On August September 8th we will have guests presenting from the following areas:
David Betsch – Housing & Residential Education - http://www.housing.usf.edu
Jennifer Espinola – Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement - http://ctr.usf.edu/leadandserve
Regina Hyatt – Office of Student Organizations - http://studentprograms.usf.edu
CAS Standards: Campus Activities, Commuter and Off-Campus Living Programs, Housing and Residential Life Programs, Service-Learning Programs, Student Leadership Programs
I will post the Q&A for each participant as I receive them. Please check comments regularly for updates.
Here is the Q&A from Regina Hyatt:
ReplyDeleteDescribe your career path, how you started and how you got to your current position.
I had a tradition path into student affairs having been a student leader at my undergraduate institution, Western Illinois University. I was a student government president, a RA, on the homecoming committee and generally around a lot on campus. My SG advisor was the person who suggested I consider student affairs as a career as I was having second thoughts about my plans for law school.
I went to grad school also at WIU after taking about a year off (not something I generally recommend but worked for me). I worked in student activities both years and got a job at a small private school right out of Iowa also working in student life (activities, orientation, off-campus housing). I left there after a year and went to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where I stayed for 7 years working in 2 different roles in student activities. I then left there and moved to USF, first to the St. Pete campus then to the Tampa campus four years ago. My job at St. Pete was Director of Student Life which was a little more broad and more like the job I had at the small private college (lots of hats, many roles). When I accepted the job at USF as Associate Dean I still had responsibility for student life areas along with some other assorted things like division-wide planning & assessment (with our Director of Planning, Assessment and Evaluation), assisting the Dean for Students with policy & procedure development, and working as the division’s liaison to the CSA program.
One of the main-stays in my professional life has been my involvement with the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). I served on their Board of Directors for 6 year and was eventually Chair of the Board. My term ended in May 2010 so I am now looking for some new professional development opportunities.
Rest of Regina's responses (first message was too long!)
ReplyDeleteExplain the particular challenges of your work. What are the special rewards?
The challenges of my work are the challenges we all face, when students don’t live up to our expectations, it’s difficult to deal with. I hate for students to be in a situation where a bad decision has a consequence on whether or not they get to stay a part of the community. That’s tough for everyone involved in the situation.
There are institutional challenges that we face here at USF around resources (financial and human) and political contexts that we don’t control but have to deal with.
The rewards comes when a student lives up to our expectations, exceeds them sometimes. It’s wonderful to see students grow and change over time. It’s why we do this work! I also get to work with a fun, energized, committed group of people and that makes the work even more exciting. I’ve gotten to really influence how we’ve developed certain programs, policies, and processes here and that is cool to know that you’ll have a lasting impact on a place.
Are there any problems you've faced that you would now handle differently? Can you describe one of them?
Many of the greatest challenges I have faced relate to personnel issues. I like for people to be happy, I live my life from a glass half-full perspective and expect others to do the same. I let at least one personnel issue linger on for too long because I honestly thought I could change this person’s belief that the glass is half empty.
What advice would you give to a student preparing for student affairs work?
Find out what you are good at and then try to find jobs at places where you get to do what you are good at. I’m not saying that we don’t all have parts of our jobs that we’d rather not do but it’s important to find a place that plays on your strengths and isn’t constantly asking you to work from your weakest place.
Love students! When times get rough, always, always remember that we do our jobs for students. On the really tough days, I go back and read the notes I have from students and it just helps me to remember that what I do makes a difference.
Part I of question one for David
ReplyDelete1.) Describe your career path, how you started and how you got to your current position.
I completed my undergraduate work at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL. My first year, I was happy and content washing dishes at the Olive Garden. Hey, the food was great! (No, not the food I scraped off the dishes. Disgusting!) I also had a Federal Work Study position in the Controller’s Office on campus. I’ll never forget the day that Ann McKinney, Assistant Director for Student Activities, came in to the Controller’s Office and needed assistance. I was there to help her out. Little did I know, but she appreciated my customer service skills. It was only a couple days later when she called me up and informed me they were searching for the Reservations Coordinator position. This position managed all the reservations for the spaces within the student union and surrounding greens (weekly meetings, large CAB productions in the theater, BBQs outside, etc) and coordinated the setup/breakdowns for the events. I interviewed for the position and was quick to accept when they offered (anything to get out of the kitchen!). At the time, I was thinking the Reservation Coordinator position was just a “student job” to make ends meet. Little did I know that this position would steer me down “the path”…
As you can imagine, working in the student union and with Student Activities was very exciting and engaging. I looked forward to work every day; there was never a dull moment. And, the position allowed me to be involved in a variety of aspects of all the major happenings! I guess I did well, because I was soon promoted to the Manager of the Customer Service Desk in the union. I felt like I was at the helm of all things student activities! Then I began to notice that some of my friends were becoming RAs. And hey, they were having just as much fun as me, maybe more. I thought I’d give it a try (the free rent was appealing too!). I interviewed and I’ll never forget the day I received “the Letter”. Did I get the RA job…or not?!? I had to have a friend open letter and read it to me. Yep, I got the job! My first year as an RA was incredible. Then I applied for the Senior RA position and got it for my second year. While Student Activities was great, I had found my niche in Housing.
