C.S....Nope Not Cinnamon Sweets...Its Content Strategy!

In Student Affairs, we find ourselves most often being a Jack-of-all-Trades: from student leadership conflict management to financial aid applications to academic advising and end with seeking out Psychological Services for a referral...and this is all with just the first student of the day. 

Now, on top of that, most of us touch social media or the website in one way or another on a daily basis. For myself, having a B.A. in Communication with an emphasis on Mass Media, website design wasn't exactly my strong point, however due to circumstances I was given the task of website and social media. Now, upon taking on this new task, I trotted along my merry little way with my pre-written codes and passwords and began organizing and planning our department sight. There was talk about this content strategy stuff and basing the website on student development theory, etc., but by day's end we would just create a page and put it out there so at least we can say "it's on the website". Launch and Leave syndrome was our content strategy. On our single department sight, by the time I left for Grad School, I was up to almost 1000 pages and many times 5 and 6 levels deep. 

Now, as I mentioned before I attended the High Ed Web Michigan Conference at the beginning of this week. And the kickoff keynote was all about content strategy. At the beginning I was a little nervous afraid it would be techy talk and above my head. But it wasn't and I got a shock of how much I could advance student development with well performed content strategy. That keynote set the tone really well for the conference: Be specific and strategic; Do not be afraid to say no, but do not be afraid of trying new things. 

As Student Affairs Professionals, we are always creative and do our best to serve our students in any way possible, whether we have a social media profile for every staff member or office or  perhaps a growing "Frankensite". However, as we move forward, and resources are getting more scarce and job responsibilities are growing, and unfortunately there is still only 24 hours in a day (Which BTW someone should fix...just saying) we need to really pay attention, analyze and strategize about our web content and social media. 

Online is the present and the future. It's here to stay and just having a page up is not serving our students any more. We cannot afford the Launch and Leave Syndrome to continue if we want to remain proactive and mold student affairs to our incoming generations. 

After the conference I decided to confirm the need for content strategy. And so I played on the web with my old job. I Google searched key words and tags for my department to see what would come up. It was astonishing. Pages from before I started my professional career popped up because no one had ever deleted the files and pages. They just deleted the links. Information was contradictory and confusing. There was old contact information, non-existent clubs, and old policies and handbooks. It was mad chaos. 

So I'd encourage you just for fun and info to see what there is out there on the web about your department or division or even school. But really consider making content strategy a key player in moving your functional area forward. 

Random Cool and Thought Provoking Points

I went to a Higher Ed Web Conference this week in Flint, MI. It was amazing. I'll be posting about one or two topics in the next few days, but I thought I'd give you some of that random knowledge and thought provoking points that I learned and experienced to start off with.

Let the randomness begin:

HiPPOs: Highest Paid Person's Opinion

Unicorns and Rainbows: A more intriguing way to say: "In a perfect world"

Web Monkey: The person who is on the other end of "Hey, web monkey, go make these updates"

Frankensites: Websites that have been mutilated and grown to epically tragic and large proportions

Lauch and Leave: Launch a site or social media profile and never update it

BYOD: Bring You Own Device


Just some cool and thought provoking points. :)

My Warm Fuzzy

Over the past few weeks, I've been watching all the commencement ceremonies happen. One of the warm fuzzies has been watching several students that I worked closely with in my previous position graduate.

I think one of the best privileges that we, as Student Affairs Professionals have, is to watch the students grow.  We see them enter as doe-eyed freshman and watch them walk across the stage as mature adults, ready to take on the world. We understand and have seen first hand what they have been through to get that degree, whether it is overcoming family issues, personal tragedies, periods of lack of motivation or just simply burnt out from being over involved. Many of us have the chance to walk with these students as they journey through their years on our various campuses, and guide them through those rough patches, and while we may be "behind the scenes" we have our role in getting these student to graduation.

Watching the students walk across the stage and take ahold their diploma I found myself hoping that they would have that energy, excitement and hopefulness for the future for the rest of their lives. Hoping that in their dark days they look to the future and see it is always bright and full no matter the circumstances.

I know that, personally, I am making a key effort to stay in communication with them, and I know many of my co-hort does the same with the students they have mentored. I want to see how they are doing, but also to continue to be a friend and mentor as they move forward into the "real world".

