In other news, I’m over the rain. I was over the rain before the Willamette Valley basically shut down on Friday due to flooding. I got caught in a cloudburst after walking into the drizzle this afternoon. Not my favorite thing.

I’m still in the midst of job applications and preparing for my defense. It looks like I will be defending on April 13th, so I have quite a bit of work to do between now and then. (On that note, please take a look at my drafts of my competency reflections. They’re not polished, but they’re up!)

I’ll be attending OWHE conference this Friday for the second time. I’m looking forward to hearing from colleagues in the state about what they’re doing and how they’re working with students in various capacities. I am hoping to make some connections with Portland-area schools, to learn more in-depth about how services are working in that particular urban area.

On that note, back to work I go. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Note: WordPress.com won’t let me add multiple instances of the tag “rain.”

• Project discussions for the remainder of the term and spring term continue. Details to come once I know more.
• Legal Issues (AHE 554) met for the first time yesterday. I’m pretty excited to delve into this topic, as it’s been years since I’ve been around law. For those who don’t know, I used to work at a courthouse as a file clerk. I got to see how part of the legal system worked, and so hopefully, that makes tackling legal issues from another angle a bit less intimidating. We’ll see. I’m hoping to learn more about issues surrounding technology (e.g., what happens when hate speech circulates on Twitter/email on a school’s end) as well as liability and risk management (specifically thinking about risk management for college and university cheer teams, including club-level squads, and related topics).
• Spirituality (AHE 599) is going to be excellent. I look forward to expanding my articulation about how I exist and what I believe, and how that can help students in their own personal journeys. I am also very pleased to share that my class will be holding a conversation with Dr. Alexander “Sandy” Astin! I had a chance to hear him and his wife speak at NASPA conference last year on the topic of spirituality, and I would say that was a key point in my student affairs career. Right now, I am working on developing a proposal with a colleague on how to use purpose and meaning (through talking spirituality, for instance) to support transition, whether that’s into/out of a two-year/four-year institution or into/out of graduate school or into the working world. There are many facets to explore.
• New Media Communications 101 is another course I am looking forward to. Yes, I am enrolled in a 101 class, but it’s directly applicable to my interests. As a big fan of social media, NMC 101 will talk about how to effectively create and deliver messages through various media–including comic books, social media outlets, etc. and so forth. We’ll be viewing The Matrix with a critical eye, looking at how techniques communicate certain messages, for example. My communication and rhetoric undergraduate self is leaping for joy. I am also using this as a chance to observe classroom techniques. One thing I’ve noticed is that the class section is only about 40 students large. According to our instructor, that’s down from a cap of around 70 from last term. Additionally, we spent a little bit texting our responses to a question to our professor yesterday. That might not seem significant, but having a professor say, “Please take out your phones and open your text messaging function,” is really, really cool! It allowed us to contribute somewhat anonymously–and yes, he did accommodate for those who may have to pay per text. Students will be able to submit through alternative methods to contribute to this body of knowledge.
• Salsa I! I love dancing. Apparently, so do other grad students, as a good percentage of my class is comprised of grad students from various disciplines. Happy to see others are looking for balance and also finding time to learn something outside of the “professionally practical.” I’m sure you could argue that social dance is practical, and I wouldn’t really stop you.
• Work is also going well. We had our first staff meeting of the term today. There was discussion about how to better support students in creating posters for their thesis projects. Currently, there are optional workshops available now and then. As I listened to the discussion, I recognized that skills I picked up at my internship in Wenatchee could apply to the situation. I suggested that we perhaps craft a few online presentations that utilize visual as well as audio instructions to assist students. I figure that allows some flexibility for busy seniors, as they can log on at their own convenience. It will also free up our resources as it would allow our staff to continue offering workshops as they can while also giving us some flexibility; presentations can also be used year after year (with updates!).
• I turned in another job application for the Portland area last night. I’m really hoping I at least get some nod of approval on this one because it would be a great fit for my personality and strengths. I have a few more positions to apply for during this long weekend. That said, if you’re so inclined, please put in a good word with the universe and any and all Supreme Beings.
• I am also in the process of starting to schedule my defense. Time flies.

