Catalytic

60 Years of Universal Human Rights

2008-12-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

Where after all do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home, so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world, yet they are the world of the individual person. Such are the places, where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, and equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world. -Eleanor Roosevelt

December 10th was the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Prior to this document there were concepts of human rights, but any protections of them were confined to individual governments. This document created a standard and a universality that wasn't there before.

The first time I read this declaration was at the beginning of the law and ethics course in my Master's program. I could not think of a better way to start that class, but I was struck by the fact that I had never seen it before. As I read through it, I felt like it was one of those documents that I should have encountered in middle school as I was memorizing the preamble. If you have not had the opportunity to read this document, I submit that there is not better occasion than now. Celebrate the anniversary by taking a moment to read it again or for the first time.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

If you have access to students who need a catalyst for discussing their rights and responsibilities as humans, the UN has some additional resources that you might find useful.

I didn't know... did you?

2008-12-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

I found the rates of new information being created really inspiring. That means it hasn't all been said or done. There's more potential now than ever.

Executive Compensation

2008-11-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Writer's Note: During my Master's program, I had planned on posting the papers I wrote and some of my smaller writing assignments. I posted a few, but then stopped. The reason I stopped is because the phrase 'guided reflection' became the number one key word for hits on my sight. The written assignments for my counseling courses were called guided reflections. Worried about plagiarism and academic dishonesty, I decided to stop posting my work. I have decided to post one of my older papers today because I don't feel I am at the same risk of plagiarism accusations as I was at the time. This is my work and it is not to be copied or used by anyone else without proper referencing.

Every year the Chronicle surveys universities about their salaries. This year's survey was released last weekend. It is always an interesting set of information to look at. Last year they had a full pull out from the paper discussing executive compensation and some of the scandal that was exposed over the past couple years. I decided to do more research and discuss this topic further in a paper for my budgeting class. When I looked for the paper on my blog so I could link it to you, I realized that haven't posted it here, so I am including it in this post for those of you that are interested. Near the end of my paper I discuss what I saw as a major difference between CEOs and university presidents: altruism. I was happy to see that in these financial difficulties, when students are more worried than normal about how they'll pay for next semester, president's are giving back. I like seeing these presidents doing the right thing. Especially when we can't trust the CEOs will do as well.

Executive Compensation
(written November 2007)

During a 2006 presentation at Idaho State University, Barbara Ehrenreich stated that the ratio between the wages of worker and CEOs in America is 400:1. This means that the annual salaries for 400 employees could be paid with the money spent on one CEO salary. If we carry that line of thinking through, the ratio of student tuition to president salary at the universities is not quite as striking, but it is still upsetting. At the University of Delaware, David P. Roselle makes enough as the highest paid leader of a public university to fund 60 students to take classes and live on campus at his own university. At Wilmington College, Audrey K. Doberstein, Mr. Roselle’s private institution counterpart, could pay tuition for 106 students with her salary. Universities are drawing a lot of attention for the amounts they are willing to give their leaders. The parallels between presidents and CEOs are becoming more direct and both educators and the public are put off by it.

The cost for colleges and universities to provide education is increasing every year. The Collage Board attributes the increases above inflation to health benefits and rising utility costs. (Kelly) In addition to these growing costs, higher education has seen huge cuts in state funding in the past decade. “Higher education continues to receive fewer dollars than it has been getting as of the 2001-2 fiscal year.” (Schmidt) These strains have resulted in tuition continuing to increase at rates higher than inflation. These raises are even happening where the states is trying to keep costs of public schools down. For example, in Virginia funding for higher education was increased 5.3 percent, “in hopes of holding tuition down,” but their schools still had an average 6.8 percent tuition increase. (Smith) They were not able to off set the increase because Virginia schools are still struggling from the 22 percent decrease they saw during the 2002-4 appropriations. Staff with tightening budgets, students who are taking out loans, parents who can no longer afford their students’ tuition, state lawmakers who have to justify appropriations are all taking a closer look at how higher education is spending its money. No one has attributed the rising cost of education to the rising costs of presidents, but many people are muttering suspicions under their breath. They all want explanations for the money going to pay the administration.