We have highs and lows, like every job, and the university politics can easily get in the way of daily operations, however at those frustrating times, just think about who you are really there to serve and that all the gratitude and motivation you need is to watch them walk off the stage at Commencement with their diploma in hand.

Taste of Our Own Medicine

One of the most interesting revelations I've had while being a graduate student was about 2 weeks ago in the last class for the Administration and Organization class.

The professor of the class really left the burden to learn and figure out the information for ourselves We would sit through lecture and periodically he would have us talk in groups about the lecture and how it applied to the schools we worked or studied at. He would then walk around the class and help guide the conversations in the right direction.

In the last class we all were able to put in our own thoughts on his teaching style and ways he could improve or should leave the same. While listening to my fellow classmates, I realized something. The way he taught us, were the same processes that we use with our students to teach leadership and help them figure out problems. It was the first time in my graduate studies that we were given a "taste of our own medicine".

While listening to everyone we were not great at taking our own advice nor practices that we offer to students. We see students get frustrated and discouraged often times when we only offer them more questions or vague advise to help them learn and grow. And many times we don't understand why they are getting upset or frustrated or we are unable to guide them properly through those discouraging times and simply end up telling them what to do. When in their shoes, I was just as frustrated at times with my professor because he left it to me to make my education and wanted him to just tell me what to do, though now, I have a new appreciation and perspective of the way he taught our class and the way we advise our students. Which seems to be an interesting perspective. I wonder if we were able to put ourselves through those processes more often then perhaps it could help us better teach and advise our students and give them a better learning experience.

Is One Sub-Population Education Diversity?

So I was doing my daily morning news surfing for interesting articles and whatnot and came across an article about the search for the University of Kentucky's Provost. It intrigued me because it triggered some thoughts I had a year or two ago. What is the purpose of diversity for just diversity's sake?

In many of my classes, diversity, inclusion and multicultural issues and programs have been discussed, suggested and studied. However, theory and practice seem to be a connection that is not made all the time.

I remember as an undergraduate student leader and in the first few years of my professional career that the diversity office on our campus was not all that active with diversity issues. Primarily it focused on race, and in particular one minority group. Now, the programs they engaged the students in were fantastic, however, I remember thinking that why are we not exposing the students to other sub-population groups as well?

I understand that it is important to educate students on their historical culture and to share that knowledge with the campus community, however, is there a potential diservice when that is the only programming that is really engaging and made as a priority? I think that there is a potential wall that is built. While a program is educating everyone on a specific sub-population, should there not be a balance on educating the university community on other sub-populations?

As I've been going through my classes, there is always a need for balance. A balance of gentle prodding and a strict hand, a balance of support yet encouraging students to figure things our themselves, a balance of academic and holistic approaches. Should there not be a balance on diversity and cultural education as well?

My ethnicity is Asian, specifically Korean-American, and I was always looking for programming about the heritage and culture. However I never saw any programs form the diversity office. I was a little put off by that, and have always been a little wary of diversity offices that only focus on one or two sub-populations and does not balance them with a wide range of other educational programming concerning other sub-populations.

Just some old random thoughts that recently arose with some news articles that have been written lately.

What If "Shit Just Happens"?

Yet again, my thoughts are triggered by an unfortunate incident. :(

The Boston Marathon (if you have been living under a rock this week) was terrorized by several bombs during the event, and killed 3 people and injuring almost 200 others.

While the incidents did not happen on a college campus, colleges and universities across the country began tightening security. And once again, conversations began to open back up on security, additional officers, and other such measures.

For some reason, though, something was bugging me in the back of my head that these tightening up of security just didn't seem like the right response to the event. Then I found an article on insidehighered.com which clarified my little "bug". It basically made the point that most colleges and universities have adequate preventive security measures, and some times "shit just happens" and that campuses should focus on adequate response programs just as much as the preventive measures.

One of the positives of the Boston Marathon Attack was the response of the security and Boston PD as well as attendees of the events. For the most part, communication and response was tight and on point.

To me it seems that campuses are so engrained in preventive measures that they loose sight that "shit just happens" and in order to have a fully adequate security program an effective and purposeful response program is a must as well.

