Using Properties of
Campus Culture to
Strengthen the
Student-Campus
Bond in the First
Year of College
Michael J. Siegel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Director
Administration of Higher Education Program
Suffolk University
_______
2007 Annual Conference on the FirstYear Experience
Addison, TX – 18.February.2007
Agenda
1) Campus culture as a bridge to
connect first-year students and
institutions
2) Anthropological underpinnings
3) Why we study campus culture
4) Properties of campus culture
and implications for the first year
5) Discovering campus culture and
the Culture Audit
Culture’s Anthropological Roots
Kroeber and Parsons (1958)
“…transmitted and created content and
patterns of values, ideas, and other
symbolic-meaningful systems as factors in
the shaping of human behavior”
6) Becoming a culturally-competent
practitioner
7) Questions
Campus Culture
Geertz (1973) suggests
culture is interpretive:
Kuh and Whitt (1988)
“…man is an animal
suspended in webs of
significance he himself
has spun, I take culture
to be therefore not an
experimental science in
search of law but an
interpretive one in
search of meaning”
“…a social or normative glue…based on
shared values and beliefs…that holds
organizations together and serves four general
purposes: (1) it conveys a sense of identity; (2)
it facilitates commitment to an entity, such as
the college or peer group, other than self; (3) it
enhances the stability of a group’s social
system; and (4) it is a sense-making device
that guides and shapes behavior”
Using Campus Culture in First Year; Siegel
(2007)
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Schein’s (1992)
Layers of Culture
Schein’s (1992) Layers of
Culture
Basic Underlying
Assumptions
Espoused Values
Artifacts
Artifacts
Espoused
Values
Basic
Assumptions
Why is the Study of Culture In the
First Year of College Important?
“Understanding culture allows an
exploration of its uses, particularly the
importance of strengthening institutional
identification…”
Toma, Dubrow, and Hartley (2005)
Where is Culture Stored?
People
Artifacts
Buildings and the
environment
Classrooms
Orientation programs
Convocation
Residence Halls
Ceremonies
Athletics
Surrounding communities
Documents, records,
marketing materials
Mission Statements
Student activities
Faculty offices
Using Campus Culture in First Year; Siegel
(2007)
What Comprises Campus Culture?
Language
Narratives
Stories
Myths
Symbols
Rituals
Norms
Beliefs
Values
Event/Behavior
Institutional sagas
Traditions
Art and architecture
Examples of Display at Your Campus
Ceremonial
Ritual/Rite
Myth/Folktale
Saga
Legend
Story
Symbol
Language
Gesture
Physical
Setting
Artifact
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The Language of Culture
Texas A & M University
(1984) Trice and Beyer
Ritual A standardized, detailed set of techniques and
behaviors that manage anxieties but seldom produce
intended technical consequences of practical importance
(e.g., freshman induction convocation, required chapel).
– “Watch Dropping” at Williams College; Dining at West
Point
Ceremonial A system of several rites connected with a
single occasion or event (e.g., commencement, orientation).
– “Texas A & M University –”Fish Camp”; Autumn Term
at Eckerd College
Folktale A completely
fictional narrative.
Rite Relatively elaborate, dramatic, planned sets of activities that
consolidate various forms of cultural expressions into one
event…carried out through social interactions, usually for the
benefit of an audience. From Acorn to Oak, Elon College
The Cube
Saga A historical narrative describing the unique
accomplishments of a group and its leaders, usually in heroic terms
(see Clark 1972). Founding of LaGuardia Community
Myth A dramatic narrative
of imagined events, usually
used to explain origins or
transformations on something;
also, and unquestioned belief
about the practical benefits of
certain techniques and
behaviors that is not supported
by demonstrated facts.
College
Story A narrative based on true events, often a combination of
truth and fiction. “The anthropologist and the window
incident” – Wake Forest University
Symbol Any object, act, event, quality, or relation that serves
as a vehicle for conveying meaning, usually by representing another
thing (e.g., school mascot, campus statues, or other objects)
Remembrance
Rock
Kennesaw
State
University
Using Campus Culture in First Year; Siegel
(2007)
Legend A handed down narrative of some wonderful event that
is based in history but has been embellished with fictional details
Live Statues - The gist of this legend is that statues on
college campuses come to life when a virgin walks
by. This legend has been spread across various college
campuses for many years. Here are some of the statues
that are said to be affected when a virgin walks by:
The University of North Carolina has a statue
memorial for UNC alumni who died fighting for
the Confederacy in the Civil War. The statue is a
bronze soldier named Silent Sam. Legend has it
that the soldier will shoot his rifle if a virgin
passes by.
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According to legend at the University of
Tennessee, if a virgin walks under the
statue of The Torchbearer, his flame will
go out.
At the University of Maryland, Testudo, the
terrapin mascot, will sprout wings and fly
away if a virgin ever graduates from that
school.