Here’s one thing I recently recalled….

The scene: AP US History class, junior year of high school. One of our school’s guidance counselors has stopped by to talk about talking more AP classes during our senior year. I’m already in the process of looking into Running Start, a collaborative program allowing high school students to enroll in community college classes for both high school and college credit–for free. At some point, the counselor states that “it looks better to have AP credits” on your transcript as opposed to community college credits. I freak out. I challenge that, asking him wildly if that means I’m realistically going to be denied admission to a university because I chose to take a program that essentially guaranteed me a jump-start on the college environment and credits. I remember him saying something about how Ivy League schools would want to see AP credits versus Running Start. He moved on after providing me that answer, leaving me flustered and agitated.

Two things that bothered me about the situation: (a) I was only looking at public universities out of necessity; and (b) he was trying to tell us to spend an entire year learning a subject, and after that, we would have to pay almost $100 to take a test to prove we knew enough to maybe grant us college credit (and it was dependent on your university!).

What none of us could have known was this: (c) someday I would eventually grow up to be the young lady that wanted to stand up for community colleges, public education, and opportunities that make sense for the “common” student.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that situation was a catalyst. If anything, it was a nudge in the direction the universe was hoping for.

Now, I am an individual that could–if she truly wanted–probably make it into elite institutions. I hate saying things like that, but I can’t really hide the fact that I’ve always been involved, insightful, academically successful, and so forth and so on. It just happens that I’m some sort of middle class genius, raised by a father who spent his educational career in the public ranks.

My dad taught me that it doesn’t take elite institutions to cultivate the smartest or most successful students.

(Then what does it take?)

Genuine interest in the world. Interest in a broad selection of activities and passions. Time to contemplate, and time to act. Giving back to your community. Good friends. Valuing yourself. Valuing your family.

Who cares if I don’t have a degree from Harvard or Stanford on my wall? I’m proud to see the words “Western Washington University” on my diploma, proud to call myself a Viking.

What does it matter that my Master’s is from a land-grant (and sea-, space-, and sun-grant) institution? I’m proud to be an Oregon State University Beaver, the place where I learned to cut my teeth (no pun intended–okay, pun intended) as a student affairs professional.

And it’s worth it to dig up the extra transcript from my senior year of high school–the one that says “Wenatchee Valley College” to show that I took the initiative to attend college as a 17-year-old, to learn from classmates with experiences more diverse than I could conjure up, to immerse myself in a place where learning happens yet students and the community seem to take no pride.

Of course, given the economy, I will not be able to limit myself to only public institutions. I know that if I find myself at a private institution how I will be able to shift my energy, and that I will be able to support students that could–as I probably would have–feel as if they didn’t belong.

Maybe if my school counselor hadn’t stopped by, I still would have enrolled in Running Start. I probably would have been content, but I wonder if that agitation instilled a sentiment that was roughly around the lines of, “This educational opportunity matters, and I’ll be damned if people continue to discount it.” What if I had gone through Running Start, simply content with my decision to get free credits? Would I have been as inclined to take in the diversity of my classes? Would I have let the experience affect me the same way?

Who knows?

The most I can say right now is that this story is still writing itself. And every day, until the end of time, I know I will encounter beautiful butterflies–even if they’re in disguise.

I am not one of those people. After all, I was the lone “5″ in my AP US History class in 2003. (The scale was 1-5, for those unfamiliar, with “1″ being “No, sorry,” and “5″ being “You’re really quite competent and adept in this area of study!”) I’m fascinated with World War II. I considered majoring in history before deciding that my only real path was teaching the subject, and I didn’t want to lock myself in with that.

Luckily for me, history and foundations of higher education is a critical component for any good student affairs program. One cannot move forward without knowing where one has been before.

