By Maggie Merryday
@maggiesutton
Since
graduation, my cohort from my master’s program has maintained a Facebook group
to bounce ideas off of one another, keep each other updated, and have a little
comic relief as we navigate this first year as SA Pros together. Recently, as
the Fall semester came to a close, someone posed the question in the group:
"Sum up your first semester as an SA Pro in 10 words or
less..."
After
reading some of the comments from my peers, I decided that I didn't even need
10 words, but instead would quote one of the great lyricists of our time,
Taylor Swift, with this one simple sentence to sum it all up, "It's miserable
and magical. Also, marriage." (Taylor Swift didn't say that last bit, I
added it myself.)
If
we're being honest, I could not think of a truer statement to describe my first
semester. It's best if I start at the beginning so you can get the true picture
of what I mean...
I
got engaged to my now husband Labor Day week of my third semester of graduate
school. (See "SA Year 2: Is this what they meant by student engagement?)
At the time, my fiancé was living in Fort Myers, FL, while I was finishing up
my graduate work in Gainesville. When the job search process began, I
essentially had three institutions to choose from as potential places of employment.
While I made peace with my narrow options so that I could be closer to my
spouse, it was still stressful to watch my classmates jet all over the country
from interview after interview while I waited by the computer for the right job
to post in the right location.
That
opportunity came the weekend I was taking my comprehensive exams, Valentines
Day, when the entry-level job of my dreams was posted at Florida Gulf Coast
University.
It
was the only position that I even interviewed for - I just knew that it was the
right one for me. Yet still, here I was, putting all of my eggs in one basket
while my cohort was pondering whether to go to Hawaii or New York City.
The
afternoon of our Hooding Ceremony, just one day before graduation, I was
getting ready to walk into the ballroom for our celebration when I got the
call. I was offered got the job. I would be the new Coordinator for Student
Programming at FGCU, where I would advise the Programming Board
starting May 22. I sobbed into my fiance's arms because it meant that our
long distance was finally over - I cannot express to you in words what that
kind of joy feels like.
Even
though I was overjoyed to have received this opportunity, I was still very sad
to be departing my G.A. position. After all, I loved the program, worked so
well with my colleagues, and adored my students. I recall one of my students in
my office saying, through tears, "I just realized that next year I won't
be able to come here and talk to you whenever I need to." I was especially
sad to part from my then supervisor - whom I'm still happy to call my mentor
and friend. We had dubbed ourselves the #DreamTeam and had connected from day
one. I found myself on my last day still running around trying to complete
tasks when my supervisor said to me, "Maggie, it's time for you to go
now." I left the office fighting back tears, still trying to come to grips
with everything that was happening.  |
| Wedding Photo Credit: Photography by Ashley B. |
I
was welcomed with open arms at FGCU, where the position I was filling had been
vacant for the entire school year. My new supervisor and colleagues were
welcoming and supportive, showing me the ropes and helping me in my transition.
Life transitions were going on at home, too - my fiance and I went from seeing
each other once a month to every single day. Our mindset had to change from
"What do I want/need to do today" to "What do WE want/need to do
today."
Over
the summer, I met some of my Programming Board Executive Board members and made
all of these big plans - a late night programming series with its own logo, new
programming models, an inaugural Homecoming week, training surrounding the NACA
competencies, complex assessments that would make my graduate school professors
proud... I was so excited to have my very own Programming Board - we were going
to take this campus by storm!
Then,
we got to our first retreat that summer. And after I'd spent two hours going
over everything from interacting with the media to active shooter training,
when I asked if there were any questions, one of my executive board members
quietly raised her hand and said, "Can you go back to the very first
slide.... what is the 'Office of Student Involvement'?"
That's
when I realized, "Okay, those big dreams... they're going to have to wait.
We need to start from the beginning."
That
rebuilding process essentially consumed our first semester together. We let go
of two directors (I had never fired a student worker before and the process was
miserable), updated the constitution, and worked on getting through basic event
planning skills and processes. It seemed like sometimes we would take one step
forward, and then two steps back. Meanwhile, attendance was down at everyone's
events - not just the Programming Board. Attendance was down across campus
departments and moral was low. I had a group with four students that were
members in the same fraternity and two students that were in the same sorority,
and it seemed like the others were constantly getting left out. One of my
strongest student leaders was already talking about pursuing opportunities with
Housing and Residence Life next year. The Director of Promotions didn't know
the basics of graphic designs, so marketing was a slow process for the events.
Sometimes posters were not posted around campus until days before the event. It
seemed like the problems that needed fixing were overwhelming and impossible to
tackle all at once.
We
started little by little, just trying to get through one day at a time. I found
support in my Graduate Assistant, who had served on the Programming Board the
previous year and had more knowledge of PB's history at FGCU. My supervisor has
also been incredibly supportive - she always has my back when I make decisions
or want to try something new. I found comic relief in the funny things my
students said and did - like listening to one of my tough fraternity guys
gushing over how much he loved his pet bunny, "Bunny."
On
January 26, we had one of our tradition events, "Casino Night." It
was a late night, with the event lasting from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00
a.m. It seems that we are finally starting to get over some of our usual
issues - the marketing went out on time, the director had plenty of help for
set up and take down, and everyone stayed positive and worked hard throughout
the event. Best of all, at the end of the night, when we were waiting for the
vendors to tear down, no one once complained about how late it was or asked to
leave. Instead, we all sat in a circle and chatted about our week, laughing and
talking with one another. In that moment, I was so proud. So proud of them and
how far they have come thus far. It made the past eight months of reform
completely worth it.
Looking
ahead to 2017, we're still going to put some of those "Big Dreams" in
place. FGCU will have its inaugural Homecoming, Feb. 6-11. The programming
board is heavily involved in the planning and execution of this week of events.
It's not going to be easy, but I know that we're ready. Then it will be time to
finish out the semester strong with our spring concert, train the new executive
board, and say goodbye to our seniors. I know that there will be more
"miserable and magical" moments ahead, but I can't wait to see what
this next semester will have in store.
Sincerely,
Maggie
Merryday
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