Category: Featured Stories

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Brock Rigsby Demonstrates Courageous Leadership while Learning to Focus on the Big Picture

Meet Brock Rigsby. He is a Psychology and French Studies Double Major from Hot Springs, Arkansas and a self-proclaimed convert from “somewhat of a control freak” to “less of a control freak.” Alexander Rentz, Residential Community Director for Virginia-Snider Commons, has watched and supported Brock as he has stepped up to serve his residential commons in various roles. Of Rigsby, Rentz told us:

Brock currently serves as the Chief of Staff for the Virginia-Snider Commons Council. Brock has been invaluable with the overall success for the council with overcoming any obstacles they have faced. In fact, Brock served in an interim role of President when the acting president had to take a leave of absence. Additionally, Brock has done a great job with responding to complaints from the residents of Virginia-Snider and making sure the concerns of the residents are being addressed in a timely manner. Simply put, Brock has been instrumental towards providing a quality residential experience in Virginia-Snider. In the future, Brock plans on obtaining a PhD with the hopes of serving as a child psychologist.

We asked Brock, “What have you learned (either about yourself or in terms of new knowledge/skills) and how have you changed/grown as a result of your involvement on Commons Council? Here is what he had to say:

During my time on Commons Council, I’ve been exposed to a variety of situations and issues that provided opportunities for learning and growing. I learned first and foremost that I have a tendency to over-extend myself and have to take a step back sometimes… and that that is okay! There is an entire team of qualified individuals on our council, and an entire building of eager residents that are ready to help them. Learning this about myself led to positive changes in my life as I have transitioned from somewhat of a control freak to less of a control freak. Everything takes time, right? In all seriousness, though, our programs have similar or even greater success when they are spontaneous as opposed to having months of planning, and that fact has helped me stop stressing over the little things and look more at the big picture.

Brock Rigsby (’20) is a Psychology and French Studies Double Major. He is from Hot Springs, Arkansas and his Residential Commons affiliation is Virginia-Snider.

To learn more about Residence Life and Student Housing, please visit www.smu.edu/housing.

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Club Crawl – A Virtual Involvement Fair Series

The mission of Student Center and Activities (SCA) is to create experiences and spaces that encourage students to discover their interests and find a sense of belonging. One of the key ways that this happens is through involvement in a student organization and SMU has over 200 student organizations to choose from on campus. 

Traditionally, the SCA team has hosted a large event called “A Night at the Club” to facilitate this involvement. Over 100 student organizations would set up informational tables in the Indoor Performance Center, and over 1,000 new Mustangs attended, stopping by the tables of the organizations they wanted to learn more about. Given the large crowd in an indoor space, it was necessary to provide a virtual alternative for students to learn about involvement opportunities.

That virtual alternative was Club Crawl, which was developed as ten stand-along virtual involvement fairs, each about 30-45 minutes long. Taking place from 5-6pm over two weeks, each session was specific to a certain category of student organizations, like fraternities and sororities, community service, academic interest, or multicultural organizations, just to name just a few examples! A total of 87 student organizations were represented at Club Crawl.

In each session, about fifteen or so student organization representatives gave brief introductions of their organization, including information about how to join, the benefits of membership, and typical activities of the club. After the introductions, student attendees asked questions via the Zoom webinar Q&A feature, including questions like, “how do I join? Can remote-only students participate? And, how will your club offer activities and opportunities that are COVID-safe?” 

Club Crawl provided an opportunity for students to interact in real-time – an aspect that was important to students surveyed about possible A Night at the Club replacement strategies. Students value the opportunity to converse with each other, even when that conversation cannot take place in person. Over 650 students attended one or more Club Crawl sessions; the highest-attended sessions included those for Greek life and service and philanthropy.

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Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellows

On October 30th, 2020 the donors for the Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship and the larger SMU community hosted by the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life gathered virtually to listen and learn about the experiences of the 2020-21 Cooper McElvaney Fellows. Rhonda Hodge (2020) and Nia Kamau (2022) spoke to the group about their respective summer experiences conducting social justice research on Black Christian communities navigating Covid-19 within their congregation and community (Hodge) and completing an internship serving as the primary correspondent and instructor for the Dallas Champions Academy (Kamau). Read more about these exceptional students’ insights and reflections regarding their fellowship experiences.