There are three major problems that immerge in the discussion of Executive compensation. The first is abuse of power. Benjamin Ladner resigned from his position as president of American University in Washington in 2005. His resignation was preceded by an anonymous letter to the board of trustees and an audit of his travel and personal expenses. “The investigation found that Ladner’s alleged expenses included an engagement party for his son, trips for the couple’s chef, drivers’ costs and alcohol purchases.” (Green) In the end, the university asked Mr. Ladner to repay $125,000 in expenses and $398,000 in taxes on income he earned between 2002 and 2005. This money was taken out of his severance package which was a one time payment of $950,000, $2.75 million in deferred compensation, and up to $20,000 in relocation reimbursement. This arrangement didn’t appease either side of the argument. “Although some observers were surprised that Mr. Ladner accepted what appears to be a relatively small severance package, his critics were not placated.” (Fain)

A more recent example took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma this year. Richard L. Roberts, the president of Oral Roberts University, has been accused of backing a mayoral candidate and spending university funds on a stable of horses, a senior break trip to Florida for his daughter and her friends, and scholarships for the friends of their children that were neither need nor merit based. The university is now facing a lawsuit from several faculty members who claim they were fired or forced to resign in the process of covering these wrongdoings up. (Gravois) Since these accusations arouse, the president has resigned despite the university founder’s insistence that he would return. The university has also decided to separate from the evangelical organization that Mr. Roberts is still overseeing. Both of these examples have dealt with private schools. Public institutions are being affected by the increasing costs of presidents in a different way.

Between 1987 and 2002, the University of Iowa lost three presidents. The fourth left in 2006 after being with the university for only three years. Since 1990, both Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa have lost two presidents. This exodus of the Hawkeye State comes back to the bottom line. These presidents were all offered better paying jobs at different universities. According to Raymond D. Cotton, a lawyer who deals in university contracts and compensation, “Presidential-search consultants look at Iowa as fertile recruiting ground because it grows good leaders who are paid relatively low salaries.” (Shuppy) The Iowa system is complex, and university boards are willing to pay for someone who has been successful there. Not all public systems are facing the problem of private schools tempting away their administrators, but in Iowa, it has gotten to the point that even the faculty are demanding better pay for their university presidents. Unfortunately, increasing state appropriations to fund better pay is not a decision the board or the faculty senate can make. For now, Iowa will continue to take the recruiting of their presidents as a compliment, and try to find a way to fund competitive salary without state support.

The final problem that large pay for university presidents is more theoretical and less clear cut than the first two. This is the problem of the corporatization of education. The management, leadership, communication, organizational, and other skills required to be a successful president of a university are directly comparable to the CEO of any business. The problem with this correlation is that there is a certain amount of altruism to higher education, especially at public institutions. Leaders with these skills have always been capable of working in the private sector, but they have chosen education because of nonmonetary goals and values. Roger Bowen, a former university president in New York, spoke directly to this when he said, “Universities do not exist to make money but to educate our students and citizens, a role that is central to our democratic society. We send the wrong message when we transmogrify our campus president into C.E.O.’s.” (Dillon) In education, our primary focus is the success of the student not the bottom line. We certainly have to care about our finances to be successful, but if we switch around those priorities we will fail at our mission. As university presidents are stepping into the spotlight and proving that they are worth every penny, they are leaving behind the rest of education. Faculty members could be writers and public speakers, superintendents and high school principles could be working in upper level management in the private sector. Instead, they are working in education, despite society’s inability to compensate them as much as we would like.

Can we force the altruism of education to stay? Iowa cannot. They are keeping their executive compensation low out of financial restriction as opposed to policy, but they are not getting legislative support either. The California school system was involved in a large scandal about illegal pay practices, and in response, the Board Regents is going through the system and increasing oversight. The system’s president, Robert C. Dynes, is putting in place new policies for pay, recruiting, and disclosure practices. Their new policies include several new staff members in the president’s office that will oversee spending, increased involvement with the board during hiring, more transparency on all aspects of compensation, and even a rule that the administrative position must be offered to at least 3 candidates to give the university more power in salary negotiation. Mr. Dynes has publicly said that they are paying under competitions, and they will continue to do so and focus on their other strengths as a place of employment. By having these policies in place, future candidates will know what the limitations of compensation are in the California system and will be applying with those expectations. Those expectations are not going to work as well for everyone as Dynes is expecting them to work for California. For example, presidents being hired in Iowa at low salaries will likely be expecting to gain a tremendous insight and experience before being recruited by a large research university. There is the possibility that if more universities adopt similar policies it could drive executive compensation back down or hold it where it is at for a while. It is doubtful that the private institutions will implement these types of policies, but a level playing field for the public schools with help keep some of that strain off the taxpayers.

