Cafe Victoria

“Commit to Completion”  “Honors in Action”  “5 Start Chapter”

These were just a few statements I heard last weekend in Seattle when I attended the Phi Theta Kappa International Conference. Let me tell ya, I was hooked! After 9 years in the student affairs field, this was my first time truly understanding what and how Phi Theta Kappa works. The organizers of this conference did an awesome job sending a wave of emotion through 4000 community college honors students from across the US empowering these student leaders to finish their A.A. or A.S., believe that they too can finish their Bachelors Degrees and to most important, bring their fellow college students along with them.

I realized in California Community College Student Affairs programs, majority of Phi Theta Kappa programs come out of the President’s Office and then directed to go under Instruction. Which might effect the connection that Student Life has with Phi Theta Kappa because majority of the time, Student Life is established under Student Services. Now, after attending the Phi Theta Kappa conference, I have a way better understanding, can see the similarities, and know now how we can best advocate for each other.

I encourage new and seasoned student affairs professionals that are advising Student Government and Student Activities programs to make a strong effort to attend a Phi Theta Kappa regional or international conference, or even ask to have coffee with the current Phi Theta Kappa advisors and ask them about how they are doing with their “5 Start Chapter Status attempt”. Take some time to learn about the 5 Star Chapter Status and how it all works. You will be surprised how you are both providing student engagement and could support each other to reach that 5 Start chapter status each year.

I’m coming up on 5 months at my new job. The work is very similar to what I was doing before : advising student government, developing club policies, in charge of time place and manner. However, I cannot help but want to learn something new. Here are a few things I am working on that I think could be great ways to bridge the Student Life/Student Services and Instruction Connection:

-Attending the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society International Conference as an observer
-Attend the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development Studies Instructor program this summer, with the intention to teach a leadership course as part of the Honors Program at Canada.

I recently received the book “The Power of Receiving” by Amanda Owen. As I started reading, I came across a section that got me thinking about how much we give of ourselves doing this amazing Student Affairs work. May it be processing Financial Aid applications, to team building exercises on a retreat, to handling discipline in the middle of the night, to coordinating the next big event. You name it, we are doing it! In all that we do, we give of ourselves. And sometimes, at the end of the day, or week or semester it can feel exhausting. I’m going on my 10th year and some days I still feel out of balance. I’m getting there though

In Owen’s first chapter of her book called “Attracting your goal”, she asks the question, ‘Why receive?”. She then shares with the reader words that describe “Receptive states” or an in other words, moments you are receiving rather than giving. She also shared words that are “Active states”, usually times when you are “giving”.

How many times to you see yourself doing the following “Active states/Giving” at work?
*Talking  *Multitasking  *Doing  *Building  *Judging
*Evaluating  *Informing  *Shaping  *Hiding  *Performing
(Owen, A. 2010, Penguin group, pg.31)

Now, ask yourself, how often to I experience “Receptive states/Receiving” at work?
*Meditating  *Allowing  *Listening  * Welcoming  *Letting go  *Watching
*Letting be  *Noticing  *Relaxing  *Accepting  *Embracing
(Owen, A. 2010, Penguin group, pg. 30)

Interesting, I’m now realizing that if I don’t allow some time to receive from my work in Student Affairs, I will miss out on the joy of it.

~On a side note, I think this process of thinking can work in any career field, including parenthood

Well, I’ve made it through my first month at my new job. In away, it feels more like my first month on a new campus. I’m excited that I get to do similar work in student affairs but this time I have a whole new campus to learn. And boy do I have a learning curve! The best part is now I feel more mature, and seen as an expert at student life. The campus has been very welcoming and very willing to show me as I learn how their software works, campus policies, etc. I really appreciate the chance to start over and try new things. I get to bring in ideas that I know have worked in the past and I also get to develop new ways of doing things. I am looking into building more partnerships with TRIO, EOPS and MESA students. I’m hoping they we can team up and use Student Life as a place for their leadership component and training needs. I maybe a veteran in the field, but this month I felt like a brand new advisor!

Lessons in Student Affairs

In the field of Student Affairs/ Student Services, one question you must always ask yourself is how important is it for you to change campuses? Or if changing campuses is not critical right now, how about changing departments? The reason why I bring up this question is this week will be my last at Napa Valley College. Since I finished my Masters, I’ve been asking myself how important is it that I stay at Napa and is that what I want when I look back 10 years or even 20 years from now. And in the end, that question was a huge motivator for me to look outside of Napa for work and the 1 hour commute one way I have now 😉

I knew in my heart that I wanted to experience more than Napa and that was okay. I encourage you too to think about that as you look ahead or even ponder the thought. Change can also help you refuel your passion for Student Affairs and daily energy it takes to work along side and advise college students. I’m going to miss a lot of people. I will miss the beautiful Napa Valley and my drives through the miles and miles of vines. I will miss the diverse students and their out of the blue ideas and positive energy. The best part though, is that when I look back, I will always have the experience of working at Napa Valley College.

