The Student Affairs Collaborative

#SAChat Transcript — 2/07/13 — Maximizing Your #SASearch

Posted by The SA Team on 11 Feb 2013 / 0 Comment

Thanks to everyone who participated in our #SAchat focused on Maximizing Your #SASearch. This week’s topic produced 498 tweets from several student affairs professionals, graduate students and undergraduates interested or working in the Student Affairs field!

Full Transcript

View as a Google Document

What are some other topics you would like to see us cover? Please let us know your ideas and feedback to keep #sachat growing strong. Until next week, (if you haven’t already done so) please make sure to LIKE our Facebook Page. Thanks for your continued support!

Learning from Daisy

Posted by Chelsea OBrien on 11 Feb 2013 / 1 Comment

This is Daisy. She’s about 5, but we’re not sure because she’s a shelter dog. When she was surrendered, they left her with two dirty dishes and a skinned tennis ball. They didn’t leave any documentation or notes from her past. When I saw her at the shelter, she was in an outside run, covered in mud, and smelled so bad. I’m pretty sure my husband thought I was nuts when I said I wanted her. We’ve had her for three years now, and she keeps teaching me more and more about life.

She came to us fully trained, she knows the basic and fun commands, she’s crate trained, and doesn’t beg for food. Everyone she meets loves her. She’s epileptic, which we didn’t know when we adopted her, and when she seizes she loses consciousness. It’s terrible to watch, but after a few minutes, which can feel like hours, she’s back to her normal self. She’s allergic to grains and can’t process dairy, so she eats special food. She also has other random allergies. Because of her special needs she has to take pills, and she gets her ears cleaned regularly. She takes it all like a champ. We visit the vet so often, they know me and my animals as soon as I call. She loves going for walks, and bathing in the sunlight. She can be so funny that even after a really frustrating day, she brings a smile to my face. I’ll get home, distracted and ready to finish whatever needs to get done, and she’ll patiently wait for me to notice her, sitting with her ears perked up and tail wagging away.

She makes me think that those of us working in Higher Education should be more like her. Bad things can happen, budgets get cut, long hours are worked, and students can make bad decisions. But, there are still always good things. We can get our “treats” if we let ourselves look for good moments in the tough times. We get to watch students succeed, and really, what is better than that? The students who have so many questions, or walk into our offices frustrated, are empowered by the knowledge we can give them. We can open that door and let them have some sunlight.

We don’t always know a student’s background, where they came from, or what special needs they might have. As we find out about those identities, we can connect with them and help them find people and resources to allow them to flourish. Some might need extra help, but those can be the sweetest victories. Even the small connections, for example a student worker offering you a ride to the airport, is a precious treat.

What’s your favorite part of working with students? Have any of them surprised you with an insight or connection they’ve made?

FQ: #SAChat 1/31/13 — Setting Boundaries with Students

Posted by Julie Larsen on 06 Feb 2013 / 1 Comment

Here was the Final Question from our 1/31/13 #SAChat on Setting Boundaries shared by @JacobHelmeczi:

We asked Jason to respond to his own question:

I say either when the student has graduated and you both want to stay in touch or a change of position, depending on the change. I think if you get too close while still supervising you run the risk of others thinking your playing favorites, or the student begins asking or expecting more from the connection. I’ve had colleagues called at 3am by students needing rides from a party, or asking to get them out of trouble, and that is a dangerous place to be.

And here is what our #SAChat community had to say:

From Facebook:

“But I think there are occasions to relax a little, the end of the year as an example. As long as all the students you work with are invited to participate then it’s acceptable.” – Stacy Ploskonka

From our friends on Twitter:

@jacobhelmeczi @the_sa_blog sharing interests; crafts, movies, pets. Boundaries for me tumble quickly; I’m usually more open than I realize

— MSalvagno (@M_Salvagno) February 2, 2013

@the_sa_blog when I’m no longer their direct supervisor.

— Amanda Murphy (@Murphtacular) February 1, 2013

// <![CDATA[

@the_sa_blog @jacobhelmeczi often as soon as the 2nd or 3rd interaction. Easy for me to connect because I'm the same generation

— MSalvagno (@M_Salvagno) February 1, 2013

// ]]>

@the_sa_blog @jacobhelmeczi Once you have a grasp on their maturity and can establish a relationship founded on mutual respect.

— Brianne McDonough (@briannemcd) February 1, 2013

@the_sa_blog I don’t think there’s a point. I think it depends on the person’s comfort level.

— Mike Rokicki (@ResLifeisMyLife) February 1, 2013

.@the_sa_blog When they do quality work w/ minimal guidance, when I begin to see them more as my ally/partner than my project. #sachat

— Melissa Rocco (@MelRoc7) February 1, 2013

What would you add to the conversation? Let us know in the comments!

The Best of #SAchat Tweets – 2/6/13

Posted by The SA Team on 06 Feb 2013 / 0 Comment

Everyday the #sachat feed is full of great resources, professional musings, and important questions that have been posed to the community. Here is a highlight of some of the tweets from the stream during the last week. We know this list is only scratching the surface, but we hope it will encourage you to keep the conversation going. Chat on!

Do you think there are safe spaces in colleges/universities for women to discuss sex/sexuality? #SAchat

January 31, 2013 3:51 pm via TweetCaster for iOS ReplyRetweetFavorite

@Alexidelphia

Alexis George

#sachat anyone have examples of traditions that welcome new students to your community that really resonate on your campus?