What ideas, beliefs, or values stand out as a result of your Cooper McElvaney Fellowship experience?

Nia: Service and justice work never stops. Even during a pandemic, the Cooper McElvaney Fellowship provided me an opportunity to continue advocating for equity and youth empowerment through CHAMP. 

Rhonda:  As a result of my Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship experience, I am encouraged and inspired by the richness, resilience, resourcefulness, and responsiveness of Black Christian Congregations in continuing to address the needs of their communities – even in the era of a global health pandemic. Clearly, it is not enough to only recognize problems, but to be change agents in providing solutions to past, present, and future issues.

What faith perspective informed your fellowship study?

N: Champ is all about empowerment, and I feel like our walk with Christ, as a Christian myself, is all about being empowered by God, and encouraging us to empower others to affirm other people and help them find their identity in Him, and help them fulfill their purpose in life. Empowerment really is the work of Christ and is a big part of what it means to be a follower.

R: Faith is the center of everything I do in my life. The Bible even talks about how our bodies are the temple, and if we don’t take care of our bodies, it’s really hard to take care of our spirit. I just believe that when we take care of our bodies, it is in line with taking care of our spirit.

What have you learned about yourself as a result of participating in this fellowship experience?

N: The Cooper McElvaney fellowship has given me an opportunity to connect even more with the faith community at SMU. Because of the Cooper McElvaney fellowship, I was able to work and do what I was passionate about and still be equipped with the resources to attend school. Also, the Cooper McElvaney fellowship has provided us with readings, [and] opportunities to really reflect on what it means to be a “justice warrior for Jesus,” and that has really challenged me in my beliefs and forced me to think deeper; I have enjoyed that experience.

R: [The fellowship] really helped me develop more agency, even though I was supposed to be in South Africa for a study abroad trip. This [fellowship] has helped in the way that I have looked at the overall picture of my education, and my ability to speak with authenticity, but also with authority in terms of social justice and human rights

What was your most rewarding moment during the summer?

N: My most rewarding experience during the summer was interacting with mentees and empowering them with the resources to maintain academic and spiritual health during the COVID19 pandemic. For many of our students, the summer quarantine was a time of isolation, loneliness, and loss. When they needed support, I was grateful that the CHAMP mentors and I could be there as resources and listening ears. I was also grateful for the opportunity to continue providing volunteer opportunities for SMU students committed to service despite COVID19 regulations.

R: Aside from receiving the news of being awarded the fellowship, my most rewarding moment was seeing the testing data, outreach programs, and my personal interviews come together to show the value of partnerships in service to God and others for the greater good of communities disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

How do you expect this experience will inform your decisions and direction going forward?

N: I think through discipleship. As someone who follows the Christian faith tradition, I know that discipleship is one of the commands that Christ gave us. Through Champ, we seek to really do that, not just through telling students that there is this guy Jesus who loves you very much, but to actually walk with them through the process of being a follower of Christ and having a transformed lifestyle and maturity.

R: This [fellowship] will give me a higher platform because I am able to literally go out into the community and do something that will outcast and outlive me. I will be able to present information on a current event, and hopefully encourage people to be a participant in their community, to take better care of themselves from a health perspective, to literally go out and vote as we think of who we are going to elect and who will be in favor of our healthcare, a real issue from a social justice and human rights perspective

The Cooper McElvaney Peace and Justice Fellowship aims to provide undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of social justice work either through a Faith based organization or by delving into the religious dimensions of social justice. The fellows will have the opportunity to work closely with Sungman (Tyler) Kim in the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, in a summer long exploration of social justice through works of Rev. William B. McElvaney and constructive conversations.

To learn more about the Cooper McElvaney Faith and Justice Fellowship, and other initiatives in the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, please visit www.smu.edu/chaplain.

