Alexandra Hughes:
Welcome to season three of the ASCA Viewpoints Podcast, the podcast where we talk about the student conduct profession in higher education. I'm Alexandra Hughes, your Viewpoints' host.

Alexandra Hughes:
Hello, hello, everyone and welcome back to another episode of the ASCA Viewpoints Podcast. As always, I am your host, Alexandra Hughes, and it is a pleasure to be here with you in this space at this time. We are in August. I really can't believe that. When August 1st came across my calendar app on my phone, I was in shock. I was like, wait a second, I feel like we should still be in March. And to realize and recognize the events and how much has happened in our world since, I mean, the beginning of this year is truly just unparallel. And so, I think I really wanted to kind of do a shorter episode. I have something very, very special for you that I'm going to do during this episode for everyone. But I really just kind of wanted to say, hey, how are you? And really have you just check in with yourself.

Alexandra Hughes:
A lot's happened. A couple of weeks ago with the organization, of course, we had our annual Gehring, our ASCA Gehring Conference, which let me just give a shout out to all of the people that really made that possible. I mean, from the faculty. I actually had the opportunity to attend the conference virtually, and I was in the conflict resolution track. Amazing, amazing faculty, amazing, amazing content. And I mean, that's just for all the checks, I've heard wonderful things. I mean, from the board who really put this together, from everybody who took time, and effort and energy to make that experience as amazing as it was. I am just incredibly thankful and just excited to see ... Making something that is known to be a very personal conference, and one where we go for a week, and we talk and we get to have that interaction and connection with each other as colleagues is so, so hard to do in a virtual space.

Alexandra Hughes:
And I have to say the way that it was broken up, the way the content was delivered, the way the mastermind behind this, I want to give a shout out to Christine Simone, really put it together to ensure that it would work, I think was just incredible to see. And those interactions still occurred, those connections still happen. I've heard a lot of people talk about things when it comes to just how pleased they were, and even to see how what that may look like for next year, especially if we're being honest about the state of our country, and COVID-19 and what that could be. So definitely, I want to give my props for that. I do want to do a slight plug. A lot of people have asked me about the system's lens training that I did when it came to addressing really systemic and systematic racism, and how we can make our processes better because I gave a lot of tangible things in that. That was the initial video that everybody who went through conference had to see.

Alexandra Hughes:
And it was me, you had to listen to me talk for an hour and a half. So I'm so sorry that you had to do that. But nevertheless, I've had a lot of people reaching out to me asking if I'd be willing to do that for their campuses and making that since that was kind of the 2020 standard of what is considered when it comes to equitable processes, witnesses, complaints, all that type of stuff as far as seeing if you can get that gearing standard for your office. You most definitely can. Just go ahead and send me an email, it's alexandrahughes10@gmail.com, and we can definitely make something work. I just want to throw that out there because I've had people reaching out to me asking if I'd be willing to do it, and so I just wanted to just do a just a big overview. Yes, I will. I don't mind working with you. I don't mind seeing what that looks like for your team. I think this is really important information and it's something that we need to have. So that's a thing.

Alexandra Hughes:
Gehring went well, we'll have some people on the show talk about their Gehring experience, so I'm excited for that. But outside of that, there's still so much happening. School's starting this fall in some version, some type of way for all of us, whether it's online, fully online, hybrid, some places are in person. I mean, it is just a lot happening and a lot going on. And then we have Title IX regulations that are being implemented August 14th. COVID-19 is still a thing, in case you forgot, and yeah, racism is still there too and rampant. So I mean, things are still here and they haven't gone away, but we're being forced to kind of work our way through it and feel our way through it in some ways that just, I think seem almost impossible.

Alexandra Hughes:
There's a lot of articles and a lot of blog posts and stuff that I've read where people are really talking about the fact that they're saying, look, what does that look like for us coming back? And I know I'm preaching to the choir because we are all in this together, but I think that it's important to recognize that there's so many topics and it's overwhelming. I do want to go ahead and let everyone know that Christine Simone, again, second plug for her, who is our Deputy Director of ASCA, she will be putting out some more info and resources, and it's a really good, I've had the opportunity to briefly just kind of review what she is putting together as far as Title IX regs and stuff for everyone. And I mean, really just quality information that has helped even me and my office as we're looking through and figuring out what that looks like moving forward.

Alexandra Hughes:
So just to be on the lookout for that, it should be up relatively soon, obviously because the 14th is coming. So I just wanted to just, again, another resource in another way. So, that's the Title IX resource, we have the bias systemic racism stuff resource, and then as well as I'll give you guys some COVID things coming up soon as well. I really wanted to do something special, and I wanted to kind of pause from our regularly scheduled episode filled with content and people coming on here to do something a little different. And I really just want to give you your props and say thank you and say that I see you. It is so hard to be in our profession, and I don't think that people realize that. And especially as we look at how much we give as educators and higher education to start, and then another level of that as student conduct professionals.

Alexandra Hughes:
We are all human beings outside of the university campus that also have our own lives, and we are dealing with so many things and so much, and it can be a lot. And so one of the things that I know that has helped me immensely through my tenure in higher education and working, and what's really motivated me are the times when I've had people come back and say, wow, Alexandra, that's letters, emails, I mean all types of random stuff, and they acknowledge the fact that they see me. And sometimes I think we need to hear that more than anything else. I know that we use this show as a educational tool and I love it. I'm so excited. The conversations that we're having are great. The content is really coming along together well. Everyone's been so supportive of me as we navigate and really transitioning this podcast and really growing it to the next level as it evolves, and I'm so appreciative for that.

