The Student Affairs Blog

Blog Action Day: Stop Talking and Do Something!

How can I speak about poverty while working in higher education?  By making it to college, it's a pretty sure bet that none of my students live, or have ever lived, in poverty.  Being in an urban school, however, my students have the ability to see the impacts of poverty every time they step outside the boundaries of our campus.

I know I always joke about my low pay.  My colleagues and I make cracks about how we're poor or how we don't get paid enough because we're not pulling in even $30,000.  We often forget that part of our compensation is our free apartment, utilities (cable, electricity, water, trash, internet, heat) and a meal plan that, despite our complaints about quality, does provide the essential nutrients for us to live healthy lives.

The closest I came to even a glimpse of poverty was as a grad student, making $8,000 year.  But even then, I got all those perks.  Plus, as I mentioned before, I made it to college.  This "poverty" I was experiencing was one I truly brought on myself.  I could have opted to not attend grad school, got a paying job as a teacher, and lived quite happily.  On top of that, I had a nice safety blanket in my parents should I ever fall and need assistance.

Let's face it.  99% of college students, graduate students, faculty, and staff have no idea what it's like to live paycheck-to-paycheck, or to not have a paycheck to live on in the first place.

This post is part of Blog Action Day '08 - Poverty.  Bloggers from around the world are asked to write on poverty from their own perspective.  I'm here today to tell you that I have little to no experience with poverty.  I own that.  My perspective is one of someone who doesn't know what it's like to truly need.  So many of my students take the initiative to venture out and see the world and to try to help it, and I admire them greatly for it.  Spring Break trips to poverty-stricken areas of the country, or summer service trips to third-world countries where poverty -- real poverty -- is overwhelming are growing in popularity.  These trips, taking place during vacation time, are anything but a vacation, but our students are willingly giving up their time to help others.  It's amazing.

My students may not know what poverty feels like, but more and more they are learning what it looks like.  I hope they never have to feel the pains of being impoverished.  I hope their experiences venturing out into the world gives them perspectives on life, and how their studies and their future careers can help them to create a better world, not for them, but for those who truly need it and don't have the power to create it for themselves. 

Maybe this post isn't what Blog Action Day is trying to accomplish.  Maybe I still have a very distorted view of what it means live in poverty.  I don't have all the answers.  Until maybe a year ago I didn't even have much of the motivation to do anything about it.  But working with the students at my school, I have found their enthusiasm, and their desire to help those less fortunate, to be motivating and inspiring. 

I encourage my colleagues in the world of Student Affairs to be on the lookout for ways in which your actions and inaction can influence those around you.  Be always vigilant to the ideals of social justice. 

When I think of poverty and social justice, I can't help but think of Blessed Mother Teresa.  So I leave you with a quote from her:

“Today it is fashionable to talk about the poor. Unfortunately, it is not fashionable to talk with them.” ~ Mother Teresa

This post is part of Blog Action Day and is cross-posted at Challenge and Support.

A Technology Festivus for the Restofus

I just came across an explanation of social bookmarking (i.e. delicious.com) by Common Craft and it's a quick solution to two questions I've been asked many times:

"Ummm. . . what is delicious and why should I care?"

Here you go . . . three minutes and twenty-five seconds to clarity:

So then I was excited and poked around all their stuff, where I found videos for two more "new ideas" made simple: RSS and Wiki's.

Enjoy!

RSS In Plain English

Wiki's in Plain English

Great work by Common Craft. And a great, extremely easy, way for advisors to share technology with others that may not fully get it yet!

How Do You Define Diversity on Your Campus?

Seattle University created a task force to figure out how to define diversity, how it is part of the SU culture and ways they can expand their programs to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population.

Author Nick Gallo wrote a fantastic assessment of the project and it is well worth the full read. Here are some of the highlights:

The task force creation wasn't in reaction to an event or situation, but rather SU taking a proactive approach.

