Scheduling and Meetings

So, I don't have an email address yet, which makes it tough for me to schedule things or know where I'm supposed to be. It also means I can't use any of the school computers, like the one in my office or the ResLife office. So I thought I had the morning to start working on my projects and this blog at my apartment but turns out I had meetings all day!!! I was totally late for our meeting with Michael Hersh, the main programming director for student activities.

These meetings for Krista and I to get to know the professional staff here at Penn College. In our meeting with Michael, we talked a lot about the programs they offer and he asked us a lot of questions about our homecomings and what we do on our campuses. It reminded me that I simply didn't take full advantage of my time at Minnesota. We went way over our meeting time, even if I was late.

Then we met with Sara Hillis and had discussions on Student Activities, Service, and SGA. Sara’s job is a bunch of Western jobs combined, which means she probably does quite a bit in her position. She also talked about her connections to NACA, which she is writing a article for the NACA magazine. This was another hour long meeting and it could have been longer! Everyone is so full of information and both sides are asking a lot of questions. Maybe meetings could be longer in the future if their schedule allows?

We then met with Brian Johnson, Director of Residence Life. Brian talked about his administrative activities and big picture planning activities. He gave us an overview about what is going on now and how Dauphin Hall is changing things. We saw floor plans for Dauphin Hall as well, which looked really cool! They’re looking to turn that area into a First Year Student area with some specific learning community areas. Like the other meetings, this meeting could have gone on longer but Brian is a very busy guy!

After lunch, it was right back into meetings. We met with all 4 Residence Life Coordinators: Katie Mackey (The Village), Kas Williams (College West), Lee Plenn (Rose Street Commons), and Ashley Smith Nicholas (Campus View). They basically gave us time to ask them questions about Housing. Krista asked a lot of the questions since she doesn't have a lot of ResLife Experience. The Coordinators all have their distinct personalities but they fit well with the Main ResLife Office. They're fun but they carry themselves in a professional manner. They're a fun group!

After that, we met with Erin Datteri, the Assistant Director for Leadership and Greek Life in Student Activities. We had a lot to talk about with Greek Life. Greek Life is relatively new at Penn College. They have 2 Fraternity Chapters, 2 Fraternity Colonies, and 2 Sorority Colonies. Colonization is quite the process. We talked a lot about the students here being focused on their academics and not so much on the experience of college which is why some of the colonies are struggling. Erin gone through Impact Training and Phired Up! before. We spent an hour alone on Greek Life before we covered Leadership. We talked about a lot and it sounds like I might be able to help with some of the Greek Life stuff. We shall see. Definitely a long day!