before?
How did you respond? Would you do anything
differently in the future?
30

Is Honesty the Best Policy?

(Answering Tough Questions)
Every year the Orientation Leaders (OLs) at

Southern U prepare and act out a variety of skits for
new students to watch and discuss during the summer orientation program. The topics range from time
management to roommate conflicts to choices around
social activities in college.
This past year Southern U saw an increase in prescription drug use by students and the OLs were
asked by the Vice President of Student Affairs to provide a skit on the consequences of drug usephysical,
mental and legalto all orientation participants.
The audience is first year students and transfer
students who will be starting their college careers in
the fall. The OLs have decided to do a short skit on
the campus policy, the pitfalls of using prescription
meds illegally and then open it up for discussion on
other drug related topics.
The OLs work hard to create an engaging, yet
informative and educational skit. After presenting to
the first group of students, one of the OLs opens it up
to the audience for questions. The first question is presented by a male student in the third row who asks,
How many of you all have done marijuana or another drug, cuz everyone is doing it? Before anyone can
answer, a female student in the first row chimes in,
My brother went to school here and he said that as
long as you are quiet and dont make yourself known,
you can get away with just about anything.
The OLs look at each other without speaking, as
some team members are aware of previous under-age
alcohol and drug use by members of the OL team.
There is a slight pause as the Coordinator for
Orientation and Dean of Admissions look on.
If you were an OL on this team, how would you

respond to this question and comment?
Should students who have misused alcohol or
drugs in the past be eligible candidates for a student leadership position? Why or why not?
When you consider sharing your own story with
students as a part of the orientation experience,
how important is complete honesty? How can you
be honest and educate new students at the same
time?
Notes
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31

On Over Drive
(Abuse of Prescription Meds)
When it comes to positive group members, Saul

fits the profile! Hes always helpful, volunteers to help
with programs, attends meetings regularly and works
as the publicity chair.
You know that Saul is very academically driven.
He told you that his parents expect him to carry a 3.5
or higher each semester if theyre going to continue
helping him pay for school. He also really enjoys his
classes as a bio major and hopes to get an internship
at a local teaching hospital over the summer. On top
of all that, hes been getting more involved with other
co-curricular activities, too. He just joined the campus
radio station plus hes been spending time working
with the campus programming board on major
events.
During midterms, fellow group members tell you
that theyve seen Saul up at all hours of the night,
studying and trying to get everything done. When
you see him, he appears to be restless and have a lot
of nervous energy, even though his eyes are bloodshot
from a lack of sleep. At about this same time, another
group member comes to you, saying that some of his
prescribed Ritalin is missing from his backpack. He
doesnt want to accuse Saul but he cant think of who
else it might be, especially based on Sauls recent
behavior. Since you know that Ritalin is a stimulant
sometimes used illegally by non-ADD patients to stay
awake, you suspect that Saul may have stolen it, in
part due to his behavior over the past few days.
Where do you go from here?
The Pharmers in Your Midst Quiz
Prescription meds abuse can be difficult to detect if

youre not aware of what substances are out there. The
following pop quiz can help:
Q: Which substances offer a surge of pleasure or a
sense of well being?
A: Percodan, Tylenol with Codeine, Vicodin and
Valium.
Q: What substances are used to increase mental acuity?

A: Ritalin and Dexedrine.
Q: Which substances are potentially dangerous when

taken with alcohol?
A: All of them.
Q: Why is prescription medication abuse on the

upswing?
A: Since these drugs are legal, its seen as a safer
way to get a high. Plus, theyre fairly easy to access.
Q: How might students get their hands on prescription meds?
A: Steal them from another student or a sibling, buy
them from street dealers or other students, by calling a pharmacy and impersonating a doctor, etc.
What is your main concern in this situation?

What do you know about pharming or the illegal use of prescription drugs for non-prescribed
purposes?
How might you address this situation?
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32

Last Year We
(Returners vs. New Members)
You are so excited to begin your experience as a

group member following several days in training
where you have met 12 new members and two returners, Melanie and Keisha. The returners are really helpful in sharing information and insightsfor the most
part.
You are starting to find their involvement and
their opinions to be overbearing, primarily because
they seem to be clinging to last years approach. Just
yesterday, the group was brainstorming topics that
could be turned into programming possibilities and
Melanie and Keisha referred to topics that worked
and didnt work last year. They talk a lot about how
certain situations were handled last year. And, this
afternoon, someone suggested that the group chalk
sidewalks across campus welcoming people, and both
women entered the conversation stating that chalking
was unprofessional and that last year they used professionally printed banners to welcome students to campus.
You are noticing that others on the team are starting to show frustration with the ongoing references to
last year and are discussing this with each other
behind Melanie and Keishas backs. You know that if
the frustration continues it could hurt the overall efficiency and success of your group, and you suspect
that Melanie and Keisha are not aware of how their
behavior and responses might be stifling idea sharing
and negatively impacting team trust. What might you
do in this situation?
What have you learned in training that could help

you deal with this internal conflict?
What do you think you would do first?
How can your group balance the wisdom of last
year coupled with the fresh ideas of this year?
What can be done so this situation doesnt drive a
wedge between group members from the beginning?
Notes
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33

From Volunteer to Victim

(Sexual Harassment)
The organization that you hold a leadership position in is very focused on volunteerism and community service. You love the energy that your fellow students bring to the group and their drive to do purposeful work! Its inspiring and youre proud to be
part of it all.
One Sunday afternoon, your group heads to a
local teen center to work on a project with the youth.
Youre painting murals on the walls, listening to
music and having a good time being with them.
However, one of your group members, Gretchen,
pulls you aside at one point and asks to speak with
you. She is visibly upset and says that when she was
in the hallway getting extra supplies, one of the older
teen males started making inappropriate comments
toward her, commenting on her body and making her
feel very uncomfortable. Gretchen says that at one
point the teen started coming closer and she felt completely vulnerable, wondering if he was going to harm
her. She ran back into the main room and thats when
she came to find you.
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34
You are outraged and feeling very protective of

Gretchen. When you ask her to point out the teen in
question, she doesnt see him in the main room. You
want to do something right away, yet arent quite sure
where to begin.
What action could you take in this situation?

How can you take care of Gretchens immediate
needs while also handling the other side of this
situation?
What resources could you call upon?
How might you process this situation with the
rest of your group (if Gretchen was willing) without scaring them and having them give up on
doing good work?
What types of actions are considered sexual
harassment and/or sexual assault?

Nothing Can Go Wrong

(Event Planning Breakdown)
The College Activities Board (CAB) at Sand Dune

Community College was gearing up for their biggest
event of the year, Bo Booker, a comedian known on
the national stage and recently seen on Comedy
Central. The college community was buzzing and
ticket sales were going strong. With only a few days to
go before the show, 800 tickets had been sold and it
seemed like nothing could go wrong.
CAB members had been involved in planning the
event for months! They had spent a good amount of
time going through the contract to ensure that they
had all their bases covered. Jennifer, CABs special
events coordinator, was the main contact between
CAB and Bos agent. She had broken the contract and
rider down into parts. To help plan and organize all
the logistical details involved, Jennifer had appointed
volunteer chairs for identified planning areas: staging
needs, set-up and tear-down, catering, security, ticket
sales and promotion. Her advisor had complimented
Jennifer during a recent CAB meeting on her use of
delegation and involving her volunteer committee
members. Jennifer had been meeting regularly with
the committee and felt really good about preparations
for the event.
On Friday, a day before Bos performance, the setup and staging crews were in the auditorium working
hard. Jennifer and few other CAB members brought in
some sandwiches and drinks for the volunteers before
heading to the Green Room to meet with the special
events committee and go through last minute details.
Jennifer had set an agenda so that each planning area
could provide a report and answer any questions
before tomorrows performance. After the stage and
set-up chairs gave their respective reports, Jennifer
turned to John who was chairing security. John reported that he confirmed everything with the contracted
security provider, but that the city Fire Chief had
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stopped in today and was not happy with the set-up

of the gym and wanted to see larger aisles for departure. Additionally, the Chief did not want more than
900 tickets sold for the event for safety reasons. Talia,
the ticket sales chair, was shocked by this information
given that 950 tickets had already been sold and they
were expecting a large number of sales at the door
tomorrow night. Additionally, Jennifer noted the frustration on the set-up chairs face when John mentioned the need to create larger aisles.
After Johns report, Jennifer inquired why the Fire
Chief had even stopped by and if the college had to
abide by his request. She had not included that on the
event planning list and is wondering how they are
going to handle the purchase of ticket sales tomorrow
night. The set-up chair left the room quickly in hope
of seeing how many volunteers he could convince to
stick around for another hour or two to make some
changes to the seating area.
Event planning is hard. All the details. All the

communication. What are some planning mistakes you or your organization has made in the
past?
If you were Jennifer and the special events committee, what are the steps you would take to
respond to this last-minute challenge?
What tools can event planners use to cover all of
their bases in organizing events?
Volunteer help is one of the biggest challenges in
large event planning. How do you recruit, reward
and retain your volunteers? How could you
improve in this area?
35

Is There Room for All Faiths?

(Meeting the Needs of Different Populations)
Scott is a second-year Resident Assistant (RA) and

hall representative on the Student Government
Association (SGA) at Colgin College, a small, private,
Catholic college in the Midwest. Scott was recently
nominated and appointed by the Director of
Residence Life to serve as one of two student representatives on a newly formed Mission and Heritage
committee. The committee has been charged with
developing ways for the college to identify more with
their Catholic heritage through symbolism, programming and curriculum.
The perception on campus is that the majority of
the campus is Catholic. However, Scotts student leadership training has informed him that actually 40% of
the campus does not identify as Catholic. Some staff,
faculty and students feel that the college has moved
away from its Catholic ideals and that the institution
needs to be stronger and more consistent in spreading
the Catholic message. However, Scott has heard some
students say, through his various leadership positions
on campus, that they feel like the college has not supported other religious backgrounds on campus or
those students who do not identify with any religious
background but rather subscribe to a diversity of spiritual or no-faith beliefs. Not to mention, Scott was
raised Lutheran, but has not been active in any religion throughout his college career.
At the first committee meeting, Scott is introduced
to the other nine members of the committee, including
the other student representative, Angela, who is a junior religious studies major. Scott recognizes the other
members of the committee as administrative staff on
campus and the Vice President of Student Affairs. The
Vice President of Mission and Heritage, Father Gio, is
the chairperson. Father Gio proceeds to share the
vision and goals identified for the committee by the
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President of the College, and the timeline the committee will be working with. Following his brief introduction, Father Gio facilitates a general discussion regarding the direction committee members would like to
see the college go in as relates to better communicating and identifying with its Catholic heritage.
Scott finds the discussion enlightening as he gets a
sense of what each representative is bringing to the
table. From initial impressions, it feels like the majority of the committee believes that the college should be
integrating more Catholicism into the college policies,
curriculum, residence halls and campus life. Angela
specifically mentions that she is disappointed in some
of the student organizations that are recognized by the
college that go completely against Catholic teachings.
Scott is excited to be a part of the committee, but
is concerned about how the committees work will
ensure that all faiths are welcomed and celebrated on
campus. He leaves the meeting reflecting on how he
can best represent religions within the campus community while respecting the goals of the committee.
What are the positive implications of the college

exploring its identity and heritage?
What are some potential negative implications
that could occur with a heightened religious identity?
What ways might the college live its mission and
identity, while also opening its arms to those students, staff and faculty who practice differing
faiths?
If you were Scott, how would you proceed in
sharing the voice of all faiths and non-faiths on
campus through your committee work?
36