It was born not out of any real crisis but because SU wants to make a meaningful assessment of diversity, a hard-headed evaluation of how it's integrated into daily life at the university, says Robert Kelly, co-chair of the task force and vice president of Student Development. “When some people think about diversity, they stop at the numbers—the racial or ethnic makeup of people—but we're going beyond that to look at how diversity ties into the entire education enterprise,” he says. “There's a feeling we're not doing enough to use our diversity to benefit all students."

The diversity, or lack of diversity, of a campus can impact every aspect of the college.

In a 1993 study of 25,000 undergraduate students at 217 schools, education researcher Alexander Astin concluded that an environment that encourages diversity builds cultural awareness, strengthens commitment to racial understanding and boosts academic development.

Many schools only calculate diversity as numbers game. SU wants to go beyond just numbers but recognizes it's a starting point.

Such a societal imperative brings the topic of diversity back to composition as a starting point: How many black students attend SU? How many faculty members are Hispanic? What's the racial or ethnic profile of the administrative team?

Nationwide, 70 percent of undergrads in private universities and colleges are white, according to U.S. Department of Education statistics from 2005.

SU is also researching the diversity of the staff and administration. The task force's full report is due in December, and so far, SU would say their diversity is flourishing, but their is still more that can be done.

To me it seems obvious that the school that is proactive on the subject is the one that is most diverse. What about all the schools struggling with diversity issues everyday? It would be nice to see SU convert their findings into an action plan for other, less diverse, schools.

LGBT Online Student Community

One challenge LGBT student groups have is connecting with people outside of their small on campus circle. A great online LGBT community worth mentioning is TopOutColleges.com.

The site lists the top 500 most LGBT-friendly American colleges as rated on a ten-star scale by college students and alumni, according to their overall experiences with campus issues, i.e. life in the dorms, campus LGBT events, contact with campus LGBT groups, etc.

TopOut's Executive Director, Brent Robinson said, “We created this website so that members of the LGBT college student community could use their own voices when rating the LGBT-friendliness of their college, and so that prospective students could then see those votes and opinions from real college students, and use them in their decision making process when choosing a college,” said Robinson. “Now that these new functions have been added, we are getting rave reviews from students who have been eager to fully express themselves on the LGBT issues they are facing on their college campuses.”

Though I have not personally tried the site I wonder what protection they have against fraudulent voting?

Unique AIDS Awarness Student Program

Westmont college hosted an interesting demonstration this week as part of World AIDS Week which runs from Nov 26 2007 - Dec 2 2007.

"A group of Westmont students brought attention to World AIDS Week by placing hundreds of small signs depicting children on Kerrwood Lawn, Monday and Tuesday Nov. 26-27. The placards represented the 600 children orphaned by AIDS every day."

What I like about this and similar demonstrations, is it's impossible for someone to not pay attention or be curious. It interacts with the "car-to-class" apathetic students who never show up at any campus event. It's also cost effective and easy to host.

Is anyone else doing anything interesting for AIDS Week? Did you know it was AIDS Week?

Intentional Diversity Programming

Diversity Awareness

When we talk about diversity it is pretty much agreed by all that labels are a bad thing!  Unfortunately, when it comes to diversity awareness programs there is a stigma/label that most audience members use as an excuse for not attending.  Oh, that is going to be educational, or boring, or I have heard it all before, etc.  It’s tough to get past labels and peoples preconceived notions of what diversity awareness programming is all about.

I have seen where groups are so frustrated that they just do whatever to say they did something and that doesn’t do the group justice or the message they are trying to communicate.  Awareness can come in many forms on a campus and not with just a lecture or performance.  There is publicity campaigns like the truth ads you see on TV; displays that can be set up in libraries or lobbies; spontaneous round table discussions in dining halls by trained student facilitators; etc.

An idea that we recently tried for our diversity programming was to make it a performing arts series.  It was the same events just with a different name.  The audience still got the same message and materials.  What changed is how the programs were viewed before they arrived.  We saw an increase in the numbers of those attending and the feedback after the events was very favorable.

