Health Promotion and Wellness No. 2- Emily

Blog Post No. 2

Activities:

• ·       Motivational Interviewing Training
• ·       Focus Group Execution
• ·       “Intern to the Rescue!”-The case of the forgotten flash drive
• ·       Moved boxes across Campus
• ·       Five Orientation Fairs
• ·       Less Than You Think Campaign Administration Tasks
• ·       Suicide Prevention Collation Marketing Advisement
• ·       Building Professional Rapport within Health Education and Wellness

Reflection:

Every day in Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) feels like a whirl-wind. There is always something to do and people to see. At any given time I may be asked to create a catchy flyer, move large boxes across campus, evaluate a focus group discussion, or run a forgotten flash drive to a sexual health and contraceptive program. The entire office feels like a game of touch and go. The office work ethic is admirable. The professionals and GA staff utilize every ounce of down time as a much needed opportunity to catch-up on any forgotten tasks/assignments or to plan ahead. There is always something to do and something prove.  

I find it interesting that the majority of the health programs in HPW is grant funded. In the department right now the two major grants are the Impaired Driving Grant and the Suicide Prevention Collation. Each grant has a professional staff member manning the project, than everyone else in the office acting as a catch-all in case they need assistance while completing their own work. This department is a high functioning team. Every member supports one another in any possible way.

My favorite part in these past weeks has been assisting in new student Orientations. Working the fair and talking to parents and students about our department was very exhilarating. Orientation was the rabbit hole that lead me into student affairs during my undergraduate experience. Working the tables and being at the organization fair made me feel like I was returning to my roots and rediscovering the reasons of why I love this field. I appreciated the challenge and competitive nature of pitching Health Promotion as a viable resource on campus. Parents would came to our table looking for insurance information, which is not HPW, and would leave with a “become a volunteer” packet for their student. It was awesome and I truly felt like I had a purpose in showcasing Mississippi State’s health programs. This experience has caused me to reflect on possible career choices and directions of where I want to go in student affairs.

Another interesting opportunity that happened last week was becoming officially trained as a G.A.I.N. counselor. G.A.I.N. is “Goal-driven Alcohol/drug Interviewing Network. The program has three stages and is resource for students who have been referred or would like to assess their substance-abuse relations. Motivational Interviewing is the key component of G.A.I.N. and I was given the opportunity to be trained as resource for the students who enroll in G.A.I.N. I found the training fun and found Counseling Skills class really came in handy during the practice rounds. J It was a great learning experience!

Overall, these past two weeks have caused me to think differently about myself as a professional.

Textbook Application:

In chapter ten, “Managing the first job search,” I was struck by the explanations and professional opportunities definition of different types institutions and found myself reflecting on my Maymester’s seminar experience. On page 190, one section reads, “Student affairs professional at small institutions are frequently generalist with responsibilities in more than on area…student affairs professionals at large intuitions are specialists. They have very specific duties and usually have limited interactions with students.” I would consider Mississippi State a medium-large institution. The Health Promotion and Wellness professions have specific tasks and areas of knowledge. They get some face time with students, but not as much as I thought. The GAs, Interns, and student volunteers act as liaisons between the department and the university students. As I was setting up the HPW table at orientation with JuLeigh, my co supervisor. I found myself thinking that I really enjoy orientations a little differently than in my undergrad years. This is because I get an opportunity to talk to different students and re-connect with other student affairs professionals on campus. This chapter and realization spoke to me; as I am trying to find my fit in the student affairs world, I resonate with the small colleges and institutions. That is where I picture myself.

Theory to Practice:

Assisting at the Health Promotion and Wellness table at the Orientations’ organization fair reminded me of Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. These students and parents are staring at one of the largest transitions of their lives. They are at the first step in “Moving in, Moving through, and Moving out.” They are assessing their situations and evaluating the large changes about to ensue. As I was working the table I was explaining that becoming a volunteer with HPW would help the first year transition. Our department acts as a support and strategy to keep busy and gain experience while in college. HPW fosters and cares for their volunteers and helps them develops professionally and personally. Orientation acts as a triggering situations for these folks and I felt honored and excited to assist the transition (and ease a few nerves).

Reference:

Evans, N.J., Forney, D.S., Guido, F.M., Patton, L.D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Amey, M., & Reesor, L. (2009). In Beginning you journey: A guide for new professionals in student affairs. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Student Personnel Administration.

