In this issue:

Psychology Building

Important Dates for Summer 2007

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From the
Parents and Family Association Director

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From the
Parents and Family Association Co-Chairs

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The New Age of Campus Safety    

Working with Disruptive and Threatening Students
By Melissa Vito, Ed. D.
Vice Provost for Student Affairs & Dean of Students

The horrific murders at Virginia Tech continue to affect our national dialogue, raising more questions than answers. Nowhere has this impact been felt more profoundly than at institutions of higher learning. At The University of Arizona, Student Affairs professionals have fielded hundreds of calls from concerned parents, faculty members, students, and the media. Although different in tone and origination, each call poses essentially one question: What are you doing about this?

Tragically, the UA experienced a similar tragedy when three nursing professors were killed by a student in 2002. In the years preceding and following this event, we have learned some important lessons about student mental health and what our institutions can realistically do, especially with severely limited resources.

From the 2006 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors, we know that one in every 11 enrolled students has sought counseling or psychological help in the past year. This means that a total of 1.6 million students have sought counseling or psychological help in that same time period.

According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment survey almost half have felt so depressed it was difficult to function and 1.3% actually did attempt suicide.

This rate of attempted self-harm represents 3 out of every 1,000 students. If we have 18 million enrolled students, this means 234,000 suicide attempts every year, or 642 attempts every day.

Even before the murders at the nursing college occurred, the Dean of Students Office was studying disruptive student behavior in the classroom. The nursing tragedy spurred us to extend this survey to look at threatening student behavior as well, which resulted in institutional policies with clear guidelines and processes to follow in such situations. We were one of the earliest institutions to have such policies in place, and continue to be regarded as a national leader on this issue.

Not surprisingly, referrals to the Dean of Students Office increased by 84% after this incident. In the five years subsequent, code of conduct cases have increased by 102%, from 292 to 590 cases. In the last two academic years alone, the number of students held accountable for threatening behavior has increased almost 45%.

We are proud to be a resource on campus for students, faculty and staff, and our office works closely with the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and while we all have different roles, our goal is student health and the safety of the members of our campus community. Each of these situations require careful analysis with our partners and each of these situations are evaluated as to risk to the individual, risk to the community, and available resources needed to assist the student.

There a variety of methods used by the Dean of Students office to respond to students who may present at-risk behavior (self-harm, disruptive and/or threatening behavior). Lower level at risk behaviors may result in referrals to counseling and educational opportunities to assist the student in making healthier choices. Some students may be referred to a formal disciplinary process where the outcome may include a range of sanctions including suspension or expulsion from the university.

In addition, the Dean of Students office is also responsible for educating the university community on policies focusing on disruptive and threatening behavior. Each semester we offer these sessions to departments and faculty and staff. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to consult with Dean of Students staff on how to handle situations of this nature. In specific situations, there are times that a behavioral assessment team is convened to triage situations that require immediate attention. This allows us to respond with the utmost care and sensitivity to urgent cases.

The resources we provide for faculty to consult and, in the case of concern to report, are important, and need to be understood, but they are not an assurance that all situations can be predicted or prevented. No matter how much we mandate that students seek counseling, we cannot mandate that they get better.

At The University of Arizona, we are not abdicating our responsibility for providing a safe campus environment, but no organization is a panacea to those who are intent on doing harm to themselves or others. Student behaviors mirror those that are proliferating in our greater culture and society, which exerts an enormous influence on them.

Melissa Vito can be contacted via email at mmvito@email.arizona.edu.

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Welcoming Your Student Home for the Summer    

Welcoming Your Student Home
By Pamela Obando
Associate Director, Residence Life

As a parent you are most likely counting the days until your student arrives home for the summer. Hopefully you saw your “emerging adult” during winter and spring breaks. Now, after nine months of college life, your student certainly considers him or herself to be an independent adult and thinks you do too!

Initially they are glad to be home and may be exhausted from the final weeks of spring semester—papers, projects, final exams—and saying good bye to their friends for the summer. Now they want to sleep in, see their old friends and favorite places. Meanwhile, you are planning family vacations, asking them about summer jobs or suggesting they take summer classes. There may be stress from siblings, changes in the house, different patterns of living that your family has to successfully navigate.

As a member of the family, your student needs to know what your expectations are of them for the summer months. Be clear about their responsibilities and communicate regularly. Students are used to having their own schedules and not “reporting in” about where they are going and when they are coming back. This may be challenging for you as parents—so clarify and compromise so you and your student are comfortable and respectful of each others needs. As one student said, “Try to negotiate and compromise between what used to be and what is now.”