I think one of the coolest parts about learning about American higher education has been my ability to share the knowledge with others outside the field. Take for example a recent conversation I had with two friends. Both of them possess Master’s degrees in English. We were discussing the attitude difference in fans from Washington State University/University of Washington and Oregon State University/University of Oregon. One friend, native to Alabama, talked about how WSU played Auburn several years ago, and he was very impressed with the sportsmanship and dedication of WSU fans–even in the face of a loss.

I said that perhaps that lack of entitlement or elitism stems from the school’s land-grant background. My friends asked, “What?”

I then proceeded to talk about how in the 1860′s, legislation passed stating that states could receive benefits for opening colleges tailored to agriculture, mechanical, and technical sciences. The idea was based on setting up programs for the “common man.” Land-grant institutions tried to cast aside notions that advanced training was somehow reserved for only the privileged; remember that in our present-day struggles with cost of education.

Furthermore, we talked about how it’s funny in that strange way how science (and the STEM fields) are so valuable nowadays when, in the initial days of higher education, science was regarded as practically a joke. Now it seems it’s cool to hate on the liberal arts, when really, liberal arts is the historical foundation of higher education. Liberal arts and critical thinking are not disposable.

What I believe in is striking a balance between the practical and the critical. It’s akin to giving students a reason to wonder why they cherish the STEM field, and how their chosen industries or professions or journeys impact their own lives and the world around them. Science and the liberal arts are not mutually exclusive; similarly, I just read an essay by Albert Einstein about how science and religion/spirituality are not mutually exclusive.

If he can find a balance between those realms, I am confident I can help people find a balance between profession and meaning.

Now… do you understand why history and I get along so well?

One of my internship supervisors and colleagues–who also happens to be a CSSA graduate–told me that in every CSSA cohort, there emerges one or two “techies.” Apparently, in my cohort, I’m one of those (our other stand-out techie is someone who is logical and rational, not quite as off-the-walls bouncy and aloof as me–so naturally, I question this label I’ve gotten). I just happen to be a young woman that’s a social butterfly, and if that means connecting from the comfort of my room whilst on my laptop, so be it. There are so many people out there, and they have so much to say!

I suppose that’s why I’m a nerd for social media. It’s especially helpful that social media has played a large part in my sanity during a turbulent transition out of college, into the working world, and back into the academic zone.

Let’s look at a run-down of how social media and communication shaped and influenceds my student affairs grad career thus far:

• In 2007, a friend tells me about “this new website that’s kind of like… just Facebook statuses.” I get a Twitter account, post one update, and remain confused.
• Late in 2008, I begin a blog called “Word Whirl Too,” which will eventually be exported to a WordPress.com blog called “Trains & Sunsets.” Its intention is to log my professional growth and serve as an electronic career portfolio.
• 2008/2009, I slip into a valley of depression. I start questioning my choices about my industry and purpose in life. I begin using Twitter to connect with old friends and businesses, trying to distract myself from the poor choice in housing I made.
• Spring 2009, a local life coaching company follows me on Twitter. I take a look and an am inspired to rev up my efforts in finding my purpose in life. I have previously decided to investigate the world of “student affairs in higher education.” Luckily, I realize that there are several outstanding resources in SA, both in the blogosphere and on Twitter.
• At some point, I connect with an individual named Eric Stoller. He seems to be well-versed in the world of student affairs, as well as familiar with the Pacific Northwest. I start following his blog and Twitter account, connecting with more SA folks from there.
• I decide to commit to the student affairs graduate program search. I concentrate my search in the western United States. My former roommate jokes that I should look at Oregon State University for grad programs. A quick internet search shows that OSU is home to a Master’s program called “College Student Services Administration.” I panic because it’s the only program on my prospective schools list that requires professional experience. Eric tells me he’s CSSA alum.
• I start subscribing to SA blogs via RSS feeds (in Google Reader). Blogs of note include those focusing on international education/study abroad, women in higher education, and graduate students in student affairs. The list continues to grow into my initial ventures into my graduate program, and I eventually find myself focusing on topics like non-traditional and transfer students.
• I start using Twitter to connect with other prospective student affairs graduates. We exchange questions and stories about the application and interview processes. Most of us will end up at very different institutions, but we will continue to connect using the #sagrad hashtag. The #sagrad community is a great resource for support and collaboration, I soon find out.
• 2010 rolls around. I officially enroll as a Master’s candidate at Oregon State University. It doesn’t take long before I decide to convert my “career portfolio” personal blog into my capstone project for CSSA.
• Network, network, network. I connect with the #sachat community, a community made up of professionals and hopefuls (a.k.a., #sagrad, etc.), which carries out a weekly discussion via Twitter about issues in student affairs. Not only are there many perspectives shared, I am also exchanging ideas and thoughts with new professionals as well as seasoned professionals across the country and throughout the world. The communication major in me is thrilled as my own notions are consistently broadened and challenged.
• In 2011, I become a part of the HigherEdLive.com family as a production assistant and intern for Student Affairs Live. This show utilizes live webcasts, as well as conferencing software and Twitter, to deliver a show about issues in student affairs. Eric Stoller functions as the host, and I take a behind-the-scenes function, sending Tweets out throughout the show containing related links, comments, and questions. We use the #SAlive hashtag to facilitate a running conversation with Twitter followers concurrently with the show. The internship allows me the privilege of learning from others in the field while also exploring first-hand the power of social media’s information delivery systems.
• Additionally in 2011, I attend a “Tweet-up” (a.k.a., a meet-up for Twitter users) at the NASPA annual conference. I connect with several #sagrad members and professionals in real life–including making a memorable connection with Mamta Accapadi, who happens to be the Dean of Student Life here at OSU.
• I take on a role as the Technology Chair for NASPA’s International Education Knowledge Community. This allows me the chance to explore working with website design and updates. I translate this over to my Fall 2011 internship, learning how to edit pages using a different type of editor.
• Currently, I’m working via Google Docs with a colleague based out of the University of the Pacific to put together a conference proposal for the NASPA Western Regional 2012 conference. We initially “met” over the phone during CSSA interviews, then became Twitter pals. We have briefly met for only a few minutes on my last day at NASPA Western Regional 2011. The power of the Twitterverse compels you.

These are all reasons why I believe that social media is a powerful tool for student affairs professionals. While I am not at all discounting the value of traditional face-to-face networking, I find that using Twitter and other outlets has allowed me to vastly expand my network, my knowledge of relevant issues, my familiarity with the diversity of institutions which exist, and my ability to communicate via different media.

Additionally note: It’s not just all business! A lot of SA folks are into sharing music and decompressing using turntable.fm where people can play and share music.

SPLAC: Small Private Liberal Arts College (I don’t think this acronym is in heavy rotation, but what a shame.)

I spent Fall 2011 interning at Willamette University in Salem, OR. I spent one day a week over the quarter working in the Office of Student Activities, a centrally-located office housing administrators over-seeing various campus functions. OSA additionally functions as a hub for student interactions, with various student leaders coming in throughout the day to complete tasks, hold office hours, and generally catch up with each other.

One of my main goals with this internship was to gain a better understanding of the environment found at a small private university. My background in education has always been public, from K through grad school. My undergraduate university was mid-sized, with about 13,000 students total; my graduate institute currently enrolls about 24,000 students. By comparison, WU has about 2,800 students currently enrolled. How does a small population affect the campus atmosphere? I noticed that the smaller physical layout of campus allows staff, faculty, and students to pass familiar faces often. As a result, I observed folks carrying on conversations that would last several minutes when each party was simply walking to a class or a meeting or running some other errand. People know each other on WU’s campus, possibly from a combination of housing, small classes, programs and organizations, as well as seeing each other while passing through campus. This creates a comfortable atmosphere, and the campus culture seems to be very friendly and accommodating.