Center for Student Activities: Stephane Tchang (Week 3)

Activities:

• Attend the last student orientation organization fair
• Research and inquire information about other student activities offices at other institutions
• Sit in on the first Bulldog Bash meeting of the summer
• Looked into other institutions’ websites and provide suggestions for reformatting the current Center for Student Activities webpage
• Help select photos for an upcoming art gallery display
• Contact student organizations about acquiring a group photo, along with having the student organizations fill out an informational blurbs

Experience:

This past week, I have been able to really learn more about what student activities looks like in the world of student affairs. By contacting different student activities offices across the nation and by reading the monthly e-journal released by the National Association for Campus Activities, I have come to learn that many offices are structured differently. For example, at the Johnson & Wales University (JWU) in Denver, CO, the student activities office oversees campus activities, student organizations, orientation, multicultural programming, and first-year initiatives. I was astounded that this office took on as much as it did, and I came to find out that JWU is a campus of about 1,500 students. As such, it made sense that this office would tackle things of this magnitude, but it surprised me that this office, which comprises of 3 professional staff with 2 student assistants, ran all these different initiatives.

Outside of researching other student activities offices, I was also able to help in selecting the art work for an upcoming art gallery showcase. The Center for Student Activities wanted to try implementing a new project, utilizing the art gallery to commemorate the impact Hurricane Katrina had on Mississippi. Although the media focused on primarily on Louisiana at the time of the disaster, Mississippi was also hit pretty hard by the storm. As such, the Center for Student Activities staff thought it would be a great thing to be able to remember that Hurricane Katrina was an event that also directly affected the people of Mississippi. Even though I have only been working in the office for a few weeks, being able to work on this project and help decide which photos to use for the art gallery has really made my time working with the Center for Student Activities worthwhile. I not only get the opportunity to observe, but I am also able to actually work and gain experience as a professional within the student activities office.

And lastly, I think the best part of the week so far is that I have been able to reach out to different student organizations to collect photos and information. I initially did not know what to expect from practicum, and had been under the assumption that I just showed up to the office and only observed what was happening. As such, I am happy I got to do more than that, as I am now able to gain a deeper and better understanding of what it means to be a student affairs professional in a student activities office.  

Theory Application:

Throughout my time at the Center for Student Activities, and especially at the organization fair during student orientation, I have started to notice the importance of getting students involved in the college and university environment. I found myself telling students how to get involved, and where to seek more information if they were looking to join a specific student organization. Even more so, I was selling and emphasizing the importance of getting involved on campus, from partaking in events hosted by the Center for Student activities to joining a student organization.

As I thought about theory and how that applied to what I was doing during my practicum, I quickly realized I believed in Alexander Astin’s Theory of Involvement. In his theory, Astin concludes that students perform academically better if they engage themselves in extracurricular activities outside of the class room (Astin, 1999).  As such, it is important for students to be engaged and involved in a college setting outside of academics. The reason for why I pushed so heavily for student involvement is because I subconsciously, at the time, wholeheartedly agreed and believed in Astin’s theory. Getting and being involved in college helps you to not only socially plug yourself, but it serves as an avenue to help you distress and not be consumed by just academics.

Reading Application:

This week, I read chapter 3, which addressed the topic of ethics. How do we as student affairs professionals uphold and practice our own ethics? Being in the Center for Student Activities, I realized as a student affairs professional, you are always ethically challenged. From advising students to forming contracts and overseeing budgets, Center for Student Activities student affairs professionals always have to reassess their ethics, especially since they are always faced with the possibility of  “bending the rules” for others due to the amount of money they have oversight of for student events and activities. For me, this chapter was really insightful because I don’t think we talk about ethics enough in higher education, outside of policy violations. Everyone assumes there is a standard code of ethics everyone should just understand without mention, but this leads to political corruptness and chaotic work environments. Having read this chapter, I realized how important it is for me to retain my own ethics and abide by it even when the environment I am in challenges me to disregard it. I hope that as I continue my practicum, I look further into how the staff members within the Center for Student Activities maintain and establish their own ethics in the workplace.

References:

Astin, W. A. (1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Development, 40 (5), 519 – 529. 