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Fall 2020 Career and Internship Fair Goes Virtual

“Handshake Virtual Fair Launch Kit Now Live!” was an email all Hegi Family Career Development Center staff members were ready to receive in late-summer 2020.  Like most universities, SMU decided to transition their in-person career fair to a virtual space in light of the COVID season. The current career-services platform, Handshake was determined to serve their client campuses with a new virtual career fair feature for the fall recruiting season.  The Handshake team quickly grew their mission of democratizing opportunity to presenting the “next generation virtual career fair” to client campuses, and their goal was to deliver a personal and efficient experience for students and employers.  The new virtual fair option offered intimate 30-minute group settings and 10-minute 1:1 facetime with recruiters in addition to several videos, articles, and blogs for students and employers in preparation for the event.

As the SMU Hegi All Majors Virtual Career Fair kicked off on September 15, the Hegi team was excited to host 44 employer participants featuring a total of 140 recruiters.  A Handshake representative was available to assist employers with technical issues, and Hegi staff members were available to assist students with any questions or concerns via hourly group sessions during the fair. In total, there were 88 group sessions with 730 total student attendance for group sessions, and there were 409 student participants for the 1:1 sessions. The virtual fair was in session for four hours from 3-7pm, and the Hegi team was happy to see a successful student and employer turnout for their inaugural virtual career fair.

After the virtual Career Fair, students and employers were given an opportunity to provide feedback, and the voices were positive and appreciative.  One student commented that “It was tough for a career fair to be online, but I feel like the career fair accommodated well and made is as easy as possible for employers and students to connect.”  Another student commented, “I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and look forward to meeting more employers and SMU alumnus.”  Employers offered complimentary remarks about the level of student participation, and one employer commented that they were “impressed by the professionalism and preparation from the students.”

Despite the challenges during the COVID season, the Hegi team was committed to delivering meaningful services and resources to help our students and employers navigate the virtual chapter together. The Hegi Family Career Development Center team is looking forward to hosting their next virtual fair for spring 2021 on February 9, 2021!

For more information about the Hegi Family Career Development Center, please visit www.smu.edu/career.

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Mustang Spotlight: Isabel Costian (’21)

Photo of Isabel Costian standing in front of a colorful brick wall. She is looking at the camera, smiling, and is wearing a black and white floral shirt.

 

Isabel Costian (’21) is not lacking for ways to be involved on the Hilltop. She is a Hunt Scholar, Undergraduate Admissions Ambassador, a Stampede Orientation Guide, and holds numerous other leadership roles and memberships in communities all over campus. Of particular note, Isabel is also a profound contributor to SMU’s Residential Commons. She recently took a moment to reflect on her experiences within Residence Life and Student Housing.

In Boaz, I served as Vice President and currently serve as the Commuter Ambassador, a position I created because I felt that commuter students (who are automatically affiliated with Boaz) needed more opportunities for community. In Program Council, I’ve done everything from Internal Development Chair (running weekly meetings) to Programming Chair (planning everything from a Bob Ross painting event to a pool party) to Digital Communications Chair (currently running social media). Through these and other leadership opportunities on campus, I’ve learned that it’s never too late to try something out of your comfort zone, which is why I just joined Mustang11 and am excited to revive it for this upcoming year! I’ll also be interning in the Marketing department at Southwest Airlines this summer.

I’ve always been involved and active in whatever I participate in, but I feel like I’ve had unique experiences at SMU that have allowed me to go deeper and accomplish more than I ever could have imagined. When I was selected to be Vice President of Boaz, I was a second-semester freshman who had never even lived in the building, as a commuter affiliate. I doubted myself and my abilities, but instead of letting that hold me back, I threw myself completely into it and revamped the process of submitting fund requests within Boaz, making it a more interactive experience where everyone’s voices could be heard. I was forced to make a lot of tough decisions alongside my President, but we ended up leading our commons to victory by winning the Commons Cup both years that we served on Exec. That initial experience showed me that I could do whatever I put my mind to, which has propelled me forward both here at SMU and off-campus with amazing internship opportunities where I’ve learned more than I’d ever expect to as a student. My main takeaway is to dream big, but don’t stop there: actually take the steps toward achieving it, because you might get farther than you’d thought.

