Student Affairs - the First Years

Helpful Résumé Tips and Summer Interview Tricks

2018-06-07T07:23:00.001-04:00

by Katie Yeaton

@kyeat29

As I reach my first-year mark out of grad school, I have been reflecting a lot on the job search process, particularly when I was interviewing last summer. My search started in March of 2017 and I was fortunate to be hired in August just in time for Resident Assistant (RA) training. I grew from my first application to my final interview within these five months, I also realized what was most important in my search. Somewhere along the way I became more comfortable with my “about me” responses and felt less like I was “selling” myself to get a job. With practice, I became more confident and my surface-level answers faded. I am writing these tips and tricks for everyone currently searching, those who know they will be in the future, and for those who want to pass along a few tips of encouragement for friends.

Résumé Tips

Include your most recent employment: Even if you are not working in higher education, include all of your recent employment and talk about some of the applicable skills you have gained. Customer service skills, organization, communication, listening, etc.; all of these skills are immensely valuable to your potential new role.
Brain-dump: If you have not already done so, create a résumé where you list out all of your job responsibilities. Before you apply for a particular position, tailor your descriptions to a shorter sample of bullet points that best relate your experience to your desired job.
Get Feedback: One of the aspects I played with before submitting my résumé was the format. Some of my layouts were simplistic and well-received, while others were too overwhelming. Before submitting your résumé (and cover letter) get feedback from at least three people. Multiple opinions may help you decipher what can help you (positively) stand out.

Interview Tricks

Bring your own water! It’s good to stay hydrated and this way you are not looking for water during lunch.
Lint roller: I remember having hair all over my jacket on my first interview and it was one of the most distracting things. Avoid the distraction, bring a small lint roller. :)
Comfortable & Professional: Especially in the summer, walking around a college campus in long sleeves, a suit, dress shoes or heels are going to be hot and potentially uncomfortable. Be practical, yet professional when selecting your on-campus interview outfit and be conscientious about the weather. (I always kept a pair of flip-flops in my car for after my interview.)

Good luck to all those still searching!

Learning through a different lens

2018-05-08T08:52:00.000-04:00

by Dylan Ruffra

@drcards

Over the past six months I have been a part of the Tunnel of Oppression committee on my campus. This is an event that many other colleges across the United States have put on their campus to bring awareness to the different oppression college students are going through. How it works is that there are few booths/ rooms in a close proximity that students go through. As students are walking to the different booths/rooms it is supposed to simulate a tunnel hence the name of the event Tunnel of Oppression. Some of the different types of oppression that our tunnel addressed were homelessness, mental health, LGBQT+, and women’s empowerment. It was amazing to see all the students come out this event and see their perspective and reflection.

Since I work in Housing and Residence Life I and another colleague sponsored the booth that simulated homelessness. On college campuses I think that this is one of the most unrecognized student populations. May people probably do not think about where their classmates are living. While being homeless does mean not having a home, we tried to get across that these have to worry about other things as well. These students have to think about where they can get their next meal, are going to have a warm shower and even where they can get clothes. To help symbolize homelessness we had two wooden pallets that were covered with cardboard, then layered with newspapers and some torn up blankets on top. Then around our booth we laid different plastic bags to symbolize trash and different reflection questions to get students thinking.

Once the students, had gone through the tunnel there were two different ways we had them reflect on what they had learn. We had a table that had different nonprofit organizations brochure from our city that students could pick up and learn about the various resources. We wanted students to have an outlet to put their energy once they have learned the different student populations. With the information about these organizations, there were also volunteer signup sheets, so they could help the organization as well. The other way we had students reflect is by writing impactful messages. We had a reflection table at the end of our tunnel where students could write supporting notes. The table was covered with two long sheets of butcher block paper where they could tear through the top piece and reflect on the second piece. This was to symbolize tearing through barriers and showing support for others. Many students were in support of the different populations they learned about.

Being on this committee was an impactful experience to see what the students took away from this event. It was exciting that as students were going through the tunnel they were able to critically think about oppression that others have. Students began to learn how they could advocate for others and their community. I always enjoy when students can take a moment and help their peers around them.

Spice It Up

2018-05-07T10:02:00.001-04:00

by Katie Yeaton-Hromada

@kyeat29

The stress of finals, graduation, and the end of the semester is here! With the academic year coming to a close, how are you de-stressing?

Last week some of my colleagues and I decided to ‘spice it up’ and compete in a Battle of the Chefs competition. Sodexo hosted as three teams went head-to-head in an Iron Chef-styled competition. With twenty minutes to select ingredients and ten minutes to decide on a dish, each team was then tasked with one hour to prepare an entrée incorporating the secret local ingredient, blueberries. Our mighty group of three collaboratively created a blueberry barbecue sauce chicken and rice dish with a small summer corn-salad. Wanting to fully use our blueberries, our group incorporated the fruit into every portion of our meal, including the blueberry lemonade. The small competition was judged by four students in the center of the dining hall. After sampling each meal and scoring the meal’s presentation, color, and taste on a scale of meh to amazing, our Residential Life team placed second.

For someone who has done fairly little cooking recently and who has little experience cooking meat, I was happy to step out of my comfort zone and do something fun on a Wednesday afternoon. Especially at this point in the semester when I feel I get sucked into the email-vortex and my schedule fills up with meetings, I appreciated the spiced-up to my schedule and I enjoyed seeing the other creative dishes prepared by our competitor teams.

As we enter into our last two weeks of the semester, I am writing this post as a friendly notice to you all to spice things up, change up your routine and step outside of your comfort zone. Doing something outside of your usual schedule that challenges you can help you destress and prioritize on what is most important.

Is Your Lunch Pail Full or Empty?

2018-03-30T10:34:00.003-04:00

by Jena Rock

@_jenarock

Remember when you were in grad school and you could barely find the time to have one meal a day let alone find the time to grocery shop so you could pack your own lunch? I remember members of my cohort ordering Jimmy Johns for delivery to the education building because they had 20 minutes of free time on some days which they used to make it to class on time. My response to those instances was typically a silent celebration to them for practicing self-care.

I am a huge advocate of not purchasing lunches from the food court of the student union (although it still may happen from time to time). My post-grad self gives me a pat on the back for taking the time to practice self-care in packing my own lunch; which has been almost every day. However, when I go home at the end of the day with a full lunch pail, I’ve realized that packing your lunch is not the act of self-care. Self-care is taking time to yourself during your day.

How many times have you gone home with a full lunch pail? The answer for me is one too many. My celebrations for self-care have changed in this new season of being a student affairs practitioner. Although an empty lunch pail isn’t the only indicator of good self-care; I want to make aware to anyone who needs to hear this: don’t’ forget to step away to take time to yourself. We are in a profession where we are giving so much of ourselves to others... we cannot forget to give to ourselves.

Take pride in knowing that you’ve taken the time for yourself in your busy crazy days. Take pride in going home with an empty lunch pail.

Duties Assigned.

2018-03-15T11:33:00.003-04:00

by Jena Rock

@_jenarock

No, this is not a typo. I did mean to leave out the word “as” in the title.

