Recycling, Tours, and a Surprise!

After looking up more fire safety information, I went to General Services with Katie, Krista, and RA Kyle. This is the team that will be tackling the Recycling programming in the Halls. We spoke with Don Luke and Rick Shaffer about the single stream recycling program. He told us about the things that worked, what didn't work, and we all brainstormed for a bit on educating the students on recycling. We also talked about how Dauphin Hall changes some things. I think this is going to be a fun project!

Centered around lunch were two tours, one of Construction and Design Technologies and the other was Transportation Technology, mostly focusing on the Automotive part of the school. Both of these tours were pretty awesome. Stuff like this always sparks the "I wish" syndrome in me, like I wish I knew how to be a stone mason and lay my own bricks or I wish I knew a lot about cars so I could restore one. Again, students are really getting practical experience in their schooling.

Once that was over with, the Links were off to Diversity Training with Brian Johnson. I assumed it was my supervisor Brian Johnson and went with the Links to touch base with Brian. I then discovered it was not ResLife's Brian Johnson but Campuspeak's Brian Johnson!!!!! I read about him in a Campuspeak magazine and thought his message would be really cool to see but I've never had the opportunity to see him. I stuck around for his diversity session and it was awesome! I love the way he uses movies to help reach his audience. It's what I want to do in the Greek Leadership Class I am co-teaching this Fall. There were a bunch of things I could have accomplished this afternoon but I had to jump at the chance to hear Brian Johnson speak. So Good!

Links' Residence Hall Training

Today was the big presentation of Residence Hall training for the Links. I was up bright and early to get to Student Activities so I could laminate and cut out the Reference Cards for the Links. It took forever and we started our morning a little late. Once we got started, we went around the room and talked about our best on-campus or residence hall experience. People shared some great stories. I was a little worried about going around due to last week's events but it seemed to get people energized. Joe Worth gave a good talk about facilities, although I think he made the Links a little nervous about overflowing toilets. He is right though, water can be very damaging! We then had a little break, which I ran over to the ResLife office and turned my time sheet in. I keep forgetting that thing. I'm so used to being under contract with Western.

Tim talked a little more about Housing policies, using my reference card for the Links to refer to. Ashley then came over to talk linens for a bit, check in and check out procedure, and when to call the RAs or Conference Assistants. We tried to provide some time for them to ask some questions and talk about fire drill procedure but maybe when they got the reference card, their questions were answered. Not sure.

There were a lot of questions about Dauphin Hall and what that looks like. I think some learning style issues were being played out. They had a hard time visualizing the way Dauphin Hall is going to be set up. "Who was going to use what bathroom, are there people cleaning those bathrooms, what about guests, is there a door that locks people out of the common area in the pods?" It was endless. Tim did a great job answering their questions and I, personally, think they could have figured it out. However, what they were really after was a tour of the new building. They weren't going to be satisfied until they got a tour and continued to ask crazy questions in their pursuit. Granted, some of the questions were very valid, we didn't provide visual substitutes to accommodate different learning styles, and I'm close to this training. However, they're all smart students and it's been the only point where I wanted to raise an eyebrow at them and ask "Really?" It's good to see they're thinking about it though.

We broke for lunch a bit and then came back for the Quiz Show, where I got to utilize my game show host voice. However, the remote to the screen was dead and the computer tower had no screen. It was one giant technical malfunction, so we had to abandon the game show aspect of it and simply go through each question. It was disappointing but at least they did a good job of answering the questions and raising good questions for Tim and I. After that, the new Links went to tour Delaware Hall at College West and the returning Links and I prepared for our behind closed doors session. I liked each of the scenarios. It gave them a good taste of what they might experience. It was a little hard to change around the script I had but it was still fun to participate. Each Link group had a different approach to the issues they faced. After the Dauphin Hall stuff in the morning, they really stepped up and used their talents. Again, a very impressive group. We wrapped up a bit and then called it a day.

Overall, great training. I think the reference cards will help them. I think we broke up the day with enough stuff to keep them active and we covered the things we needed to. Maybe for next year incorporate some more visual aids and double check technology before using it. But, still great training!

Post Weekend Review: Good Times

I got off to a lazy start, sleeping to about 11:30 on Saturday morning. However, things took off from there. It was the opening match for the US in World Cup Soccer against England. Krista and I went with Erin and Keith to Rivals to watch the game. They had some good wings and the match was a well contested tie. I thought about being lazy the rest of the day but Link Bryann Bingaman and his girlfriend Jess were looking for something to do, so Krista and I went to dinner with them at a great bbq rib place and then we toured around Bryann's home area, especially going to the awesome river shore park (can't remember it's name). It was a great little evening.

