Amanda Alberti-Week Two-Career Center

Activities:

·       Interviewed three office employees about their backgrounds and job responsibilities

·       Assisted with academic advising for incoming freshman attending orientation with a classification of undeclared major

·       Shadowed two student meetings

o  One advising a transfer student with low GPA on selecting a major

o  One reviewing the Strong Inventory results for a transfer student with a high GPA

·       Reviewed the Career Center’s list of majors and began checking links for accuracy and searching for unidentified areas of study

·       Advised parents at the orientation resource fair about the services provided by the career center

Reflections on Practice:

            One important thing that I took note of this week during practicum was the fact that several of the employees in the Career Center office come from backgrounds similar to my own. This is something that I at first thought was a coincidence. However, after completing my interview with the last few employees over the past week, I realized that this is actually the norm of the office. Almost every employee I spoke with had worked in some form of a helping profession prior to joining the Career Center staff or had a degree in a related field. On page 186 of our textbook, the authors explain that fit is a critical part of the job search process (Amey & Reesor, 2009). They explain that finding your strengths and weaknesses about a year ahead of your job search can assist you in taking on experiences which will highlight your strengths and improve your weaknesses (Amey & Reesor, 2009).

Based on this information and the experiences I have had thus far with my practicum, I feel that I am absorbing a lot of important information and ideas regarding the importance of fit. My practicum supervisor had a very frank conversation with me last week about making sure that I do not narrow my career options to only housing experience. This conversation sparked many lingering personal thoughts which I have been avoiding over the past year. I have no question about my ability to succeed within the student affairs field and I pride myself on my work and accomplishments. However, since moving to Mississippi, I have started to feel as though student affairs may not fit the personal expectations which I have for my future. Since beginning to work in a position more similar to that of a full time employee within housing and residence life, I have started to feel as though I am not necessarily helping students which is the reason I chose to enter the field. Working with the Career Center, talking with my sight supervisor and reading what the textbook has to say about finding an appropriate fit within a position have caused me to question whether I would like to continue my work within housing following graduation. Following the appearance of these concerns, I plan to build on my strengths as the textbook has recommended (Amey & Reesor,2009). I know that I find it greatly satisfying to create positive changes for individual students as well as for groups of students. I have strong interests in volunteer work, social justice advocacy, and individual advising for students. Based on these interests, I would like to spend the next year looking for ways to become more involved with HCDC, the Maroon Volunteer Center, and the Career Center in order to explore whether one of these may feel like a more appropriate fit for me than housing and residence life.

Another significant observation that I have made during my time at practicum thus far is the way that the office’s employees interact with international students. I shadowed two different meetings where international students were seeking guidance in resume building and the job search process. I quickly realized that there were several points of disconnect between the international students and the employees of the career center. As I reflected on these meetings throughout the rest of my first couple of weeks at practicum, I started to think that it would be helpful to develop some sort of resource (perhaps a pamphlet or flier) for the office members to refer to when they are working with international students. This reference would include information about work visas, a list of common places for employment for international employees (hospitals, universities, etc.), and other similar information. After talking with different advisers within the office, it seems that most of them just do not have a lot of experience working with international students. Advising these students can become even more difficult when a language barrier is involved. I didn’t think about the connection to fit that this experience was providing me with at the time it was occurring. However, looking back, I realize how my passion for diversity led me to want to create resources which would assist a minority population within my practicum office. This experience also taught me that not every area of student affairs is as culturally aware as the ones I have so far been involved with.

Reflections on Theory:

Not surprisingly (for those who know my personality) I was easily able to relate NASPA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion competency to the lessons that I have learned so far in my practicum experience (I promise I will discuss a different topic in my next post) (ACPA & NASPA, 2010). Many of the expectations that fall under this competency apply to the things that I have experienced during my first two weeks of practicum. For example, one point of the competency mentions recognizing social systems and the way they influence individuals of different backgrounds (ACPA & NASPA, 2010). When I was reviewing resumes prior to shadowing the meetings with international students, I was immediately drawn to their names at the top of their resumes. I did not know how to pronounce their names which made me think about an article I had recently read. This article discussed how employers will often turn away resumes when the name at the top of the page looks like that of a person of a color. I plan to research whether this is the same for international students. Based on the meetings that I have shadowed, I expect that the research will show similar outcomes. Several other points listed under this competency closely related to the experiences I witnessed during my shadowing meetings. I intend to keep this competency in mind as I continue discussions with employees within the career center as well as other entities which serve these students such as HCDC and the international office.