Reply AllRewindReverse
(Making Mistakes)
The Department of Student Leadership (DSL) at

Stanton College hires approximately five student
interns annually to assist in a variety of peer training
and program planning initiatives throughout the year.
Each year, one of the five interns is hired as the Lead
Intern, a position responsible for training, managing
and evaluating the intern team. The position comes
with significant responsibility, as the Lead Intern is
the only student who receives a key to the office and
access to the departmental credit card and cash box.
Sarah is a third year intern in DSL and was given
the Lead Intern honor this past fall. She has thoroughly enjoyed this role and has received excellent feedback and evaluations throughout the year. One of the
fun tasks the Lead Intern gets to do is to plan the end
of the year celebration dinner. The entire DSL staff
and intern team go out for dinner at a local restaurant
where fun awards are given out and recognition is
shared.
For this years dinner, Sarah has selected to hold
it on the Saturday before graduation at a local Italian
restaurant, Ginos, which is a student favorite. The
day before the dinner, Angela emails the entire staff to
confirm everyones attendance and remind people of
the time and location. Ginos requested that Angela
call them the day before to confirm the number of
people and provide a credit card number to secure the
reservation.
Before leaving for the afternoon, Angela went
into the locked drawer where the department keeps
their office credit card and called Ginos to provide
the number and confirm the reservation. Immediately
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following the call, Sarahs friend Emma walked into

the office. Emma invited Sarah to join her at the gym.
Sarah was done with her office hours for the day and
decided that a good workout was in order, especially
considering the great meal she would be enjoying
tomorrow night. She grabbed her bag and headed out
the door with Emma.
When Sarah returned to her room later that afternoon she checked email and saw that Mike, the director of DSL, had sent her an email. She opened Mikes
email in which he shared that he found the departmental credit card on the office desk and the locked
drawer, which included the cash box, left open. He
asked to meet with Sarah on Monday morning to discuss the matter further.
Sarahs stomach is turning as she realizes that she
quickly departed with Emma before putting the card
away and locking the door. She cant even imagine
facing Mike at tomorrows dinner and is anxious
about her meeting on Monday. She was so excited
about the dinner, but now she doesnt even want to
go.
Think back to mistakes you have made. How did

you feel immediately when they happened? How
do you look at them now? What were the positives that came out of a negative situation?
If you were Sarah how would you handle this situation?
How can Sarah still enjoy her evening tomorrow
night without having this mistake hang over her?
37

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

(Relationship Issues)
Gregg is an outgoing, likeable member of your

organization. He always seems to be involved in
something social, whether its gathering folks for an
informal volleyball game or heading to brunch as a
group on Sunday mornings. He helps to make your
organization hum as a true community, for which you
are very grateful.
You know that Gregg has a serious girlfriend,
Amanda, at home who he adores. He has shown you
photos and things that she has given him. Plus,
youve met her a few times when shes been in to visit
Gregg. They seem like a solid couple that are making
the long distance thing really work for them.
One night, though, Gregg approaches you, looking upset. He closes the door behind him and asks if
you can give him some advice. It seems that he has
been meeting a lot of great new people this semester
through all of his involvements, and he is particularly
surprised by the positive female attention he has been
getting. This never really happened to me in high
school, he explains. He is feeling very disloyal to
Amanda because, truth be told, he likes the attention.
And he has been getting very friendly with another
group member, Delaney, who he really connects with
and feels he can talk to. Theres nothing romantic
going onyetbut Gregg feels like hes at a relationship crossroads and isnt sure what to do.
You can tell that Gregg is looking for someone to

tell him what to do. However, you know from leadership trainingand from some past experiencesthat
telling people what to do doesnt always work out,
because then they often place the blame/credit on you
when things do or dont work out. Plus, you want to
be able to help Gregg really figure this out for himself
as a learning opportunity, albeit a painful, difficult
one.
As Gregg looks at you expectantly, you get ready
to respond
What are some ways to turn an issue back to a fellow student to help him figure things out without
you telling him what to do?
If you liked Amanda but didnt trust Delaney,
would that change your response? Why or why
not?
What are some programmatic ways you might be
able to address relationship issues, including long
distance relationships?
What types of questions might you ask Gregg in
this situation?
Notes
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38

S.O.S.
(Feeling Overwhelmed)
Karl is completing his third semester at college

and really looking forward to heading home for a
much-needed winter break. He has experienced a phenomenal past year and a half, and wants to continue
going strong, but is really feeling tired and unsure of
how much more he can take on.
In his first year, Karl immediately got involved in
a variety of groups that were similar to those he
enjoyed in high school: the campus newspaper, the
environmental club, hall council and the recreation
club. He attended all the events and meetings of these
groups last year, and was nominated for a variety of
positions, of which he accepted editor of the campus
news section and vice president of the environmental
club.
Between the eight to ten meetings he attends each
week, coupled with his off-campus job, not to mention
his schoolwork, Karl is feeling a bit overwhelmed.
The hard part is that everyone is constantly recognizing all the things Karl is involved in and how great
he is at each of them. He doesnt want to let anyone
down, but he is starting to feel like his is going to
have to jump ship on a few things. His grades are
starting to suffer, as are his relationships. His friends
are constantly asking him to do things that he has to
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39
turn down due to conflicting meetings or events. His

family hasnt seen him since the start of the semester
because he is always involved in a weekend event.
And, finals week is less than two weeks away and he
is way behind on preparing for his exams.
Karl has noticed that he is beginning to have feelings of apathy and not really caring if he doesnt make
a meeting or fulfill a commitment. He is constantly
tired, rarely exercises and finds himself spending
more time giving advice than getting it. He talks with
you, a fellow student leader that he trusts, about feeling burned out. Karl wants next semester to be a fresh
start and the only way he thinks he can do that is if he
just throws in the towel on everything and starts new.
Have you ever felt like Karl? What did you do?
There are so many great opportunities throughout
college. What advice would you give to passionate student leaders like Karl who find themselves
over-involved and overwhelmed?
How can peers help each other during these
stressful times? What should you be looking for
and how can you assist?

Taking Tau to Task

(Negative Press)
The Tau Chi Tau local sorority is one of the largest

sororities on the Southeast State University (SESU)
campus. The organization has a storied past and was
the first founded womens sorority on campus. A
number of alumni have gone on to be successful in
their respective careers and often link their success to
their start in Tau Chi Tau. For many new female Greek
recruits, Tau Chi Tau is their first choice given the
number of members who hold student leadership
positions across campus, their reputation for being
serious about academics and, most importantly, their
commitment to service in the community.
This year Tau Chi Tau was able to invite 20 new
members into their sorority. Jenna is the current New
Member Educator and she has implemented some
innovative activities in hopes of exposing the soon-tobe sisters to the community service projects the group
is so well known for. One of the activities involves
volunteering two hours each week at a local food
pantry.
Jenna has provided some initial training for the
new members on what they should expect at the
pantry and what they may be asked to do during their
time there. She has asked each woman to wear her
new member t-shirt with the college name and Tau
Chi Tau New Member written on the sleeve.
During the second week of volunteering, the
campus newspaper asks if they may do a story on the
sororitys work at the pantry. Jenna is happy to
explore this request with Susan, the Food Pantry
Director. She is thrilled that Susan thinks it is a great
idea and hopes that the exposure might encourage
other students to come out and volunteer.
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Following the newspapers visit, Jenna follows

up with the new members who were volunteering
that day. The women confirmed that the reporter was
there and said he simply watched them, took some
pictures and asked them a few questions. Jenna is
pleased that the sorority will be highlighted in next
weeks paper in such a good light.
The following week the newspaper comes out
with an article titled Service NOT Taken Seriously by
Sorority and a picture of two of the new members, in
their shirts, laughing in the background as folks are
served at the pantry. The article states that Tau Chi
Tau members are simply doing service because they
HAVE to in order to become members and one
new member is quoted as saying, Its not exciting
work but at least we can have some fun together
while we are doing it.
Jenna is mortified. She cant believe that the
sororitys legacy to service and philanthropy could be
destroyed by one article and picture. She is also angry
that the reporter wouldnt even inform her that this
was the lead he was going to take. She knows she
needs to do something, but what?
If you were Jenna what would you do?

Could Jenna have done anything to prevent this
story from happening?
You may have heard the saying that one negative
impression can wipe away 100 positive impressions. What does this mean to student leaders and
organizations?
40

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

(Sleep Issues)
Millie is a very involved student leader who is

part of your organization. She is constantly in motion,
running to meetings, the library, the dining hall and
more. Youve always been in awe of her seemingly
endless energy and drive. How does she fit it all in a
day?
However, Millie seems really run down recently.
Her eyes are often bleary, her skin is breaking out and
she sometimes has trouble putting together coherent
thoughts. Even though she laughs it off by saying,
Ive got student leader braincant keep anything
straight! you are still pretty worried about her. Millie
looks like shes burning the candle at both ends and
its really having an impact on her well-being.
So, you decide to talk with Millie and share your
observations. She tells you that shes been having difficulty going to sleep lately because her mind is
always racing. As a result, she has only been getting
an average of three to four hours of sleep each night.
Millie admits that shes feeling exhausted, yet she
doesnt want to let anyone down or shirk any of her
commitments. After all, theres an event coming up in

10 days, she has a five-page paper due tomorrow and
she promised to help out with a campus bake sale in a
few days. Plus, interviews for summer conference
positions are coming up next weekshe cant afford
to blow this opportunity because she needs to stay in
town this summer and she really needs the money.
After hearing Millie talk about how shes been
feeling and how tired she is, you want to help her get
back on a healthier track because youre afraid that
she is spiraling out of control.
What are some suggestions that you can offer to

Millie?
What is your main concern in this situation?
How do you find balance, even if you choose to
get involved in multiple campus activities?
How much sleep do you need to feel well-rested
and alert?
Notes
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41

Academic Woes
(Struggling Academically)
In high school, John was able to get decent grades

without cracking a book. His study method was to do
as little studying as possible and then cram just
enough to slide by on the exam. He would complete
his homework assignments, but he did not put much
of an effort into them. Although he usually got a B- or
better in his classes, he didnt really learn much.
When he got to college, he expected more of the same.
Before midterms, John fell back into his old pattern of doing the bare minimum in terms of homework. With his newfound freedom, he liked the idea
of skipping the occasional class. He focused more on
his social life and did not put much of a priority on
academics. John found a great group of friends and
spent most of his time at the gym or playing video
games. He loved living on campus and being a college
student.
John would often tease his friends who spent
more time studying. John tried to keep up on the
reading for each of his classes, but often fell asleep
when he sat down and cracked a book. Since he was
not living at home any more, his Mom was not there
to force him to study. After a month, he was doing
very little reading for any of his classes. Unless he had
to turn in his homework assignments, he did not
bother with them.
When John began to study for midterms, he started to panic. He knew there was no way he could learn
everything he needed to know in the few days he had
to study. Since he didnt remember much of what he
learned during high school, he felt like he was behind
the rest of his classmates. As he expected, he did very
poorly on most of his midterms.
After getting his grades back, John stops by to talk
with you. After a little bit of small talk, John tells you
that he is panicking because of his grades. He is
scared that his parents will pull him out of school if
his grades dont improve. He feels like a jerk for wasting the first half of the quarter and is now feeling
completely overwhelmed. He worries that he will not
be able to catch up with his coursework and doesnt
know where to begin.
What advice could you give John?