On Sunday, once I confirmed a New York City trip, I solidified a list of places to go. I also made a large push for on my homework. Since I was going to be gone much of the next weekend, I needed to get ahead cause I know I won't want to do homework next weekend. Great little weekend!

Thursday and Friday: Race to the Finish

Thursday and Friday consisted of two things and two things only: the slide show and the card. Everything kind of blended together. Tim and I continued going through the slide show and replacing questions and answers. Once that was done, Tim emailed them to me and I proceeded to clean the slides up. In testing the slides, I noticed the last two sets did not progress or function the same way the first set of slides. It took me a considerable amount of time to fix this but I got it done. I then had to finish up the reference card. I waited as long as I could for Brian's approval, which he did, and I arranged the printing with various colors. Printing and cutting them definitely took some time. Unfortunately, I did not finish in enough time to to go laminate the cards at Student Activities. I will have to do that on Monday.

Thursday was the memorial service. I was definitely thinking about Liz, Amanda, and Brian. Not to sure what the weekend will bring!

BLACKHAWKS!! STANLEY CUP CHAMPS!!!!

What a game! It looked as though the Blackhawks were going to run away with it but once again the Flyers tied it up in the final minutes. A few minutes into overtime, Patrick Kane slips one by the goalie and it's pandemonium!! 4-3 in OT! Former University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux and Blackhawk captain won the Conn Smythe Trophy too!! Chicago Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champs! Great night!!!

Reference Card and Gameshow

A lot was accomplished today! Since I was gone all day yesterday, I just started mocking up the reference card with the information Tim gave me on Monday. With the information I had, I was able to knock it out in a couple hours. I sent it to Lee and he liked it so much that he asked if a new copy could be made for his RAs. After looking at all the information, I determined that a different card should be made for the RAs because they have a little more authority than the Links do. A couple other things will take priority before I actually look at reworking the card.

Once we had a mock-up of the card, Tim and I went to work on editing the PowerPoint for the game show. A couple of policies have changed so we needed the slides to reflect that. It was kind of slow going. I had read the policies beforehand but I had a lot of questions on why things the way they were. Although I'm sure they have a specific procedure to follow when doing this, I can tell Brian and Tim have a good amount of authority to change the policies when things come up. Tim told me that any policy changes usually happen as a result of a student doing something wrong. Even though it was an entire revision of the policy, there were a bunch of steps to go through when editing the social function policy for Greek Life at Western Illinois. We barely made it through the first two sets of slides and there is still one left and we have questions to replace. We'll have to get them tomorrow. I also experienced my first Residence Life Staff meeting. Once again, the staff get a lot done in a meeting and cover a lot of topics but it is a lot of fun being in the room with all of them together!

Morgan Valley

Today was our diversity day with the Links. Penn College owns land up on this mountain and there is a cabin for people to host retreats. It has a really cool deck over looking the valley. And the temperature was nice and cool!!!

The Links had been working on a privileges journal and a few questionnaires on how diverse they are prior to going up there. During the day, we had several activities to help them recognize their own privileges and diversity. In many of the activities we (or maybe just I) found out a lot of things I did not know about people. My hopes were probably a little high for the talk I thought we would have. Some people opened up, some didn't. I tried to open up some gates by talking about my own experience but that worked to an extent. I think they are still a little nervous talking about those subjects around each other, afraid of saying the wrong thing. That's ok though. I was probably the same way when I was 20-22 years of age. I did have a pretty awesome conversation with Bryann Bingaman about Fraternity.

Remembrance

Upon arriving to work, the rumor I heard over the weekend ended up being true. A student of Penn College died in a car accident over the weekend. The whole campus is feeling pain right now. She was a really involved student and close with a lot of people, including the Residence Life staff. I never met her and didn't know a thing about her but I can relate to what the campus is going through as I had three friends pass away from smoke inhalation in a house fire.

I couldn't find the original article but here is an article that remembers the incident. Here's the story how I remember it:

During my First Year of college in 2002, I lived on the 3rd Floor of East Wing at Bailey Hall on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. The people I lived around were all different but a lot of fun. Over the course of the year, everyone seemed to have a connection with each other and we seemed to be like one giant family, not always happy, but a family no less. We all went our separate ways after the year ended, some people living in Bailey again, some to off campus housing. I returned to Bailey Hall with 2 of my neighbors from 3East, John and Tim.