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. 207-221). Washington, DC: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

 

Stark Recreation Center MUW: Nazim Chaker (Week 2)

Activities:

•    Drove around the Mississippi University for Women area in Columbus informing them about the Stark Rec Center offering swimming lessons

•    Updated any new reservations or events for the week in the event management data system

•    Updated weekly event reminders for the student staff in the rec center

•    Coordinated MSMS camp recreation event with school coordinator

•    Presented at the professional staffs monthly meeting about new outdoor recreation program for fall semester.

•    Setup logistics and facilities for upcoming Columbus swim meet

•    Facilitated large annual Columbus swim meet

Experience:

The second week of my practicum experience has been great. I have been given so many opportunities to explore the functional area of campus recreation.  One of my examples is updating weekly events and reminders for the recreation center. This has been very cool for me to operate. For a campus like MUW the community uses the facilities as many times a week. This gives me good experiences in the daily operations of a facility management standpoint.

The second week I was also given the task to coordinate one of the largest camps that MUW host every summer. I was solely responsible for making sure that this camp had everything set for the camps daily rec time for three hours. It does not sound super difficult but when there is a high volume of high school students in a heavy risk zone everything needs to be prepared correctly. For example, we need to know if they plan on swimming or not because there needs to be enough lifeguards on call.

I was also given a project to work on. Stark recreation center plans on building their outdoor recreation program back up and they wanted me to research an activity that students could participate in for the upcoming fall semester. They wanted to be a retreat weekend type of event. I researched paintball facilities in the surrounding area that seemed like reasonable places. I ended up presenting to the professional staff at their monthly meeting and they loved the presentation. They decided that they would go with that for their fall outdoor retreat. It was fun to coordinate that and see something I was apart of be implemented into the department.

Reading Application:

After reading chapter 9 I knew that it would best apply to what I have been experiencing at MUW. Crisis management is something that every student affairs professional needs to be familiar with. A risk or crisis can happen in any realm of student affairs. In campus recreation there are many different types of risks that can occur and potentially lead to a crisis situation. For instance, I mentioned the MSMS camp I had to help coordinate. It seems like a simple task, kids come play and then it is over, but there are so many crisis situations that could occur just from a simple recreation time. I mentioned there was swimming time allowed for the students. If we would have not known the amount of students that were coming we could have not called in enough guards. So we partially used the crisis management cycle when planning this event. We first set up prevention and mitigation by seeing all who would be using the facility. We then set up planning for the “what if” situations. Then what the response would look like if a student were injured. There has not been a major situation happen at MUW like death, but if something like that occurred that could really hurt a university. It is already a bad situation but it can ruin a department if they can find them responsible

Theory Application:

I think Chickering’s Seven Vectors apply to me the most for this practicum experience. I identified with four of the seven vectors such as developing competence, developing interpersonal mature relationships, establishing identity, and developing purpose. When it comes to developing competences I am developing my intellectual knowledge of campus recreation by being engaged with that environment weekly. Having time to analyze and comprehend a new department is good for me personally. I am also developing mature interpersonal relationships with my director and assistant director. I am learning how to work in an environment that might not think like other departments I have worked for in the past and how I respond to what they say. I am also discovering a new identity in the focus of campus recreation. I have spent so much time in hosing that I feel like I am learning more about myself and what I what to do in the future. Then lastly I feel like I am developing more of purpose. I know I have always wanted to work on a college campus but the more I am around a recreation center it really feels like that is where I am supposed to be.

References:

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.  