Do you believe that diversity awareness is locked into a mold?  Do you limit your awareness to the typical?  Do you pick awareness events on the criteria of what they need to know, what they want to know, or a combination?  Do you give awareness the same type of TLC as other events?  Do you feel forced to do diversity awareness programs?  Share your answers, your questions, and/or your successes in diversity programming.  In a meeting today I said I learn from everyone I meet no matter age, etc. and I believe that is what diversity awareness is all about learning from each other.

Breaking (Down) the Meh: Columbia Basin Case Study

Posted b: Kevin Prentiss - Swift Kick

Columbia Basin College is a typical two year college in many ways. It is staffed by professionals that care and home to a core of student leaders that would love to get more people involved.

We talked about the 2006 National Survey of Student Engagement report that said 84% of students at two year institutions will never participate in college sponsored activities. The students felt that this number was a little low for them.

In dance floor theory, we describe these folk as the "neutrals" on the dance floor. They are the ones on the wall. Not engaged, not involved, often making fun of the students who are engaged. They make up the "meh".

After a quick 2 hour DFT training we met with a smaller group of student leaders and staff to focus on concrete action steps.

The conversation started with - "We know that there are good reasons for people not being involved, kids, jobs, etc. We know that there are categories within the "meh" - let's break them down and see what we can do to help each group find their X+1, then focus on the things we can implement now."

I scrambled to keep up at the white board and the end result looked like this:

Making it prettier on the plane home, this is what the students and staff at CBC came up with:

I think this graph is pretty dang close to true for most of the two year schools that Swift Kick has been at.

This is an extremely useful step. While it might seem a little complicated at first, the analysis takes a feeling "no one cares" and creates the possibility for a task list to address very real issues. It makes a bad feeling actionable. It inspires the leaders to more effective work instead of motivation sapping frustration.

We then broke the categories into a matrix and talked about the specific challenge for each "meh" sub-group. The staff and students debated some, and luckily many of the students could speak from their own experience, i.e. "I'm a single mom . . . " or "My first year I just didn't know about anything, it didn't occur to me to get involved . . ." and the live success stories from apathy to engagement helped us all think through how we might help other members of that sub-group.

Again, making it pretty on the plane, the final matrix looked like this:

If you think these slides would be useful for you, you can download them here. (They are Keynote, a mac program) Please attribute.

In the "Primary Challenges" column, a couple of notes:

- It was too easy just to say parents were busy. The single mother challenged the whole group: "Of course everyone is busy, but it's a matter of values. Once I saw, and felt, that getting involved helped my education, I made time for it like I do homework. No one is too busy, we can't use that as an excuse to write them off." Amen.

- The "Don't Know" group. Students can easily tune out posters and e-mails if they think it is not relevant. Though many leaders find it hard to believe, after they put so much energy into "getting the word out", students genuinely say they "didn't know." Our sub-group rep said she never noticed until she sat next to a student leader named Larry, who she liked, who told her about things. While the info was on the wall, she didn't see it until her relationship with Larry made the info worth her attention.

The group came up with directions for further exploration, with the main action steps a two pronged strategy, 1) tie in student government and student groups, share this understanding with them and build relationships so that the groups can work together 2) market to the "meh" sub-groups, let them know you know about them. We talked about putting a demographic map up in the main quad showing the diversity of the school and then offering group / activity choices for them with a contact e-mail or phone number.

The over all them was to reduce the isolation of those in the "meh" category. Increase the relevance of communication so that the students knew that the student government knew and cared about them and their special situation, whether it was high-school students in the running start program or non-traditional students.

It was an enjoyable day and I left feeling like the group had a road map for many many engagement projects. Some of which are sure to help reduce the "meh".

Update just for John: slides in .ppt for pc (warning: the graphics get a little raggedy.)

Programming for Commuters

Post by: Del Suggs - Saltwatermusic.com

It may be the biggest challenge in the field of Student Activities:  programming for a commuter campus.  It’s like having a student body of gypsies or nomads.  Sometimes they’re around; sometimes they’re not.  What can you do?

