When I was in the processes of finding an internship, I kept telling myself to get out there and find a new area of work that I had never encountered. That's the whole reason why I applied to work in Summer Orientation. However, I had the awesome surprise of picking out a university that conducts summer orientation for families. This was a foreign concept to me as I always thought Orientation was for the students...but as our millennials continue to tie the umbilical cord tighter to mom and/or dad...mom and dad have to attend orientation. Seriously? You can't leave Junior at school for two days?
When I arrived at my internship two weeks ago, I was full of energy....roaring to start. I kept asking my two supervisors "What projects do you have for me?" But they didn't have anything special for me to do. However, they kept encouraging me to make this MY experience. This meant WHAT did I want to get out of this?
So after a long session of self reflecting this Spring I identified areas that I really needed to work on. These are areas I noticed that employers would be looking for when I get out into the field next year. During my assistantship this Spring, I had the opportunity to sit in on campus interviews with candidates we were hiring for new positions in my unit. They are entry level positions, and so the people applying were men and women just getting out of grad school...weeks shy of receiving their degrees. Through that process, I understood that budgeting experience is a transferable skill that I could utilize to my benefit. I hate numbers and seem to have issues with money (because there never seems to be enough)...but I thought budgeting experience would be something new to learn. I also idetified supervisory skills as an area that I have had knowledge about by working in different Executive Boards with student organizations I have been involved with. Being the authority figure has always been something I have struggled with because I don't enjoy telling people what to do, how to do it, or just flat out being the boss. Though I don't like it, I have to learn. Another area I wanted to improve on is the ability to research. It's different stories to research for a class project than to research for the sake of imparting knowledge into the world. Presenting professionally this research, is my last component of areas I want to work on.
Parent Summer Orientation...interesting concept. My supervisors took seriously what I wanted to learn and designed some projects for me. These involve: researching different types of families/parents and their needs (i.e. transfers, first generation, Spanish-speaking, commuters); if the research I find seems to be of significance to the future of the office and their programming for parents/families I may have the opportunity to present to the VP of Student Development (really exciting yet nerve wracking); being able to learn how our Parent Association (PTA for college parents) gets funding (i.e through selling merchandise, Parent Orientation fees, etc.); supervising the Parent Orientation Leaders (by creating a Performance Evaluation for the Orientation Leaders, assisting with their training process, and guiding them through Orientation duties)...alot of work for a 150 hour internship...which by now I am half way done with my hours--yikes!
I have to admit...I didn't think that Parent Orientation was a big deal. However, after preparing for the first Freshman Orientation session (which was today...and I amazingly worked through a 12 hour day) I realized that parents do play an integral role in their students life.
Today I had some Spanish speaking parents who were confused on where to go or how to pay and what to do...and so I talked them through the process and explained how when a student needs help the first person they will likely call for advice would be their mom and dad. I told them that the institution encouraged parents to attend this orientation (which is optional). The look on their faces was priceless...and I have never felt more rewarded with my job. The fact that I spoke Spanish and was able to interpret information for them and make them feel a part of this university---and that I made a point that their student was important to us and that as parents they were also important, not just for us, but the collegiate experience of their student. They seemed so grateful that I could talk to them as people and understand their situation (they drove HOURS to get here today, and with the economy being as it is--they didn't have much resources for them to attend this optional gathering). I was able to get both of the parents' fees' waived. And I made a family very happy today :) The father kept shaking my head and saying "Thank You" to me. He seemed so happy to know that someone cared about his family. Even if it was a stranger such as me. I met a family's needs today...and I'm never forgetting that moment when I connected with this family.
Studies show that students perform better and have a positive collegiate experience when their parents are involved in the collegiate experience. And today...I think I am responsible for some freshman having a successful first year. Hopefully, with the information these parents will get during Orientation they will motivate their student to pursue their dreams, and their kid will no longer be a statistic of Latinos who don't graduate (an important aspect of my life since I am Latina who faced obstacles in the way to get where I'm at now).
I did good. Stressful long day...but in the end, the hard work was worth it. I made someone's family a bit happier. All this on the first day of Orientation!!!!
I'm really happy at the place that I'm at this summer...I have the most amazing supervisor ever, the school is a perfect fit to my personality, and it's all in a small town setting. What more could an intern ask for? (Funny story: I told my supervisor on the first day when she took me out to lunch to get to know me better that it had been the best first day ever at anything. She was so proud. She kept trying to hold up to that standard all week. And it was--it was the best first week ever. And I think it will continue to be one of the best experiences I have ever had).
Monday, June 15, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 19
Goodbye first year of grad school. Hello summer internship!
Finals week has come and gone. I closed my monstrous building, moved to a new apartment, cleaned out my office, finished up paperwork, wrote a bunch of reports, said goodbye to my friends, and boarded a plane to Florida. After three months of waiting, I was finally on my way to my summer internship.
I was so excited but nervous. How in the world was I going to help run orientation for a university I don’t even attend? What would my student staff think of me? What if my professional staff didn’t like me? What was I going to do without a car? Would I make any friends?
Someone came to pick me up from the airport and we waited together for the other NODA intern. When he arrived, he flashed a bright smile and I knew right away that I was going to like him. My roommate was already home when I showed up at the on-campus apartment we’re sharing for the summer. We have a mutual friend (Student Affairs really is a small world after all) and had already connected on Facebook. She gave me a hug and I knew right away we were going to be friends, too. About fifteen minutes later, I heard loud cheering coming from the hallway outside of our apartment. A bunch of the Orientation Leaders came to welcome me with a cheer in the hallway and all twenty of them came into my apartment to say hello. So far, everything was looking great. This is when I typically expect everything to take a turn for the worse. Wrong.
Sure, it took me several days to adjust to being in a new environment. I missed my friends and my boyfriend. For the first time in a long time, I felt nervous and reserved in a large, energetic group. Now, three weeks into the internship, I already feel like I belong here.
This is the third time I’ve had a summer internship and by far the best experience I’ve had. My supervisor has given me trust and responsibility and I cannot thank her enough for that. The office staff and students have been incredibly welcoming and even after a 19-hour orientation day, I’m in a good mood. I’m still trying to be more comfortable and build stronger relationships with my students but I think this will come with time.
I’m disappointed that my university doesn’t encourage many of the grad students to look for internships. Only about half of my cohort is completing internships but I think everyone can benefit from a good (or bad) experience in a new place. Besides, no matter how much you love a place it can be refreshing to spend a summer somewhere else.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 18
There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.
It seems like so long ago that I started this blog with a little insight from Carrie Underwood. Nine months later, while her songs still have a lot of the answers, I realize all the lessons I have learned on my own in my first year of grad school.
My awesome, crazy, motley crew of a cohort has taught me that there is great wisdom in diversity. Also, that I don’t have to be great friends with everyone. That it can be more meaningful to have close relationships with just a handful of people.
I’ve learned that the most challenging things are usually the ones that make me grow the most. I’ve learned so much about being an advisor, supervisor, employee, student, girlfriend, and friend. And I’ve learned that I have way too much left to learn. If you’ve followed this blog at all, I won’t rehash everything I’ve written. Instead, I’ll leave you with some lessons from the Vice Provost of my university which I think are both awesome and beneficial.
Prepare an Elevator Speech
Think of how you could explain your job, or Student Affairs in general, to a stranger in a short elevator ride. I’ve heard many variations of Student Affairs elevator speeches—both on and off elevators. Recently, a Higher Education professor explained Student Affairs as working in “talent development;” preparing students to use their talents to successfully accomplish their dreams. Others say something about student affairs being the non-academic side of higher education. I’m still working on my elevator speech, which currently goes something like, “I just wanna stay in college forever.” A lot of thought should go into the speech. Student Affairs is academic and supports the academic mission of institutions. And my speech doesn’t exactly scream professionalism. Elevator speeches come in really handy when people ask things like “What exactly do you do?” It’s also important to understand your own beliefs and philosophies and tie those into the speech.
Create a Go-to-Hell Fund (or GTFO Fund)
A go-to-hell fund is kind of like a savings account except instead of using the money on car repairs, dental work, or tropical vacations, it’s used in case you need to quit your job and stick it to the man. Now, a GTH fund should not be used just because you’re tired of working and want to spend some time in the Caribbean. Instead, a GTH fund should be used if you have any ethical, philosophical, or other large-scale disagreements or problems with your job and feel there is not way to stick it out. The fund should be large enough to keep you afloat while searching for a new job.
We’re Here For the Students
I know this one isn’t really witty but it’s the most important. For a long time, I thought all Student Affairs professionals were the crème de la crème—friendly, sincere student advocates. However, there are some Student Affairs professionals who start to forget the students. They get caught up in making as many connections as possible or focus on the prestige of administration positions and become like my power hungry manager the summer I worked at Sonic. They focus on what is easiest or cheapest rather than what is best for the students. In the past year, I’ve learned that it is important to speak your mind about what you think is best and sometimes remind those who have forgotten.
Ok, so I guess I didn’t mention things like Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory or tight and loose coupling (which, c’mon sounds like something from Karma Sutra). I have learned a lot from textbooks this year, but I think what will stick with me the most are lessons learned from experience and from the wonderful (and less wonderful) people around me.
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.
It seems like so long ago that I started this blog with a little insight from Carrie Underwood. Nine months later, while her songs still have a lot of the answers, I realize all the lessons I have learned on my own in my first year of grad school.
My awesome, crazy, motley crew of a cohort has taught me that there is great wisdom in diversity. Also, that I don’t have to be great friends with everyone. That it can be more meaningful to have close relationships with just a handful of people.
I’ve learned that the most challenging things are usually the ones that make me grow the most. I’ve learned so much about being an advisor, supervisor, employee, student, girlfriend, and friend. And I’ve learned that I have way too much left to learn. If you’ve followed this blog at all, I won’t rehash everything I’ve written. Instead, I’ll leave you with some lessons from the Vice Provost of my university which I think are both awesome and beneficial.
Prepare an Elevator Speech
Think of how you could explain your job, or Student Affairs in general, to a stranger in a short elevator ride. I’ve heard many variations of Student Affairs elevator speeches—both on and off elevators. Recently, a Higher Education professor explained Student Affairs as working in “talent development;” preparing students to use their talents to successfully accomplish their dreams. Others say something about student affairs being the non-academic side of higher education. I’m still working on my elevator speech, which currently goes something like, “I just wanna stay in college forever.” A lot of thought should go into the speech. Student Affairs is academic and supports the academic mission of institutions. And my speech doesn’t exactly scream professionalism. Elevator speeches come in really handy when people ask things like “What exactly do you do?” It’s also important to understand your own beliefs and philosophies and tie those into the speech.
Create a Go-to-Hell Fund (or GTFO Fund)
A go-to-hell fund is kind of like a savings account except instead of using the money on car repairs, dental work, or tropical vacations, it’s used in case you need to quit your job and stick it to the man. Now, a GTH fund should not be used just because you’re tired of working and want to spend some time in the Caribbean. Instead, a GTH fund should be used if you have any ethical, philosophical, or other large-scale disagreements or problems with your job and feel there is not way to stick it out. The fund should be large enough to keep you afloat while searching for a new job.
We’re Here For the Students
I know this one isn’t really witty but it’s the most important. For a long time, I thought all Student Affairs professionals were the crème de la crème—friendly, sincere student advocates. However, there are some Student Affairs professionals who start to forget the students. They get caught up in making as many connections as possible or focus on the prestige of administration positions and become like my power hungry manager the summer I worked at Sonic. They focus on what is easiest or cheapest rather than what is best for the students. In the past year, I’ve learned that it is important to speak your mind about what you think is best and sometimes remind those who have forgotten.
Ok, so I guess I didn’t mention things like Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory or tight and loose coupling (which, c’mon sounds like something from Karma Sutra). I have learned a lot from textbooks this year, but I think what will stick with me the most are lessons learned from experience and from the wonderful (and less wonderful) people around me.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #16
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade...
