SIU Residence Life has some great things going on, and we want to showcase some of our proud moments on our blog. We also hope people considering working in RA, graduate assistant, or full-time positions with our department will take a minute to learn more about the things we are doing. More information about our department, including position descriptions, application information, and graduate and full-time staff profiles can be found on our recruitment website. Today's blog post was written by Michelle Kinney, Hall Director of Mae Smith Hall, about her experience attending the 2013 Winter Business Meeting for the Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO).
It is one thing to be involved on your campus; it is another thing to have the opportunity to connect with people of the Student Affairs field on a larger spectrum. When applying for my first post-graduate Hall Director position, networking was something I made it a point to ask schools about. I did not just want the ability to network within my university, which is still important (and secret: you can ALWAYS do this!), I also wanted to know it was an option to network in larger areas as well. The first thing I did in order to help with this was look into ways to get involved with the GLACUHO region. After some research, I applied for a committee. I thought "hey I loved regional committees in graduate school, I’m sure I’ll love them here too." I was selected to be on the Health and Wellness Committee and I started working with my Chair as soon as possible, though something was still missing. SIU was able to fill the “hole” this month when I (along with other co-workers) had the chance to go to the GLACUHO Winter Meeting. This is held at Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, Indiana each year and is about a day and a half with travel. During this time, your main focus is on working with your committee while getting some social time with others during meals and in the evening. I was so pumped about this opportunity and before I knew it…. I was on my way to Brookston, Indiana...
Once we arrived, it was straight to work! After a quick welcome session and some chatting with old friends (it is awesome to see where everyone is!), we headed to committee meetings. Though my committee chair was not able to be at the conference, we hit the ground running with some ice breakers and brainstorming sessions. I have the unique experience to belong to a “baby” committee (we have only been around in the GLACUHO region for a couple of years) and the opportunities really are endless! This year we have decided to focus on the graduate students and professionals in our region. After a lot of brainstorming (and using a LOT of paper) we came up with some areas to focus on throughout the remainder of the year. Some areas we will be focusing on (all within the realm of Health and Wellness) are: crisis support, the what-ifs of student affairs, wellness in the job search, managing transitions, navigating unspoken expectations, and the challenges of living on campus. We will be creating some webinars, blogs, Trends (quarterly) articles, and so much more. We have set our eyes on the prize and have a lot planned! But a great quote, “Have high expectations and expect to have them met”!
After a day and a half of brainstorming and drawing up plans, we all got back together as a large group and shared our ideas to all! This was the time to really get to see what we as a region were creating for the upcoming year…and just as you would expect at a Student Affairs Conference… there were lots of cheering, skits, songs, and more!
Overall, it has been nerve-wracking coming back to my home region, only this time as a professional. The pressure is on! However, GLACUHO has allowed me as a young professional to get my “feet wet” in the field and within the region. Ultimately I want to be a President of a university. With that goal, networking is always a good idea! This opportunity will only help me in my future endeavors as a Student Affairs Professional! It was a long day and a half, driving to and from Indiana, and spending my waking hours in meetings, but one heck of an experience! I made more connections with the region that will only help me and was able to help form a great plan for the year. There is even talk of a 5K at the annual conference in November 2013! (Get pumped!)
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