Let’s start by defining what we mean by a commuter campus.  It’s not as easy as you might think.  Obviously, a commuter school has a student population that lives off-campus.  We tend to think of a commuter campus in stereotypical terms, such as a community college.  The real definition is actually broader, because it can include any school-- two-year, four-year, or graduate school-- without residence halls.

  These days it’s the rare campus that has the majority of students living in residence halls. So, in some sense, most campuses are commuter campuses-- or at least have a sizable commuter population.  If every campus is a commuter campus, how do you deal with the programming issues?

Another demographic in play

It may be easier to consider your commuter students based on a simpler demographic. Consider whether your students are “traditional” or “non-traditional.”  When you do that, you’ll be able to assess their programming needs and understand how to reach your target audience.

On the typical community/commuter college campus, the majority of day time students are traditional:  eighteen-to-twenty-four years old, recent high school graduates, single, etc. The main difference between traditional college students at a commuter campus as compared to a residential campus is simple-- most of the these commuter students still live at home, with their families.  At a residential campus, these students would most likely be living either in a dorm or an off-campus apartment, but not with their families.

Then there are the evening students.  On a commuter campus, these people are nearly all “non-traditional” students.  They may have regular, day jobs.  They may be married, or have families.  They tend to be older, more mature, and therefore have different interests.

Here’s what you’ll find on most commuter college campuses:  from 8-to-5 are your traditional college students, while from 5 o’clock until the last class lets out are your non-traditional students.  Look around and that’s what you’ll see.

Based on this insight, let’s develop a few principles for commuter campus programming that can help you do a better job.  We’ll consider these two groups-- daytime and evening students-- separately.

Daytime Students

The daytime, traditional students will enjoy the typical student activities that you’d see on any college campus.  That includes music, coffeehouse shows, comedians, spoken word artists, novelties, and more.  The events and attractions that you see showcased at the APCA conferences and convention work perfectly.

Your biggest challenge in daytime programming is getting these traditional students to attend your events.  That’s is the fuel for ongoing discussions at every educational session and programming workshop.

There are two solutions.  The first one you’ve heard before:  free food.  Free food is the biggest draw on any college campus anywhere, anytime.  It’s not just your campus.  It’s every campus.  We have to bait students to attend and have fun.  They always have fun when they go to a campus event, but for some reason they seem to forget that.  So you have to bait them almost every time.

The second solution to attendance is traffic patterns:  take your show to the students. Most schools find it nearly impossible to get students to break their deeply ingrained traffic patterns.  Students park their cars, they walk to the student center, they go to class, they may go back to the student center, they walk to their cars, they leave.  Oh, and once in a while they go to the library.

Understand that you can’t break those patterns.  You could have Dave Matthews playing free in the auditorium across campus, and many students wouldn’t make the effort to walk over there.  So you must bring the performance to your students. Present shows in the cafeteria or student center.  Program in the lobby, or the patio or courtyard.  Place your events in their way, actually block their path on sidewalks.  They will accidentally bump into your programs, and end up participating.

  Evening Students

The students that hit campus after five o’clock are different.  They may be tired from working all day at a job or at home.  They may have rushed from childcare to campus. They’ve got other concerns that traditional college students don’t have to face.

But these non-traditional, evening students also need programs.  And, most importantly, they pay student activity fees, too.  Part of your challenge is to find student activities programs and events that can meet their needs.

What are their needs?  Evening students often don’t have time to be entertained, because they’ve got a tight schedule when they’re on campus.  They go to class, then rush off to other obligations like family or a job.  But remember the idea of free food?  It works especially well with evening students, because they may have missed dinner to rush to campus.

You might also consider some ongoing evening activities for these students.  In addition to that free pizza party or hamburger cook out once a month or semester, how about something more often and less expensive?  Maybe you could provide free coffee in the student center every evening from five until seven o’clock?  Maybe you could have snacks or dessert offerings.  These folks would be grateful!

