MCPA - The Nexus - November 2013

Nexus THE

The Official Newsletter of the Massachusetts College Personnel Association

November 2013

IN

CAREERS

STUDENT A F FA I R S

MONTH FEATURED ARTICLE

Student Affairs and Academic Affairs: Two Sides of the Same Coin

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Jazmin Averbuck Merrimack College

UPCOMING EVENTS

Coffee Talk @ Boston University 11/7 Western MA Social 11/14 MCPA Drive-In 12/12

UNDERGRADUATE SPOTLIGHT

Austin Provost Western New England University

MCPA Executive Board President Dawn Eades MCPHS University @DawnEades

Marketing Coordinator Cecilia Hughes Boston University @ ceciliah

Social Media Coordinator Dan Newman Endicott College @Dan_Bubbles

President-Elect Jenn Forry Newbury College

Website Coordinator Rhian Waterberg MassBay Community College @rwaterberg

Newsletter Editor John Mayo @jmayojr

Past President Jen Casavant Wentworth Institute of Technology @jen_casavant Membership Coordinator Hilary Caron Boston University @hilcaron Treasurer Ryan Greelish Bridgewater State University @RyanGreelish Secretary Jessi Robinson UMass - Boston @jrobin19

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Member at Large Shannon Pittman Northeastern University @ShannonJPittman Member at Large Ben Lamb Williams College Member at Large Megan Wyett UMass Amherst @MWyett

Graduate Student Liaison Kris Polk MCPHS University @Kris_Grace89 Graduate Student Liaison Sarah Santiago Roger Williams University @S_A_Santiago New Professional Liaison Vaishakhi Desai Boston University

Member at Large Ricardo Junquera Lesley University @rickyjunquera

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Help Us Acknowledge Success and Excellence in MCPA We invite you to seize this moment to think about the amazing people you have interacted within your career and consider nominating them for one of the awards.

The awards are listed on the on-line nomination form with brief descriptions of each award.

Whether this person is a peer, colleague, mentor, supervisor or friend, we want to hear about him/her and celebrate his/her contribution to the field of higher education.

Award recipients will be announced and given a plaque at the MCPA Drive-in Conference on December 12, 2013 and the names will also be published in the Winter edition of the MCPA newsletter, The Nexus.

Nominations are due Monday, November 4, 2013.

Thank you in advance for taking time out of your busy schedules to recognize and celebrate a well-deserved individual!

Nominate Today: http://www.mymcpa.net/mcpaaward The Nexus

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Upcoming Events NASPA/MCPA Drive-In: “Graduate and Professional Student Mental Health and Well Being” Boston College Time TBD

MCPA Coffee Talk Workshop: “Caring for a Community in Distress” Boston University 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Western MA MCPA Networking Social

High Horse, 24 N Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

MCPA Drive-in Conference: “Modeling Innovation and Engagement” Newbury College 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

MCPA Coffee Talk Workshop UMASS Amherst 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ACPA Annual Convention

to

Indianapolis, Indiana For more information visit: http://convention.myacpa.org

All the Above Conference Location TBD Time TBD

*** For complete event information visit us at http://www.facebook.com/mymcpa *** The Nexus

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Student Affairs and Academic Affairs: Two Sides of the Same Coin

by Jessi Robinson, MCPA Secretary, UMass - Boston, @jrobins19

A

s the school year progresses from September into October, Student Affairs Professionals begin to think; not about cider donuts and hot cocoa (well, some of us do, I’m sure!), but about Careers in Student Affairs Month, a time we are able to be loud and proud of what we do and how to attract others to our world.

Student Affairs is not all parties and icebreakers (for the record, I loathe icebreakers, and ‘woo’ is as far outside of my vocabulary as a word can get when one understands the meaning of said word). It’s not even all advising and mentoring students. Our field is a lot bigger than Res Life, Orientation and Student Activities, and future Student Affairs Pros don’t often get to see these ‘hidden’ areas and duties until they are well-invested in the field with a master’s degree and suddenly tasked with creating a budget; or sitting in committee meetings for 3 days a week; or find out that working Orientation as a summer intern is way different than doing it 40 hours/week for 50 weeks a year.

