Warning: Super long post ahead!
I'm writing this bitterly at 12:30am the morning I'm leaving New York City because I've been trying to sleep for the last 3 hours due to my 2:30 shuttle pick up, but alas my body hates me and is not allowing that to happen, so hooray for a crabby Saturday. In all honesty thought, I'm probably going to be crabby anyway as I'm leaving New York City and New York University.
Five months ago when I received this offer through the ACUHO-I process, I almost turned it down. Though it was the only offer I received, I was concerned about the short amount of hours and pay. After talking it out with some friends, I realized there was no way I could turn this offer down, and I'm so happy I didn't. This has truly been the experience of a lifetime, and I couldn't have asked for more. Everyone that I worked with this summer seemed so genuinely happy to be here and wanted to be serving students. Even the student staff seemed more mature and dedicated than what I was expecting, and they made it that much easier.
I won't lie and pretend the first few weeks here in terms of actual work were a little rocky and I was unsure of myself. This was due to a lot of different factors, but I wouldn't call the experience negative, rather it was an adjustment period of me not only adjusting to everything here, but also my transition back into housing after being away for a year. Even though it took me a few weeks to really find my place at work, I still couldn't help to be so happy with where I was and what I was doing. This was especially true whenever I learned about the actual residential education programs and other services within Student Affairs here at NYU. But even in my own building where I worked, being back working with students reignited something within me, a fire that had been barely going.
For any friends or close family that know me, it probably wouldn't be a surprise when I say that I had been struggling over the last 18 months or so prior to my arrival at NYU. My last semester in Residence Life at UWRF was not a positive one for multiple reasons. The grad school & job search process did not go the way I was expecting it to, and by the time I graduated in May 2010 my confidence in my abilities and sense of who I was had taken a severe beating. I felt like I had done everything and had worked my ass off for nothing. When I got the call a little over a week after I graduated that I had been offered an assistantship in the Alumni office at UCM I accepted immediately and was just thankful for the opportunity. The next two and half months I spent at home working and getting ready for the transition, but I think it was pretty obvious I was not happy that summer. For a lot of that summer I became complacent, and felt like I was just passing through life which is not like me at all. 2.5 weeks before I moved down to Missouri I got in the first car accident since I had gotten my license, with me at fault, and looking back now I think it was wake up call from someone up above that I really was lucky, and my focus began to renew.
In August when I actually moved down to Missouri I was very excited to start my position and was ready for the next chapter in my life. I thought it was time for a fresh start, a time for me to finally be independent, to begin anew, and in some senses this happened. Almost immediately I was thrilled with my classes, and though they sometimes dipped into that old feeling of "school" that we all hated going to (as is inevitable with any program) I always knew that I was absolutely making the right choice by going into Student Affairs. Unfortunately the same could not be said for my assistantship. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot in the Alumni Office and am very thankful for everything, but there was always something missing, and again I wasn't happy. Looking back now it wasn't even that I wasn't in Res Life anymore; being off campus and in a "professional" work environment really pulled me down a lot more than I realized, it didn't fit. I think I knew within the first month last year that I would be applying for a Residence Hall Director position for this next year, but I never thought I would actually get it. In February when Alan called me with the offer, I think that was probably one of the happiest moments in my life. I knew I was on track to where I needed to be. The last 2 months of the semester were a struggle to get through, as I just felt "done" with my assistantship and the work load with classes was very intense.
This summer I feel has finally brought me back on track, to where I need to be with school, my career, and me. NYU has allowed me to see what is possible for an institution outside of the 2 similar midwestern schools I've been at, and those possibilities are amazing. Some of the programs and services offered within and outside of Residence Life here are truly remarkable, and I hope to use their ideas in the future. The support from the professional staff both directly and indirectly has been more than I ever could have hoped for, and the same can be said from my student staff. I've been kind of just pushing through the last couple weeks because I'm ready to start my next chapter, but pausing for a moment, I've been incredibly blessed this summer. I honestly hope to maintain many of the connections I've made here, and while the location of NYU makes me very uncertain about the feasibility of actually applying for a professional position here, it's awesome to know I made a positive impact during my ten weeks here and that I feel like I fit here.
I will of course also miss NYC. When people say there's no place like it, they really do mean it. I think I was very fortunate in my housing placement in Union Square in Manhattan. This was an incredible neighborhood to be around, and I love the culture. I won't lie, I'm happy to be going back to a place with more trees and grass and nature, but I am going to miss this indescribable melting pot of people and culture. Wherever I get a job next year, I know now that it need to be in close proximity to a city. It is going to be weird to go back to places like Walmart, only pay $6.50 for a movie (student discount!), not have public transportation, and most important to me not be able to go see a broadway show any time I want. But, the memories I have made here I know are going to stay with me for a long time. Having several friends come visit this summer was a blessing, and made the whole experience so much better than I'm sure it would have been had I been alone.
To every person that even the smallest impact on my experience this summer in whatever way, thank you. I have learned so much about myself, this field, and much much more. As I begin my next chapter I'm sure I will reflect more on my time here in NYC. Whether or not those reflections end up here I do not know, but for now I must thank you for reading this blog. I hope my ridiculous wordy-ness hasn't annoyed you and that you've been able to take something away from my experiences. In some way I'm sure your reading of this blog has helped me too. For now I will say goodbye. I have another blog at bkes216.blogspot.com that I haven't updated since January, but I will probably add to over the next year. Thanks again for reading and allowing me to process my thoughts. This chapter is closing, but I can't wait to start the next one.
-Brandon
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Take a Deep Breath...And Breathe Out...
I know I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks. It's really because to be honest, I haven't had a lot or the time to write a proper post. It has been an extremely intensive 3 weeks, and while they have been exhausting, they have also been incredibly educational for me as an upcoming hall director and student affairs professional. We've had the NYU orientation groups staying in our hall for the last few weeks for a night or two at a time, and each session seems to have its own set of personalities, and therefore, its own needs. The orientations have also been one of my primary responsibilities during my time here, so I took a lot of ownership over the whole process and making sure things ran smoothly, and for the part they did. I have to credit a lot of this to my summer staff workers, as they've been awesome. One of them today was actually poking fun at me for calling them "my staff", but it really isn't meant as a bad thing. I take a lot of pride in them in the work that they do, and I'm very thankful for all their knowledge about the building, NYU, and NYC since I'm not from here. Oh kids. Anyway, today the last 2 groups checked out (at the same time too!) which signaled not only the end of our busiest time, but the realization that I really only have two weeks left here and how short of time that actually is. As much as I want to ignore it and put that reality aside, I can't anymore. Its coming quick.
The thing is though, I think I'm ready...in a way. Bare with me, I have a lot of mixed feelings right now. The past couple weeks I've been really missing my cohort and the discussions and good times we have. We're all participating in an online discussion board for this "class", but that's mainly class/work related. I miss sharing our experiences and learning from each other through in-person discussion. I really didn't think I would miss them as much as I did. I'm also ready to start my work as a hall director. I say ready as in I'm mentally ready to go there, I still have work I feel I need to do for the actually position before I go back (though I don't really). I'm also scared out of my mind to start the position, but I think I'm more excited than scared about the position (at least I hope). However, I don't want to leave, so I've been trying to see if there's anyway I can physically transport UCM to New York City. So far I haven't been smart enough to invent a transporter, I'll let you know if I do. This city is awesome, and I don't really want to leave. I would however like to have a paycheck that will allow me to have spending money and not just pay bills...
Anyway, New York is awesome, and while I'm not sure anymore how well I would do actually living here for a more extended period of time than I am now, it has been an amazing experience. The past couple weeks I've really just been living day to day like I live here, and I've realized how much I miss being close to a city. It's made me realize I really can't wait to get out of Missouri. Warrensburg itself is fine, I just can't stand how far away it is from everything and Missouri politics outside of Warrensburg. I think what I'm trying to get to is that living in New York after being in Warrensburg has made me realize that during my job search next year I need to look for a position in close proximity to a major city like Minneapolis/St. Paul. River Falls was perfect, but I need some work experience first before I can get a job there (though that is one of my life goals to work back at UWRF). I think I've finally realized that it's ok to have needs when looking for a job and not to just "take what I can get" (though I may get desperate next spring).
On a different note, my friend Anna from my cohort came and visited last weekend and we had a bunch of fun! One of the things we did was go down to the World Trade Center/Ground Zero. My other friends who visited said there wasn't a good place to see anything there and that the construction zone was surrounded by barriers. This was true, but Anna and I found out you could go through the sky-walk of the World Financial Center across the street and we were able to see the whole site really well. I've been keeping track of the project for the past few years, and I knew for a few years progress on the new tower and memorial had been going slowly, but over the past couple years progress was going much quicker. 1 World Trade Center/Freedom Tower has really come a long way and is now at the 72nd floor in steel construction, and is actually visible from the top few floors of the building I work in. The building is cool, but I'm also really interested in the other buildings being built (there will be 4 buildings at the new WTC in total), as well as the memorial. The memorial will open for the first time this year on 9/11 for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, and from the World Financial Center we were able to see the site really well, and while there's still a long way to go in the next few months, it really a sight to see. For those who don't know anything about the memorial, The 2 "footprints" of the site have been turned into giant square waterfalls at ground level with panels around the edges with the names of those who were lost, and underneath the site is a more interactive memorial. There is also a museum being built that features some of the steel from the original towers. View more at http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html
Ever since we visited I've been in a very reflective mood about a lot of things. I'm sure 9/11/01 will be on all of our minds a lot over the next few months as we approach the 10th anniversary and remember those who were lost. I've really been reflecting on how much in my life has changed in ten years, and even in the last five since I first went off to college. This reflection has made me think about a lot of things, but what I come away with most is how grateful I am to be where I am, how thankful I am for every privilege that I've had over my lifetime, and how lucky I am to be where I'm at in my life. The past year and half or so I have frequently struggled with how and why certain things happen, but I'm at a really good place in my life right now, and I'm so incredibily thankful for that.