Bigger Coordinated Events

If you do a larger event for your evening students, try to coordinate with the faculty. Often evening classes meet longer than the traditional one-hour.  A three-hour class generally takes a break somewhere around the midpoint.  If you plan a big program, such as a cookout with entertainment, communicate that to your faculty well in advance. You’ll often find the professors will time their lectures so that the students can take a longer break and enjoy more of your activity.  More importantly, they won’t plan an exam that might keep students in the classroom.

Campus-wide programs such as an Open House can also be very successful.  Students love to bring their children-- or parents-- to campus and show them around.  If you can present such an event, and throw in a free (or cheap) meal, you’ll reach a lot of students. It also makes a great recruitment tool, and gets the family involved with the school.

Off Campus Events

We nearly always think of student activities as something that is done for students on campus.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Think of ways you can provide for these students off campus.

You may be able to purchase student tickets to local movie theaters, sporting events, concerts, and more.  By getting these tickets for your students, you’ve provided them with an activity-- perhaps even a cultural event-- that they might not have been able to attend otherwise.  It’s worth considering.

Note, too, that these offerings will be self-selecting.  You might present a comedian for your daytime students, but give away tickets to a local comedy club for your evening students. You don’t have to discriminate-- but if you only give away the free tickets at night, you’ll end up giving them to the right students.

Final thoughts

Perhaps the most difficult feat to execute on a commuter campus is the evening program. It’s tough to schedule a concert or event that appeals to traditional students (your daytime commuter students) in the evening.  Unless it’s extraordinary, don’t try it.  It’s nearly impossible to get students back on campus after they’ve left for the day.  Many a coffeehouse and comedy series has gone down the drain because it was scheduled at night on a community college.  It would have worked at noon, when the students were already there.  They don’t come back...

Commuter students are a challenge to serve.  They have different needs, different interests, and different responses to campus events.  You’ll find it a constant struggle to reach out to them and get them involved with your programs.  But it’s worth it when you find those programs that work, and those students who appreciate your effort.  And, after all, it is your job!

 

Building a High Powered Program Board, Part Two

Posted by: Del Suggs - Saltwatermusic.com

Last month I discussed organizational matters (officers, titles, responsibilities, and membership) to improve efficiency, performance, and diversity.   I also covered office hours, and the need for structure to improve your program board.  Even if your board is functioning well, there is nearly always room for improvement. 

In this column, I’ll deal with time management tools, and conflict resolution.  Perhaps you’ll get some ideas here that you can use to take your board to the next level.  It’s all part of building a High-Powered Program Board.

 

Time Management Tools

There never seems to be enough time to do everything.  And yet, some folks get much more work done than others.  A lot of productive people use good time management tools.  Such tools enable you to do more work in less time, and assist you in doing a better job.  While it’s important to work quickly, it’s even more important to do the best job you can.

First of all, have a good scheduling system.  It doesn’t matter if you use a Blackberry or another PDA, a Day Planner, a plain old calendar, or a pad of sticky notes.  What does matter is that it work for you, and that tasks don’t go uncompleted or forgotten.

Everything you do in programming, from scheduling events to promotion to election of members, has a deadline and a timeline.  A deadline, of course, is when something needs to be completed.  A timeline is a list of actions that must be completed-- and when they must be complete-- in order to meet the deadline.   

 

Timelines Matter

Create a timeline for your events by listing everything that needs to be done, starting at the end.  Do it like a David Letterman “Top Ten List.” 

Let’s use my concert for an example.  Take a page and have two vertical columns labeled “Date” and “Action.”  List the concert as the at the bottom of the page:  “Del Suggs Concert.”  Then list the date of the event to the “Date” side:  let’s say “February 14.” Above concert write:  “put up posters, and start publicity blitz.”  Since you want to do that a week before the show, count back seven days, and write “February 7” in the date column.  Say the campus newspaper comes out on the first of the month.  Write “Newspaper story” as an action.  Then find out the deadline for that issue of the paper-- it may be five to seven days before publication.  When your find out, fill in that date: “January 21.”