Ryan Thomas – Post #2 – Center for America’s Veterans

Activities

·         Review documentation provided by Mr. McRae

·         Search out new grant opportunities and detail possibilities

 Reflection on Practice
This week has been focused on pouring over some information that Mr. McRae provided me with.  The information pertains to some of the grant possibilities that the office is looking into.  Mr. McRae discussed all of the opportunities that are currently on the table and he went into further detail regarding the projects that are currently in the works.  We discussed ways in which we can fit some of our projects into the scope of some of the grants and in what areas we may look for others.  In addition to looking over the information that Mr. McRae provided me, I have begun to search out the different grant opportunities which exist that the center may fit the requirements of.

Our text discusses organizational and political realities in chapter two and I think that this is an appropriate discussion for my experiences thus far.  Mr. McRae has really enlightened me as to what a veteran office is capable of accomplishing on a college campus.  Some of the ways in which he has had to obtain funds involve thinking which is way out of the traditional box.  In chapter two, the authors discuss strategy and explain that talk and action are two very different things (Amey & Reesor, 2009).  Essentially, the authors go on to say that upon arriving at your first positions you shouldn’t bemoan the issues of your institution and you should instead focus on learning the way in which things are accomplished there (Amey & Reesor, 2009).  This is something that I have learned while working with Mr. McRae.

Reflection on Theory - Competencies

My discussions with Mr. McRae have really gone a long way to help me understand the professional competency areas for NASPA and ACPA.  I find it hard to place my experiences in any one competency at this point, but I feel that thus far I have had a little experience in at least a few of them.  In our conversations regarding current projects we have discussed some of the research that has taken place or needs to take place to push those projects forward. (Assessment, Evaluation, and Research).  We have also discussed some of the leadership issues that each of the projects face and some of the many offices with which the center is working with to complete these projects (Human and Organizational Resources).  We also had a brief discussion of some of the laws and policies that the center needs to adhere to as part of the university (Law, Policy, and Governance).  This experience has been really good so far and I feel that I haven’t even gotten my feet wet at this point.

 

References

Amey, M. J., & Reesor, L. M. (2009). Beginning your journey: A guide for new professional in student affairs. Washington, D.C.: NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Retrieved from: https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/Professional_Competencies.pdf.

Elizabeth Rugel - MUW Dean of Students

Activities

1.      Proof read the student handbook

2.      Collected SEC Freedom of Speech Policy info

3.      Attended Dean of Students and Housing orientation sessions

4.      Attended Parent’s Panel at Orientation

5.      Sat in on meeting with Sirena and a sales rep about a Title 9 Training website

6.      Had lunch with Sirena in the campus cafeteria

Reflection on Practice

This week, I learned a great deal about the many functions of a Dean of Students. First, I sat in on orientation sessions while Sirena explained Title 9 and Sexual Misconduct to students and parents. Also, since Sirena just recently passed the torch to a new Director of Housing, we sat in on the housing session in order to help answer questions. I was surprised to learn that the W has many of the same housing procedures as MSU. I guess that borrowing housing policies is common just as it is with student conduct policies. It was strange realizing how much I knew or could assume, through my housing experience, about the W’s Housing department just by hearing the Director’s session about policy and procedures. I wonder if these universities are so similar because they’re in the same region, or because most all housing departments are the same.

Second, I listened to a meeting between Sirena and a sales representative from a company that sells Title 9 online training. This product is similar to the sexual harassment online trainings that we have all had to complete for our jobs. Sirena is viewing demos and getting quotes in order to enact a Title 9 online test for all students. This training will likely become commonplace at all universities soon. Because the university employs so many students as workers, and because all university employees must complete Title 9 training, the W has chosen to require the training of all students.  The test modules for students contain animated case studies for which students must answer questions about what is and is not sexual misconduct.

            These tests are sold by companies whose revenue comes from creating, maintaining, and updating these training courses. I was shocked to learn that a single online test can cost a university over $1,000 a year. This reminded me of what we have learned in Psychological Testing about assessment costs. It seems that as long as these products are in high demand, they can charge even small universities an arm and a leg.

Application of Course Reading

            This week, Sirena and I talked a lot about supervision styles in the office and I was reminded of Amey and Reesor’s (2009) comments on the subject. First, Sirena took me to lunch and explained several aspects of the campus culture at the W (Amey & Reesor, 2009, p. 10). This is an excellent illustration of Sirena’s caring and considerate supervision style. I feel like she really “gets it” and understands why I am working with her this summer. Every student affairs related thought that comes to her mind she shares with me. Every odd occurrence on campus or in office she will explain the significance of to me. This lunch that we had was jam packed with information about the students, faculty, staff, and administrators surrounding us. The guide book says that “Senior student affairs administrators are responsible for setting the professional climate of the division and promoting a culture that brings new professionals along through support and encouragement” (Amey & Reesor, 2009, p. 10). This is exactly how Sirena works, and I am so thankful that I chose her as my supervisor.