What resources are available on your campus to
support students academics?
Adjusting to the style of college coursework can
be difficult. How can you help other students
make this adjustment?
What are five warning signs that students may
not be putting enough effort into their academics?
How can you role model the importance of making academics a priority?
Notes
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42

Micromanaging Mayhem
(Student Leader Doing It All)
Lacey is the president of your organization and

she is very gung-ho! She has been part of the group
for three years and is quite invested in its success. She
can be very inspirational and motivational with her
words. The problem is, her actions dont always
match.
For one thing, Lacey has a hard time letting go of
tasks without micromanaging. She asked you to put
together a publicity campaign for an upcoming event,
which you did in an organized, collaborative way.
However, she hovered over you much of the time and
then changed quite a bit of the campaign once you
had turned it in. That felt awful and you were very
defeated by the outcome after putting so much work
into the project.
You know that other group members have had
similar experiences. The feeling among some of them
is Why bother? Laceys going to change it anyhow.
As a result, group members arent feeling as committed to the organization and theres a general sense of
apathy thats slowly but surely starting to take hold.
In addition, Lacey is consistently talking about

how busy she is and how shes feeling burned out.
You worry that her leadership style is harming her
while also not being good for the group or its members.
You value this group too much to let it go under
because of Laceys micromanagement style. Youd like
to let her know what a pain shes being and that shes
driving group members away. However, you know
thats not the most positive approach and are searching for another way to go about it.
What would you like to say to Lacey?

What is a productive way to have this conversation rather than accusing her?
What responsibility can you and other group
members take in this situation?
Why is delegation such an important student
leadership trait?
Notes
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43

A Night Gone Bad

(Alcohol Issues)
Nyoka is a peer mentor on campus. She has connected well with Shino, a new student who is very
friendly and has quickly become popular on campus.
Although she attends parties from time to time,
Shino is not a big drinker. She finds the party scene
boring and repetitious, so she wants to find things to
do on campus that dont involve parties with alcohol.
Shino and Nyoka talk through what opportunities are
available on campus and how each one fits in with
Shinos interests. After a few conversations with
Nyoka, Shino takes an active interest in pursuing a
role in student government and runs for freshman
class president.
At this campus, students have two weeks to campaign for office. In the first week, Shino launches a
great advertising campaign and then dedicates all of
her free time to meeting students on campus. Shino
and her campaign team hang posters and flyers
throughout campus and hand out hundreds of buttons, all of which prominently display Shinos picture.
As Nyoka and Shino walk to a meeting together,
Nyoka notices that Shino seems to know everyone.
The first week of campaigning has been intense
for Shino. She feels good about her campaign, but
shes nervous about the competition and wants to let
off some steam. She goes to an off-campus party and
gets incredibly drunk.
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The next morning, Shino wakes up and cannot

remember what happened past 11pm. Her friends tell
her that she was doing some crazy things, including
running naked through campus and her residence
hall. Shino then goes on Facebook to see that people
have posted some pictures where she is clearly drunk.
Her Facebook wall is filled with posts like, Shino, I
saw you naked last night! Shino comes to the realization that many students on campus saw her naked.
Someone on campus took the liberty of writing
Naked above Shinos name on many of her posters.
By the end of the day, she is known on campus as the
naked candidate.
Shino is incredibly embarrassed and comes to
Nyoka for advice.
If you were Nyoka, what advice would you give

Shino?
How can Nyoka support Shino in this situation?
Sometimes, students who dont plan on drinking
demonstrate the most irresponsible drinking
behaviors. How can you make sure all students
receive information on drinking?
Facebook allows information to be shared with a
large amount of students in a short amount of
timeespecially when its a popular student.
How can you educate fellow students about the
privacy issues involved with social networking
websites?
44

A Disorganized Mess
(Organization & Time Management)
You love Tomas, your groups secretary, as a person. However, when it comes to organization, he is a
mess!
For instance, Tomas cant find meeting minutes
for the last year, as youve asked for, because,
Theyre on this computer and then my one at home
and things crashed and Im not sure where everything
is These minutes are crucial documents for your
organization to have on file as a reference regarding
decisions youve made in the past year. The fact that
theyre missing in action really bothers you.
Youve also had other group members come up to
you, saying that theyve asked Tomas for things and
that he has promised to get right back to them. Then,
they never hear from him again and have to hound
him if they really want to access certain information.
Tomas always apologizes, yet theyre concerned about
his lack of organization and timely responses. Why is
he the secretary if he cant handle paperwork? one
member recently asked you.
You have seen this disorganization and poor time
management impacting Tomas in other aspects of his
life, too. Hes often in the organization office late at
night, typing papers the night before theyre due. He
also joins other clubs and organizations, yet slowly

withdraws when he cant handle the multiple meetings and commitments. Plus, when you visit Tomas
room, you cant understand how anyone could live
amidst such chaos.
You are worried about Tomas and about his
impact on the group. Most members dont feel like
they can count on him. You wonder if being secretary
is the best thing for him and for the organization. You
know that you have to address the situation, yet
youre not 100% sure how to go about it.
What is your main concern when it comes to

Tomas?
How can someone get help on your campus with
issues like time management and organization?
How can someones personal habits impact a
whole group?
Why is it so important to have an organized person in a role like secretary?
What are some ways you could approach Tomas
about his shortcomings in the secretary role?
Notes
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45

One is a Lonely Number

(Dealing with Disrespect)
Alan is a senior Resident Assistant (RA) and a

member of the mens basketball team on a majority
white campus in a rural area. Students often joke
that the only black students on campus are athletes,
and that is the only reason they were accepted anyway. Given Alans involvement in athletics on campus, he was assigned to serve as an RA in the hall that
many of the first year student athletes reside in. He
really enjoys the opportunity to get to know the new
students and assist them in their transition to campus
life and athletic life at the college.
The basketball season is just beginning and this
year the mens team has a new recruit, Damon, an
African American student who is coming from an
inner city high school. He was a State All-Star in High
School and Alan is really excited to see his potential.
At the first practice everyone meets in the locker room
to get dressed. Players are getting reacquainted with
each other and kindly razzing the rookies. However,
Alan notices that Damon just gets dressed quietly and
heads out of the locker room to the gym.
In the hall, Alan hears that no one is going out of
his way to get to know Damon and appear to almost
be avoiding him. Alan has made efforts to invite
Damon to dinner or to walk to practice together, but
Damon has always declined politely.
After practice one day, Alan is changing with a

few of the older players who are joking around about
how good Damon is on the court and wondering how
he is doing in the classroom. They suggest that the
only reason he got into college was because of his talents in basketball and he better hope he gets in the
NBA because there is no way he is going to graduate.
Alan is surprised by their comments but ignores
them and proceeds to leave. As he turns the corner he
notices Damon changing a few rows down. Alan is
certain that Damon heard the comments made, and
wonders what else he has heard over the past few
months.
If you were Alan, what would you want to do in

this situation? Why?
Who on campus has the responsibility to assist
non-majority students in making the transition to
campus?
What responsibility does Alan have in confronting
disrespectful comments and behavior? Why does
he have this responsibility?
Notes
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46

Dropping the Ball

(Not Pulling Weight)
Every year the Associated Students Financial

Committee at Long Grove University spend an inordinate amount of time in the spring hearing requests
from over 50 groups and organizations regarding allocation of the Student Activity Fee for the coming year.
The students on the committee are elected to the committee by the student body each spring, and serve the
following year. It has always been an honor to serve
on the committee and involves a competitive election
process.
Lars is the Associated Students Treasurer, and
thus serves as chairperson to the Financial Committee.
He spent a good portion of the fall semester informing
the committee members of the responsibilities
involved and training them on the allocation policies
and procedures. This will be his fourth year serving
on the committee, two as chairperson. He has always
had a stellar group of peers to work with and he is
looking forward to the allocation process again.
However, Lars is experiencing a challenge he did
not face previously. Two of his committee members,
Tricia and Jorge, have not attended meetings regularly
and have neglected to attend a recent training on the
annual activity fee allocation process. He has emailed
and called each of them to see if he can schedule a
make-up training session, but has not heard back from
them.
Yesterday, he ran into one of the missing in
action members, Tricia. She said she was sorry she
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missed the training session and that she would be prepared for the meeting next Wednesday which included hearings from two separate groups seeking programming funds. Lars told Tricia he would put the
funding proposals in her mailbox and asked her to be
prepared to ask questions regarding their requests.
Lars went into the office on Wednesday before
the meeting and noticed that both Tricia and Jorges
mailboxes still contained the paperwork for that days
meeting, leaving Lars to assume that neither read the
proposals or would be prepared for the hearings.
Lars is unsure how to proceed. The committee
requires a significant commitment from members, as
they are allocating 100s of thousands of student dollars out. However, the positions are elected, so Luc
has little control over the performance of individual
committee members. This is a first and he doesnt
know what to do.
If you were Lars, what would you do in this situation? Why?

Can you fire volunteers and/or elected officials?
Why or why not?
Everyone drops the ball now and then. How do
you want to be approached if you happen to not
fulfill a commitment? How do you plan to
approach others who are not pulling their weight?
47

You Say Tomato, I Say

(Agreeing to Disagree)
Josie and Riley entered Soras College together

three years ago. Unintentionally they have followed
similar paths throughout their respective college
careers. Both are majoring in International Business.
Both joined many of the same organizations. And,
both applied for the same service trip to Mexico that
they will be going on next month.
They dont necessarily dislike each other, but
they have found that they are often on opposite sides
of the fence. Theyve discovered this through class
discussions, organizational decision-making and program planning. They just dont seem to see eye-to-eye
and often engage in hearty debate around topics.
The trip to Mexico involves 12 Soras College students who will go into an impoverished school in a
rural area and spend time with the children and
teachers, as well as some cleaning and construction of
school property. One of the projects is that the group
needs to plan a fun skit that they will act out for the
children that shares what schools in America are like.
The traveling team has decided to meet for one
hour each Sunday night for the next month to create
and practice the skit. The first night found Josie and
Riley disagreeing on the focus of the skit. Josie felt
that what Riley was suggesting would make the
Mexican children feel bad that they did not have
access to American education. Riley felt that the
groups job was to educate on what is, not what feels
good. The rest of the group was trying to move the
skit forward, but the debates continued and the group
left with little accomplished.
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The second Sunday, one of the members brought a

proposed skit along that he welcomed any feedback
and revision to. He just wanted to get something on
paper to work with. As they began to act it out, Josie
suggested that they work to highlight how education
looks from various parts of America. Riley chimed in
by saying we only know what we know and we
should stick to that. Once again, they went back and
forth on what idea was a better way to go. And, once
again the group left the meeting with little accomplished and only two more meetings to finalize the
skit before they left.
Before the third meeting, the campus servicelearning coordinatorwho manages all service trips
called Josie and Riley into a meeting. He had heard
from other members of the group that the women
were stifling progress with their on-going disagreements and wanted to know what he could do to assist
them in finding some common ground.
Josie and Riley didnt realize how much their
arguing had impacted others and the progress of the
trip. They were both passionate about the mission for
the service trip and did not intend to impact the traveling team so negatively.
Have you ever found yourself landing on the

opposite side of the fence from someone? If so,
how have you handled it?
How do you think Josie and Riley can handle
their inability to see eye to eye?
When is it okay to agree to disagree? How do
you know?
48

Professor Problems
(Supporting a Veteran/Non-Traditional Student)
Travis is a veteran of the war in Iraq who has

returned to school. He is several years older than the
traditional-aged college students on campus and having a difficult time finding people to connect with. As
a result, he turns to the non-traditional student organization on campus, hoping to find older students with
whom he might have more in common.
Travis attends a mixer where he talks to a few
folks and has some pleasant conversation. As a member of the non-traditional student group, you introduce yourself to him and ask him about his experiences that led him to college. Travis seems very willing to talk and you enjoy getting to know him a bit
better. Youre looking forward to having him become
more involved with the group.
A few weeks later, Travis stops by the non-traditional student office, looking for you. When you connect, he tells you that hes been having problems with
a professor and could really use your advice. It seems
that his political science professor has definitive opinions about the Iraq warall negativeand Travis
feels persecuted by some of the things this professor
says in front of the whole class. He found out that
Im a vet and is now using that against me, Travis
says. In addition, a few of his classmates have made
comments about him being a killer and you can tell

that Travis is feeling incredibly angry that his service
to the U.S. is being questioned. He tells you that hes
afraid that hes going to blow up in class one day and
that it could negatively impact his grades as well as
his academic career. Travis is wondering where he
should go from here.
You want to help him handle this delicate situation, plus you can tell that Travis is on the edge about
whether to stay in school or not. He is discouraged,
hurt and feeling like he doesnt belong. How can you
help him in this situation?
When students have difficulty with their professors, what resources do they have on campus?
What resources are available to support veterans
on your campus?
What are your feelings about the war in Iraq? Do
you feel it would impact how you reacted to
someone who was a veteran of that war? Why or
why not?
How can non-traditional students find support on
your campus?
Notes
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49

To Censor or Not to Censor, that

is the Question
(Controversial Programming)
The Campus Programming Council (CPC) at St.

