Monday, July 27, 2015

Ryan Thomas - Post #4 - Center for America's Veterans

Activities:
·         Revamped and finalized the Green Zone Training

·         Coordinated the RA Green Zone Training

·         Learned the grant proposal submission process

·         Had detailed discussions with each member of the office regarding their daily duties

Reflections on Practice:Since the last blog posting I have accomplished many different things, however I felt that I learned the most from two things.  The first of which was that I found out how extensive the grant proposal process is and that there is another office which oversees the submission of grant proposals and the dispersal of any awarded funds.  This was something that I was unaware of and was really surprised to find out.  The other thing that I did was sat down and had individual conversations with a few members of the office regarding their day to day activities.  Although I think the staff was initially caught off guard by this, they warmed up to the idea in the end.  I actually found this to be very insightful and it provided me a lot of information regarding the day-to-day activities of the office and really strengthened my understanding of the culture of the office.  I really wish that we would be allowed to do this during our job search, as it allowed me to really understand the inner workings of the professionals and the office.
Practice: Application of Course ReadingsChapter 3 of our text discusses developing a professional ethic, which was something I found myself reflecting upon throughout the last two weeks and especially following the one-on-one discussions.  I feel that although each of the members in the office come from different walks of life, they are all strongly committed to the goal of meeting the needs of veteran students.  However in opposition to what the book discusses, I know that the members of the office would attempt stand against policies which are not focused on the best interest of veterans.  There are many times that the office has had to fight for veteran rights and stand up for what they believe in.  Although they may not win every battle, it’s apparent that they find the fight worthwhile.
Reflections on Theory:For this week’s reflection upon theory, I wanted to discuss the NASPA and ACPA professional competency areas.  The area that I felt I learned a lot more about was the grant proposal process, as I explained earlier, and how this process related to Ethical and Professional Practice competencies.  It was interesting to find out that there was a specific office, Sponsored Programs Administration, which oversees all grant submissions and fund dispersals.  This office helps us keep our activities in line with the Ethical Professional Practice competencies by ensuring that we are following the ethics of both the profession and our institutions.  Although we may become extremely proficient as we gain experience in the field of student affairs, this office ensures that we are meeting the current ethical guidelines of both the institution and the profession.  It is extremely important as we become new professionals, to understand the processes and procedures that we must follow on our respective campuses.  Many of these processes and procedures are in place to protect both the institution and us as the professional.
 

References

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

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