Isabel Costian (’21) is a Marketing Major with Minors in Advertising, Arts Management, Psychology, and History. She is from Richardson, Texas and her Residential Commons affiliation is Boaz Commons.

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Wren Lee Selected for NASPA Undergraduate Fellows (NUFP) Program

SMU junior Wren Lee has been selected as a NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) fellow.

The NUFP is a program that allows students to “increase the number of historically disenfranchised and underrepresented professionals in student affairs and higher education” and “have opportunities for scholarships, on-campus mentorship, and professional development events.” Fellows and mentors apply to the program as a pair. Residence Life & Student Housing (RLSH) Director of Academic Initiatives, Dr. Dustin Grabsch, will be Wren’s mentor for the program. 

Wren looks forward to being a part of the NUFP, and setting the foundation for making an impact on college campuses – starting here, at SMU. 

“I’m most excited about working with my mentor Dustin Grabsch to learn more about working in student affairs,” Lee said. “It’s a career you don’t learn about until you’re in college, so I have a lot I want to learn about.”

Congratulations to Wren Lee for becoming a NUFP Fellow! 

To learn more about Residence Life and Student Housing, visit www.smu.edu/housing or the RLSH blog.

 

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Navigating the Road as a Hegi Career Leader

by Alex Brody (’22)

I will admit the beginning of my Hegi journey was not the smoothest… I had no concept of what a resume, cover letter, or even what an internship truly was. Entering into the Hegi Career Leaders Program, I was unsure of the level of commitment that was expected of me and signed up for multiple events of which I did not attend.

But let’s back up for a moment—I originally applied to participate in this program the summer before my first year of college when I saw an informational email about the Hegi Career Leadership program. The email caught my interest because I was involved with a similar program at my high school called the Green Key Ambassador program where I toured prospective families around my high school as well as organizing prospective student events. I also knew coming into college that I wanted to be more involved and grow my leadership qualities. So I applied and was inducted into the program.

After a few bumps in the road initially, I was fortunate to be able to sit down with some of the career counselors involved in the program and explain my position on the issues at hand and articulate my interest to stay in the program. This meeting was a turning point for me not just as a Hegi Career Leader, but as a student in general. I learned to prioritize my schedule and how to be responsible for knowing when certain events were occurring and when assignments for classes were due. This allowed me to prepare for these further in advance and be ready for the challenges ahead. At the end of my freshman year, I won the most improved Hegi Career Leader for being able to attend every event I signed up for following the meeting I had in September. I currently work as a Hegi Peer Mentor where I aid SMU students and critique their resumes, cover letters, and CVs as well as helping them find internships and set up their Linkedin and Handshake accounts. Hegi has not only taught me what a proper resume and cover letter look like, but intangible lifelong skills such as accountability and prioritization that will serve me well for the rest of my life.

Alex Brody (’22) is double majoring in Applied Physiology and Sports Management and Public Relations and Strategic Communication. He is from Dallas, Texas and his commons affiliation is Morrison-McGinnis Commons.

To learn more about the Hegi Family Career Development Center, please visit www.smu.edu/career.

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Creating a Sense of Community Wherever Students Are

Photo of Daniel Heard

Program Council at SMU is the major student-led programming organization on campus and is committed to providing free and fun events for all. Program Council’s goal is to unify and celebrate the SMU student body through fun, innovative programming that aims to enhance the individual experience of students, faculty, and the entire university community. By structuring themselves through committees, PC ensures a place for everyone to belong.

Although I am only halfway through my term as Program Council President (term spans January—December), I feel as though it’s already been a year. It’s been stressful, frustrating, and confusing, but I know that this experience is helping shape me to become a better leader.  

