First dean of students candidate focuses on advocacy, partnership
Cooped inside Blaine Eckles’ office are several trinkets and art pieces that serve as a timeline of his long and diligent history with student advocacy.
The first is an illustration of a wolf head created by a Native American student who used their mouth to draw it because they suffered a disability that rendered their hands useless.
“When I’m having a bad day, I can just turn to my right or to my left and look at different things to remind me, ‘Is my day really that bad?'” he said. “A man who can’t move his hands, move a finger, move anything other than his mouth, created this beautiful piece of art. So how hard is a conversation I’m about to have with somebody really then? It’s not that hard.”
Blaine Eckles
Other pieces in his office include a sculpture made by a homeless student and a photograph shot by a student veteran who was injured in the line of duty.
Eckles said all of these items are from students he has worked closely with over the years. He said the items remind him of the adversities some students face and the important role a dean of students office plays in ensuring inclusivity on college campuses.
Eckles spoke at a packed open forum Tuesday afternoon about the modern role of a dean of students and why the University of Idaho should consider him for the position.
Eckles is the current associate dean of students at Boise State University, although he earned his doctorate at UI and said he had Vandal pride at the open forum.
Eckles said there are five main components of an effective dean of students office — student advocacy, quality services and programs, educational opportunities, engagement and resources.
For student advocacy, Eckle said he has a wide breadth of experience, ranging from student disciplinary processes to launching programs to get students involved.
“I think it’s really important that when we talk to students we acknowledge they might feel it’s them against everybody,” he said. “And that’s not what a college campus is about. We need to create the space and opportunity where we can absolutely work together on creating desirable outcomes.”
Eckles said another important role the dean plays is ensuring there are quality programs and services offered to the student body. He commended UI’s Veterans Assistance, Violence Prevention and Multicultural Affairs offices for doing just that.
At BSU, Eckles said he implemented a program called Campus Assessment Resource and Education, or CARE, to allow students, staff and faculty the ability to submit reports about potentially dangerous behaviors.
He said BSU publishes the statistical data of how many reports it receives, and from where, for the sake of assessment. He said the program also provides educational tools and resources for the campus community about how to overcome some of the challenges they may face.
“We created CARE posters and put these all over campus … because at some point students are going to see this and think, ‘There is someone out there that will care about me,'” Eckles said.
Eckles said a dean of students office needs to develop a strong partnership with the academic side of university life to effectively provide a wide array of educational opportunities for students.
Additionally, he said a dean of students office should focus on engaging with students through social media channels to bolster involvement, as well as be a resource for non-students such as parents, faculty and staff.
Eckles said a student who did a bad thing does not make him or her a bad person, and it is the dean of students’ job to advocate for and support every student.
“Not all students have a straight path,” he said. “There’s going to be many twists and turns, and it’s our job to help lead them on these paths — not tell them what the path is though, because students have to develop that and discover that themselves, and when they do, they achieve great heights.”
Amber Emery can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @AmberNLyon