September 20th, 2003 did not start out to be a normal Saturday. John usually spent his Saturdays in the Fall out hunting but for some reason he decided to stay. Tim usually spent the night with his girlfriend but he did not on this day. John and I had plans to attend the Gopher football game against Louisiana Lafayette later that night. The three of us were watching some football pre-game that morning when our neighbors, Kellen, Joe, and Eric (all three residents of 3East with us), knocked on our door and asked if we heard what happened. We said no and they told us Liz Wencl, Amanda Speckien, and Brian Heiden, members of our family, had died in a house fire. They were visibly upset as they were much closer to the three of them than John, Tim, and I. Between that moment of shock and going to Liz's funeral, everything is a blur. I remember bits and pieces but everything happened so fast.

Liz's funeral was first and time seemed to slow down. I had been close with Liz. We had a couple French classes together and I talked her a couple days prior to the accident. She always lit up a room and made everyone feel like they would always have her as a friend. Amanda's funeral was a couple days later and on the same day as Brian's. I went to Amanda's so I was unable to attend Brian's funeral. The finality of it all was unlike anything I had ever experienced. All I knew was how much I would miss them.

I can't claim to be their best friends like others can. I don't know if they considered me a friend. What I do know is they had an impact on my life. We shared the common experience of living in the Residence Halls of Minnesota and the trials of navigating our way through our first year of college. They taught me not to take any friendship for granted. I strive to make everyone feel welcomed, even if I know nothing about them. I strive to live life to the fullest, just as they did. I continue to remember.

There is no comparison to a fire and a car accident except that both are tragic. However, I can't help remembering what it was like. I feel for the faculty, staff, and students here at Penn College for what they are going through. I hope their wound will heal with time. Take care Penn College.

Email again??

So the days of me having a Penn College email address were short lived. I got to work to check my email and found I could not log on to a computer. I couldn't log on to anything. Turns out they switched my email address without telling me so I was quite blind for a while. I should say, they tried telling me but sent the notification to my new email of which I did not have knowledge of. Anyway, it made a lot of sense since I hadn't received an email since Wednesday last week. Hopefully everything is squared away with that.

In the late morning, we toured the School of Business and Computer Technologies. We spoke with the coordinator of matriculation and retention, who actually graduated with a master's degree in student affairs. Students in the School of Business and Computer Technologies will learn info about business and tech, but they will also work with the health and legal fields as well. This tour was also different as we spent the majority of out time in a classroom with a PowerPoint presentation, which most of our tours have been through all the different technical classrooms.

In the afternoon, I met with Erin, Ashley, Kas, and Krista to go over the Morgan Valley Retreat info for tomorrow. I'm excited about this as it is on diversity and I haven't had the opportunity to talk about diversity with a large group of students. I've had discussions one on one with students but not a group, other than my classmates. After that, Tim and I went over some procedural stuff for the Links reference card. On initial glance of the information, I think the information will fall under a few main categories that I can organize on the card. I have to jump on the project quick as there is only a week before the actual training.

Post Weekend Review: Hockey!!

Friday night was Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!! Unfortunately my Blackhawks were not victorious. They got handled for most of the game and started making a comeback but they were down by too much. The series is tied 2-2. Sad face.

I didn't do much Saturday morning but I spent Saturday night with Krista. Neither of us had plans so we went to the Bullfrog Brewery and had some great food. Highly recommended! We then decided to have an mini Office marathon, watching 4 of our favorite episodes. It was good times!

Sunday was Game 5 of the Stanley Cup and the Blackhawks dominated! I went shopping before the game started, picked up a few new clothes but I was super focused on the game. Byfuglein finally woke up and Pronger is finally wearing out! The line changes worked out really well. One more game. Victory is in our grasp!

Free Friday Afternoons

I worked on some more campus fire safety research this morning. Nothing too special. I've tried to save what I can on another Google Wave. Much of it is repetitive. I then with the Links to the School of Health Sciences. This was an interesting tour. Like other tours, they point out the equipment because it is similar to or the same equipment used in the real world. Again, these students are getting a lot of practice in their work. The programs are also extremely competitive. Although this makes the programs tough to get into, it probably makes them more prestigious. Our tour guide also took us into the cadaver lab. We didn't actually see a body but it was freezing in there and definitely had a distinct odor. After that, it was a little fire safety research wrap up and then the weekend. Big hockey game tonight, Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. Go Hawks! Past that, I don't know what the weekend holds!

