Matthew Smith – Week 5 – Student Honor Code Office

Activities:

·         Continue pulling articles supporting proposed education module in development

·         Edit the sections of the document that already have a rough draft of their content

·         Draft several sections of the document to be read by the students during the modules

·         Draft a first draft the questions to be used to quiz the students at the end of each section

Reflection on Practice: 

This past week has been one where I’ve really dug in deep. As I’ve continued pulling articles for the education modules the Student Honor Code Office is developing, I’ve been able to incorporate this information into the module. Much of this has been in the form of drafting the content the students will be reading on topics like: resources on campus, effective communication, and differentiating between direct quotations and plagiarism. They have given me a lot of latitude in drafting it myself, since we all will go back and edit it several times before submitting it. I’m enjoying the freedom they’ve given me to own this and make it “mine”.

Along those lines, they’ve asked me to go through and edit the portions of the module that had some content added to it. This has let me draw on my observations from my assistantship, putting in practice how I have seen peer reviewers and the College Student Affairs Journal editorial staff go about making suggestions/edits to a manuscript. It has been a nice way to bridge my previous experiences with this new opportunity.

Reflection on Theory:

Reflecting on our discussion about professionalism in class last week, I’ve been keenly observing this aspect of our profession while in practicum this week. It has been easy to do so given that our new VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Regina Hyatt, has just started in the office and has been meeting people from all corners of campus as she settles in. This has let me see how not only the Honor Code Office is profession, but how different people around campus are professional in their dress, their mannerisms, and their way of interacting with their new boss. This is the foundation of the ACPA & NASPA Professional Competency Areas (2010. Additionally, this fits in well with the material discussed in chapter 2 of Amey & Reesor’s Beginning Your Journey (2009), specifically the environment subsection of the chapter. Each area of student affairs is its own piece, but they are not completely isolated islands either. I envision the areas more like a chain, with each link connected to another. This forms a long, strong yet flexible unit capable of all manner of things. But like any chain, it is only as strong as the weakest link in it. This underscores the importance of all of us (both individually and collectively) to continue growing and improving no matter where we might be on our journey. I feel this allows us to both be more effective at our jobs, as well as helps us to be a great asset to the students we work with.

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