When life gives you noisemakers, have a party...
When life gives you the opportunity to learn, make the most out of it to share your knowledge with others...
I sit here before my laptop thinking how much has changed in a year. I made a surprise visit to Iowa this past weekend for a sorority sister's wedding. She used to be an RA with me last year. It's surprising how much we have both changed since the end of Senior Year. As I think of this the song "Seasons of Love" is playing through my head. 525, 600 minutes...that is alot of time...time that has past....time that will be coming up soon. What a year...
Throughout the course of this past year, I moved, I changed my attitude about life, I learned to live alone and cope with my problems by myself, I loved, I lost, I fought, I hurt, I complained and whined, I got my act together...I can say I'm not the same girl who I used to be. If anything, this year has been one of much growth for me and my becoming an adult.
It's weird to think to think that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you make a change. I think it definitely worked for me. Last semester was rough, but the Spring had better things in store for me. And I admit that I am happy where I am at with my life. I mean...think of it...I just completed my first year of grad school. What an accomplishment! I really didn't think back in October that I would make it this far...but I'm here...done with year number one and holding a 3.86 GPA (my highest GPA ever). I was so happy when I got my grades last week. After a super rough semester I ended up with all A's. I forgot how that felt. It feels great!!!!!
If I had to give a word of advice to the new grad students for next year on the things I learned, I would say that make the most out of your situation. Give the institution you are at, if it is different from your undergrad, a chance. Some schools have different ways of doing things...but the point is, you are there to study and to learn. Not just about Student Affairs, but I honestly think you will gain some awesome life skills through grad school. Because hey...you got to grow up sometime, right? What better chance to learn about life? What you're made of?
A year has passed...I still can't believe it. I can't even start to think that I have a year left. It baffles me. I survived the first year...whoa!
Dear friends who read our blogs on the site...thank you so much for becoming part of the first year graduate experience. Being a Student Affairs professional is not something you think about becoming when you're a little kid. But I am so glad that I'm in this field. I really want to help other students make their dreams come true. I want to help students find their way. I want to be the one they can come to with their issues. I want to help them have a voice. It is for people like my academic advisor in undergrad, my hall coordinator, my supervisor at my undergrad's Recreation Center...it's for people like them I wanted to be in this field because they believed in me that I could do my best. I want to help students reach their potential. That I am someone who believes in them.
I know it sounds like I'm trying to give the big statement of my career here, but it's all true. A person's life can change in one year, one month, one week...and in my case 525,600 minutes...
Good luck with all your endeavours future graduate students and those who graduated this past Spring. I can't wait to have you all as my colleagues someday.
And remember always to be "takin' care of business" the best way you can...do your best, give your best, receive the best :)
When life gives you noisemakers, have a party...
When life gives you the opportunity to learn, make the most out of it to share your knowledge with others...
I sit here before my laptop thinking how much has changed in a year. I made a surprise visit to Iowa this past weekend for a sorority sister's wedding. She used to be an RA with me last year. It's surprising how much we have both changed since the end of Senior Year. As I think of this the song "Seasons of Love" is playing through my head. 525, 600 minutes...that is alot of time...time that has past....time that will be coming up soon. What a year...
Throughout the course of this past year, I moved, I changed my attitude about life, I learned to live alone and cope with my problems by myself, I loved, I lost, I fought, I hurt, I complained and whined, I got my act together...I can say I'm not the same girl who I used to be. If anything, this year has been one of much growth for me and my becoming an adult.
It's weird to think to think that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you make a change. I think it definitely worked for me. Last semester was rough, but the Spring had better things in store for me. And I admit that I am happy where I am at with my life. I mean...think of it...I just completed my first year of grad school. What an accomplishment! I really didn't think back in October that I would make it this far...but I'm here...done with year number one and holding a 3.86 GPA (my highest GPA ever). I was so happy when I got my grades last week. After a super rough semester I ended up with all A's. I forgot how that felt. It feels great!!!!!
If I had to give a word of advice to the new grad students for next year on the things I learned, I would say that make the most out of your situation. Give the institution you are at, if it is different from your undergrad, a chance. Some schools have different ways of doing things...but the point is, you are there to study and to learn. Not just about Student Affairs, but I honestly think you will gain some awesome life skills through grad school. Because hey...you got to grow up sometime, right? What better chance to learn about life? What you're made of?
A year has passed...I still can't believe it. I can't even start to think that I have a year left. It baffles me. I survived the first year...whoa!
Dear friends who read our blogs on the site...thank you so much for becoming part of the first year graduate experience. Being a Student Affairs professional is not something you think about becoming when you're a little kid. But I am so glad that I'm in this field. I really want to help other students make their dreams come true. I want to help students find their way. I want to be the one they can come to with their issues. I want to help them have a voice. It is for people like my academic advisor in undergrad, my hall coordinator, my supervisor at my undergrad's Recreation Center...it's for people like them I wanted to be in this field because they believed in me that I could do my best. I want to help students reach their potential. That I am someone who believes in them.
I know it sounds like I'm trying to give the big statement of my career here, but it's all true. A person's life can change in one year, one month, one week...and in my case 525,600 minutes...
Good luck with all your endeavours future graduate students and those who graduated this past Spring. I can't wait to have you all as my colleagues someday.
And remember always to be "takin' care of business" the best way you can...do your best, give your best, receive the best :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 17
Sometimes, like now, it can seem like this job sucks. Moving a thousand people out of a building can be slightly overwhelming. Not to mention working with RAs who are stressed out about finals. And custodial staff that is stressed out about the building falling apart around us. And students who are partying their way through finals week. So—I can’t believe I’m saying this—I just have to keep reminding myself that I have the best job ever.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 16
I live in one of those big, dirty, loud, in-your-face residence halls. Recently, when I was interviewing a candidate for a desk position, he described my building as the bottom deck in the Titanic. The rooms are cheaper, the people are diverse, and there's always a party. One of the other grads in my building recently referred to our building as the center of the universe. I lovingly refer to the building as my beautiful mansion on the hill. And for the 1,000 students who live here, it is simply home.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #15
So those of you who have been following the blog know that I've been the new girl in town for the past year, and that last semester, I was struggling alot to fit in and adjust to life in Illinois. As much as I have been wearing my institution's colors this year and learning the fight song in two days right in time for Homecoming, I never really saw myself as part of this campus. Here's the deal...I don't care if you went somewhere else for graduate school, but deep down in your heart you will always remain faithful to your undergrad. It's the place you spend 4+ years of your life: eating, sleeping, partying, studying, socializing...it's home to you. Maybe a part of my transition to IL was to let my undergrad go, and maybe I didn't want to because, in some sense, I may have thought that I was being unfaithful to the undergrad. I was cheating on my school with another school...how silly does that sound? But that was the truth.
Attempting to become part of this new community was a hard and extensive process. Every time I had to work a new program and had to go attend some developmental student affairs meeting or whatnot...I have to work the room and talk to as many people as possible and try to remember people's names. I even participated in a campus tradition called "Ringing of the Bell". We have this bell on campus that sued to be rung before the football games, but the bell is now cracked and so it is on display on our Quad area. There is a "Ringing of the bell" ceremony, but it's held in our student center and mostly faculty and staff students attend it. They get to ring a small bell to symbolize the big old one outside. Well, this year, they allowed those who wanted to participate, to go outside in a "very chilly February morning in IL" weather, to ring the big old bell on the Quad. And I was first in line!
There was something very exciting about the 10 rings I gave to that bell...something very solemn. This was the bell that Presidents and students alike had rang 50+ years ago. What an honor! Both of my hands clasped around the rope, wearing a smile on my face, and with every "dong" the bell made the stars in my eyes grew brighter and brighter. My shrieks of delight filled the air as other administrators, staff, and students, just looked on and smiled or laughed at me. Who knew this girl would be so excited to be a part of the community?
This weekend, my campus threw our annual "Relay for Life" cancer fundraiser, and I had the opportunity to sit and relax with some of the stduents that I work with. There was a conversation exchanged between me and one of the Executive Board members of one of the student groups I help with, and he asked me why wasn't I in charge of a certain program my office promotes? So I told him that the other grad who works with me is in charge of it. He went on to tell me he didn't like the other grad too much because she seemed mean when she conducts this program. I explained that she wasn't mean, but that she has a different work style than I do. I also came to believe that the only reason this student was saying that he liked me better was because I look like him. I know my fellow blogger from "It's a Residence Hall, not a dorm" just wrote a piece recently about diversity and its impact on people's behavior. It is so true! I think the only reason this students seems to like talking to me is because we're both Hispanic. I think that he feels like he can identify with me (that's a good thing, in my book).
On Sunday, my office gave a training session to all of next year's new Executive Board members of the four cultural student groups we work closely with. One of the students came up to me and asked if I was going to stay after graduation next year. I told her that I honestly didn't know. So far, my plan after graduation doesn't entail staying in Illinois but at this rate who knows what may happen? Despite my internal debate of wanting to go home to take care of my parents, a part of me wants to go somewhere new, and another part of me wants to just wander around for a bit and see which offers come along. I'm a tumbleweed, I go where ever the wind takes me...it's the story of my life. Sometimes your life circumstances take you places you may or may not want to be. Anyways...this student had a special interest in my staying, as she also tells me that she is thinking of going to graduate school and study in the Student Affairs program in a few years. Such young hopes and dreams :) But for real...it seems like I became this student's role model (and we don't look like each other).
And this morning, the coordinator of my office asked me about a program that occured last week that I arranged, and asked me who attended. I told her that one of the people present was one of the Directors from another office (who is characterized by his booming deep voice). I said something about him, but was imitating his voice, and she laughed at me and said "Oh! You bit the apple". And I asked her what that meant, and she said "You've done "the voice". You have been here long enough to pick up on it". Apparently, when any body speaks of this Director, everyone imitates his booming deep voice. So...this made me realize I had become part of the Student Affairs circle at my institution... :) hahaha.
It's just odd to see how the tables have turned on me...and that the inevitable happened--I like being at this institution (...and I'm not cheating on my undergrad, I will always love that place with all my heart...but now I have a new love, and that is this place).
Attempting to become part of this new community was a hard and extensive process. Every time I had to work a new program and had to go attend some developmental student affairs meeting or whatnot...I have to work the room and talk to as many people as possible and try to remember people's names. I even participated in a campus tradition called "Ringing of the Bell". We have this bell on campus that sued to be rung before the football games, but the bell is now cracked and so it is on display on our Quad area. There is a "Ringing of the bell" ceremony, but it's held in our student center and mostly faculty and staff students attend it. They get to ring a small bell to symbolize the big old one outside. Well, this year, they allowed those who wanted to participate, to go outside in a "very chilly February morning in IL" weather, to ring the big old bell on the Quad. And I was first in line!
There was something very exciting about the 10 rings I gave to that bell...something very solemn. This was the bell that Presidents and students alike had rang 50+ years ago. What an honor! Both of my hands clasped around the rope, wearing a smile on my face, and with every "dong" the bell made the stars in my eyes grew brighter and brighter. My shrieks of delight filled the air as other administrators, staff, and students, just looked on and smiled or laughed at me. Who knew this girl would be so excited to be a part of the community?
This weekend, my campus threw our annual "Relay for Life" cancer fundraiser, and I had the opportunity to sit and relax with some of the stduents that I work with. There was a conversation exchanged between me and one of the Executive Board members of one of the student groups I help with, and he asked me why wasn't I in charge of a certain program my office promotes? So I told him that the other grad who works with me is in charge of it. He went on to tell me he didn't like the other grad too much because she seemed mean when she conducts this program. I explained that she wasn't mean, but that she has a different work style than I do. I also came to believe that the only reason this student was saying that he liked me better was because I look like him. I know my fellow blogger from "It's a Residence Hall, not a dorm" just wrote a piece recently about diversity and its impact on people's behavior. It is so true! I think the only reason this students seems to like talking to me is because we're both Hispanic. I think that he feels like he can identify with me (that's a good thing, in my book).