We all had to start somewhere on this adventurous rollercoaster ride that is student affairs. Bringing past experiences and successes in from previous institutions or roles is the nature of the game in this field; especially early on in our careers. It gives us credibility for the search committee to know that we can get the job done. Just as beneficial, after onboarding to your new role, is focusing on the duties you are responsible for. This might even mean throwing some of your past experiences and successes out the window.

Hear me out. The point I am highlighting here is the importance of knowing that a process of successfully implementing the duties assigned in one role is not necessarily the same process in another role. For example, let’s say in your new role you will assess learning outcomes. This is perfect! You have written survey questions from workshop curriculum that show the impact of your departments service which can be reported up to the VPSA as a universal language established from a division wide buy-in. In a new role/department/institution, there may not be a division-wide buy-in, or a universal language, or intentionally written workshop curriculum. So, this requires a whole new approach on what assessing learning outcomes truly looks like in this role.

In instances like these, I’ve learned (and continue practicing) the invaluable approach of going back to my job description as a guide to what is in my scope of influence. Leaning on the available resources that help me gain more information about local and national trends on the subject can help inform conversation within my scope of work. Trying to establish an institution-wide buy-in on the initiatives of our department is most-likely not a part of my job responsibilities in the first three months of my new role as a #SApro in their first years of the practice. Doing your assigned work #LikeABoss shows more capability than trying to do your bosses work.

Snowy’s Reminders

2018-03-14T10:36:00.004-04:00

by Katie Yeaton-Hromada

@kyeat29

Balancing your personal life, work, and academics can be hard. Sometimes it’s nice to have a few friendly reminders...meet Snowy! Snowy is my fur child and has some great philosophies on life.

Balancing the Workload:

Remember you are not alone as a student or professional! You can get that assignment or task off your back if you take a step back and breath. Your friends, colleagues, faculty, and classmates are there to support you in your endeavors!

Self-Care:

After rearranging your hutch--or working on housing assignments or your capstone, remember to give yourself self-care time. Eat your favorite hay, chew an apple branch, or lay down and listen to music. Do what makes you happy to recharge!

Be Authentic!

Be real honest with yourself. Take selfies and do things you enjoy, like eating carrots and licking phones.

Sleep is necessary!

Because beauty sleep is essential to looking this cute! Remember sleep is important for everyday function. Especially in Residential Life where you are up throughout the night on duty, remember to plan your sleep schedule and naps/early nights.

Get Excited!

It’s hard to keep up your enthusiasm, especially with class assignments, tough duty situations, and generally Mondays. Find something to get excited about everyday and take pride in it!

Getting students to become Student Leaders

2018-03-12T11:36:00.000-04:00

by Dylan Ruffra

@drcards

This weekend I presented at a leadership conference on campus, where students from different organizations, and majors came to learn different techniques on how to be a better leader. It impressed me how many students were willing to get up that early and give up most of their Saturday. When planning events on a college campus it can sometimes be a struggle to get students to come, especially on the weekends. The students who came got to learn from different presenters as well as network with other student leaders on campus. I led a session about the True Color leadership assessment and many students learned how they can use their color with other students.

During my presentation I talked to the students about it is important to be a leader who is involved on campus. For students who are involved they get to work with others that they would not normally get to meet. Being involved on campus also gives student the ability to learn outside the classroom. Students get to have a more enriched college experience when they can learn inside the classroom and learn outside the classroom in a nontraditional format. Students involved on campus get to learn from having an increased sense of responsibility and balancing all of their obligations.

While I was presenting I talked to the students about how they all have different communication styles. Not every student is going to communicate the same exact way. Some students like to verbally process every decision that are going to have to make while others jump in head first to things before even talking about it. You also have to realize that one student may want to have a one on one conversation, while others flourish talking to larger groups. This was really informing to the students I was presenting too; as I was talking they could see some of these qualities in themselves. The students also related to sometimes being willing to talk about is going on in their lives, but other students may be more closed off. The students started to realize that sometime they have to tailor how they communicate with those they are working with.

The last thing I tried to hit home with their leadership style was how they apply this working in a team setting. There are going to be many times they are going to have to work in teams to accomplish a goal weather that is inside or outside the classroom. What I tried to talk to these students about is how we can accommodate and comprise each other’s needs when we are working as a team. We learned that others value different things when in the team setting and others can have their stressors when in a group. In order to work best together we have to have our middle ground.

I think most students related to true colors assessment. They realized they have some qualities that they had not thought of before and how that related to their leadership style. We all sometimes need to remember the best way to work with our peers so it was good to give these tricks to the students.

Don’t Let Others Define Your Job Search

2018-02-27T08:25:00.000-05:00

by Jena Rock

@_jenarock

Ahh, February: a pivotal month in the lives of student affairs professionals. Numbers have been reported from fall’s initiatives. Final edits are being made on the upcoming fiscal year budgets before going in for approval. Graduate students enrolled in the final semester of their higher education programs are in the “home stretch” of their studies. This month is a season of pause and reflection on what you’ve accomplished/contributed as a #SApro and can also mean shaping next steps in your practice. For many, next steps might mean reaching for that promotion/new title and for others it might mean THE job search.

Fortunately, our line of work naturally creates ways to encourage constant dialogue to share job opportunities, provide support, and network. Job searching tends to be a common topic of interest for #SApros; especially when speaking to grad students who are about to complete their program and initiate their first job search. The conversation may go a bit like this:

Them: How’s the job search going?

Grad: It’s going well! I just started last month and there seems to be some opportunities I could see myself applying for.

Them: Well what area do you want to go into? Where do you see yourself working? Do you want to go large public or small private? Do you eventually want to be a Vice President of Student Affairs? … The list continues.

My approach as a career educator tends to not respond well to this type of approach in conversations related to the job search. You could get the title that you want at the school you want doing the exact programming that you’d hoped for, and still feel that there is something missing. My preference is to lead the conversation a bit more like this:

Them: How are you feeling about starting your job search?

Grad: Great! I’ve already started looking at jobs and have applied to a few in the last two weeks!

Them: I’m glad you’re feeling that you have a good handle on your job search! What experiences have you had in your current role that you’d like to continue beyond graduation? What lessons in your classes do you think you will be excited to bring up in your work as a student affairs professional? What moments have you felt that your work as a student affairs professional contributed to student development?

The truth is, whether you are conducting your first, third, or seventh job search, there are going to be others who will have questions for you that might feel as if they are putting you into a box. If you are in the mindset where you’re focus is on how others are defining your success as a #SApro, I encourage you to take a moment of pause to reflect on how YOU define success as a #SApro. You are the one who is going to be reporting to your boss every day, connecting with students on campus, and spending the hours that you spend on your job responsibilities. Create your own box. In fact, create your own penthouse and shine in your work because you love what YOU do!

WHY?: A CONTINUAL PROCESS

2018-02-08T12:42:00.001-05:00

by Katie Yeaton

@kyeat29

Hey y’all! Can you believe it? The Student Affairs First Years has been going for six years?Coincidentally, that is exactly how long I have been in the field. Starting as a wide-eyed, eager-to-get-involved first year undergrad to the professional I am today, a lot has changed, particularly my reason for doing this work each day. I initially got into the field because I wanted to help people. I loved how leadership, social justice, activism, education, and lifelong learning could be all packaged into one position. I enjoyed working with young adults early on and I found enjoyment in “motivating the middle”, including and inspiring people who had yet to consider themselves leaders. My overall mission to help others is why I entered the field; my reason to get up each day and do it well has changed.