            In contrast, Sirena’s supervisor, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Miles, has a very different style than Sirena. Dr. Miles is a very private administrator and prefers to have all conversations with only essential staff members and behind closed doors. Sirena always assures me that this a quark of hers and seems concerned that I may be offended. From the beginning, I assumed that this was rather standard protocol and never minded being asked to step out of the room briefly. This week, Sirena explained to me that while sometimes there are sensitive matters to be discussed, the privacy is really more of an odd preference of Dr. Miles’. Even if the subject matter is next week’s lunch meeting, she would rather have the door closed.

            While yes, this is odd, I guess to each his own. But as Sirena pointed out to me, this can sometimes be alarming to new employees. Consider this: Your new boss walks into your office and closes the door behind her. How do you feel? What are you thinking? I know my response is OH NO! WHAT DID I DO?!  But she just wants to ask you about your weekend. Now I understand how this could bother some people.

Reflection and Application of Theory

            Attending orientation sessions this week helped me focus in on the needs of freshman students. Freshman are a population that I do not work with much anymore, although they are a target population within study abroad. For this reason, I challenged myself to focus on their needs, challenges, and development while sitting in on orientation sessions.

            I noticed that most of the questions asked during orientation were questions from parents. This realization led me to remember Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development. I suspect that students were at a loss for questions because many are still in Perry’s Basic Duality position. Basic Duality is characterized by an individual who sees the world as dichotomous. There is good and bad, black and white, and those in authority roles have all the answers (Perry, 1999).

During orientation, I was rather annoyed by how much information emphasis was placed on parents and the role of parents. Parents were informed of resources and encouraged to talk to their students about taking advantage of their resources. During this I kept thinking to myself “um hello… they’re adults now”. But as Perry’s theory suggests, these freshman students may still be relying on their parents, the authority figures, in order to succeed. This means that it is our job as the soon-to-be new authority to challenge these students to move into the multiplicity prelegitimate position, in which they will see that authority is not always correct and that there can be multiple answers and truths (Preey, 1999).

References

Amey, M. J., & Reesor, L. M. (2009). Beginning your journey: A guide for new professional in

            student affairs. Washington, D.C.: NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher

            Education

Perry, W. (1999). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years. New York:

            Holt, Rhinehart and Winston

New Maroon Camp Practicum Post #2- Brad Ward

NEW MAROON CAMP SUMMER 2015

Activities

•  Finalized the schedule for pre-camp training
•  Determined key speakers for pre-camp training
•  Started working on the regular camp schedule

Reflections on Practice

This week at New Maroon Camp was not a very busy week for me! I was not able to be in the office a lot but the time that I got to spend in there was very beneficial. We pretty much summed up all of the pre-camp schedule for the counselors of New Maroon Camp. It will be a long two training days for them but we have made sure that it will be worth it by giving them long breaks and some great campus speakers to listen to during their first full day of training.

Other than pre-camp scheduling, I have not been able to work on a lot of actual camp programs yet. I am patiently waiting for July when I get to put in two to three hours per day in the office instead of going when I get breaks between class and in the afternoons. That being said, I feel like July will be my most beneficial month because I will be able to be even more hands on with the staff and really start racking up my hours.

Overall, I have still been very successful in establishing relationships with the staff of New Maroon Camp. I feel like we already have a close bond that will help us build and facilitate camp in the most efficient and fun ways possible. I am excited to attend camp and experience how it changes students’ lives in college right from the start. It really is such a unique program and like I have stated before, I feel like I am extremely lucky to have this opportunity. Now only two more days until the actual work begins! COME ON JULY!!!!