I've also thought a lot recently about where my life is going, and I think that's where a lot of my uncertainty comes in. I know I'm not supposed to worry about the future, but I'm genuinely concerned about getting a job next year once I graduate (hopefully before). What I need to realize is that what is meant to happen will happen and that life will work itself out. In my more immediate future, I have so many mixed feelings about the upcoming year. On one hand I'm so freaking excited to get started in my position as a RHD and to have a building and a staff. On the other I'm scared out of my friggin mind. I'm strangely excited to get back in the classroom and learn more about my profession, but I'm also nervous for this semester because while for some last semester was the hardest for them and their needs, I think this semester will be the hardest for me as I have classes that deal with law and governance and finance which all make me a little nervous. While I usually thrive under pressure, I am nervous that I'm going to get overwhelmed with my RHD position and classes, and not to mention the added pressure of the MoCPA conference I'm helping to plan, and the EPSA conference at UCM too. Good thing I have awesome people in my cohort to bring me back down to reality and keep my grounded and real this year. I'm sure it will all be ok, right!
I just realized I launched into Residence Life/Student Affairs lingo, so let me explain:
RHD = Residence Hall Director
MoCPA = Missouri College Personnel Association
EPSA = Exploring Your Path in Student Affairs
UCM = University of Central Missouri
UWRF = University of Wisconsin - River Falls
NYU = New York University
Ok that was a really long post about the things that go on in my head so I think I'm done for now. Until next time...
The thing is though, I think I'm ready...in a way. Bare with me, I have a lot of mixed feelings right now. The past couple weeks I've been really missing my cohort and the discussions and good times we have. We're all participating in an online discussion board for this "class", but that's mainly class/work related. I miss sharing our experiences and learning from each other through in-person discussion. I really didn't think I would miss them as much as I did. I'm also ready to start my work as a hall director. I say ready as in I'm mentally ready to go there, I still have work I feel I need to do for the actually position before I go back (though I don't really). I'm also scared out of my mind to start the position, but I think I'm more excited than scared about the position (at least I hope). However, I don't want to leave, so I've been trying to see if there's anyway I can physically transport UCM to New York City. So far I haven't been smart enough to invent a transporter, I'll let you know if I do. This city is awesome, and I don't really want to leave. I would however like to have a paycheck that will allow me to have spending money and not just pay bills...
Anyway, New York is awesome, and while I'm not sure anymore how well I would do actually living here for a more extended period of time than I am now, it has been an amazing experience. The past couple weeks I've really just been living day to day like I live here, and I've realized how much I miss being close to a city. It's made me realize I really can't wait to get out of Missouri. Warrensburg itself is fine, I just can't stand how far away it is from everything and Missouri politics outside of Warrensburg. I think what I'm trying to get to is that living in New York after being in Warrensburg has made me realize that during my job search next year I need to look for a position in close proximity to a major city like Minneapolis/St. Paul. River Falls was perfect, but I need some work experience first before I can get a job there (though that is one of my life goals to work back at UWRF). I think I've finally realized that it's ok to have needs when looking for a job and not to just "take what I can get" (though I may get desperate next spring).
On a different note, my friend Anna from my cohort came and visited last weekend and we had a bunch of fun! One of the things we did was go down to the World Trade Center/Ground Zero. My other friends who visited said there wasn't a good place to see anything there and that the construction zone was surrounded by barriers. This was true, but Anna and I found out you could go through the sky-walk of the World Financial Center across the street and we were able to see the whole site really well. I've been keeping track of the project for the past few years, and I knew for a few years progress on the new tower and memorial had been going slowly, but over the past couple years progress was going much quicker. 1 World Trade Center/Freedom Tower has really come a long way and is now at the 72nd floor in steel construction, and is actually visible from the top few floors of the building I work in. The building is cool, but I'm also really interested in the other buildings being built (there will be 4 buildings at the new WTC in total), as well as the memorial. The memorial will open for the first time this year on 9/11 for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, and from the World Financial Center we were able to see the site really well, and while there's still a long way to go in the next few months, it really a sight to see. For those who don't know anything about the memorial, The 2 "footprints" of the site have been turned into giant square waterfalls at ground level with panels around the edges with the names of those who were lost, and underneath the site is a more interactive memorial. There is also a museum being built that features some of the steel from the original towers. View more at http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html
Ever since we visited I've been in a very reflective mood about a lot of things. I'm sure 9/11/01 will be on all of our minds a lot over the next few months as we approach the 10th anniversary and remember those who were lost. I've really been reflecting on how much in my life has changed in ten years, and even in the last five since I first went off to college. This reflection has made me think about a lot of things, but what I come away with most is how grateful I am to be where I am, how thankful I am for every privilege that I've had over my lifetime, and how lucky I am to be where I'm at in my life. The past year and half or so I have frequently struggled with how and why certain things happen, but I'm at a really good place in my life right now, and I'm so incredibily thankful for that.
I've also thought a lot recently about where my life is going, and I think that's where a lot of my uncertainty comes in. I know I'm not supposed to worry about the future, but I'm genuinely concerned about getting a job next year once I graduate (hopefully before). What I need to realize is that what is meant to happen will happen and that life will work itself out. In my more immediate future, I have so many mixed feelings about the upcoming year. On one hand I'm so freaking excited to get started in my position as a RHD and to have a building and a staff. On the other I'm scared out of my friggin mind. I'm strangely excited to get back in the classroom and learn more about my profession, but I'm also nervous for this semester because while for some last semester was the hardest for them and their needs, I think this semester will be the hardest for me as I have classes that deal with law and governance and finance which all make me a little nervous. While I usually thrive under pressure, I am nervous that I'm going to get overwhelmed with my RHD position and classes, and not to mention the added pressure of the MoCPA conference I'm helping to plan, and the EPSA conference at UCM too. Good thing I have awesome people in my cohort to bring me back down to reality and keep my grounded and real this year. I'm sure it will all be ok, right!
I just realized I launched into Residence Life/Student Affairs lingo, so let me explain:
RHD = Residence Hall Director
MoCPA = Missouri College Personnel Association
EPSA = Exploring Your Path in Student Affairs
UCM = University of Central Missouri
UWRF = University of Wisconsin - River Falls
NYU = New York University
Ok that was a really long post about the things that go on in my head so I think I'm done for now. Until next time...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Suite Life at NYU
I can't say that anything overly new or exciting has happened over the last week, but it sure was a busy one! I started off last week by leading the weekly staff which ended up taking a lot longer than it was supposed to, but we had a lot to go over and I was told I did a good job. Tuesday was the first "real test" of our staff's preparedness for summer, as we had our first orientation Check-In for an orientation group, which was about 260 students, so that was fun. I'm the main person in charge of orientation check-ins/outs so I was a bit nervous, but my staff were champs and we really had relatively few issues and I was quite pleased. Today was crazy trying to prepare for TWO orientations that are happening tomorrow, but I think we finally got all the kinks worked out...I hope.
In terms of "New York-y" things, I think for the most part I'm just going to be a "regular" New Yorker for the rest of the time I'm here, aside from when I have visitors. It's nice to just take things as they come and not feel so rushed to do something all the time. I know people want me to go and take tons of pictures and do as much as I can, but honestly, I've learned to just enjoy the moment. Growing up as kid vacations were always planned and so structured which I can appreciate since they were expensive and we only had so much time, but when I went to Washington DC last year with a couple friends over Spring Break we for the most part didn't really plan anything and it was one of the best vacations I've taken. I absolutely want to explore more and do some of the things I haven't, but I know I've seen and done more things in my five weeks here than many students do in their entire college experience at NYU, so I'm happy with where I'm at. For a person who thrives on organization and structure, this has been an important and valuable lesson, and I'm very at peace with it.
As I write "five weeks here", there is a bit of a sadness there. I'm now past the halfway point of my time here at NYU, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Some days I do miss having a place of solitude and genuine quiet to go to, but for the most part I absolutely love this city (ha, first I wrote town, but that's so wrong) and this school. At the same time, I'm so excited for this fall and to get started being a Residence Hall Director and learn everything I can there. For now I'm just grateful for all the experiences I've had and will have, and for everything I have in my life.
Cheers for now!