As a professional I had an idea of what I should probably do in the case that such an event happened on my campus, however, there was no official procedure, nor walk through or practice for such an event. Now, our public safety department is one of the best I've seen on a campus, but if an event occurs there is still a responsibility of the staff and faculty to take care of any students within their immediate area. I often did wonder if such events happened on campus, what I would do. I was a new professional in charge of a highly active Student Organization Center on the 2nd Floor of our building with the rest of my office on the 3rd floor on the opposite end of the building. So for all sense and purpose, I was alone if such an event happened, and as these events have been growing in number, this has been a concern for me. I researched suggested practices and had a plan if something happened, however it was only the measures that a new professional could come up with.

As these events seem to be escalating, I have to wonder if there will be a practical shift towards a balance of preventative measures with educating staff and faculty on effect responses and procedures, in the case this would happen.

It is scary to think that amidst everything else Student Affairs professionals get to endure, campus shootings and stabbings (or worse) could occur, but if we want to be proactive in this time of growing violence, perhaps we should continue the great preventive measures we all have, but also focus on what to do if "shit just happens".

In closing, my thoughts and prayers go to all the victims, families, cities and anyone effected by these latest shootings, stabbings, and whatnot across the country, be it on college campuses or not.

Groundswell and Politics...Easy Way to Loose Your Job?

"The lessons of the Penn State abuse scandal are clear: university officials, at the highest level, are responsible for safeguarding the welfare of our students, and must be held accountable for their failure to do so."

This is a line from a letter from the Rutgers Faculty to their governing board, demanding the resignation of University President Robert Barchi

Ever since this latest incident occurred and hit the news cycle, I've been wondering a lot about the responsibilities of administrators.

I've been watching as individuals, over the past year or so, on campuses are being reprimanded for a variety of incidents. From Penn State to now Rutgers University, in particular coaches, are being caught for illegal, unethical, or unprofessional attitudes.

As it should be, these individuals are being reprimanded, fire, let go and the proper legal action is being taken. However, it is not stopping there. As in the letter from the Rutgers faculty, higher administrators are being held accountable to the point of being asked for their resignations.

I find that some of this is very political and some of this is just a frenzy and groundswell from social media. So, I'm wondering at what point does the accusation stop and the re-habilitation start? As a far future administrator for the Student Affairs field, I feel that any decision one makes could come back to haunt you, whether it was good or bad. And many times when there is a gain in one place, there is a loss somewhere else. So at what point in time can the whole picture be taken into consideration in regards to accusing administrators and demanding their resignations?

The Penn State and Rutgers Presidents are being asked to step down in extremely different situations. I feel that with Rutgers, its more of a political move rather than a purposeful move.

Not totally sure what my final opinion on this will be, and still thinking this through, but, this is just where I'm at with my thought process for right now. :)

Random Social Media Musings

I've been studying PLNs for the past few days, and have been finding amazing information about them. In all honesty, PLNs can be anything interactive outside of the official work place, and even then, within the workplace there can be PLNs. The reason for the ease is PLNs? Technology and social media.

It's unbelievable how technology and social media have connected us in ways that was thought impossible only 10 even 20 years ago.

Think back on your first day of joining Facebook (For those of us in college with an .edu email) or even before then, MySpace, which was the first major social interactive platform for public consumption. Did you ever image that everything you do online would be significant and potentially play a role in how you get a raise, a promotion or even acquiring a job?

I was giving a presentation to some undergraduate leaders for my fraternity and social media came up. Let's be honest. Fraternity and sorority members may not be the smartest users of social media, which needs to be addressed, but that's another post. We spent almost an hour discussing and debating the implications of throwing up photos from parties, or a night out at the bar, or even suggestive photos from Spring Break. As the conversation progressed, it dawned on me that the implications of social media that I have come to learn about, are taken advantage of by the younger generation who have always been involved in social media and technology. They understand the uses of it, and how to manipulate it, and create it. However, there seems to be a disconnect with appropriateness. We went through several of the brothers' profiles for examples. (Let me tell you we saw many fine examples of what NOT to do.) However, conversing with them and finding out why they posted such things and thoughts became apparent. Social media seems to be their diaries and journals. The hand writing days are gone, and electronic media is in. For an example, in one of my classes Grumpy Cat came up, and the concept that Memes today, are our parents' political cartoons from the newspapers.