My opinions on this topic are difficult to nail down because I don’t find myself at either end of the spectrum. I believe that the abuse of power issues that are being uncovered at individual universities are strongly rooted in this executive compensation issue for two reasons. The first is a lack of trust. When looking at the compensation packages of presidents across the nation, something that struck me was the variety of ways that compensation was awarded. In my husband’s current position we consider his room and board part of his compensation, and in the positions we are looking at as we job hunt, we consider benefits packages as part of what we will be receiving, but the presidents’ packages seem much more elaborate. Few of them place value on the residence that they are expected to live in, or the vehicles that come with the position. They do however have regular bonuses, payments to trusts, insurance plans that pay out when they leave. When all of these things come out to the public and add up to much more than what is being claimed as salary, it seems sneaky. As more of these stories are uncovered, people become much more comfortable as skeptics. So, even if the administrator is only receiving what was part of the contract and taxes are being paid on all income, watching all these different sources of money pool together for a final number is disconcerting. It reminds people of the scandals that have recently been uncovered in the private sector, and it fuels an environment of distrust and accusations.

On the other side of the coin, I think that in many of these cases, we are over-compensating the presidents. I don’t mean this in a hindsight observation that since they are so unethical, they clearly did not deserve the amount they were being paid. Rather, I feel that working so hard to give them a great package can give them an inflated sense of importance. They feel more irreplaceable so they do not mind abusing their situation and do not expect much in consequences. I do not mean it quite as malicious as it sounds. I am not trying to accuse them of villainously plotting to extort money, but I think that there is a sense of security there that allows rules to be bent. Unfortunately, that sense of security is not necessarily unjustified. In appearances, boards are clamoring to get the talent of some of these leaders and the position they are filling may not have any or enough oversight of how funds are spent. It is easy to see how these abuses can happen.

I find the issue facing Iowa the most frustrating. It is my understanding that the funding discrepancy between public and private schools has been around longer than this current fight for presidents. The new issue is a combination of the number of schools willing and able to bid higher than before, and just the elevated amount that is required as a starting bid. The reason this is frustrating is because there is no go-out-and-fix-it answer. As long as there are enough institutions willing to compete monetarily for quality leaders, the individual college does not have the luxury to say it is exorbitant. They are too caught up in day to day issues of not being able to keep or recruit quality leadership. I think that the California system is on the right track, but they are in a uniquely supported situation. The most obvious example of this is the current ad campaign to come live and work in California. It is much easier for them to say they are going to rely more heavily on the inherent benefits of the area when someone else is already selling those benefits to perspective employees. A sudden confidence in the state is not going to be enough for the Iowa system.

Here is where my opinions on the last two problems start to blur together. What Iowa could really use is a field wide rededication to the altruism that used to be here. Unfortunately, you cannot force altruism on people. Altruism is the term that was used in the anti-corporatization articles, and I’m still not convinced that it is the right term. It conveys the meaning that we should want to be in education to teach not to make money, but I am not sure that is the feeling people had prior to just wanting the money. Growing up, the adults in my life gave me the sense that state jobs did not pay well, but the benefits were worth it. I cannot cite it or prove to you that it was the case, but it was how the people around me felt. They did not want to deliver mail because of the good it would do or the joy they would bring people. They wanted dental and health care. Granted, these positions are not comparable to a university president, but they may be an indicator that the problem is not a lack of altruism but rather an ability to buy better benefits.

Pursuing better government health care is a completely different topic, and I do recommend that universities fight that battle with the purpose of fixing executive compensation. I think that higher education should stop looking toward corporations to make changes and start looking toward non-profit organizations. Organizations like the Red Cross, Heifer International, The Salvation Army, and Sesame Workshop have the same leadership needs that we do. Their leaders deserve compensation for their skills just as much as ours do. The difference is their obligation to donors to make sure a minimum amount of each dollar given goes to supporting the organization. They probably have a lot they could teach us about creating a reasonable benefits package as well as recruiting talent that could be making a lot of money at for-profit corporations.