If I had to limit my advice to one tidbit, I would encourage you to find your “why” and be understanding if it changes. I get up each day and decide I want to continue in Residential Life because it is one of the limited positions where I can help someone connect with financial aid and empower them to communicate more effectively with their roommate. I get up some days to help my Resident Assistants (RA) process through tricky situations and assist them in navigating a roommate mediation. I wake up some days to a duty call where I am able to help with a resident with a mental health concern. I sleep in some days to stay up late and assist with our Campus Activities Board with school dances and I get to see what amazing things a student team can accomplish. Some days are difficult as you never know what to expect in this field, but perhaps that’s what makes it exciting. My reason for getting up each day changes, but my mission and overarching goal remains the same. I choose to help people and, hopefully, I help make a positive impact on their lives so they build autonomy and confidence in themselves, ready to take on the world.

I once had an RA say, “in order to complain, someone needs to be coming from a point of privilege”. Any time I feel stressed or overwhelmed, this quote calms my nerves. I am extremely fortunate to work in this field, at my institution, with wonderful students. The work I do will hopefully inspire and create positive long-term impact on students’ lives. I choose to be happy each day and I remind myself that I am an intersectionality of multiple points of privilege. I have found reason to continue working in the field to help students access resources, continue school, and go beyond college. I am passionate about learning more and advocating for others who are not heard. I hope to continue finding inspiration in my everyday conversation with students and colleagues to progress in the field.

Find your WHY. Be accepting of yourself when it changes and be patient with yourself to know if you need a new experience--in a different department, school, or field. Remember each day is new and YOU have control. YOU can make it positive. YOU can make the difference in someone’s life, even though you may not know it at the time.

My overall advice for staying in the field: Write out your reason for going into student affairs. Be authentic and candid. Be real and transparent. Once you have your WHY, jot down all the positives of your job. When you think you’re down, set the paper down and return to it in a few days. Add what you missed or a special memory from that week. Let this be your vision board, let it remind you why you continue to do what you do. Continue to challenge yourself, add new experiences to the board and try new opportunities.

Surviving Grad School 101: Find Your Person

2018-02-02T07:04:00.001-05:00

By MaryLyn Silverstein
@MLsilver22
In season two of Grey’s Anatomy, there’s a moment between Christina Yang and Meredith Grey that establishes their forever friendship. Christina is talking about a doctor’s appointment she needed to make and in order to confirm her appointment, she had to designate an emergency contact person. In the middle of a bar, she very casually tells Meredith that she is her person.

This moment from Grey’s Anatomy always stuck with me. It was a vulnerable Christina Yang who caught my attention. She was focused, determined, and oftentimes cutthroat but even Christina Yang needed a designated person.

As I’ve survived a year and a half of graduate school, the best advice I can give to anyone entering their first semester is to find their person. No matter how big or small your graduate cohort is, finding your person is a necessity. Your person is the one that you call when you’re drowning in homework, had a difficult conversation with a student, and still have a hall council meeting to go to. Your person is the one that brings you a Big Mac with buffalo sauce when you’re crying in your office because of how stressed you are. Your person stays up late with you to quiz you on interview questions while watching cheesy Christmas movies.

Your person can be a fellow graduate student, a supervisor, or just a friend from classes. As long as your person supports you unconditionally, tells you when you are being irrational, and listens to you without trying to fix everything then they are qualified to fulfill this role.

During my graduate career, I have designated about three people as my emergency contact persons in Manhattan, Kansas. One is a dear friend who I latched on to as soon as I met her. Her name is Kandace and she is so full of life and laughter that she can always make me feel better regardless of the situation. Kandace reminds me that I am never alone, no matter how lonely I may feel. She hugs me when I need to be hugged and loves me for exactly who I am.

The next person that I designated as an emergency contact is Andrea. Andrea and I worked together in our first year of graduate school, and at the beginning of our career together, I went full Christina Yang on her. In my eyes, Andrea was seen as competition rather than a friend. As we continued to work together, we started to open up and talk about our life experiences and struggles. I soon realized that she and I worked better as a team than as competition. Andrea is someone who always listens. She uses silence against me, quietly waiting for me to crack open and share everything.The last person I am lucky enough to call my emergency contact is my current supervisor, Sam. Sam is supportive, genuine, and caring. She challenges me to be the best graduate student that I can be and pushes me to do what she knows makes me uncomfortable. She listens to everything I say, no matter how ridiculous and dramatic I am being. She lets me distract her from work and treats me as a teammate in managing our hall together.

Depending on the day and the situation, I call on one of my emergency contact persons and am never disappointed. The relationships that I established during graduate school are the reasons why I have managed to be successful. As you are beginning your career in graduate school, make sure to identify who will be your emergency contact person(s) and hang onto them for as long as you can.

Keeping Your Sanity within Student Affairs

2018-02-01T08:58:00.000-05:00

by Dylan Ruffra
@drcards

The beginning of this month marked half of the year of being a full-time professional in student affairs. I think why many of us are in this field is because we truly care about helping students and making sure they succeed. One of the biggest lessons I have been learning through my journey is that it is just as important to make sure I can succeed as well as the students. I often give as much as I can to the students and need to remember when to take time for myself. As I have been going through my journey I have started forming different strategies to help me from going insane.

One of the biggest things that has helped me is trying to find different professionals I can talk to when needed. For me, it has even helped when these professionals are working in a different office. Within my position, I have my core group of people that I can rely on. Whenever I need to ask for advice, vent about my frustrations or learn something new they are there to support me. A way that we try and support each other is by having a weekly lunch and talking about the different things that are going on in our lives. It is always good to have a listening ear.

I am a person who always likes to see new places and go do new things that I have never done before. It always helps me relieve my stress whenever I am able to get away from campus. My philosophy is that they give you vacation days for a reason; you might as well use them. I try and go on some sort of adventure at least every other month just so I can have time away from campus. To me, this does not have to be a costly adventure either. It can be as simple as a day of hiking off campus, visiting family or even going to visit a friend a from grad school. Having this time away really helps me take my mind off work and to have fun. I think this is one of the best ways for me to relieve stress.

The last way that I go about keeping my sanity is actually an idea I took from a co-worker, Self Care Sunday. Each Sunday I take three or four hours to myself and usually go off campus to a coffee shop and do some form of self-care or professional development thing. I really value and enjoy this time since I love coffee and it does give me time to be by myself and away from others. This also time I take to reflect on how my week has been and plan ahead for my week to come. This is something new that I have done since being a professional and it has really helped me start off the week great.

While I am still working on the best ways to be stress free in this field these are the things have helped me the most. It truly helps me even to just have a conversation with another friend and get to talk to them.

I am glad I am in this field and get to help students while I am helping myself grow as well.