On Sunday, my office gave a training session to all of next year's new Executive Board members of the four cultural student groups we work closely with. One of the students came up to me and asked if I was going to stay after graduation next year. I told her that I honestly didn't know. So far, my plan after graduation doesn't entail staying in Illinois but at this rate who knows what may happen? Despite my internal debate of wanting to go home to take care of my parents, a part of me wants to go somewhere new, and another part of me wants to just wander around for a bit and see which offers come along. I'm a tumbleweed, I go where ever the wind takes me...it's the story of my life. Sometimes your life circumstances take you places you may or may not want to be. Anyways...this student had a special interest in my staying, as she also tells me that she is thinking of going to graduate school and study in the Student Affairs program in a few years.
And this morning, the coordinator of my office asked me about a program that occured last week that I arranged, and asked me who attended. I told her that one of the people present was one of the Directors from another office (who is characterized by his booming deep voice). I said something about him, but was imitating his voice, and she laughed at me and said "Oh! You bit the apple". And I asked her what that meant, and she said "You've done "the voice". You have been here long enough to pick up on it". Apparently, when any body speaks of this Director, everyone imitates his booming deep voice. So...this made me realize I had become part of the Student Affairs circle at my institution... :) hahaha.
This weekend I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my students as we engaged in some campus activities. I learned something this weekend about myself...something I wasn't expecting to find out...something very surreal to me...I became one with the campus. I have finally understood that I became someone that students can relate to, that students from underrepresented groups can look up to, that I'm the peppy and cheerful staff member that likes to motivate everyone, and that I am FINALLY a part of this community as much as it is now a part of me.
It's just odd to see how the tables have turned on me...and that the inevitable happened--I like being at this institution (...and I'm not cheating on my undergrad, I will always love that place with all my heart...but now I have a new love, and that is this place).
Friday, April 24, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #14
Wow! End of the year...seems like yesterday that I just got here.
I want to take the time to apologize to everyone since I have been very MIA lately. It's been over a month since I last wrote, and I know I have stories to hear from everyone about internships and such for the summer.
Not much has happened since I last wrote to all of you readers. So far, my NODA internship in TX is still in place and classes are still boring. However, these past few weeks have been a bit stressful with the preparation of my final semester projects. So much to do, and so little time. Bring it on, stress! I'm waiting for you!
As I reflect back on this first year, I did learn alot about myself and what I'm made of. It's been rough to be living alone and to work and go to school at the same time. It's been rough to realize that some things need to change next year and that my attitude towards school at the moment needs some readjusting.
It was a year of learning...about myself, about the field, and about my relationships with people. I have always been noted for being someone who likes to connect with others. This is why I have always had meaningful friendships with people. Now that I work with students, I have had to learn how to tone it down a bit. It's been a challenge when most of the students I work with are about my same age. I know that when I get that first job out of grad school, I will have to more assertive and take things a bit more seriously than I do now (not that I'm a silly goose or anything, but being in a supervisory role requires me to be more focused and mature.
Lately, alot of questions have been coming up from those professionals in the field at my institution for us grads. We have a GA Development session that us who work for the Dean of Students Office have to go to once a month. This month we talked the job search....not too far from the corner. That's when it hit me that I'm only "half way there (whooooa! Livin' on a Prayer! Take my hand and we'll make it I swear...") Woops, sorry for that musical interruption :)
Job Searching: not exactly something I wanted to discuss quite yet, but the questions are still burning in the back of my mind. The major one has been "Where do you want to go?" Personally, I have no geographical location where I'd like to be. I have moved around alot in my lifetime, and so moving is not a problem. I'm a tumbleweed, I go wherever the wind takes me. Seems to be such an easy thing to say for someone in Student Affairs...because let's face it, you have to be willing to relocate when you're in this field. However, though most of my classmates have significant others, I have no attachment to anyone at the moment. In the past two months I met someone very nice, and though dating this person seemed like a possible progression...I had to stop and think that at the moment, I'm not in a position to be romantically involved with someone. Why would I decide to get into a relationship, when I'll be moving in about a year. Despite cutting communication with this person I was talking to, I realized that my career is always going to come first in that aspect. I know that's not a balanced way to live emotionally, but that's the way it's got to be.
My career will always come first with the exception of my parents. At the moment, I have two aging parents in their late 70s, who are going through different medical concerns. Though my mom is still walking around and gardening, she has numerous things going on. The amount of pills she has to take for her blood pressure, cholesterol, and other heart related conditions kind of spook me out. On top of that she has a pinched nerve on her lower back (which is why she shouldn't be gardening, but she is stubborn and won't listen to em or anyone). She has hearing issues, and other problems of that nature. However, my oldest sister is her caregiver, and despite her not being around much (because she works a day and a night job), I know that mom has someone to look after her. The one who worries me is my dad. He doesn't have any physical issues...heck, he jogs at the local park every morning. But my mom, sister, and me have noticed that my dad is starting to lose it a bit mentally. OK, so it's not full blown out Alzheimer's, but we think it is going to start kicking in soon just by small behaviors he does.
My mom and I had the conversation about me moving back to TX so that I could help my sister out a bit, and take care of her and dad. My mom is one of those parents that likes to use the guilt trip, but she was very honest with me. Mom doesn't want me to go home just to take care of her. She said "You go where you have to go, and don't worry about us". I know that I can't be picky in job searching with the way the economy is now. I have student loans to pay back. But, I have that obligation to my family. Parents take care of the children, and then the children take care of the parents...it's the ebb and flow of life.
My parents are very proud that I have made it this far in my life. I'm the first one to go to college and graduate, and the first one to go for their Master's. It's the greatest accomplishment they have done has parents...to guide me in the right direction. I know that some young people today don't have that support, and that is one of the reasons I decided to go into this field. I want to help students reach their potential. Now, when you mix cultural backgrounds in the whole picture, it can get murky. For example, Latino students are very close to their families (i.e. ME and the story I'm telling you just now...) So, I may not have a boyfriend, but I do have a family, and they will be a huge deciding factor in my relocation after grad school. One of my mentors told me, that I had to think about my happiness, and he asked me if TX was a place I could see myself in. I said "No". TX is not my dream world. And I understand that I'm only a plane ride away, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to do the right thing. I left home to go away to college...I moved again to a place that I knew nothing about for grad school...and I will move back home to take care of mom and dad--becuase it's the right thing to do.
One thing I'm looking foward to with my summer internship in TX is that I will be able to start networking in the area. Maybe I can get a job after graduation where I'm going this summer. That can be a start.
It's alot of stuff to think about for the following year...and I still have time to change my mind about relocating. I think it's good that these questions about relocating came up so I can think about it early on. But they are some tough decisions to make. Hey, nobody said growing up was easy...sometimes you just got to be "Takin' Care of Business"...
I want to take the time to apologize to everyone since I have been very MIA lately. It's been over a month since I last wrote, and I know I have stories to hear from everyone about internships and such for the summer.
Not much has happened since I last wrote to all of you readers. So far, my NODA internship in TX is still in place and classes are still boring. However, these past few weeks have been a bit stressful with the preparation of my final semester projects. So much to do, and so little time. Bring it on, stress! I'm waiting for you!
As I reflect back on this first year, I did learn alot about myself and what I'm made of. It's been rough to be living alone and to work and go to school at the same time. It's been rough to realize that some things need to change next year and that my attitude towards school at the moment needs some readjusting.
It was a year of learning...about myself, about the field, and about my relationships with people. I have always been noted for being someone who likes to connect with others. This is why I have always had meaningful friendships with people. Now that I work with students, I have had to learn how to tone it down a bit. It's been a challenge when most of the students I work with are about my same age. I know that when I get that first job out of grad school, I will have to more assertive and take things a bit more seriously than I do now (not that I'm a silly goose or anything, but being in a supervisory role requires me to be more focused and mature.
Lately, alot of questions have been coming up from those professionals in the field at my institution for us grads. We have a GA Development session that us who work for the Dean of Students Office have to go to once a month. This month we talked the job search....not too far from the corner. That's when it hit me that I'm only "half way there (whooooa! Livin' on a Prayer! Take my hand and we'll make it I swear...") Woops, sorry for that musical interruption :)
Job Searching: not exactly something I wanted to discuss quite yet, but the questions are still burning in the back of my mind. The major one has been "Where do you want to go?" Personally, I have no geographical location where I'd like to be. I have moved around alot in my lifetime, and so moving is not a problem. I'm a tumbleweed, I go wherever the wind takes me. Seems to be such an easy thing to say for someone in Student Affairs...because let's face it, you have to be willing to relocate when you're in this field. However, though most of my classmates have significant others, I have no attachment to anyone at the moment. In the past two months I met someone very nice, and though dating this person seemed like a possible progression...I had to stop and think that at the moment, I'm not in a position to be romantically involved with someone. Why would I decide to get into a relationship, when I'll be moving in about a year. Despite cutting communication with this person I was talking to, I realized that my career is always going to come first in that aspect. I know that's not a balanced way to live emotionally, but that's the way it's got to be.
My career will always come first with the exception of my parents. At the moment, I have two aging parents in their late 70s, who are going through different medical concerns. Though my mom is still walking around and gardening, she has numerous things going on. The amount of pills she has to take for her blood pressure, cholesterol, and other heart related conditions kind of spook me out. On top of that she has a pinched nerve on her lower back (which is why she shouldn't be gardening, but she is stubborn and won't listen to em or anyone). She has hearing issues, and other problems of that nature. However, my oldest sister is her caregiver, and despite her not being around much (because she works a day and a night job), I know that mom has someone to look after her. The one who worries me is my dad. He doesn't have any physical issues...heck, he jogs at the local park every morning. But my mom, sister, and me have noticed that my dad is starting to lose it a bit mentally. OK, so it's not full blown out Alzheimer's, but we think it is going to start kicking in soon just by small behaviors he does.
My mom and I had the conversation about me moving back to TX so that I could help my sister out a bit, and take care of her and dad. My mom is one of those parents that likes to use the guilt trip, but she was very honest with me. Mom doesn't want me to go home just to take care of her. She said "You go where you have to go, and don't worry about us". I know that I can't be picky in job searching with the way the economy is now. I have student loans to pay back. But, I have that obligation to my family. Parents take care of the children, and then the children take care of the parents...it's the ebb and flow of life.
My parents are very proud that I have made it this far in my life. I'm the first one to go to college and graduate, and the first one to go for their Master's. It's the greatest accomplishment they have done has parents...to guide me in the right direction. I know that some young people today don't have that support, and that is one of the reasons I decided to go into this field. I want to help students reach their potential. Now, when you mix cultural backgrounds in the whole picture, it can get murky. For example, Latino students are very close to their families (i.e. ME and the story I'm telling you just now...) So, I may not have a boyfriend, but I do have a family, and they will be a huge deciding factor in my relocation after grad school. One of my mentors told me, that I had to think about my happiness, and he asked me if TX was a place I could see myself in. I said "No". TX is not my dream world. And I understand that I'm only a plane ride away, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to do the right thing. I left home to go away to college...I moved again to a place that I knew nothing about for grad school...and I will move back home to take care of mom and dad--becuase it's the right thing to do.
One thing I'm looking foward to with my summer internship in TX is that I will be able to start networking in the area. Maybe I can get a job after graduation where I'm going this summer. That can be a start.
It's alot of stuff to think about for the following year...and I still have time to change my mind about relocating. I think it's good that these questions about relocating came up so I can think about it early on. But they are some tough decisions to make. Hey, nobody said growing up was easy...sometimes you just got to be "Takin' Care of Business"...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 15
What I am about to say might offend you. Be prepared.
Let’s talk about diversity. It’s quite the buzz word in higher education these days. We slap it into mission statements and make sure it’s prominent in interview questions and hiring decisions. Most of us feel like we have a good grip on diversity; we get it. I mean, c’mon, I’ve done that privilege walk like a thousand times.