References

Dillon, S. (2004, November 15). Ivory Tower Executive Suite Gets C.E.O.-Level Salaries. Interesting-People. Retrieved November 2006, from http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/200411/msg00194.html

Fain, P. (2005, October). President of American University Resigns, Winning a $950,000 Settlement. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://philanthropy.com/free/update/2005/10/2005102501.htm.

Fain, P. (2006, November 24). Q&A: The University of California’s Leader Responds to Media Scrutiny on Pay. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Special Section: Executive Compensation Volume 53, Issue 14, PgB10.

Gravois, J. (2007, October 3). 3 Former Professors Sue Oral Roberts U., Alleging Political and Ethical Misconduct at High Levels. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/10/2007/100303n.htm

Green, L. (2005, October 26). American University President Resigns Following Investigation. A United Methodist News Service Report. Retrieved November 2006.

Huckabee, C. (2007, November 27). Businessman Promises $70-million to Oral Roberts U. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved November 27, 2007 from http://chronicle.com/news/article/3502/businessman-promises-70-million-to-oral-roberts-u

Kelly, R. (2005, October 18). College Costs Going Nowhere But Up. CNN Money.com. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/17/pf/college/

college_costs/index.htm.

Montoya, V. (2006, June 5). Getting Compensation Under Control. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://insidehighered.com/views/2006/06/05/montoya.

Schmidt, K. (2006, December 15). State Funds for Colleges Continue to Rebound. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i17/17a00101.htm.

Shuppy, A. (2006, November 24). Brain Drain in Iowa: State board studies how to keep its college presidents for longer stints. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved November 2006 from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/il4/14b01101.htm

Smith, L. (2007, October 5). Many Public Colleges Have Raised Tuition Despite Increases in State Support. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i06/06a02002.htm.

(2006, November 24). The Million-Dollar President, Soon to Be Commonplace? The Chronicle of Higher Education. Special Section: Executive Compensation Volume 53, Issue 14, PgB3.

Staff Reports (2007, October 23). ORU Founder Returns to Defend School. Tulsa World. Retrieved October 25, 2007 from http://www.tulsaworld.com/common.

CNN Tech

2008-11-05T04:48:00.000-08:00

Without the constant stimulation of grad school and academic discussions, it has been easy for me to let this blog and its semi strict topic standards be neglected. Now my ideas are more like fleeting bursts that come and go with each article that I read and less like the hashed out opinions that came from discussing these ideas with other students and coworkers. It is my hope that my next job will give me that stimulation again and I will once again be offering my opinion on all sorts of things. In the meantime, I've been more about my personal life at a different location. I don't keep it out of this blog because I think it is less important or worthy of readership; it is just targeted for a different audience.

That said, last night was nothing if not stimulating. There are a lot of things worthy of discussion, and there are plenty of pundits, analysts, and professional bloggers to tell you about them. I want to talk about the technology CNN used in the coverage of this election. There were two extremely different uses of technology that really struck me.

First, the technology that they wanted to strike me. Early in the evening they spoke with a corespondent who was in Chicago by "beaming" her in and creating a hologram of her in the election center. Here is a video of that.

They want me to be struck by how exciting and new this is. A scifi staple is now reality for reporters on location. Instead, I was struck by how inappropriate the technology was for this use. They said it was great to have because they could now hear the reporter with out the crowds, and that was partially confirmed by the fact that the reporter in the crowd was inaudible. What they really needed was just a quite space to shoot from. This was technology to the point of distraction. When you ask everyone using the technology how it feels (to be "beamed" in) than the technology is the story. It was novel and exciting (to the point of cheesy) so it deserved to be the story. On principle though, I am disappointed in this poor use of technology and the pretenses that they were covering the election. I can't fault CNN too much though. It was early in the evening, the polls hadn't closed. Projections couldn't be made and there was nothing for the analysts to discuss. They needed a distraction.