Email Day!!

I spent much of my day figuring out email stuff. I received my password in the morning and sent out mass emails, celebrating my email address acquisition! Penn College uses Microsoft Outlook quite a bit, something I had never used before. I can access my email from the web and set up a calendar but it does not have a lot of the features that the Microsoft Outlook program has. I was unaware of this and ended up wasting much of my time trying to figure things out. Barb was a great help in trying to help me figure things out and her questions helped me figure out the disconnect between having the program and not having it. I hopped on a different computer and opened my email via the Outlook program and everything was the way it should be. Barb then taught me how to share my calendar and hopefully I will be able to see where I'm going in the future to help me plan my time and work. Because I have an email address now, I started to play around with Google Wave a lot more. I had found a fire poster that was done by the National Fire Prevention Association and posted it on the Wave started for our fire poster. It's a good poster but I think we can do a better job of marketing and tailoring the posters to Penn College students. I come from schools where the mascot is used as a marketing tool inside and outside the university. It makes sense to me to try and capitalize on the Wildcat.

In the afternoon, the Links, Krista and I took a tour of the School of Industrial and Engineering Technology. This was a tour that was spread all over campus. We pretty much walked from one end to the other. The students here have the opportunity to use a lot of different technical equipment, some of which I think is pretty cool (like making plastic bottles!!).

The tours have become a little more entertaining with the Links, mainly because the fact that I hold open nearly every door. Some of the guys are complaining that it's making them look bad. They say it in a joking manner but it could stem from a angry thought. I was taught to do those sorts of things and I tell the guys that it is a good habit to get into. One of the Links has taken notice and has started doing the same when I am unable to catch the door. I just hope it's not playing too much into the "typical" gender roles dynamic that was exposed at the Ropes Course. That's all for now!

Knoebels

So, as a change of pace and scenery, I went with Ashley Smith Nicolas and her Conference RAs to Knoebels Amusement Resort. It was a good time! It's more geared to children, in my opinion, but there are some sizable roller coasters there. I hadn't been on a coaster for a while. I had a delicious Philly Cheese Steak for lunch and it was delicious! Ashley brought her sons, although only one was old enough to ride some of the rides with us. I think he definitely had a blast! Again, nice change of pace and a fun little day! I accessed my email this morning and I get to explore it tomorrow!!

NOOO!!!

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup was on tonight. The Blackhawks were looking great but those pesky Flyers came back to force overtime. Then in overtime, the Flyers scored right away! Game final: 4-3. What the heck! Chicago dominated road games throughout the playoffs. I don't understand. I hope I didn't disturb the neighbors as I was getting a little loud yelling at the TV. Hawks are going to need to take it to them on Friday night!

Directors Meeting and Tour

Today was really the first time I was able to dive into a lot of fire safety information. I initially started out in looking for ways other schools market their fire safety posters but didn't find much. There sure is a lot of information out there on fire safety though. Uffda!

At 9am, Krista and I had a Student Affairs Directors meeting. This was a very interesting meeting. Much of their topics were things I had no clue about and a bunch of updates. Elliott has a great memory but it's funny to hear him describe my path to Penn College, "Jack is from Grand Forks, ND, went to Minnesota, and is now at Western Illinois." Sometimes he'll switch things around a bit and throw in my VISTA experience or what I'm studying. However, there was a lot of talk about the Crisis Intervention Team and the ADA Classification of students who attempt suicide. Apparently, students who attempt or are about to attempt suicide are protected by ADA through mental illness. If I remember correctly, the school can excuse the student from classes and living on campus once they have a mental evaluation. However, between the attempt and the evaluation, the student could stay on campus and cannot be asked to leave due to ADA compliance. This has a lot of implications for Residence Halls as it is affecting the other students' safety living there. I'm sure there are a lot of grey areas with this but what an interesting conversation.

Shortly after the directors meeting, Krista and I hoped in Penn College vans with the Links for a tour of the Earth Science Center! The Earth Science Center is well off campus in a very wooded area. The building houses a bunch of different majors, which might fall into different schools, not too sure. We took a nice outdoors tour and ate lunch at the Pavilion. I did not know we were supposed to bring our own lunch so I waited till we got back. After that, I got my email address!! However, no password. I'll have to get that tomorrow.