January 31, 2013 3:33 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@eranger

Eric Jessup-Anger

What kinds of policies does your institution have in place to support pregnant/parenting students? #sachat #sagrad #research

January 30, 2013 12:24 pm via webReply RetweetFavorite

@kelly_burne

Kelly Burne

Do leaders create social movements or do social movements create leaders? Thoughts? #sachat #salead #leadership #socialchange

January 30, 2013 10:41 am via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@nestrada89

Nick Estrada

What are questions you hope to hear a candidate ask in an interview? #sachat

January 29, 2013 9:43 am via HootSuite ReplyRetweetFavorite

@J_Fantini

Jessica Fantini, MS

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” -John Cotton Dana @lmendersby #TEDxUTSC #sachat

February 2, 2013 10:49 am via webReply RetweetFavorite

@KateMcGK

Kate Kinsella

FQ: Do we really need sweeping boundaries or can we set them up and refine relationship as it goes along? #sachat

February 3, 2013 3:46 pm via TweetzScheduler ReplyRetweetFavorite

@mattbarnabeb

Matthew Barnabe

Why are so few people writing and publishing about student organization advising? Resources are so outdated… why? #sachat

February 3, 2013 2:32 pm via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@cindykane

Cindy Watkins Kane

How Do I know I Fit the Job Qualifications? by @kmccarthy8185 http://t.co/Gi1IKgyy #sachat #sagrad #sasearch

January 31, 2013 11:56 am via Tweet Button ReplyRetweetFavorite

@SAFirstYears

SA First Years

What does your campus do in the summer when space may open up? Check out this idea: http://t.co/qz5dZM2c via @samdavidson #sachat

January 31, 2013 11:00 am via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@JoeGinese

Joseph Ginese

Can’t wait to start reading this. #sachat http://t.co/Es9XcuSY

January 29, 2013 8:50 pm via Instagram ReplyRetweetFavorite

@jcarlinc

Jami C Campbell

Tuesday Tally: Conference Season

Posted by Erica Thompson on 05 Feb 2013 / 0 Comment

#SAChat Transcript — 1/31/13 — Setting Boundaries with Students

Posted by Julie Larsen on 01 Feb 2013 / 1 Comment

Thanks to everyone who participated in our #SAchat focused on Setting Boundaries with Students. This week’s topic produced 560 tweets from several student affairs professionals, graduate students and undergraduates interested or working in the Student Affairs field!

Full Transcript

View as a Google Document

Learning through the Pain: Developing from Crisis

Posted by Sylvester Gaskin on 30 Jan 2013 / 2 Comments

What’s the most difficult thing you learned in Oakland?

During a teambuilding activity, one of my colleagues asked me this question. It caught me off guard, but it was a very impactful question. After four years in an urban school district, with time spent as a tutor, teacher, and administrator, I learned many skills and life lessons. But, I really had to reflect upon the lesson that impacted me as a person and as an educational professional. So, I answered her with:

The reward for suffering is experience.

As student affairs professionals, we deal with a multitude of crises students will face. Issues like sexual assault, mental illness, alcoholism, abusive relationships, financial concerns, and cultural pressures are some of the things students bring to the table. Unfortunately, we may have (or already have) to deal with real threats of on-campus shootings and other acts of violence. It is a part of the culture we exist in, and being in a helping profession, we have a front seat to the world students are coming from.

Crisis flowchart

To explain my quote, I told my colleagues a story of a student I worked with during my graduate school assistantship. He was very intelligent, soft spoken, insightful, and creative. However, he was facing strong family pressure to move and study closer to home. He truly enjoyed his time on campus; he was involved in many leadership programs and was doing well academically. We talked often about the stress he was facing and the strategies he could use to manage his situation. It was the first time I was able to see the connection between theory and practice. It seemed that he was doing better and finding a path towards creating a future for himself and explaining his feelings to his family. Sadly, right after I graduated and moved to my first job, a friend called to tell me that he committed suicide during summer school. When I heard that news, it was an absolute shock to my system. It was the first time in my life I felt like an utter failure that I couldn’t help him, and I truly felt like I had abandoned him.

From that experience, I learned that I had to give myself grace and remember that despite my feelings, there was a family that was grieving a loss of its only son. I had to keep things in perspective; I did what I could, I provided him with the resources at my disposal, and I communicated through my chain of command what was happening. There are some situations I can’t solve, and I need to understand that. I had to allow myself to question, to grieve, and eventually move forward with his memory forever in my mind.

Those lessons were put to the test in Oakland, where I was dealing with students in gangs, writing child abuse reports, watching students get arrested in the middle of class and working with homeless families to secure stable housing. I wasn’t satisfied in saying “that’s not my problem”; I referred to outside partners and organizations that had the skills and knowledge to help. I would assist in follow through and guide people through paperwork and other arduous processes. And, I would continue dialogue with colleagues and friends who understood the stress and trauma I was enduring. Don’t get me wrong; these situations took an immense mental and physical toll on me (calling Child Protective Services to report abuse cases is something that will trouble me forever), but I had to remember that I can’t solve every situation. I can only do what I can, and I need to do what I can to the maximum.

In the transition back to student affairs, I found that my experiences in crisis situations has helped me become a better professional, and to some extent a better person. I have developed into a humanistic and resourceful professional, willing to work hard to help someone yet remember that I can’t solve every problem. It has taken going through some very traumatic situations to learn this, but there are lessons that can’t be learned from a textbook or cited in a journal article. It has been through these many challenges I feel that I am growing into the student affairs professional I hoped to become.