Photo Credit: UMass - Boston, www.umb.edu

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I’m the Graduation Coordinator at UMass Boston, following up 2 years as the Registrar at the BU School of Social Work. I can safely say that I don’t know any Registration folk outside of my immediate colleagues, and I often feel homeless when interacting with other Student Affairs Professionals. Not one of my colleagues has ever heard of ACPA or NASPA, let alone MCPA; even my Twitter feed is empty of other Registration people (as far as I know). The closest functional areas to what I Page 6

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do are Academic Advising and Enrollment Management, but I’m at best on the fringes of most conversations as they tend to focus on literal advising and admissions respectively. I’ve also seen the Registrar’s Office under Academic Affairs in many schools, which brings a whole new set of prejudices and confusions on both sides of the Student Affairs/Academic Affairs coin (and I believe we ARE both parts of the same coin).

My biggest challenge, as alluded to previously is finding opportunities for professional development. NACADA and #acadv t are beneficial, but only a small portion of the conversation is applicable to my current position. Events sponsored by ACPA & NASPA have lumped me with groups from Advising to Assessment/Research—again, beneficial, but not fulfilling. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, which I found several months ago, only provides Institutional membership (my school is not a member), and 80%+ of the development/resources are specifically aimed toward Admissions.

It’s a lonely world for this Graduation Coordinator, but I make the most of what I have available, with limited funds. In many ways, I think that gathering professional development from indirect functional areas makes me a better professional as I can bring another perspective to the table, especially in my new role, which has a larger amount of contact with outside departments, such as advisors (professional and faculty), admissions, and academic departments.

Our field is a lot bigger than Res Life, Orientation and Student Activities

In a nutshell, The Registrar’s Office takes care of everything from the day a student matriculates: track academic progress/ success; plan semester schedules with the departments; graduate review and tracking; maintain student records; and update/ implement policies/procedures to make things run smoothly for students and the school. We educate students, faculty and staff alike. Sometimes we appear to be the bad guy, telling a student that his advisor was mistaken about that History class counting for a specific distribution; sometimes we’re the super hero, pulling a string (or two or three) to get an exception granted so she can graduate on time. My colleagues have never read Chickering, and would think I were a lunatic if I started discussing how our policies and procedures ultimately help to move students toward Self-Authorship, but most of them are genuinely dedicated to student services, even if they don’t know it; you can’t stay in a job for 20+ years without finding some kind of satisfaction.

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I’m happy I found Registration as it’s MUCH more in line with my strengths and personality than a job in, say, Student Activities or Res Life would have been. I can also honestly say I would not have thought this was “Student Affairs-y enough” if I hadn’t finished my MS in 2011 when the job market was so terrible. Sure, I’d like a little more daily student contact, but I get enough for now, and those interactions allow me to put my education to work: helping students progress toward graduation.

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Coffee Talk @ Endicott

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Bar Lola Social

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Member Spotlight

Jazmin Averbuck

What do you love about working at Merrimack?

What I love about working at Merrimack College is the sense of comradery that we have as a professional staff. Our supervisors help us to develop professionally and as coworkers we work together well as friends and colleagues.

What do you do to relax outside of the office?

To relax outside of the office I usually hit the gym or the pavement. Last Winter I was training for a Half Marathon so the road became a great way to relax. I also enjoy group classes like kick boxing, spin, and Zumba. I’ve become slightly predictable in that sense.

Jazmin Averbuck is the Resident Director of Deegan Hall at Merrimack College

Why did you get involved in student affairs?

I got involved in student affairs because I so heavily involved as an Undergraduate student. During my Senior year I had no official plans after graduation so one of my mentors suggested Residence Life or Programming and it became the best decision I could have made.

Who inspired you to pursue this career?

There were many people that backed me up when I decided to pursue a career in Student Affairs but the first person to suggest I could do it was Melissa Paradee, Director of Student Activities at Castleton State College. She always knew I could do anything and even when I wasn’t sure she pushed me. She enticed me with new responsibilities and exciting events. By the time I graduated, Melissa had helped me build my confidence, skills, and resume so much that I no longer feared graduation and a new career path.