Chickering, A. (2015). Seven vectors: An overview. Retrieved from https://www.cabrini.edu/communications/ProfDev/cardevChickering.html

Jessi Dillingham - Week 2 - Fraternity and Sorority Life

Activities

• Researched current bystander training sessions at other institutions
• Created detailed outline of possible bystander intervention training topics, statistics, and other information for fall fraternity training
• Worked at the organization fairs and Fraternity and Sorority Life interest sessions for summer orientations
• Met with site supervisor to learn more about his position and current issues in fraternity and sorority life
• Discussed academic initiatives site supervisor wishes to implement during the upcoming academic year

Practice: Reflective Insights

1. In the numerous meetings I have had with my site supervisor, I have begun to realize how much work goes in to fraternity and sorority life.  A large amount of behind-the-scenes work takes place in order to keep the office running smoothly.  Although the office does not have a large professional staff, it has a number of student workers.  The students are dedicated and have incredible attitudes.  Many of them are working over the summer, and I am continuously impressed by the quality of work they expect of themselves.  In my interactions with both my site supervisor and the student workers in the office, I see how much collaborative work takes place.  The summer work this office does sets the stage for successful fall events, which play a huge part in recruiting students to fraternities and sororities.  I think many individuals assume a higher education institution closes when the summer begins; however, I now realize that the majority of the planning and preparation is done over the summer, making this time of year just as busy as the fall and spring semesters.
2. I have also begun to realize what a collaborative field student affairs is.  For example, my site supervisor is planning to implement a fall training session for fraternities at Mississippi State.  The training will include a number of important topics, such as bystander intervention.  My site supervisor has a contact at another southern institution, and the two have been conversing about the training that is in place at the other institution.  The individual at the other institution has willingly shared some of the training materials he uses with my supervisor.  Often, I hear the phrase “do not reinvent the wheel” in student affairs, and that phrase is beginning to make more sense.  I appreciate the collaboration that occurs in student affairs, and I believe that collaborating with contacts at other institutions can be incredibly useful in improving one’s own institution.

Practice: Application of Course Readings

In Chapter 11 of our textbook, the authors remind the reader how important it is to remain student and learner centered.  As a student affairs professional, it can be easy to get caught up in the politics and and trivial issues in this profession.  Reminding oneself daily that students are at the center of the work we are doing as student affairs professionals will help the field of student affairs succeed in its central goal.

This chapter struck me as especially relevant in light of the past two weeks in my practicum.  I am fortunate to be in an office where students are valued and encouraged to learn, create, and thrive.  This experience will be an important one to remember as I work to become a student affairs professional.  Just as my office keeps the students at the center, I must keep students at the center of my work in student affairs.

Theory: Reflective Insights & Application of Course Readings

In Introduction to Student Affairs in Higher Education last fall, our class was introduced to the ACPA and NASPA Competencies.  My experiences thus far have reminded me of one of the intermediate competencies of the Student Learning and Development section.  It states, “One should be able to design programs and services to promote student learning and development that are based on current research on student learning and development theories” (ACPA & NASPA, 2010).

The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is actively practicing this competency each day.  By designing a specialized training for Mississippi State’s fraternities, providing students with the opportunity to work in the office, giving students leadership roles, and involving them in the planning of the upcoming year’s events, students are both learning and developing.  The things this office is doing are based on current research on practices of other higher education institutions.  For example, as I begin designing the fall semester fraternity training, I am doing a substantial amount of research on current practices at other institutions before bringing any ideas forward to my site supervisor.  As the competency I mentioned states, research is an incredibly important component of program and service development in higher education.  I am enjoying the experience of developing a program from the beginning, and I look forward to seeing how the program continues to develop.

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. 207-221). Washington, DC: National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Jasmine Jennings- Week 2- Office of the Registrar

Activities:

•  Reviewed the office website
•  Created satisfaction survey for the office through Qualtrics
• Created a “draft” website through weebly.com to create a website based off of what information was received from the survey
• Reviewed other SEC registrar websites
•  Shadowed the NCAA Compliance Assistant and learned of what his position entailed
• Attended the Academic Deans Counsel Committee
• Attended the Housing Occupancy meeting

Reflections on Practice:

1. One of the first lessons I learned was from the Dean’s Counsel Committee. Like I said before in class, I was completely underdressed when I’m normally overly dressed! But it made me realize that these are important people who make important decisions where they have to always be “on.” For me, I’ve always live by the philosophy but actually interacting with the Deans showed that was something they’ve mastered to be taken seriously. In order to be the part, you have to look the part because who would take Joe Schmoe seriously? Not me. But something as little as appearance set the tone for an environment where the important people are to be taken seriously from first glance or impressions.
2. The second lesson I learned from the Dean’s Counsel Committee is how seasoned adults and professionals (I use both words purposefully) used discourse to get their points across. Even though we were talking about topics so small, the ways the group navigated conversation with ease is something I really valued. When some Deans disagreed on some topics, it wasn’t an argument. It wasn’t a challenge. And it definitely wasn’t distasteful. The conversation, whether disagreement or agreement flowed and it were natural. Feedback, suggestion, feedback, suggestion, and more feedback sounded professional without attacking. Without getting frustrated, without any back and forth.
3. The final lesson that I really enjoyed were the Deans acceptance of me in their meeting. A few of the Deans, particularly the women, welcomed me into the group and was even worried that I didn’t eat lunch with them (food was provided at the meeting). And even when I spoke up in the meeting for 2 minutes, they all listened and even one of the Deans cosigned with me! It made me realize that even though these individuals may have worked themselves up the ladder, I got the vibe that students do matter. Although their jobs may pull them away from students and even faculty, the student-centered focus is still there and that students matter. It was really awkward for me at first to be at the meeting, but I was embraced and I appreciate that.

Textbook Application

In the textbook chapter five, Amey and Reesor (2009) talk about understanding the academic and student affairs cultures and draws out the values that each division represents. In reading about their view of Understanding Both Cultures, the authors talked about how faculty identify more with the discipline than the university and with student affairs practitioners it is the opposite (Amey and Reesor, 2009).

What's interesting about that passage is that when I sat at the Deans' Counsel meeting, the Deans really did identify with their fieldwork and offered input from the standpoint of their discipline. None of the committee members talked about the university as a whole or relate to the grand scheme of things. This showed that through Academic Affairs, their faculty only see students through a compartmentalized view of the learning experience. So when these Deans engage in discourse, the Deans are only looking through a lens that will benefit their field or department rather than a holistic student experience. It shows how seriously competitive the academy is in making sure that its own (faculty and students) are being represented whereas Student Affairs works collectively to build a whole experience.

Theory:

In a joint report from the American Association for Higher Education, American College Personnel Association, and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (1998) can up with the following principle for powerful partnerships between faculty and staff for student learning:

"Learning is strongly affected by the educational climate in which it takes place: the settings and surroundings, the influences of others, and the values accorded to the life of the mind and to learning achievements.

After sitting in the Deans' Counsel, I finally had a small glimpse of a larger picture into Academic Affairs. After having this experience, I thought about how different to the conversation was from Student Affairs but the committee remained focused on students (and faculty). With that being said, any institution has to foster an educational environment that uses both housing (SA and AA) to make the college student experience rewarding. To foster this productive climate, the institution has to:

1. Value academic and personal success
2. Involve ALL stakeholders
3. Make student learning a responsibility of both faculty and staff
4. Incorporate academic and development goals into the school's mission
5. Create communities where students feel valued (AAHE, ACPA, NASPA, 1998).

The student experience encompasses intellectual and developmental achievements, but both houses need to work together to create the student that society desires.

References:

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

American Association for Higher Education, American College Personnel Association, & National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (1998). Powerful partnerships: A shared responsibility 

Elizabeth Rugel - Week 1 - Mississippi University for Women Dean of Students

Elizabeth Rugel - Week 1 - Mississippi University for Women Dean of Students

Activities:

• Conducted an Inventory Audit with Sirena
• Met Housing and Student Affairs professionals at the W
• Researched Mississippi IHL Freedom of Speech policies in order to draft a policy for the W

Reflections on Practice:

Fant Hall

The first thing I noticed about Mississippi University for Women (MUW or the W) was its beautiful and historic campus. The W is in the center of historic Columbus, MS and was established in 1884 as the first public women’s college in the U.S.. The historic architecture and large oak trees create a whimsical environment.

