Theories of cognitive, racial identity, affective, psychological, and moral development can be helpful in designing college student leadership training programs. Course design must take a variety of learning styles into consideration so as many students as possible can successfully understand the material and integrate it into their leadership…

Student leaders and campus activities professionals can use a variety of techniques to help college students develop skill in ethical decision making, including teaching about the decision-making process, guiding students through decisions with a series of questions, playing ethics games, exploring assumptions, and best of all, role modeling. (MSE)

Student activities programing, viewed as essential to the college experience, is defended by outlining some of the values and growth opportunities it provides for students. Several specific programing strategies useful as catalysts in values development are described, including values clarification exercises, multicultural programing, and…

Issues to be considered in developing student activities programs that attract all students, including minority groups, are outlined and some program ideas promoting cultural pluralism are provided. Consistent application of student development theory is encouraged. (MSE)

Advice is given to student delegates to a campus activities programing convention. Issues discussed include preconference planning and budgeting, responsibilities in the exhibit hall, and postconference activities such as making follow-up or return phone calls, block booking, making appropriate contacts, and communicating clearly and responsibly.…

Discusses issues facing black male college students, and ways colleges and universities can support their growth more effectively. Identifies and explores students' unmet needs: to feel loved, feel accepted, feel competent, have power, resolve pain and anger from lack of appropriate male guidance, find meaning and purpose in life's struggles, and…

Campus activities programmers are offered advice on making the most of what they learn at a convention, including some hints for organization before the convention, suggestions for dealing with agents and other schools and for taking notes, and ideas for follow-up. Special attention is given to cooperative buying agreements schools may make with…

Setting organizational or program objectives is seen as requiring three steps (brainstorming goals for the year, prioritizing them, and visualizing them as smaller, discrete tasks) and six principles (making goals group-specific, setting deadlines, being realistic and explicit, writing down goals, defining measurable steps, and creating…

Campus activities programers are encouraged to use creativity and to experiment in incorporating solo, or easily produced, acts into campus events. Ideas include using solo acts as openers or as part of larger special or traditional events. A sample campus survey, designed to discover campus preferences, is included. (MSE)

A survey of 96 past leaders of college Greek organizations (chapter presidents, Pan-Hellenic councils, Greek service organizations) at Western Illinois University investigated the impact of Greek leadership experience on work-related and personal life skills. Ninety-five percent felt their undergraduate Greek leadership position was extremely…

An effective campaign to recruit members to student organizations must use contemporary marketing strategies. Market positioning involves understanding the prospect's thinking, simplifying the message being conveyed, being first in the prospect's mind, and finding a market niche. The organization should be treated as a product, the potential…

It is logical for groups within the college or university to work together for the institution's common good. Student activities personnel can initiate partnerships on campus in the areas of activities planning, academic and intellectual programing, and governance. It is also important to plan program evaluation and anticipate resistance to…

In programing for commuting students, campus programers must take into account their different schedules, time and family constraints, and logistical considerations. Marketing of the resulting programs must be varied and carefully targeted to the students' location. However, with creativity, programing for off-campus students can be successful.…

The college experience should help students develop basic thinking skills required of aware, discerning individuals in society. Healthy skepticism is a foundation for learning. Student activities are a good place to teach critical thinking skills. Specific skills must be identified, challenges offered, and alternating periods of analysis and…

The use of focus groups to assess existing college student leadership efforts and as a step in developing better programs is examined. Procedures include assembling a planning team, identifying information needs, determining the composition of focus groups, soliciting and training volunteers, and using focus group results to design a program. (MSE)