The Vermont Connection

Welcome to The Vermont Connection (TVC)! TVC is the official organization of all current students in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration graduate program at the University of Vermont. TVC consists of the two current HESA cohorts, known as the Full Board, and the Executive board, a seven-member board elected each year by the Full Board of the previous volume. The goals and objectives of TVC are in line with HESA historical traditions and regularly adjust to fulfill the needs of its membership.

List of Papers (Total 455)

Planting the Seed of Emotional Literacy: Engaging Men and Boys in Creating Change

Men are raised and groomed by a culture that rewards them for “acting like men.” Central to this notion is a lack of emotional literacy and expression. Gender stereotypes lead to a lack of safety and security as boys and men seek to question these unspoken expectations. This paper examines: (a) the gender-norm driven culture in which young boys and men are raised, (b) father-son...

Educating for Character: Teaching Values in the College Environment

Be it inside or outside of the classroom, there is a need to provide individuals with an ethical framework by which to live. Family, community members, and teachers all play a role in educating students for character while still in the shadow of their parents. What happens when they leave home for college and enter a world of new responsibility and freedom? In the absence of...

Managing Culture Shock: Supporting First-Generation Transitions to Higher Education

Diversity is one of the greatest challenges facing higher education. As educators, we explore services to support the variety of populations on campus, as well as the means to work through the difficulties that arise from bringing differences together. We focus on how we can improve our students education, to enhance their individual experiences and development. Each university...

The Deafening Silence of Whites

White silence is experienced by members of the White culture who, during discussions of racial issues, experience negative emotions including guilt and anger. When these feelings are not addressed, Whites begin to resist certain content areas. This resistance takes on the form of White silence. Using interviews, the researcher explored the concept of White silence through the...

On Becoming an Ally

Becoming an ally is a challenging process, especially if you are a middle-aged, white heterosexual male. In one sense the journey is like no other, yet in another sense it mirrors the arduous task of running a marathon. Becoming an ally and running a marathon both start with the same question - “Why do it?” This seemingly easy question is followed by a set of similarities such as...

Meditations on Helping

While writing my dissertation there were many moments of writer’s block. During one, I wrote about the scene outside my window. It became a metaphor for my thesis: that reflecting on our actions and the stories we tell ourselves can help us be better educators, counselors, and human beings. The dissertation, titled--Living a Life Beyond Fear: A Narrative Exploration of College...

30 Years and a Daughter Later

A graduate of the HESA program reflects on what the experience meant to him when he started it thirty years ago and how it has enriched his personal and professional life since he enrolled. He will write about the trends he has witnessed in higher education and student affairs as a professional who entered the field just as “student affairs” was being recognized as a legitimate...

Reflections of a New Professional

In May of 2001, I humbly accepted the Kenneth P. Saurman award on behalf of each of my colleagues in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Master's program at The University of Vermont. I learned much from their experiences and courage in grappling with controversial issues facing today's college students. I believe that the award captures the spirit of human forgiveness...

Business or Bust? The Changing Face of Student Affairs

As colleges and universities progress further and further into the 21st century, they will continue to grow with an increase in the number of students entering higher education. his increase brings with it, not only a larger population of traditional students, but also a larger population of non-traditional students with differing needs. Therefore, in order to meet the needs of...

Corporations: An Untapped Resource for Higher Education Administrators who Seek to Enhance Student Learning

Higher education currently has a strict focus on the personal, intellectual, and social development of students. However, little attention is given to student development after college, particularly, to students who enter the "real world

The Commodification of Higher Education: Tools of Management

The purpose of this article is to raise fundamental questions which describe how faculty perceive a rise in the use of rational management strategies on their campuses - strategies originally developed in the business sector - with the effect of putting pressure on more traditional academic values and ways of organizing.

Keeping Secrets: Student Secret Societies in Historical Context

Secret societies have long been part of the tapestry of American higher education. They have, however, remained largely unexamined and unspoken of, as if their existence itself is a secret. This article explores the contextual development of secret societies within the academy. The role of secrecy in the development of the first student organizations is outlined and examples of...

When Spiders Unite, They Can Tie Down a Lion: Student Affairs Practice

This paper explores the current gap of research on student allies. Specifically, it looks at the definitions associated with being an ally and the difficulties in identifying such students on college campuses. It examines both ally action and developmental models. These models not only illustrate general progressions of development, but are also a springboard for examining the...

Unity in Isolation: Reconciling Histories, Accentuating Difference

The experiences of a Chicano, Mexicana, and Mexicano interconnect in Burlington, Vermont. Who would have thought? Each of the authors’ possesses a unique life experience that is rarely mirrored in everyday life at The University of Vermont. Through their narative, each author expresses the complexity of their graduate experience from the three different perspectives: 1) a Chicano...

Searching for Synthesis: Stopping Stereotypes

While an undergraduate, I had the unique opportunity to be an out lesbian and a member of an international sorority, Delta Delta Delta. I was presented with a similar "conundrum

The Role of Student Affairs Professionals within Intercollegiate Athletics Administration

This paper explores the connection between student affairs practice and the administration of intercollegiate athletics. Student-athletes are a special population of students with unique developmental needs. As experts in student development, student affairs professionals can provide an invaluable service to student-athletes as advocates of learning and personal development. By...

From Mountains to Monuments: A Reflection

By Kirsten E. Freeman, Published on 01/01/01

Making Meaning—HESA and Beyond

By Paula M. Cogan, Published on 01/01/01

Negotiating the Politics of Race through Moral Cross-Cultural Conversation

Discussions about race/ethnicity are an important aspect of diversity on college campuses. This paper explores the social construct of race in the United States and the various barriers that arise when individuals engage in dialogue about this issue. I explore the tenets of the Moral Conversation and argue that this will aid us in deconstructing racial/ethnic borders and the...

please check one

By Rosemary J. Perez, Published on 01/01/01

"INSPIRATION

By Jillian Y. Gronski, Published on 01/01/01

When Flat Becomes Round & Perspective Shoes

By Paula M. Cogan, Published on 01/01/01

Understanding Student Allies on Campus

This paper explores the current gap of research on student allies. Specifically it looks at the definitions associated with being an ally and the difficulties in identifying such students on college campuses. It examines both ally action and developmental models. These models not only illustrate general progressions of development, but are also a springboard for examining the...

Moving out of the Margins: Mattering and the International Student Experience

Deeply personal challenges confront all new students when they arrive at their college or university. Some of their core questions include: “Are we part of things; do we belong; are we central or marginal? Do we make a difference; do others care about us and make us feel we matter?” (Schlossberg, 1989, p. 6). For international students who may be marginalized by race, ethnicity...

Doogie Howser, M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D.: The Myths and Realities of Gifted Students in Higher Education

This paper seeks to examine gifted student development, specifically regarding academic acceleration. The author will use published literature, observations from the field, and personal communication to: (a) characterize gifted students, (b) address the myths and realities of gifted student development, (c) examine the intersections of identity for gifted students, and (d...