Christopher College, a small, Catholic, liberal arts college, was thrilled to contract sex education speaker,
John Hoskins, last spring. They intentionally booked
him to come in the first week of the fall semester to be
a part of the new student orientation program.
The CPC members saw John showcase at a
regional conference and really liked his approach and
speaking style. He was funny, yet informative, and
really engaged the students in the presentation. He
was willing to answer any question and discuss anything around sex and sexual choices. And, most
importantly, he did a great job covering the consequences associated with making poor choices around
sexual behavior.
The orientation schedules are out and orientation
leaders are encouraging new students to attend Johns
presentation. Students seem interested and the CPC is
excited about the attendance they are anticipating.
However, a few days prior to the event, the CPC advisor, Julie, comes to a council meeting and shares that
Father Gene, the Vice President of Student Affairs, has
approached her with concerns being raised by some
faculty and staff, as well as parents, regarding the
upcoming program.
Father Gene has requested that Julie acquire a
complete outline of Johns presentation for him to
review so he can then determine what is appropriate
to present at the orientation program.
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The CP Council members are wondering why this

is necessary. They discuss that this program is no different than the programs offered by the Health Center
and that Johns presentation will be more enjoyable
and remembered because he adds humor. CPC has
always prided itself in only contracting appropriate
entertainers and speakers for St. Christopher students,
and not censoring anyone they book.
Julie has offered to contact the agent and request
a complete outline from John. She has prepared the
group for the possibility of a cancellation or alteration
of Johns performance, if he is comfortable with that.
The council members are angry and they dont feel it
is right for the administration to determine whom
they can bring to campus and how they spend student
activity fee dollars.
What would you do if you were a member of the

College Programming Council?
Is there anything the CPC could have done from
the beginning to avoid this situation?
What philosophy does your organization have
regarding censorship of contracted entertainers or
speakers?
The administration has a responsibility to the college community and families. Do you understand
why Father Gene is responding the way he is? If
so, why? If not, why not?
50

Risky Behavior
(Assessing Risks)
The Political Science Club at Irwin University has

enjoyed a productive year as they engaged in the various local and national elections, increased membership by 25% and held a variety of successful debates
on campus related to institutional topics. The year is
coming to an end and the officers would like to celebrate and thank the membership for such a productive year.
Lia, the special events chair, has asked the executive committee if she can plan a social for all the members at a local establishment off campus. Lias brother
bartends at Soppys Bar and Grill located about two
miles from campus. She has already made arrangements for the 75 members of the club to have an endof-the-year party the last Saturday of the term.
The executive committee is really excited about
what could be a new tradition for the club and
encourages Lia to move forward with planning. At the
next club meeting, Lia invites anyone interested in
helping her plan to meet up immediately following
the club meeting. Five members approach Lia after the
meeting and they schedule a time to plan the party.
At the planning meeting Lia shares with everyone that they are working on a limited budget and
dont want to ask members to pay anything for the
event. Because Lias brother works at the bar, she has
gotten the room for free, but food and drinks will still
need to be considered in the budget.
The group decides to have free soda, chips and

pretzels for everyone. Those members who are of
legal drinking age can partake in a keg the group will
purchase. The volunteers want to spend the majority
of their money on a popular DJ that is at all the college dances. As their budget continues to decrease,
one of the volunteers asks if a bartender needs to be
hired to manage the beer. Lia responds that since her
brother will be working that night, he can stop in now
and then to check on things and get more beer if necessary at no additional cost.
Everyone takes on a task before leaving and Lia
is excited about how well the planning went. She
reports back to the executive committee who is equally excited, but they have some questions for her
regarding risk management of the event. Lia was just
trying to pull together a little celebration, she didnt
think it would be so involved.
If you were the executive committee, and considering your risk management policy, what questions or expectations would you have for this
event?
What potential risks are present within the event
as it is currently planned?
How could Lia and the volunteers reduce the
potential risk of injury or accidents at this
event?
Notes
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51

A Flower & Flattery

(Student Media/Ethics)
As a member of the student newspaper staff, you

are committed to journalistic ethics and letting the
campus community know the real story. You have
made this your mode of operation ever since you
joined the staff and have won accolades for being a
fair, objective reporter.
During the campaign process for student government elections, one of the presidential candidates,
Derek, approaches you in the newsroom. You and
Derek have had a mild flirtation going on for the past
few months, so youre not surprised to see him. You
are surprised, however, that he brings you a flower
and openly asks you to write about him favorably
because he really feels hes the best guy for the job.
You are offended that he made this move. While

his attention has been flattering in the past, this action
makes you very uncomfortable. You feel that he tried
to bribe you with a flower and flattery in front of your
fellow student leaders. Now, no matter what you
write about Derek, you believe that your journalistic
ethics are going to be under undue scrutiny. It feels
like a no-win situation and, as you think about it more
and more, you get angrier and angrier.
What could you do in this situation?

Would you let Derek know how you are feeling?
Why or why not?
What are some of the challenges that members of
the student media face?
Notes
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52

Behind Closed
Doors Ideas
This tried and true training initiative can be
adapted to meet your student leaders needs. Here are
some options
Encouraging a student to visit the Counseling

Center and doing what you can to make this a
more comfortable transition
Addressing a student who has been going out
four nights a week and coming home intoxicated
most nights
Letting a student know that youve seen his
Facebook posts about dangerous drinking situations and that youre concerned for him
Counseling Scenarios
Since these are the heavy-duty instances that

many student leaders are nervous about, consider
dedicating one round of Behind Closed Doors entirely
to counseling situations. This allows participants to
really get in the peer counseling mindset, without
worrying that the next scenario theyll have to confront is an out-of-control keg party. That system can
result in confrontation whiplashand less learning.
Topics could include:
Getting so wrapped in a students issues that it
starts impacting your own well being
Bringing up concerns about a student using prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin illegally
as a study aid
Having a student come to you, concerned that her
friend is depressed and talking about harming
herself
Noticing that someone in your organization seems
to be throwing up on a regular basis, possibly
indicating a struggle with bulimia
Talking with a student who says that her friend
is dealing with relationship violence and shes not
sure how best to help her
Confrontation Scenarios
These are the situations that involve disrespectful

people, problems and moretheyre a fact of life for
most student leaders. So, address these situations
through a Behind Closed Doors activity, too.
Someone consistently interrupting you as youre
trying to conduct meetings
An intoxicated individual showing up at an event
and being disruptive
An altercation that occurs at one of your groups
programs that requires public safety to get
involved
Smelling marijuana at an outdoor event and having to pinpointand confrontthe users
Confronting a situation with a fellow group member and having differing opinions about how to
go about it
Having a naked student streaking through an
event, making a spectacle, and trying to reign in
the situation
Getting an anonymous tip about who may have
vandalized a bulletin board and determining how
to address that person, without passing judgment
Following up the next morning with a student
that you had to confront the night before
Someone bringing a non-student to a program
and having that guest be disrespectful and rude
(i.e. eating all the food, talking loudly on a cell
phone during the presentation, etc.)
No Student Leader Hazing
You know that sometimes Behind Closed

Doors situations can take on a hazing mentality, as returners test the new folks by amping
up certain scenarios. To avoid this, you can, of
course, talk with your returners. Yet, also consider asking student actors to be involved in your
Behind Closed Doors program this year. Perhaps
you can work with the theater department to
give these students new experiences and extra
credit. That takes the us and them piece out of
the equation so the program can instead focus on
the situations at hand.
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53

Behind Closed Doors Ideas

continued
Missing old friends

Getting too close to student leader friends, to the
point where you gossip about one another and/or
talk about the job too much
Not feeling like you have enough time to exercise
and keep yourself well
Having your time interrupted fairly consistently
due to group needs
Trying to keep a healthy relationship going while
also juggling your other priorities
Falling behind academically because youre
spending so much time on out-of-class commitments
Another angle of the student leader position that

some students may not be prepared for are the personal implications. These include the quest for life balance, juggling priorities, missing friends from their
former life and more. Behind Closed Doors roleplays could help leaders be better prepared for these
types of personal implications.
Needing to cut back on other commitments so
you can fulfill your duties to this organization
Feeling burned out by all your commitments
Personal Scenarios
Emergency Scenarios
Then, there are the situations where student student leaders just need to jump in and be on! Roleplay some emergency scenarios to help them get in that mindset before the real thing occurs.
Calling an ambulance because a student is vomiting and lethargic after a long night of drinking
How to welcome emergency personnel and get them to the right location quickly (i.e. meeting
them at the door, holding the elevator, etc.)
How to handle curious onlookers in an effort to protect the students privacy
How to meet the needs of the friend who called you to the situation in the first placehe may
be questioning his actions, concerned for his friend, worried about getting him in trouble, etc.
Having the fire alarm go off in the middle of an event
How to get students rounded up and outside quickly
How to follow the established protocol regarding building checks, your own evacuation, etc.
How to keep the chaos under control when students are let back into the building
Having a student alert you to the fact that a toilet is overflowing in the building and starting to leak
through the ceiling onto the floor below
How to call in maintenance personnel
How to work with fellow student leaders to cover the bases of all concerned parties
How to turn the water off (if possible) when theres a water emergency to avoid further damage
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54

Reflection & Discussion

Questions
Here are some reflection and discussion questions
that all small group leaders can use in a variety of settings. Sometimes, all it takes is a nudge to get student
leaders talking aboutand reflecting onthese
important topics.
Organization & Time Management
What is the most organized piece of your life?

What is the most disorganized? Why do you think
that is?
How do you plan to fit in all of your responsibilities, plus the student leader position his semester?
What do you think you do well when it comes to
time management? What could use some work?
Starters
What is your definition of a good team member?

Why is being a good team member so important
to you?
What do you expect from your fellow student
leaders? From your supervisor?
Community Development
What are some of the key components of a welcoming community?