Source: http://www.8ball.co.uk/inspired-by-austin-powers-t-shirt-one-million-dollars

Like MSU, MUW has many buildings that have been deemed historic landmarks. While I considered this to be a bonus, Sirena explained to me that this is actually a current obstacle for the university. The building (Fant Hall) pictured here and its twin building (Peyton Hall) are both historic landmarks that cannot be torn down. These buildings are also residence halls that are too dangerous to house students. “But aren’t renovated buildings the coolest?! They’re beautiful but functional too!” It’s true. But renovating just one of these old buildings costs over 1 million dollars, a lofty sum for a smaller institution like the W. Until administration can decide how to afford the renovations, these buildings are left empty.

Source: http://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/CAVEMAN%20INVENTORY_49774

My supervisor, Sirena, is currently transitioning out of her role as the Director of Housing and into her new role as the Dean of Students, a newly created office. This means that her days are always different and busy with meetings for both housing and student affairs. She is passing the torch to a new Director of Housing while still giving the office and its staff advice about current and upcoming obstacles.

With that being said, my days shadowing her are full of varied tasks as well. My first day, we walked all around campus for an inventory audit. Since Sirena is no longer the Director of housing, she needed to audit and sign over her housing inventory (residence hall flat screen tvs, computers, etc…) to the new Director. This is a side of housing management that I had never considered before and was amazed to realize how much stuff is needed to equip a residence hall.

We walked through every residence hall on campus and scanned every tv, computer, large piece of furniture, and basically everything that costs over $1000. The residence halls were beautifully historic just like the center of campus. MUW isn’t scared of bright and happy wall colors and has done a beautiful job of restoring the inside of these halls.

Source: https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/231079/multiple-hats-how-will-you-switch-hats-and-how-often

One thing that I learned on this tour of campus is that with a smaller university comes a smaller staff. And a smaller staff means that people wear more hats. The staff member who conducted the audit with us, Margorie, manages inventory, conducts all inventory audits, helps with event sent ups, and does a job that MSU would have at least 4 people (and probably a graduate assistant) doing.

I noticed this same “multiple hat” pattern in student affairs as well. There is only one staff member for the Office of International Services, an office that employs 9 coordinators at MSU. This one man handles immigration paperwork, international student orientation, cultural activity planning, and student services for international students.

My final project at the W this week was researching best practices for creating a Freedom of Speech policy for the university. As the Dean of Students, Sirena is focused on creating necessary policies to protect the rights of students. She has asked me to research common practices and models used by other Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

I searched each IHL webpage and student handbook for 1st Amendment Policies or clauses and compiled a list. I also investigated the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) website to find information about Freedom of Speech on college campuses (FIRE, 2015).

Initially I was weary of this project. Policy writing, proposing, and enacting sound difficult and dull to me. But then I learned a lesson that Dr. Goldberg emphasises all the time. “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel!”

Now that I have all the IHL policies I can use them as a model for MUW’s policy.

Practice: Application of Course Reading


The thought of multiple hats, as mentioned above, led me to ask Sirena about the study abroad office. This “office” is really just one man who is also the Director of the Honors College. Dr. Thomas Velek, Director of the Honors College and Study Abroad Coordinator, coordinates the two annual programs offered by the W in addition to his directoral duties. I was not surprised to learn this. Often times the Honors College is the first arena of a university to offer study abroad programs. Because the Honors College has less to worry about in the way of student success and retention, they are often the first to embrace collaboration with student affairs offices and look for innovative ways for outside-of-classroom learning. This same collaborative idea is discussed in Amey and Reesor’s (2009) chapter “Collaboration with Academic Affairs and Faculty” in their book Beginning Your Journey. Indeed, international programs and study abroad is one of the offices with potential listed in this chapter. 
The book discusses the need for each office, one academic and one student affairs, to understand the culture of the other in order to successfully collaborate (Amey & Reesor, 2009, p.90). This can certainly be a hurtle for many distinctly different offices on campus. But, study abroad and honors colleges have a similar motivation and take on learning. These offices want their students to go above and beyond what is necessary for a degree. They both encourage critical thinking and outside of the classroom learning. These qualities are what I believe facilitates this natural collaboration.

Theory:

This week, perhaps because of the Learning Contract, I thought a lot about my professional competencies. I usually only think about the skills that I have and lack in terms of things that I need to build my resume. But the Learner Outcomes that fill up a page of every one of our syllabi are just as valuable of skills and resume builders than anything else.

