Cafe Victoria

I’ve been on maternity leave for 2 1/2 weeks now. My first real break from work in a really long time. I’ve done a pretty good job of not responding to work emails. I check my work email maybe every other day to clean out junk email. I think once the baby comes, I will find myself having no time to even think about checking it. However, what I am realizing about myself is how important my friendships and feeling connected to people is to me. My job in the field of student affairs naturally has me connect with people all day. For years, my days were filled with daily student interaction, meetings, and checking in with other staff at lunch time. I also do work that has me connect groups of people to each other. Now, my daily interaction is with people in my yoga class, at a local restaurant, grocery store, etc. I have this desire to start a mini mom’s group/club from the women and men in our weekly labor classes. Something, I would totally encourage if I was leading the class.

I am scheduled to return to work June 1. I will keep you posted on how I make the transition into motherhood and how I start to see my career in my life. Right now, I see becoming a mom as an extension of myself, kind of the same way I see my work in student affairs. It will be fun to see how many mom groups I connect with. I hope at least one. I’m also interested in how I will view myself and work down the road.

As president and member of the California Community College Student Affairs Association (CCCSAA), I have noticed a very hot topic that has come up on our Email List Serve. There have been a lot of questions and responses around what is the role of student government advisors, what can campuses do when the administration is talking about cutting student life programs as part of the budget cuts, and what will be the future of student affairs on community college campuses.

To help bring awareness about the importance of student life programs, especially on community college campuses and to help advisors advocate more for their programs, the CCCSAA board decided to bring back a document that was developed in 1994 at our Annual Professional Conference. The document is called the California Community College Student Affairs Association Statement of Professional Standards and Competences. The document provides professional standards and competencies for student affairs professionals on community college campuses. The professional standards and competences address management, supervision, and professional development, along with student development and student relationships. The document also includes Student Affairs/Activities minimum standards for hiring Student Affairs/Activities Personnel.

I encourage all student affairs professionals and managers to visit www.cccsaa.org, click on resources to download a copy of the CCCSAA Statement of Professional Standards and Competences. It is an excellent resource. There is a link off my website under Links.

Lately at work, my maternity leave is constantly on my mind. It is is hard to stay in the moment at work. In the back of my mind I keep thinking about what I will need to train my replacement in, all while wanting to enjoy the time I have with my students and this great work we all do. This maternity leave will be my first break from student affairs work in 8 years. I know it will be really good for me. I imagine this break could bring me some new insight in the field and into myself.

A few weeks ago, Time Magazine printed a great cover story about the future of work. They pretty much shared the hard truths generation x will be facing now that the baby boomers are retiring. I’ve started to look at it as this huge amount of people, (my parents and their friends), leaving the workforce for my generation (a small but very educated and smart group of people) to step up. Think about it, the one postive thing to the baby boomers retiring is there will be jobs to fill but there also will be jobs not filled and that is okay. We have to remember, the baby boomers were a huge generation! Many came from large families. When I was in high school, there were very few families who had more then 2 kids. For now, we might be okay.

Now, imagine 10 years down the road (I will be 42). Here are highlights from Time’s cover story and what they predict work will be like:
1. Job growth will happen in places like Texas, New Mexico, Georgia.
2. The top jobs predicted to grow the most by 2016 will be retail salespersons, registered nurses, post secondary teachers (yeah for me!) and personal-home care aides.
3. MBA graduates will be more honest and have integrity in business.
4. Benefits, what benefits? Time reported that “57% employers who say they have stopped offering a traditional pension plan-or are considering it.” Colleges might want to seriously looking to add Personal Financial Management courses as part of their General Education.
5. Flexible work schedules! Time reported that “80% segment of employees who would want to work flexibility if it didn’t harm their careers.”
6. Some baby boomers might still be working. Time addressed the fact that large amounts of retirement money was in U.S. Savings (which are down), and many thought they saved enough, but they didn’t. So, for those us ready to move up the career later..we will have to wait a few more years.
7. Women will be leading. Time reported that in 10 years, there will be an 8% of growth of women in the workforce.
8. Going green will save the planet and for many us, save our careers. Time found that 2.5 million estimated jobs will be green jobs.
9. Are you ready to work for yourself? Time preditcts 40% of the workforce will be Indendant Contractors. Wow, that is a large number.
10. Ohh, while you are working for yourself, you will most likely be telecommunting.
-Time Magazine, May 25, 2009. Cover Story, The Future of Work. Click here to read the complete article.

At the end of each school year, I have my student government officers complete an online survey asking them to share what they learned and what advice they would give to the next board. Out of 23 students, 11responded. Here is the results of 2 of the questions:

What did you learn while being part of ASB
1     everyone has something to offer
2     how to be more involved in shared governance.
3     leadership
4     I learned about Robert’s Rules and the structure of formal meetings. I also learned the effectively of students in creating a government for other fellow students.
5     That sometimes good work get’s interrupted by bad behavior
6     I learned how to work better as a group, how to use your resources, and how to help others other.
7     that there is more i can do for the students i represented
8     Once we can set aside all of the differences, ASB can be a great team and we help the community and look out for the students.
9     Being a leader requires a lot of patience and understanding not only on my part but also the entire board as a whole.
10     That I have a greater potential. College student government has a purpose. People can be too emotional about politics
11     I learned what it takes to hold a successful event on campus.

