The CECE Model

Examples & Recommendations for Improvement

As a whole, the Residence Life department at IU does attempt to engage in work which will support students of different identities and of diverse backgrounds. We recognize that students of all identities and backgrounds will live in our residence halls, and so there are efforts being made to do better in providing educational opportunities for these students as well as our student staff. I’d like to note that there are a number of ways in which this engagement could be greatly improved, but I will begin this section by first discussing some of the initiatives which are in place.

The CommUNITY Education (CUE) program is a program in which student staff members, known as CommUNITY Educators, or CUEs, work to create informational bulletin boards, implement educational workshops, and assist Resident Assistants in resolving community conflicts or concerns related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice (CommUNITY Education Program, n.d.). At McNutt, I frequently work with our two CUEs to help them advertise their workshops or events and to connect them with the McNutt RAs. I am also in close contact with my CUEs’ supervisor to maintain an open line of communication. I believe that this program is a great representation of CECE Indicator 6, Culturally Validating Environments, because CUEs actively work to ensure that the diverse student groups within our residential communities are represented and validated. However, I believe it is is critical to note that for this indicator to be fully met, all professional staff involved with Residence Life must take an active interest in the CUE role and make an effort to support the program as a whole. This is an area in which IU’s Residence Life team could improve greatly.  

I believe that the nature of Residence Life as a whole, in which professional and student staff seek to support students holistically within their living environment is representative of both CECE Indicator 7, Humanized Educational Environments, and CECE Indicator 9, Availability of Holistic Support. Caring about residents, being committed to the development process, and providing the information and support that allows residents to grow are key pillars of Residence Life. It is the responsibility of professional staff members to embrace these things, and also to train student staff members to be able to do so as well. 

Through the establishment of departmental Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives or goals, professional staff within the Residence Life Department at IU are able to engage with these pillars from a culturally engaging perspective. RPS’ DEI goals revolve around three points: communication, process and procedure, and development (About: Residential Programs and Services, n.d.). The Diversity Committee, which I am aware of but am not a part of, works to carry out these goals. For instance, they host monthly affinity group meetings for staff members of all levels to participate in. These goals are also referenced occasionally during annual trainings or at all staff meetings. I would love to see a greater focus placed on these goals.   

Student staff members, on the other hand, work within a residential curriculum which aims to educate residents on community living, provide health and safety information, and about DEI topics. There has been a major shift in the content of this curriculum between last year and this year. Last year, most months revolved around a different DEI topic, such as LGBTQ+ History Month or Native American Heritage Month, while this year, there is more variation in theme. RAs create bulletin boards and educational programming opportunities related to these themes each month. The residential curriculum seems to be in a stage which is very experimental. More stability would be hugely beneficial. 

To conclude, though the CUE program, Residence Life DEI goals, and residential curriculum exist, and may be considered representations of CECE indicators discussed above, I think that Residence Life and RPS as a whole must focus more intentionally on engaging with DEI work. It is clear that there are a few individual within the Residential Leadership Team who prioritize this work, but many others do not. To be frank, this lack of attention by many is noticeable and disappointing. As a Graduate Supervisor, I interact with my CUEs regularly and work to ensure that they feel supported at McNutt, and I work closely with my RAs to assist them in successfully implementing the residential curriculum, but when it comes to the RPS’ DEI goals, I am not required or even encouraged to engage with them. I do not believe that this lack of attention is a result of ill will, but rather that these initiatives seem to fall to the side in favor of “more pressing” concerns. For instance, the reason for the change in the structure of the residential curriculum between this year and last year was that there were a number of issues experienced by RAs last year. One issue was that there were few, if any, educational resources provided to RAs to help them create accurate or appropriate content for their residents. So, this year, pre-made bulletin boards are provided to RAs for them to use. I do not believe that the curriculum structure last year worked well, but it is also disappointing that the solution which was created doesn’t actually allow for our student staff to do any type of learning. This type of experience seems to be a trend within the Residence Life department, and I believe that if a change in mindset occurred, we would be more successful in  our attempts to support the backgrounds and identities of our staff members and our residents.

​