Social Justice and Inclusion (SJI)

            ACPA and NASPA have identified the following as an outcome of development within the realm of Social Justice and Inclusion: “Participate in activities that assess and complicate one’s understanding of inclusion oppression, and privilege, and power” (p. 30).  My coursework in CSP 6035: Multicultural Competence in Student Affairs and my internship site at Oberlin College have given me opportunities to do just that.  During 6035 we were assigned readings that problematized and made real concepts of which I had only read or had a peripheral understanding.  Privilege, Power, and Difference (Johnson, 2006) was especially helpful to me as I internalized concepts of social justice and inclusion that were presented through class and trainings from the Multicultural Resource Center at Oberlin.  Positionality is a concept that I have learned to challenge and inquire with others, for example asking my student staff how to make the Community Service Resource Center (CSRC) area a space more welcoming to students of color, and to make it less of a White space. 

My practicum advising the alternative break organization (Immerse Yourself in Service -IYS) at Oberlin College may be the strongest example of the outcome “Provide opportunities to reflect and evaluate on one’s participation in systems of oppression, privilege, and power without shaming others” (ACPA & NASPA, 2016, p. 31).  IYS provides a means for Oberlin students to work in an immersive environment with a community partner and explore what it means to work in solidarity, rather than participate in voluntourism and charity.  Through some of the reflection materials I compiled and facilitation methods from my professional network student leaders learn about how their social identities affect dialogue and reflection.

Technology (TECH)

            Within the technology competency the two outcomes I have demonstrated proficiency in include “Demonstrate adaptability in the face of fast-paced technological change” and “Utilize local, national, and global digital professional learning communities and personal learning networks to enhance intra-and inter-institutional collaboration and ongoing professional development in educational, customer service, marketing, and community engagement efforts that reflect the mission and values of the organization” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, pp. 33-34).

            An aspect of my internship changed halfway through my first year when the BCSL acquired the technology Get Connected, an online platform where community partners create profiles for themselves and post their needs while students can log-in and peruse service, Winter Term, and community service work study positions.  This technology needed to be integrated into our programming and replaced a function of the students I supervise.  The adaptation to and integration of this new technology has posed some challenges but also brought with it many boons such as additional points of contact for students, direct communication, and  consistently updated community partner information and updated needs.

            In advising IYS, I have gained access to the national alternative break organization Break Away including its site, housing, and sample document banks, but more importantly its network of advisors and professional development opportunities.  I have used the sample document section to explore risk management practices, reflection guides, and participated in several of the national conference calls.  One was covering information previously presented at conferences, but the full engagement call and reflection practices calls were very helpful. 

Values, Philosophy, and History (VPH)

            A previous supervisor said often “You have to retreat to move forward” each year we had our fall staff retreat (Gerhke, S., personal communication, October 2008).  The same sentiment applies to the values, philosophy, and history of student affairs.  The understanding of the history of higher education and student affairs provides the contexts for the field’s next steps.

            Two of the institutions at which I worked had long and complicated histories, Whitman College and Oberlin College.  Both were founded during the 1800s and are very different presently than at their founding in terms of religious affiliation, racial segregation, and degrees offered.  One of ACPA & NASPA’s outcomes under Values, Philosophy, and History competency includes “articulate the historical contexts of institutional types and functional areas within higher education and student affairs” (p. 18).  My coursework in CSP 6010, and my own investigations into the histories played a role in understanding the contexts of the institutions and their histories.  For example, problematizing the history of the Whitman Mission and college origins developed that outcome.

The outcome “Explain the public role and societal benefits of student affairs in particular and of higher education in general” is especially prescient given the scrutiny with which the public views higher education of late (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 18).  It is also something that I have done often while trying to explain student affairs to my family and friends.  Unfortunately I had to explain the benefits of student affairs to others in the student affairs division of Colorado Mesa University who did not place much value on student affairs.  In passing I explained the benefits of ACPA to the vice-president of student affairs.  I also tried to explain the benefits of having a Director of Residence Life with a background in student affairs to the vice president when our department was beginning the search for a new Director.  I tried to explain the benefits of a background in student development, legal affairs in higher education, and a residential curriculum model.  Unfortunately I was not successful, but that was a result more of value misalignment.

Personal and Ethical Foundations

I believe I have reached a proficient level of competence within the Personal and Ethical Foundations competency.  Certain outcomes of this competency include: “Articulate key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments (e.g., values, morals, goals, desires, self-definitions) as well as the source of each (e.g., self, peers, family, or one or more larger communities” and “Articulate awareness and understanding of one’s attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, biases and identity how they affect one’s integrity and work with others” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015, p. 16).

Understanding key elements of my beliefs and commitments was a fairly recent phenomenon.  Through high school I relied upon the examples my older sisters provided – nearly all activities I did were ones they had done before me.  Once I was in college and had more latitude to explore different topics and my own identity.  My values and goals may not have differed from my time in high school, but I can now say that I have explored and reaffirmed my values of honesty, and sincerity, my goals of moving back in Minnesota, and my sense of family obligation.  During college I was a care taker to my grandparents which gave me the opportunity to explore family history and recognize the significance of the institutional memory my grandparents still had.  That opportunity to see the importance of tradition, education, and civic engagement to them, grew the significance of those values in me.

A phrase a former supervisor used resonated with me because of my values; an “ethic of care.”  This ethic of care I bring to my work grew from recognizing the importance of relationships in our work, which has a connection to my personal and professional values.  In various value-identifying activities and typology mechanisms there is a cluster of values that all relate back to relationships and the accompanying ethic of care.  This ethic is evident in my work with students through one-on-one meetings when I ask them about themselves as people first, before employees or advisees.  I appreciated the care when I was a student and now I have the language to explain why I want to pass it along to current students – because of the ethic of care.