I started out the year nervous and unsure of myself. This position has been the biggest leadership role I’ve ever taken on, and I was initially scared of doing a bad job. My main difficulty was understanding what the role of President was in Program Council. In other organizations, the president tends to have the loudest and most important voice in the room, but that has never been the case for Program Council. I have an extremely capable and high achieving executive board that is amazing at what they do. A good leader adapts to the needs of their team whether that means being a motivator, strategist, or comforter. I’m not the kind of leader to micromanage and want to call all the shots, and that’s not the kind of leader Program Council needs either. I want the exec and board members I oversee to have a voice and be able to take ownership for their accomplishments within Program Council.  

 The spring semester provided a lot of challenges, but I am very proud with what our organization was able to accomplish. Prior to spring break, we put on two amazing new events which had some of the best attendance numbers of this academic year. We had an amazing Sing Song production in the works and we also resolved a lot of organizational issues regarding 24 Hour Musical. It was devastating to cancel some of the most anticipated events of the semester, but I think it helped all of us learn how to be more flexible and prepared for change.  

After Spring Break, I faced my first big challenge as president. How can an event planning organization exist while in quarantine? I took a step back and reexamined our purpose as an organization. Program Council exists to unify and celebrate the SMU community through fun and innovative programming. Our purpose is not to put on movie nights, Sing Song, or 24 Hour Musical. We bring fun to students wherever they may be, even if that is away from campus. After a good brainstorming session, we came up with several digital “events” which provided students with opportunities to connect with each other while isolated. These new events presented our organization with obstacles we were not used to facing. It wasn’t easy, but I am so proud of what we were able to do. 

Going into the fall, there are a lot of uncertainties. But given the past semester we are better equipped to be innovative and flexible. We will continue to bring fun to SMU, even if it looks a little different. Additionally, I think this experience for all members of program council will be extremely invaluable to them long term. In an interview for a summer internship, I was able to talk about my response to COVID-19 as Program Council President. I ended up being offered the job and I know I will continue to talk about this experience with potential employers. This is why I think student leadership is so important in general. The lessons that I have learned as a leader within student organizations, the Residential Commons system, and Greek life are the ones that have best prepared me to be a world changer. Undoubtedly, student leaders across campus have been tasked with steering their organization and peers through unprecedented challenges, and it is making us better equipped for our futures.  

Daniel Heard (’21) is double majoring in Creative Advertising and Marketing major from Dallas, Texas. His Residential Commons affiliation is Crum Commons. 

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Roots of a Movement: Hair to be Heard

I have been involved in various organizations since being at SMU but Fro easily won my heart. I recall feeling lucky to be on a campus that had a group that catered to such a niche but important cause for people like me.

Fro is a natural hair organization that serves as a safe space for Black men and women to discuss the stigma, versatility, and prowess of Black hair. The org also serves as a catalyst to disrupt the reigning beauty standard.

As soon as the opportunity to join the executive team arose, I took it. I wanted to be as involved as possible in the org that relates so heavily to experiences that myself and so many Black people identify.  

For many, hair is just hair, but for us it is an integral part of our culture. Our hair is peculiar, with unique textures and growth patterns. Historically, Black features have been degraded and the onslaught has continued into the present through workplace hair discrimination policies, school dress codes that disproportionately target natural hair styles, and general respectability politics. The Natural Hair Movement, and subsequently, orgs like Fro, encourage Black men and women to love their natural hair as opposed to taking drastic measures to disguise their natural textures. Fro also creates a platform for us to share our experiences with our hair from unlearning stigma to trading tips with one another.   

My first position in Fro was serving as Community Service Chair. I was tasked with finding a way to intersect the purpose and values of our organization with service. Through this, I created Crown Class. Crown Class is essentially a crash course on natural hair. During this “class” our executive team would partner with local community organizations or churches to teach young girls how to love and care for their natural hair. I was motivated to create this program because I felt that Black girls have a unique relationship with their hair that is not a universal experience. From a young age, the world casually teaches us that if our hair is a certain texture, it is unacceptable to go out in public with it in its natural state. It teaches us that kinky hair is ugly, unkempt, unprofessional. It tells us that for our texture, the rules of presentability are different, and that we have very little wiggle room. It tells us that our curls need to be chemically relaxed, straightened, or tucked under a wig. Crown Class works to foster self-love and confidence within young girls who are silently learning to dislike the genuinely beautiful things about themselves. Even if it is in the form of a three-hour workshop on a Saturday, I wanted Fro to go out of our way to reverse these lessons and encourage those girls to appreciate their natural selves first.  