Looking at social media from their generation as their diaries and their lives, I can see how many are getting in trouble and how it is becoming a challenge for them when it comes time to create a professional image. We are asking many to change their personal expression into a professional PLN, more or less.

I've personally had challenges with this, and have learned both the easy and hard ways on the effects of social media in my professional life. However, when the personal and professional are all but merging and social media is becoming a lifestyle and primary avenue for interaction, how can Student Affairs Professionals help draw that line between personal and professional for our students as well as understanding that social media is the next generation's way of expression?

First Year Tips

Wow, my first year as a Graduate Student in a Higher Education program is coming to a close. It's been a great first year. There are some tips that I was given and have found extremely valuable. I've also learned some tips as well. I offer the following tips to those who may be considering a Student Affairs program.

TIPS:

1) Be open minded, a.k.a. be an information sponge - Whether you've been in the field already or brand new, just absorb any information, suggestions, advice and knowledge that you are able to. To those already in the field, do the best you can to set aside pre-conceived notions and practices and be open to change.

2) Be engaged - Get involved with your cohort and faculty. Don't be afraid to ask questions and make comments during class. The more engaged you are, the more you'll get out of your experience.

4) Get feedback - Get feedback on everything, so you can learn. Also, self-reflect on interviews, interactions, etc. The more knowledge you have about your skills and habits, the better you are able to improve yourself :)

3) Network! - Be bold and meet people. For those extroverts, this will be second nature. If you're a more quiet and reserved individual, take the first step and really get to know your cohort. More than likely they will take you along for a ride on their networking as well :). Also use social media and create a personal learning network for yourself. If there are Tweet-ups or anything similar, take advantage of attending those! Finally, consider attending conferences to network, and don't be afraid to walk up to someone and introduce yourself while attending.

4) Be realistic and optimistic - As in life and everything else, there will be highs and lows, however work on setting realistic goals, being realistic about yourself, and being optimistic in every situation. There are always plenty of "dooms-dayers" and negativity, but to me, it seems that those who can move past the shock and horror and find a productive and learning element to everything, the more successful they are.

Just a few tips for those beginning their programs or those considering Student Affairs to being successful in Grad School for Student Affairs. :)

A Good Read

So, I'm a type of individual who reads for one of three reasons; 1) I read what is required for class 2) I read what I'm specifically interested in or 3) I read for enjoyment (Which is rare). Now I traditionally never really promote or suggest books. But this latest book I read for my class was really good. Granted I read only the first part of the text, because the second half is about logotherapy theory.

Anyway, for a book review assignment, I read "Man's Search for Meaning". Let me tell you, it was really good. It may have been my experiences, where I am in life now, or just that I was read it three times by the end of my assignment, however, wow. I got so much from it. There is no obvious or direct relation between Student Affairs and the text, however some of the underlying themes are really poignant to SA. Also there are some great quotes, perspectives and observations on humanity, life, and a person's meaning in life.

All I can say is that this book is a must read. Below is a snippet of my review for you to peruse of my final thoughts from my review. But I highly encourage you to read the book. "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl.

“Everywhere man is confronted with fate, with the chance of achieving something through his own suffering” (Frankl, 2006, pg. 68). Viktor Frankl writes a raw and candid narrative on the experiences of one man in the Nazi concentration camps. His education in medicine and emphasis in psychiatry offers a poignant perspective that is rarely given amongst the thousands of accounts of the concentration camps with the ability to teach and engage the reader. The underlying themes of self-knowledge, survival and purpose in the work can be applied to educational leadership, and offer an opportunity to evaluate a leader’s abilities and practices. One final lesson Frankl offers the reader as well as a summary of the entire work is found midway through Man’s Search for Meaning;            “…but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from man but one     thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of           circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” (Frankl, 2006, pg. 66)

Long but Poignant

So, FYI, this post is a bit long, personal, professional, and reflective. (Or at least I hope it will be)

Over the past few months, since the 2012 Presidential Elections, the LGBT movement has been making strides left and right on marriage equality, more inclusive discrimination policies, adoption policies and so forth. No matter the position or opinions you may have on the issue, it is apparent that LGBT topics are rising and becoming a focal point for the nation.