Application to Readings

In chapter two of Beginning Your Journey: A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs, it talks a lot about the different environments, missions, socialization rituals, and strategies of different departments in student affairs all over the country. When reading this, I could not help but think about how I feel that New Maroon Camp is so unique. It has without a doubt one of the best environments on campus, which is all led by the students who were hand picked to make NMC flourish into an MSU tradition. Environment is essential to the growth and development of students. With a bad environment it is hard to rally students to participate. New Maroon Camp does not have that problem. They have already tripled their student participation from last year and continue to grow daily. That coincides with their mission, which is to help students grow and feel supported at MSU before they even take a class on campus. That may be a mission of almost every college campus, but the way New Maroon approaches it is special. Students will create a family that will last them the rest of their days at MSU and hopefully even afterwards. Lastly, in terms of socialization and strategies, camp is a ritual in itself. Getting to be around MSU students in a camp atmosphere seems to be a beneficial way of welcoming students into the Bulldog family. Those students will be apart of a class that will always remember the particular things that they accomplished at NMC and there on afterwards (Amey & Reesor, 2009).

As chapter two concludes with discussing leadership, I feel that it is important to recognize the leadership that MSU students are exhibiting to prepare for this camp. NMC is primarily designed by students for the benefit of other students. Not only are the campers who are coming into camp benefiting from the experience, but the counselors are as well because they get to polish their leadership skills and learn qualities about themselves that they might have never known existed (Amey & Reesor, 2009).

Reflection of Theory

One theory that I decided to focus on this week was the NASPA/ACPA Professional Competencies Areas for Student Affairs Professionals regarding student learning and development. I focused on this because we are primarily focusing on building programs that will impact students in a positive way at a very early stage of college. This is the first real interaction that these people will get with Mississippi State as students. While we are developing a camp for students, we are making it a point to be organized so that we can be clear on what our intentions are as a staff and as mentors. I think it is important to look at these practices now and use them to build upon the future of New Maroon Camp. I will also use these experiences that I have gained from helping students develop in order to help develop myself as a professional (ACPA & NASPA, 2010).

As we go along in the summer, we will be developing more criteria for future camps. This experience will let me put my mark on camp to hopefully benefit students for years after I leave state. With the help of the experienced directors and counselors, we can help to build an environment that is inclusive for everyone involved. I really enjoyed reading through this particular section of the professional competencies because I feel like I have already been using some of the sections directly in my position at NMC even though I have not even been there for even a month yet.

References

ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners.

Amey, M., & Reesor, L. (2009). Words of wisdom. In Beginning your journey: A guide for new professionals in student affairs (3rd Ed.). (pp. 15-38). Washington, DC: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Matthew Smith - Week 3 - Student Honor Code Office

Blog Post #2

Subject: Matthew Smith – Week 3 – Student Honor Code Office

Activities:

·         Pull article supporting proposed education module in development.

·         Begin extracting information from various on-campus offices to include in education module.

Reflection on Practice: 

Much of my work this past week has been focused on working with others in the office in developing an education module to be given to students who are found in violation of the Honor Code. They’ve had me focusing on gleaning information from resources on campus readily available for students. Some of these I focused on this week included: Health & Wellness, Student Counseling Services, and Student Support Services (among others). The goal is to help these students become aware of these services, with the hope they’ll seek them out if they need them.

In addition to this, I had the opportunity to speak for a bit one-on-one with Mr. Bill Broyles, the Interim VP of Student Affairs. He was quite kind and spent time checking in with me on the project. He also asked about my long-term goals in student affairs and higher education and how I plan to achieve them. Being able to bounce some of my ideas off him and receive both encouragement and suggestions from him gave me some additional insight into my goals, as well as totally making my day!

Reflection on Theory:

When I first saw the topic in chapter 5 of the book for this week’s reading, I was quite excited. In my practicum, there is much collaboration with the faculty in many of the conduct hearings. Additionally, my assistantship this past year has been one where I deal almost exclusively with faculty. Reading about the efforts to work collaboratively (be it on projects, research, committees, or any number of suggestions offered in the book) has encouraged me immensely. There have been times I’ve felt less connected to Student Affairs than my peers, and hearing others discuss in detail the work to collaborate with Faculty and Academic Affairs confirmed to me the work I am doing is a valuable contribution to the field. This also dovetails with some of the advanced points in the ACPA & NASPA competencies regarding assessment, evaluation, and research (2010). In particular, there is a repeated focus on collaboration in these points. Keeping in mind that we cannot do all of this alone is in my opinion critical to us keeping the focus on the students and helping them achieve success in their endeavors pursuing higher education. I look forward to further exploring this in my practicum and beyond.