I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman

2018-01-31T09:39:00.001-05:00

by Maggie Merryday
@maggie_merryday

Happy 6th Birthday SA First Years! When I started reflecting on where I am today, versus where I was when I started writing for this blog three years ago, this classic Britney circa 2002 masterpiece began playing in my head. When I started this journey three years ago, I was at my NODA Internship at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, beginning to start my third semester of graduate school. (Fun fact – two of my Orientation Leaders from that summer are getting married to each other in July!) I was very much immersed in the “newness” of it all, still learning a lot, and trying to figure out what the years ahead were going to look like.

My life has changed a lot in the last three years. I got engaged, accepted my first full-time position, got married, moved, and started all over again. Now that I’ve settled into a sense of normalcy, I’ve started thinking about what’s next. And the truth is, for the first time in my life, I truly don’t know what’s “next.”

Sure, three years ago I couldn’t see the future, but I felt pretty confident that a series of things would happen. I knew that I was going to marry my longtime boyfriend, I knew that I was going to graduate, and I knew I was going to look for a job in Fort Myers, FL because that’s where he was. Then, when my husband moved to Tampa shortly after our marriage, I knew that I was going to finish out the semester with my students at Florida Gulf Coast University, and start looking for a job in Tampa. And then, after I got that offer letter in April, I knew that I was going to start working at the University of South Florida in June of 2017.

Now, as I enter my second semester at USF, for the first time since my freshman year of college, I realize I’m going to be in the same place for the foreseeable future. I truly don’t know what my next move will be. I’m in this weird transition phase between “New Professional” and “Mid-Level Professional” – not a girl, not yet a woman. I’m still new to my job, new to USF, and learning new things every day, but I’m not in the same place as some of my entry-level peers. Am I ready for something more? When I think about it, it stresses me out, and I usually just start thinking about something else.

Like, what if in the next year, we buy a house? What if my dream job opens up at another institution? What if I decide to go back to school to pursue my Ph.D.? What if my husband decides to go back to school? What if I decide to pass on the “Assistant Director” title and apply for the title of “Mom” instead?

Oh man. Now I’m really overwhelmed.

When you’re a futuristic thinker like myself, it’s really easy to get caught up in the “what ifs.” I’m reminding myself to live in the present, and do the very best job that I can today, to ensure success for tomorrow; what will be, will be. As Britney says, “All I need is time. A moment that is mine, while I’m in between.”

Surviving Isn’t Easy, But It’s Worth It

2018-01-30T08:26:00.002-05:00

By Jenni Batchelder

@jenniwithanik

Hello SA First Years community! My name is Jenni and am one of the original writers for this amazing blog. I started writing during the final semester of my master's program and shared my experiences through my first student affairs job. Since then, I have gained experience in different areas of student affairs including career services, residence life, student activities, leadership, and new student orientation. This field has given me insight into four very different institutions, a variety of supervisors and co-workers, inspiring and challenging students, along with professional development opportunities. It is now my sixth year in the field and I am currently a first-year doctoral student at Florida State University studying higher education with a focus on student involvement and leadership development.

This week we are celebrating six years of this blog and I am celebrating my sixth year in the field and I have learned so much! There are many highs and lows involved in this field and as someone who has “survived” the first years, I have a little bit of advice. I’ll start with some of the difficult things first.

If I am honest, it hasn’t always been an easy experience, but I think that is important to know going into the field. As a student who had a great college development experience, you want to continue to inspire future students, but as a professional your role changes which will challenge you. You will be introduced to the politics of higher education which includes work environments, campus politics, and local/national politics. Masters programs do their best, but there is not really a class that teaches or prepares you for these situations. I recommend that when you are looking at institutions, really get a feel for the personality of the campus (beyond just reading their mission statements). Use your interview to understand how the staff works and who plays what role on the team. I know getting a job offer is exciting, but as a new professional, your job (especially in this field) becomes a large part of your life, so be sure the city, the staff, and the job is actually right for you! As for campus politics, you cannot get away from it. EVERY campus has it... meaning one staff likely doesn’t like another, there is always someone who is hard to work with, and you have to figure out the red tape around certain policies, but you can make your own decisions about them. Some staff may give you a heads up about other areas, and my advice is to check it out for yourself. I am a WOO, so I understand it comes more naturally for me, but I have simply asked some people to have lunch with me so I can get to know them and it has given me the opportunity to really get to know them and for them to get to know me. Follow up with your new colleagues and take an interest in their roles and what’s important to them and their interest in you (along with your partnerships) will follow.

Another difficult part of this field is that, in an ideal world, you want to work with all great students, but you will inevitably come across difficult students. Some students really need an advocate for “light” topics like homesickness to more difficult topics like racism, sexual assault, or DACA status concerns. Some students will disappoint you even if you thought they knew better. Other students will be difficult because they have different values or beliefs than you and, though you do not agree with them, you still want to fairly support them. For each of these situations, and many others, I would say stay optimistic, take each situation day by day, and learn. The optimism, for me, had to come first because it’s what brought me to the field. I want to believe that I can make a positive impact on all of my students even if the situation is difficult. With that said, remember to focus on the situation and not the person... they are separate! Good people can do bad things, but they can also learn from them. Take each situation day by day because... especially on difficult days, it’s really all you can do. If you have someone you can talk to, DO! Call or meet up with a friend from your master’s program, a co-worker, or a sibling/friend, or a mentor to talk through your situation (if FERPA doesn’t allow you to talk about specifics, you can still talk about how your difficult situation is making you feel. I also had a very supportive supervisor and Dean of Students who welcomed conversations and even late-night text messages (I was blessed). And of course, you want to learn from difficult students and situations. We learn, from our master’s programs, the importance of reflection and assessment and we have to remember to do this for ourselves as well. Take some time to think about what you think you did well and how you would do it differently if something like this happens again. I also recommend talking about these situations with a mentor if you can!

Then there are all the AMAZING things that happen in student affairs! There have been incredible students I have had the privilege of mentoring through their college development. I have guided students through many instances of self-doubt and celebrated many beautiful triumphs. I have now seen cohorts of students go from freshmen into the professional world and being able to advise and support them through job interviews, reference letters/calls, scholarship and graduate school applications, and general life celebrations have been tremendous. Students have been my drive and purpose; they help me to remember why I joined the field and they continue to inspire me to fight on their behalf as an administrator (even though it has me battling those politics I mentioned). Take time to celebrate! Your students need to celebrate their accomplishments and you can too, after all, you did have a little something to do with it!

Beyond the students, I have had the privilege to work with amazing colleagues. I have been inspired by supervisors and other student affairs professionals both on my campuses and by professionals from other institutions. I have many colleagues who I call friends (pic below) and look forward to seeing at conferences (since I don’t live near any of them anymore). I have even been able to mentor new professionals in the field through conferences, on my campuses, and through this blog which has also been rewarding!

In my experience, even though surviving the first years isn’t easy, each of these positive experiences has made the challenges of this field worth wild! If there are any new professionals who have any questions about surviving the first years, please don’t hesitate in reaching out via twitter or to our blog!

I wish you all the BEST as you begin the first years of this amazing field!