A concern I have for myself, in terms of functioning within a smaller campus population and environment, is that I seem to embrace a degree of anonymity. (In other words, I feel like I can flourish by breaking through the walls that students may perceive in certain organizations.)  My personality and goals seem to align well with community colleges and mid- to large-sized public universities; this is something that I have been hoping to determine since starting the CSSA program. I originally thought a smaller environment would suit me the best, but as a high school classmate said (who, incidentally, goes to WU), “It can be a bit cliquey, and ‘high school drama’ tends to manifest.” I can observe how that would be possible, and I am not sure that would fit well with where I am in personal development. However, I had a positive experience at WU and could very well adjust to the right small institution in the future; nothing is ruled out!

Another key piece in this internship was improving my familiarity with technology. Main components of the technology piece included the following: (a) updating and editing WU webpages; (b) using Prezi to develop a final document; and (c) navigating Google Docs in the context of higher education (since I am trained in Microsoft Office in previous work environments).Through my internship, I was able to learn how to use WU’s web editor, which helped me build upon my knowledge of editing websites. I have some previous experience through my position as the NASPA International Education Knowledge Community’s Technology Chair, and regularly update our site by using SavvyTools. In comparison to that software, WU’s editor is more user-friendly, and works across multiple platforms. Since I work off of a Mac primarily, I appreciate software that accounts for this and allows me to continue to be effective in my work. I am still in the process of identifying pieces of the WU OSA webpage that could use some touch-ups, and I hope to have those pieces complete by the time I depart for winter break.

I gauged which changes were necessary for the website by reviewing peer and aspirant institutions’ pages, as well as talking to students about what they would have liked to see. Overall, websites tend to list too much information, making it hard for students to find what they need. Items are sometimes in hard-to-find or non-intuitive locations. A hearty reorganization and paring-down effort is necessary to bring WU’s OSA page up-to-date; luckily, as I have often said, its interface is already light years ahead of some institutions’ pages–one of which was literally a big block of text without any hyperlinks or guidance.

The largest component of my internship was my assessment of student organization advising. My project focused around identifying best practices in advising student organizations, along with developing working documents in order to address existing areas of opportunity. The biggest divergence in advising student organizations at WU is found in whether or not an advisor oversees organizations as part of his or her job description. Advisors that have dedicated time for advising meet and/or communicate with students more often, find more scheduled time to attend and support events and activities, and overall express a calmer demeanor toward the advising functions. Advisors that do the job on a voluntary basis seem a bit more detached, although that is often due to the type of organization with which they are involved. However, what was consistent was a sentiment that there was not adequate time in advisors’ schedules to communicate and meet with students; their professional schedules, along with students’ class schedules, do not allow for time away from essential job functions.

One advisor who also is a faculty member suggested that WU re-evaluate requirements for tenure-track professionals. She stated that perhaps, given WU’s position as a liberal arts college, professors could be able to use advising a student organization as a type of fulfillment towards tenure. This would dually allow advisors more time to tend to advising needs, thereby allowing students more interaction and hopefully better support.

I am designing a Prezi to function as the focal point of administering a training session for advisors. Advisors, often times, are not up-to-date with materials, where things are located, or how to best communicate with their clubs. A Prezi allows advisors a fun and engaging way to get updated on advising, as it serves to deliver information in a way that is more dynamic than email. An electronic format, furthermore, allows flexibility; this is crucial since many advisors are already pressed for time with other job functions.

This has been a very good experience for a term. I have learned more about current technology, small colleges, advising, and assessment. I have been immersed in a new campus culture, and I am happy with the experience. I now have new perspectives to add to my personal skills. I envision that the ability to understand how to best support student organizations will allow me to be an effective and engaged advisor in the future.

It’s 2012, and I am committing to becoming the best version of myself yet. Last year was the toughest in a long downhill series, although it was packed with many remarkable and amazing moments. I’m perfectly aware that I could shrug off the weight of the past year’s (or years’, really) events without the clock striking midnight on January 1st. However, I believe in stories, and the switch of the calendars to 2012 was the symbolic gesture I needed.

I rang in the new year with several friends in downtown Seattle. We laughed and took pictures and shared bottles of champagne throughout the night. I kept several other friends in my thoughts, sending periodic texts to remind them that I wished them a happy new year–my way of saying, “Wish you were here.” Again, as recent trips to the “big city” have proven, I felt complete and incredibly alive.