What I did find remarkable was Mr. King and his SmartBoard. I didn't find any video of him, but here is some of the information that he was using it to share. The SmartBoard wasn't what excited me, it was Mr. King's flawless use of it and the incredible planning for the information they had available to him. There were constant updates of the votes coming in which he used to compare states and counties to both the primaries and previous elections. He outlined geographic regions that the candidates were specifically interested in. He zoomed in and out and drew on it, and did all the cool stuff that SmartBoards can do, yet there was never a nod to the technology. It was as natural as pulling out a road map to give directions. It was seamless, and that is why it was perfect. Technology is at its peak when it seems the obvious and only option. It is because he never said anything like "and look at what else I can do with this" that I was so impressed with it. As an educator, I was giddy to see those capabilities being shown off so effortlessly by someone who is not trying to sell me the product.

The Difference Between Me and You

2008-08-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

The time has come again for the Beloit Mindset List. As Tom McBride shares the givens of the class of 2012 he points out their relationship with Harry Potter, Pearl Jam, Haagen-Daz, and Seinfeld. While not technically by dates, but in my experience of the world, I still have a few things in common with this incoming class.

I have always been looking for Carmen Sandiago.
I have felt that some people just don't get it.
Macauly Culkin has always been Home Alone.
The Green Bay Packers had the same starting quarterback for as long as I've been watching. (And now he's come to New York so I can still see him play and cheer for the 'home team.')

Unlike them:
I've seen Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
I remember the Rosanne Barr National Anthem, though I didn't care.
I saw the original The American Gladiators.
The only Iced Tea I had (before moving to Arkansas) was made by my grandmother and we called it Sun Tea.

How do you compare to the class of 2012?

Gotta Love 'Em

2008-06-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

I just love hearing about people who care about the same things that I do and are doing an amazing job at what they do. I would like to share with you 826. It is a national organization that I heard about on NPR. The story talks about the The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company in Park Slope that not only offers your everyday crime fighting needs, but also hides the (not-so) secret entrance to 826NYC. Students who make it though the store and through the secret passage are in for a creative writing party. I recommend listening to the NPR story if you can because you'll get to hear the in the middle of developing their stories.

If inspiring creativity wasn't cool enough, I am stalking their events page because I want to be a part of some of their fund raisers. Now that I'm in the neighborhood, I don't plan on missing another game of Scrabble for Cheaters. 826 is in several large cities so keep your eyes open for Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. in Seattle or The Boring Store (for all you spy needs) while you're in Chicago.

Four Things I Miss About Arkansas

2008-05-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

To be fair I don't think these four are really specific to Arkansas, but rather the living situation Arkansas gave me. It would probably be more appropriate to call this the four things I miss most about my old home.

1. People -- Moving away meant leaving behind some incredible people. I have some great friends in Arkansas who don't compare to people that I have met anywhere else in the world. I regret that I didn't spend more time with them this past year, but imagine I'd have that regret no matter how much time we spent together.
I kind of want to make them their own number in this list, but they are people two so I suppose they belong here. I miss the triplets. It is a completely different kind of miss than the friends I left behind. I miss the adults, but I've moved a lot in my life, and experience has shown me that the important ones keep in touch. Friends don't have to disappear when they move away. In fact, last weekend I was in a wedding for a friend that I haven't lived near since high school. These kids are different though. I went to Branson and the zoo with them. We sat around the table and ate dinner together. I read them stories and tucked them in at night. I have a picture of them in my wallet because I talk about them so much I need the visual reference for people. I'm hooked on these kids, and I'm going to miss seeing them grow up. That is a lot harder than leaving a friend I talk to mostly over e-mail anyway.

2. Acquaintances -- This is less about specific people and more about friendships that my living situation allowed. There were people that I "lived with" on campus who I would only see once a month or so in passing. They are great people, and we probably would have been good friends, but we never really spent time together. Living on campus made that ok because we would still see each other and get the updates on one another's lives.

3. Conveniences -- I'll be the first to admit that I am living in a pretty convenient place. Restaurants open past nine, 24 hour pharmacies, cultural experiences at my fingertips, and public transportation to take me to all of it. There are some conveniences that you get only by living on campus. I'm going to miss working in the same building as the library. I am going to miss having the blood-mobile on the walk home every time I am eligible to donate. I am going to miss knowing what "restaurant" all of my friends are going to be eating at, and that I can catchup with them there sometime between 5 and 7. I am going to miss the posters and sidewalk drawings telling me what bands are nearby and who is doing the current food drive. I am going to miss having the ability to live, eat, work, and socialize all in the same place.