Jazmin and Melissa Paradee The Nexus

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What is the most valuable lesson you have learned (so far) in your career?

The most valuable lesson I have learned in my career thus far is to be confident but do not be afraid to ask questions. You must show confidence in the things you know but one has all of the answers. Do not make something up just to seem correct; feel comfortable in asking questions or finding the answers.

What advice would you give to undergraduate students looking to pursue a position in Student Affairs? To an undergraduate student who is looking to pursue a position in Student Affairs, my advice would be; there is no harm in trying. Even if you aren’t sure Student Affairs is the perfect match for you try it out if you have any interest. You’ll know after a year or two if this is the right career path. There is also many aspects of student affairs that you can look into so become involved as an undergraduate student in as many different kinds of events and opportunities as possible.

What advice would you give to graduate students looking for a position in Student Affairs?

To a graduate student who is looking to pursue a position in Student Affairs, my advice would be; get involved across campus. There are so many different nuances to the Student Affairs profession and you do not need to choose only one. Become involved on committees and volunteer for service and social events across campus. Enjoy the ability to try out new pieces of the SA puzzle before you have a full time position and you may not have as much time to do so.

Is there anything else that you would like the MCPA membership to know about you?

I am very interested in mentorship and wellness education across campus. I enjoy presenting and would love to collaborate on any number of projects or presentations in the coming year. Feel free to contact me if you are at all interested in getting together and chatting about work, life, or professional opportunities.

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Show us some love! http://www.facebook.com/mymcpa

@MCPATweets

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To Tweet or Not To Tweet: When is the question?

by Dan Newman, MCPA Social Media Coordinator, Endicott College, @Dan_Bubbles

Social media has become one of the de facto This is natural human visual acuity at work: methods of advertising but also the most big, bold, and exciting stands out from the mess of text. However, this is not because the misused medium.

“Let’s send a few tweets about it.”

Social media has evolved so quickly that administrators are struggling to keep up with their rapidly evolving student culture. Facebook and Twitter has become so widely understood that as a medium, the creativity and depth of these outlets has become refined and nuanced to almost defy casual understanding.

Throwing up a couple of tweets or Facebook updates about a topic or event is not good enough: those tweets, updates, and the timing of the deliveries actually matter, compared to when these two outlets were fresh and new.

YOU WILL PROBABLY READ THIS LINE FIRST OUT OF THE ENTIRE ARTICLE.

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words are bold, or that they are big, or that they are in all caps: it is because they are different from all the surrounding words. In the social media landscape, thousands of competing voices are big, bold, and exciting. To become fluent in today’s social media, you need to learn the lingo and make your message stand out.

Content Trumps Annoying If you are attempting to get individuals to an event, one Facebook event listing with little else than the time and date will not prove widely successful. Incorporating pictures, updates, links to other resources, and videos will surely garner more interest. Your readers will stop and remember your event if the event is more interesting, especially if you use a commonly known meme.

If you think instinctively about humans as learners, people learn through a variety of intelligences. Howard Gardner talks about seven distinct intelligences and reading text hits only

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one of these intelligences. Multimedia and interactive advertising helps “teach” potential attendees about your promotion and helps them decide to actually attend, pay, or join your cause.

Content also shows that your social media savvy has a depth and quality that recruits and holds long-time viewers and participants.

A sparse Twitter feed is indicative of a social media brand that is not worth an individual’s time. However, a Facebook page with pictures, videos, and a long history of updates indicates that regular and useful information is regularly posted out from the page administrator.

Maybe you will discover that you have a sizable percentage of readers who are night owls and Like your Facebook posts at 2am. Perhaps your readers are narcissists and love seeing their name and picture emblazoned on advertising.

More often than not you will be surprised by what triggers readers to interact with your social media outlet. Be aware, though, that you will build the viewership that you sow: all late night posts will tend to miss daytime readers and vice-versa.

Inch by Inch, Row by Row, Going to Make This Network Grow

The overall goal of a social media strategy is to build the network that receives your message, rather than a method for promoting a message.