I’m one of those people. I was raised by open, wonderful parents who taught me to respect and celebrate all cultures and all people. I’ve always been interested in learning about what makes people unique or different. I’ve had years of formal diversity training preceded by years of informal training in the many different places I’ve lived. But lately, I’m wondering if maybe there are a lot of things I don’t get. Two specific instances have caught my attention and made me question my own -isms.
In my last year as an RA, I was on an all-female floor for the first time. I thought long and hard about my first door decs because I wanted them to really stand out. I decided on paper dolls with all kinds of fun and funky outfits. I purchased a couple paper doll books online, received them a week later in the mail, and got to work cutting outfits out of the books. It wasn’t until my residents moved in that I realized these door decs weren’t going to work. You see, I had paper dolls that looked like Stephanie and Ashley but no paper dolls that looked like Darnicia and Xueqiong. I did not notice that all of the paper dolls had white skin. I didn’t even think about it. After a loooong online search, I finally found a book with more culturally diverse dolls and made the door decs for everyone. I still felt stupid putting them up. Would people notice the dolls were different colors? Would they notice if the doll didn’t look like them? Did it matter?
More recently, I went into a public restroom with my best friend (yes, ladies do need to go together) and was complaining about how dirty public restrooms got. I told my friend that I just didn’t understand why grown women could not keep things a little cleaner. She said maybe little kids had made the mess. I said, very sarcastically, that maybe it was just a bunch of people with no arms who couldn’t flush the toilets or clean up after themselves. While washing our hands, a woman exited from the only other occupied stall in the restroom. She had only one arm. Wow, did I feel like an ass.
In Student Development, we’ve been talking about racial identity development and my professor explained that the theories are based on the assumption that racism exists and that racism is culturally, politically, and socially ingrained in many ways. She also explained that based on this definition of racism, you are automatically racist if you are White because you live in a society that benefits you simply because of the color of your skin. Ouch. The way we define racism socially is that you are racist if you are prejudiced against others because of their race. To be racist, to me, is one of the most horrendous, contemptible qualities. I have never intentionally hurt or marginalized someone because of their race. But in many ways, this definition of racism makes sense. In fact, it’s applicable to all –isms.
I have never had to think about what it’s like to not be able to walk. Or what it’s like to have only one hand. I have never had to worry about finding Barbies or paper dolls that looked like me. Most people on TV and in movies look like me, too. I had no idea that people like Mary, one of my RAs, struggle with not looking like those people. Mary is Asian and tapes her eyelids every morning so that she has the double eyelids characteristic of White cultures. She recently told me a story about how her mom took her to have the common outpatient surgery for double eyelids in Taiwan, but she became afraid and backed out at the last minute. Mary is beautiful.
It makes me sick to think that she has to live in a world that in any way tells her she isn’t. It makes me sick to think about myself in the context of racism.
Luckily, I’ve learned a few other important things about diversity this semester. First, I’ve learned to take any and all chances to become more comfortable and understanding of diversity. A couple of privilege walks just won’t cut it. I’ve learned that it’s important to understand your place in social and political systems. I may be a racist simply because I’m White, but I’ve learned that the best way to combat racism is to help break down the oppression and injustices of others. I’ve also learned that I don’t know anything about my own race. Several of my professors have suggested taking classes or seminars about what it means to be White. Finally, I’ve learned that being a White woman does not mean I’m not diverse; I might just have to think harder about what makes me different from other people.
Let’s talk about diversity. It’s quite the buzz word in higher education these days. We slap it into mission statements and make sure it’s prominent in interview questions and hiring decisions. Most of us feel like we have a good grip on diversity; we get it. I mean, c’mon, I’ve done that privilege walk like a thousand times.
I’m one of those people. I was raised by open, wonderful parents who taught me to respect and celebrate all cultures and all people. I’ve always been interested in learning about what makes people unique or different. I’ve had years of formal diversity training preceded by years of informal training in the many different places I’ve lived. But lately, I’m wondering if maybe there are a lot of things I don’t get. Two specific instances have caught my attention and made me question my own -isms.
In my last year as an RA, I was on an all-female floor for the first time. I thought long and hard about my first door decs because I wanted them to really stand out. I decided on paper dolls with all kinds of fun and funky outfits. I purchased a couple paper doll books online, received them a week later in the mail, and got to work cutting outfits out of the books. It wasn’t until my residents moved in that I realized these door decs weren’t going to work. You see, I had paper dolls that looked like Stephanie and Ashley but no paper dolls that looked like Darnicia and Xueqiong. I did not notice that all of the paper dolls had white skin. I didn’t even think about it. After a loooong online search, I finally found a book with more culturally diverse dolls and made the door decs for everyone. I still felt stupid putting them up. Would people notice the dolls were different colors? Would they notice if the doll didn’t look like them? Did it matter?
More recently, I went into a public restroom with my best friend (yes, ladies do need to go together) and was complaining about how dirty public restrooms got. I told my friend that I just didn’t understand why grown women could not keep things a little cleaner. She said maybe little kids had made the mess. I said, very sarcastically, that maybe it was just a bunch of people with no arms who couldn’t flush the toilets or clean up after themselves. While washing our hands, a woman exited from the only other occupied stall in the restroom. She had only one arm. Wow, did I feel like an ass.
In Student Development, we’ve been talking about racial identity development and my professor explained that the theories are based on the assumption that racism exists and that racism is culturally, politically, and socially ingrained in many ways. She also explained that based on this definition of racism, you are automatically racist if you are White because you live in a society that benefits you simply because of the color of your skin. Ouch. The way we define racism socially is that you are racist if you are prejudiced against others because of their race. To be racist, to me, is one of the most horrendous, contemptible qualities. I have never intentionally hurt or marginalized someone because of their race. But in many ways, this definition of racism makes sense. In fact, it’s applicable to all –isms.
I have never had to think about what it’s like to not be able to walk. Or what it’s like to have only one hand. I have never had to worry about finding Barbies or paper dolls that looked like me. Most people on TV and in movies look like me, too. I had no idea that people like Mary, one of my RAs, struggle with not looking like those people. Mary is Asian and tapes her eyelids every morning so that she has the double eyelids characteristic of White cultures. She recently told me a story about how her mom took her to have the common outpatient surgery for double eyelids in Taiwan, but she became afraid and backed out at the last minute. Mary is beautiful.
It makes me sick to think that she has to live in a world that in any way tells her she isn’t. It makes me sick to think about myself in the context of racism.
Luckily, I’ve learned a few other important things about diversity this semester. First, I’ve learned to take any and all chances to become more comfortable and understanding of diversity. A couple of privilege walks just won’t cut it. I’ve learned that it’s important to understand your place in social and political systems. I may be a racist simply because I’m White, but I’ve learned that the best way to combat racism is to help break down the oppression and injustices of others. I’ve also learned that I don’t know anything about my own race. Several of my professors have suggested taking classes or seminars about what it means to be White. Finally, I’ve learned that being a White woman does not mean I’m not diverse; I might just have to think harder about what makes me different from other people.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 14
Disclaimer: What happened? Is it still February? I’m so behind on posting and this blog is a little out of date so stick with me and I promise to try a little bit harder.
Named for the villainous wizards in Harry Potter, these candidates are much more like Dementors in that they suck part of your soul out during an interview (Sorry HP fans, Death Eater just sounded better). After just three minutes with this candidate you begin to feel sorrowful and drained. Death Eaters are typically dry and boring with little to no spark about them. By the end of a Death Eater’s interview, you have lost most of your energy. It may take up to an hour to fully recover. Thankfully, Death Eaters are rare in the Student Affairs world and it’s unlikely you will encounter more than a handful of these soul-suckers.
Heartbreakers are the strongest candidates. They are typically confident and have the perfect answers to questions. An interview with a Heartbreaker may leave you feeling like you’ve learned something new. These candidates seem like a great “fit” and you feel a strong connection to them. You can easily envision working with them and even becoming friends. Unfortunately, heartbreakers are so named because EVERYONE thinks they’re a great candidate. You have to be careful not to become too attached to these candidates because they will probably break your heart by accepting a position somewhere else.
Pound Puppies are typically middle-of-the-road candidates. They tend to be OK in interviews and OK in social interactions. Pound Puppies are often very reserved and need a lot of training. Still, there is something about a Pound Puppy that makes you want to give them a chance, some part of you that thinks they could develop into a strong professional and you could help be that difference.
Inevitably, there will be a handful of candidates who have trouble controlling their speed, volume, and articulation. You can often hear Loud Mouths from adjoining interview rooms. Loud Mouths typically leave interviewers rubbing their ears. Motor Mouths answer twenty tough questions in three minutes without taking a breath. Whisperers are quiet and sometimes thoughtful but usually lack enthusiasm. I guess my advice here is try to find a good tone, volume, and articulation before taking an interview. On “the other side of the table,” try not to laugh when people talk quietly, quickly, or loudly. I had an especially hard time interviewing a candidate with a unique stutter. Luckily, I kept my professionalism and good karma in tact.
After spending four days in
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #13
Unmotivated...
That is the only word that comes to mind when I think about how the semester is going. New semester, new set of courses, new set of professors...but is there a new me? a new attitude?
I remember last year when I was so busy applying for assistantships and school never seemed to be done with. Unmotivated...a primary syndrome of senioritis. But hello! I'm not a senior, I'm a grad. So why this feeling? Why now when midterms are approaching? I should be stressing and pulling my hair out, not merely blah.
My classes are no longer of interest to me. Yes, I attend class, but zone out every time I have a 20+ page article to read. I have one professor for two classes. In one he is serious, and in the other a total spaz. My professor for Law class is super fun because she always has good stories to tell about her days in Law School. Plus, I have a bias towards her because she lets us out early from class and she's from Iowa (and I love everything about the state of Iowa). It just seems that I have reached a slump with classes. I don't want to read, and I absolutely dread homework. I don't know what happened to me? I was doing so well in January. And I just want to be OUT of school already. When will I be done??? Aaaahhhhhhh!
Classes aren't the only ones to encounter my unmotivation. I feel like my assistantship is going the same. I don't feel like I'm learning anything new, and everything about my job is starting to become annoying and of no interest to me. I sit in my office day after day working on programming for the unit, and even so, I can't ever attend the events because I usually have classes at night. How do I get to experience the outcomes of a program that I helped create when I have somewhere to be?
I have everything set up for my summer internship and my practicum for the Fall semester, and those are the only things I'm looking foward to right now. Having a job will really do me some good when all I have to focus on is that.
Also, I'm suffering with financial issues because I'm not making enough with my stipend and have contemplated getting a second job, pawning my jewelry, or even selling off my blood plasma. Since I don't get to have a Spring Break because I work at an administrative office, I was planning on visiting my undergrad at the end of the month. Just escape for the weekend. But with the way things are going I may not have money to pay for gas to get to and from Iowa.
The only good thing that happened this week was that one of our student desk workers got a job offer to teach in one of the best school districts in Houston, TX. I'm so excited for him because I think this would be a great opportunity to explore new grounds. When we talked about what his choices were, he was afraid about leaving our current institution and leaving his family behind. He has never lived more than an hour and a half from his parents. I just think "Geez, try 18 hours like me, and I only saw them once last year". He is also afraid of not making friends and meeting people. He has the greatest personality so it's not like it would be too hard for him to meet others. He asked me "When did you start feeling comfortable here?" and very honestly I answered "I'm still working on it". He seemed to be surprised and asnwered "I would have never noticed", and I explained how I constantly try to find the girl I used to be; but the unevitable happened and I gained more responsibility over myself and my actions. I became an adult. It's not like that's a bad thing, it's just that priorities change.
Talking to this student was like an out of body, deja vu experience...like that student was me but last year "me". And he has all the same apprehensions that I had, but to be able to give advice and attempt to answer the questions he had about Texas...well, it just made my day.
That is the only word that comes to mind when I think about how the semester is going. New semester, new set of courses, new set of professors...but is there a new me? a new attitude?