Alexandra Hughes:
But I wanted to do something and write essentially an open letter to you. So this episode is not long. Normally I have 30, 40, 50 hour, whatever that looks like episodes. This isn't that. I really just want this to be a space of motivation for you, and I want you to go through this week knowing that you're not alone. And so, to that I write to you this letter.

Alexandra Hughes:
Dear student conduct pro, I am so incredibly proud of you. You totally got this. Being in the world as a student conduct administrator is hard and tiring, and that was prior to experiencing a global pandemic. But this is unlike anything that you could expect. And I know that you started the year of 2020 thinking that it would be an amazing year and an amazing start to an amazing decade. And my goodness, this is not what you thought it would be. You are not alone. It has been tiring. No, not tiring, but exhausting. It has been scary, and the weight of the world has been on your shoulders. The people around you don't see how much and how heavy this role can be and how much responsibility you have to have on your shoulders. The world doesn't recognize the work that you do, and how many times do you have to hear over and over and over, I could never do your job? And although you've never said it, but how many times have you wanted to say, you are absolutely right. You couldn't. You could never do this job.

Alexandra Hughes:
You have no idea what it's like to sit across from a student and share news that can forever alter their educational career. You have no idea what it is like to meet with students face to face that have been deemed threats by everyone else on campus. But you have no idea what it's like to manage complaints. Students that feel that they want to give up so much that they take their own lives. Threats to on campus safety. Listen to gruesome recounts of personal, intimate encounters and argue with lawyers all in the same day on a Tuesday. Of course, with the pandemic, it was a new world. And for those of us who said, there's nothing that we haven't seen. Well, news for us, we spoke too soon. COVID-19 happened, a pandemic happened. And all of a sudden we were thrust into having to come up with new ways and policies, and ways to handle situations and a virtual world that we had never even heard of before. But we did it. You did it.

Alexandra Hughes:
You figured out how to make new policies. You've figured out how to rewrite the work that you do, manage doing the impossible online and making it possible. You did that. You dealt with a second civil rights era and so much more while dealing with the very real reality that you are a human being as well. And maybe you've lost loved ones. Maybe you've not been able to hug the ones that you love and so much more. It's hard. And I know that you didn't get a break this summer, and now you're entering a new academic year, and you have campus police, faculty, deans, students, parents, lawyers, administration, everybody looking at you to make the hard decisions. And whether it's said or not, sometimes you don't know if you're making the right one. Everyone thinks that this job is black and white, but it isn't. We function in the gray. Everyone thinks that it's so simple for you just to look at the policy and say, well, here it is, and make it happen. But it isn't as simple as that.

Alexandra Hughes:
You're constantly balancing the rights, responsibilities, the feelings, the emotions, the real recognition that there are human beings that you are sitting across from the table of, and that people are working through this together and it is now on your shoulders to figure it out. Take a moment, and stop what you're doing and breathe. Close your eyes, push that computer back. Stop checking emails every second. Set your boundaries and your barriers. Allow this to be me giving you permission for you to recognize that there's no such thing as a student conduct emergency. I know that's crazy, but if it was one we'd get PD involved, think about that. Breathe. Take deep breaths and relax your shoulders, your neck, unclench your jaw, and breathe. Know that I see you.

Alexandra Hughes:
I know that it is hard to ask for help, and we never do because the entire university comes to us asking for what to do. And I know you would never admit it or ask for help, but know that you can. Know that I am proud of you. Know that you are handling this the best way that you can every single day, and that's all that you can do. Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace. You are giving it the best that you can every single day, and do not allow others thoughts to enter your mind that you are not. And if no one has told you, allow me to be the first to tell you, you are doing just fine. And know that it is okay to not be okay, but it's not okay to stay there, and you don't have to stay there. You can get out of it. And I know this is crazy, but think about this, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. One bite at a time is all that you can do.

Alexandra Hughes:
You may have days where in order to eat that elephant you have to take a big bite. And you may have days that you can barely bite at all, and it takes all that you have and all that you can just to chew. And that is okay. Allow this to be me giving you permission to be human. You have the strength within you to overcome, and it will be better. Give time, time and know that it is okay to just try again tomorrow. Know that you will be amazing in this new academic year. And you can and you will handle whatever may come your way. You have the knowledge, the skill set, the ability and the strength within you to tackle everything. You have resources and you have people that you can connect with, and you will get through this one bite at a time, please stay safe. And remember, you are you, you got this. Until next time, sincerely Alexandra.

Alexandra Hughes:
This episode was produced, edited and hosted by Alexandra Hughes. That's me. If you're enjoying the podcast, we ask that you like, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps others discover us and become more visible to our podcasting community. If you have suggestions for future guests or would like to be featured on the podcast yourself, feel free to reach out to us by email at ascapodcast@gmail.com, or on Twitter @ascapodcast. If you'd like to connect with me on Twitter, you can find me @alexandrasview. Talk to us, we talk back.