~Jenni with an “i”

@Jenniwithanik

Surviving 7 Years

2018-01-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

by Joshua Wilson

@jjwil325

During my first years as a student affairs professional, I had a fire to be a successful professional - although I was not always sure what that meant. Somedays it meant learning how to navigate institution politics and other days it was trying to find the best advising style with a student population different from my own experiences. In the first years, I found myself in small towns with small networks, far from home, and a desire to connect with other young professionals.

I survived my first seven years in the field by leaning on colleagues and friends.

In 2011, I attended a conference for which my hope was to engage with first-year professionals who had recently started their experiences. At this conference there were few opportunities to connect with first years in student affairs. With those who I did meet, I realized that we professionals were not prepared to have quality conversations regarding the first years’ experience. I found myself at sessions marketed toward new professionals that mostly talked about job search and with that disappointment I decided I wanted to create a blog to connect professionals and thus, Student Affairs – the First Years was born. It was not easy in the beginning. I went to Twitter and found professionals who were active users and pitched to them about the opportunities that went along with an experiential blog where they would share their real experiences. Their ACTUAL experiences in the field. Part of the reason I truly wanted to connect with young professionals is that I knew deep down that there were other professionals who felt alone in their experiences. I knew there were professionals who could benefit from our own stories and experiences in our first years. Running the Student Affairs – the First Years’ blog has been such an honor. We have featured nearly 1400 posts and nearly 100 unique contributors in our six years. Many of those writers have joined the leadership team and I certainly could not do it without these team members who have become lifelong friends.

I survived because I went with the flow and followed opportunities.

My undergraduate experience consisted of orientation, student programming and event planning, and the marching band. I fell in love with the idea of building students through my learned experiences. I was not supposed to find student affairs, it found me. Special shout out to my undergraduate advisors who forever inspired in my path to joining this field: Amy Gargus, James Buxton, Melissa Kougher, Jason Meier, Dr. Wittig. Ball State University was not supposed to be my graduate school choice. In fact, it was my last choice program but after interview day where I met faculty, future classmates, and future supervisors it would become my first choice. I was not supposed to have an assistantship in leadership, I wanted to work with programming. I had a better interview with the leadership unit and followed my gut. Thanks for taking a chance on me Mitch Isaacs. I did not receive a job through my TPE interviews. As graduation approached and I tried to keep my spirits high, I would have an unforeseen opportunity. After TPE, I chose to follow on Twitter one of the interviewers who did not advance me to an on-campus interview. That interviewer, Amy Geist, was someone who I thought was a cool professional. She would later inform me about another position within her office at the University of Notre Dame which I was fortunate to receive. Amy was not supposed to be my first supervisor, friend, and mentor. On January 23, 2012, the same day we launched this blog is the same day for which my family’s house in Alabama was destroyed by a tornado. I found myself that year wanting to be a little closer to home and make a little more money. You never know who is thinking of you. A person who I knew for a short time at Ball State encouraged me to apply for a job at the University of Florida (UF), which I accepted. My time at UF was also a transformational experience. There, I was able to supervise my first graduate students, find my professional swag, and build a dream community with the students I supervised and advised. Shout out to Brandy Burgess for letting me dream, grow, create, learn, and succeed. At some point, you know when you have achieved your growth and are ready for next level opportunities. It was a gut feeling but I followed those instincts which eventually led me to the University of South Florida. Change can certainly be scary and next level opportunities certainly come with learning opportunities. The common thread through all of my experiences was that I survived because I was willing to lean on others, trust my network, ask for guidance, and know that the right opportunities will always present themselves.

I survived because I refuse to lose my creativity.

Those who are closest to me know that ideation is one of my top strengths in StrengthsQuest. Infusing creativity and innovation into my leadership style has allowed for new initiatives, really cool events, and new opportunities to build community with my teams. I think there is something to be said about people who not only bring forth new ideas but see them to fruition. One quality that I enjoy most about myself is my ability to think creatively and bring some of those creations to life. I have been fortunate to work in offices that have allowed me to pursue some of those dreams. When I started at UF we had a team of students who were not customer service motivated. With the support of my supervisor, we brought innovative approaches to set new standards, teach effective customer service, and recruit more effectively. When I wanted to learn how to better manage the department website in my days at Notre Dame, it was the support of supervisors that I took HR website management classes. In undergrad I studied public relations and to this day I still find myself using those skills every day. At UF, my office oversaw one of the University’s programming boards. I realized that there was not an event that unified the board. I came up with the idea to try to break a record. After approaching the students and pitching it to them, it caught momentum. The idea turned into something much different but stronger than my original vision – the creation of a festival. It was amazing to see how my idea stirred creativity within the students. That has always been my greatest joy in this job. When our students succeed. I know I have succeeded.

I plan to continue my survival.

I am hearing about a lot of research where student affairs professionals are stepping into career opportunities outside of student affairs and higher education. We know in student affairs that the money is not great, the hours are long, and sometimes it is hard to move up within some institutions or departments. There is definitely an element of love for the student experience that keeps my energy high and heading to work each day. As a mid-level professional, I supervise professionals, graduate students, and undergraduate students. I moved from focusing on a few programs to a lot of programs and the challenge has been finding success across all of the programs I oversee. I find myself trying to bring to all of the programs the same energy I was able to bring when I oversaw just a few. My strategy has shifted. Instead of finding the success on my own, I have to be an expert in my area, share key strategies for success, hold team members accountable, and build a supportive community. Nevertheless, this is what I signed up for when I first joined the field. This is where I envisioned myself. It took a few years for me to get here, but I am enjoying the experience now that I am here. I certainly plan to give our team my all until we reach our goals. In the future, I do hope to be a director. I am not yet convinced I will step into a doctoral program or if a Dean or Vice-Presidential experience is my current dream. My plan for survival has not changed. I will continue to lean on colleagues and friends, go with the flow and follow opportunities, use creativity to move my team forward and to dream about my future in the field.

To the graduate students and the professionals in your first few years. I get it. Maybe you are trying different advising and supervision approaches. Maybe you are learning just how you want to be supervised. Some of you are learning what to pack for lunch and how not to spend money every day at the lunch hour. Anyone else trying to find a way to stay motivated to stay fit after long days in the office? How about those of you who are in small cities where your professional networks are small and you only dream about visiting other cities? These plus a thousand more are thoughts I have had during my first few years in the field. Use this blog as a resource. Use the search bar and search any topic. Trust me. Because this was forever our goal: to connect young professionals with the real experiences of first years’. If I can be a resource to any of you, let me know.

Best of luck in your student affairs pursuits.

Joshua Wilson

Director

Student Affairs – the First Years

P.s. We are always looking for writers. If you are interested in sharing your story, we would love to give you that opportunity. Fill out the following form at the below link and a team member will reach out to you.

http://www.studentaffairsfirstyears.com/p/contribute.html

My 2018 Challenge

2018-01-26T08:17:00.000-05:00

by Katie Yeaton

@kyeat29

Happy new year! We are almost one month into the year and spring semester is upon us Student Affairs folxs. Instead of setting a New Year’s resolution, I have created several challenges for myself to start to connect more with my new institution. One of the challenges I have faced moving to a place closer to where I grew up is how everyone knows someone I went to school with. (Seven degrees of separation is certainly real!) Moving to London and then Las Vegas, I enjoyed meeting new people and having a completely open experience I could develop completely on my own. Being an hour and a half away from where I grew up has presented me with some different challenges that I am still navigating; however, as apart of my 2018 ‘connect’ challenge, I am continuing to make a conscientious effort on self-care. So far, I have reached out about doing some baton clinics at my home studio, as well as some other local team studios. I also recently got back into hip hop at a local dance studio and I am thrilled to escape from college life for an hour. After taking hip hop classes for seven years, it feels natural to be back in a dance studio...if only my flexibility and memory would come back just as quick.