I remember last year when I was so busy applying for assistantships and school never seemed to be done with. Unmotivated...a primary syndrome of senioritis. But hello! I'm not a senior, I'm a grad. So why this feeling? Why now when midterms are approaching? I should be stressing and pulling my hair out, not merely blah.
My classes are no longer of interest to me. Yes, I attend class, but zone out every time I have a 20+ page article to read. I have one professor for two classes. In one he is serious, and in the other a total spaz. My professor for Law class is super fun because she always has good stories to tell about her days in Law School. Plus, I have a bias towards her because she lets us out early from class and she's from Iowa (and I love everything about the state of Iowa). It just seems that I have reached a slump with classes. I don't want to read, and I absolutely dread homework. I don't know what happened to me? I was doing so well in January. And I just want to be OUT of school already. When will I be done??? Aaaahhhhhhh!
Classes aren't the only ones to encounter my unmotivation. I feel like my assistantship is going the same. I don't feel like I'm learning anything new, and everything about my job is starting to become annoying and of no interest to me. I sit in my office day after day working on programming for the unit, and even so, I can't ever attend the events because I usually have classes at night. How do I get to experience the outcomes of a program that I helped create when I have somewhere to be?
I have everything set up for my summer internship and my practicum for the Fall semester, and those are the only things I'm looking foward to right now. Having a job will really do me some good when all I have to focus on is that.
Also, I'm suffering with financial issues because I'm not making enough with my stipend and have contemplated getting a second job, pawning my jewelry, or even selling off my blood plasma. Since I don't get to have a Spring Break because I work at an administrative office, I was planning on visiting my undergrad at the end of the month. Just escape for the weekend. But with the way things are going I may not have money to pay for gas to get to and from Iowa.
The only good thing that happened this week was that one of our student desk workers got a job offer to teach in one of the best school districts in Houston, TX. I'm so excited for him because I think this would be a great opportunity to explore new grounds. When we talked about what his choices were, he was afraid about leaving our current institution and leaving his family behind. He has never lived more than an hour and a half from his parents. I just think "Geez, try 18 hours like me, and I only saw them once last year". He is also afraid of not making friends and meeting people. He has the greatest personality so it's not like it would be too hard for him to meet others. He asked me "When did you start feeling comfortable here?" and very honestly I answered "I'm still working on it". He seemed to be surprised and asnwered "I would have never noticed", and I explained how I constantly try to find the girl I used to be; but the unevitable happened and I gained more responsibility over myself and my actions. I became an adult. It's not like that's a bad thing, it's just that priorities change.
Talking to this student was like an out of body, deja vu experience...like that student was me but last year "me". And he has all the same apprehensions that I had, but to be able to give advice and attempt to answer the questions he had about Texas...well, it just made my day.
Monday, February 23, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 13
There are only 28 days in February for a reason. It’s not because it makes the whole calendar thing work. It’s because February is crazy. Seriously, people go crazy in February. I think it’s because everyone feels like they need to cram things into the smallest month of the year. Lots of things have been crammed into my February schedule: undergraduate recruitment, graduate recruitment, internship stuff, two trips, papers, presentations, duty, events… But there’s one thing that’s been on my mind more than all of the others: placement for next year.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #12
Alot has been going on in my life lately...
The whole interviewing for summer internships/practicums thing is over! I'm glad to say that from the 5 schools I talked to, I got at least one offer. I'll be going to Texas for 2 months for a NODA internship. Exciting stuff! I've never done summer orientation before, so this is going to be very new and interesting too.
This semester hasn't really set in for me. Though some of my classes were interesting to me when I read their titles, the course content has been fustrating. I hate going to class some days. My cohort has been scattered around to other classes (since now we have more liberty in choosing what classes to take), and now I'm having classes with 2nd year grads from my program as well as PhD students. I feel like I'm incompetent--again...same thing when I first started going to school here.
Then there is this other thing bugging me. I'm taking a class called "College Students and the Law" and we had to go attend this presentation at my campus about facebook, myspace, and the likes of that nature. The presenter [C.L. Lindsey] came to speak to our students in a presentation called "Online Trouble". I don't know how many times I've heard horror stories from my parents about not putting my personal information out there when I talk to strangers. They used to be very concerned about me wanting to "chat online" with friends. I was 18 at the time, and didn't know much about the world, and had internet access for the first time when I started going to college. Anyways, this guy showed us some pictures he found online of students from my campus underage drinking, playing beer pong, smoking weed, and things of that nature. He also told us of some people who "hooked up" over myspace and facebook--stories that ended with kidnap and murder. The othe big surprise was that he mentioned that it's easy to hack into people's myspace accounts, and that you can Google the instructions. My face went "??????" Also, the other thing that got me thinking--about 90,000 registered sex offenders got booted off of myspace for trying to pose as young kids. After that presentation, I contemplated deleting my myspace account. Not sure if I'm going to...I have to think it over some more.
The same thing is happening to me now. I'm being lectured constantly from people like my supervisor about what I put online. My supervisor called to my attention that I shouldn't be sharing my feelings abou summer internships on a public forum such as facebook. My supervisor says "Don't you remeber what C.L. Lindsey said in his presentation about employers checking people's facebook when they apply for jobs?" I was asked by someone about my status that day which was "...either way I'm heading back to the Lone Star State". The person asked "What's wrong with TX?" Someone else asked "Why are you moving to TX for?" (thinking that I was already done with grad school). When I replied I mentioned "I wasn't exactly aiming for the South this summer, but I'm glad I got an offer". The school that interviewed me that offered me the position...they asked during my interview why was their school #3 on my listing on the NODA website? If you're familiar with NODA, you're allowed to only pick 8 schools to apply to. To this school, #3 is high up there. And I did hold them high in standards as well. Why my boss is making a fuss over it, I have no clue? Then I limited the access of what he can see on my facebook. Not like I'm scared or anything because I have nothing to hide. I'm a good person, a good student, and a good employee...My facebook is clean. I've always had it that way. I was a student leader at my undergrad. I was a Greek and I was an RA. I know what kidn of things are not supposed to be on my profile. And it's not like I engaged in that kind of wild behavior anyways during college. I NEVER had pictures of me with alcohol or partying on my facebook. My profile has always been clean. If you would ever look my tagged pictures, the vast majority of them are of me dancing. Well...I was a dance minor. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to dance. It says so on my profile. Now, it's not like I'm dancing up on poles or dancing on tables or things like that. Why should my pictures even cause any worry? Why would anyone want to take salsa dancing "out of context"?
At the end of last semester my classmates and I decided to have a bar crawl to celebrate our first semester completed. We made shirts and planned this out to the every possible detail. We asked ourselves about the "What ifs" and the "out of context" questions. We never mentioned what program we were, we never mentioned our institution on the shirt, we didn't invite anyone underage or who was an undergrad, we stayed away from places that undergrad students go to, we decided to have our bar crawl early during the day...we just made the mistake of taking pictures. We're grad students, ok? We don't get drunk anymore because we're too tired. Some of us were never big partyers anyways. The pictures got posted on facebook, none of them were bad. We had one picture of all of us raising our glasses to toast, we took other group photos with each other, some of them included glasses on the table of the restaurant/pubs and other places we visited. They were not bad at all. None of us really drink that much. Somehow, news of this got mentioned to the head of our department. Someone who is friends on facebook with them decided to snitch on us. Next Monday, the first year grads got an email from the head of out program asking us "whose idea was it? and that this was unethical and unprofessional behavior". I about hit the roof, because the pictures were not bad...we took a group photo, no glasses or drinks in our hands, but just because it says bar crawl on the shirt, you're going to get mad? Like really? I'm not 5 anymore. I'm not some child to be scolded at. Nonetheless, pictures were removed and untagged, our feelings a little hurt, some of us were angry, some of us didn't care because we didn't do anything wrong, some of us thought whether or not being in this field was worth it...alot of things went through our brains. It really did ruin my finals week at school.
On another note: Today I uploaded some photos from Valentine's Day. One of my neighbors (another grad) got married yesterday and I was invited to their mini reception at a restaurant. They had a DJ there playing music. Well, I took lots of pics of people dancing and things of that nature. I tagged some friends and new ones I had made at the reception. I got a message from one of the guys about taking down some pics of him dancing because he didn't want them floating in cyberspace. He mentioned how that was an "intimate" moment in his life and he didn't want his professors or his students to see them because they would take them "out of context". I understand his issue, but his photos were not bad. If he's getting down, I think there is no problem with that. I got lots of pictures where I'm doing that. It's not like he's dancing up on a table. Why do people have to freak out about this kind of stuff?
Well, I did as he requested...I deleted some of the photos he was in. I looked at my tagged photos. I had approximately 1,300 pictures of myself up on facebook. I see it as like my entire life is one there. Because I'm paranoid now with people telling me stuff about "out of context" I untagged myself from about 30 pictures: these included pictures of me where I didn't look cute, pictures of me with alcohol (a whopping total of two), and pictures of me dancing silly. I noticed I have lots of pictures of me at karaoke bars now (it's amongst my new hobbies). I don't think karaoke should be taken "out of context" despite the numerous ads for beers in the background of some of these photos. I'm at a bar, I don't have a drink in my hand--just a microphone...what do people think I'm supposed to do for fun around here? I'M 22!!!! I'm not going to sit at home at read all the time. My profile still is quite clean than other people I have seen (i.e. like some of my students).
Anyways: here's the dilemma...Despite facebook and all of its privacy settings that I already have imposed on it since way back when...and no matter how much I delete stuff from it...would I be better off without a profile to avoid any of these stupid comments from people about "Well, other professionals can take that out of context".
Should I get rid of my facebook? I'm thinking to myself "There is no way on God's earth I'm going to do that!" That's 4 years worth of my life that would be gone...4 years of building up a network, of keeping in touch with friends who are too busy to call, 4 years of good memories (the pictures), 4 years that it took to find classmates I used to be friends with in grade school, 4 years worth life--vanished (well, I don't know where my facebook info goes after it gets deleted). Should I just remove the tagged photos, the events, the groups, and photo albums from my profile and just leave the wall?
Technology, my friends, is going to be the demise of society...we have become so reliant on using the internet, our cell phones, TVs, radios, computers...when was the last time anyone wrote a letter by hand? You don't even have to send Holiday cards anymore, you can just click a button and send it as an email. The only phone number I remember on my cell phone is my parents' house, and my sister's cell phone (because she's my emergency contact person). Other than that...I don't know anyone's number by heart or have to look it up in an address book like in the old days. Technology is wonderful and great to contact people, to get things done faster, to entertain us...I just keep wondering about those people--other college students and myself--that check facebook several times a day? Honestly, what would I do without a facebook? I would have more time of my hands, but I'd be so lost. How will I know about my students' events? or campus events? or when my best friends are getting engaged? or someone had a relative who past away?
The whole interviewing for summer internships/practicums thing is over! I'm glad to say that from the 5 schools I talked to, I got at least one offer. I'll be going to Texas for 2 months for a NODA internship. Exciting stuff! I've never done summer orientation before, so this is going to be very new and interesting too.
This semester hasn't really set in for me. Though some of my classes were interesting to me when I read their titles, the course content has been fustrating. I hate going to class some days. My cohort has been scattered around to other classes (since now we have more liberty in choosing what classes to take), and now I'm having classes with 2nd year grads from my program as well as PhD students. I feel like I'm incompetent--again...same thing when I first started going to school here.
