Great expense and effort is invested in discouraging student leaders from drinking at many leadership conferences. But, is it actually working? Would allowing moderated, responsible consumption actually serve the teaching mission of a conference more realistically? “What if” we tried a different approach. It’s working in social services right now. Could it work for us?
From the “greatest hits” file. I first published this in 2008, and I still love it. There are many victims in this world. A college student leader waking up at 9:30 a.m. is not one of them. Stop thanking your students for getting up on a Saturday to participate in something designed for THEIR benefit.
Halloween is one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year, but it can also foster a rampant environment of cultural insensitivity. You can’t control the costumes people choose, but you can control whether they introduce insensitivity into your event. A simple statement prior to your event can help to deter some offensive choices, and enforcing standards at the door can keep the party fun for everyone. Be proactive now so that geishas, blackface gangsta pimps, slutty Indians, illegal aliens, zombie terrorists, and other stereotypes aren’t associated with your group the day after the party.