The stone lions at the Universities of
Missouri, Michigan, and Cincinnati will roar
if a virgin walks between them.
Anthropological theory
Within higher education
inversion
Student performances; Junior Show*
investiture
President inaugurations*
naming
Building dedications
pilgrimage
Homecomings
pledges
Honor society initiations
purification
Benedictions
rebellion
Spring Break vacations
resistance
Greek hazings
separation
Senior Week activities
songs
Alma maters
Types of Rituals
Anthropological theory
Within higher education
admission and entering
Orientation: Residence hall welcomes
adopting strangers
Honorary degree ceremonies
consecration
Centennial celebrations
death
Memorial services
exit
Retirement receptions
festivals
Community picnics
founding
Founder's Day observances
frontier crossing
Commencements
healing rites
Community meetings after a crisis
incorporation
Orientation picnics
intensity
Alumni gatherings; Alumnae Parade
and Laurel Chain*
The Purpose of a Culture Audit…
…is to identify cultural properties –
both behavioral and structural – in
the campus environment and gather
them into a useable system for firstyear programming and planning
In Manning (2000). Compiled from McLaren (1986); Moore and Myerhoff
(1977): V. Turner (1974). Turner and Turner (1995) and van Gennep (1960).
Discovering Culture: The Culture Audit
1. Examine language and messages (signage)
– take the Campus Tour (Magolda)
2. Document physical/artifactual properties of
campus culture
3. Collect stories and identify traditions (be
aware of destructive traditions)
4. Document cultural performances, rituals,
and other behavioral ceremonies on
campus (Go native a la Geertz)
5. Examine the written (campus website and
other marketing materials - monitor
“branding”) as well as the unwritten
6. Beware of the deleterious/negative aspects
of campus culture
Using Campus Culture in First Year; Siegel
(2007)
“I am not sure
how a kid like
this got in to
Wake Forest in
the first place”
Old Gold and
Black (1987)
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Becoming a Culturally-Competent Practitioner
Kuh, Siegel, & Thomas (2001)
1.
Becoming a Culturally-Competent Practitioner
2.
Become familiar with the institution’s
history, traditions, norms, and other
cultural properties, including their
behavioral implications.
How does your institution pass along their
individual norms and values to students? And
who is transmitting these messages?
Insight into the norms and values of
an institution will guide you in
understanding the institutional
behavior.
What type of artifacts or rituals
does make your institution unique?
a) Orientation? Welcome Events?
b) Is this information always accurate?
Becoming a Culturally-Competent Practitioner
3.
Continuously monitor the values and norms of the
campus subcultures, how they interact with one
another, and their impact on the larger campus
culture.
Becoming a Culturally-Competent Practitioner
4.
5.
Personify holistic student development in all
words and deeds.
Student affairs is about the whole college
experience and producing well-rounded and
culturally aware students
Being aware of student development
characteristics is crucial to understanding the first
year student.
Using Campus Culture in First Year; Siegel
(2007)
Strive for cultural congruence, both personally and
professionally
You may be the first contact a student has with
the institution.
Your behavior and attitudes should reflect the
culture of the institution. Make sure the
messages you are conveying to the students
match with this as well.
Understand fully how your campus organizations
and departments interact. What are their
common values? What are their differences?
Knowing the culture of an institution and it’s
subcultures can greatly affect the way in which
you manage relationships between departments.
Becoming a Culturally-Competent Practitioner
Locate and identify the vehicles through which
culture is transmitted.
Selected Bibliography
Bonfiglio, R. A. (2004). What the building boom says about campus
values. About Campus, 9(5), 27-29.
Kuh, G. D., Schuh, J. H., Whitt, E. J., & Associates. (1991). Involving
colleges: Successful approaches to fostering student learning and
development outside the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Chapter
11 – Discovering institutional strengths: The campus audit, pp. 263-276;
Resource E – Involving college audit protocol: A guide for assessing
campus environments, pp. 399-417)
Kuh, G. D., & Whitt, E. J. (1988). The invisible tapestry: Culture in
American colleges and universities. Washington, DC: Association for the
Study of Higher Education.
Magolda, P. M. (2001). What our rituals tell us about community on
campus: A look at the campus tour. About Campus, 5 (6), 2-8.
Manning, K. (2000). Rituals, ceremonies, and cultural meaning in higher
education. Westport, CT.: Bergin & Garvey.
Toma, J. D., Dubrow, G., and Hartley, M. (2005). The uses of institutional
culture: Strengthening identification and building brand equity in higher
education. ASHE Higher Education Report , Vol. 31, No. 2. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
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Contact Information:
Michael J. Siegel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Director
Administration of Higher
Education Program
Suffolk University
73 Tremont Street, Room 722
Boston, MA 02018
Tel. 617.994.6456
Fax 617.305.1743
Email: [email protected]
Using Campus Culture in First Year; Siegel
(2007)
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