Building a community of readers, clickers, interactors, and -ideally- contributors is the real It’s All About the Right Moment payoff for your thoughtful tweets. However, this means that you as the marketer need to Buffer has done a great job in showing some listen as well as speak: respond and evolve to analytics on when social media has the greatest fit your audience. traction. Belle Beth Cooper did some exhaustive research on what dates, times, and even Web 2.0 describes the evolution from static genders were the most receptive to a variety “Read this page” websites to “Interact here!” of social media. Many of her findings are inwebsites. For example opinion websites in the tuitive: people click tweets on their commute, 2000s were replaced by message boards where Thursdays and Fridays are more active days for individuals could add their voice to the dissocial media consumers, and people open the cussion. With this in mind, your social media majority of their email in the morning. brand has to acknowledge the two-way street in its marketing. People may comment on your There are a host of ways to track your readers: post- respond back to them! Retweet someFacebook has a nice suite of analytics part and thing your follower may have said. Soon you parcel with their Pages, Google Analytics can will have people interacting with your advertistrack anything if you can get into the HTML ing, adopting the messages, and promoting the coding, and resources such as Hootsuite and cause on their own. Make your network work Tweetdeck offer free and for-purchase analytfor you! ics. Even if you’re not a “number kind of person”, the graphs and data provided by analytics Go Forth, My Friends! can often be easily digested for basic best-practices.

Rev up your social media machine and get tweeting! Social media defies the normal However, do not be afraid to experiment!

“Polish it until it’s ready for release.” You can If you are starting to develop your social media strategy, build content before promoting the outlets.

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start now and start casually to establish the history and content that will be very different a few months from now. Make a plan as to how and how often you will contribute content and the other pieces will fall into place. And of course, follow MCPA on Facebook and Twitter.

Some interesting resources for those looking to improve their social media savvy: • Clay Shirky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0msKMRxFNw • HootSource: http://blog.hootsuite.com/ • Buffer: http://blog.bufferapp.com/

Event Recap: Western MA Grad and New Professional Trivia Night

by Ben Lamb, MCPA Member-at-Large, Williams College

We had a wonderful time welcoming 30 Western MA and Southern VT colleagues to The Log at Williams College for our first ever Western MA, MCPA Young Professional event. Everyone had a great time eating great food and engaging in conversations with folks they played on teams with. The winning team was composed student affairs folks from both Williams College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In total, 5 different institutions were represented by the attendees and working in a wide breadth of higher education areas. With the great success of the first event, all who attended are anxious to see future events happening in their neck of the woods in the near future!

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Life as a New Professional: The First Four Months

by Sarah Santiago, MCPA Graduate Student Liaison, Roger Williams Univ, @S_A_Santiago

T

ransitioning from graduate school to my first professional position has been a wild ride. I knew that there would be a lot of changes but never could have expected how rewarding, wonderful, and re-energizing these past few months have been. For Careers in Student Affairs Month, here are just a few of the many things that I have learned from my career so far.

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Home ownership does not always come with a mortgage.

Last year, I was talking with my mentor about going home for the weekend. He asked when I would stop thinking about New Hampshire and start considering where I live as home. I wasn’t ready to call grad school home, but as soon as I moved to Rhode Island, I changed my license, registration, and address over to reflect my new Ocean State identity. No one loves the DMV, but the changes have helped me settle in.

This is home now, I have to own it.

You may think you are done with homework, but you still have to read and write “papers”.

You have to read to stay current. Just like in grad school, though, reading articles is at the bottom of my to do list. There is always a responsibility more urgent, a student need more pressing, or that question that you have to find the answer to. Just like in grad school, you have to prioritize your development and put it on your to do list. Also, I knew that I wouldn’t cease writing completely, but project proposals, recommendation letters, and this article bring me back to the good ‘ol days of proofreading and procrastination. This is real world homework, and we have to do it because we are always learning.

Talking benefits is like trying to speak Latin.

notes during New Employee Orientation, and ask questions if I am confused. Adulthood is here, I might as well learn to speak the language.