I was about to graduate with my degree in Elementary Education. I wasn’t really looking forward to teaching, but heck, that’s what you do with an Elementary Education degree. Right? But, throughout my senior year, my mentors from Housing and Student Activities started asking me about my future…with a couple subtle hints thrown in. Finally, it dawned on me, I could grow up to be just like them! I could make a career of working on campus, I could help students have as wonderful a college experience as I had, and I could still be an educator! Off to grad school I went…
Question 1, Part II for David Betsch
ReplyDeleteI earned my Student Personnel Masters Degree at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, FL. My assistantship was in Housing and I served as the Hall Director for Bates West residence hall. It was an upperclass, majority athlete, apartment style residence hall. Wow! My eyes were opened! Little did I know that the rest of the world did not operate as West Florida did. Not only were things different, but some things were better. I did a lot of learning and growing in my two years at USC!
Then came time for job searching. I didn’t save money like I should have (and as everyone had advised me to) so I went to the job placement conference I could afford: Southern Placement Exchange in Memphis, TN. It was a fruitful experience and I was excited about getting a position as a live-in Residence Coordinator at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. I had already proved myself as a great RA, and decent grad student, and a successful hall director. I was eager and excited to begin my career! Again, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know and how much I still had left to learn. I worked at FSU and when I look back, I am amazed at how much that institution taught me! The next thing I knew, I thought I’d throw my name in the hat to see what kind of other jobs were out there…
I accepted a position as an Area Coordinator at USF. I was responsible for the Holly/Kosove Area and supervised three Graduate Assistants. Over my six years at USF, Housing has done quite a bit of restructuring. Additional residence halls and staff began to fall under my responsibility and last year I was asked to serve as the Acting Associate Director for Residence Life. My appointment was extended through this year.
The moral of the story: If it hadn’t been for Ann McKinney taking the time to notice me, and offer me the opportunity to work in Student Activities, who knows where I’d be today. All of us have similar opportunities to get students involved…and change their lives. Don’t miss the opportunity!
Oh, and don’t be too big for your britches. You don’t know it all. There’s always more to learn!
Questions 2-4 for David Betsch
ReplyDelete2.) Explain the particular challenges of your work. What are the special rewards?
When you have young adults living with you 24/7, yes, there are challenges. We are three weeks into the academic year, so the first challenge I will discuss is parental involvement. I can only imagine what it’s like for a parent to have their child leave home and go off to college. I imagine it’s a been nerve racking. Considering that parents are told for years and years that the more involved and invested they are in the child’s academics, the more successful their child will be, I can accept their behavior. It only makes sense that they are going to continue to be involved and invested even when their child goes to college. And I can accept that their child often appreciates/wants/needs their parent’s involvement. Who can blame them; either of them? The challenges arise when the student is not willing, or able, to communicate and/or work through problems themselves. And it doesn’t help when they paint a dire picture to their parents. Yes, often times the student needs our assistance and we are quick to assist. Though other times, if the student was empowered and encouraged to manage the problem themselves, their stress levels, their parents’ stress levels, and my stress levels would decrease! In response, I’ve learned that pushing parents away doesn’t help. They will push back even harder. I try to adopt an attitude of working with the parents to best meet the needs of the student. I find success most when we in Housing are working with the parents, and working with their student, to problem solve together. Yet, we must maintain FERPA in all our dealings with parents. As you can imagine, it’s a tough balance.
Another challenge in Housing is mental health concerns. We are finding more students are entering college with mental health disabilities. A contributing factor to this increase is due to the advances in medicines that enable students to manage their disability and be productive in a college environment. When at home in a structured family environment, this works great. However, it’s only natural that when students leave home, they want to see what it’s like off the medication. They don’t like how it makes them feel, so they decide to try without it. Or, they are distracted and aren’t on their normal routine, so they forget to take their medication. Then the problems arise and we are quick to respond.
The last challenge I will mention involves communication. With the major events that have occurred the past several years, our response to “threats” is much more immediate and severe. It seems commonplace for a student to say, “I’m gonna kill you.” This type of communication could occur in person, in email, in a blog, Facebook, text message, etc. No what means of communication they choose to use, we take this type of language seriously and have to assume it is real. Sadly, our response often catches the student by surprise.
