Tamara Doherty, psychology senior; Levi Harrel, assistant director of student development, and Meagan Chew, acting junior, discuss what they would like to see at OCU during STAR Summit on April 8. This year’s theme was “Being an Invested Leader.”
There was no Top 10 list created during STAR Summit this year.
The summit usually invites student leaders to come together to brainstorm campus issues and discuss them until they pick the Top 10 issues on campus.
An exercise called “I Would Like to See…” took its place. Officials passed out notecards where students were to write up to three things they would like to see at OCU on one side. On the other side, they were to write at least one thing they liked about the university.
Officials changed the structure because they kept seeing issues from previous years showing up on the list year after year, most of which are difficult to fix. They thought the new exercise would promote different ideas, said Lesley Black, associate dean of students.
“We were very hopeful that, with this information, we won’t get the same stuff over and over again,” she said. “We’re going to get some fresh ideas and we’re going to get things that students are really thinking of critically.”
Amy Ayres, dean of students and vice president for student affairs, discussed with students what they wrote on their notecard.
Levi Harrel, assistant director of student development, said they wanted STAR Summit to have the same look, but a new feel this year. He said a theme would help tie everything together, so they picked the theme “Being an Invested Leader.”
It gives us the same idea for the direction of the university: what you all would like, what you would want, what you don’t like. We think it’s a more proactive approach, particularly to those issues that might be concerns for students.
Meagan Chew, acting junior, attended STAR Summit last year and she said she likes the changes they made this time.
“I love how they did it this year,” she said. “Last year it seemed like it kind of dragged on and it was just because it was very silent, there wasn’t a lot of talking.
This year it was really interactive and I really liked that.
STAR Summit kicked off with keynote speaker Lee Brown, university risk manager and chairman of the diversity taskforce. His speech focused on diversity, not just regarding race, but also family, home life, individual experiences, and personality.
Danne Johnson, law professor, originally was slated to be the keynote speaker but scheduling conflicts arose, Harrel said.
Brown was chosen to speak because officials wanted the topic to be relevant, Black said. She said Brown led the “Why Black Lives Matter Matters” seminar, which really engaged attendees and showed officials students were interested in the topic.
Spencer Gualdoni, music theater junior, said Brown’s speech was eye-opening.
“I guess we all have this stereotype of diversity just being races and things like that,” he said. “There’s so many ways that we are connected that we don’t even know.”
LaVetra Ray, assistant director of student activities, also spoke during the Summit. She explained what S.M.A.R.T. goals are and passed out worksheets so students could set goals for their organizations.
She said S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound.
“I thought it was really productive and I think everyone learned a lot about what they want for their organization and the campus as a whole,” said Shelby McCarver, acting freshman who attended STAR Summit.
The Summit ended with organization leaders sharing their 2016-17 events on calendars around the room.
Harrel said he encourages students to attend next year, even if they’re nervous. He said the event is open to anyone on campus, not just organization leaders.
“These events are my passion,” he said. “I am here because my university officials created events like this, so come on down. It’s a lot of fun. It’s not a stuffy event, it’s student-centered and student-driven, so come next year.”
Harrel said he’s unsure of when the list of items students would like to see will be released, but it will probably be within a week or two.
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