CSSA Blog @ Oregon State University

My apologies if you’ve stumbled across the CSSA blog in recent weeks! The second-year cohort is caught up in thesis and portfolio work, as well as the ever-so-entertaining job search. Spring term also sees the arrival of another wave of conference season, with classmates attending NACADA, NASPA, and various other conferences all across the country.

On my end of things, I’m happy to report that after over twenty applications to schools up and down the West Coast, I was hired on as an academic advisor at Clark College, a two-year institution in Vancouver, WA. I will be finishing up my courses as a part-time commuter student while starting my position several days after I defend my capstone portfolio. Things are cuh-razy ’round here, and that’s leaving out the fact that it snowed all day yesterday in Corvallis.

The program also just notified candidates for the CSSA Cohort 2012 of their admission. So far, I’ve been pretty pleased to hear who’s going to be a part of the first-year cohort in the fall. I have several friends who have already been doing outstanding work in the field, and I am looking forward to their growth in student affairs.

Now, since I have a portfolio to tend to, I must be going. However, if you are a prospective CSSA candidate, feel free to hop on over to ardithlaverne.com to check out how my portfolio is progressing. (Or I suppose if you’re a current student and thinking about the blog format for your portfolio, you can check it out, too!)

Remember, if you have any questions, send ‘em our way!

I promised myself I wouldn’t let the CSSA blog lapse. However, there was this little thing called “I got sick for about two months and then all of a sudden it was the end of spring term and oh my God I’m leaving the country two days after that term ends.”

Let’s recap what happened in March-June really quickly.

• NASPA Conference in Philadelphia, PA! I was conveniently sick the entire time, but I still managed to have fun, network, and learn a lot more about the field I’m going into. I helped out with the International Education Knowledge Community’s International Symposium, as well, so I got to interact with professionals working in countries like Qatar, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, and beyond. Met a lot of really great #sagrads and had a hilariously awesome moment with Dean Mamta Accapadi at a Tweet-up. For the record, I do not believe that Dunkin Donuts is better than Starbucks.
• Spring Break! I was supposed to join the Community Service Center and fellow cohortmate, Courtney, on the Alternative Spring Break trip to Yakima, WA. However, I was so sick by that point that the most I could do was drive to Wenatchee, WA and lie on my mother’s couch for days. I’m still not sure how I made that drive because not only was it 7 hours, it was dark and dumping rain the entire time. Not my most brilliant moment in time.
• Spring Term. Theory II, Multicultural Issues, Organizational Architecture, and… Balletsport. I topped off the class list with two internships, one with IDEA working on curriculum integration documents and development, and another with the College of Business to develop a users’ guide for LinkedIn and also to evaluate Chatter.com for usability.
• Lots of events! University Honors College held its annual Mom’s Weekend Brunch & Talent Show, as well as several closing events to honor (no pun intended) the graduating seniors. Other things that happened? Well, Nick and I piloted the first Real Talk session, which is like a fireside chat. We advertised it as a “Come and ask us anything” event, and for competing with sunshine and the spring fashion show, I was happy with the turn-out. I also attended MUPC’s Battle of the Bands (briefly), and I was very impressed with the stage set-up. Anyone ever been to Warped? It was like that–two stages side-by-side, so one band can perform and the next can soundcheck during the other band’s set. It’s great for timing and seamlessness. Well done, MUPC.

Now, I’m working on a short-term internship with a friend and fellow student affairs grad from Colorado State University. She’s in the SAHE program there, and it’s cool to collaborate with someone from another student affairs Master’s program. Oh, and we’re doing our internship at the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine. It’s been interesting learning more about the university, the different services offered, and the culture of Trinidad and Tobago. At the end of this week, we will be attending the CTLPA conference which is like the annual ACPA or NASPA conferences, just for the Caribbean.

Hope this finds you well and that summer is being kind!

Hello, hello.

It has been a doozy of a term for me. Without getting into the particulars, let’s just say I had a major life event that essentially took me out of Corvallis for a few weeks. I’ve spent the last few weeks of the term trying to regain my footing, but I’m happy to say that I’ve made it through with the awesome support of staff and my friends here in Corvallis.

Getting my bearings back includes taking a lot of time to do my own thing. I’ve been in Fort Collins, CO as well as Los Angeles, CA, seeing friends and making new friends–and even doing a little bit of student affairs networking. I’m leaving for the national NASPA conference this Friday, and I hope to connect with some of the faces I saw out at CSU while we’re all in Philadelphia.

While I was out of town, I was able to Skype into one of my classes and listen in to lecture. I was pretty stoked about the chance to do this, as CSSA’s flexibility in accommodating life’s hiccups was one of its big draws for me, back when I was interviewing. It was nice to see my classmates’ faces again, even though it was through a tiny computer screen.

Speaking of technology, however, there is something new and exciting that’s come up in my student affairs-related life. Higher Ed Live has just launched a brand new show–a webcast, to be exact–hosted by CSSA alum, Eric Stoller. I’m acting as a production assistant now, which essentially means I Tweet like CRAZY while the show airs. You can follow the action on most Wednesdays, 1PM PST / 4PM EST, on Higher Ed Live’s website and through the Twitter page. It’s kind of neat, and it’s a cool example of how social media can be utilized by those of us in student affairs. We just had our first broadcast today.

That’s about it for today. With winter term wrapping up, there’s a lot of work to be done!

I’m a bit late to the “Congratuations, first-years! We survived the first term!” party boat, but the sentiment remains the same. As it is, we’re almost halfway through the second term here, which is an accomplishment of which to be proud.

What’s my journey been like so far? Bumpy, at worst. However, at best, it’s one of those “Oh my goodness, I was meant to be here for a reason” type journeys.

I’m in the midst of what is called a “quarter-life crisis.” I’m in my mid-twenties, trying to reorient myself on a new path in life, all the while dealing with the pressures of every day life. It’s a real challenge, not a buzzword made up by some lazy Generation Y folks to explain why they were living in their parents’ basements. Have a look for yourself; the New York Times published an article called What is it About 20-Somethings? and quite a few parts of it ring true. (If you’re wanting to read more about this QLC of mine, though, I recommend you pop on over to Trains & Sunsets. That’s my person blog/diary/portfolio-in-the-making.)

Anyway, what I was saying is that joining CSSA was a step in the right direction for me. I finally have found a field I’m passionate about. One of my biggest pushes towards personal balance is making sure what I do as a job fits with me as a person, and I have a feeling that student affairs may fulfill that.

It’s not to say that pursuing a Master’s is easy, though. There are the odd assistantship hours, the evening classes, the I’m-hungry-but-I-forgot-to-go-grocery-shopping days, and the challenge of finding time to hit the gym and have a social life. However, in a way, what I do is teaching college students how to find their paths in life and their own personal balance– what kind of teacher would I be if I didn’t lead by example, in this case?

Overall, there is quite a bit I’ve learned in only one term and a half; I’m still looking forward to what the next year and a half or so will bring. In the meantime, stay tuned…