On the campus/university front, it seems that more and more student LGBT and Ally organizations are being formed, resource centers are receiving additional support, more classes are being offered with a LGBT component and so forth.

However, amidst the whirlwind of activity on the LGBT front, and some repetitive situations happening in my life, I have been forced to wonder if the way we educate students on diversity issues is being effective. Or are we simply providing top layer services and educational tools to ensure funding and the title of being a diverse campus?

As I mentioned this is partly on the forefront of my mind because in the past week I’ve encountered, what I feel, is far too many ignorant and uneducated remarks and actions towards the LGBT community, even though I know the vast resources available in the immediate areas of the situations.

So here’s the rundown:

I was visiting my hometown this weekend, when I met an individual at a local event. He began asking the basic “Schmooze and Cruize” questions, until he asked if my female companion and I were dating. She and I looked at each other, and I responded “No, we’re only friends. She’s too fabulous for me anyway, and I don’t swing that way.” The young man froze, turned to me and asked “Oh, are you…you’re…you’re THAT” I looked at him patiently, giving him the opportunity to show him that he would not offend me by saying “gay”. About 30 seconds went by, and he was struggling, so I replied “Yeah, I identify as gay”. He looks at me and began a barrage of questions. During his questioning I came to realize that being asked about my identity and orientation, and my coming out process does not bother me. Its more the tone and specific questions that are asked. For this interaction, questions that were asked included “Why did I decide to be gay?”, “Why would I decide to identify as gay?”, “How was I received as a gay professional?”, and my favorite “Are you sure it’s ok at say ‘gay’ in a public event in (Name of City)”. I answered his questions to the best of my ability and I actually found it a learning opportunity for him to learn about the community as well as for myself to learn how to communicate and teach about it.

Now, normally this wouldn’t bother me, however this was the beginning of one of those snowball situations. A few days later an incident happened at my apartment complex. I live only a few blocks down from my university where I attend Graduate School. My roommates and I have been having some problems the past few months with apartment neighbors, all of whom are undergraduate students. There have been some vandalism and anti-LGBT actions against our property numerous times, particularly our cars.  This past weekend the latest incident was that someone wrote “Happy St. Patty’s Day fag” in the snow of one of the roommate’s cars with some vulgar images as well. The suspected culprits are students and friends of these students who are current undergraduates at the university I attend. Our landlord has been notified but has chosen not to address the issue, since there is no solid proof of those doing these things.

Now, I’m a patient and understanding guy, and can take a high amount of stress and ignorance, however, this just really got me thinking about society and how we educate (not) our society. And that led me to think about how we talk diversity, multiculturalism and integration to our students. In my class last term a guest speaker pointed out that there are difference between diversity programs, multicultural programs and integration programs and that these terms are not interchangeable. 

Looking in general at the two universities I have experienced personally, there is much diversity awareness on campus. However, it seems that there is a gap somewhere between awareness and education/intergration. The basic definition of diversity according to Merriam-Webster, for this case, is: “the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization”. To me it’s saying diversity is simply the representation of different groups. Individuals do not have to learn or be educated on each other, nor do they even have to integrate together. Diversity is to simply exist side-by-side. I do not use the word co-exist because I feel that means there is that component of integration and education.

So, while diversity is getting a firm grip in the experience of our college students, at what point do we push for further education to move our students to the next level of awareness and understanding and dare I say, enlightenment. We don’t need them to agree, or even like all views, because it’s the differences that should also be embraced. However, they should not be unaware, uneducated, or even unable to speak to someone who’s different. While race and gender can easily be seen (and even that is not always the case) there are many other sub-populations of students who need support, and understanding as well. A class I'm taking currently has us studying the multitude of sub-populations on campuses. These sub-populations include students with disabilities, religious/ students of faith, LGBT, and student veterans which are only a few of many that should be included in diversity, multiculturalism and integration programs in addition to race and gender.