How will you work to ensure that these components are part of your community this year?
How can you encourage community responsibility?
What is one of the main positive things you
remember about a community that you once
belonged/belong to? How about a negative component that youd like to steer clear of? Why is
that?
Academics
What impressions do you have about campus faculty members? Where did these impressions come
from?
What does out-of-class learning mean to you?
What academic areas do you feel comfortable discussing? What areas do you need to learn more
about?
Ethics
If a student leader portrays poor role modeling,

should he/she stay in the position? Why or why
not?
If you know about a student issue that a student
tells you in the strictest of confidence, what
responsibility do you have?
Is talking about your advisor ever okay? What
about other group members?
Programming & Events
What strengths do you have when it comes to

event planning? What areas would you like to
work on this year?
What are some topics youre curious to explore
through programming efforts this term? Why?
How good are you at collaborating with others?
What could you improve? And who would you
like to collaborate with on a program this term?
How do you plan to assess students programmatic needs and interests?
Customer Service
Is the customer always right? Why or why not?

What are some of the best ways to calm down
irate, anxious or upset people?
Is it ever appropriate to point fingers of blame
when a customer is making a complaint?
Using These Questions
These questions can be used in a variety of

ways, such as:
During small group sessions
During meetings
As journal reflections
As retreat discussion starters
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Diversity
How would you hope to respond to a biased comment or joke?

How comfortable are you working with people
from different cultural backgrounds?
55

Reflection & Discussion

Questions continued
What particular questions do you have about

international students and their special needs?
Students with disabilities? Transfer students?
Adult student learners? First-generation college
students? People with a different religion, sexual
orientation, gender, race or ethnicity than you?
Role Modeling
In what areas do you set a tone for students?

How can you be honest about not knowing an
answer without losing credibility in the eyes of
your students?
How important is it for a student leader to be
liked? Why?
What does it mean to you to be a good role
model, even when no one is looking?
Wellness
How much sleep do you need in order to function

well? What can you do during training to ensure
that youll get quality sleep?
What is your prime time when your brain and
body functions at its best?
How will you keep your mind sharp and alert
during the whirlwind of training?
Is it possible to work exercise into training sessions? How can you do so?
Working with Other Constituents
As a student leader, what role do you see yourself

playing with campus maintenance? Public safety?
Food service? Administrative assistants? And
other support staff?
If you had to name five student life heroes who
do much of the behind-the-scenes work, who
would you choose? Why? And have you told
them what you think of them?
What are some of the most appealing things about
working with parents? What are some of the most
worrisome?
Teamwork
What does being part of a team mean to you?

What do you feel you contribute to the team?
What is the main thing you look for in a valued
teammate?
Name the contributions of three other group
members in the room.
Traditions: Student Life Heroes
By discussing the names of student life heroes with

your student leaders, youll be identifying some of the key
behind-the-scenes folks who help things run smoothly.
What have you done to honor these important people?
Make it part of your training program to hold a student
life heroes awards ceremony each year. Invite the top five
to ten heroes, based on your students choices, and give
them certificates, little gifts, thank you cards, etc. to show
your appreciation. This can become a wonderful end-oftraining tradition!
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56

The Icebreaker
Index
Stash this list of icebreakers in your Training Tote
or folder so that you are always at the ready. Some
may require a wee bit of preparation, while others can
be pulled out on the spot to fill a lull. Heres your
Icebreaker Index!
Origins
This name game goes a bit deeper

Once your group knows each other a bit, ask folks
to share the origins of their names.
What does their first name stand for and where
did it come from? A baby book, their great-grandmother, a soap opera character? And what about
their last name?
Ask them to share as much as is comfortable, from
the ethnic origins of their name to how it may
have changed over time. This allows you all to
learn more about one another on a slightly deeper
level.
Alphabet Soup
Practice those ABCs in a purposeful way.

Ask participants to recite the alphabet in unison.
Let them go on for a while until you yodel Stop!
At that point, identify the letter they stopped on
and ask everyone to share something they are
looking forward to this year that begins with that
letter. For example, if the letter is T they may
say, Turkey tetrazzini in the dining hall or
Teaching my others to do yoga.
Once everyone has shared, have them recite the
alphabet again.
Stop them on a different letter and ask participants to share a personality trait they possess that
begins with that letter. If the letter is W, they
may say, Wonder or Weirdness.
Come up with different questions to ask for each
letter and repeat the process a few more times.
Spell-Bound
To get your group up and moving, do this activity

every now and again, in between sessions.
Yell out a word that they have to spell, using their
bodies. Start with a simple one such as "WOW!"
Use whatever word comes to mind, whether its a
group joke, someones name or a campus landmark.
Or, you could be sneaky about it and use several
separate words that eventually will make a sentence. Take a picture of each spelled out concoction and, at the end of your session, youll have
pictures of the sentence to show the group
Seussicality
Dr. Seuss is on the loose during this training day!

Ask someone in the group to shout out a word
used during a training session that day. Say the
word is "issues."
Then, challenge each person to come up with a
brief Dr. Seuss rhyme focused on that word.
Give em a few minutes to jot their thoughts
down and then ask everyone to share their concoctions. For instance "If I focus on my issues,
Ill be sure to need some tissues, For they make
me sneeze, They make me wheeze, And no, I sure
wont kiss you." The results are bound to be fun!
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Hula Hooping!
Grab a hula-hoop and go to town!

Have your group form a standing circle, holding
hands.
Then, go over to two people, break their grip,
hang the hula-hoop on one of their arms and then
reconnect their hands.
The object is to weave the hula-hoop through
the whole group without anyone letting go. This
ones sure to get the adrenaline pumping and the
laughter flowing!
57

The Icebreaker Index

continued
Monster Mash
This fun interlude between sessions taps into students creativity.

Give everyone a blank sheet of paper and a pen.
Explain that youll be creating group monsters (or
people or animals or... its up to you), one piece at
a time.
Instruct everyone to draw a head of some sort at
the top of the paper.
Then, they should fold it over so only the very
bottom of head is showing and pass it to their left.
Now, have them draw a neck, fold it over, and
pass.
Repeat this with the torso, the legs, and the feet.
Pass them one more time and then have people
open up these concoctionstheyre sure to be so
varied and so funny-looking!
Name them all for an additional funny.
Under the Umbrella
Who knew that an umbrella could serve as a team

builder??
Get a large golf umbrella for this activity.
Take the umbrella and hold it over your head.
Then, yodel out criteria such as "If you live in a
town of less than 40,000 people, come join me
under the umbrella." All people who fit those criteria must squeeze together under the umbrella.
Your goal is to find one characteristic that everyone in the group has in common. Is it possible? Lets
see if your umbrella can handle it!
Tongue Twisted
Scrabble Rabble
Get to know one anothers names better while

also testing your brainpower!
Ask each group member to write each letter of his
or her name on an individual index card.
Then, have everyone work together to create a
makeshift Scrabble board that includes everyones
name. For instance, "Casey" and "Fred" may share
the same "e." This will take some patience and
rearranging of letters but in the end, everyone
should be included.
This is a nice way to symbolize the interconnectedness that group members share.
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58
Test your tongue twisting with this testy tickler

Write down the names of several campus landmarks on individual index cards. For instance,
one could be the Chapel, another could be the
International House and another could be the
Gibbons Dining Hall.
Break your group into pairs.
Have each pair pick an index card. Their task is to
create a tongue twister that includes the name of
that campus landmark. "The Delightful Dining
Destination Dispenses Delicious Delicacies is just
one example!
When each pair is done, have them share their
concoction.
Have the group try them all together. You can
even have them vote for awards such as "Most
Twisted Tongue Twister" and "Most Creative Use
of a Campus Landmark."


continued
Its a String Thing!

String em along
Pull out a ball of string that you have on hand.
Then, ask group members to stand in a circle.
Tie the string around your wrist and explain that
youll be passing it to the person on your left,
telling them how you feel they contribute to the
group.
They will then tie the string around their wrist
and pass the ball onto the next person, saying
something about that persons contributions to the
group.
This will continue until everyone is connected by
a piece of string.
Then, have a ritualistic "ceremony" where the
string is cut apart, leaving only "bracelets" around
each persons wrist. You can say something about
how group members will stay connected, even
after training is over, and that their string
"bracelet" will serve as a reminder of this connection.
Life Rules
This activity allows participants to explore their

values in an informal way.
Ask if anyone has read the book Tuesdays with
Morrie about an older man who passes on nuggets
of life wisdom to his younger student.
Explain that youll be creating a list of life rules
that group members lead their lives by. They may
include things as simple as Let people into lines
of traffic whenever possible to Keep connected
with your grandparentsyou never know how
long theyll be with you.
You can even type up these rules into a poster format and send it to your group members after
training as a memento of your time together.
Super Hero Surprise!
Most of us have wished to be a super hero at one

point or another. Theres just something about having
a secret identity and super powers!
Let your group members make this wish come
true by determining which super hero theyd like
to be. Maybe Superman or Aquaman or Wonder
Woman is their alter ego.
Or maybe theyd like to make up a whole new
super heroits up to them.
Once everyone has decided, ask them to share
their alter egos name, their secret identity and the
powers they possess. What would their super
hero do to make the world a better place?
The Tapestry
My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal

hue (Singer Carole King)
Cut out a bunch of foot-long, squiggly strips of
different colored paper.
Have each group member write unique things
about themselves on several different strips. These
might be anything from I work as a lifeguard at
my neighborhood pool during the summer to
Im proud of my Jewish faith to I love playing
the piano!
After everyone has written out a few papers,
informally weave them together on a table, the
floor or a wall, asking everyone to share what
they wrote before adding their strips to the
tapestry. (Just lay them out criss-cross like a
piece of cloth.)
This is a good way to symbolize the rich tapestry
of people and experiences offered at college that add
to the strength and beauty of our own personal fabrics.
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COMMUNICATIONS
In the Headlines
This one allows student leaders to make one

another newsworthy.
Break the group into small clusters of 3-4 people
each.
Their task is to create a headline for each group
member. What about that person is newsworthy?
They may have to "interview" each other to find
out!
This helps to get students talking and offering
information about themselves. Plus, theyll have a
chance to practice those listening skills.
59


continued
Pick a Pack

Could it be any simpler?

During a lull in the action, ask everyone to write
his or her name down on a slip of paper.
Put all of these in a hat and then pick one.
This person must pull an item from their backpack and explain how it represents them.
Do this a few times so that several people have a
chance to share a little piece of themselves.
The Question Circle
Its tougher than it sounds

Have your group sit in a circle.
Tell them that the object of the activity is for
everyone to speak in questions.
You can begin by posing a question to the person
on your right such as Do you know why people
think the moon is made of green cheese?
She must then turn to the person on her right and
continue the conversation with another question
such as Dont you think green cheese might go
bad while its out there in space?
Go around the whole circle quickly. Anyone who
is unable to come up with a related question must
duck out.
If I Had a Million Dollars
Youve won the lottery!

