I’m getting my sea-legs back
While I may not be working in the Higher Education field at the moment, I am definitely starting to get back into the groove of working with college students. It's back-to-school time, and first-year students are coming to town and doing some school shopping at local office-supply stores, which means they're coming into contact with.... ME.
I'm getting some strange looks when I ask questions like, "Are you living on campus?" and "What are you studying?" On the surface, they're not really strange questions. But when I start following up the housing inquiry with recommendations and praises of why living on campus is an amazing experience, and they should take every advantage of on-campus events and activities, and to be involved on their floor and in their building, I start to get some real awkward stares.
At that point, I have to give my little explanation that I am actually a Student Affairs professional, that I have worked in Residence Life at 4 different schools, and that it's simply a twist of fate that has landed me in retail.
The best part, though, is that my fellow employees have started directing customers to me when parents and students have questions about what is really needed. I heard one coworker say to a customer yesterday, "You should talk to Erik. He's actually a college admin professional." That made me feel pretty good.
So, yes, I'm not "in the field" at the moment, but you can't stop instinct! College students are everywhere. So, my Student Affairs/Student Development/Higher Ed friends and colleagues, know that I am still out here, fighting the good fight for you when you're busy on-campus!
(Although, I'd much rather be fighting the good fight on-campus. *hint* *hint*)
An Open Letter to Target (and every other retail store in the country)
Before I even begin, I want to give you a point of reference so that you might better understand my concern. This picture surfaced on Twitter, courtesy of @cindykane, and it disturbs me greatly.
First and foremost, I want you to understand that yes, I recognize that you are a business and your first responsibility is to your shareholders. That's fine. If you could take some social responsibility into account as you make your decisions, though, that would be fantastic.
Here's my concern: ping-pong balls, Solo cups, and a collapsable table are not, by any stretch of the imagination, what I, and countless other student development professionals would call "college essentials." To advertise, albeit not outright, that drinking games are a staple of a college education, you are mocking, and cheapening the value of the college experience for thousands of students around the world.
Furthermore, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but advertising for college supplies is generally targeted at new college students. Face it, by the time your second year of college rolls around, you have a firm grasp on what is and isn't needed in your residence hall room or apartment. By the time you're 21 years old and a Junior or Senior, you definitely don't need anybody pointing you in the direction of "what you need for college" anymore. By your advertising beer pong equipment on a back-to-school endcap, you are, in my opinion, targeting first-year, and therefore underage students.
As a student affairs professional, this one, seemingly innocuous endcap has been viewed, as @cindykane very appropriately put it, a "slap in the face to goals of higher ed".
It is silly for me to expect you, as a corporation, to mimic the goals of the Higher Education/Student Affairs community. It is not, however, that far-fetched of me to ask that you, as a corporation with a great deal of influence on your customers, to consider your social responsibility and the audience to whom you are selling your product.
We have a hard enough time educating students on healthy behaviors, misleading college stereotypes, and misguided expectations of the college experience. We don't need you perpetuating these illusions by encouraging binge drinking by under-age students.
Social responsibility is easy to overlook as a large corporation. Don't buy into the illusions of the college experience. Don't perpetuate the "Animal House" myth. Help to make the college experience better, more meaningful, and successful for this year's incoming class of students. Don't set them off in the wrong direction with inherently unhealthy goals and expectations.
Signed,
Erik Bates (and, I'm sure, several hundred other student development professionals, parents, and students)