References:

ACPA & NASPA. (2010). Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners

Amey, M. J., & Reesor, L. M. (2009). Beginning your journey: A guide for new professional in student affairs. Washington, D.C.: NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Taylor Eljaua Orientation Week 2

Taylor Eljaua-Week 2-Orientation

Activities:

 Reviewe Activities:

•            Attended orientation  2 full days of Orientation

•            aided in answering parents questions and assisting them into Lee Hall for presentation at Betterworth Auditorium.

•           Attened social/dinner in the Club House in Davis Wade Stadium

•           Assisted in preparation of Orientation and set up of orientation

Reflections on Practice:

1  Planning, planning, planning! There are TONS of positives and negatives about orientation. One major one is in regards to the planning that goes into Orientation. Orientation has been a great experience. Everyone has been very friendly, things run on time and the way that they are suppose to. And even if things don’t run smoothly, they apper to cuase there is a plan for the plan if the plan fails and another plan if that plan fails. So on one side it all works out. For me, it is difficult to walk in as an outsider and chizle your way into the plan. People have jobs and duties that they are qualified for and they have plenty of abled bodies,  so where do I fit in? Well, where ever they can fit me, and that’s not always the best for me to learn about the behind the scens of orientation. I have been gettings stuck in a lot of positions like direct traffic, or hand out flyiers or hold this door open, and while this is all a vital part to amking the big orientation machine work, it is not always the best.  As extroverted as I can be I feel that I shy away because I have no idea what I am doing and I am nervous to disturb people who are already making the machine run.  The theme for working with orientation seems to be move a long or get out of the way, and while I can follow that mentality if I was a part of the department or the planning in general, I realized it is not an easy task for me to just jump feet first and assume positions that I have no clue about.

2    The second major lesson or insight I have gathered is about Orientation Leaders. Should I ever be placed on a recruitmen or hireing committee in the future, no matter what field of work I am in, I will ALWAYS give special attention to anyone who has Orientation Leader listed as a past experience. I have never seen such vivacious, hardworking student leaders. They work well together, hard and with a smile on their face. They work long and draining hours for a whole monthand still maintain the postivie and welcoming energy across the board. These students truly understand he vision and purpose of orientation.  I have enjoyed seeing them work with their orientation students and really build bonds with all of them.

Textbook Application

    The first week’s reading, chapter 1 in the book, talks about new professionas and the expreinces that face as young professionals. I feel that I can realte to this chapter most specifically with the section about identiy through my practicum site and even this past year. This section on identity in the chapter talks about the transition between beings a student leader and being a professional. I have struggled with this for the past. Being heavily involved in undergrad and then transitioning into a para professional role where I am still very involved but, I am focused more on the students’s success has been a challenge. It has also been difficult to define my relationship. Something I have seen that I have stuggled with throughout practicum has been building realtionships withn in the department of Orientation. Do I befriend the Orientation Leaders first or to I stick by Kelly and Kylie’s side? I am very good a building relationships out side of work, but when it comes to professional settings I have a tendancy to clam up and retreat in fear of making a wrong move professionally. I don’t want to appear to be too young and not strick so I stay away form the student leaders, I also don’t want to apper to be a suck up so I stay away form my professional staff. I end up just gettinging in moy own way because I don’t get to fully impact the students I am working with and I loose out on growing professionally from my supervisors and advisors. The chapter talks about how it can be important to look for “other perspectives and additional support”, my hope is that through this practicum I can create a new network in Kelly and Kylie that I can use in the future as my Mississippi State support sysyetm.

Theory:

One theory or concept that I am looking at this week is the Leadership  competency from NASPA / ACPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners. I am looking to this because of my refelction on the lessons I have learned from this week, mostly on Kelly and Kylie’s ability to motivate, energize and drive their team. I feel the two of them have an advanced grasp on the copentancy.  The Orientation Leaders are great on their own but a lot of their strength comes from their leaders. Kelly and Kylie have demostrated good organization and learership skills that have trickled down to the OLs. They have also demonstrated for me what it means to delegate tasks and work as a team.  The OLs respect Kelly and kylie  and do what they ask. Every Tuesday and Friday night the OLs are required to flip the ballroom, stuff name tags and set up for a new orientation, as they await their duties they relax but once orders are given they jump to their feet and ge the work done!

References:

ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners.

Amey, M., & Reesor, L. (2009). In Beginning your journey: A guide for new professionals in student affairs. Washington, D.C.: National Association of Student Personnel Administration.