Then there is this other thing bugging me. I'm taking a class called "College Students and the Law" and we had to go attend this presentation at my campus about facebook, myspace, and the likes of that nature. The presenter [C.L. Lindsey] came to speak to our students in a presentation called "Online Trouble". I don't know how many times I've heard horror stories from my parents about not putting my personal information out there when I talk to strangers. They used to be very concerned about me wanting to "chat online" with friends. I was 18 at the time, and didn't know much about the world, and had internet access for the first time when I started going to college. Anyways, this guy showed us some pictures he found online of students from my campus underage drinking, playing beer pong, smoking weed, and things of that nature. He also told us of some people who "hooked up" over myspace and facebook--stories that ended with kidnap and murder. The othe big surprise was that he mentioned that it's easy to hack into people's myspace accounts, and that you can Google the instructions. My face went "??????" Also, the other thing that got me thinking--about 90,000 registered sex offenders got booted off of myspace for trying to pose as young kids. After that presentation, I contemplated deleting my myspace account. Not sure if I'm going to...I have to think it over some more.
The same thing is happening to me now. I'm being lectured constantly from people like my supervisor about what I put online. My supervisor called to my attention that I shouldn't be sharing my feelings abou summer internships on a public forum such as facebook. My supervisor says "Don't you remeber what C.L. Lindsey said in his presentation about employers checking people's facebook when they apply for jobs?" I was asked by someone about my status that day which was "...either way I'm heading back to the Lone Star State". The person asked "What's wrong with TX?" Someone else asked "Why are you moving to TX for?" (thinking that I was already done with grad school). When I replied I mentioned "I wasn't exactly aiming for the South this summer, but I'm glad I got an offer". The school that interviewed me that offered me the position...they asked during my interview why was their school #3 on my listing on the NODA website? If you're familiar with NODA, you're allowed to only pick 8 schools to apply to. To this school, #3 is high up there. And I did hold them high in standards as well. Why my boss is making a fuss over it, I have no clue? Then I limited the access of what he can see on my facebook. Not like I'm scared or anything because I have nothing to hide. I'm a good person, a good student, and a good employee...My facebook is clean. I've always had it that way. I was a student leader at my undergrad. I was a Greek and I was an RA. I know what kidn of things are not supposed to be on my profile. And it's not like I engaged in that kind of wild behavior anyways during college. I NEVER had pictures of me with alcohol or partying on my facebook. My profile has always been clean. If you would ever look my tagged pictures, the vast majority of them are of me dancing. Well...I was a dance minor. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to dance. It says so on my profile. Now, it's not like I'm dancing up on poles or dancing on tables or things like that. Why should my pictures even cause any worry? Why would anyone want to take salsa dancing "out of context"?
At the end of last semester my classmates and I decided to have a bar crawl to celebrate our first semester completed. We made shirts and planned this out to the every possible detail. We asked ourselves about the "What ifs" and the "out of context" questions. We never mentioned what program we were, we never mentioned our institution on the shirt, we didn't invite anyone underage or who was an undergrad, we stayed away from places that undergrad students go to, we decided to have our bar crawl early during the day...we just made the mistake of taking pictures. We're grad students, ok? We don't get drunk anymore because we're too tired. Some of us were never big partyers anyways. The pictures got posted on facebook, none of them were bad. We had one picture of all of us raising our glasses to toast, we took other group photos with each other, some of them included glasses on the table of the restaurant/pubs and other places we visited. They were not bad at all. None of us really drink that much. Somehow, news of this got mentioned to the head of our department. Someone who is friends on facebook with them decided to snitch on us. Next Monday, the first year grads got an email from the head of out program asking us "whose idea was it? and that this was unethical and unprofessional behavior". I about hit the roof, because the pictures were not bad...we took a group photo, no glasses or drinks in our hands, but just because it says bar crawl on the shirt, you're going to get mad? Like really? I'm not 5 anymore. I'm not some child to be scolded at. Nonetheless, pictures were removed and untagged, our feelings a little hurt, some of us were angry, some of us didn't care because we didn't do anything wrong, some of us thought whether or not being in this field was worth it...alot of things went through our brains. It really did ruin my finals week at school.
On another note: Today I uploaded some photos from Valentine's Day. One of my neighbors (another grad) got married yesterday and I was invited to their mini reception at a restaurant. They had a DJ there playing music. Well, I took lots of pics of people dancing and things of that nature. I tagged some friends and new ones I had made at the reception. I got a message from one of the guys about taking down some pics of him dancing because he didn't want them floating in cyberspace. He mentioned how that was an "intimate" moment in his life and he didn't want his professors or his students to see them because they would take them "out of context". I understand his issue, but his photos were not bad. If he's getting down, I think there is no problem with that. I got lots of pictures where I'm doing that. It's not like he's dancing up on a table. Why do people have to freak out about this kind of stuff?
Well, I did as he requested...I deleted some of the photos he was in. I looked at my tagged photos. I had approximately 1,300 pictures of myself up on facebook. I see it as like my entire life is one there. Because I'm paranoid now with people telling me stuff about "out of context" I untagged myself from about 30 pictures: these included pictures of me where I didn't look cute, pictures of me with alcohol (a whopping total of two), and pictures of me dancing silly. I noticed I have lots of pictures of me at karaoke bars now (it's amongst my new hobbies). I don't think karaoke should be taken "out of context" despite the numerous ads for beers in the background of some of these photos. I'm at a bar, I don't have a drink in my hand--just a microphone...what do people think I'm supposed to do for fun around here? I'M 22!!!! I'm not going to sit at home at read all the time. My profile still is quite clean than other people I have seen (i.e. like some of my students).
Anyways: here's the dilemma...Despite facebook and all of its privacy settings that I already have imposed on it since way back when...and no matter how much I delete stuff from it...would I be better off without a profile to avoid any of these stupid comments from people about "Well, other professionals can take that out of context".
Should I get rid of my facebook? I'm thinking to myself "There is no way on God's earth I'm going to do that!" That's 4 years worth of my life that would be gone...4 years of building up a network, of keeping in touch with friends who are too busy to call, 4 years of good memories (the pictures), 4 years that it took to find classmates I used to be friends with in grade school, 4 years worth life--vanished (well, I don't know where my facebook info goes after it gets deleted). Should I just remove the tagged photos, the events, the groups, and photo albums from my profile and just leave the wall?
Technology, my friends, is going to be the demise of society...we have become so reliant on using the internet, our cell phones, TVs, radios, computers...when was the last time anyone wrote a letter by hand? You don't even have to send Holiday cards anymore, you can just click a button and send it as an email. The only phone number I remember on my cell phone is my parents' house, and my sister's cell phone (because she's my emergency contact person). Other than that...I don't know anyone's number by heart or have to look it up in an address book like in the old days. Technology is wonderful and great to contact people, to get things done faster, to entertain us...I just keep wondering about those people--other college students and myself--that check facebook several times a day? Honestly, what would I do without a facebook? I would have more time of my hands, but I'd be so lost. How will I know about my students' events? or campus events? or when my best friends are getting engaged? or someone had a relative who past away?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
check this out
My boyfriend passed this Web site along to me and I think it could be really helpful to grads looking at internships or professional positions. The Web site has video tours of campuses all over the country and is very user friendly. It seems like the Web site may be fairly new so not all campuses or features are available yet, but I already found it to be useful!
Here's the link:
http://youniversitytv.com/beta/index.php
--It's a Res Hall Blogger
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 12
Today is the big day.
7 a.m. I wake up feeling excited, nervous, worried. Luckily, I set my own office hours so I can go back to sleep. When I finally ignore the anxious feeling in my belly enough to go back to sleep, I dream that I get no offers.
9 a.m. I wake up again feeling disoriented but thankful that the dream is not reality. I’m nervous it might be an omen of things to come.
10:58 a.m. I’m watching MTV to try to calm my nerves and keep me distracted. I’m not sure that it’s working. Gs and Gents just isn’t my thing (But after ten minutes I’m rooting for Blue!)
10:59 a.m. I practice saying “hello” out loud just to make sure I don’t have that phlegmy morning voice. Is anyone going to call?
11:00 a.m. “I’m fly like paper, get high like planes…” My ringtone! Someone is calling. It’s a school in Florida. I’m slightly surprised but excited. She gives me 24-hours to make a decision.
11:02 a.m. My phone rings again. It’s another Florida school. It looks like I might be getting a really great tan this summer.
In the next few minutes, I receive two more offers. Two are for ACUHO-I internships and two for NODA internships. I’m grateful that I received ANY offers but a little bummed that I didn’t hear from my top three choices.
4 p.m. I get a missed call and a voicemail from one of my top three schools. I’m excited, but I’m not sure I want to be second or third choice even at a school I’m really interested in.
9:15 p.m. I’m finally done with the Wednesday gauntlet of meetings, meetings, meetings, class, and meetings. I’ve barely had time to think about where I want to go and I have about 14 hours to make a decision. There’s so much to consider. I feel like the residence life internships may be a little too much like what I’m already doing so I’m leaning toward a NODA internship.
I called my boyfriend. He’s in student affairs as well and accepted an internship offer right away. He’s slightly relieved that I’m not going to be in Alaska for the summer. He accepted a position at a school in Florida which is making my two Florida choices more and more attractive. But still, I want to make this decision for me.
I called my mom. She wants me to go to the prestigious east coast school because it has a big name. I explain to her that while the university has a great academic reputation it might not be the best experience for me. She wants me to be close to home. I remind her that I spent a summer in New York and she never came to visit. After talking to my mom I know I have to make this decision for me.
The whole time I’m thinking, I’m wondering where I am in relation to Perry’s dualism, multiplism, relativism, and commitment. And right now, I am a little upset with Perry. I guess he would say I’m being multiplistic because I think any of these decisions could be equally beneficial. Sure, I’ve weighed the pros and cons of each and thought rationally about the choices. Honestly, I think that although the internships are all very different, I could grow and learn from each of them. And while I don’t want someone else to just give me the answer, it sure would be nice to know which one would have the greatest, most positive impact on my life. Does that really mean I’m not cognitively developed? Ugh.
9:30 p.m. There’s only one solution I can think of at the moment. I’m headed to the gym to figure this out the best way I know how—with sweat and a lot of time to think. Hopefully by tomorrow morning I will feel fully committed and excited about my decision.
7 a.m. I wake up feeling excited, nervous, worried. Luckily, I set my own office hours so I can go back to sleep. When I finally ignore the anxious feeling in my belly enough to go back to sleep, I dream that I get no offers.
9 a.m. I wake up again feeling disoriented but thankful that the dream is not reality. I’m nervous it might be an omen of things to come.
10:58 a.m. I’m watching MTV to try to calm my nerves and keep me distracted. I’m not sure that it’s working. Gs and Gents just isn’t my thing (But after ten minutes I’m rooting for Blue!)
10:59 a.m. I practice saying “hello” out loud just to make sure I don’t have that phlegmy morning voice. Is anyone going to call?
11:00 a.m. “I’m fly like paper, get high like planes…” My ringtone! Someone is calling. It’s a school in Florida. I’m slightly surprised but excited. She gives me 24-hours to make a decision.
11:02 a.m. My phone rings again. It’s another Florida school. It looks like I might be getting a really great tan this summer.
In the next few minutes, I receive two more offers. Two are for ACUHO-I internships and two for NODA internships. I’m grateful that I received ANY offers but a little bummed that I didn’t hear from my top three choices.
4 p.m. I get a missed call and a voicemail from one of my top three schools. I’m excited, but I’m not sure I want to be second or third choice even at a school I’m really interested in.
9:15 p.m. I’m finally done with the Wednesday gauntlet of meetings, meetings, meetings, class, and meetings. I’ve barely had time to think about where I want to go and I have about 14 hours to make a decision. There’s so much to consider. I feel like the residence life internships may be a little too much like what I’m already doing so I’m leaning toward a NODA internship.
I called my boyfriend. He’s in student affairs as well and accepted an internship offer right away. He’s slightly relieved that I’m not going to be in Alaska for the summer. He accepted a position at a school in Florida which is making my two Florida choices more and more attractive. But still, I want to make this decision for me.
I called my mom. She wants me to go to the prestigious east coast school because it has a big name. I explain to her that while the university has a great academic reputation it might not be the best experience for me. She wants me to be close to home. I remind her that I spent a summer in New York and she never came to visit. After talking to my mom I know I have to make this decision for me.
