Structural Environment

Complexity

There are a few important questions which are important to consider when thinking about how work and responsibilities are divided in a setting: "Should assignment of duties be fixed or rotated? Should some individuals assume responsibility for certain functional specialties or certain whole projects? Who should work with whom?" etc. (Strange & Banning, 2015, 88). In Residence Life, the answer to this question is constantly shifting. While the overarching hierarchical structure stays firm, professionals frequently entering and leaving their positions means that different responsibilities are often spread out, shared, or temporarily assigned to another individual. On a GS level, this is a very relevant concern, as there are few residence centers on campus which are fully staffed. Some GSs take on the work of RLC-SDs or RLC-Os. McNutt is one of the few centers which is fully staffed, which means that I have not had to take on as many additional responsibilities as some of my peers. At the beginning of the year, however, McNutt's "partner" residence center, Walnut Grove, had no professional staff. This meant that the McNutt RLC-SDs played a role in helping Walnut Grove to function. It did also somewhat shift expectations for GSs in both McNutt and Walnut Grove, in that this year GSs directly supervise an assigned group of RAs, rather than co-supervising RAs with an RLC-SD, which is the suggested practice of the Residence Life department. However, it's worth noting that I prefer this style of supervision, as I feel that I am gaining more practical and valuable experience than if I were co-supervising. 

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Stratification

Two aspects of stratification which I would like to highlight are organizational pattern and organizational size. Strange and Banning (2015) present the idea that "organized systems could be characterized generally along a continuum from dynamic to static. At one end are dynamic environments that are flexible in design and respond easily to change; at the other end are static environments, which tend to be more rigid in design and therefore resist change" (p. 100). Residence Life is a system which I would characterize as a more static environment. I believe that this characterization can be directly connected to the size of the organization. The below quote sums up how I feel about the static nature and large size of Residence Life.

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“Fighting the bureaucracy becomes a rallying cry for all too many students attempting to negotiate the barriers inevitable in the organized systems of a large flagship university. Endless long lines, numbers instead of names, and forms in triplicate all take their toll on the human spirit at a time in students’ lives when questions of identity and purpose (Chickering & Reisser, 1993) demand, and are better served by, a higher degree of individualization, personalism, and support” (Strange & Banning, 2015, p. 110). 

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I come from Willamette University, which is a small, private, liberal arts institution. I recognize that this environment is highly different from that of a large, public, research institution like IU, but I also believe that goals in the Residence Life functional area are often the same or similar across different institutions. I have done some experimentation within McNutt in which I have implemented some of the practices used at Willamette University, such as training styles, activities for the RAs, expectation-setting, etc., and I have experienced success. I often wonder why Residence Life at IU is unable to adapt larger components of its organizational structure. For example, I would love to implement different residential curriculum topics in different neighborhoods, to better support the different needs of students in thee neighborhoods. 

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Efficiency 

“Colleges and universities are in the business of creating new ideas and programs responsive to changing conditions and needs. New ideas and programs are inherently risky, inasmuch as they may or may not succeed. Failures are detrimental to the efficient use of resources because productivity is interrupted and resources are apparently misplaced or squandered” (Strange & Banning, 2015, p. 97).

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My discussion of efficiency connects to my discussion of stratification. I believe that the Residence Life department, as a result of its static nature, has become inefficient. We are not responding to changing conditions effectively. There is too much dissatisfaction among staff members, and I feel that our practices have become disconnected from the needs of residents and student staff members overall. I wish that more risks would be taken when it comes to implementing new standards, or when it comes to changing expectations or procedures across different areas of campus. 

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Morale

Morale is probably the aspect of Residence Life at IU that I struggle with the most. I feel that as a whole, I have had a positive experience working as a Graduate Supervisor. There are issues in the department, this is unquestionable. No organization is perfect. I have always been able to recognize this and either move on, or discuss specific concerns with my supervisors and my peers. Though I may not agree with how the Residence Life department at IU functions overall, I feel that I have been able to maintain positive morale and recognize my time here as a valuable learning experience. I believe that when I move on from IU, I will be able to look back at my experience positively. However, while I am still working here, I struggle with the morale of those around me, and in the department as a whole. Many of my peers are extremely dissatisfied in this department. There is incredibly high turnover, which is associated with lower morale, and staff members are often not excited to participate in the environment or to complete their tasks (Strange & Banning, 2015). I have experienced moments in which I feel content or interested in participating in a new Residence Life opportunity, but those around me do not feel the same. This reaction comes from supervisors, peers, and my student staff at McNutt. This negativity can be difficult for me to deal with, and I believe that this overarching low morale has a negative impact on the environment as a whole. 

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