Quality of Life
Where is Edwardsville, IL?
Edwardsville is located just 20 minutes northeast of St. Louis, MO. Lambert International Airport is just 30 minutes from campus. Many faculty and staff who work at SIUE live in St. Louis and commute across the river to campus. Our staff members enjoy the best of all worlds—a wooded campus in a suburban community, just a short drive from all the benefits of city living.
How often are live-in staff members on duty?
Twelve professional staff members share duty: 6 Community Directors and 6 Assistant Community Directors. Each individual is on duty approximately 2-3 times per month. However, two professional staff members are on duty during peak times such as Opening and Closing. While on duty, professional staff members are allowed to be off campus as long as they are able to respond within 15 minutes.
Is my apartment respected as my home?
University Housing views each professional staff apartment as home and our policies demonstrate a commitment to this philosophy. Full-time staff members may choose to have their apartment painted from a select pallet of colors. Outside of emergency situations, facilities staff will not enter your apartment without giving 24 hours’ notice. Full-time and graduate-level staff members are allowed to have one other person share their apartment with them (not including dependent children). However, the Director of Housing must approve this in advance. Full-time staff apartments have non-institutional furniture and get to pick out their furniture when it is time for a “refresh.”
What kind of professional development funds are available?
Each Community Director may attend one approved conference at no cost. Our staff members have attended a variety of conferences in the past including GLACUHO, NASPA, ACPA, the Living Learning Conference and the Residential Curriculum Institute.
What kind of administrative support will be available to me?
Each Housing community has a full-time administrative assistant. This individual assists with space change paperwork, key management, scheduling meetings and clerical work.
What resources are available to help me maintain quality of life?
A caring supervisor committed to work-life harmony, a state of the art fitness center, miles and miles of Madison County Transit trails, generous vacation and sick leave with encouragement to actually use your vacation...the list goes on!
Is SIUE a smoke-free Campus?
Yes. In efforts to promote better health amoung our University community and to comply with state law, all Southern Illinois University Edweardsville campuses will be smoke free as of July 1, 2015. Smoking will be prohibited in all University buildings, structures, grounds, parking areas, sidewalks and walkways on the campuses of Edwardsville, East St. Louis and Alton. All tobacco products means, but is not limited to cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and all forms of smokeless tobacco.
What is the campus climate like?
Some questions are harder to answer than others, but we hope this question will begin an open dialogue with our candidates. University Housing recognizes that every candidate is unique and we attempt to treat every candidate as an individual. Our goal is to provide all of our candidates with the information needed to make an informed decision about applying for a position with University Housing. We welcome questions about climate and about our institution’s strengths/challenges during the search process.
The SIUE campus climate is generally warm and welcoming; but our institution is not free of incidents of bias or intolerance. SIUE seeks to “nurture an open, harmonious, and hospitable climate that facilitates learning and work. Each member of the University is responsible for contributing to such a campus environment.”
What is the Edwardsville climate like?
Edwardsville is a typical Midwestern community about 20 miles from downtown St. Louis. The city’s location allows it to simultaneously tap into all the amenities of an urban existence while still maintaining a predominantly small-town identity at its core. St. Louis is one of the oldest and richest cultural centers of the country and offers the diversions of live theater, major league sporting events, a variety of civic organizations, amazing ethnic restaurants, diverse festivals and upscale shopping.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Area has a very active Black Greek Letter Organization community; a 2010 issue of Family Circle magazine named Edwardsville third of their “Top 10 Best Towns for Families”; Edwardsville is close to Belleville, Fairview Heights, Florissant and other cities that offer numerous shops, salons, places of worship and nightlife that cater to community members from diverse backgrounds.
Here are some links to community websites to help you further assess the community climate and/or the availability of resources:
- The Glen Ed Chamber of Commerce http://www.edglenchamber.com
- Pride St. Louis https://www.pridestl.org
- River City Professionals Professional Organization of Women, Inc.
- Urban League Young Professionals of St. Louis http://www.ulyp-stl.org
Professional Involvement
We are a progressive organization that encourages professional involvement. Here are just a few ways that our staff has given back to the student affairs profession:
- ACUHO-I President
- ACPA Chair for the Commission for Housing and Residential Life
- ACPA Commission for Housing and Residential Life Directorate Body Member
- ACPA Standing Committee for Women Directorate Body Member
- GLACUHO committee members and committee chairs
- Residential Curriculum Institute Faculty, Planning Team, and Co-Chair
- St. Louis Area College Housing Association President
- ACPA Governing Board
- GLACUHO Secretary
- GLACUHO Treasurer
- ACPA Convention Program Chair
- Co-Chair of the ACPA Taskforce on Sustainability
Community Director Professional Development Benefits (as of Spring 2019):
Each Community Director may attend one approved regional and national conference at no cost. Community Directors may be “sent” to other conferences at no cost. In addition to the traditional Student Affairs professional development opportunities, many campus offices and departments offer classes, lectures and workshops for professional staff.
Our Staff Say It Best
“University Housing’s residential curriculum is a national model and showcased each year at ACPA’s Residential Curriculum Institute. Our work is grounded in assessment and student development theory. Our residence life team members are committed to enhancing student learning and success and are challenged to use their graduate degrees on a daily basis.”
“I am part of a group of individuals who encourage my professional and personal growth and help me throughout the process. Each professional staff member is made to feel as if they are an integral part of the team. It is refreshing to feel that your opinions matter and reassuring to be a part of a group that is so dedicated to the success of its residents.”
“SIUE is a place where staff members are encouraged to utilize their strengths, explore their passions and create opportunities to grow and develop professionally. Working in such a student centric environment that encourages such a healthy work life balance has truly been a career changing experience for me.”
“I have been supported professionally and personally and consider myself fortunate to be staff at SIUE. This institution offers professionals an opportunity to create their own experiences. This department supports involvement in international, national, regional and local associations, departmental committees and initiatives.”
“What I enjoy most about our department is the commitment to work life harmony. From my very first interview with SIUE it was stressed to me the importance of working “normal” hours and having a life outside of work. Not only do we say this, but we practice it. I am encouraged to take time for myself, and just enjoy life. It is such an amazing feeling to be a member of a team where my personal life is valued and celebrated.”
“University Housing truly lives its mission by showing a commitment to learning for all. From the curriculum used for student engagement and learning, to the professional development support and the supervision given and received on all levels, everyone within University Housing is committed to enhancing everyone else.”
“I have greatly appreciated the professional development opportunities. The ability to learn, grow, and develop as a professional has been invaluable. There is so much professional diversity on the team it enables others to challenge and learn to ensure we are improving the lives of students.”
