Hannah Huff, from Raleigh, North Carolina, and Sarah Grace Whaley, from Kernersville, North Carolina, won second place in the case study competition at the 2021 Southern Association of College Student Affairs (SACSA) Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, on November 15, 2021. Both are currently second-year students in the student affairs administration (SAA) graduate program, which is housed in the Reich College of Education.
Graduate students attending the annual SACSA conference had an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of the field by competing in the case study competition. Teams of two received a case study and had 45 minutes to propose their response to the nuances of the case utilizing their knowledge of theory, literature, and law and their practice-based experiences. A panel of faculty and practitioners provided feedback on each case. Cases were judged on:
- Presentation skills.
- Demonstrated relevance and practical solutions offered.
- Thorough responses to discussion questions.
- Knowledge of theory to support solutions.
- Demonstrated preparation and teamwork.
Each place winner received a monetary award.
(L-R) Sarah Whaley, Holly Benson, Dr. Sonja Ardoin, and Hannah Huff enjoy a SACSA conference social event. Photo submitted.
The case study centered on a compliance issue with mask mandate policies. “There was an issue with students in a registered student organization not complying with mask mandate policies due to variance across contexts, such as at the institution, in the community, at a local business,” said Huff.
“My partner and I identified the ethical, legal, and policy issues of the case and applied Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development in order to determine practical solutions to the issue at hand,” she added. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development is a student development theory in student affairs and higher education that explores how morality and moral reasoning is developed.
“Our short-term solution was to make a university-wide statement about the mask policy for all students and how it should be applied on and off-campus,” noted Whaley. “We also wanted to highlight why this is important since it has been created to help keep a public health crisis at hand.”
“To me, winning second place means making myself and my faculty proud,” said Huff. “It means that I am able to prove what I have learned in my program is valuable and that I am capable of applying my knowledge to practice.”
“It felt great to be able to take everything that I have learned during my program and apply it to this case study,” added Whaley. “It was also a great feeling to know that we were also able to articulate our thoughts and feelings in a way that made sense and resolved the issue at hand.”
"The Appalachian State University SAA program has a history of strong engagement with the SACSA organization and the associated conference,” noted Dr. Sonja Ardoin, associate professor and SAA program director. “We are proud to continue that engagement in 2021 with both students and faculty being recognized for their contributions to the association and the broader field of higher education and student affairs.”
She added, “We are particularly proud of Hannah and Sarah for placing in the case study event, which highlights App State SAA (soon-to-be) graduates' preparation for responding to current issues in the field and their ability to translate theory and research into practice."
Both received a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a concentration in human services from Appalachian State University with Huff graduating in 2019, and Whaley graduating in 2020. Both are scheduled to graduate in May 2022.
Ardoin presented five concurrent sessions at the conference
In addition to Huff and Whaley’s success, Ardoin served as coordinating presenter for four sessions and panelist for one session at the 2021 SACSA conference, with a variety of co-presenter colleagues from various institutions:
- Applying to Graduate Programs, facilitated with Drs. Rozana Carducci (Elon University), Ryan Miller (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), and Tony Cawthon (Clemson University)
- Leadership Learning through a Social Class Lens, with Dr. Shea Kidd Brown (University of Tennessee)
- Cultivating Your Career as a Practitioner-Scholar or "Pracademic": You Don't Have to Choose One or the Other, with Drs. Brad Johnson (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and Tony Cawthon (Clemson University)
- A Social Class Act: Centering Poor & Working-Class Students in Academic & Learning Spaces, with Drs. Genia Bettencourt (University of Memphis) and Ashley Clayton (Louisiana State University)
Engaging the Multiple Identities of Rural College Students, with Drs. Elise Cain (Georgia Southern University) and Carl "Kip" Sorgen (Georgia Southern University)
Case Study Competition Winners