You can’t do everything.

I, as well as many people in our field, want to do everything. If there is a great opportunity, a chance to continue adding to my resume, or a cool idea, I want in. I am hungry for everything this field has to offer, but this can easily lead to over commitment. Luckily, I have wonderful supervisors who reign in my passion and remind me to take time to breath. I am going through so many transitions- professionally and personally- that taking time for me is more important than ever.

Saturdays and Sundays exist.

For the most part, Student Affairs is not a 9-5 job, 5 days a week, and my job is no different.

Between duty, special events, and advising a bi-weekly Friday night program, my weekends have been busy, but now I have weekends. Saturdays, Sundays, and evenings are really cool!

It is amazing how much time I have without classes and homework. Grad students- as you make your way through your two-ish years, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel where you will find the free time, friend time, and family time that you have been waiting for.

I have loved every second of the past four months. The have been crazy and fast, but so Arnett taught us all about emerging adulthood. worthwhile. As I was preparing to write this, I asked my cohort and my fellow new profesWe think of it as a journey, a path, which we sionals how they would describe their time work our way down. As soon as my supervisor started talking benefits, though, I felt like I was as a new professional. The word bubble above pushed into a pool of adulthood. Forget emerg- represents their stories and lessons. It sounds like they are enjoying their career in Student ing, jump on in. There really isn’t a reason to fight it, so I have a meeting scheduled with the Affairs just as much as I am. company that manages my retirement, took The Nexus

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MCPA CLASSIFIED HELP WANTED - Newsletter Contributor Are you interested in writing for the newsletter? Read a good book lately and want to write a review? Are you working on a project in your office that you want the association to know about? Is there a hot topic in higher education that you want to write about?

PICTURES SOUGHT-AFTER We want your pictures! Are you doing something fun with staff? Was there an amazing event on your campus? Did you attend an MCPA event? Send us your photos!

Photos help enhance the look of the We are seeking submissions of all types to newsletter. Photos can be submitted to be featured in The Nexus. For information NEWSLETTER@MYMCPA.NET or to submit an article please contact NEWSLETTER@MYMCPA.NET

INFORMATION REQUESTED

“SPOTLIGHT” NOMINATIONS NEEDED

Did you recently have an amazing life event that you want to share? Did you get promoted? Did your office recently hire a new staff member? WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!

Searching for creative and amazing Submit all personal and professional individuals to be highlighted as “Spotlight of updates to NEWSLETTER@MYMCPA.NET the Month.” We are accepting nominations for the following: undergraduate student, graduate student, MCPA member. All nominations should be submitted to NEWSLETTER@MYMCPA.NET

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Austin Provost

Undergraduate Student Spotlight

Austin G. Provost is a senior at Western New England University majoring in Political Science, from Plainville, CT. What are you involved in at WNE?

3 year Resident Advisor, serving on the Steering Committee currently. 4 years of involvement with the Pre-Law Society serving as Treasurer during junior year and President during senior year. 2 years of involvement in the National Residence Hall Honorary. 2 years of involvement with the 2014 Class Council.

Served as a Research Assistant in the Office of Sociology and Criminal Justice and currently serve as a Housing Operations Intern in the Department of Residence Life.

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What are your plans for life after college?

My plans after college consist of continuing my education and receiving my law degree while continuing to work in residence life here at WNE. I hope to be able to supervise a staff of Resident Advisors in either an Assistant Residence Manager or Residence Manager capacity while continuing to focus on my studies. After my three years of law school are completed, I hope to continue to work in the college and university setting by becoming the General Counsel of a college/university and adjunct teaching a couple of classes to undergraduates. Student affairs has become a passion of mine, one that has led me to this career path.

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of service etc. Make a difference however small it may be, it will make an impact somewhere to someone along with teaching you a lot about yourself.

What is your favorite event on your campus?

My favorite event is always the RHA program Trick or Treat event that occurs around Halloween in the upperclassmen areas of Evergreen Village and Southwood Hall. This program is phenomenal because it gives Springfield youth the opportunity to come and trick or treat around our apartment style residence halls in a safe area, rather than the streets of Springfield.

