AUTONOMY IN ACTION\r\n\r\nGetting Started / Orientation Session\r\nThe first training session should be an orientation that comes very soon after the announcement—often made over spring break so applicants have time to digest the exhilaration or disappointment—of the composition of the next year’s board. Present and future honor teams can be brought together for an evening of bonding and of sharing experiences. Here are some activities schools have organized:\r\n\r\n• A pizza party \r\nThis could be the venue for social mixing, and then can culminate in a formal session.\r\n\r\n• Round Robin\r\nOne format would be a “round robin,” with everyone seated in a big circle or two smaller concentric circles. Each current member shares one or two key things he or she has learned; the faculty advisors might speak last, so they can be sure all the essential topics have surfaced.\r\n\r\n• Q & A Period\r\n A question-and-answer period involving both veterans and rookies can add or reinforce information. At this stage, overview and general principles outweigh detailed policies and procedures; those can be addressed later on.\r\n\r\n• Integrate new members \r\nAfter that initial ice-breaker, the new members can be invited (or even required) to attend any hearings that pop up during the remainder of the spring term. The initiates might be seated at one side of the room, away from the table and the proceedings, to observe rather than participate. Such learning by osmosis can be invaluable. Most schools graduate seniors before the term ends for other students, and their empty chairs at hearings might then be filled by new members who have been auditing.\r\n\r\n• Debrief with new members \r\nDebriefings should be done with new members who sit in on these spring hearings. Touching base with them after each hearing can help them understand what they have witnessed, answer any questions, and highlight key moments. If the debriefing cannot be done as a group, it can be managed individually, pairing a new member with an experienced one or with one of the faculty advisors. Such follow-up sessions need not be long, but must be done. It is not enough for protocols for handling cases to be written down; they must also be assimilated, and these debriefings can help.\r\n\r\nContinues on page 4\r\n\r\nCSEE Connections \r\nWinter 2014\r\n