Ask students to share what theyd do if they were
in these shoes. A million dollars hmmm
Talk Topics
Looking for some interesting conversation

starters? Consider the following:
If you were waiting at a bus stop and ran into
(name a well-known person here), what would
you say?
Whats the real story behind the whole Elvis
thing, in your estimation?
If you could take a month off to work for any
cause or organization, what would you choose?
Why?
What TV show would you love to land a bit part
in?
If you were stranded on a bus somewhere in
____________ with (name two people in the
room), what do you think youd end up talking
about?
What is one of the icons that symbolizes our generation? (i.e. the peace sign for the 60s)
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60

The Stories of Our

Lives
person in her family to attend college. Or, an
impact can be negative, as in the friend who chose
to believe rumors about you that were untrue and
jumped to conclusions that invariably harmed
your friendship.
Encourage everyone to find a hunk of wall and
some markers.
Once folks are settled in, encourage them to draw
some sort of depiction of a persons story. They
can do this however they please. The person
should be someone who left a mark on them, possibly even prompting them to go after a student
leader position.
Give them a timeframe and let them go to it.
When it seems that everyone is finished, have
folks go back to their original seats.
Ask a volunteer to go up to the newsprint and
share the story of his impactful person.
Repeat this process with volunteers only. Some
people may have needed the exercise of drawing
the person and thinking about them but may not
feel comfortable talking about them out loud.
Be prepared that some of these stories may be sad
or difficult for a person to discuss. Sometimes the
most poignant impacts come about as a result of
difficult times, illness and other tough topics.
Conclude this meaningful exercise with a side
note that there will be plenty more stories to share
throughout the year. Its important that students
process these stories with one another to help make
meaning, yet its equally important that peoples stories dont become fodder for the rumor mill. Discuss
the difference between healthy storytelling and gossip.
Purpose:
To share life stories as a way to continue getting to

know one another.
Materials:
Newsprint (enough layers so markers dont go

through onto the wall!)
Markers
Masking tape
Description:
Chances are that an experience with an extraordinary individual(s) had something to do with the reason your student leaders chose to join the group.
Perhaps it was a former officer who welcomed them
with open arms in a non-judgmental, kind manner. Or
maybe an interaction with an involved, invested
member inspired them.
Whatever the case may be, the stories of our lives
have a profound impact. Thats why sharing them
with one another in a safe, supportive group setting
can be an excellent way for participants to learn more
about one another. What makes them tick? Whats
important to them? And where do they derive their
inspiration?
Best done in a retreat setting or after a group has
had several days together, you can help them to share
their stories...
What to Do:
Cover the walls of your meeting space in

newsprint so that they are truly blank slates.
Gather a bunch of markers, testing them first to
make sure they wont bleed onto the wall beneath
the newsprint!
Explain to your group that youre going to be
focusing on the stories of people who have
impacted them. An impact can be positive, as in
the friend who worked two jobs and studied ravenously because she wanted to succeed as the first
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COMMUNICATIONS
Additional Thoughts:
Its important that these stories stay as anonymous as possible. Make the disclaimer that information shared in this session needs to remain confidential.
61

People Connections
Start the circles rotating again, blow the whistle

and repeat this process. Do so a few more times so
that several different connections occur.
Talk with student leaders about the importance of
connections for all students. Students will often be
looking to their student leaders to begin those allimportant connections. Sometimes all it takes is a simple fact to connect two people and get the conversation flowing. Encourage student leaders to be on the
lookout for students similarities so that they can get
the connections cooking!
Purpose:
To show student leaders the importance of their

role as people-connectors.
Materials:
A whistle (you can use your voice if you want to

just do this off the cuff sometime)
Description:
This activity gives student leadrs a chance to

experience the natural, subtle connections that they
can help students make during their time on campus.
What to Do:
Have participants count off by Snap, Crackle,

Pop.
All Snaps make a circle, holding hands.
All Crackles make a circle around them, also
holding hands.
The Pops become the Introducers and scatter
around the periphery of these circles.
Tell each circle to start rotating slowly, Snaps to
the left and Crackles to the right.
When you, the facilitator, blow a whistle, everyone should stop.
At this point, each Introducer should introduce
the Snap to the Crackle that he/she is facing with
a simple connecting fact such as Arturo, this is
Yolanda and she is very involved with sustainability causes, just like you are.
After it appears that this first round of connections has been made, the Introducer then takes the
place of one of the people he/she has introduced.
That person then becomes an Introducer.
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62
This activity should probably happen after student leaders have had a chance to get to know
one another a bit. Otherwise, it may be hard for
them to find connections!
Consider creating a Connections Chain instead.
This happens when one student leader says, Im
looking for someone who likes to go hiking, just
like I do. Another student leader who fits that
criteria steps forward and links arms with the first
person. Then, that person says something like,
Im looking to connect with someone who is also
minoring in a foreign language. Another participant who fits that criterion steps forward and
links arms with the second staffer. Keep going
until everyone is linked in a long chain. Then, the
last person has to find a connection to the person
who started the chain so that the line can be
linked into a team circle!

Flip Out!
Now read the questions. Here are a few to start

withmake up your own based on the level of
risk you wish to employ with your particular
group:
Who do you believe most enjoys his/her job?
Who would you like to get to know better?
Who is the most assertive person in the room?
Who in this group makes you feel most welcomed?
Who in this group is the best at building community?
Who is ready with praise and recognition?
Who could do this a bit better?
Who holds opinions very different from your
own?
Who inspires you to be a better person?
Who in this room deserves more recognition
than he/she is presently getting from the
group?
If you had to tackle a difficult situation, which
two student leaders would you like to have
by your side?
Who in this room would you like to thank for
something?
Who in this room have you learned something significant from?
Once youve finished reading a series of questions
and having folks flip their flash cards, talk generally about feedback and group expectations for
the coming year.
Purpose:
To get student leaders in the feedback habit.
Materials:
A bunch of index cards

Pens to write on them
Description:
By the time training draws to a close, most participants have had a chance to get to know one another,
at least a little bit. However, giving feedback to peers
can still feel risky. Will they get mad? Will they take a
compliment or view it as insincere? Will this damage
a blossoming relationship?
Flip Out! gives student leaders a boost when it
comes to the feedback habit. Its a medium risk activity best used with groups that have previously spent
some time together.
What to Do:
Give each person a bunch of index cards.

Instruct them to write the names of all other student leaders on the cards, one name per card, in
big, visible letters (if your group has more than 15
people, you may want to break them down into
smaller clusters).
Explain that you will be reading a series of questions to the group. For every question, ask them to
hold up the name of the student leader who best
fits that question for them personally. They may
choose to explain their response or simply let the
card do the talking for them.
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63

Snowball Fight
Ask them to individually read what is on each

sheet of paper. This allows them to share one
anothers stories.
The fun truly begins when the entire group tries
to guess which student leader wrote the story.
You might even want to have simple prizes for the
folks who guess the most accurately.
Continue reading the snowballs until each story is
read.
Purpose:
To give student leaders an opportunity to share

their stories and to learn from one anothers experiences in the field.
Materials:
Pieces of white scrap paper for each participant

Pens or pencils
Description:
Looking for a fun way to swap stories while also

getting your student leaders up and out of their seats?
Search no longer heres a simple activity that you
can use at a moments notice! All it takes is paper,
pens/pencils and some imagination
This type of activity allows seasoned student

leaders to share their storiesand their experiencewith new student leaders. Recognize the
wisdom these veterans have to offer by including
them in your training efforts. That way they dont
have to just sit through the same old training all
over again.
You can do a similar activity several times
throughout the course of your training. Just ask
your student leaders to write different things each
time. Some ideas include:
Write down a negative experience you had
and how you handled it.
Which faculty or student leader do you
remember most vividly? Why is that?
What are you most looking forward to this
year as a student leader?
What concerns do you have?
By using this method repeatedly, your student
leaders will get in the habit of sharing perspectives
and listening to those of others. Plus, theyll probably
anticipate the next training snowball fight!
What to Do:
Have each of your student leaders write about a

funny or embarrassing moment that happened to
them while in the midst of a student leader position. Ask them to write each story on a sheet of
white paper.
Once the stories are written, have your student
leaders crumple up their papers into a ball and
have an indoor snowball fight. Make sure no
papers are thrown at close rangewe dont want
anyone losing an eye! They shouldnt be throwing
these snowballs in the proximity of one anothers heads.
Before it gets too out of hand, stop the flurry and
have each participant pick up a paper snowball
near them.
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64

Creative Stuff
Parking Lot Picassos
Help students get in a creative mindset with this

type of activity.
What to Do:
Get prior permission to draw on a roped off section of a parking lot or campus sidewalk.
Set up a speaker outside with inspiring classical
music being piped in.
Give students a parking spot as their canvas
and some sticks of sidewalk chalk.
Tell everyone that youd like them to draw to the
music, not using symbols, letters or numbers but
just drawing as the music moves them.
Give them some time to do this.
Once it seems like everyone is done, ask folks to
sign their masterpieces.
Then, you can all walk around this art gallery,
admiring the creations of fellow participants.
This type of activity lets students be free so that
theyre not viewing creativity as something out of
their reach. When youre drawing to the music, everyone gets creative in his or her own special way!
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Spur-of-the-Moment!
Creativity is something that needs to be experienced in order for it to sink in. So, as you go through
your next training period, inject Spur-of-the-Moment
exercises into those 5-minute lulls between sessions or
whenever your group needs a boost. Youll help them
get used to thinking outside of the box.
What to Do:
Pair people up and give them 57 seconds to list 10
innovative uses for Spam.
During a sluggish moment, ask participants to
share ideal places for a nap. Urge them to get creative! How about curling up on Lincolns lap at
the Lincoln Monument? Or snoozing in a pillow
factory? Or sinking into that field of poppies in
The Wizard of Oz? The skys the limit!
Give small groups of 3-4 people each a box of
paper clips, 10 Tootsie Rolls and 3 sheets of paper.
See what they concoct! (you can use any available
substances for this one)
Ask interested individuals to describe the ideal
way to celebrate their birthday (and take note so
you can try to make their dreams come true, to an
extent, when their real birthday comes along).
Pair people up and give each person two sentences from a newspaper, magazine or book.
Then, they have to communicate what those two
sentences say to their partner without speaking!
This will force them to get creative with their
body language and non-verbal skills.
Now come up with your own!
65

Innies & Outies
Purpose:
To get student leaders talking!
Materials:
Scrap paper or index cards for folks to write questions on

Large manila envelope
One moveable chair per participant
Description:
Heres an activity you can use to discuss any topic

under the sun. It can be a simple get-to-know-you
exercise with probing questions. Or it can be an ethics
activity, helping participants discuss opinions and
points of view in a structured setting.
What to Do:
Ask all participants to jot down several things that

they would like to know about others in the
group. These questions have to be something
theyd be willing to answer themselves. For example, a question could be What are you most looking forward to as a student leader? or Whats
your favorite breakfast cereal and why? or Why
is your best friend your best friend?
Gather these questions in a big manila envelope
and shake them up well.
Then, have participants create an inner circle of
chairs that will seat half of the group. These are
the Innies.
On the outside, have them create an outer circle of
chairs to seat the other half of the group. These
are the Outies.
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66
Split the group into Innies and Outies by having

those with the first birthdays of the year occupy
inside seats while everyone else sits on the outside.
An Innie and an Outie should be facing each other
at this point. Everyone needs to be paired up.
Explain that you are going to pose a question
from the envelope and that each pair will have
two minutes to discuss it (you can make it more
time, if you like). They need to make sure that
each person has had an opportunity to talk.
Get them started!
When two minutes are up, yodel out moving
instructions such as Innies go one seat to the left
and Outies stay put or Innies and Outies switch
chairs now. You can make up any combinations
you like to keep group members on their toes!
Repeat the question-discussion-move process several times until youre satisfied that most folks
have had an opportunity to talk with most of the
others in the group.
To use this activity for a topic such as Ethics, you

could use questions like:
Is it okay for student leaders to talk about their
advisor behind his/her back?
Should student leaders be allowed to do whatever
they want off campus?
When might it be okay to tell a white lie?
Is honesty always the best policy?
If a student leader breaks a policy in front of a fellow student leader, what should happen?
The skys really the limit in using this easy conversation tool to broach a wide variety of topics!

