McLarty - Week 1 - Office of Student Life, Mississippi University for Women

Subject: Nici McLarty – Week 1 – Office of Student Life, Mississippi University for Women

Activities:

-Became acquainted with all office associates.

-Learned the organization of the different aspects of the Office of Student Life such as orientation, social clubs, and Involvement Palooza.

-Prepared training materials for orientation leaders, specifically ice breaker exercises.

-Created a list of local businesses from the Columbus area to invite as a part of Involvement Palooza.

-Composed a rough draft letter to local businesses asking for their involvement in Involvement Palooza.

Reflection:

I have learned so much in my first week at Mississippi University for Women. I chose this site for practicum in order to gain experience working at a smaller institution. I am already learning the differences between MUW and Mississippi State. Being that my original supervisor, Katie Corban, recently accepted a position at MSU, I will now be working with Jessica Harpole. The first day of practicum, Jess was spending the day in meetings, so I worked with Katie most of that day. She explained to me the specifics of what I would be doing during my experience such as helping with orientation leader training and Involvement Palooza. The first day at MUW consisted of researching icebreaker exercises for the orientation leaders to use during the upcoming sessions. Since I have been involved with recruitment since my freshman year of college, I had many ideas. I love these sorts of activities. I compiled a list of almost ten exercises that could be used for Jess and I to discuss at a later date. After, I got acquainted with the MUW website. I wanted to be prepared to answer questions I may get regarding student life. I feel that preparation is extremely important when working in Student Affairs. I have already been asked questions regarding student life at MUW, and I feel that research about the institution helps me to be ready for these types of questions.

My second day at MUW, I worked with Jess. First, she had me work on compiling a list of local businesses to invite to Involvement Palooza. This is an involvement fair similar to Shades of Starkville at MSU. Student organizations and local businesses are invited to promote student involvement. I was nominated to be in charge of contacting the local businesses in regard to hosting a table at the event. This was a very detailed process. I learned which businesses they prefer to have at these events as well as the process of inviting them. They preferred that a letter be sent to the local businesses in which they could reply via email or phone to confirm whether they wanted to be a part of the fair. Jess explained that a letter felt more personal. She also explained that businesses prefer to have something in their hands that they can physically have for their records. Being that we are part of the technology age, I assumed email would be easiest. Unfortunately, I found that many businesses do not have a personal account for these requests to be sent. This was a learning experience for me. I realized that although technology is a very powerful tool in today’s economy, physical letters could still be a preferred way of communication in some situations.

Finally, I worked to develop the letter requesting participation from local businesses. Jess explained that the letter must include information about the event, but must be short enough to not take too much of their time. The letter is still a work in progress, but I am learning the different ways of communicating to local businesses compared to other Student Affairs professionals at the institution in which I am employed.

This first week has been very informative. The office has such a collaborative dynamic in which everyone works together. Although Katie is leaving, everyone else in the office knows they must support her and take the slack when she leaves. The office is extremely supportive of one another, and I anticipate learning more about the activities behind the scenes of student life. With Mississippi State having a different office for nearly every aspect of campus, I am impressed with how much these professionals handle on a daily basis. Orientation, social clubs, student organizations, etc. are all included in the Office of Student Life. At MSU, each of these aspects has a different office. I am enjoying my time so far, and I look forward to the learning experiences to come.

This is Cochran Hall. Like Brittany, this will be my home for the next two months! The Office of Student Life is actually right next to Housing at MUW! This is a beautiful building, and I feel at home every time I enter!

-Nici McLarty