Collins-Post 5- MUW Office of Student Life

Activities:

1. Full days at MUW for the first time all summer.
2. Attended Move-In Day Meeting
3. Met with Graphic Designer
4. Made final revisions to Welcome Week paraphernalia
5. Interviewed potential counselors for a job opening on campus
6. Continued to maintain correspondence with artisans for the craft sale
7. Gained rapport with more office personnel

Reflection:

This week was the first week this entire summer that I was able to put in full days at the W since I started my Practicum experience. Since the Office of Admissions was on staff retreat, I retreated to the Office of Student Life, and it paid off greatly. By being there both mornings and afternoons, I got to see what an entire day can look like for staff members and administrators. Meetings, interviews, lunch meetings, committees, correspondence with community members, the works. I am constantly grateful to the Office of Student Life staff members. As a whole, that office has been very supportive of my professional development and have given me countless opportunities to gain more and more knowledge of the inner workings of the Student Affairs microcosm. 

This week I was given the chance to attend a division-wide meeting regarding Move-In Day. This proved to be quite the experience. Everyone from the Police Department to the elevator maintenance crew to the V.P. of Student Affairs was in attendance. I really enjoyed getting this opportunity. Although I am much like a shadow to Katie, I have been accepted and treated as if I was a professional on-staff at MUW. My opinions have been heard, and I have been asked to participate.

Notice the campus map on the table. Across from me were only 6 of the over 15 people in attendance.

Sirena leading the meeting. I was trying to be stealth by taking pictures with my iPhone. Sneaky sneaky.

Welcome Week Tentative Staff Schedule!

Campus Map for Move-In Day up close. 

I was slightly shocked when Sirena popped into my office this week and asked Beth and I to sit in on the interview for a new counselor. We were given a list of questions, an evaluation form, and a copy of the interviewee's resume and cover letter. I have come to realize that one can never have too much exposure to varying types of resumes and cover letters. I read the prospective employee's from cover to cover. Beth and I were accompanied in the interview by Flapp, Director of Student Life, Nikike, Community Living staff member, and Katie, my supervisor. It was so beneficial to be on the team of interviewers. It allowed me to, once again, gain professional experience.

Interview Questions

When we weren't in meetings, Katie and I were conducting various tasks to get ready for Welcome Week. It is quickly approaching, so now is the time for the ordering of t-shirts, programs, and other paraphernalia to begin. We met with the Graphic Designer one last time, hopefully, to go over small changes that needed to be made to the final t-shirt designs as well as the Welcome Week program that is to be mailed out to all incoming students. After he sent us a semi-final proof, it was my job to proofread and revise it. I did my part and Katie was very thankful that I caught the mistakes that she had looked over. This week I have begun to see the planning part of programming turn into the implementation phase. I am planning on volunteering my services during Welcome Week even though I will technically be done gaining hours for Practicum. I want to do this to see how the event comes together and use it as a benchmark to event planning in the future, should I ever be involved in campus events.

Need to run an errand around campus? No worries. Just hop into the golf cart and get on the sidewalk.

Police Station and Public Affairs all under one roof.

Nick-the Graphic Designer

This week provided me with countless opportunities to grow as a professional. This was due, in part, to the fact that I have built a strong support system within the Office of Student Life. In just three short weeks, I have turned strangers into connections, colleagues, and friends. I now know not only the names and titles of everyone in the office, but I also know most of their educational backgrounds, their family life, and their future goals. I can't believe that this experience is coming to an end...it feels like it just began. I am eternally grateful to all of those who have had a hand in my development as a student affairs professional thus far. I cannot wait to see what this week, the last full week, holds for me to soak up!

I forgot to mention that if I am jobless after December I always have a job as the MUW Mascot, Ody the Owl...

-Brooke Collins