In terms of "New York-y" things, I think for the most part I'm just going to be a "regular" New Yorker for the rest of the time I'm here, aside from when I have visitors. It's nice to just take things as they come and not feel so rushed to do something all the time. I know people want me to go and take tons of pictures and do as much as I can, but honestly, I've learned to just enjoy the moment. Growing up as kid vacations were always planned and so structured which I can appreciate since they were expensive and we only had so much time, but when I went to Washington DC last year with a couple friends over Spring Break we for the most part didn't really plan anything and it was one of the best vacations I've taken. I absolutely want to explore more and do some of the things I haven't, but I know I've seen and done more things in my five weeks here than many students do in their entire college experience at NYU, so I'm happy with where I'm at. For a person who thrives on organization and structure, this has been an important and valuable lesson, and I'm very at peace with it.
As I write "five weeks here", there is a bit of a sadness there. I'm now past the halfway point of my time here at NYU, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Some days I do miss having a place of solitude and genuine quiet to go to, but for the most part I absolutely love this city (ha, first I wrote town, but that's so wrong) and this school. At the same time, I'm so excited for this fall and to get started being a Residence Hall Director and learn everything I can there. For now I'm just grateful for all the experiences I've had and will have, and for everything I have in my life.
Cheers for now!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Deeper Reflections
So maybe I will only be posting once a week. We'll see, I make no promises!
The last 9-10 days or so since I last updated have gone by so fast, and I can't believe I've been here 4 weeks already. At the same time it's going by so fast that I feel like I've been here a while, which I think just means I've really slipped into a routine and am feeling very comfortable in where I'm at.
This week actually marked the first "normal" week of the summer for me if such a thing exists. My supervisor was back this week and we got to talk about a few things and I really feel like I'm accomplishing some good tasks. I've stepped a bit in terms of leadership and supervisory/delagatory (not a word, I know, but it's my blog so :P) roles which is making me feel good too. I received my transition report for this upcoming fall for my RHD role back at UCM, and I think the combination of that and doing some concrete work here has established a sort of more mature demeanor for me out there, not that I've ever had a problem with maturity...
I have also been continuing to participate in interviews for positions here at UCM, which is proving to be some of the most interesting experiences I've had here. Positions are competitive here, and it isn't just that NYU demands more (which in fairness, they might), but they've developed this interview style that kind of allows them to cut through the crap and get to the actual answers they want, and it's very easy to tell when a person is being fake. Hopefully my observations in the process will help me when I'm interviewing for positions next spring. I can only hope!
A blog entry I wrote a few weeks ago mentioned that I had noticed that I thought I was the minority here in NYC. Since I wrote that I've really been reflecting on what that means to me and my environment, and whether my observation was correct to begin with. After being here a few weeks I don't think minority is the correct word to use here, as if I did that it would mean that I'm classifying all Caucasians as the minority while all other races would collectively join together as the dominant culture, which is wrong. So I'm not sure exactly what term to use, because if I still classify all Caucasians together against all the other races then "we" would actually be the dominant race. Still though, I've definitely reflected on my statement that when I was thinking of whites as the minority that I didn't feel like a minority, and I didn't even know what that should feel like.
Since I wrote that I've come to realize that I didn't feel like a minority because of my privilege. Even if whites/Caucasians were actually the minority, it wouldn't change my privilege. Because I am a white male from a middle class family in the suburbs of St. Paul, I automatically have a privilege that many other races and cultures do not have. I can still more easily get a bank loan, not constantly worry about if I'm being judged by the color of my skin, or suspect that I might be being treated differently because of my culture. I will still never understand the struggle that people "different than me" face every day, just because of who they are. As I continue to reflect on my experiences and my understanding of diversity and social justice issues evolves, I'm sure my time here in NYC will weigh heavily on my values system. I'm also sure I will continue to reflect on my observations while I'm here in NYC.
That was kind of heavy, so I'll end on a humorous note. One of my cohort members was here visiting yesterday, and while walking on the sidewalk a guy stopped to ask me for $1. However, it wasn't what you might think it was for. He asked for $1 so he could buy some weed. Yep, that happened. Oh New York, I love you...
The last 9-10 days or so since I last updated have gone by so fast, and I can't believe I've been here 4 weeks already. At the same time it's going by so fast that I feel like I've been here a while, which I think just means I've really slipped into a routine and am feeling very comfortable in where I'm at.
This week actually marked the first "normal" week of the summer for me if such a thing exists. My supervisor was back this week and we got to talk about a few things and I really feel like I'm accomplishing some good tasks. I've stepped a bit in terms of leadership and supervisory/delagatory (not a word, I know, but it's my blog so :P) roles which is making me feel good too. I received my transition report for this upcoming fall for my RHD role back at UCM, and I think the combination of that and doing some concrete work here has established a sort of more mature demeanor for me out there, not that I've ever had a problem with maturity...
I have also been continuing to participate in interviews for positions here at UCM, which is proving to be some of the most interesting experiences I've had here. Positions are competitive here, and it isn't just that NYU demands more (which in fairness, they might), but they've developed this interview style that kind of allows them to cut through the crap and get to the actual answers they want, and it's very easy to tell when a person is being fake. Hopefully my observations in the process will help me when I'm interviewing for positions next spring. I can only hope!
A blog entry I wrote a few weeks ago mentioned that I had noticed that I thought I was the minority here in NYC. Since I wrote that I've really been reflecting on what that means to me and my environment, and whether my observation was correct to begin with. After being here a few weeks I don't think minority is the correct word to use here, as if I did that it would mean that I'm classifying all Caucasians as the minority while all other races would collectively join together as the dominant culture, which is wrong. So I'm not sure exactly what term to use, because if I still classify all Caucasians together against all the other races then "we" would actually be the dominant race. Still though, I've definitely reflected on my statement that when I was thinking of whites as the minority that I didn't feel like a minority, and I didn't even know what that should feel like.
Since I wrote that I've come to realize that I didn't feel like a minority because of my privilege. Even if whites/Caucasians were actually the minority, it wouldn't change my privilege. Because I am a white male from a middle class family in the suburbs of St. Paul, I automatically have a privilege that many other races and cultures do not have. I can still more easily get a bank loan, not constantly worry about if I'm being judged by the color of my skin, or suspect that I might be being treated differently because of my culture. I will still never understand the struggle that people "different than me" face every day, just because of who they are. As I continue to reflect on my experiences and my understanding of diversity and social justice issues evolves, I'm sure my time here in NYC will weigh heavily on my values system. I'm also sure I will continue to reflect on my observations while I'm here in NYC.
That was kind of heavy, so I'll end on a humorous note. One of my cohort members was here visiting yesterday, and while walking on the sidewalk a guy stopped to ask me for $1. However, it wasn't what you might think it was for. He asked for $1 so he could buy some weed. Yep, that happened. Oh New York, I love you...
Friday, June 3, 2011
Digging Deeper Into NYU, and Lessons Learned
Whoops! I didn't mean to go a week without posting...I guess that's just how fast my time here is going, yikes!
This week has actually been pretty slow in terms of things to do at work, mainly because we're ahead of the game and our supervisor is gone. But, I'm not complaining! I have started to bond a little bit more with the SAs which makes me happy, but I only interact with a few of them on a regular basis because of how their schedules work out. I was however invited to dinner with a few of them last night at one of the dining halls, so that was fun! I'm hoping I can get to know them better over the next couple weeks.
I did have 2 instances this week where I really let myself down. 2 of the things I pride myself on are responsibility and time management. Tuesday night there was a SA meeting that I didn't really need to be at because it's outside of my normal hours and I don't have much to add, but I had planned on going and let people know I was going to be there. The meeting was supposed to be at 9:30pm, but cue me looking at my phone at 10:00 realizing I missed it, and completely forgot about it. I was embarrassed and felt terrible about it, but their supervisor didn't care at all. I was more upset I let myself down and made a mistake like that. Unfortunately something similar happened yesterday. I was supposed to be a part of a couple interviews for open positions yesterday and today. Somehow yesterday I got the times mixed up and missed the interview yesterday. I realized what I had done and immediately sent an e-mail to the coordinator and apologized. I never heard back from her, but this one I truly felt horrible about, especially since it affected other people in the central office. It was a group interview, so I know it was fine I wasn't there, but I was extremely upset with myself yesterday about this. I know mistakes happen, but as I said I pride myself on time management and responsibility, this really got me down. I've made some changed to my calendar and have tried to make sure this won't happen again, but the damage is done. Hopefully people aren't too upset.
That was the negative, but I did have a lot of positive this week. Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a recognition banquet/event for the entire Student Affairs division. The fact that such an event exists is itself incredible. I didn't know very many people at the event, and didn't meet anyone knew, and I almost left early because of that. But, I decided to stay and here about some of the award recipients. The staff and students who were all recognized all sounded like they had done some really great things. Employees who had were celebrating 10, 15, 20, etc year anniversaries were also recognized, which I thought was really nice. I'm not sure some of the people in attendance knew how lucky they were to be at an institution that publicly recognizes its employees for their service and outstanding achievements, based on the amount of side conversations going on, but it really is awesome. I'm a huge believer in the power of recognition as a motivational tool, so this event was a big deal for me.