Create-a-Game
Make sure the participants have space to spread

out (this can be a good outdoor activity) and
allow them 15-20 minutes to develop their group
game.
Then, gather the entire group back together. Have
each team lead the large group in playing their
game for 5-10 minutes. Let each team showcase
their game and test it out on the larger group.
After the games are done, discuss the process of
this activity and some related issues, such as:
Teamwork
Division of labor
Generating ideas
Group consensus
Leadership
Followership
Talk about how the creation of something new
from everyday objects relates to their role as a student leader.
Once this is done, you are bound to have some
team games that may be usable during future gatherings!
Purpose:
To encourages group members to work together

productively in a fun setting.
Materials:
A collection of at least ten pieces of unrelated

sports equipment such as a golf ball, a football, a
hula-hoop, a wiffleball bat, a hockey stick cone, a
tennis racket, a pair of swim fins and a tug of war
ropeany collection will do!
Description:
When student leaders are getting antsy and need

some physical activity with a purpose, this activity is
bound to do the trick!
What to Do:
Divide your group into four teams.

Give each team a bunch of unrelated sports equipment (see materials list) as their tools for the
activity.
Explain that each group must develop a game that
all participants can play. They have to name the
game, too.
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67

T-shirt Talk
Once everyone has had an opportunity to share

their shirts, talk about how, as student leaders,
they can pick up on conversation cues from students clothing and other materials. For instance,
someone wearing a letter jacket from her high
school might be glad to talk about her sport of
choice. Or someone with a baseball cap emblazoned with the message Erase Racism may be
glad to discuss human issues in the college setting. Conversation cues are everywhere, even on
peoples T-shirts, and this simple activity helps to
drive that point home.
Purpose:
To encourage student leaders to look in a variety

of places for conversation cues to use with their fellow
students.
Materials:
T-shirts (brought in by individuals)
Description:
We all have stories to share about what happened

to us in the past and made us the people we are today.
And sometimes we, quite literally, wear our stories on
our sleeves through the T-shirts, jackets, baseball caps
and other items we wear.
This activity allows student leaders to experience
what its like picking up on conversation cues based
on everyday clothing. Plus, it gives them a chance to
share their own stories in a unique way.
Here are a few reflection questions you can use

during the above activity:
What are some of the other ways that individuals publicly display their causes or passions?
How can meaningful conversations ensue
from these types of displays?
Why do you think some people wear their
causes so blatantly while others keep them
more private?
What types of things did you learn about
your fellow student leaders? Is there anyone
youd like to have a follow-up conversation
with based on his or her T-shirt Tale?
What to Do:
Instruct participants to bring a T-shirt Tale with

them to the next training session. Explain that this
is a T-shirt that tells a story about some aspect of
their life.
When everyone arrives with a T-shirt, give each
person a few minutes to share an experience or a
series of experiences with the group, using the Tshirt as their visual aid.
Other group members can ask questions, if they
want to. Set out the expectation that all participants will be respectful of one another.
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68

Public Perception
When you read off one of the cards, ask volunteers to share what their immediate impression
might be about all group members as a result of
hearing that fact about one student leader.
For instance, if a card said, The student
leader always showed that he was listening to
you, even when other people might have distracted him, the publics reaction might be
All student leaders are well-trained listeners
who go out of their way to make each person
theyre speaking with feel valued.
Mix up the positive and negative cards to keep
student leaders on their toes!
Once youve gone through a variety of scenarios,
ask participants the key message theyll be taking
away from this activity. Chances are that the simple The actions of one impact the reputation of
all mantra will come up. This gives you a chance
to discuss what it really means to be a team and
the important role that each individual plays in
this pursuit.
Purpose:
To explore how a teams image and reputation is

often forged by the actions of individuals, both good
and bad.
Materials:
Two index cards per person

Pens
Description:
Working well with fellow student leaders takes

self-awareness as well as team awareness. This activity will help student leaders hone a bit of both.
What to Do:
Ask each participant to come up with one positive

thing a student leader might do and one negative
thing. Have them write each thing on a separate
index card and then collect the cards.
Explain that youd like for them to put themselves
in the mindset of being the public at large. This
might include students, administrators, faculty,
parents, staff and others.
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As you discuss public perception, its also very

important to talk about going to one another with
problems rather than simply believing everything
they hear. Yes, what the public has to say is
important. Yet, it shouldnt be the only thing that
anyone listens totalking head-on with someone
is the only way to discover the truth.
69

The Resource
Course
Purpose:
To help group members become even more familiar with the wealth of resources available on campus
through a fast-paced, student-involved activity.
Starter List
Materials:
An initial Starter List of 25 campus resources (see

example in box)
Paper and pen for each staffer
Description:
In order for student leaders to answer the numerous questions that will be thrown their way during
the year, it cant hurt to refresh their acquaintance
with different campus resources. This activity allows
student leaders to test one another in the pursuit of
knowledge!
What to Do:
Ask each student leader to come up with a list of

25 campus resources/locations. See the boxed
Starter List for some ideas.
Then, have group members swap lists with one
another.
Give them a set amount of time to write down
where each of these items is located. They can
roam around campus, if need be, to locate certain
things/places.
When time is up, gather group members back
together and ask them to share their lists. If anyone is stumped by where something is, everyone
can pitch in to help.
By the time this activity is over, your participants
will be masters of your campus nooks and crannies!
The commuter lounge

Professor Xs mailbox
The laundry room in ___ Hall
The print shop
The bio lab
The Womens Center
The dining hall that stays open for athletes after practice
The fitness center
The campus pool
The television station
Listings of local worship services
Where students can get change
The computer Help Desk
The student employment office
The Registrar
The Internet Caf
The Office of Veterans Affairs
The education resource center
The language lab
The writing center
The music practice rooms
A reliable clock
The site of most campus concerts
The community service office
The closest ATM
This can be a good activity to hand out at the end

of a training day. Ask group members to return
the next day with their answers filled in. That
way, they have time to roam around campus without a set time limit.
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70

The Welcome Wagon
Purpose:
To provide a fun yet meaningful way to explore

the concept of really welcoming people to your campus community.
Additional
Thoughts:
Make sure that

group members
know that there is
no right way to
do this project. It
not only allows
them to think
about welcoming
students and their
families, it also
lets them get creative in their own
special ways!
Materials:
A red wagon (if possible)

Construction paper
A few pairs of scissors
Markers
Wire clothes hangers
Yarn
Places to hang completed mobiles (i.e. shower
rods, yardsticks resting between desks, etc.)
Description:
This activity brings the concept of community

from talk to action.
Welcome
their presence
their talents
their opinions
their contributions
their ideas
their thoughts
their culture
their faith
their ups
their downs
their background
their past
their present
their promise
What to Do:
Put all the supplies inside your Welcome

Wagon and wheel it in when youre ready for the
activity.
Explain that youd like to explore the concept of
creating a genuine welcome for your students and
their families. Brainstorm a bit on this topic.
Give each participant a wire hanger, some yarn,
scissors, paper and markers.
Ask that everyone make a mobile to illustrate
what a Genuine Welcome means to each of
them. They can do anything, from creating an
acronym for the word Welcome and writing
each item on a cutout letter to drawing their
depiction of a warm welcome. Let them go crazy
with their creativity!
Once everyone is done, have them hang their
mobiles throughout the room.
Allow time for student leaders to walk around
and look at one anothers creations its like an
art gallery showing!
Then, come back to the large group and talk about
some tangible ways to put these welcoming
words into action. What can your team do to create the warmest, most inclusive of welcomes possible?
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Were
Excited to
Listen,
Communicate &
Openly
Meet
Everyone!
71

Immediate Assessments
The Day-by-Day or Session-by-Session Approach
Our typical method of passing out training evaluations at the very end, when student leaders are tired
and on information overload, may not be the wisest
choice. Instead why not consider Day-by-Day
Assessments that give a daily picture of how training
was received? Or you may even want to try Sessionby-Session Assessments for the most immediate feedback.
Benefits Include:
Receiving immediate feedback from student leaders on a daily basis.

Allowing student leaders to mind dump
decluttering their brain by jotting down immediate reactions to a session. That way, they dont
have to hang on to their feedback and hope theyll
remember it days after the fact.
Providing ongoing needs assessment to the trainers. By seeing how student leaders react to sessions, the trainers may be able to adapt their
approaches to best meet the needs of this specific
group. For instance, if students arent volunteering to do role-plays in front of the whole group,
then the trainer can seek out some willing returners ahead of time to stage the role-plays instead.
Paper-Free!
For a sustainable and less labor-intensive

method, try to steer clear of new-paper evaluations. Instead, you can:
Have Survey Monkey (or some other online
survey tool) assessments ready to go. That
way, when training is over for the session or
the day, you can automatically send student
leaders a link to the training survey for that
period.
Have student leaders email you the 5 Things
I Learned, 5 Things I Wish I Knew More
About and 5 Things I Thought Were
Successful About Todays Training.
Work in 10 minutes at the end of each day
for student leaders to journal about the days
training in Garbage Notebooks they create
from recycled materials (see page 77 for
more information). This informal assessment
will serve them well in terms of immediate
reflection, while also providing a discussion
tool for you to tap into during your first one-
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Challenges Include:
Getting student leaders used to being so assessment-minded on a regular basis. Its probably
something new to them that will require explanation and a bit of a paradigm shift.
Keeping accurate tabs on all the information
youll be collecting. Develop a filling system to
keep everything straight before the blitz of training hits.
Having student leaders not rush through the
assessments so they can get out of here for the
day.
72

Measuring Quality & Usefulness

A Different Way to Look at Assessment
Some assessment experts suggest that we may be

measuring only part of whats important when it
comes to training evaluations. Typical evaluations
often focus on the quality of a session: how the speaker did, if the information was solid, the handouts
appeal, the room setting, etc. And, of course, this is all
helpful, useful information.
However, the real question when it comes to student leader training may be How useful was this session to you? Thats something very different than the
quality because its measuring what student leaders
took from the session that they feel will be useful in
their positions.
So, consider measuring both the quality and the
usefulness of sessions this time around. The feedback
may provide some insights that you didnt previously
have. Because that dynamite speaker with the great
presentation style may have been high quality, but
when it came right down to it, student leaders didnt
take a heck of a lot of useful information with them
when they walked out the door. This is the kind of
stuff you want to know before planning next years
training!
4= Very High
3= Somewhat High
1. Speaker on handling family situations

2. Event planning case studies
3. Small group discussion circles
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Example of a Quality/Usefulness Evaluation:
For the items below, please make two ratings: one

on the quality of the session and one on its usefulness
to you. Please use the rating scale boxed below:
See what this process can do for your training program!
2= Somewhat Low
1= Very Low
Quality
Usefulness to You
______
______
______
______
73
______
______

Self-Assessment
What I Learned from Training
Please consider these questions carefully as you reflect back on training