The whole time I’m thinking, I’m wondering where I am in relation to Perry’s dualism, multiplism, relativism, and commitment. And right now, I am a little upset with Perry. I guess he would say I’m being multiplistic because I think any of these decisions could be equally beneficial. Sure, I’ve weighed the pros and cons of each and thought rationally about the choices. Honestly, I think that although the internships are all very different, I could grow and learn from each of them. And while I don’t want someone else to just give me the answer, it sure would be nice to know which one would have the greatest, most positive impact on my life. Does that really mean I’m not cognitively developed? Ugh.
9:30 p.m. There’s only one solution I can think of at the moment. I’m headed to the gym to figure this out the best way I know how—with sweat and a lot of time to think. Hopefully by tomorrow morning I will feel fully committed and excited about my decision.
Friday, February 6, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 11
I remember my first computer. It had one of those big disk drives for the disks with the holes in the middle. It also had a printer that used the paper with the edges that you tore off and threw in the trash. I think it had Word Perfect. There was no internet. I wouldn’t join Facebook for another 10 years…
These days, I can’t imagine life without a computer. I have a prehistoric laptop that has a floppy drive and no wireless internet capability, so I use the desktop computer in my office all the time. I use it to check and write emails, follow up on incidents in the building, do occupancy, keep in touch with friends and family, the list goes on and on and on. I’m even typing this blog on the computer right now.
Lately, however, my computer has become a pain in my butt. First of all, the computer turns off at 2 a.m. every morning so it can back up files. I get that this is important, but so is my late night scramble to finish homework for the next day. Don’t even get me started on what I’m supposed to do if there’s an incident after 2 a.m. in my building full of 1,000 18-20 year-olds. And then there’s Norm, the IT guy for our department whose name I have changed to protect his true identity. Think of Norm as a mama bear and all of our computers as his baby bears. Norm gets pretty upset if anything happens to his cubs. Norm also has his babies protected from letting us download any useful programs (like Adobe Acrobat to help make forms or Real Player so that we can watch videos in the office). Norm also won’t let us use flash drives which is consistently inconvenient.
Recently, Norm has taken it to a whole new level. Anytime I forget to log off my computer, Norm will send an email about my environmentally-unfriendly incompetency to my supervisor, my supervisor’s supervisor, and my supervisor’s supervisor’s supervisor (is that confusing yet?). It may sound ridiculous to you but sometimes it’s seriously hard to remember to log off my computer. Sometimes, I am interrupted with serious situations and don’t end up returning to my computer until much later or the next day. As far as being green, the computer is still in sleep mode so it could be more wasteful. Anyway, the bottom line is that I don’t think my success at work hinges on whether or not I sometimes forget to log off my computer. I’m also almost certain that all of these supervisor’s have more important things to do than worry about my less-than-perfect log-off track record. Well, except for the one who keeps giving my direct supervisor helpful suggestions to remind me to log off (none of which have worked).
I’ve thought of several smart ass ways to respond to Norm. One involves emailing him (and carbon copying all the supervisors) every time I log off correctly. One involves giving him a piece of my mind which includes asking how he would like it if I rubbed all of his mistakes in his face. Yet another includes telling Norm that I would be more likely to log off if our out-of-date computers didn’t take three hours to reset and informing a certain supervisor that perhaps I could remember to log off if I wasn’t working a million hours a week. None of which I actually have the guts to do.
I’ve decided to be an adult and call Norm to talk this one out. I’ll see if maybe he can put a timer on my workstation that logs me off after thirty minutes of inactivity. In the meantime, I’ll just leave this on while I run to the gym…
These days, I can’t imagine life without a computer. I have a prehistoric laptop that has a floppy drive and no wireless internet capability, so I use the desktop computer in my office all the time. I use it to check and write emails, follow up on incidents in the building, do occupancy, keep in touch with friends and family, the list goes on and on and on. I’m even typing this blog on the computer right now.
Lately, however, my computer has become a pain in my butt. First of all, the computer turns off at 2 a.m. every morning so it can back up files. I get that this is important, but so is my late night scramble to finish homework for the next day. Don’t even get me started on what I’m supposed to do if there’s an incident after 2 a.m. in my building full of 1,000 18-20 year-olds. And then there’s Norm, the IT guy for our department whose name I have changed to protect his true identity. Think of Norm as a mama bear and all of our computers as his baby bears. Norm gets pretty upset if anything happens to his cubs. Norm also has his babies protected from letting us download any useful programs (like Adobe Acrobat to help make forms or Real Player so that we can watch videos in the office). Norm also won’t let us use flash drives which is consistently inconvenient.
Recently, Norm has taken it to a whole new level. Anytime I forget to log off my computer, Norm will send an email about my environmentally-unfriendly incompetency to my supervisor, my supervisor’s supervisor, and my supervisor’s supervisor’s supervisor (is that confusing yet?). It may sound ridiculous to you but sometimes it’s seriously hard to remember to log off my computer. Sometimes, I am interrupted with serious situations and don’t end up returning to my computer until much later or the next day. As far as being green, the computer is still in sleep mode so it could be more wasteful. Anyway, the bottom line is that I don’t think my success at work hinges on whether or not I sometimes forget to log off my computer. I’m also almost certain that all of these supervisor’s have more important things to do than worry about my less-than-perfect log-off track record. Well, except for the one who keeps giving my direct supervisor helpful suggestions to remind me to log off (none of which have worked).
I’ve thought of several smart ass ways to respond to Norm. One involves emailing him (and carbon copying all the supervisors) every time I log off correctly. One involves giving him a piece of my mind which includes asking how he would like it if I rubbed all of his mistakes in his face. Yet another includes telling Norm that I would be more likely to log off if our out-of-date computers didn’t take three hours to reset and informing a certain supervisor that perhaps I could remember to log off if I wasn’t working a million hours a week. None of which I actually have the guts to do.
I’ve decided to be an adult and call Norm to talk this one out. I’ll see if maybe he can put a timer on my workstation that logs me off after thirty minutes of inactivity. In the meantime, I’ll just leave this on while I run to the gym…
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #11
For the past week many of us grads in Student Affairs have been scheduling phone interviews to get a summer internship. I too have been on the boat trying to find a cool place to work at for the summer. This whole crazy busy time feels like when I was applying for grad school last year. It reminds me of when I went to OPE (Oshkosh Placement Exchange)...well, maybe not as nerve wracking. I mean...it is an interview over the phone, so it's not that bad.
When I was applying for assistantships last year at OPE, I let schools contact me. I never went and sought an institution out. I thought that with applying for Housing jobs with ACUHO-I and Orientation ones with NODA I would at least get like 20 e-mails from people wanting me to work for them, just like it had happened for me during OPE. Well...not so much. I've had a few schools contact me and so the search for a summer internship has been dwindling down.
What I've been trying to look for are things that I have limited experience in. I want to be a "Jack of all Trades" and I want to be well rounded in all areas of Student Affairs. That is why I chose Summer Conferencing, Summer Orientation, Parent Services, and community college experiences as practicum options. This past week I had 2 interviews...one school in Georgia for ACUHO-I, and a school in New York for NODA. I was going to have an interview with a school in Indiana on Thursday, but it got rescheduled for next week because they are without power because of the ice storms they had earlier this week.
On that note...I was ready at 3:30 p.m. Central Time, just as our e-mails had stated for Thursday, waiting by the phone in my office to have my interview. I waited, and waited. Then 15 minutes go by, and nothing happens. I'm staring the phone down, willing it to ring with my mind. I walk over to my Supervisor's office and ask "So when doing a phone interview, the school is supposed to call the interviewee, right?" My boss was like "Yes, why?" and so when I explained what was going on and how freaked out I was getting, he told me that myabe they were just running behind on their schedule. So I sat in my office, watching last week's episode of "Grey's Anatomy" waiting...4 p.m. comes around, I check my e-mail to see if I have an update from this school, but nothing is there. I checked my cell phone to see if they had called me there, but no missed calls and the volume is up at its highest. 4:15 p.m...still waiting...4:30 p.m. "that's why we're waiting--waiting--waiting for the world to change" (sorry, had a John Mayer moment). My office closes at 4:30 p.m. and so I grab my stuff and head out to get some dinner before class starts. I was so confused, and sad, and upset. I kept thinking "Oh my God, they forgot about me" and "What if they found someone else?" When I got to class, some of my peers were asking what was wrong with me, and I told them what had just happened. They all thought it was crummy if the school had forgotten about me. Some of my peers had experienced the same thing with other schools, who set a time to interview but didn't call until later. Well...everything was fine the next day when I saw my inbox. The person who was going to interview me sent me an e-mail through her BlackBerry explaining the electricty problem. So we are going to do this interview next week. Hopefully, this all works out.
My interview with the school in Georgia was bad. It was my first one of the season, and so I felt very anxious and nervous. My interview the following day with the school in New York went much better. I'm really looking foward to hearing from them next week to see if I make it to the second round of interviews. There was another school that I was highly interested in New York, but they haven't contacted me. To tell you the truth, the majority of the schools that I picked out for NODA haven't contacted me. Just the NY school I interviewed with, and another one in Illinois who happened to just send me a letter saying that they were NOT going to interview me. Something about they were only going to interview 5 people, and I didn't make the cut. You spent money on a stamp and paper to tell me you don't want to talk to me??? What the heck?! Couldn't you just send an e-mail? Way to go with their sustainability plan...and sorry if I sound bitter (I mean, hellooooo, 5 people--seriously?), but an e-mail would have sufficed. Tree killers.
Only time will tell...well, I'll know on February 11th. Hopefully, things work out. I have somewhat of a fallback plan. I contacted the community college I used to attend in Texas, and they have an opening for an intern in their TRIO/Passkey Program which works with first generation students and underrepresented groups. I'm pretty sure this internship is unpaid, so that might be a problem. The only bright side to going back to Texas this summer would be that I wouldn't have to pay for rent or food because I would be living at home with my parents. Downside is I'm going to have to take my car (at my house we have transportation problems)...and driving to TX is not a fun trip. I did it once when I first moved up to Iowa for undergrad, and I didn't drive that time because I didn't have a licence and I went with 10 other students in my scholarship program. But that was the longest trip of my life. I'm really hoping for the school in New York to offer me a job. I want to get an East Coast experience and leave the MidWest for a while. It's NY! Of all places, me going back to NY after a 14 year absence. Going back to where I was born. Trying to make a connection with that part of me that I don't have anymore. It would be so awesome!!!
Anyways, let's see if I took care of business well when February 11 arrives. Wish me luck :)
When I was applying for assistantships last year at OPE, I let schools contact me. I never went and sought an institution out. I thought that with applying for Housing jobs with ACUHO-I and Orientation ones with NODA I would at least get like 20 e-mails from people wanting me to work for them, just like it had happened for me during OPE. Well...not so much. I've had a few schools contact me and so the search for a summer internship has been dwindling down.
What I've been trying to look for are things that I have limited experience in. I want to be a "Jack of all Trades" and I want to be well rounded in all areas of Student Affairs. That is why I chose Summer Conferencing, Summer Orientation, Parent Services, and community college experiences as practicum options. This past week I had 2 interviews...one school in Georgia for ACUHO-I, and a school in New York for NODA. I was going to have an interview with a school in Indiana on Thursday, but it got rescheduled for next week because they are without power because of the ice storms they had earlier this week.