Today I participated in application rankings for First Year Residential Experience floors, which are first-year living-learning communities. This was again a great experience, and I really enjoyed reading some of the applications. It was quite apparent where these new students were in terms of maturity based on the content of their answers, which was really interesting to go over. One of the communities I was reviewing applications for was a community-service themed community. Many of the applications made these over-the-top grandiose statements and had some incredibly in-depth community service experiences. This actually got a little tiring after a while, until I came to one application. This student didn't have near the amount of experiences as some of the other applicants, but told this story about she had this one profound experience that kind of changed her life and the way she viewed the world. I rated this application higher than a lot of the others. It just kind of made me step back for a moment and put everything in perspective and realize that while all these other people might have some amazing experiences, this student could be equally great for different reasons. Little things like this get me really excited about this field, and only solidify for me this is the field where I need to be.
After we finished all the applications I sat in on an interview for a candidate who was applying for a Residence Hall Assistant Director position, which here at NYU is an entry level position like the ones I'll be applying for other places next year. I was happy to sit in on this interview for several reasons. For one, if I were asked those questions today, I would have ran out of the building because I don't know that I could have answered them anywhere near well-enough. But, I was also interested to see not only how the candidate answered the questions, but also how the other interviews probed for more detailed answers and what they responded to. After the interview we all met to share our experiences, which I stayed quieter for, because I didn't know as well what they were looking for, but I did add a bit of perspective. Next spring I'll be going through (hopefully) a lot of these type of interviews, so it was a great experience overall.
Ok, that's a long enough blog post. 2 of my friends are in a plane right now on their way here, and I can't wait for them to get here! I'll update again soon!
This week has actually been pretty slow in terms of things to do at work, mainly because we're ahead of the game and our supervisor is gone. But, I'm not complaining! I have started to bond a little bit more with the SAs which makes me happy, but I only interact with a few of them on a regular basis because of how their schedules work out. I was however invited to dinner with a few of them last night at one of the dining halls, so that was fun! I'm hoping I can get to know them better over the next couple weeks.
I did have 2 instances this week where I really let myself down. 2 of the things I pride myself on are responsibility and time management. Tuesday night there was a SA meeting that I didn't really need to be at because it's outside of my normal hours and I don't have much to add, but I had planned on going and let people know I was going to be there. The meeting was supposed to be at 9:30pm, but cue me looking at my phone at 10:00 realizing I missed it, and completely forgot about it. I was embarrassed and felt terrible about it, but their supervisor didn't care at all. I was more upset I let myself down and made a mistake like that. Unfortunately something similar happened yesterday. I was supposed to be a part of a couple interviews for open positions yesterday and today. Somehow yesterday I got the times mixed up and missed the interview yesterday. I realized what I had done and immediately sent an e-mail to the coordinator and apologized. I never heard back from her, but this one I truly felt horrible about, especially since it affected other people in the central office. It was a group interview, so I know it was fine I wasn't there, but I was extremely upset with myself yesterday about this. I know mistakes happen, but as I said I pride myself on time management and responsibility, this really got me down. I've made some changed to my calendar and have tried to make sure this won't happen again, but the damage is done. Hopefully people aren't too upset.
That was the negative, but I did have a lot of positive this week. Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a recognition banquet/event for the entire Student Affairs division. The fact that such an event exists is itself incredible. I didn't know very many people at the event, and didn't meet anyone knew, and I almost left early because of that. But, I decided to stay and here about some of the award recipients. The staff and students who were all recognized all sounded like they had done some really great things. Employees who had were celebrating 10, 15, 20, etc year anniversaries were also recognized, which I thought was really nice. I'm not sure some of the people in attendance knew how lucky they were to be at an institution that publicly recognizes its employees for their service and outstanding achievements, based on the amount of side conversations going on, but it really is awesome. I'm a huge believer in the power of recognition as a motivational tool, so this event was a big deal for me.
Today I participated in application rankings for First Year Residential Experience floors, which are first-year living-learning communities. This was again a great experience, and I really enjoyed reading some of the applications. It was quite apparent where these new students were in terms of maturity based on the content of their answers, which was really interesting to go over. One of the communities I was reviewing applications for was a community-service themed community. Many of the applications made these over-the-top grandiose statements and had some incredibly in-depth community service experiences. This actually got a little tiring after a while, until I came to one application. This student didn't have near the amount of experiences as some of the other applicants, but told this story about she had this one profound experience that kind of changed her life and the way she viewed the world. I rated this application higher than a lot of the others. It just kind of made me step back for a moment and put everything in perspective and realize that while all these other people might have some amazing experiences, this student could be equally great for different reasons. Little things like this get me really excited about this field, and only solidify for me this is the field where I need to be.
After we finished all the applications I sat in on an interview for a candidate who was applying for a Residence Hall Assistant Director position, which here at NYU is an entry level position like the ones I'll be applying for other places next year. I was happy to sit in on this interview for several reasons. For one, if I were asked those questions today, I would have ran out of the building because I don't know that I could have answered them anywhere near well-enough. But, I was also interested to see not only how the candidate answered the questions, but also how the other interviews probed for more detailed answers and what they responded to. After the interview we all met to share our experiences, which I stayed quieter for, because I didn't know as well what they were looking for, but I did add a bit of perspective. Next spring I'll be going through (hopefully) a lot of these type of interviews, so it was a great experience overall.
Ok, that's a long enough blog post. 2 of my friends are in a plane right now on their way here, and I can't wait for them to get here! I'll update again soon!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Musicals and Shows and Broadway, oh my! (updated 6/6/11)
Short Update Tonight. I just got back from seeing Avenue Q as I went out this morning and got a rush ticket which was $26.50 for a front row seat, pretty sweet if I do say so myself. Anywho, I thought I'd rank the shows that I've seen either here or other places, and hopefully update this post throughout the summer (assuming it automatically moves up when I update, otherwise I'll just do a new post). I think as I see a new show I'll add a mini-review of it, which may be taken down as I update. Anywho, here we go!
Update Note: New material will be in Yellow!
1. Wicked (Chicago 1x, Minneapolis 3x)/Rent (St. Paul 1x, Minneapolis 1x, Film) (tie)
I don't know that this will ever come untied for me. If you want a reason as to why these are at the top of my list then you don't know me at all.
2. Avenue Q (NYC)
I know I only just saw this show, but I loved it. I've add the soundtrack I think since my senior year in high school, or somewhere around there, and have loved the music since I first heard it. To finally see the show though was wonderful. Avenue Q was a wonderful reflection on culture, specifically the hardships post-college people go through and put themselves in. There probably isn't a more hilarious show in terms of dialogue and music. Definitely not for the easily offended or uptight, but so good for everyone else. Bonus was seeing it at the New World Stages which is an awesome venue and "off-broadway" which I learned today means the theater capacity is between 100-499 seats. This theater had 499 seats. I was in the front row :).
3. Catch Me If You Can (NYC)
Catch Me If You Can (based on the movie which is based on the book, which I have seen nor read either) was wonderfully entertaining. This one is nominated for the Tony for Best Musical, and I do hope it wins. I downloaded the soundtrack the day it came out at midnight, and have been listening pretty frequently since. Everything a broadway show should have including good music, good story, good acting, and a great heart. Very entertaining.
4. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (NYC)
I can't believe how much I loved this show. I almost placed it above Catch Me if You Can, and I still might at a later time, but holy crap it was so good. I LOVED the set, the dancers and choreography were fantastic, and leads Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette were freaking amazing. This was a very classic broadway show, and the 50 year old script is pretty sexist, but the show was so much, music was great, and overall it was just a ton of fun. Very well done!
5. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (NYC)
Before anyone freaks out, I saw this after it was majorly revamped. Having said that, I thought it was awesome, especially the second act. While I don't do much with comic books, Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, so I really looked forward to this show. The storyline is familiar in the Spider-Man world, but that to me made it all the more fun. Die-hard comic fans will no doubt be outraged at a few plot points but they are really minor overall in terms of the show. The music in the second half is much stronger than the first half, but there's nothing that's overly terrible. What really sells this show is the breathtaking and jaw-dropping aerial sequences and the wildly intricate stage. The entire audience was on their feet when the show was over. This still has a couple weeks left of previews, and I'm sure it'll clean up a bunch in that time. Having everything out there, this is the one show I want to make sure I go back and see again this summer.
6. The Addams Family (NYC)
This show was wildly entertaining at the time, but the lasting effects have worn off fairly quickly. The first half especially is hilarious, but once you look past the jokes it really is just ok. Having said that, anyone looking for a night of laughs would love this show and I don't at all regret seeing it. I am however glad I didn't pay full price for my ticket! (but that goes without saying for any shows)
Ok, I think that's all I have for now. I've also seen the Blue Man Group, but I classify that differently even if I shouldn't I've also seen a bunch of other movie musicals, most of which I love, but I'm including here shows I've seen the stage version for.
That's all for tonight!
Update Note: New material will be in Yellow!
1. Wicked (Chicago 1x, Minneapolis 3x)/Rent (St. Paul 1x, Minneapolis 1x, Film) (tie)
I don't know that this will ever come untied for me. If you want a reason as to why these are at the top of my list then you don't know me at all.
2. Avenue Q (NYC)
I know I only just saw this show, but I loved it. I've add the soundtrack I think since my senior year in high school, or somewhere around there, and have loved the music since I first heard it. To finally see the show though was wonderful. Avenue Q was a wonderful reflection on culture, specifically the hardships post-college people go through and put themselves in. There probably isn't a more hilarious show in terms of dialogue and music. Definitely not for the easily offended or uptight, but so good for everyone else. Bonus was seeing it at the New World Stages which is an awesome venue and "off-broadway" which I learned today means the theater capacity is between 100-499 seats. This theater had 499 seats. I was in the front row :).
