Leadership | Success for New Employees | Collaboration | Communication
Professional Development | Mentoring | Efficiency | Suggestions
The Campus Compact has increased communication significantly by encouraging more discussions that were not occurring before. Many of those interviewed embraced how the Compact has provided more opportunities for communication, which in turn, has helped improve this crucial skill within the division.
"If issues have come up and we purport to be caring about the people with work with and also just and open. So those were ideals that were held up that helped in the process of framing the discussion about what's wrong with the situation. It helps to recognize if we are falling short in these areas and that we need to be aware of those to help move along or set a direction for those conversations."
"The division-wide meetings are purposeful in terms of relationship building and communicating. The Compact gave us some new words and concepts to use in communicating with one another."
"I have never heard any negative response in terms of quieting me in any way. I'm free to say what I have to say. My supervisors and colleagues listen and I've never been denied the opportunity to contribute to what was going on."
"The Compact can be a common ground for difficult conversations and it's useful for working in diversity and other different areas... It is a concrete base for beginning conversations."
Some interviewees commented on the problems with communication that have not improved to a desirable level since the implementation of the Campus Compact. Some felt that this concern could be attributed to the lack consistency in adhering to some of the commitments of the Campus Compact.
"There are so many different styles of communication that are culturally influenced, which makes it difficult to reconcile all of those different needs for safety in communication. You could have two people in conversation where neither has any intent to create a sense of tension, but it happens. Who is laying out the rules for conversation? Sometimes it feels restrictive in trying to consider the safety of other people. At some point it feels that there is a certain level of passion that is lost."
"Communication was probably the downfall during my experience with Student Affairs. If you could point at anything as a struggle the breakdown in communication would be it. I felt like I communicated well with people in my office, but part of that may have been that I was a student and posed no threat. I had not status so it was okay for me to speak... I always felt like there was the avenue for communication which is positive, but not everyone took advantage of those opportunities."
"There are now lots of meetings and lots of communication. Communication coming from Larry Roper and Jodi Nelson is open, but other communication seems selective."