The most important thing you can do this summer is LISTEN to your student—their issues and concerns, their new ideas and directions. Ask about their new friends and activities. Hopefully, you’ll discover how their academic studies and campus experiences are changing or confirming their perspectives and goals. National surveys reveal that college students today consider their parents to be their most important advisors—and friends!

A summer home from college, especially the first or last summer home, may be a good time to plan a special family vacation—whether it is a long weekend or a major vacation. Remember to keep your son or daughter in the loop as they may have made other plans. Future summers may require your student to take classes or work on campus or they may want to take advantage of summer internships or study abroad opportunities. Of course, this summer, your student may be taking a class at a local college and/or working at a summer job. As you anticipate summer now, it may loom long—but it will disappear very quickly! Enjoy this special time with your daughter or son.

Pamela Obando can be contacted via email at Obando@life.arizona.edu.

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The Rosy Outlook for 2007 Graduates    

Rosy Job Outlook for Current College Graduates
By Susan L. Miller
Career Services

For the fourth straight year, employers across all sectors of the economy have projected healthy increases in their hiring of new college graduates. Besides the increase in hiring, employers in all regions said they would increase starting salary offers between 4% to more than 10% over last year.

While college graduates this May can’t exactly relax, the news is good and tells us there are plenty of entry level opportunities for anyone pounding the pavement in their business suit with a new diploma and professional resume in hand. In fact, according to the latest statistics, your students’ chances of getting that perfect job are better than ever.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) researches the college graduate job outlook by conducting an annual email survey. From mid-August until October 4, 2006, NACE’s most recent survey was sent to 1,137 members. They got a response rate of 23.5%. This survey forecasts employers’ hiring intentions as they relate to new college graduates.

The top 10 bachelor’s degrees in demand this year are: Accounting, Business Administration/Management, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Information Sciences and Systems Marketing/Marketing Management, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering and Economics/Finance.

Geographically, employers in the South expect the biggest increase in hiring 2006-07 college graduates. Southern employers plan to hire 25.5% more college graduates than they did last year. The West isn’t far behind. Employers in western states indicated they planned to increase their hiring by 23%, adding approximately 17 more new graduates per organization. Employers in the Northeast indicated they will increase hiring by almost 17 % and Midwestern employers lag only by comparison to the rest of the country, as they plan to increase hiring of new college graduates by a solid 10%.

Prospects for international graduates are also faring well in the current economy. NACE’s 2007 Job Outlook survey shows that 31% of responding employers plan to hire international students for full-time permanent positions in 2006-07. This is an improvement over last year when 24% of employers had plans to hire these students. By employment sector, manufacturers were most interested in hiring international students.

If your student is struggling with his or her job search or is not sure where to go next to get more information about potential hiring organizations, send them to our offices in the Student Union Memorial Center, Suite 411 or suggest they login online and check out our Web site at www.career.arizona.edu. Encourage your student to Make the Connection with us so they can Make the Connection with their future career.

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The Impact of Student Leadership    

The Impact of Leadership Involvement on our Students
By Corey Seemiller, PhD
Director of Leadership Programs,
Center for Student Involvement & Leadership

In the Spring of 2006, students at The University of Arizona participated in the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership. The study was conducted on 54 different college campuses and is the largest study in history on college student leadership development. The purpose of this study was to find out how particular involvement experiences in college contribute to students’ leadership development including appreciation of diversity and ability to engage in social change behavior. Students were assessed on aspects of social change behavior that include:

• Being conscious of one’s own values

• Demonstrating commitment and perseverance

• Acting in an ethical manner

• Being able to collaborate with others

• Being able to develop a common purpose while working with others in a group

• Being able to critically examine issues and engage in mature conflict resolution behaviors

• Engaging with the community as a responsible citizen

• Creating positive change

After taking into account students’ experiences before college, we found that many involvement opportunities positively impacted students’ scores for all aspects of social change. Students involved in the following activities had higher scores in every aspect of social change than those students who did not participate:

• Being a member of the Arizona Blue Chip Program, a four-year leadership program

• Participating in short-term leadership development experiences like workshops, conferences, and one-time events

• Participating in a student organization

• Doing community service on a regular basis

We also found that being involved in certain activities resulted in higher scores for appreciating diversity. These include:

• Being a member of the Arizona Blue Chip Program, a four-year leadership program

• Holding a position or being highly involved in a student organization

• Being involved in a student governing organization

• Doing community service on a regular basis

Students also reported that leadership and campus involvement experiences are influential in their decisions to stay and graduate from The University of Arizona. Students noted that the number one obstacle they face in being at the UA is not feeling connected. Not feeling connected is more of an obstacle than financial need, course availability, and campus safety.