I hope everyone reading this takes my challenge to heart and considers ways to improve their own self-care. For me, this self-care involves connecting more with the community, beyond their college. To everyone in their first year of a new position and a new geographical location, I hope you too are finding ways to connect with the local area, not just your campus. I would love to hear your goals for 2018 and your ideas for improving self-care.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Training Season

2018-01-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

By MaryLyn Silverstein

@MLsilver22

The word “training” is typically followed by a long groan for many housing staff members. One training week bleeds right into the next and it feels as if we are in sessions forever. Administrative productivity is at an all-time low and emails begin to pile up. Training season can be a challenging time for some, but for me I love learning alongside my peers and my students. It is a change of scenery from my office space that oftentimes becomes cluttered with paperwork. Actively participating in training sessions stimulates reflection and goal planning for me. It provides me an opportunity to take a step back from my double computer screens and my office.

At Kansas State University, we recently just wrapped up our training season. We spent two full days in January together as Senior Staff to reflect on the previous semester and to plan for the upcoming semester. One session that I felt was particularly beneficial was a presentation on how to build and support the best staff teams. The presentation was focused on the mentality that the best companies and organizations are the ones with the best staff teams. It also focused on the idea that a supervisor cannot just lean on the same staff member to meet deadlines or fix a situation. The presentation encouraged me to reflect on how I supervise my Resident Assistants and Community Assistants. It made me think about who I typically call on in the time of need and if that was the same person rather than leaning on my entire team.

Another presentation at Senior Staff training that I found very valuable was an activity facilitated by a fellow graduate student. Each level of employees (graduate students, entry-level professionals, and the Leadership Team) were divided into different rooms to participate with coworkers of their same professional level. The activity required participants to stand in a circle. Each person shared a moment of shame that they experience in the previous year with the entire group. The activity was an opportunity for us fifteen graduate students to stop and connect with one another instead of being cornered off in our own functional areas. The vulnerability shared in that space was incredible. After sharing a moment of shame, we each shared an experience of celebration. Following the difficult times with a positive moment was uplifting. It was an activity I plan on utilizing in my future when I feel as though a staff team needs to come together and show compassion for one another.

Connecting with my fellow graduate students and pausing to learn how to better support my student staff were two positive experiences from Senior Staff training this winter. As soon as Senior Staff training ended, we moved directly into Student Staff training. Seeing my student staff return from winter break was an exciting experience. Each staff member had interesting stories to share from their time away from the building and they all appeared refreshed and ready to go.

For Student Staff training, I had the opportunity to present with a Resident Assistant and a representative from K-State’s Recreational Services on how to fit working out into a busy schedule. Exercising has always been a passion of mine so presenting to student staff on what I have found to be tips and tricks in this area was an incredible experience. The student staff who attended the two offered sessions asked many questions regarding how to eat healthy in the dining centers, what services are offered by the Rec, and what we personally do to stay motivated to exercise. For someone who has always feared presenting in front of groups, I found myself enjoying the presentation and feeling confident in my development in that area. The RA that I presented with was also a student staff member that I supervised in the previous year. Seeing her serve as a leader to her peers was a moment of pride for me. She was confident and knowledgeable in sharing her experiences.

Though training can be a tiring time, it can also be the best time for reflection and learning if the right mindset is taken. The next time you are stepping into a training session, whether it be semester training or an in-service, take it as an opportunity to step away from your email inbox in order to grow.

2018: My One Word

2018-01-18T08:42:00.001-05:00

by Brooke Wilson

@BrookeWilson_BW

My 2018 word of the year: Light. I've been tossing a few different words back and forth, seeing what sticks. Then I walk into my yoga studio for my first yoga class of 2018 and see the quote picture above: “As you journey inward, you reflect your light outward.” This was the word. Earlier today I Googled the definition of light just to humor myself, but I was instead reminded of the versatility and power of its meaning. In 2018, I will focus on receiving light and being light to myself and those around me. I will let Light be my guide in the darkness and do my best to be a soft, bright spot for others. I will seek to understand and make things visible. More known. Less hiding. I will soak up warmth and hope and extend its natural byproducts of love and gratitude. I will shine no matter my environment- all while illuminating and honoring the best in you. I will live with a cheerful, light-heart no matter the circumstances and when I fail at that, I will give myself grace and reignite joy through faith. For His yoke is easy and His burden light. I will practice letting go and pack lightly, shedding the unnecessary weight. For in the light I can see all the options and trust I'm on the right path. Light reveals the spaces we can fill and in 2018, I'll make expanding into them common practice, growing my heart and mind.

Have you set a goal, intention, word, or phrase for 2018? If not, take a moment and think about how you want to feel at the end of the year. Then, work backward. Wishing you love and light in 2018!

Outside Involvements

2018-01-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

by Lisa Hill

@lisa_hill22

One of my goals for the fall semester was to get involved in programs outside of my immediate office. I wanted to start my new job by creating a network and getting to know students from different areas of the student body. This goal required time and an openness to new experiences. I staffed a speaker event, attended a movie viewing and current events talk, and was a retreat facillator. I stayed late and worked on the weekends, but I met my goal and am grateful for my investments.

Many of my student leaders come from the same programs and backgrounds. They have been involved in the office for several years and are leaders in numerous of our programs. They are highly dedicated. I could easily continue working with these same students to fulfill my job requirements. If I took this option I would limit my understanding of the student body and my programs would suffer as a result. Programs will only reach a diverse group of students when they are implemented by a diverse group of student leaders.

I started the semester by volunteering to staff events through different offices. From speaking events to orientation tabling, I said yes as often as my calendar allowed. A highlight from the semester was the opportunity to be a facilitator for the Social Justice Retreat. The Retreat was an opportunity for students to engage in identity development work and design a plan to create change on campus. This opportunity served as professional and personal development as well as a chance to meet other professionals and students. While exhausting and time consuming, this three-day retreat was worth the investment. As I start the spring semester I am recommitting to my goal of engaging with the larger university and am excited for what is to come.

Consistency: My 2018 Word

2018-01-16T08:44:00.000-05:00

by MaryLyn Silverstein
@MLsilver22

I have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. Everything I have learned about SMART goals has deterred me away from creating one giant goal that will last the entirety of the year. For 2017 I created a short list of hopes that I had for the year and posted it on Facebook to try and make it official. I wrote that in 2017 I hoped to read more, run more, and drink more water. Overall, I feel that I ran more during the year though I fell short in the areas of reading more and drinking more water.

I am always motivated to start making a change at the beginning of the year but I am never consistent in making those changes. The new-year-high does not last past the month of January for me. As a second year graduate student entering a full-time job search, I know that my workload will only increase and my motivation to make change will dissipate. I will slowly fall back into my old habits and wait until the next new year to build up the inspiration again.