Curlchella 2019 Executive Board

From initially serving as Community Service Chair to leading the organization as President, Fro has had a tremendous impact on me. Through curating service projects and organizing Curlchella, a black culture festival that seeks to bridge the gap between SMU and local Dallas residents, Fro has served as a beacon of support, community, and understanding for me. 

Fro has created a space for us to engage in important cultural dialogue, to break down the barriers of hair discrimination, and to contribute to the prosperity of the younger generation in embracing their natural selves. Fro has given me more than I could ask for and was critical in molding my undergraduate experience. The org transformed my leadership skills, gave me community, and taught me how to give back and unify. 

Anaka Adams (’21) is a rising senior from Dallas, Texas. She is majoring in Political Science and French and is affiliated with Virginia-Snider Commons.

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Managing a Move in the Middle of a Global Pandemic

Four Residence Life staff members standing outside on the SMU campus and wearing masks, there are many blue moving bins in the photos

It is often said that moving is one of the most stressful life events. Imagine, if you will, having to move during a global pandemic when you are halfway across the country. This is the exact situation that our residential students found themselves in shortly after Spring Break 2020. In this time, Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH) staff were tasked with creating a move out process to enable students to gather their belongings safely and efficiently. We knew there would be challenges, and we knew we would not be able to create something that worked for everyone. However, we planned a process to meet the needs of most students. From that point forward, our staff worked with diligence and compassion to support students through their unique and personal situations.

As we approached this challenge, we quickly thought through the situation and created moving options for those students with travel restrictions, health concerns, or financial hardships that prevented them from returning to campus to collect their belongings. These included the option to choose a moving company or identify a proxy to help move belongings on their behalf. Additionally, we had to think through options for those students who had nowhere else to go or were unable to leave campus during the pandemic. In the midst of all of this, we were able to create a pathway that allowed these students to remain in their on-campus home. Our hope for both of these processes was to provide all residential students the ability to choose what was best for them based on their own personal needs.

We want to thank you for creating such a safe and efficient move out process. [We] had multiple flights cancelled on our way from Charleston to Dallas, but you and your team supported us all along the way. Thank you for being flexible as we made requests to change our move out time. When we made it to Dallas, the move out was simple and easy. I can’t even imagine the hours you all have put in to manage this process. We just want you to know that we appreciate your efforts, and it is a job well done!

-SMU Parent

While the dust settled from students moving out and our team transitioning to a limited number of residential students, Residential Commons Directors, Faculty in Residence, and their leadership teams worked together to create virtual programs and initiatives that kept students engaged in their community and with one another. One such success was the Virginia-Snider Trivia Night. Trivia Night is a wildly competitive, semesterly program that attracts multiple teams, and the Virginia-Snider leadership team wasn’t going to let a global pandemic stand in their way! They utilized their technology skills to pull off a well-attended and successful virtual experience that allowed students to feel connected to a commons’ tradition while remote.

During this time, RLSH didn’t operate as an island unto themselves; our staff collaborated with multiple campus partners to help support our students through these unprecedented and ambiguous times. Whether it was connecting with the Dean of Students office for an emergency fund request or working with Associate Provost for Student Academic Engagement and Success, Dr. Sheri Kunovich, and her team to support students in their remote learning experience and retention efforts, RLSH staff made sure to connect residents to all of the SMU resources available to them.

Residence Life and Student Housing is a unit equipped to handle the most obscure and random emergencies you can imagine; yet, a global pandemic was not something we had ever imagined. As we reflect on the processes developed to safely close our communities during these ever-changing and unprecedented times, we would say the RLSH staff rose to the challenge of meeting the needs of students and providing the same level of care and support they would have found if they were still living with us on campus.

For more information about Residence Life and Student Housing at SMU, please visit www.smu.edu/housing.