A diligent advisor is a crucial, yet often underappreciated, part of a student government association.
No matter the SGA size or age, at one point or another, the student leaders will seek their advisor’s help in addressing conflict, planning large events, and navigating the campus administration.
And now, with many campuses operating remotely, advising student governments has gotten even more complicated.
So, I consulted Jeff Letourneau, the Assistant Director of Campus Activities and Student Leadership at Becker College, a private institution in central Massachusetts. We discussed his experience advising their Student Government Advisory Board (SGAB), helping student leaders address conflicts and concerns, and building community — all while operating 100% remotely.
To say Jeff loves student government would be an understatement.
Jeff is a proud alumnus of Assumption University, where he discovered his love of student affairs through serving as class president for three years and student body president for one year.
Jeff has been advising Becker’s SGAB for three years. He believes that it’s imperative for students to realize they have a voice on campus; faculty and staff truly want to hear their voices!
Here are Jeff’s top five tips for other student government advisors working remotely.
Given that students are having to balance their classes, work, and family commitments all at once, Jeff has found that meeting less often allows for more productive meetings. It’s much better than working with disinterested, Zoom-fatigued students!
For more tips on making your meetings more productive and goal-focused, check out 10 ways to eliminate or reduce time wasted in unnecessary meetings.
Prior to the pandemic, Jeff met with all of his senators one-on-one once a week. Now, he only meets every other week with the president and as needed with each senator. Like the first tip, this tactic is all about holding meetings only when they’re necessary, not frivolous.
To make the most of your one-on-ones, you should:
You might also appreciate Our Top 7 Tips for Conducting Stellar One-on-One Meetings with Student Staff.
You can’t rely on stopping by someone’s office for a quick question or a casual conversation while working remotely. Every conversation needs to be scheduled.
By setting these guidelines, you’ll set your student government up for success in partnering with other campus organizations and offices, hopefully minimizing hiccups along the way.
Before the pandemic, you may have taken it for granted that you’d get to have daily interactions with students in your office, dining hall, and other spots around campus. But now meetings may feel more transactional as they lose the in-person touch.
You can address this barrier through these strategies:
Check out these tips on the pre-meeting mindset check-in process.
Campus communities are still as present and important as ever before; they just meet online more often now.
Digital leader Josie Ahlquist asserts that now more than ever, social media platforms, learning management systems, team communication hubs, and virtual meeting spaces are shaping the student experience.
For more ideas on utilizing social media, check out 28 Innovative Tips For Your Student Affairs Office Social Media Accounts.
Jeff has noticed many challenges that are unique to virtual advising. Here’s how you can help solve them.
At the beginning of the pandemic, students’ apathy toward virtual events made it difficult for Becker College’s SGAB to plan such programs.
To address traction problems, you can:
Many student organizations are losing members. Here’s how SGA can address this concern:
We know that advising student governments remotely isn’t ideal.
But with resourcefulness, communication, and creativity, you can support a stellar student government that improves the campus community remotely.
For more tips on empowering student governments check out 4 Smart Strategies for Creating or Revising Student Organization Constitutions.
What additional advice do you have on advising student governments? Connect with us on Twitter @themoderncampus.
Special thank you and shout out to Jeff Letourneau for letting me interview him for this piece! Jeff is truly an inspiration in his passion for student government and student leadership. He has been a supportive friend since my first day of grad school at Springfield College.