Ask Me Anything: Ty Davis, Assistant Dean of Students and Director, Student Advocacy and Support

Ty Davis, assistant dean of students and director of student advocacy and support, is entering her fifth year at IUPUI. Her work with OSAS keeps her plenty busy, but she also represents the division on several committees, including the DACA Committee, Bias Incident Reporting Team, Behavioral Consultation Team, Student Experiences Council, Beyond Financial Aid Planning Committee, the IUPUI Student Housing Instability Taskforce. She also serves as a STAR mentor for students on first-time academic probation.

In this edition of Ask Me Anything, Davis answered a wide range of questions and gave a little insight on her movie choices, goals for this upcoming year, and much more.

What is your favorite vacation destination?

Anywhere where there is plenty of sun and sand -- preferably in the Caribbean, where I can disconnect from my every day norm. I absolutely love the Cayman Islands and have my fingers crossed to be able to visit Aruba in the near future.

What is your favorite movie?

I have a lot of favorite movies but The Color Purple still ranks top for me. I also love a few trilogies: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Bourne Trilogy, and The Planet of the Apes.

East coast or West coast?

East coast all the way! My home and all of my family are back East!

What are your work goals this year?

To survive. To stay safe. To continue to provide support and services to students without interruption. To be a support for my team. To develop a new strategic plan for OSAS.

How do you see the pandemic altering higher-ed as we know it in the future?

Higher education will forever have to consider the virtual world as another normal way of functioning instead of it being an option or alternative way of learning and being in community. The definition of “community” is now very different. We are challenged by how we will function in this new norm and how we continue to provide quality education, services, support, and togetherness for our students. We will no longer be able to separate what we do and how we do it for those “distance learners.” We will all be distance learners from here on out -- learning and growing together in ways that have never before been experienced.

What is the best part of your job?

Helping to make a difference in the lives of our students. I am passionate about serving others and I get to do that everyday on my job. It is fulfilling for me. I also am very fortunate to work with a passionate, awesome group of women on my team who help to make my job even more enjoyable.

If you had a full day off from work what would you do with your time?

Pamper! Pamper! Pamper! I truly believe in making the most of a “Me-Day” by doing things that are edifying for me emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I would probably start my day with some quiet time in devotion with God followed by breakfast at one of my favorite spots. Then, I would get a 90-minute massage and a pedicure. I would grab lunch somewhere I can eat outside and maybe read a good book while I grub. If the movie theater is open, I would catch a good movie and pick up dinner on the way home. Once home, I would enjoy a good glass of wine on my deck while I finish up reading my novel or while I stream another good movie on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. And then wrap up my day in bed, falling asleep to Chopped on the TV. That would be an awesome day off for me!

What's the best piece of advice you have ever received?

“Life is choice driven. We live and die by the choices we make.” That's a quote from my former Bishop in North Carolina. This advice drives all of my decision making and helps me to be self-aware and consistently thinking about the consequences of my actions. It also helps me to be other-aware and keeps me in check regarding my intentions and impact on others.

What's your most fun or most memorable day at work and why?

My most recent fun and memorable day was during the Leadership Retreat. If anyone knows me, you’ll know how much I love to laugh. Joe Hayes put together a really good Jeopardy game and I had so much fun laughing with my colleagues and just enjoying one another. It was a much needed mental health break from everything happening in our world right now. Kudos to Joe for his humor and creativity and for helping me to laugh out loud!

What's your favorite restaurant in town?

I don’t have a favorite restaurant. I have favorite places for specific tastes. For example, I love Outback Steakhouse for their Kookaburra Wings. I’m open to anyone wanting to send some my way!

If you had your own YouTube channel, what would it be about?

My YouTube channel would be on remodeling the inside of your home using bargain shopping techniques and upcycling. I really enjoy interior decorating projects but don’t always like to spend lots of money doing it. I’d like to show others how to decorate on a shoestring budget.