I have worked on this program each year I have been at WNE and being able to see the children’s faces when receiving candy, getting their faces painted or having a book read to them is unforgettable. Knowing you can have a hand in providing those children a fun place to safely trick or treat is really special.

What can your institution do to help students succeed?

I think that WNE does a great job of setting students up for success through a lot of various first year programs such as First Year Seminars, Peer Advisors, Freshman Focus Programs etc. As the years progress they have programs set up to continue to address the growing needs of students through offices such as the Career Center which helps set up internships and prepare students applying to graduate schools. One thing that I would like to see is a stronger focus on sophomore students. They are sometimes considered the “lost year” after their freshman year. Throughout their freshman year they receive a lot of guidance and then while transitioning into their sophomore year, a lot of that burden then shifts back onto them, a transition they are sometimes not ready for.

What are your goals for this year?

My goals for this year are to gain admittance into WNE School of Law along with gaining a position as either an Assistant Residence Manager or Residence Manager in the Office of Residence Life to continue to help impact on-campus living communities.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned at WNE?

The most valuable lesson I have learned here at WNE is to take risks and try new things. If I hadn’t broken out of my timid freshman year shell, I would have never grown the way I have here on campus. By joining on campus organizations, applying for positions, and taking risks I was able to gain an education that a classroom would have never been able to give me. I attribute a lot of my on campus involvements to shaping me into the person that I am today, if it hadn’t been for taking a chance freshman year, who knows if I would have ever reached my potential to be the student leader I am today.

Any advice to student/staff/ faculty? Words of wisdom?

I came into college an unmotivated freshman who had slacked off throughout all of high school. By coming into college and beginning to grow as a student leader, I gained a new understanding of how to succeed both academically and in cocurriculars. I guess the one thing I would have to say is : get involved. It gives you incredible opportunities to reach into your own campus community along with the surrounding communities and impact people’s lives through programming, days The Nexus

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: t n e m e v l o v n I t n e d n u o t i S t c e l f e R A

by John Mayo, MCPA Newsletter Editor @jmayojr

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f there has been one place in my life that I have truly loved living, it has been Bridgewater. I spent five years not just attending, but also learning, and experiencing life, at Bridgewater State College (now University). For me this was a great accomplishment; I am the first one in my immediate family to attend and graduate from a four-year college. I recently returned to Bridgewater to visit a mentor, and during this visit I was able to walk around campus and see all the amazing changes that have taken place over the last 7 years.

Seeing the campus during my visit brought flood of memories surging back to me. To me Bridgewater is the place I made many amazing friendships, it is where I met my wife, it is I learned about life, I got to travel the world, and I found my passion. I studied Military History and minored in Art History and Secondary Education; I wanted to be a History teacher.

I was passionate about teaching and helping others.

During my second year I was able to live with my best friend in a suite style building. This turned out to be one of the best things for me. He was a very involved student leader; he was part of several clubs including RHA and the Conduct Board. He pushed me to get involved on campus and to meet new people.

Because of him I joined the building hall council and then I joined the Conduct Board that same semester.

These two organizations were my gateway into a life dedicated to serving students.

The Conduct Board at the time was run through the Office of Residence Life and Housing. I got to know the staff and the department well; I even landed a job working as an Office Assistant in the Res Life Office.

I eventually applied to be an RA and was a mid-year

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hire off the waiting list. I learned a lot about working in Student Affairs through these experiences, but I learned the most by being involved in departmental committees.

“By asking students to serve on committees we help empower them to stand up and help make a difference on campus.”

to walk to the trash chute a floor down on the other side of the building. The solution to this problem became the trash room on the 5th floor of Crimson.

