Some crises arrive in higher education with no proximal warning, while others might be seen coming from more of a distance. The COVID pandemic fits the latter category, of a crisis that was seen coming but which arrived with velocity and ferocity never seen on such a universal, global scale. A theme that cuts across crises is the uncountable cost…

Higher education and its associated traditional institutions hold stock in the way that the United States develops. This is because higher education is deeply rooted in the experiences and decisions of most governmental authorities. What we are currently learning about COVID-19 is the lack of preparedness by both the United States and the system…

This conversation started in the fall of 2019 and continued through the pandemic transitions in the spring of 2020. The conversation was between faculty and graduate students about what student affairs (SA) says it values and what practice actually looks like. The authors talk about SA aspiring to support all students personally, academically, and…

Limitations come in many forms for educators of color: access, opportunities, networks, but perhaps most crucially, through forms of invalidation. Toward healing, some educators of color have written about the isolation and trauma they have experienced on college campuses. Other have written in the spirit of resistance, boasting about the skills,…

Live-in staff and students have never, even under the most stifling corporatized conditions, "stopped" developing their intimate and personal lives. The act of living, both with oneself and with others, is the primary condition for the exploration of how to live a personal life. However, this article reflects on the many ways that the…

Deciding to pursue a doctorate degree is a life-changing decision for all applicants. However, for mother-scholars of color (MSOC), entering these programs includes a host of additional fears, many of which are centered on feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. The push to be a good mother and a good student leaves some MSOC feeling that they have…

Writing, writ large, is the very process, practice, and product by which students, researchers, faculty, and administrators on college campuses professionalize, become knowledgeable, and, in some cases, become experts. CSU Writes (Colorado State University) approaches writing as both the cornerstone practice and the primary means of professional…

A crisis can be defined as an event that significantly interferes with an individual's ability to meet needs, disrupts typical problem-solving skills, and incites a state of disorganization for the individual (James & Gilliland, 2013). During a crisis, students will have many questions. To ensure the information they receive is accurate and…

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has affected every student and faculty member. During COVID-19, most universities were physically closed and teaching moved to online platforms. On August 29, 2005, the citizens of New Orleans, Louisiana, experienced a natural disaster called Hurricane Katrina. During Hurricane Katrina, students and faculty were…

In times of crisis, individuals instinctively seek out the presence of others. Seeing our emotions reflected on another person's face is reassuring; it lets us know that we are not alone in the experience. Will Simpkins believes this is why we see the best of humanity in times of crisis. As vice president for student affairs at Metropolitan State…

Case Willoughby begins by recalling his experience as a Class Dean at Columbia University in New York City about eight miles north of the burning twin towers on September 11, 2001. He reflects that everyone in New York City had this horrible shared experience that made the city of wildly different people into one whole. The entire country was…

In this article Nancy Evans, a former faculty member, recalls her experiences during two major crises, a campus shooting and the 9/11 attacks. Through these difficult situations, she learned some strategies for supporting students during crisis. Now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she shares some of these strategies. Additionally, guidance…

As complex phenomena, spirituality and religion defy any single definition and are delineated differently yet often conflated. Despite the confluence of the terms, religion and spirituality are not interchangeable or equivalent. Spirituality aids the process of developing the whole student and affects learning while shaping perspectives and…

It comes as no surprise that college students are experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety. Liu, Stevens, Wong, Yasui, and Chen's (2019) research "point to an urgent need for service utilization strategies, especially among racial/ethnic, sexual, or gender minorities. Campuses must consider student experiences to mitigate stress…

Seventy-five years after the publication of Abraham Maslow's seminal theory on the importance of basic needs (Maslow, 1943), it is now understood that food, housing, and security also matter for college students' learning and success. Sara Goldrick-Rab's (2016) "Paying the Price" cast a spotlight on basic needs insecurity in college,…