Is there a way to transfer that into my every day life, though? Is there a way to stand tall while I wait to find out where I’ll end up in June?

I have made no resolutions, just commitments to improve my personal well-being. I started working out again, diving into Booty Barre one day and walking around Green Lake the next. I’m being much more conscious of what and how much I’m eating, and I’m hoping to cook for myself even more. That particular goal has been one for the past four years or so, and I believe that I’ve made definite progress. To set the right tone, I volunteered to cook chicken adobo for my friends on New Year’s Eve. It was a solid testament to the fact that I can cook, and that it doesn’t have to be a burden. I’m creative enough, and I enjoy my food enough that cooking should be an adventure of sorts. (This coming week should really be a challenge, as I’m going meat-free and primarily doing it without recipes. I envision a lot of odd sandwiches and grilled vegetables and beans.)

Other aspects I’m hoping to work on: making job searching a routine, connecting with out-of-town friends more often, attending more sporting events, dancing more, reading just-for-fun even more, budgeting, and generally being awesome.

In other words, I’m going to evolve myself. I’m going to continue working on goals I’ve set in the past, and I’m going to work on not letting things slide.

With that… my theme for 2012: Unstoppable.

Just one word this time around, but one word that reflects the fact that I continually grow and learn. I have met great challenges, and I am still here. I will become better than I am now.

I will be unstoppable.

* Started the second term of my graduate program
* Got mixed up in a frustrating fling at the beginning of the year
* Lost my dad in February
* Visited Colorado (namely, Colorado State University in Fort Collins)
* Decided to attend the national NASPA conference
* Blogged a lot
* Visited Guy Bestie in L.A. and got some much-needed sun
* Got really sick for about six weeks with some virus that kept me at about 60%
* Attended NASPA conference while sick but met a lot of really great people and reaffirmed my interest in student affairs
* Took up Tweeting for “Student Affairs Live”
* Received a scholarship!
* Watched The Naked and Famous in Portland, OR
* Saw Death Cab and Bright Eyes in Bend, OR
* Fell for a friend–harder than I had ever expected–and subsequently realized I am still damaged goods from failed 2010 relationships
* Started the summer with a one-month internship in Trinidad and Tobago!
* Spent the remainder of the summer internship with Wenatchee Valley College
* Traveled to SoCal again; fell in love with SoCal for the first time
* Attended a beautiful wedding in Port Orchard
* Blogged some more
* Attending a five-day music festival in Portland
* Battled with depression–and shrugged off my pride and utilized Counseling and Psychological services
* Started my final year of graduate school
* Took a ballet class for the first time since… I can’t remember
* Traveled to Seattle, Vegas, the Oregon Coast, Portland, etc.
* Was a bridesmaid in A Very Nestie Wedding–one of the most beautiful weddings I’d ever been a part of
* Attended NASPA Western Regional Conference in San Diego
* Took full advantage of winter break in Wenatchee, hanging with good friends and spending time with my family
* Traveled to Hawai’i with my mom for Christmas–our first time traveling together since I was little

Currently, I’m celebrating NYE in Seattle with my Nesties and Co. This has been a roller coaster year, and another in a series of about two or three really difficult years. I’m ready to recover in 2012 and make it a beautiful, happy year, full of growth and discovery.

I knew big things were in store in 2011.

I only have one resolution for the new year: I’m going to make 2012 unbelievable.

As such, I would like to apologize to several people who may be receiving “postage due” notices with their holiday greetings. In my haste to mail off as many cards as possible on the same day I wrote them, I stuck postcard postage on large postcards. I used all my quarters at the stamp machine in an ABC Store because the post office was closed, and I wanted to at least fire off a few greetings before calling it good.

When I went to mail the rest of my cards in the morning, the guy at the post office said, “All big cards?” then charged me for standard stamps.

…what? Crud.

So, I am sorry if your holiday card comes begging for change.

MY BAD.

Mele Kalikimaka, friends. Here’s to bumbling away the rest of 2011.