3. Catch Me If You Can (NYC)
Catch Me If You Can (based on the movie which is based on the book, which I have seen nor read either) was wonderfully entertaining. This one is nominated for the Tony for Best Musical, and I do hope it wins. I downloaded the soundtrack the day it came out at midnight, and have been listening pretty frequently since. Everything a broadway show should have including good music, good story, good acting, and a great heart. Very entertaining.
4. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (NYC)
I can't believe how much I loved this show. I almost placed it above Catch Me if You Can, and I still might at a later time, but holy crap it was so good. I LOVED the set, the dancers and choreography were fantastic, and leads Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette were freaking amazing. This was a very classic broadway show, and the 50 year old script is pretty sexist, but the show was so much, music was great, and overall it was just a ton of fun. Very well done!
5. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (NYC)
Before anyone freaks out, I saw this after it was majorly revamped. Having said that, I thought it was awesome, especially the second act. While I don't do much with comic books, Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, so I really looked forward to this show. The storyline is familiar in the Spider-Man world, but that to me made it all the more fun. Die-hard comic fans will no doubt be outraged at a few plot points but they are really minor overall in terms of the show. The music in the second half is much stronger than the first half, but there's nothing that's overly terrible. What really sells this show is the breathtaking and jaw-dropping aerial sequences and the wildly intricate stage. The entire audience was on their feet when the show was over. This still has a couple weeks left of previews, and I'm sure it'll clean up a bunch in that time. Having everything out there, this is the one show I want to make sure I go back and see again this summer.
6. The Addams Family (NYC)
This show was wildly entertaining at the time, but the lasting effects have worn off fairly quickly. The first half especially is hilarious, but once you look past the jokes it really is just ok. Having said that, anyone looking for a night of laughs would love this show and I don't at all regret seeing it. I am however glad I didn't pay full price for my ticket! (but that goes without saying for any shows)
Ok, I think that's all I have for now. I've also seen the Blue Man Group, but I classify that differently even if I shouldn't I've also seen a bunch of other movie musicals, most of which I love, but I'm including here shows I've seen the stage version for.
That's all for tonight!
I've Been Here 2 Weeks? When Did That Happen!?!?
So as I sit here at my computer looking out upon the beautiful (FINALLY!) New York City day, I realized that I've been here for two weeks already. Why is it that every semester and every new experience goes faster than the last? Sigh. It's ok though, I'm having a blast.
Wednesday and Friday this week Niki (the other intern) and I met with various people in the Residential Life and Housing Services department. I already talked about Wednesday's meetings in another post, but over the two days I just couldn't help but absolutely enjoy meeting with each and every one of those people. The pro staff here is amazing, and to me it is really obvious that every person who works in that office is dedicated to making their residents' experiences here NYU as positive as possible. More than just being so gosh darn nice, they work and the programs that happen in the residence halls here is incredible. Before I came to NYU one of my preconceptions was that there couldn't possibily be a strong community vibe in the halls, and that to try and program for halls with over 1000 people was absolutely ridiculous. But no, it's almost like some people here thought that very same thing and have done everything in their power to make the communities in the halls as unique, engaging, and supportive as possible. I'm incredibly jealous of the faculty programs that go on in the halls, and I wish our faculty would dedicate even a tenth of what the faculty here do to the residence halls. Hopefully the merger of academics and student affairs under one "umbrella" at UCM will help some, but there's a whole lot of other issues there. Anyway, from what I can tell there's a lot from the programs I can bring back to UCM to not only help me in my hall manager, but I've been given a ton of information that I can share with the pro staff at UCM and keep for myself for when I'm a full-time staff member (wherever that ends up being) once I graduate. I'm very excited for the next 8 weeks.
One thing I'm nervous for is tomorrow. We have about 100 people checking in who are from the University of Hong Kong. I don't doubt that they'll speak at least at some language, but what I'm nervous for is that we'll have something completely wrong, or offend someone by having a name wrong, or we'll be insensitive somehow. I don't know why I'm this nervous since we had 60 people from India check in last weekend and that went fine. I'm sure it will be fine, I just tend to over-analyze and dwell on the little things when it comes to tasks like this. I'm sure my summer assistants will be awesome and all my worrying will have been for nothing!
Lastly to talk about is................ that...my last sentence. What is that? Optimism? Excitement at nerve-racking challenges? Who am I!? I've noticed lately, I think since I got to New York, that I've just been more outwardly positive. I have no idea why, and it isn't bad, it just isn't what I'm used to. Maybe it's because I'm back in housing, back doing the things I love, and really enjoying my position? Make's sense.
Ok, maybe that wasn't last. I realized I haven't talked much about the city, only snippets here and there. I love my neighborhood. It's busy and bustling, but it has this amazing energy that really attracts me. Last night and this morning/afternoon I just walked around a few streets I hadn't been to yet, and it was really fun. Today was the first time I actually walked through the actual Union Square instead of around it, and it seems like a pretty cool park/square. On my Facebook I posted a few pictures you can check out if you like, but again, the neighborhood is awesome. If I actually lived in New York, I think I would want to live in this neighborhood.
Finally, 2 of my best friends from UWRF will be here and I can't wait! I'll update again soon!
Wednesday and Friday this week Niki (the other intern) and I met with various people in the Residential Life and Housing Services department. I already talked about Wednesday's meetings in another post, but over the two days I just couldn't help but absolutely enjoy meeting with each and every one of those people. The pro staff here is amazing, and to me it is really obvious that every person who works in that office is dedicated to making their residents' experiences here NYU as positive as possible. More than just being so gosh darn nice, they work and the programs that happen in the residence halls here is incredible. Before I came to NYU one of my preconceptions was that there couldn't possibily be a strong community vibe in the halls, and that to try and program for halls with over 1000 people was absolutely ridiculous. But no, it's almost like some people here thought that very same thing and have done everything in their power to make the communities in the halls as unique, engaging, and supportive as possible. I'm incredibly jealous of the faculty programs that go on in the halls, and I wish our faculty would dedicate even a tenth of what the faculty here do to the residence halls. Hopefully the merger of academics and student affairs under one "umbrella" at UCM will help some, but there's a whole lot of other issues there. Anyway, from what I can tell there's a lot from the programs I can bring back to UCM to not only help me in my hall manager, but I've been given a ton of information that I can share with the pro staff at UCM and keep for myself for when I'm a full-time staff member (wherever that ends up being) once I graduate. I'm very excited for the next 8 weeks.
One thing I'm nervous for is tomorrow. We have about 100 people checking in who are from the University of Hong Kong. I don't doubt that they'll speak at least at some language, but what I'm nervous for is that we'll have something completely wrong, or offend someone by having a name wrong, or we'll be insensitive somehow. I don't know why I'm this nervous since we had 60 people from India check in last weekend and that went fine. I'm sure it will be fine, I just tend to over-analyze and dwell on the little things when it comes to tasks like this. I'm sure my summer assistants will be awesome and all my worrying will have been for nothing!
Lastly to talk about is................ that...my last sentence. What is that? Optimism? Excitement at nerve-racking challenges? Who am I!? I've noticed lately, I think since I got to New York, that I've just been more outwardly positive. I have no idea why, and it isn't bad, it just isn't what I'm used to. Maybe it's because I'm back in housing, back doing the things I love, and really enjoying my position? Make's sense.
Ok, maybe that wasn't last. I realized I haven't talked much about the city, only snippets here and there. I love my neighborhood. It's busy and bustling, but it has this amazing energy that really attracts me. Last night and this morning/afternoon I just walked around a few streets I hadn't been to yet, and it was really fun. Today was the first time I actually walked through the actual Union Square instead of around it, and it seems like a pretty cool park/square. On my Facebook I posted a few pictures you can check out if you like, but again, the neighborhood is awesome. If I actually lived in New York, I think I would want to live in this neighborhood.
Finally, 2 of my best friends from UWRF will be here and I can't wait! I'll update again soon!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Settling In, and it Feels So Good
After a week and half here in NYC I think I've adjusted pretty well. On Saturday I moved from my temporary apartment to my permanent space for the summer, which was just 2 buildings over. I like this room better because I'm not directly on the street where the sirens bounce off the buildings. However, my window looks directly at Chipotle now, which is just so cruel. I'm loving the city itself - and my neighborhood is all kinds of awesome.
Ok, work experience update time. I think I've settled more into the supervisory function than I was feeling last week. My goal is just to be as upbeat as possible, and make sure the Student Assistants (SAs) know that I appreciate everything they do. I think I'm also going to be intentional on getting regular feedback from my supervisor once she's back from vacation (In Italy - jealous!) on how I'm interacting with the SAs. That feedback will be invaluable once I begin my Residence Hall Director role this fall. Something very positive is that even in the last week and half, the small amount of interaction I've had with the student workers has excited me so much, and I know going back into Residence Life is absolutely the right path for me.
