Summary Quotes and Outputs of the Emmanuel College Culture Review (2023)

Cam Bestwick
Dec 1, 2023
8 min read

Last semester I had the privilege of leading an independent review of the oldest and largest university residential college in Queensland, Emmanuel College. It was tremendously fulfilling and I found it to be one of the most enjoyable work projects I have ever undertaken.

I have long believed that projects like these can have an outsized impact, particularly when they are done well. Although they are commissioned by a single organisation for its specific purposes, such reviews still generate plenty of insights which could be applicable to other organisations with a similar profile of opportunities, challenges, resources, stakeholders or goals.

This is especially true when the review findings are made public. Other ‘observer’ organisations can read the full report and, if they are self-aware enough, identify which things the consultant would have also said to them if they were the subject of the review. In a way, the astute bystanders can end up receiving expert advice for free!

In the case of my review, Emmanuel College made the commendable decision to publish its report and made this commitment clear to all stakeholders at the outset. With this in mind, I took care to ensure that the final report would be accessible to any reader, regardless of their prior knowledge or experience with residential communities in universities. To achieve this, I 'set up' each of my main findings in the report by first describing what these areas look like when they're high functioning, before offering recommendations to this specific college about how approach that standard.

And finally, because the realist in me knows that most people will not sift through a 90 page report for 15-20 such points about the good functioning of university residences, I decided to extracted several of those general statements here, to make them easier to access. I hope you find some benefit from the list below.

Generalisable quotes from the report:

My personal favourite:

As much as progress is positive, in this domain, progress is not the goal. Safety is... safety needs to be sacrosanct and subject to extreme vigilance....students and staff must be very cautious to avoid substituting the objective of categorical safety with the more attainable goal of ‘progress’. Being safer than last year is not necessarily ‘safe’, and being more respectful than last year can still fall short of ‘respect’. Once a minimum standard is defined, it needs to be treated as such, and whether a modest step or a major stride is needed to reach the standard, then that is precisely what is needed. (p.64)

On Leadership & Values:

For the [organisation’s] values to truly unite members, they must be unequivocally clear.... The process of discovering and affirming [its] values should attract broad participation and reflect what the community wants

(pp. 48-89)

Much like in any organisation, the leaders are seen as more than employees or managers, but symbols and ambassadors of the [organisation’s] values. Their actions are closely scrutinised, and stakeholders draw larger inferences from their observable behaviour than any other actors [in the organisation].

(p. 39)

On Inclusion & Safety

While safety may appear functional, it is the foundation upon which the other strengths of the [organisation’s] culture rest. Establishing a secure environment is integral to fostering [a] warm and welcoming community.... And without safety, the qualities discussed in this chapter would quickly crumble.

(p. 29)

Acknowledging that [an organisation] has done its best to achieve meaningful progress to this point does not preclude – but encourages – ongoing effort by [that organisation] to further enhance the safety and wellbeing of the entire community.

(p. 31)

in moments where the [organisation’s] prevailing climate of permanent universal respect is punctured by unacceptable behaviours, there needs to be... on-time advocacy from those present.

(p. 11)

Encouraging a climate of respect is a collective responsibility within the community and, while leadership plays a crucial role, every member has the capacity to contribute.... achieving critical mass is key. When more individuals have the confidence and skills to instigate small changes, and apply them across various spheres, their collective impact is both substantial and sustainable.

(p. 65)

At the outset, I saw it as a positive obligation to hear from members of the community who do not hold positions of power and, to the extent they exist, to hear from people who felt excluded, powerless, or even degraded by events shaped by the current culture of the College.

(p. 21)

On Supporting Students:

students are very attuned to authenticity... picking up on [staff members’] passion is a pivotal factor in establishing credible contact between the student and staff groups.

(p. 42)

When they need advice or support, students said they turn to those staff who seem genuinely invested in their success, bypassing all job titles and organisational charts in the process. Their approach is straightforward: connect with someone who cares, and if needed, rely on that that person to help navigate the organisational processes and landscape.

(p. 42)

[student leaders] are an important layer in the student wellbeing support system. They are acquainted with every [student] in their [charge], and they are often the first to suspect or become aware that someone might not be coping with college or university life....

(p. 53)

As the primary interface with the student, [student leaders] can guide residents towards more specialised assistance, and the success and timeliness of this intervention can profoundly shape the trajectory of someone's university experience (and life). [Student leaders] can feel this, and the heavy burden, along with the potential for vicarious trauma, can put their own wellbeing at greater risk.