What advice would you give to the incoming board?
1     give thanks as often as you can
2     To keep emotion out of the board room and to approach this with a business like attitude.
3     listening to each other
4     Be respectful. Always listen to what others have to say and give them a chance to speak.
5     keep up the good work and always put students first before personal adgendas
6     Use ASB to it’s fullest potential, use the resources, the friendships, and the time you have in the office and working with the people and the students to better benefit yourself as well as others around you and on campus.
7     i wish them luck i think they will need it. they have alot going against this year lossing so many key members that many respected.
8     Learn to communicate to one another. Don’t have a secret agenda. Live life. It’s not me against you, we are all here for the same reason, representing the students.
9     Be open to the advice your fellow board members have no matter how much you agree. Hear everyone out and dont jump to conclusions. Make your decisions not solely on your own ideals but also based on the students you represent. Do not follow people on making decisions just because everyone agrees, but make your own decision based on what you believe is right. Be bold, be truthful, and most of all remember you aren’t just representing yourself, but your representing the campus.
10     Learn about procedure early on. Enjoy what you do,but do your job
11     Remember your duty is to represent the students and not to represent your own interests.

I recently was at the Community College Student Senate General Assembly in San Diego. During the Advisors reception, I asked everyone to describe this year of advising student government in one word. For me, my word was “new”. I’ve been advising community college student government boards for 7 years and as I come up to our last board meeting, I feel like this was my first year. In a way, that is great. Because the reality is ever student government is their own group. As the board changes, so does the advising. I’m learning that with Student Affairs, there is always something to learn, something to change and something to keep.
I learned- before I ask a board member to sign a contract about conduct, I need to ask them how they prefer to solve conflicts.
I would change- by putting my student workers first.
I would keep- taking my full lunch break, going to yoga, and checking in with my boss.

A new week starts tomorrow. In the world of Student Affairs, there most likely is a student event happening (for me, it is Day of Silence as well as the dunk tank at the MESA Fair), commitee meetings (I think I saw an email for a text book advisory committee I am part of), and the reality that the final weeks of the semester are fast approaching (5 weeks until finals). Recently, I have been asking the unverse for some sort of balance from the overwheming problem solving I’ve been doing at work. I am happy to say I finally feel a sense of balance. Working on a college campus, I can easly fill my days with advising students and thinking of creative ways to better serve, connect, and educate them. But now, I realize I am a better advisor when I can leave campus heading off to do something completly different.  I feel strong what I do yoga, finish a very long hike with my husband, call a friend. I feel balanced.

This semester I am observing Marci Sanchez’s Tuesday/Thursday 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Counseling 98: Learning Community Experience/Community College Experience. The Counseling College Success course is paired up with English 85 as part of the English Learning Communities. The ELC program has had excellent retention rates and has done my favorite student affairs thing; built community for those students. I decided to make time in my schedule this spring to observe because I learned over winter break that the graduate program I was part of less 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 am scheduled to take the additional course in summer of 2009.

During my time researching and writing about the field of student affairs, I discovered that I also have a passion to engage students about the college experience at the classroom level as well. I’ve really enjoyed sitting in her class. I hope down the road I can be part of the ELC teaching community or teach one of many counseling college success courses colleges offer.  I think understanding more of the faculty site of the house will make me a better college leader and advsor to students.

Since being part of Marci’s class I have learned:

• what needs to be in a syllabus such as information on learning accommodations, attendance policy, late work policy and grade chart.
• how to use Career /Personality assessments such as CareerDimension.com and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI)
• how to write class objectives and be flexable at the same time.
• teaching “College Success” really comes down to helping students understand why they are in college in the first place and helping them to over come the fears they carry with them about learning.

I’ve been noticing something new about myself in the last couple months. I’m discovering my own style of leadership. But at the same time, I’ve felt uneasy about showing it. One side of my leadership style is that I want everyone around me to have the same kind of energy and excitement as I do. I want them to follow through and aim to do great work. But the reality I’m facing is that what might be a priority for me, might not be for that person.  I saw this poem on my co-hort’s member Tira’s blog. It rings true to what I’ve been feeling lately.  Thanks Tira for sharing!

Anyway

People are often unreasonable, Illogical, and self-centered
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives
Be kind anyway
If you are successful, You will win some false friends and some true enemies
Succeed anyway
If you are honest and frank, People may cheat you
Be honest and frank anyway
What you spend years building, Someone could destroy overnight
Build anyway
If you find serenity and happiness, They may be jealous
Be happy anyway
The good you do today, People will often forget tomorrow
Do good anyway
Give the world the best you have, And it may never be enough
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway

You see, in the final analysis It is between you, your self, and God . . .
It never was between you and them anyway