Twas the Night Before RA Arrival

Twas the night before RA arrival, when all through the hall,
Not a crevice was dirty, not even a wall.
RA Door Decs were hung by their Community Director with care,
In knowing that her staff soon would be there.

RAs were supposedly nestled all snug in off-campus beds,
With visions of programs, bulletin boards dancing in their heads.
And Jamie the CD in her sweatpants and a book in her lap,
Had just settled in for one last summer’s nap.

When out in the Woodland Bowl arose such a clatter,
CD Jamie sprang from her couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the lobby she flew like a flash,
Moving so quickly, as if someone offered free cash.

Out the doors, to the top of the hill looking below,
The Bowl was full of 11 Woodland RAs all ready to go.
CD Jamie wiped the sleep from her eyes to see more clear,
For all she expected outside were the usual SIUE deer.

But indeed down below she saw RAs moving around quick.
She even saw Jamartae, her trusty ACD Sidekick.
Spying CD Jamie, up the hill the crowd came.
RAs and ACD were whistling, shouting, and calling out Woodland’s name.

“The Woodland staff is all here! We’ve got Allyson and Shelby!
Mariah, Nicole, and Erica. Don’t forget Olivia and Eddie!
We wouldn’t be complete without James and Matt!
Amanda and Ali, too!” And they stopped their shouting with that.

Now the Woodland staff was all together,
But Jamie was more confused than ever.
She exclaimed, “Training doesn’t start until Sunday!”
They replied, “we’re life-long learners who train every day.”

“Touché,” Jamie thought as she ushered them in,
The RAs’ eyes twinkling, it was time for the new year to begin.
They walked through the halls of their new home,
Through the Activity Wing and Laundry Room they did roam.

Jamie sprang to her office to gather some supplies,
Soon ice breakers began, much to no one’s surprise.
The Woodland Team working together was such a sight,
Jamie shouted, “Happy Training to all, and to all a good night”

Support and Confidence

  

This time tomorrow I will be flying to Anaheim, CA to attend ACUHO-I's Annual Conference and Exposition. For all kinds of reasons, I am very excited! I lately have been thinking about my first exposure to ACUHO-I when I attended STARS College in 2006 in Atlanta. I decided to revisit an online journal I kept sporadically in college and found this entry...(pasted unedited below for your reading enjoyment):

 

"STARS

Guess What?! in less than 10 hours I'll be sitting on a plane headed towards Atlanta! YA!!

 

I'm excited. you already knew that. However, i doubt many people really understand why i'm excited.

For the next few days when I talk about what I want to do after I graduate from Truman and even after graduate school, no one will roll their eyes at me. No one will tell me to 'grow up, move on, and leave college behind.' There will be no comments of " 'Student Affairs'---every SA's back-up plan." No questions like "so you are going to be a college babysitter for all of your life?" or "but what can you do with that degree?" or "will you make money for that?" or "Can't you find a real career?"

 

For the next few days what I want to do won't be laughed at. I'll have no need to defend myself.

At least this is what I'm hoping to find..."

 

 

I remember STARS fondly, including attending the ACUHO-I opening reception/session in the Georgia Aquarium (so many housing professionals in one place....I was mesmerized). Through STARS I found, among other things, the support I was looking for. I returned home so confident about my desire to pursue a career in student affairs, a confidence that continues to fuel professional pursuits today.

 

More and more I realize support and confidence is what student affairs and related professional organizations are all about.

Support:

 

• Providing resources to meet any individual's needs.
• Providing guidance and advice free of judgment.
• Being our students and colleagues' biggest cheerleaders--wanting whatever is best for them and celebrating achievements of all magnitudes.
• Respecting everyone's individual journey yet rejoicing in the interdependence within our relationships.

Confidence:

• Helping others identify their strengths and develop related skills.
• Publicly appreciating the interests and contributions of those around us.
• Having faith that what we do makes a difference, even when it feels like you are trying to fill a swimming pool using an eye dropper.
• Developing ways to use confidence for good, not evil.

 I'd say I'm grateful for STARS or ACUHO-I or my graduate program or this supervisor or that mentor or that student, but really I am simply grateful for it all. STARS and subsequent undergraduate opportunities certainly ignited something within me, but that foundation was there before I traveled to Atlanta. I just needed some help in recognizing all sorts of support that surround me and I needed that boost in confidence....both things we all need. With this in mind, I look forward to attending this year's conference and all I will contribute and undoubtedly gain from the experience.

 

 

 

 

 

Year at a Glance-Haiku Style, Part 2

Continuing my last post, here are the highlights of a year in my life as a Community Director based off my collection of haikus!


January
Back to work we go.
Forward planning with the Advance.
Don't ever retreat.

We're open again!
And back to roommate conflicts...
Bah humbug to that.

Planting lots of seeds.
Somedays it's all I can do.
I'm okay with that.

February
Superbowl success.
Residents had a great time.
Ran us out of food.

Camp Tecumseh bound!
GLACUHO committee work.
Yay for the bunk beds.

(RA) Decision letters.
Vividly remembering
My experience.

March
How I spend spring break:
Student conduct paperwork.
Job security.

Safe-sex leprechaun.
Glitter, herpes of craft world.
Not a dull moment.

Didn't go outside today.
Another day living-in.
Is it coat weather?

April
Are you surviving?
Sometimes it's all we can do.
The end is in sight.

Went to RHA.
Experienced elections.
Young, fresh leadership.

