Ecological Scanning: Assessment is for Everyone

1. Ecological Scanning: Assessment is for Everyone will introduce and illustrate the concepts and practices associated with ecological scanning – resulting in the puzzlement of “sexualized environments” – the topic for small group discussion.

2. Environmental Scanning • Environmental scanning is a process that looks at a variety of environmental information sources external to the organization to assess trends, events, and emerging issues that can help the organizational planning efforts.

3. Ecological Scanning • Ecological scanning adds to notion of environmental scanning by including looking at the internal environment of the organization as well as the environment external to the organization and the transactional relationship between the organization and the environment.

4. What types of information does a campus student affairs organization seek in an ecological scan? • Trends • Related to demographics, social issues, regulatory changes & economics (enrollment trends/student living preferences) • Events • A discrete occurrence which makes the future different from the past (drinking age change/retirement programs • Emerging Issues • An issue that arises out of a trend or event which may require a response from the organization (campus shootings/emergency procedures)

5. What scanning methods are available? • Informal Observation • Just being observant (walking across campus/campus newspaper) • Conditioned Observation • Seeking more in-depth information information base on informal observation • Informal Search • Start to search for specific information related to the scanning interest – development of an informal survey • Formal Search • A formal search calls for considerations of methodology, i.e,. Sample, data collection strategies, analysis strategies. The formal search is most likely to occur from the activities associated with a formal assessment office.

6. Everyone can be a scanner! • Using the first two methods of scanning (informal observation and conditioned observation) everyone can be an “assessment person.” What I am calling: “looking and searching” Or “observing and Googling”

7. Locating the “dots.” • Looking and searching produces what I am calling “dots” – or data points. • Connecting the “dots” – relates to the language of recent national and global events: “failure to connect the dots”

8. The “dots” of sexualized environments/sexual marketing • We will walk through the process of “everyone can be assessment person” by “looking and searching” from an ecological perspective the topic of “sexualized environments/sexual marketing.” • After I have shared my “dots” – you will have an opportunity to engage in the puzzlement of “connecting the dots.”

10. Sexualized Environments • Sexualized environments are environments where obscenities, sexual joking, sexually explicit graffiti, downloading and circulating Internet porn, sexually degrading posters and objects, etc., are common. None of these behaviors or objects may necessarily be directed at anyone in particular. However, they can create an offensive environment, and one that is consistent with “hostile environment” sexual harassment.  A number of court cases have set precedents for sexualized environments as hostile work environments:

11. Sexual Marketing • Sex in advertising is the use of sexual or erotic imagery (also called "sex appeal") in advertising to draw interest to a particular product, for purpose of sale. A feature of sex in advertising is that the imagery used, typically has no connection to the product being advertised. The purpose of the imagery is to attract the attention of the potential customer or user. The type of imagery that may be used is very broad, and would include nudity, … even if it is often only suggestively sexual.

12. Focus of the Ecological Scanning • The Larger Community • The Student/Campus Environment • The Colorado State Organizational Environment

13. The Larger Community

14. Sexualized Environments TV Ads • http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid24928316001?bclid=0&bctid=47596276001 • http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid24928316001?bclid=0&bctid=46605517001

15. Shocking news reported in the UK Resorting to prostitution to pay fees ) In a survey that asked 130 students whether they knew any friends involved in the sex industry, one in 10 said they knew of students who had stripped, lapdanced or worked at massage parlours and escort agencies to support themselves. Over 6% said they knew students who worked as prostitutes, the Sunday Times said, quoting the survey.The academics found that alcohol and mental problems led some women into stripping and lap-dancing. But those resorting to prostitution were simply working to earn money, it said. University tuition fees, first introduced in 1998 at £1,000 a year, have risen to £3,000 pounds this year.

16. msnbc.com Headline StoryDecember 2009 Think your kid isn't ‘sexting’? Think again Poll finds more than a quarter of young people have sexting experience

17. The Student/Campus Environment“environmental scanning”

21. Colorado State University“organizational ecology” Sexualized Environment Posters

23. Cart Graffiti

26. The Administration Building

28. Housing

30. Get a Room Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owHtCnquAvA

31. From the Coloradoan

32. A Student Affairs ConcernsAnne Hudgens

33. Connecting the dots? • Interesting, but nothing new • Interesting, but no action is needed • Keep on the radar, maintain “watchful eye” • Discussion should be extended • Let’s visit about next steps • Don’t invite Banning again • Etc., Etc, Etc, ….. Or “none of the above”

34. Take some time for discussionSexualized Environments?What are the topics you want to observe and search?Thanks