Source: http://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/top-stories/2015/02/24/sjw2015-students-rights/

With this in mind, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work on this Freedom of Speech policy with Sirena because I would have never expected to do such work. This project maps perfectly onto learner outcome #21 : Advocate for policies, programs, and services that are equitable and responsive to the unique needs of postsecondary students.

The initial motivation behind creating this policy is a conflict that arose at the W last semester. Sirena informed me that students were chalking information that was offensive to some students but not all. The university, without a Freedom of Speech policy, did not know how to respond. With this in mind, my work in creating this policy will be both equitable and responsive to protecting the rights of students.

Throughout this policy planning process I have also enhanced my self-awareness (Learner Outcome #6). As I explained above, I always expected that I would hate working with policy in any way. But I have found that I have become passionate for the cause and highly motivated to create this policy proposal. Policy, in the end, is about students’ rights and safety. Yes, having a policy can be a “CYA” precaution for a University if need be. (That stands for Cover Your…. Butt for those of you who haven’t taken Dr. Goldberg’s career counseling course). But as long as I keep the students’ rights in mind, I find that the activity interests me more and more.

This week I have been working to develop a freedom of speech policy for the W. I have collected similar policies from other IHL universities and drafted a version for MUW. This work has made me consider student affairs and student policy in a new light. I always think about policy as a disciplinary measure and set of rules for students. But, at a public university, it can very much be about student rights as well. The idea of a university protecting a student's right to freedom of speech reminds me of the Student Personnel Point of View of 1949. (American Council on Education, 1949).

This document's first new goal was "Education for a fuller realization of democracy in every phase of living" (American Council on Education, 1949). This goal was a result of the shifting American mentality. WWII inspired American to become more patriotic and focused on the good of the group. As it so often does, the field of higher education followed the government's lead and began to encourage these same values in students. As a result, ACPA added these three new goals to the SPPV.
But what does this have to do with policy writing? As I mentioned previously, I have a new respect for the student rights that some universities protect. It would certainly be simpler to ban all unregistered demonstrations and prohibit aggravating and troublesome loudmouth students. But instead, the Dean of Students is promoting democracy and American rights by providing this policy.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of “E at the W”!

References

American Council on Education. (1949) The student personnel point of view. Washington, DC: Retrieved June 14, 2015, from http://www.myacpa.org/student-personnel-point-view-1949

Amey, M., & Reesor, L. (2009). Chapter 5 collaboration with academic affairs and faculty. In Beginning your journey: A guide for new professionals in student affairs (pp. 89-108). Washington, D.C.: National Association of Student Personnel Administration.  

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.thefire.org/

Health Promotion and Wellness: Emily Spenner (Week 1)

Activities:

• Discussed expectations and goals for the 100 hours of practicum
• Attended several staff and committee meetings
• Took a tour of the offices and met profession staff, interns, and current graduate student in the department
• Began organizing and recruiting participants for a student focus group and assessment
• Assisted professional staff members research promotional materials

Experiences:
I hit the ground running my first week of practicum. Dr. Yates and the professional staff members in the Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) department had several projects and assignments pre-assigned to me before I walked in door. During my first day I attended several meeting discussing what tasks and behaviors are expected of me during this internship opportunity. Among other smaller tasks and programs, I was given the large responsibly for picking up an assessment project for the department. HPW wanted several focus groups conducted this summer to understand the students perspective and opinion of health programs and wellness promotion on the Mississippi State campus. I immediately started brain storming a focus group participant recruitment game plan. The following days I created multiple flyers and informational handbills for the event. One day I set up a table in the Allen Hall lobby to make face to face contact with students in hopes to sign up participants for the focus group. Fortunately, I was able to sign up 20 students interested in participating and have been contacting them via email ever since.