Didn't do much work.
But I suppose that's okay.
I've banked some hours.

May
They all just moved in!
Now this 500 must go.
August will bring more.

113
Charge letters printed today.
Napped to celebrate!

If this time of year
Was not always butter sweet
I would be concerned

June
My summer staff's fun.
They tolerate my humor.
Flag Day agenda!

WISA is so soon!
Nervous, excited, anxious.
Growth and learning time.

Welcomed Ben today!
No longer a 'new' CD.
Wasn't 'new' for long...

Year at a Glance--Haiku Style, Part 1

Each summer as a professional staff team we review a 'Year-at-a-Glance' document designed to help us see what the year ahead of us might look like. Based off my last year of haikus, here's the first half of my Haiku Year-at-a-Glance for the life of a Community Director. Stay tuned for Part 2.


July
Training's moving fast.
Still can't believe it's July.
Energetic tired.

Grads started today.
Mutually beneficial
A new beginning

August is coming!
Exhausting and exciting
September's for naps

August
Just like Christmas Eve
Tomorrow's RA Training.
It's my 7th one!

Being out-going
Getting my extrovert on
Freaking awesome job.

Move-in day complete.
18+ hours later
Woodland's full of life.

September
Huge sigh of relief...
We made it to September
Let the good times roll.

Students swapping rooms
Instead of addressing things
"you can't play landlord"

Feeling overwhelmed...
Guilty for my time away
It will all be fine.

October
Learning to say "no"
Or at least "just not right now"
Something's got to give.

RA 1:1s
Make for a much better day
Prioritizing

Just tired of conflict
And what is with the fighting?
Civility, please!

November
Reality check.
Much GLACUHO work to do
Finding some focus

It's conference time.
Oh my, lots of energy
Introvert's challenge.

RA Info Night
Such a great turnout in Bluff.
Start of something great.

December
It is December!
How's this even possible?
Holy crap, Batman!

RA eval time
Not the same as grades in class.
Hard to understand.

Ah, peace and quiet
Nice to get caught up on work
"dude, you should go home"

My Haiku Habit

Haikus are easy

But sometimes they don’t make sense

Refrigerator

--William Shatner

Like many people, during middle and high school I attempted to keep journals. Packing up my old bedroom at my parents' house a few years ago I found at least a handful of different journals. Each was filled with a few entries within a close timeframe, followed by a few more entries a few months/years later. Mostly each journal contained blank pages. I had good intentions each time I set out to keep a journal—I wanted to write, I wanted to make notes about my life. All I was missing was a bit of consistency and follow through.


A year ago I gave the idea of journaling another shot, prompted by my 25th birthday and an unexpected present from a colleague. The present was a journal accompanied with a note in the card encouraging me to keep track of my writings as I could write a book someday. My initial reaction was that it was a very thoughtful gift. What I didn't know, and likely what the person who gave it to me didn't know, was just how meaningful it would prove to be.


Given my previous track record of sticking with plans to regularly journal, I had low expectations for what would come of my journaling attempt this time around. At the end of my birthday, I opened the journal and made a quick note of my day before bed. Within that entry I wrote two haikus for the fun of it. The next day I returned to the journal and wrote another haiku with some other thoughts. After a week of writing before bed, I realized that no matter how tired I was, I could easily manage to take a few minutes to write at least a haiku. I also realized that one haiku could easily express the same level of emotion and thought as several lines of prose. I suddenly had a new goal—write at least one haiku in my journal each day.


Nearly a year and over 800 haikus later, my daily haiku writing is a habit. I found the consistency and meaning I lacked earlier in life. I have a haiku chronicle of my life as a 25 year old. And I think that is pretty awesome.


Reviewing my haikus and thinking about the last year, here are some things my haiku habit has taught me:


Perspective—it’s amazing how worries/annoyances/fears/sorrows turn into manageable blips on the radar when expressed in haikus (granted some difficult times resulted in many, many haikus). Writing the haikus is cathartic, leaving me with a sense of comfort and some degree of control in how I react to situations around me. A haiku cannot alleviate all problems, but, for me, it certainly is a start to figuring out my role and limitations within the world.


Gratitude—my 800+ haikus illustrate the importance of gratitude—gratitude toward people, communities, opportunities, the environment, television shows, good food, etc. Alongside haikus helping make sense of frustrations, I try to include haikus about the high points of my day. A healthy amount of haikus acknowledge the wonderful support system I have both near and far. I am very blessed in many regards at this point in my life and don’t want to take any of it for granted. Why not memorialize the seemingly little daily things that I’m grateful for in a haiku? Now I need to make sure I thoroughly express in person my gratitude to those I highlight in my haikus.


Balance—A common topic among student affairs colleagues is “work/life balance” and what that actually means/looks like. This past year taught me that balance doesn’t look like the definition of balance taught growing-up. Things will be lopsided, you’ll be pushed and pulled in different directions (by our own choosing and by external factors), balanced does not mean equal. In August many haikus were about RA training, my new staff, and being a returning Community Director. In September more haikus were about traveling, family, and my music community. While at a professional conference, there is always a significant spike in my haiku production. I’ve stopped worrying about work/life balance on a daily basis. It’s the overall picture that matters to me.



I’m very grateful for the endless lessons I’m finding within my haikus as well as the journal encouragement that initiated this unique habit. It’s a form of reflection and expression that works for me; I look forward to the lessons that will come from the next 365 days of my haiku habit.