The biggest thing I'm struggling with, and that may be a struggle over the summer, is balancing my role against the other professional staff in the building and central office. The last time I worked with conferences over the summer I was one of three Conference Managers. We each handled about 8ish different groups over the summer, and did everything from contacting groups before, during, and after their time on campus, assigning student staff to work check ins/outs, assigning rooms, getting linen lists ready, figuring out charges, etc. In my role now, all those responsibilities are spread out amongst multiple people, and a lot of the time it is very ambiguous as to who is doing what. Granted, here we are working with many more and a much more diverse set of conference groups, but it still is definitely an adjustment. However, I do like everyone I'm working with, and everyone seems very friendly here both in the hall and in the central office.
Today I met the other ACUHO-I Intern, Niki, who is the College Student Personnel program at Western Illinois, and she seems very nice! The two of us spent the day getting a tour of the Washington Square Campus and meeting with various professionals in the central office and learning more about their roles on an individual level. Something interest here is that the general department is called Residential Life and Housing Services. This is important here, because those 2 names in the title operate somewhat separately, and from 2003-2008ish were actually separate areas which is completely crazy to me. Housing services deals with the administrative side of the buildings, while Residential Life deals with the community development and education aspects. I understand somewhat the need for a more clearly defined system because they house well over 10,000 students, but the concept of the 2 areas being separated is so weird to me. Once the recession happened and budget cuts loomed the two areas came back together, and from what I've heard it has made everyone a lot happier, especially in the halls because it gave the residents a lot of run-around.
During one of the meetings we were discussing how conduct is handled here, and one of the Assistant Directors talked about how it doesn't take much for them to call parents due to a conduct issue. This was followed up by a statement that was somewhere along the lines of "We take a somewhat liberal approach to FERPA here." All of a sudden thousands of red flags went up in Niki and I's heads and almost exploded. For those who don't know, FERPA is the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act which protects the private information records of medical, educational, etc records. Everywhere I've been FERPA has been a huge thing to obey, so this statement sent my head spinning. When we were talking and asking questions we learned that there are a lot of different variables that go into how conduct is handled here that other schools don't need to think about. I'll won't explain them here, but if you're interested let me know. That's all I have to say on that issue, just thought it was worth mentioning.
Alright I think that's enough for one post. Stay tuned for more!
PS: I saw Catch Me If You Can: The Musical last weekend and it. was. so. good. Highly recommended!
Ok, work experience update time. I think I've settled more into the supervisory function than I was feeling last week. My goal is just to be as upbeat as possible, and make sure the Student Assistants (SAs) know that I appreciate everything they do. I think I'm also going to be intentional on getting regular feedback from my supervisor once she's back from vacation (In Italy - jealous!) on how I'm interacting with the SAs. That feedback will be invaluable once I begin my Residence Hall Director role this fall. Something very positive is that even in the last week and half, the small amount of interaction I've had with the student workers has excited me so much, and I know going back into Residence Life is absolutely the right path for me.
The biggest thing I'm struggling with, and that may be a struggle over the summer, is balancing my role against the other professional staff in the building and central office. The last time I worked with conferences over the summer I was one of three Conference Managers. We each handled about 8ish different groups over the summer, and did everything from contacting groups before, during, and after their time on campus, assigning student staff to work check ins/outs, assigning rooms, getting linen lists ready, figuring out charges, etc. In my role now, all those responsibilities are spread out amongst multiple people, and a lot of the time it is very ambiguous as to who is doing what. Granted, here we are working with many more and a much more diverse set of conference groups, but it still is definitely an adjustment. However, I do like everyone I'm working with, and everyone seems very friendly here both in the hall and in the central office.
Today I met the other ACUHO-I Intern, Niki, who is the College Student Personnel program at Western Illinois, and she seems very nice! The two of us spent the day getting a tour of the Washington Square Campus and meeting with various professionals in the central office and learning more about their roles on an individual level. Something interest here is that the general department is called Residential Life and Housing Services. This is important here, because those 2 names in the title operate somewhat separately, and from 2003-2008ish were actually separate areas which is completely crazy to me. Housing services deals with the administrative side of the buildings, while Residential Life deals with the community development and education aspects. I understand somewhat the need for a more clearly defined system because they house well over 10,000 students, but the concept of the 2 areas being separated is so weird to me. Once the recession happened and budget cuts loomed the two areas came back together, and from what I've heard it has made everyone a lot happier, especially in the halls because it gave the residents a lot of run-around.
During one of the meetings we were discussing how conduct is handled here, and one of the Assistant Directors talked about how it doesn't take much for them to call parents due to a conduct issue. This was followed up by a statement that was somewhere along the lines of "We take a somewhat liberal approach to FERPA here." All of a sudden thousands of red flags went up in Niki and I's heads and almost exploded. For those who don't know, FERPA is the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act which protects the private information records of medical, educational, etc records. Everywhere I've been FERPA has been a huge thing to obey, so this statement sent my head spinning. When we were talking and asking questions we learned that there are a lot of different variables that go into how conduct is handled here that other schools don't need to think about. I'll won't explain them here, but if you're interested let me know. That's all I have to say on that issue, just thought it was worth mentioning.
Alright I think that's enough for one post. Stay tuned for more!
PS: I saw Catch Me If You Can: The Musical last weekend and it. was. so. good. Highly recommended!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Take It All Back...
I cannot express how incredibly grateful I am to be in New York City and at NYU this summer. Working at NYU and learning how housing and students affairs operate here has been a dream of mine ever since I knew I was going into Student Affairs. Now that I'm living that dream, every day I give thanks for this incredible opportunity. However, at the moment, I would give it all back if I could somehow help Joplin, MO. I've never been to Joplin, but I've heard several people at UCM talk about it and I know there are many connections between the city and UCM. The pictures I am seeing are unbelievable. This looks like something out of a natural disaster movie, not something that actually happened. To anyone affected by this disaster, my thoughts and prayers are with you, and I hope your recovery both physical and emotional is swift.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Late Night Ramblings Part 1 of probably a lot more to come...
I should be sleeping right now, so please excuse any ramblings or mis-spellings...like that one.
Today I realized something, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I'm pretty sure I'm a minority here in New York City. I always knew NYC was essentially the definition of a melting pot, but from what I've seen in the local businesses, on the sidewalks, on the subway, etc., as a white male I am a minority. The thing is...I don't feel like a minority, whatever that is supposed to mean. I'm pretty sure there's like a whole definition of what I'm experiencing that was learned in Student Development Theory...so...points for thinking so even though I don't remember precisely? I don't know that I have a point here - yet, maybe I will as the summer progresses - I just thought it was worth noting.
Minor rant; people were not kidding when they said everything in this city costs money. I'm having fun with AJ and his sister, but I will probably be spending very little money once they are gone until some other friends get here in a couple weeks. Yes, Broadway shows are expensive, but I think it's all the little things that add up here that will eventually get me down. Each time I take the subway I think it's like $2.25 or something (I'm not exactly sure, I just swipe the card I load money on to), so round trip that's almost five bucks. I have actually seen some pretty cheap mom n' pop stops around for food, so I'm thankful for those. Hopefully I can avoid the temptation of the Chipotle across the street a bit more successfully that I have so far. Anywho...
I really like the people I'm working with, they're very nice. As I'm getting into the meat of things, the littler part of me who thinks he is never wrong and knows how to do everything "perfectly" is just screaming to get out, but so far I've been good with keeping him at bay. There's a few things - checkouts in particular - that I think are much more complicated than they need to be, but I'm not ready to offer suggestions for improvement yet until I can clarify a few things, if at all. Today was spent getting the hall ready for our first check-ins on Sunday, and I did a bunch of various tasks to get ready for that. We reviewed some rosters, put welcome packets together, and the best part (oh boy!), placing linens in rooms. It all actually seemed to go pretty well minus one facilities related hiccup, which makes me rather optimistic about the summer process. Today was also the first time some of the supervisory responsibilities of my position came in to play, which makes me a bit nervous. The last time I was in role similar to this I made a few critical mistakes early on that I'm trying to avoid, and this is also a test run for my RHD role in the fall. I'm not the only supervisor to the summer assistants, but I am one of the people "in charge", and I don't take that role lightly. I'm trying to go out of my way to engage in coversation with the SAs, but I think it could be going better than it is so far. One thing I didn't get to do was to introduce myself and what I'm all about to this group all at once, which makes things interesting.
Currently my biggest internal struggle with the supervisory function is that when I get into my work, especially administrative-oriented type work I come off as very focused on my work and overly-serious. I think this happened today with linen distribution with one of the SAs. I need to be more intentional with being more relaxed when working with with the SAs. I'm sure it's going better than I think it is, I just again, need to relax. I'm rather tired at the moment, so I'll post more in detail about these struggles as work to find a good "managerial balance" within myself.
Final note: I saw The Addams Family musical tonight with AJ and Stephanie, and while I was skeptical at first, the show was so worth seeing. Hi-larious. Not the best thing ever, but so good for a laugh. May be revisited if I need some major stress relief...
Today I realized something, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I'm pretty sure I'm a minority here in New York City. I always knew NYC was essentially the definition of a melting pot, but from what I've seen in the local businesses, on the sidewalks, on the subway, etc., as a white male I am a minority. The thing is...I don't feel like a minority, whatever that is supposed to mean. I'm pretty sure there's like a whole definition of what I'm experiencing that was learned in Student Development Theory...so...points for thinking so even though I don't remember precisely? I don't know that I have a point here - yet, maybe I will as the summer progresses - I just thought it was worth noting.