Now resources are always limited, and as Student Affairs professionals it seems our motto is becoming “Do more with less and don’t forget to assess”. (Like my rhyme? J) However, isn’t this then a great time to really pay heed and begin to truly educate our students on sub-populations and even different communities of society in general? It’s a time of re-vamping programs and initiatives to ensure we are doing more with less. So, why not be purposeful and pro-active? Our society is becoming more and more global by the hour. Social Technology is seeing to that. Diversity education should reflect that and begin to dig further and really educate on societal sub-populations.

Now, I can’t offer any expert or professional suggestions on how to fix this, and possibly will never be able to offer such advice. At this moment, I can only offer my thoughts and musings in the hopes that it will help me to find a small solution or helps someone else to find that missing key to fill in the gap. Right now, the only thing I can do is to be more purposeful in my actions and professional work. Purposefully use terms, theories and practices. Ones that reflect not only good SA practice but education as well. Lead by example to the best of my ability, and be willing to learn myself. Maybe that’s the key. If we each do a little to teach and learn, about our communities, it’ll have a lot of impact in the larger scope of things.

Thank Goodness for Class and Twitter

Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to interview for several internships and temporary positions. However, for one reason or another I haven't been able to acquire a position yet. Luckily I can afford to be jobless for another few months, a perk of having worked before starting Grad School.

But let me send you through my frame of mind now. With the high number of interviews and no positive results, it does get frustrating. Currently I'm having a bit of a panic feeling that I have chosen the wrong field or am not as good in this field as I thought. I've been thinking that taking time off from my job and going to school full time may have been a poor decision and I was poorly advised. (Place stomach-wrenching feeling that we all know here).

Most professionals, so young in their career, wouldn't make such a drastic alteration in their life such as I have, to quit their position and just be a Graduate Student. I'm realizing that getting back into the field will not be as easy as I thought.

But if my human relations course and Twitter hashtags are teaching me, is to keep working. In the end I'll end up where I'm suppose to be.

I'm reading a book for a class, "Man's Search for Meaning". It's absolutely phenomenal. It really puts things into perspective and has a raw and honest truth about it. It's been a huge help to put things into perspective and on the thin top layer, how to take advantage of low points in life. I advise you to go out and read it. When I finish the book and write my paper on it, I'll be posting about it so, heads up, some good stuff is about to come down the line. :)

Spring Break Fun: Run With 101 Things

Over the past week I’ve been working on a few mid term projects, which is why my posts have been a bit slim. However, I just completed one project for my social media class, that reminded me of another that I thought I’d share with everyone. Plus, since it’s Spring Break, I figured let’s post a fun project for people to use that could be a great tool in encouraging the holistic all campus experience. 

It was the summer of 2009, and I was just coming into the office for the day. I was in a chipper mood, the sun was out and I had just seen a great movie the night before called “Bucket List”. If you haven’t seen it before, you definitely should. Anyway, I was sitting around, checking my email and had one of those “Huh…that’d be cool” moments. I had thought, what if there was a university bucket list; things to do before you graduate. So I jumped onto Google and began perusing. Finally I found an institution with a 101 List To Do Before You Graduate. It was a thorough list of items to do on campus at the university. Well, I took the concept of the 101 List and built upon it. Identifying key places, departments, community events and businesses for our students as well as reviewing comments made by our residential students about living in the downtown area  and created a 10 page list of items to do at our campus. It was actually quite difficult to narrow it down. There was so much to do and experience at our university. But after several weeks, all suggestions were whittled down to the 101 Things to Do Before You Graduate. It was a big hit the first two years. In the third year, I collaborated with our University Relations Social Media expert and we put it on FourSquare. Any item with a physical location was put as a tip for that location, and all the tips were listed on a FourSquare List.  It was a work in progress, and unfortunately I left before we could really launch the online portion of the project. However, using a social media platform for the list was something that we were excited to try.

I’m hoping that some of you, my Student Affairs colleagues, may be able to try it on your own individual campuses, and let me know how it worked and what you did to make it even better. J

No major thoughts today, but rather a step towards collaborative effort to create new programs. J Plus coming off from ACPA this week, the creative and collaborative energy is at an all time high.

Enjoy! And let the creative juices flow!!