Three immediate things I can remember learning include:
1.
2.
3.
One thing I was hoping to learn but that wasnt covered during training is
Are you comfortable

sharing this assessment with your advisor? If so, please
bring it along to your
next one-on-one.
I will take the initiative to learn about this topic another way by
A dynamic presenter I admired for both content and presentation reasons was
I would like to incorporate the following components of their style into my own presentation approach
When we worked in small groups, I reacted
When we worked in the large group, I reacted
Something I learned about myself as a learner during this training was
What is one of the best icebreakers youre likely to use?
What did you learn about your fellow team members during training?
What did you learn about your advisor during training?
How can your group continue to bond and learn together, even though the official training period is over?
What are your primary contributions to this team? What are you becoming known for?
And what would you like to be known for?
PAPERCLIP
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74

Creating Self-Tests
To add an academic component to your training

program, consider giving student leaders a quiz every
day to test their knowledge and recall. You can do this
a few different ways:
Ask Presenters to Develop Questions.
Ask each session presenter to provide you with three
to five questions that they feel student leaders should
be able to answer once theyve experienced that session. And dont forget to get the answers, too!
Compile the Questions. Put these presenter
questions together into a 20-piece quiz that can be
given every day. It can help student leaders see what

information is sticking and where they may need to
pay more attention.
Tap Into a Returner. Another method is having a returner or two develop questions after theyve
gone through sessions. Theyre like Teaching
Assistants, making a self-test for their fellow student
leaders.
Put It Online. Use a survey tool like Survey
Monkey so student leaders can tap into their familiar
medium as they take these self-tests.
A Sample Self-Test
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What are three things you learned about event planning?
What resources are available to students who may be struggling with organizatin and time
management?
What did the diversity speaker emphasize as some ways to incorporate diversity awareness
into the life of our group?
What are the steps to using the electronic attendance verifier at programs and events?
What does the term social norms mean when it comes to students alcohol use/non-use?
What are the names of the cleaning, maintenance and technical folks youll be working with
this year?
What is a creative publicity tactic that youd like to try this year?
How can you assess the programming needs and interests of students?
What are three things youve learned about your advisor during this training period?
10. What are some of the first steps to take when working with dining services/catering on a special event?
PAPERCLIP
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75

Presenter
Evaluation
Thank you for taking time to fill this out to help
us learn more about your experience with our training
program, as well as how we can improve our
approach in the future.
The scale is:
5 = Strongly Agree
4 = Agree
3 = Neutral
2 = Disagree
1 = Strongly Disagree
N/A = Not Applicable
Please check one for each topic.
TOPIC
PLANNING & PREPARATION
N/A
I was approached in a professional manner.

I was given clear directions about the intent
of my presentation and the desired content.
I was kept in the loop as the training
planning process was underway.
I was given good directions to my training location.
I was provided with complete information about
the room set-up and equipment.
My contact person/people made me feel welcomed
and valued.
THE PRESENTATION
The student leaders were polite and attentive.

The student leaders engaged in the presentation.
I was pleased with the thoughtful questions
they asked.
I was satisfied with how the equipment ran.
I was satisfied with the presentation space.
FOLLOW-UP / THE FUTURE
I received a thank you in a timely fashion.

I would consider returning to present for this group.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Please share any other thoughts you have about your experience presenting for our group. Thanks very
much!
PAPERCLIP
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76

Journaling as an
Assessment Tool
Writing things down in a journal helps many people clarify their thoughts and come to conclusions. So,
why not consider asking student leaders to keep a
daily journal during training? This allows them immediate reflection time to help what theyve learned and
experienced sink in. It gives them an opportunity to
put these thoughts all in one place. And, in the end, it
provides an assessment tool that is real and honest.
There are a few different ways you can use journaling as an assessment tool. They include:
Distributing Journals on Day One
Hand out store-bought, bookstore-donated or

handmade journals to each student leader.
Let your group know that youve worked 10 minutes of journaling time into each training day.
Explain that this is a time for them to jot down
their thoughts from the day, such as what they
learned, any instances where they felt empowered
or deflated, ideas that were generated that theyd
like to implement and more.
Hold student leaders to this journaling timeits
not intended to be a get out of training early
pass or a time to goof off. Its about reflecting.
Make Sustainable Garbage Notebooks
Have participants make their own training

notebooks while also doing something good for
the environment. Using empty cereal boxes or
old admissions folders for the covers, like they do
at Dickinson College (PA), fill the notebooks with
paper that is either printed on one side or is very
old and not able to run through printers. Bind
these and trainees will have their own journals.
Plus, theyll have a sustainable project idea to use
with other students once training is over!
For some how-to tips on garbage notebooks,
check out:
The EnAct 100% Recycled Notebook Program
at the U. of Michigan where they use cereal
boxes as covers at
www.umich.edu/~enact/notebooks.html
A Do-It-Yourself guide to making recycled
paper notebooks at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/diy-recycled-notebooks.html
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Creating Idea Books
A journal can also be a storehouse for ideas. And

for a student leader, that can be an invaluable
source of inspiration throughout the year!
Encourage student leaders to jot ideas down in
their Idea Books during training.
Explain that these can be the ideas that others
bring up or new ideas that are stimulated by different training sessions.
This might be the beginning to a year-long practice for some student leaders, as they collect their
good ideas in one place!
Assessing the Day
As you have student leaders journal on a daily

basis, youre also collecting valuable, immediate
feedback.
At the end of training, ask student leaders to go
back through their journals and highlight the Top
10 things that stood out to them. Explain that it
can be anything, from what they learned to how
they felt about a speakers approach to an idea
they got during an informal lunch conversation.
This unconventional training assessment can complement a more formal approach, as youll be collecting real thoughts from your student leaders in
an uncensored format.
77

A Sample Follow-up
Letter After Training
Jamie Learner
Assistant Director, Campus Writing Center
202 Vagabond Hall
Hula-Hoop University
Hula-Hoop, AK 33333
September 1, 2009
Dear Jamie,
Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to present a Communicating Through Solid
Writing workshop for our student leaders during this Augusts training program. You helped them hone this
important skill, and our students and department will reap the benefits!
Some comments we heard after you left included:
I never knew how simple that plural/singular rule could be thats a load off my mind!
I loved the Mad Libs activity she did to get us warmed up and playing with language.
I feel much more confident writing memos and letters to important campus constituents after listening to
Jamies workshop.
Being effective communicators is a key component of the student leader position. You helped to increase our
groups confidence and competence through an engaging, information-packed training session. We couldnt be
more pleased and appreciate all you did. Thanks, Jamie! We look forward to working with you throughout the
year and hope we can return the favor at some point. All the best in this upcoming academic year!
Sincerely,
Ravi Lunkur
Assistant Director of Student Acitivities and
Student Leader Training Co-Chair
Cc: Luisa Espisota, Director, Campus Writing Center
PAPERCLIP
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78

The Thank You Checklist

A Training Tool
Keep track of whom youve thanked and who still deserves a nod with this handy tool.
Training Session
Presenter
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Thank You Sent?
79
Notes

How to Write a
Training Report
Once training is over, chances are youll want to
encapsulate what occurred, how it was received and
more in the form of a Training Report. As such, here
are some items to consider including in this type of
report:
Your Training Purpose Statement. Revisit this statement of purpose to show readers how you started off
and to assess if you truly met the purpose of your
training program.
Committee Structure. This could include:
Names and titles for each committee member
Schedule of planning meetings, to show how far
ahead you began
Who took on what leadership roles
Suggestions for additional members to consider
including next year (i.e. a faculty member)
Timeline Assessment. This could include:
What worked within the chosen timeline for training
What did not work
How the timeline impacted presenter availability,
meal planning, retreat options and more
Suggestions for timelines that might work in the
future
Budgeting. This could include:
Your original budget
Any alterations that needed to be made
An assessment if the money was spent wisely
Your final budget numbers
Recommendations for the upcoming year
Presenters/Sessions. This could include:
Assessment data on each speaker and/or session
Recommendations for sessions to repeat in the
future
Recommendations for presenters to invite back in
the future
An honest assessment of which sessions didnt go
over so well
Comments from the presenters themselves (consider doing an assessment of their experience
see page 76 for a sample)
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
Student Leader Feedback. This could include:
How they felt about the use of time

What they learned
How prepared they feel to take on the job
Areas where theyd like to feel more prepared
Their rating of how interactive the sessions were
Why they felt certain sessions were a success and
others were not
Meals & Locations. This could include:
Spots that participants felt were conducive to
training
Locations that were not a hitand why
How special meals were rated
An assessment of the timing of meals
Recommendations for the next round of training

What We Wanted to Know
Think about what was important to you and

your committee when you began planning this
training program awhile back. Was it knowing
what sessions were must-haves? Was it making
sure that student leaders felt confident about
their job responsibilities? Make yourself a list
hereand then let it be your guide when crafting
your End-of-Training-Report.
Our committee wanted to know
80

Proactively Putting Things in

Place
An After-Training Checklist
Now that this version of training is over, what can

you put in place to better prepare for your next training session? Heres a checklist to help you out.
Pack leftover cups, napkins, etc.
Put signs/decorations away so they can be reused
next time
Make a list of all presenters and rate them on a
scale of one to five, so you know whom you may
like to ask back
Put all of your contact information in one place
(i.e. presenters email address, especially helpful
contact in catering office, shirt vendor who gave
you a great deal, etc.)
Compile evaluation feedback
Share evaluation feedback with presenters
Share evaluation feedback with committee members

Have a committee debriefing session, while training is still fresh in your minds
Take a look at the diversity within your training
programwhat went well and where could more
diversity-awareness be incorporated?
Take a look at how accessible your training spaces
and events werewhat went well and what could
be improved?
Write all thank yous
Take a look at the theme/logo and see if it represented the purpose of your training program
effectivelywhy or why not?
Make a Flops list so you remember those things
you DONT want to incorporate into next years
training
Evaluations finished,
check
Great
training,
check
PAPERCLIP
COMMUNICATIONS
81


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Student Life Case Studies

Reproducible Case Studies, Assessments,

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125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Some Leftover Change (Ethics and Finances) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Assessments, Activities & Other Practical Resources

Behind Closed Doors Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

The Stories of Our Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

T-shirt Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Immediate Assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

The Folks at PaperClip Communications

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

The Leadership Dilemmas

A series of case studies (see this binder)

Choose a series of 2-4 case studies as the base for

Clear rationales for actions need to be outlined.

You may even want to secretly instruct judges to

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Some Leftover Change

Lydia is the treasurer for the Psychology Club at

Lydia is surprised by Ryans executive decision,

If you were Lydia, what would you do?

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Been There, Done That

Joel was recently elected treasurer of the

bers are reluctant to listen fully. Often their ideas are

Have you ever been in Joel and Tarans shoes? If

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Theres Gotta Be Something More

Nick and Josiah, juniors at Trails End University,

give up his relationship with Mikey, and even more

Have you found that some of your leadership and

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

The officers of the Student Government

Can you think of goals your organization has that

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Productivity Over Personality

Sharese has been a member of the Service Club at

Is personality an important part of leadership? If

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

The Non-Cooperation Clause

members who youve tapped into for behaviors

What about this situation is bugging you most, if

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

ture of what makes up a family, as if they are fact.

Once the smoke clears, what are some of the first

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Colin is the staffer on a first year wing at a small

After he finishes watching the video, he scrolls

What should Colins next step be?

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Ryan is a senior business major at Raymond

If you were Ryan what steps would you take

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) at Traverse

would bring a larger crowd since he is appealing to all

If you were on CAB, what would you suggest the

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Reagan is the President of the Panhellenic Council

Reagan what needs to be on the meeting agenda, how

125 Paterson Ave. Little Falls, NJ 07424 973.256.1333

Just the Secretary