When you’ve finished this action and date list, you’ll have a timeline for everything that needs to be done for the event.  Try this for your programs.  It’s like an old school “To Do List” only with the deadlines for each item.  It’s a great way to both break down the big event into smaller tasks, and to make sure that the tasks are completed at the proper time.

 

Using a Form

Schedules and forms are excellent ways to manage the myriad of tasks involved in activities programming.  I’ve drafted a “Campus Event Form” and posted it at my website for your use.  Go to www.SaltwaterMusic.com, and click on the “Ed Resources” link in the menu bar.  Near the bottom of the page is the form (it is a PDF, so you’ll view it with Adobe Acrobat Reader).

This form covers most of the steps involved in presenting an event on campus.  Each item (such as “Request Contracts” or “Reserve Venue”) has a line for you to date and initial upon completion.  The idea is to have a list of everything that needs to be done, and to keep a record of when it gets done.  Feel free to change it in any way to fit your own program board needs.  I really believe you’ll find it helpful.

You can always create your own forms, too, for completing frequent yet complex tasks. For example, I have a personal form I created for tracking every single concert or lecture I present.  At the top, I have blanks for the school, date, showtime, topic, and all those little details about the actual event.  Then I have a date and checklist of business matters, such as “Contracts Sent,” “Contracts Returned,” “Promotional Material Sent,” and more.  At the bottom is pertinent information such as “Accommodations,” “Directions to Campus,” and a general “Remarks.”  I even have a blank for “Thanks to:” that I complete immediately after the show, so I don’t forget the people who helped me out when I was visiting your campus. 

 

All That?

Do I have to have a form for all of this?  Probably not, because after more than 750 college appearances I know what needs to be done.  But you and your student programmers probably don’t have that depth of experience.  In fact, some of your board members won’t even know everything that must be done, much less when it should be done.  That’s why a form can be so helpful.

And, it makes things simple because I can look at the form and see exactly when I send posters to a campus, rather than having to go to my computer database and search.  I generally apply Occam’s Razor to my use of technology.  In Latin, “entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem,” which translates to “entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.”  To paraphrase-- simpler is better!

 

Resolving Conflicts

Let’s look briefly at conflict resolution.  Every program board has conflicts and disagreements between members.  Why are there conflicts?  Let me give you five quick causes of conflict:

 

• Interdependence:  Every member of the board depends on other members for help and support.
• Differences of Values, Goals, or Beliefs: Board members can be diverse, and have widely varying assumptions of worth, what is important, and even basic ideas.
• Stress: Program board members have an important job to do in producing major events on campus. Sometimes they actually have to take exams and write papers, too!
• Scarce Resources: Imagine a program board meeting when the homecoming budget just got slashed after the planning was completed. Who gets their event cut?
• Uncertainty:  Not knowing the outcome of an issue, problem, or concern.

It can be difficult to resolve conflicts.  One reason is the concept of winning and losing.  If you feel strongly about something, then stepping back from that conviction might make you feel like you lost the conflict.  Nobody likes to lose.

Another reason is sometimes referred to as “zero-sum.”  That’s like a balanced budget, where in order have one thing you have to eliminate something else.  So, in order for the conflict to be resolved, some one has to give up something.

The last reason conflicts can difficult to resolve can be the famous divorce term: “irreconcilable differences.”  Some times the sides just can’t be resolved.  In that case, you have to agree to disagree and move on.  But when that happens, you can count on conflict recurring.

 

Conflict Management and Strategies

Here are some ways to handle conflict.  See which strategy works best for you and your program board.