Minor rant; people were not kidding when they said everything in this city costs money. I'm having fun with AJ and his sister, but I will probably be spending very little money once they are gone until some other friends get here in a couple weeks. Yes, Broadway shows are expensive, but I think it's all the little things that add up here that will eventually get me down. Each time I take the subway I think it's like $2.25 or something (I'm not exactly sure, I just swipe the card I load money on to), so round trip that's almost five bucks. I have actually seen some pretty cheap mom n' pop stops around for food, so I'm thankful for those. Hopefully I can avoid the temptation of the Chipotle across the street a bit more successfully that I have so far. Anywho...
I really like the people I'm working with, they're very nice. As I'm getting into the meat of things, the littler part of me who thinks he is never wrong and knows how to do everything "perfectly" is just screaming to get out, but so far I've been good with keeping him at bay. There's a few things - checkouts in particular - that I think are much more complicated than they need to be, but I'm not ready to offer suggestions for improvement yet until I can clarify a few things, if at all. Today was spent getting the hall ready for our first check-ins on Sunday, and I did a bunch of various tasks to get ready for that. We reviewed some rosters, put welcome packets together, and the best part (oh boy!), placing linens in rooms. It all actually seemed to go pretty well minus one facilities related hiccup, which makes me rather optimistic about the summer process. Today was also the first time some of the supervisory responsibilities of my position came in to play, which makes me a bit nervous. The last time I was in role similar to this I made a few critical mistakes early on that I'm trying to avoid, and this is also a test run for my RHD role in the fall. I'm not the only supervisor to the summer assistants, but I am one of the people "in charge", and I don't take that role lightly. I'm trying to go out of my way to engage in coversation with the SAs, but I think it could be going better than it is so far. One thing I didn't get to do was to introduce myself and what I'm all about to this group all at once, which makes things interesting.
Currently my biggest internal struggle with the supervisory function is that when I get into my work, especially administrative-oriented type work I come off as very focused on my work and overly-serious. I think this happened today with linen distribution with one of the SAs. I need to be more intentional with being more relaxed when working with with the SAs. I'm sure it's going better than I think it is, I just again, need to relax. I'm rather tired at the moment, so I'll post more in detail about these struggles as work to find a good "managerial balance" within myself.
Final note: I saw The Addams Family musical tonight with AJ and Stephanie, and while I was skeptical at first, the show was so worth seeing. Hi-larious. Not the best thing ever, but so good for a laugh. May be revisited if I need some major stress relief...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The More I Explore...The More I Love
As I spend some time here in New York, I'm gradually exploring. It's been great this week having one of my high school friends and his sister out here to start to see the city. Tuesday night I met up with them at Macy's which is on 34th in Herald Square, and last night we met up in Times Square. Holy crap, I loved Times Square and would like to live there please. We ate at Bubba Gump's (overpriced but decent) and then they had gotten us 3rd row seats to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark which is the $65 million musical that has become a national punching bag. I guess it just reopened after some major re-tooling and...O.M.G. I loved it, and I want to go back! The spectacle of it was worth going, as it was unlike anything I had ever seen. The actors were all fantastic, music was eh - left a bit to be desired, but the story was solid, and once again - the stage was sooo cool!
The whole point of this is...the more I see the more I love. I was really nervous I would get out here and hate this city, but I really don't. I don't know that I would actually like to live here for more than the summer (ask me in ten weeks, but having grass and not having police sirens echo off tall buildings are still very important to me), but for now I'm so happy for the experience.
Day by day I'm getting more comfortable with the my job. Just doing random administrative tasks for now is really helping me get to know how the building works, so I definitely appreciate that. For the most part we've set my hours at 12-5 Sunday and Tuesday-Friday, with flexibility. I very much appreciate not starting until noon (those who know me know I'm not a morning person). The student assistants (SAs) I'll be working with all seem nice, helpful, and fun so far, and I'm glad to gradually be getting to know them. Tomorrow could prove to be stressful as my primary supervisor who is also the Residence Hall Director is going on vacation for 2 weeks to Italy (uber jealous), so I'm just hoping everyone comes together and we pull off our first check-ins very well this weekend! I'm sure it will be fine, they've been pretty good so far with details.
That's all for now. I did find out I'll be getting more of a campus tour next week and meeting up with the other ACUHO-I Intern for the summer who doesn't start until next week, so that's exciting! I'll post another update soon, hope I'm staying somewhat entertaining!
The whole point of this is...the more I see the more I love. I was really nervous I would get out here and hate this city, but I really don't. I don't know that I would actually like to live here for more than the summer (ask me in ten weeks, but having grass and not having police sirens echo off tall buildings are still very important to me), but for now I'm so happy for the experience.
Day by day I'm getting more comfortable with the my job. Just doing random administrative tasks for now is really helping me get to know how the building works, so I definitely appreciate that. For the most part we've set my hours at 12-5 Sunday and Tuesday-Friday, with flexibility. I very much appreciate not starting until noon (those who know me know I'm not a morning person). The student assistants (SAs) I'll be working with all seem nice, helpful, and fun so far, and I'm glad to gradually be getting to know them. Tomorrow could prove to be stressful as my primary supervisor who is also the Residence Hall Director is going on vacation for 2 weeks to Italy (uber jealous), so I'm just hoping everyone comes together and we pull off our first check-ins very well this weekend! I'm sure it will be fine, they've been pretty good so far with details.
That's all for now. I did find out I'll be getting more of a campus tour next week and meeting up with the other ACUHO-I Intern for the summer who doesn't start until next week, so that's exciting! I'll post another update soon, hope I'm staying somewhat entertaining!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Things I'm Learning in New York
This is more or less a list of the observations I've had here in my first couple days:
- I think I've heard at least 20 languages since I stepped off the plane, and I haven't recognized any of them, not even Spanish.
- I've heard people are rude here, but I haven't had that experience...yet.
- It doesn't take long to walk to places. I assumed that since I had to walk everywhere it would take a long time to get from place to place, but it really doesn't at all.
- Blocks and blocks of buildings make emergency vehicle sirens soooooo loud!
- I find myself amazed by how many "normal" shops I see here. On my street alone I have a Walgreens, Best Buy, DSW, Chipotle, Subway, Trader Joe's, and those are just the ones off the top of my head.
- The NYU students seem different. Not different in a bad way, and there are some who remind me of regular college students, but maybe it's in the way they carry themselves - I don't know, they just seem different.
- Security is tight as nails here. Each hall has a Resource Center (front desk) as well as a round-the-clock staffed public safety desk. Each resident must present their ID card each time they enter the building, and if they don't have the sticker for that building, they are not allowed in.
- I find myself continuously astounded by the architecture here, and if I actually knew anything about architecture and all the different kinds, I'm sure I'd be more amazed
- Everything is more expensive. $5.39 for a box of honey nut cheerio's is kind of ridiculous.
- Many of my pre-conceptions about this place are turning out to be incorrect - and this is a good thing. For example, I heard the subway was dirty and gross. It certainly isn't as pristine at the Metro in DC, but it actually wasn't bad at all.
- I realized I don't know how to ask strangers for help. I haven't needed to yet, but this could be a problem later.
- I cannot seem to adjust to this new time zone thing. I still want primetime tv to start at 7, and I am not doing well with it starting at 8!
- Lines are something I'm going to need to get used to. I walked into a Starbucks where 15 people who had already paid were waiting for their drinks, and ten people were waiting to pay. I hate lines. So. Much.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Arrival, Adjustment, & Awesomeness
Welcome to my new blog! This one will only be used for the summer, my other blog is still updated...sometimes...over at bkes216.blogspot.com.
If you're reading this, you probably know I am doing an internship at New York University in New York City, New York this summer. I'm working with their conferences and orientation programs within housing in a specific residence hall. Beyond that I don't really know the specifics yet, but we'll see as the summer progresses!
I arrived in NYC on Saturday, May 14, 2011. The day before and that morning I had moved all of my stuff (and there is a ridiculous amount of it) into my new apartment in my residence hall for next year, so essentially I didn't stop moving for about 2 days. I hate packing and moving. Literally, those two tasks are 2 of the worst things in the world for me. Anyway, my lovely friend Claudia (yup, that's a shout out) graciously drove me to the airport Saturday afternoon helped me check in my bags curb-side. That whole day I was freaking out inside. I showed it a little on the outside, but I was freaked-the-hell-out more than anyone knew. What was I thinking, me the shy, polite, non-confrontational guy flying out to New York City for ten weeks to live literally in the heart of New York City? I was sure I was going to wake up from some horrible nightmare, but no, this was me, I was actually doing it, and oh boy...it was happening.