Now would they have noticed This is one area where the Office of Resithis before the building was built, maybe, but dence Life and Housing at Bridgewater excels. because student input was sought and received During my time as an RA I served on the RA the problem was found early and it was able Training Committee and the Standing Commit- to be fixed. The important thought to take tee for Occupancy Management. It is the later away from this story isn’t that I helped solve of the two where I was able to leave my mark a problem with trash disposal, it is that stupermanently on Bridgewater State College. dents should be involved on campus, but not Bridgewater has undergone a major transforjust in clubs and organizations, they should be mation over the last 10 years, there have been sought out to help on committees. One of the several new buildings, lots of renovations, and best learning experiences for student leaders is even a new parking structure built. One of serving on departmental and divisional comthose new buildings was Crimson Hall, a 408 mittees. I was surprised when I entered the bed, suite style residence hall. While I was not field how few departments allow students to there when Crimson opened, I was serving on serve on committees and how few departments the Steering Committee for Occupancy Manseek student feedback on buildings, furniture, agement during the design phase. and programming.

The Steering Committee for Occupancy Management was a group of students (RAs and non-RAs) who came to gather as an advisory committee for the Office of Residence Life and Housing. We helped give feedback on a variety of areas including the new residence halls. We were in a meeting where we were reviewing the blueprints for the design of Crimson Hall and I noticed something odd about the building during the meeting, there was no trash disposal area on the 5th floor. It is important to note that Crimson Hall has two wings, one is four stories and the other is five stories and the wing are connected by a hallway with the elevator and a common space. All the residence halls at Bridgewater utilize trash chutes on each floor, and in Crimson the trash chute was located on the wing with four floors. I pointed this out during the meeting and suggested that the students on the 5th floor needed a place for their trash because they were not going

By asking students to serve on committees we help empower them to stand up and help make a difference on campus. Students in these positions have a voice, and this is important because all too often students feel like their voices are not heard by the administration. By involving students we also teach them how the organization functions, they learn about everything to building design and financing to campus politics. We help them gain the skills that will give them an advantage when it comes to graduate school and a career in higher education.

“By asking students to serve on committees we help empower them to stand up and help make a difference on campus.”

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I try to get my students as involved as I can in as many ways as I can, because I had this opportunity when I was in college this is one of the reasons I pursued a career in Student Affairs. How do you challenge your students to do more and achieve more? What opportunities do you provide for your students?

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MCPA NETWORKING SOCIAL NOVEMBER 14, 2013 7:00 TO 9:00 P.M. Meet, greet, and eat your way to some new connections at one of the coolest bars in Amherst. Come to High Horse Brewing and bring extra business cards!

24 N Pleasant St | Amherst Email Mwyett@umass.edu for questions or directions!

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Event Recap: Grad and New Professional Bowling Night

by Vaishakhi Desai, MCPA New Professional Liaison, Boston University

The Bowling Night at Jillian’s went really well! Professionals and graduate students from around Boston joined together to meet and mingle! We had great food and drinks! Bowling towards the end of the night was awesome too. Will definitely be doing it again before the end of the semester! Hope to see y’all there.

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Modeling Innovation and Engagement Coming together as professionals to share new and innovative ideas that will change college campuses and how we interact with the surrounding communities.

Drive-In Conference Thursday, December 12, 2013

8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Newbury College Keynote Speaker: Daryl Healea, Boston University

Daryl Healea, Ed.D.

Associate Director for Student & Staff Development Boston University In his 13th year with Boston University Residence Life, Dr. Daryl Healea serves as the Associate Director for Student & Staff Development. Daryl oversees all opportunities for educative growth within the 12,000 bed residential community including, the Faculty-in-Residence program; the Residence Hall Association Executive Council; departmental assessment, evaluation, and research; and all levels of staff recruitment, selection, and training.

TrANSPorTATioN

• T accessible (Green Line) (C- Cleveland Circle/ D- reservoir • Station - Newbury has a shuttle that leaves every 10-15 mins) • Parking is FrEE. Carpooling is advised!

Please check our website for information on registration and the Call for Programs.

PriCiNG • • • • • • •

$50- Graduate Student w/ 1-year membership included (no late registration cost) $55 Professional member cost/ Early bird (before November 22, 2013) $60- Professional non-member cost/ Early bird, including 1-year membership $65- Late registration( after November 22, 2013) for professional members and non-members w/ option for 1-year membership. **1 year membership will only be offered to FirST TiME members oNLY!

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November 2013