This year, I want it to be different. For 2018, I decided to pick a work to direct my year and to guide me during trying times. The word I picked was ‘consistency.’ As I consider the year, I hope to be consistent in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, in staying motivated academically, and in improving communication with my friends and family.

When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, I am already consistent at working out. I know what I like to do in the gym and I am motivated to work out four to five times a week. The areas I lack consistency are in drinking enough water every day and eating a healthy diet. I despise cooking (and the dishes that are always created in the wake of cooking). This leads me to eat in the dining center or to eat out with friends. If I do cook, it is usually Kraft Mac and Cheese or pizza rolls. For 2018, I hope to be consistent in making healthy choices in the dining center and finding healthy and easy recipes to cook for myself at home. I hope to be conscious of the choices that I am making in regards to food and drinks and grabbing more vegetables than pizza rolls.

During this fall semester, I could feel myself starting to exhibit signs of senioritis. My procrastination was at a new high that ended up creating unnecessary stress and late nights. For this spring semester, I will only be in two classes but I am required to study for my comprehensive exam. As I think about the big exam on March 30th, the one that determines if I will pass my graduate program, I feel anxiety and pressure to succeed. My goal is to be consistent in studying for my comprehensive exam by scheduling out study times on my Outlook calendar. The task is daunting but I know I just need to take the first step towards reviewing and getting into the habit of studying again. Consistency in studying will be key to limiting my stress and anxiety when the big day comes around.

One of the most difficult areas of consistency for me is in communication with friends and family. As the days get busier and I become more tired, I feel myself withdrawing back to my quiet apartment to recharge. Talking on the phone can sometimes feel like another task to cross of my to-do list rather than a valuable time to catch up, smile, and maintain relationships. Being consistent in communication will help me in seeking support from others and offering care in return. I hope to be more conscious of replying to text messages quickly and sending calls when I have free time.

With the start of 2018, I feel motivated to be consistent. As the year continues and my time becomes more scheduled, I know it will be difficult to stick to my 2018 word. I plan on doing my best and reflecting on this experience at the end of the year as I have never selected a word to define my year before.

Looking Back on One Word 2017: Forward

2017-12-22T09:19:00.004-05:00

by Olivia Miller

@olive9124

My first blog post of 2017 was dedicated to the word I chose to focus on for the year – forward. As I mentioned in my blog post, moving forward, progress and growth was what I wanted to focus on this year – moving forward in my career, moving forward in confidence within my job, moving forward in professional goals and moving forward in my personal life. Some goals were met, while others were not – which I also wrote was to be expected, but I am happy to write that I believe I have moved forward this year.

In 2017 I passed the 1st year mark as a #SAPro, and last month reached the 1 ½ mark. In this year I have gained confidence within my position both within my office, campus and professional organization. The goals I set for myself professionally have been met in some way, and will continue on into 2018. I submitted my first conference proposal, which was accepted and will present in February “Caring Too Much on Just Enough: Balancing Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Compassion Fatigue” at the AAA Conference. Getting involved within campus committees was another goal of mine and I was elected the AAA Communications Coordinator, and joined the AAA Conference Committee. My last professional goal was increased involvement in NACADA, my professional organization, and this is where I moved forward the most. I reviewed conference proposals for the annual conference, attended my commission and interest group meetings at the annual conference, volunteered at the annual conference, am wrapping a NACADA book review and was recently elected the Nebraska Liaison for Region 6. I am excited for the growth and progress I have made this year and am excited to see what 2018 holds for me professionally.

The personal goals I set for myself is where I faltered this year. I had two goals for 2017 – read at least 30 minutes a day and to work out at least 5 times a week. My reading goal was due to losing my love of reading in graduate school and was a way to minimize my screen time. While I have gotten behind a few times this year, I have kept up with this goal and am currently on my 25th book of the year. Reading has become fun again, and getting lost in my books has brought comfort and a wealth of knowledge. On the other hand, the workout goal was definitely not met. I completed two half-marathons, but fell short of working out 5 times a week – but sometimes goals are not met, and that is okay.

While this year had some bright spots and dark days, I did move forward and made progress. In January, I did not know what was in store for me (how could I?), and the same goes for 2018. A whole new year with new opportunities is right around the corner, and I cannot wait to see what happens!

How to survive student loans

2017-12-21T12:10:00.000-05:00

by Dylan Ruffra

@drcards

In the year 2017, finances play into a lot of decisions in the field of higher education. There are many students who dream of coming to college but then realize the financial burden that it is going to cost them. For most students to even think about coming to college they have to start taking out loans. While these loans help students get a quality education, there can sometimes be a harsh aftermath. This month marks the ending to my grace period since I graduated last May and I wanted to share some of the tips I have been learning to help prepare me for my loan payments.

While you may be enjoying your time not having a monthly loan payment, it will help you in the future if you can make some payments early. These payments do not have to be big; any amount will help you in the future. The amount you can pay before your monthly payments, can take away from all that interest you had been accruing. If you do decide to make early payments, it helps to try to give the most money to the loan that has the highest interest rather than across the board payments. The biggest benefit of this is that it can start to lower your monthly payments once they start.

I think one of the most important ways to care of your loan is to look for different services that can help you through your loan payments. There are many different financial aid services that will help you refinance the loans that you have. This means they often take in different personal factors and look at ways they can lower your interest rate. Another thing that has been helpful to me is different apps that help me save money for payments. One of the apps I use, rounds up different purchases then save that money for an additional payment each month.

It can be great to have a low monthly payment each month, but if you can pay a little extra it will help you in the long run. When you can pay a little extra it will help you pay off the loan sooner. For myself I would rather make bigger payments, for a shorter time then have to make small payments for a longer. This is a way you can help yourself in the future.

I am no way a financial expert, these are just some of the tips I have been learning. It is crazy to think that we don’t really think about our student loans until we have to start paying them. I wish when I was an undergraduate there was someone who made me start thinking about these. I think it is important students are educated about their loans before they graduate and have to start paying them.

Let’s See How Far We’ve Come

2017-12-20T14:57:00.001-05:00

by Katie Yeaton

@kyeat29

“Let’s see how far we’ve come…” now that I’ve put the Matchbox 20 song in your head, let’s talk about this semester.

We have come quite a ways from August when the academic year was first starting up. For me, this semester has been a learning experience. I started my first full-time position without taking any classes and I taught my first credit-bearing course. One of the most notable differences I have found this semester is how my time-management has changed. Instead of reading vigorously for grad classes and writing papers into the wee-hours of the morning after work, I now focus my energy on projects that can have a significant impact on the department and students’ campus life. I feel the research side of my life has calmed down while the practitioner side has picked up. As I continue into my career, I hope to balance the practitioner and researching sides of my life more equally, but until then I am happy gaining this student-focused experience. In place of papers and hours of required reading, I have spent my time blogging and focusing on some personal projects unrelated to my university position. I typically devote a few hours monthly to research projects and pick up a higher education related book weekly to keep myself engaged in the research-realm. Overall, I am enjoying my new found time-management and, even though I see myself added more research work into the mix, I am enjoying my time to work on personal projects.