After I checked my bags (I had checked in online) I went through security right quick (what's up full body scanner!) which is the one and only thing I like about KCI/MCI. I sat at the airport gate for about 45 minutes before we boarded trying to just breathe calmly and telling myself I was going to be ok. We loaded the plane and thankfully I didn't have anyone sitting next to me. I don't talk to strangers on airplanes. I've gone an entire semester without saying a word to the person sitting next to me in class, what makes you think I'm going to talk to a stranger I'll know for mere minutes? Have you met me? Anyway, I was rather pleased to not have to do the whole fake interested-polite-heresmylifestory thing with some random on the plane, especially one that was to be 2.5 hours (thank you Delta and your non-stop awesomeness). So we took off, the ride was uneventful, I watched Star Trek on my iPod, life was good. We got the tone-dinger-thinger to turn off electronic equipment, and suddenly I wasn't scared anymore. I was ridiculously excited to see New York City and I probably looked like a five year old trying to get a good glimpse out the windows on both sides of the plane.
When we landed at LaGuardia, for some reason I don't understand and wasn't explained to us, we didn't park at a gate with a skybridge. Instead they parked at some side-lot thing and we got off the plane there and rode shuttles to the terminal. I didn't really mind at all, it was just weird and I overheard some guy say he flies all the time and had never done that. I'd like to think the gate just couldn't handle all my awesomeness and they needed somewhere that plan door could just explode open. Just roll with it. I got my bags (even with a luggage strap, 3 bags is too much for one person) and went out to find a taxi (I had been thankfully forewarned on what kind to take). Much to my pleasant surprise, the taxis weren't run down-gross mega-cars, but instead rather fresh Ford Escape SUVs. The driver tried to initiate a bit of conversation with me, but as he didn't really understand my directions and I was severely stuffed up, not talking worked great.
When we got to the building and got out of the taxi I had one of those TV-moments where I look up and am shocked at how many buildings are towering over me. Yep, that happened. Then I smiled. I grabbed my bags (I paid the driver at some point, no worries), and headed across the street into University Hall, my home until the 23rd. I walked in and checked in at the "resource center" (what they call the front desk) where I was directed from the nice public safety woman (I like this one, she remembers who I am every day, I would like to become friends) and I was polietly told by a ruffled student assistant I'm the only check-in this week while they have 600 check outs. At this point I would have loved to have said something along the lines of "ah yeah duh, hi, I'm a big friggin deal, obviously", but my snarkiness was not working at the moment, which was probably for the best. So anywho, I get my keys, sign some things, and get up to my room on the 14th floor (elevators are my God), and immediately am forced to wear a giant grin thanks to the magnificent view of my living room window looking up Irving Place (Plaza? Pl. doesn't help when I'm used to St. Ln. Dr. & Ave.) which leads to a glorious view of the Chrysler Building (I think, I'm a little rusty on my New York Architecture). I could stay here the whole time, not a problem!
The apartment is pretty decent, I walk in to the living/dining room with the bathroom on the left and kitchen on the right, with 2 full size regular res hall rooms for 2 people each on the sides, with walk-in closets (no, they are not gigantic, but good enough for 2 college people). My supervisor set up a nice sign for me that says "Welcome to NYU Brandon" (aww) and she gave me some basic cookware in the kitchen, a book on new york's neighborhood restaurants, and movie tickets (score!). So I throw my bags in my room, and decide it is time for food. Also at this same time the stress of the last two days combined with my sickness (yup, mono, gotta love it) hits me like a freight train and suddently I am exhausted. I head down to Trader Joes to grab some essentials consisting of Orange Juice, Bananas, Bread, and Lunch Meat, hit up Chipotle across the street for some comfort food, and head back to my room. As I sit enjoying my scrumptious Carnitas Bowl, I realize how much I've done in the last 2 days, and decide I need sleep, and sleep I had.
Sunday waking up was not a fun time. I kind of hurt everywhere from the move, and the first night back on the Twin XL bed didn't go so hot, but I attribute that to my mono more than anything else. I felt better after a bit, and eventually went exploring 14th Street/Union Square looking for things I needed for my apartment that I didn't pack. At some point I'll write a whole entry on this topic, but for now I'll just say this neighborhood is awesome, and has pretty much everything, and I think I may fall in love with it over the next ten weeks.
I think that's enough for this blog post. Hope any who read it enjoy the experience and come back for more. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
If you're reading this, you probably know I am doing an internship at New York University in New York City, New York this summer. I'm working with their conferences and orientation programs within housing in a specific residence hall. Beyond that I don't really know the specifics yet, but we'll see as the summer progresses!
I arrived in NYC on Saturday, May 14, 2011. The day before and that morning I had moved all of my stuff (and there is a ridiculous amount of it) into my new apartment in my residence hall for next year, so essentially I didn't stop moving for about 2 days. I hate packing and moving. Literally, those two tasks are 2 of the worst things in the world for me. Anyway, my lovely friend Claudia (yup, that's a shout out) graciously drove me to the airport Saturday afternoon helped me check in my bags curb-side. That whole day I was freaking out inside. I showed it a little on the outside, but I was freaked-the-hell-out more than anyone knew. What was I thinking, me the shy, polite, non-confrontational guy flying out to New York City for ten weeks to live literally in the heart of New York City? I was sure I was going to wake up from some horrible nightmare, but no, this was me, I was actually doing it, and oh boy...it was happening.
After I checked my bags (I had checked in online) I went through security right quick (what's up full body scanner!) which is the one and only thing I like about KCI/MCI. I sat at the airport gate for about 45 minutes before we boarded trying to just breathe calmly and telling myself I was going to be ok. We loaded the plane and thankfully I didn't have anyone sitting next to me. I don't talk to strangers on airplanes. I've gone an entire semester without saying a word to the person sitting next to me in class, what makes you think I'm going to talk to a stranger I'll know for mere minutes? Have you met me? Anyway, I was rather pleased to not have to do the whole fake interested-polite-heresmylifestory thing with some random on the plane, especially one that was to be 2.5 hours (thank you Delta and your non-stop awesomeness). So we took off, the ride was uneventful, I watched Star Trek on my iPod, life was good. We got the tone-dinger-thinger to turn off electronic equipment, and suddenly I wasn't scared anymore. I was ridiculously excited to see New York City and I probably looked like a five year old trying to get a good glimpse out the windows on both sides of the plane.
When we landed at LaGuardia, for some reason I don't understand and wasn't explained to us, we didn't park at a gate with a skybridge. Instead they parked at some side-lot thing and we got off the plane there and rode shuttles to the terminal. I didn't really mind at all, it was just weird and I overheard some guy say he flies all the time and had never done that. I'd like to think the gate just couldn't handle all my awesomeness and they needed somewhere that plan door could just explode open. Just roll with it. I got my bags (even with a luggage strap, 3 bags is too much for one person) and went out to find a taxi (I had been thankfully forewarned on what kind to take). Much to my pleasant surprise, the taxis weren't run down-gross mega-cars, but instead rather fresh Ford Escape SUVs. The driver tried to initiate a bit of conversation with me, but as he didn't really understand my directions and I was severely stuffed up, not talking worked great.
When we got to the building and got out of the taxi I had one of those TV-moments where I look up and am shocked at how many buildings are towering over me. Yep, that happened. Then I smiled. I grabbed my bags (I paid the driver at some point, no worries), and headed across the street into University Hall, my home until the 23rd. I walked in and checked in at the "resource center" (what they call the front desk) where I was directed from the nice public safety woman (I like this one, she remembers who I am every day, I would like to become friends) and I was polietly told by a ruffled student assistant I'm the only check-in this week while they have 600 check outs. At this point I would have loved to have said something along the lines of "ah yeah duh, hi, I'm a big friggin deal, obviously", but my snarkiness was not working at the moment, which was probably for the best. So anywho, I get my keys, sign some things, and get up to my room on the 14th floor (elevators are my God), and immediately am forced to wear a giant grin thanks to the magnificent view of my living room window looking up Irving Place (Plaza? Pl. doesn't help when I'm used to St. Ln. Dr. & Ave.) which leads to a glorious view of the Chrysler Building (I think, I'm a little rusty on my New York Architecture). I could stay here the whole time, not a problem!
The apartment is pretty decent, I walk in to the living/dining room with the bathroom on the left and kitchen on the right, with 2 full size regular res hall rooms for 2 people each on the sides, with walk-in closets (no, they are not gigantic, but good enough for 2 college people). My supervisor set up a nice sign for me that says "Welcome to NYU Brandon" (aww) and she gave me some basic cookware in the kitchen, a book on new york's neighborhood restaurants, and movie tickets (score!). So I throw my bags in my room, and decide it is time for food. Also at this same time the stress of the last two days combined with my sickness (yup, mono, gotta love it) hits me like a freight train and suddently I am exhausted. I head down to Trader Joes to grab some essentials consisting of Orange Juice, Bananas, Bread, and Lunch Meat, hit up Chipotle across the street for some comfort food, and head back to my room. As I sit enjoying my scrumptious Carnitas Bowl, I realize how much I've done in the last 2 days, and decide I need sleep, and sleep I had.
Sunday waking up was not a fun time. I kind of hurt everywhere from the move, and the first night back on the Twin XL bed didn't go so hot, but I attribute that to my mono more than anything else. I felt better after a bit, and eventually went exploring 14th Street/Union Square looking for things I needed for my apartment that I didn't pack. At some point I'll write a whole entry on this topic, but for now I'll just say this neighborhood is awesome, and has pretty much everything, and I think I may fall in love with it over the next ten weeks.
I think that's enough for this blog post. Hope any who read it enjoy the experience and come back for more. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!
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