I was very excited to find out an extra intern was needed and wanted in this department. All the professional staff members were thankful for my willingness to do take on office projects. So far, being in the HPW offices has been a positive, but slightly overwhelming experience.
Do not let the thankfulness jade you. This first week has worn me out. My biggest fear for this practicum experience is that I will disappoint my supervisors. So far the office has been great and willing to let me into their culture and profession. I am welcome at this office, but am afraid I will let them down. Health Promotion and Wellness is an intimidating work environment. Everyone has a purpose and a job to do. The other professional staff members and interns are extremely driven to do well and be well. If I am going to survive this office and practicum, I must step up my professional and personal game. I am looking forward to who I become at the end of this experience.

Application of Literature:
In chapter one of Beginning Your Journey one particular quote stood out to me. The quote read, "New Professionals will achieve the greatest success if they take time to learn from their colleges and use their own skills to complement, rather than compete with others."This quote rings true time and time again in my professional experiences so far. Before I could start with Health Promotion and Wellness, I needed to understand Mississippi State and why this department is significant to State's students. I also had to draw on past experience from my undergraduate education and reflect about the public health programs they faced and why it was important, while not comparing or glorifying my past institution. It is every new professional's goal to be successful. It is essential to draw upon past experiences for inspiration but keep having open mind for new exploration for understanding the Student Affairs field. This will make a smooth transition and a happy professional.
Looking back on my past year at a new institution I have learned to be proud of my past and to look toward my future. It will always be somewhat difficult to fully commit to the Mississippi State perceptive, especially in the realm health and wellness education.

Theory to Practice:
I am very  nervous and a little excited to be honing the ACPA/NASPA Competency of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (AER). AER is my weakest competency. In the past I have shied way from this student affairs arena because I am fearful of  the work. I feel assessment is a high stakes, high reward concept. It is terrifying to start, but bring wonderful insight at the end of the day.Thankfully, I am not alone in my focus group assignment for HPW. I have Brain Peace and my site supervisor, Dr. Yates, to advise and co-conduct this summer's assessment and focus group project. Both individuals are open to all my questions and being intentional to make this a hands on learning experience. Hopefully after this practicum I will have all the basic skills mastered, so I start identifying as intermediate in the AER competency.

Ryan Thomas – Week #1 – Center for America’s Veterans

Activities:

• Introduction to staff that was present and toured the center.
• Discussion of plans and tentative schedule for summer.
• Brought up to speed on the current issues facing the center and discussed the many projects currently in the works.

Reflection on practice:

This week I had my first meeting with the director of the Center for America’s Veterans, Ken McRae, and we discussed what I will be responsible for over the course of the summer.  Due to my other commitments, Mr. McRae has allowed me to backload the majority of my practicum experience and I will therefore only be in the center approximately 5 hours per week for the month of June.  I met with Mr. McRae on Friday the 12^th and we discussed a number of different issues facing the center and issues that I would be attempting to tackle.  A large portion of my efforts will be focused upon helping the center as they attempt to attain a number of different grants for various projects that they have.  Each of these projects are at various stages of completion and it will be very interesting to see what funding we are able to attain for each of them.  I was quite surprised to learn how much the center relies upon grants and private funding to function.  However, after our discussion I understood that Mr. McRae is someone who is attempting to break a lot of new ground regarding the student veteran population and he needs a larger budget to do so.  I am very excited for this experience as it will give me exposure to grant proposals and new program implementation, both of which I have no experience with.

Reflection on theory:

For linking what I experienced this week to theory I wanted focus a little on the history of student affairs, specifically the role of student veterans.  We discussed in our Intro to Student Affairs class that the development of our field was largely due to the influx of student veterans following the World War II.  I couldn’t help but to reflect upon this a little as I spoke with Mr. McRae.  It came to me during our discussion that student veterans birthed our field, but now are almost the forgotten population on many campuses.  That’s a big part of the reason why I professionally and personally really appreciate Mr. McRae’s and Mr. White’s efforts.  There aren’t many institutions which have a dedicated veteran office, let alone a staff of at least six individuals.  That in combination with some of the projects that the center has planned is very impressive.  I realized that this is an area that I can really see myself working in at some point in the future.  I also discussed with Mr. McRae what their current numbers looked like.  He mentioned that the number of actual veterans has decreased, but the number of dependents has increased.  Many of the projects that Mr. McRae laid out for me are focused upon meeting the needs of current veterans and are part of a focused effort to bring more of them on to Mississippi State’s campus.