On that note...I was ready at 3:30 p.m. Central Time, just as our e-mails had stated for Thursday, waiting by the phone in my office to have my interview. I waited, and waited. Then 15 minutes go by, and nothing happens. I'm staring the phone down, willing it to ring with my mind. I walk over to my Supervisor's office and ask "So when doing a phone interview, the school is supposed to call the interviewee, right?" My boss was like "Yes, why?" and so when I explained what was going on and how freaked out I was getting, he told me that myabe they were just running behind on their schedule. So I sat in my office, watching last week's episode of "Grey's Anatomy" waiting...4 p.m. comes around, I check my e-mail to see if I have an update from this school, but nothing is there. I checked my cell phone to see if they had called me there, but no missed calls and the volume is up at its highest. 4:15 p.m...still waiting...4:30 p.m. "that's why we're waiting--waiting--waiting for the world to change" (sorry, had a John Mayer moment). My office closes at 4:30 p.m. and so I grab my stuff and head out to get some dinner before class starts. I was so confused, and sad, and upset. I kept thinking "Oh my God, they forgot about me" and "What if they found someone else?" When I got to class, some of my peers were asking what was wrong with me, and I told them what had just happened. They all thought it was crummy if the school had forgotten about me. Some of my peers had experienced the same thing with other schools, who set a time to interview but didn't call until later. Well...everything was fine the next day when I saw my inbox. The person who was going to interview me sent me an e-mail through her BlackBerry explaining the electricty problem. So we are going to do this interview next week. Hopefully, this all works out.
My interview with the school in Georgia was bad. It was my first one of the season, and so I felt very anxious and nervous. My interview the following day with the school in New York went much better. I'm really looking foward to hearing from them next week to see if I make it to the second round of interviews. There was another school that I was highly interested in New York, but they haven't contacted me. To tell you the truth, the majority of the schools that I picked out for NODA haven't contacted me. Just the NY school I interviewed with, and another one in Illinois who happened to just send me a letter saying that they were NOT going to interview me. Something about they were only going to interview 5 people, and I didn't make the cut. You spent money on a stamp and paper to tell me you don't want to talk to me??? What the heck?! Couldn't you just send an e-mail? Way to go with their sustainability plan...and sorry if I sound bitter (I mean, hellooooo, 5 people--seriously?), but an e-mail would have sufficed. Tree killers.
Only time will tell...well, I'll know on February 11th. Hopefully, things work out. I have somewhat of a fallback plan. I contacted the community college I used to attend in Texas, and they have an opening for an intern in their TRIO/Passkey Program which works with first generation students and underrepresented groups. I'm pretty sure this internship is unpaid, so that might be a problem. The only bright side to going back to Texas this summer would be that I wouldn't have to pay for rent or food because I would be living at home with my parents. Downside is I'm going to have to take my car (at my house we have transportation problems)...and driving to TX is not a fun trip. I did it once when I first moved up to Iowa for undergrad, and I didn't drive that time because I didn't have a licence and I went with 10 other students in my scholarship program. But that was the longest trip of my life. I'm really hoping for the school in New York to offer me a job. I want to get an East Coast experience and leave the MidWest for a while. It's NY! Of all places, me going back to NY after a 14 year absence. Going back to where I was born. Trying to make a connection with that part of me that I don't have anymore. It would be so awesome!!!
Anyways, let's see if I took care of business well when February 11 arrives. Wish me luck :)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 10
I’ll be spending the next few weeks focusing on acronyms. ACUHO-I. NODA. OFYE. It may sound like teenage texter lingo, but to those of us in student affairs, those words mean so much more. Right now, I get to decide how I’m going to spend three months of my life this summer. I have to sift through information such as dates negotiable, travel reimbursed, meals provided, recreation center access.
Me: Well, recently I’ve had scheduling conflicts with an RA and haven’t been able to meet with her one-on-one to complete her RA evaluation. I knew she was becoming frustrated because she wanted to get feedback from me and from her residents. I felt like I was letting her down. I have talked with her about the scheduling conflict, and we were finally able to find a mutually agreeable time to meet this week. I apologized and told her I understood her frustrations. She seemed happy that we would be able to meet.
Me: She sighed and seemed disappointed. I also picked up on nonverbal cues. Just the look on her face made me think she was upset.
Me: Uhhh….
Monday, January 19, 2009
Takin' Care of Business #10
So here's the run down of what I did during Winter Break: went home to Texas, hung out with my parental units, slept, ate, and came back to Illinois. The most laid back 3 weeks I have ever had. It was glorious to take a break and go someplace warm. When I returned home (after a one year absence) a couple things were different like our house (it was a different color now), my sister's old car was gone, my brother and sister's kids were like 4 inches taller...small things that I noticed. Even I was different with my bad habits that I have retained from my college/graduate school lifestyle (like skipping breakfast and lunch) or using the theories of student development that I learned in the Fall in every other conversation with adults ("Why yes, that's what we call challenge and support"). It was weird. Look at what 2008 had done to me...I'm a different person.
And so I return back to IL early before all the students come back...and as soon as I get to my car at the airport--it wouldn't start. Father Winter decided to give me a hard time by killing my car's battery. Welcome to IL (insert me crying here)! Then after 2 1/2 hours of wandering around the airport and calling the few people I knew in town to come help me, a classmate came to my rescue. I returned to my crummy apartment, and I opened my mailbox...I got bills! Lots of them! :( Again...Welcome to IL (insert sarcasm)! I also have encountered some computer problems since my arrival back to school (my PC is 5 years old and is seeing it's last days alive). Welcome to IL (insert a sigh and a tone of defeat)!
Going back to work was weird the first week since there were no students around. It was so quiet. Then last week, they were all back...and you could hear the hustle and bustle of students swarming my office. It was great! 2 of my classes were canceled because one of my professors wasn't back from his Break yet. Then we had a snow day (which as a student, it makes me feel like it's Christmas morning again). I made it to a personal record in my "Walking around in cold weather" book with a low of -34 degrees with windchill. Yeah...welcome to IL (insert the sniffles and chattering teeth)!
I'm looking foward to my new classes this week. Excited. Nervous. Stressed. Freaked out. All of the above. Since the new semester began, I decided to make some life changes. Not like resolutions, but life changes...going about my day in a different manner. This includes eating and not skipping meals, and sleeping more, and making honest adjustments (like using a planner for once because I am the Master of Procrastination).
My assistantship had a training for the new semester, and we had to share our academic, professional, and personal goals with each other. I was not really up for sharing my personal goals (because that's why they are personal and should be kept to yourself). However, one of my personal goals was to make more friends. The coordinator for my office laughed at me. I don't think it was to make fun of my goal, but more of a "For real?" kind of laugh.
The other GA who works with me, and I, attempted to state our case on the issue of our friendships with undergraduate students. The other grad has been here since freshman year, and so some of her friends are still undergrads. I'm the new girl in town, and every time I meet a student at a function or event, they're undergrads. Even students that I work closely with are undergrads. Sometimes I get asked to go "Hang Out" at the local bar or go dancing or the occasional invite to a house party, and I have to say no.
I kept telling myself that "I need to go hang out with people my own age", and I realized...I'm 22!!!! People my age are still undergrads!!!! And although I have always been a big advocate of student involvement on campus: I can't get involved in anything because I work all day and go to class at night! There is no happy medium in this situation. So I proposed to everybody in my office to help me find a hobby. I need to find something to balance out school and work because that's ALL that I do. Nobody has come up with any good ideas yet. I'm hoping that I can find something soon where I can meet more grad students. If you...yes, the one reading this blog right now...if you have any good ideas of what kind of stuff I can do for fun or for the sake of learning or know of a place where I can meet people...please write a comment below. All suggestions are appreciated :)
I know, I know...it's the never ending battle of the dualistic grad student in transition. But I'm hoping 2009 will bring many good things my way. And I do hope to make more friends along the way. I don't care how silly it sounds. I got to find some reason to make the next year and a 1/2 more enjoyable. I need to take care of business if I'm going to enjoy this graduate school experience at all. I know, and everyone knows, that I don't like living here in this town where I am currently at. I've done all I can to befriend people in my program. My cohort is awesome! But I need and want to meet people outside of my program with other interests in life than to work with college students. I need to build my support system in order to have a more successful transition...and if you don't believe me, look up Nancy Schlossberg's Transition Theory. Situation: new environment (got that down--doing better in it). Self: still feeling a bit blue (but doing better because I'm being compliant with everything and getting motivated to make this situation work). Strategy: finding a hobby (put myself out there to meet people...see where I'm getting at?). Support: classmates (but that's it...I need to get more support going, with people that are different from me). Oh that Nancy Schlossberg! She sure knew what she was talking about when she came up with Transition Theory. It applies to every new change in your life, and that's why she is my favorite theorist :)
And so I return back to IL early before all the students come back...and as soon as I get to my car at the airport--it wouldn't start. Father Winter decided to give me a hard time by killing my car's battery. Welcome to IL (insert me crying here)! Then after 2 1/2 hours of wandering around the airport and calling the few people I knew in town to come help me, a classmate came to my rescue. I returned to my crummy apartment, and I opened my mailbox...I got bills! Lots of them! :( Again...Welcome to IL (insert sarcasm)! I also have encountered some computer problems since my arrival back to school (my PC is 5 years old and is seeing it's last days alive). Welcome to IL (insert a sigh and a tone of defeat)!
Going back to work was weird the first week since there were no students around. It was so quiet. Then last week, they were all back...and you could hear the hustle and bustle of students swarming my office. It was great! 2 of my classes were canceled because one of my professors wasn't back from his Break yet. Then we had a snow day (which as a student, it makes me feel like it's Christmas morning again). I made it to a personal record in my "Walking around in cold weather" book with a low of -34 degrees with windchill. Yeah...welcome to IL (insert the sniffles and chattering teeth)!
I'm looking foward to my new classes this week. Excited. Nervous. Stressed. Freaked out. All of the above. Since the new semester began, I decided to make some life changes. Not like resolutions, but life changes...going about my day in a different manner. This includes eating and not skipping meals, and sleeping more, and making honest adjustments (like using a planner for once because I am the Master of Procrastination).
My assistantship had a training for the new semester, and we had to share our academic, professional, and personal goals with each other. I was not really up for sharing my personal goals (because that's why they are personal and should be kept to yourself). However, one of my personal goals was to make more friends. The coordinator for my office laughed at me. I don't think it was to make fun of my goal, but more of a "For real?" kind of laugh.
The other GA who works with me, and I, attempted to state our case on the issue of our friendships with undergraduate students. The other grad has been here since freshman year, and so some of her friends are still undergrads. I'm the new girl in town, and every time I meet a student at a function or event, they're undergrads. Even students that I work closely with are undergrads. Sometimes I get asked to go "Hang Out" at the local bar or go dancing or the occasional invite to a house party, and I have to say no.
I kept telling myself that "I need to go hang out with people my own age", and I realized...I'm 22!!!! People my age are still undergrads!!!! And although I have always been a big advocate of student involvement on campus: I can't get involved in anything because I work all day and go to class at night! There is no happy medium in this situation. So I proposed to everybody in my office to help me find a hobby. I need to find something to balance out school and work because that's ALL that I do. Nobody has come up with any good ideas yet. I'm hoping that I can find something soon where I can meet more grad students. If you...yes, the one reading this blog right now...if you have any good ideas of what kind of stuff I can do for fun or for the sake of learning or know of a place where I can meet people...please write a comment below. All suggestions are appreciated :)
I know, I know...it's the never ending battle of the dualistic grad student in transition. But I'm hoping 2009 will bring many good things my way. And I do hope to make more friends along the way. I don't care how silly it sounds. I got to find some reason to make the next year and a 1/2 more enjoyable. I need to take care of business if I'm going to enjoy this graduate school experience at all. I know, and everyone knows, that I don't like living here in this town where I am currently at. I've done all I can to befriend people in my program. My cohort is awesome! But I need and want to meet people outside of my program with other interests in life than to work with college students. I need to build my support system in order to have a more successful transition...and if you don't believe me, look up Nancy Schlossberg's Transition Theory. Situation: new environment (got that down--doing better in it). Self: still feeling a bit blue (but doing better because I'm being compliant with everything and getting motivated to make this situation work). Strategy: finding a hobby (put myself out there to meet people...see where I'm getting at?). Support: classmates (but that's it...I need to get more support going, with people that are different from me). Oh that Nancy Schlossberg! She sure knew what she was talking about when she came up with Transition Theory. It applies to every new change in your life, and that's why she is my favorite theorist :)
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