 

• Competition: Essentially, having each side compete against each other. You might see this as a discussion and vote on the matter.
• Accommodation:  This means finding a way to have both sides win.  It can be tough to do.
• Compromise:  Basically, each side gets part of what they want, while giving up something they want, like a negotiation.
• Collaboration: Having both sides work together, and come up with a mutually agreeable outcome. This can be the ultimate team building experience.
• Avoidance:  Just ignore the conflict.  This is a bad choice, because it won’t go away by itself.

Negotiation to Resolution

If you are faced with a dispute among your board members, you may need to take action. Here are some important things to keep in mind when your resolving conflicts.

First, prepare for the negotiation.  Just because you will be the mediator doesn’t mean you can enter the negotiation without adequate preparation.  Learn as much as you can about the issue, what is involved, and who is involved.  It’s important to be ready when you face the two sides.

Second, focus on the process.  You do this by keeping the people separate from the problem.  If it’s a budget matter, that means looking at the budget process and the outcome of that process, not “Brandi wants this much money, and Billy wants this much.” Try to take the people-- and the personalities-- out of the problem.

Third, deal with the actual issue or interest, not the position.  That means look at the Big Picture.  for example, it’s less important what program each of the opposing sides wants to present than it is to consider whether  the entire event matters.

Ultimately, you want to seek a balanced solution.  You may have to pick one side as the winner on occasion.  You may find a way to have both sides win sometimes.  But true long-term conflict resolution involves compromise and collaboration.  The sense that you are fair to both parties in resolving the conflict will go far in reducing future problems on your board.  Plus, it’s the right thing to do.

Next time I’ll deal with some exciting concepts called Branding and Marketing. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.  Just drop me an email, and I’ll get back to you.

Presenting Shows The Right Way

Posted by: Del Suggs - Saltwatermusic.com

For years I just accepted and played any situation a college wanted.  Middle of the cafeteria?  I can do that.  Outside on the lawn?  No problem!  Lobby of the Student Center?  Sure thing!  See, I’m a Nice Guy-- and nice guys always try to get along with everybody.  I didn’t want to cause trouble by objecting to a venue or presentation idea.

As you might imagine, I had some interesting experiences.  How about this-- I actually played the “Half-time Show” at a football game!  My sound system was set up on a flat bed truck, and when the teams ran off the field the driver pulled on the middle of the field with my “stage.”  When my twenty-minutes was up, the driver ran back out, unplugged the extension cord and drove off the field with me “surfing” the back of the truck.

I also had some lousy experiences.  I played standing on the floor in the corner of a crowded campus cafeteria, while being completely ignored by three hundred students.  It was a colossal waste of my time and their money.

Being a life-long learner, I started to keep track of the “problem situations,” especially when I noticed trends.  Soon, I began to see that simple changes could often create a much better performance situation.  When I felt like I was knowledgeable enough, I began to offer suggestions to activities personnel at the school where I was performing. 

For example, when another school wanted me to stand on the floor in the corner of their cafeteria, I suggested that we move some tables and put me up on the elevated sitting area.  That show turned out great, and Student Activities Board was grateful to find a better way to present their performers.

Eventually I refined my advice into the various educational programs I offer at the APCA Conferences and Workshops, and at the Student Activities Training Programs I present at colleges across the country.  I thought that I would share a potpourri of those ideas with you this month.

 

Shake It Up

If you are using a room where students already go (like a cafeteria), or if you do all your shows in the same room (like a ballroom), then change the room around for your shows. It makes a difference, because it opens your students’ eyes to the new experience (performance) that they are about to enjoy.

If you’re in the tired old cafeteria, then move the tables around.  Instead of putting the performer in the same old place, put them in the opposite end of the room.  Remove all the chairs that face away from the stage, so that everyone sitting in the room is facing the performer.  Put out tablecloths, even for a Noon show.  Find a way to dim the lights.

Of course, you’ve brought in a stage-- because that gives your audience a focal point in the room.  But how about lights?  You can nearly always find a portable stage lighting system on campus, but if your school doesn’t have one then buy some clip-on lights and flood bulbs.  I heard of a show once where they lit the stage with fifteen of those desk lamps that come standard in dorm rooms!  Be creative, and do things differently.