The data that emerged from these findings continue to demonstrate the importance for leadership development activities on campus. By engaging students in these experiences, we offer them opportunities to grow and develop into responsible and engaged citizens, feel connected to a large institution increasing their likelihood that they stay and graduate, and give them skills that may set them apart from their peers when it comes to finding jobs and going to graduate school.

What Parents & Families Can Do

• Encourage your student to find something that he or she likes to do and get involved with it. The UA has over 600 student organizations and many opportunities to get involved. Have them check out www.union.arizona.edu/csil for a listing of all the clubs and organizations on campus and other leadership and involvement opportunities.

• Encourage your student to make time to get involved. Even if he or she can only make a commitment for an hour a month, there are still many opportunities to get involved. Simply attending a workshop, event, meeting, or conference can be beneficial. The ATLAS leadership program which offers several leadership workshops a week or the National Collegiate Leadership Conference February 16-18, 2008 both offer great short-term leadership development opportunities.

Dr. Corey Seemiller can be contacted via email at crs@email.arizona.edu.

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Academic Success Strategies for the Summer    

Summer Academic Reflections
By Beth Harrison, Ph.D.
Director, University Learning Center

Final exams, the end of the semester, the end of the school year . . . All of these loom large over your student right now, I’m sure. You may feel their heavy presence as well. Fortunately the summer lies right behind, three months of breathing space for everyone. For some students, the summer means classes in summer school and a chance to get ahead in their studies. For others, summer is the opposite, a chance to get away from school, to work and to play.

For many parents summer vacation conjures up visions of family times, of children returning to the nest, of everything returning to “normal.” The problem is that “normal” has changed.

Your college student has had a year (or more) of making her or his own choices and now has a life of her or his own. S/he is well on the way to being an adult. Your home may no longer be home for your student.

Use the summer to get to know this new person and to figure out, together, what your relationship now needs to be. Perhaps the most important things you can do to acknowledge your student’s new place as an adult in the family are to (1) Give your student space and (2) Listen well.

1. Leave your student the space to continue to make her or his own lifestyle choices, and acknowledge that the choices are the student’s to make. This is especially important for students who are returning to the university in the fall. If they can maintain the sense of personal responsibility they developed through this year during the summer, their transition back to school in the fall will be much smoother.

2. Listen well to what your student says and does not say. Let your student ask you for help rather than assuming s/he needs it. Listen for openings to have a conversation about how your student is, about how things went at the university this year, about her or his expectations for next year. Treat that conversation like one with a close family friend rather than with a child, for while your student will always be your child, s/he also needs the distance from you to be your friend.

And as you get to know this new adult who is also your child, reflect on what you have learned about yourself as a person over this past year. What space has been opened up for you now that you are the parent of an adult rather than a child who needs your constant care and attention? How have or will you fill that space in a way that nourishes your own, individual needs?

Short Bits
** If your student is unsure about what to do for the Fall, s/he can talk with an Academic Advisor in her or his college (http://advising.arizona.edu/students/contacts.html) or an Academic Counselor at the University Learning Center (520) 621-4548.

Dr. Beth Harrison can be contacted via email at eharriso@email.arizona.edu.

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From the Parents and Family Association Director

Dear UA parents and families,

Keith B. Humphrey, Ph. D.

The signs of summer are upon us in Tucson. We have already experienced 90 degree days, which means that triple digits are not far off in our future. Seniors are busy ordering caps and gowns for graduation and all are prepping for final papers and exams. And if you are like me, you are sneezing a great deal as our beautiful Sonoran desert is in full bloom.

There is no doubt this has been as successful year for the UA Parents & Family Association…my first with this distinguished group. You can read about our highlights in the Welcome from our Co-Chairs. I am proud of the work our Advisory Board, led beautifully by Lionel and Ellen Kier, has accomplished. Each of our committees has also grown in its outreach and scope this year. Wildcat parents and families are involved and committed!

We will not rest on the success of this year! We have plans to continue to grow and expand our programs and services for all parents and families. Look for exciting new changes next year.

Please enjoy your summer with your students. We will miss seeing them on campus every day and look forward to their return in August.

Congratulations to all parents and families of 2007 graduates! Make sure you celebrate the accomplishment that is being the parent of an alumnus!

This is our final newsletter for the year. We will resume publication of The Paw Print in August. Even though we will not be sending you information this summer, we are still open for you. Please do not hesitate to call us at 520-621-0884 or email uafamily@email.arizona.edu. We are always open online at www.uafamily.arizona.edu.

With Wildcat Pride,

Keith B. Humphrey, Ph. D.
Interim Assistant Dean of Students
& Director, Parents & Family Association
(520) 621-0884
uafamily@email.arizona.edu

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From the Parents and Family Association Co-Chairs  

Hello fellow parents and families,

Lionel and Ellen Kier