The University Housing professional staff brought home two first-place awards from a conference for housing staff professionals. The annual conference and exposition, hosted by the Western Association of College University Housing Officers, had more than 230 professionals in attendance from universities across the western United States.

Residence Life Coordinators Annalicia Hernandez and Tashiana Bryant competed against 18 teams in the new professionals case study competition. The case study involved responding to hypothetical scenarios ranging from a sexual assault to a student requiring a comfort animal. Their team also included Chris Young, a colleague from CSU Chico.

“This award shows that we have new professionals who can think, who are thinking at the director level,” Bryant says. “Which is great for the residence life staff.”

Residence Life Coordinators Chelsea Navarro and David Lutman won the John Yarborough “Best of the West” Award for an educational program. There were 38 competing programs on topics ranging from bullying to spirituality. Navarro and Lutman will present their program, titled “Re-invigorating Sustainability: Sharing New Ways to Go Green,” at the international conference later this year.

“Winning the Best of the West award means you’re doing something not a lot of campuses are doing, and you’re doing it well,” Bryant says. “We’re innovative. We consider new initiatives.”

This is the second year in a row that Cal Poly Pomona has won the top program. Jason Lu, area coordinator for Residence Life, won last year for his presentation, “Presentations 2.0.” This year, Lu was elected to the Executive Committee for WACUHO as Member-At-Large, South for 2013-2014.

(Photo: Tashiana Bryant, David Lutman, Chelsea Navarro, Annalicia Hernandez)