For those who are wrapping up their first semester of their first full-job, what are some things you did not expect in your position?

For others training to balance their lives as practitioners/researchers, what are some tips you have to maintaining the balance? Especially doctoral students who are working full-time, what are some of your time-management tips?

Time for Motivation!

2017-12-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

by Jimmy Luckman
@JimmyLuckman

As we are approach the end of the semester, it is important to acknowledge that stress levels tend to increase, as operations are starting to close for the fall, while simultaneously preparing for what lies ahead in the spring semester. Although it is easy to get caught up in the checklist and looking forward to finally completing the semester; it is important to take the time to help motivate your fellow peers and student workers. This specific blog explores ways to help motivate student workers; however, this could also be applied to fellow co-workers within your department.

While the semester is coming to an end it is import to process that students workers are balancing demands that range from academics, job responsibilities, extracurricular activities, and additional tasks that could be potentially time consuming. As a profession, we should make sure that we take the time to value and appreciate the work and time students are putting into their position to ensure that the end of the semester tasks are completed efficiently. I recently just finished my undergraduate experience this past May, and I remember the long nights of being on call, handling incidents, while also writing final papers and studying for exams. Although the end of the semester were always personally difficult for me, I enjoyed it when my supervisors would go out of their way to encourage and motivate me. As I start to create and construct my own supervisory style, I know that I would like to make student works feel valued and motivated throughout the semester, by showing them gratitude.

The end of the semester can be a stressful, as students have finals while also making sure that they complete tasks assigned to them by their department. Many student affairs departments, function off the support and diligence by these student workers. Although we remind students of the work that they must complete, there can be times that we forget to remind them that their work is valued. Instead of waiting at the end of the semester to thank student workers for their dedication and hard work, we could make a conscious effort to show appreciate throughout the semester to help encourage and motivate them as they approach a rather challenging portion of the semester.

Currently I am a Graduate Assistant Residence Hall Direct (GARHD) for a first year building where I supervise a team of 12 resident assistants. Throughout the semester, I place different treats within their mailboxes and a handwritten note, which is where they pick up flyers to hang up within their halls. I typically choose a treat that corresponds to a pun, because that is my sense of humor and I would like to think that my team enjoys it. This semester I gave the following treats to the RAs:

Smarties: “Thanks for being such a smarty pants we Really Appreciate you!”
Life Savers: “Every riverboat needs a ReliAble lifesaver. Thanks for being here to welcome family and guests during Family weekend!” (Reilly Hall’s building mascot is the riverboat which helpful context to this pun).

Lessons from my first semester

2017-12-15T10:01:00.000-05:00

by Lisa Hilll
@lisa_hill22

I am nine workdays away from the end of my first semester at Towson University. I accepted my position just before the fourth of July and this weekend is the first snowfall of winter. My students are spending this snowy December weekend studying for finals and I am taking time reflecting on my first semester at TU.

My semester has been filled with more highs than lows. The job description is exactly what I hoped for; my coworkers are supportive and enjoy each other’s company; and the students motivate me to develop professionally. Mid semester I hit a low and felt as if I was wandering aimlessly, with no professional goals. View my earlier post, I Got the Job, Now What, for more on my mid semester challenges.

There were many times during the semester when I was proud of my work and felt that I was growing from a grad into my new role as a professional. I balanced multiple programs and organizations at the same time where as in grad school I was focused on one or two. At other points, I was dissatisfied with my performance and didn’t meet my own expectations. I hoped to spend more time and develop deeper relationships with the students in the residential learning community. I also wish that I offered a wider variety of programming.

I’ve been reminded by my current supervisor and by mentors that I am still in a new professional and it is ok to not be completely satisfied. My new office didn’t expect me to start working at the same level as the previous employee who had been in her role for nearly five years. It was expected that I would ask questions and to take time to get comfortable in my position. Five months later, I am still learning my new institution, programs, and responsibilities. What is more important at this point is to reflect upon the semester and make a plan to improve. What matters right now is that I don’t settle or get discouraged.

After a snowy weekend filled with hot beverages and even some reflection, I am motivated to make changes for next semester. I will use the last nine days of this semester as an opportunity to start obtaining my goals for the spring.

The Green Book

2017-12-13T11:53:00.002-05:00

by Jimmy Luckman

@JimmyLuckman

I first realized I wanted to go into student affairs and higher education when I was a sophomore, after having completed one summer of being an orientation leader as well as one semester of being a resident assistant. My interest in the field of student affairs occurred early in my academic journey, which gave me the time to explore and navigate the profession. I remember reaching out and asking several questions to various professionals, however a common trend that I noticed early on was not specifically in their responses however, it was a book that was located in almost every office. This constantly reappearing book was titled Student Development in College: Theory, Research and Practice. I vividly remember the appearance because it was green and had a flower on it. This green book was used throughout multiple master programs across the country as professionals that graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio, Syracuse University, Canisius College, Rutgers University, University of Buffalo, and Buffalo State all had this book on their bookshelf. Despite their various diverse backgrounds, this book was a pinnacle item that demonstrated their commitment to the field of student affairs.

I am taking the time to reflect on this experience because I have recently completed reading my own green book titled Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession. Throughout my first semester of graduate school I was assigned to read weekly chapters form the text and this past week I officially completed reading the entire book from front to back. The very last sentence of the book stated: “It is our sincere hope that there will be generations of student affairs professionals who will see the ‘green book’ as a powerful resource to assist them in their work in student affairs” (Schuh, Jones, & Torres, 2017 p. 564). I noticed this powerful resource when I first became interested in the field of student affairs because it had physical presence; however, I now value the book because of the content.

Throughout the semester, I constantly pushed myself to read, the entire book because I truly valued the information that each chapter had to offer. Whether it was reading about the history of student affairs, identity development, finances, assessment, or various essential competencies each chapter gave me new insight to reflect on as I start my academic journey into student affairs. Instead of placing the book on my shelf as an image that I have gone through an academic program only serving the purpose of valuing intellectual abilities or collecting dust, I can use this book, as a reference to address student needs. I can look back on the book, reflecting on what I highlighted in the past and what theories I can use in the present and future. The fact of the matter is simply caring about students cannot be the only purpose within student affairs. Instead, it has to expand beyond that, grasping ideas such as professionalism, cultural competencies, creating an inclusive environment, strategic planning, comprehending theory, and developing leadership skills.

Although it is, still early on, my career it is exciting to know that one day a student might come into my office and notice my own green book, and ask me questions about the profession. I have already place the book on my personal bookshelf in my apartment, placed proudly near my Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies books (which have not been effective since I still cannot cook or make vegetarian dishes). I am excited that one day I will be able to reference and showcase my graduate books that I read in order to better serve students and the community. I am also excited to see the impact that I am able to make within the profession. As I continue to expand my own knowledge and literature, I am interested to see where I can help the profession grow and develop as well. This green book has been present since the pique of interest in student affairs as an undergraduate student I am certain that it will remain present throughout my entire career within the profession of student affairs.

Schuh, J. H., Jones, S. R., & Torres, V. (2017) Student services: A handbook for the profession. 6th Edititon. Jossey-Brass a John Wiley & Sons Brand