(p. 53)

Moreover, there will occasionally be Wing Leaders who are ill-suited to the role, and even competent ones will mishandle a situation from time to time. The para-professional nature of the role and tricky social status of being a peer-but-with-seniority demands immense social skill and internal fortitude to do the role well. Mistakes, both small and large, tend to expose the downside of how pivotal their role is.

(p. 54)

[Student] elections often favour the same types of students each year, leaving other types feeling consistently unrepresented when their leaders do not consider them.

(p. 45)

Students expressed a yearning for more meaningful consultation on decisions that affect them, exemplifying their desire to be regarded as colleagues rather than merely as young people.... They were also very clear in their [feedback], which was to treat them as adults and recognise their potential to contribute positively to the college community.

(p. 44)

both individual and collective actions shape perceptions. If more students embody maturity and responsibility, the collective credibility of students will be enhanced resulting in more students being treated more like adults more often.... If a significant number of students deviate from expected conduct, it can influence how the broader community perceives them.

(p. 45)

On Alcohol Culture:

Experimentation with alcohol by this cohort is both expected and understandable. This is normal behaviour for traditional age undergraduates (18- to 24-year-olds) who make up a large percentage of residents at the College. It is also somewhat natural for young people who have suddenly acquired significantly more autonomy to increase their alcohol consumption, which is the case for many residents who have moved away from their parents’ home into an adult living environment for the first time. Moreover, drinking has long been seen as major feature of wider Australian culture, and partying has been seen as a ritual part of going to university for generations. Taken together, these factors can explain – but should not explain away – excessive consumption of alcohol in a college environment.

(p. 56)

The most significant changes in alcohol culture will come from within the student body. This places a considerable responsibility — fairly or otherwise — on the students and their leaders for reform.

(p. 58)

On Student Programs

Events breathe life into the student experience and act as an important conduit for transmission of the culture.

(p. 66)

Repeating the same program every year can stifle creativity, limit engagement, and impede the overall evolution of the College culture. Experimentation and trying new things, even if they fail, are crucial for a vibrant and evolving community.

(p. 70)

On Residential Colleges:

Most definitions of 'collegiate' groups and organisations, characterised by 'collegial' conduct, share a few key elements: (i) members of the group regard each other as equals (or colleagues), who (ii) come together to make decisions in a discursive way, and (iii) any member can influence decision-making based on the quality of their contributions. In a collegiate environment, the strength of one's contribution, not their level of authority, determines their level of say in a decision (presuming they had an opportunity to contribute).

(p. 36)

In a college, staff are more than just employees. They are role models, mentors, advocates, and wear many other hats in shaping the student experience. The notion of role modelling in particular is crucial because the qualities staff choose to exemplify is how standards and values are set for the entire community.

(p. 42)

I note the student culture in residential colleges is ever-changing. While some aspects of student culture can seem incredibly stable, any element of student culture can shift rapidly. The characteristics of the student cohort can be markedly different every 3-5 years and some issues move in cycles, disappearing and re-emerging even within a decade.

(p. 16)

While there are many types of working relationships at [a college], the area where improvements will have the largest effect sizes is the overall relationship between students and non-students. Each of these groups relies on the other to make [college] life special

(p.34).

A divide between students and non-students probably exists at most colleges much of the time because students and non-students have different priorities, goals and obligations... the smaller and more manageable the divide, the better. An overall student-administration relationship which is healthy and high-functioning can unleash tremendous potential and growth at a college, whereas a strained or even toxic relationship will almost certainly lead to dysfunction, which can take years to recover from.

(p. 34)

Most residential colleges in Australia were not named ‘College’ as a means of enshrining collegiality. It is an echo of older residential colleges in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, most people have come to expect a level of collegiality in residential colleges, most likely because of the heightened interaction that comes from living and working together so closely.

(p. 36)

people...are holding different conceptions of what a college is, what impact it has (or ought to have) on students, what then constitutes the real ‘work’ to be done, what the outputs of that work should look like, what outcomes those outputs lead to, and how to evaluate if the College is altogether succeeding. The absence of a common language or reference point for the collective production of the group is not uncommon in the context of residential colleges and university residences, nor is it preventing the College from functioning well, but it does place a ceiling on how effective the College can be.

(p. 42)

...the proximity of living together and daily interactions at [college] laid the foundation for enduring friendships that span decades.

(p.24)

the diversity of experiences and opportunities available.... meant that residents were at less risk of isolation [at college] because, with people pursuing such varied interests, everyone is more likely to have established satisfying friendships with like-minded people.

(p. 28)