I played a college coffeehouse that tried a new arrangement for my show.  Instead of bringing in a stage platform for me to stand on, they brought in six or eight stages for the audience to sit on!  I played on the floor, while the students sat at tables on stage risers.  It was a “dinner theater” effect, and worked out great.

 

Stuck In Traffic

Respect the traffic patterns on your campus.  No, I’m not talking about jaywalking-- I’m talking about the path that students take around your school and school buildings.  If you are presenting a daytime show, then you have to pay special attention to the traffic patterns.

Students may go to different places on campus, but they tend to follow the same routes. If you find that students are filling the student center at 11 a.m. every Wednesday, then that may be the perfect time for your so-called “Noon” show.  Move it up an hour to 11, and take advantage of that audience.

Keep your stage away from doorways and popular exits.  Students are accustomed to using particular doors into and out of rooms and buildings.  Don’t try to do a show right in the midst of that traffic flow.  Students will walk right by your event.  That hurts the show disrupting the performance for the rest of the audience, because of people essentially walking in front of the stage.

But do take advantage of that traffic flow by noting where those students are going. Understand that you will not break those traffic patterns, especially for a daytime show. Make sure that any performance or event is either at the beginning or end of the traffic route, or somewhere along the way.  Don’t even attempt a daytime event that’s not going to be walked past by all those students unless it’s a really major program.  Old habits are tough to break.

 

Picky Little Things

Take note of those petty little distractions that can reduce a great show into just a good show.  Sometimes just the simplest little annoyances can add up to a big irritation with your audience. 

Always be aware of lines and queues when you place your stage.  I played an outdoor event where the food line and the beverage line were on opposite sides, and both ended at the foot of the stage.  It made for a train wreck of confusion right in front of the stage, a big distraction for the audience.

If you place a performer in front of a large door, window or glass wall, make sure there is some kind of curtain, banner, or even just a blanket covering the glass.  Without fail, some student will walk up to the outside of the glass and either try to open the door, or just start making funny faces and such things.  And even if that doesn’t happen, you don’t need the distraction of having students walking around behind the performer.

Make sure there is somewhere for the audience to sit down.  It can be discouraging for an audience to enter a room or an outdoor space to enjoy a show and have no where to sit.  I’ve played beautiful shady patios and courtyards on college campuses where the audience stood around for a while, then left because there was no place to relax.

On the other hand, think about using performers when students can’t sit down.  We can be a great distraction for those waiting in long lines.  I’ve performed specifically for students waiting in line for Drop/Add, to buy books, to vote in SGA elections, to give blood, and for students waiting in line for other attractions like wax hands and caricatures.  If they’re going to be in line for very long, use some music to distract them.  It sure makes the time fly.

 

Natural Spaces

Consider the natural spaces on your campus.  You may have a hillside that is just perfect for an outdoor event-- that gentle slope that creates a natural amphitheater.  Take advantage of it when the weather is amenable.  Do a show someplace different.  But pay attention to the climate and conditions!

Last October I performed an afternoon concert at Three p.m. on a beautiful campus lawn. When I was booked, I suggested that the presenters do two things.  First, provide a cover or awning for the stage in case of too much sun or rain;  Second, that they make sure there was adequate shade for the audience.  They ignored my suggestions.  While there was no rain, I ended up performing in the full blazing sun for two hours.  And the audience? Well, they sat about a hundred yards away underneath the shady trees that bordered the lawn.  Still, it was a good show.  The school has already booked me back for this fall. But, they moved the show to November instead of October, and to Five p.m. instead of Three p.m.  It’ll be much more comfortable for the audience, and for me!

If you have any questions about successful programs, please email me at: Del@SaltwaterMusic.com.  I’ll do my best to advise and help you.  And let me know about any thing new you’ve been using in your programs.  Whether it’s a new programming idea, or a sure-fire promotional technique, if you’ll email me about it I’ll spread the word.