Questions 3 and 4 for David Betsch (sorry I can't fit these all in one comment!!)
ReplyDelete3.) Are there any problems you've faced that you would now handle differently? Can you describe one of them?
I’m sorry that I’m not being too specific with examples, but please know that I’ve learned that attitude can be everything. On more than one occasion, I found that the work has been difficult and exhausting, that I haven’t agreed with a decision or a direction, I haven’t felt valued, etc. Know now that there is no job that is perfect all of the time. It’s during these difficult times that you have to make a conscious choice about your attitude and performance. You can be the person who is willing to put in the extra effort that is needed. The person who recognizes there is value in the work, and therefore recognizes that you are valued. The person that rallies the rest of the team to face the difficult task at hand. The motivator. The encourager. The helper.
Or you can be the person who is none of these. How do you want to be viewed? How do you want to be remembered? I know that this is easier said than done, but know that it can be done.
4.) What advice would you give to a student preparing for student affairs work?
Take full advantage of every opportunity. Break out of your comfort zone. If it’s something that will challenge you, take the bull by the horns and run with it. Trust that your supervisors and mentors will support you…they want to see you succeed! (Though please remember they can’t read your mind. Communicate if you are struggling.) And don’t wait for the opportunities to fall in your lap; seek them out.
Maintain your professional relationships. Your supervisors and mentors will appreciate you reaching out to them in the years to come. Send them an email or give them a call. Periodically give them a quick update on where you are at and what you are doing. (Yes, it can be for selfish reasons. You will need their help again in the future and you don’t want that “awkward moment” when you ask for it! Trust me!)
Questions 1 and 2 from Jennifer Espinola
ReplyDelete1.) Describe your career path, how you started and how you got to your current position.
My path has been a unique one since I have not received my Master’s in CSA. I went to law school at the University of Miami and studied Education and Administrative Law and had a Graduate Assistantship in the Dean of Students Office for my last two years. Originally, I pursued that path so that I could be in policy development for higher education – Dean of Students, General Counsel, Government Relations. When I graduated in 2000, the Dean hired me as an Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Miami. I worked as a Judicial Officer, and also with the Alcohol and Other Drug Education program. I also advised our Honor Council that heard cases related to academic dishonesty. I served in that role for three years but then wanted to come back to USF where I did my undergraduate degree. I met with the Dean of Students then (Dr. Miller!) about a position in Judicial Affairs at USF, but he asked me to create a full-time Student Government Advising position, which was much more aligned to my interests. I took that position and served for 4 years providing leadership development and advising to the SG operation. In 2007, I was asked to create a Center for Student Leadership Development position as the first Director and then one year later was appointed Director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement which was a merger of my department with the Civic Engagement office. This work has become my passion!
2.) Explain the particular challenges of your work. What are the special rewards?
The challenges of our work deal mostly with the strategic design. There are so many options when it comes to leadership and civic education – many models, theories and formats available. So it feels challenging to decide which path to take. Other challenges relate to money, but not just simple budgetary needs. Our challenges deal more with fundraising for individual students to go on service trips which we organize throughout the year. And we also fundraise for philanthropies like “Dance Marathon” but university policies related to fundraising can make it very challenging. We also deal with liability issues since students are performing service off-campus, traveling on their own, and with our groups. We take students abroad which also present unique challenges. But the rewards are endless! We teach students to become their most effective and best leaders and challenge them to use those skills to make the world a better place – what could be more rewarding than that?!
Questions 3 and 4 from Jennifer Espinola
ReplyDelete3.) Are there any problems you've faced that you would now handle differently? Can you describe one of them?
I take a very open and honest approach to my work, that is not always appreciated by others. I feel compelled to share my thoughts and ideas because I truly desire for others to do the same, and believe it is critical to progress. However, I continue to learn how to strategically deliver my feedback. I still share but now I pay more attention to what should be shared to a group and what is better shared personally with one other person. I have also learned more about how to develop relationships and listen first before prescribing my suggestions. It’s still a challenge for me because I like to strategically think through issues to offer solutions and enhancements, but a subtler approach would serve me better.
4.) What advice would you give to a student preparing for student affairs work?
Design a balanced life from the beginning. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’ll pour yourself into work for just the first few years and then you’ll find balance later. All you’re really doing is establishing bad habits and unrealistic expectations. Somehow, our profession needs to redefine what is expected of our time. The work is always too much and it is a 24/7 operation, so it’s up to us to manage ourselves. Start now. Establish relationships, activities, and healthy lifestyle choices outside the walls of the campus.
My other piece of advice is to see yourself as an educator. No matter what area of Student Affairs you pursue, embrace the role of an educator who is committed to developing students. I find this to be a critical frame of mind for our work.