With the full moon in the distance, I started the week accepting the position of Coordinator of Student Activities at Cañada College in Redwood City. It’s funny what a full moon can do. It has been nearly 9 years that I have been working at Napa Valley College. I waited until I told my students before I mentioned it to the rest of the campus. When you work in student affairs, you learn over the years how important your relationship is with the students you advise. In away, it is a sign of respect to tell your student government president and office staff before you make an announcement in their meeting or to the rest of the campus. Over the next few weeks I’ll share about the new opportunity and what it will mean for my family and me. But for now, I want to enjoy my last 2 weeks at Napa and the students I advise right now.

For many of us, the next few weeks are filled with graduations, transfer celebrations and student government elections. As one group of students leave us, another group will be arriving into our offices and classrooms before we know it. However, it is important to reflect on what we learned this past year. For me, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is “Not one student is special, but what they do can be special”. It is important that when students bring us challenges, new ideas, and positive changes, that we focus on how our response would help or hurt future students. At first, we might want to say “this is one student”, but the truth is, that student is not special and that is okay. Just keep in mind that how we respond is not special but putting future students in perspective.

What better way to market your college than to have your men’s basketball team end up in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, or Elite Eight. I remember when I was on National Student Exchange in 1997-1998 at Rhode Island College and I think it was Providence College or Rhode Island University made it into the Elite Eight. For the first time, those colleges were on the map! And my friends back at Sonoma State remembered that I was gone..and were like “is that where you are V”? Best advertising ever!

Matthias and I picks (random and researched):
Vic’s got Northern Iowa, Matthias has Michigan St.
V-got Tennesse, M-Ohio St.
V-Syracuse, M-Butler
V-Kansas St., M-Xavier
V-Cornell, M-Kentucky
V-West Virgina, M-Washington
V-Duke (wish is was Cal), M-Purdue
V-St Mary’s (Yay for the local team!), M-Baylor

Last week, I finished the additional course that was added to my graduate degree program. As I mention in my post of Sat. March 14, 2009, I had learned the graduate program I graduated from more than a year ago added one more course requirement and changed the degree to Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development. It originally was called Master of Education in College Student Affairs (CSA).  I made the choice to go ahead and take this additional course because at many community college campuses across CA, to be able to teach in their counseling division or apply to be a faculty member, applicants must have “counseling” in the degree. Which ended up being one of the reasons APU updated their Master of Education in College Student Affairs program. Now that I have completed the Career Counseling and Development, I believe that the following additional 12 units from APU’s past CSA program makes me and many other past graduates qualified to join counseling divisions. I strongly believe that Student Affairs professionals and Community College Counselors have a lot in common. We each share a common passion to be part of the support college students need to be successful both in and outside the classroom. Our training might be slightly different, but the focus towards the college experience is still there.

APU College Student Affairs/ now called Master of Science in College Counseling and Student Development Program Course Descriptions with Counseling Focus:

CSA 552: The Process of Adult Development (3 unit) Students study and critique selected human development theories relevant to the process of being and becoming an adult. An overview of models for translating theory to practice and assessment techniques to be applied to individuals, groups, and the environment is provided.

CSA 583: Counseling Issues and Practice (3 unit) Conflict, crisis, and dysfunctional behavior on the college campus are examined. Specific attention is given to the key issues relevant to culturally diverse student populations, including prejudice, substance abuse, promiscuity, suicide, cults, and eating disorders. An opportunity for the development of skills applicable to college student affairs roles is provided through laboratory experience/practice.

CSA 563: Counseling: The Helping Relationship (3 unit) This course includes an introduction to and overview of various theoretical approaches to the helping relationship and an examination of helping techniques (with culturally diverse populations) as applied through advising, crisis intervention, and consultation roles. Behavior development and change as an interpersonal process is addressed. Practice in role-playing situations involving various helping and human relations skills is included.

CSA 573: Career Counseling and Development (3)  This course provides a comprehensive review of career theory, as well as resources and techniques utilized in assisting individuals to make informed educational and career choices. An exploration of changing concepts of work and careers and their implications for career counseling are emphasized. A focus on the relationship of career to other issues of counseling and development is addressed.

CSA 562: Today’s College Students (3 unit) Students are provided with a review and analysis of the ecology of college students in contemporary American higher education. Student characteristics, subcultures, values, beliefs, lifestyles, and other critical variables are examined in relation to assessment methods and policy/program implications.

CSA 598: Special Topics: Strength Implementation in Higher Education (3 unit) This course will introduce a strengths-based philosophy and assessment tool for higher education. Applications of strengths-based philosophy for personal development, leadership, individual student development, student team development, and institutional culture change will be discussed. Students will develop curricula for strengths implementation into both the curriculum and co-curriculum.

Taken from: http://www.apu.edu/bas/csdol/studentdevelopment/courses/