4. The Energy -- You could probably call it an aura, or personality, but I fed off of it like energy. Especially these past two years living in a freshman hall it was fantastic. August comes and the students are just bubbling over with the excitement of being there and the potential of the upcoming year. Finals come and the whole campus is calmer yet supportive. Living on a campus and being a student instantly creates a community where we all share stresses and deadlines. You may be working on a film and I may be finishing a research paper, but they all have to be done before the semester is over. We also all share the same new beginnings and renewed excitement. There is a distinct undulation to the amount and types of energy on campus that is fueled by the students and their shared experience. I already miss being a part of that as a student.

What do you love about where you live?

More Fours

2008-05-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Four things I have done since my last post:
1. I graduated from UCA with a Masters in CSPA.
2. I attended my first Virtual Symposium in Second Life.
3. I moved to New York City.4. I stood up in a wedding for the most beautiful bride I have ever seen (and I looked pretty darn good at my own wedding.)
Four things I have not done since my last post:
1. I have not finished unpacking.
2. I have not found a job.
3. I have not caught up on the internet (20 e-mails, 451 in my Google Reader, and 103 Podcasts).
4. I have not gotten caught up on Battlestar Galactica or Lost.

One of the Four

2008-04-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Jenn tagged me with a four meme. My understanding is that I should be sharing four lists of four with you. I think I am going to shoot for multiple posts with this one, so I'm taking a packing break to share the first one with you.

Four reasons (other than Sesame Workshop) why I am excited about moving to New York:

1. Public Transportation -- "With 714 miles of track, 469 stations, and 6,089 subway cars, NYC's subway system is the largest in the world. The subways run 24 hours a day and carry 1.2 billion passengers a year, while the City's public bus system consists of 300 routes and carries 600 million people a year (by far the most in the nation) on 4,200 buses." *

I seem to be missing a sense of direction. My friends call it a disability. What it means is, I can get lost anywhere. Even on my campus where I've lived for 7 years, if I find myself between two buildings that I don't regularly frequent, I can get turned around. Because of it, I hate driving and I rarely go to new cities on my own. While we were in NYC, all of that discomfort was gone. I happily walked all over the city knowing that no matter how lost I got, I would be a couple blocks from a subway stop and it will take me home. That is just in and around the city. There will be trains waiting to Boston, D.C., or Atlantic City for the weekend. I'm so excited, I am selling my car.

2. Theaters -- I've always been a fan of stage performances, so how could I not be excited about moving to the home of Broadway. Of course there is also Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, local theaters, community troupes, and the constant live entertainment on the streets of the city. I've already prepped my hubby by telling him that if he is in a bind and doesn't what to do for an upcoming birthday or anniversary, he just needs to organize dinner and a show and he'll be golden.

3. Cultures -- We expected to hear a lot of people with New York accents when we visited over spring break. We didn't hear many at all. Instead we heard everyone talking in different languages. I didn't understand a thing any one was saying, but I really liked it. I guess part of me expected to see the machine at work in the heart of the city. People acting as cogs, going to and from work to fulfill the needs of 'the man.' Why I had expectations of mindless drones is beyond me, but I am happy to say it wasn't like that at all. Everyone was colorful and individual and I felt like I was in a place where everyone is so different that there is no normal. It was welcoming.

4. It just felt right -- I I wish there were some way to easily explain or quantify this, but it felt really good to be in the city. I felt more at home walking around in Brooklyn than I ever have in Arkansas. Don't get me wrong, Arkansas tried and took good care of me, but we weren't meant for each other. I'm already attached. I feel a sense of pride when I hear about new green initiatives that are going on. I cheered for the Giants this Super Bowl. In emotional ways that I can't really explain, I am ready.

As a sub reason under that one, I am moving closer to my little brother. I would really prefer it be a reason of its own, but it is a conditional closer. My brother is stationed in Albany with the Army so we will be a lot closer and we should get to spend some time exploring the city together, but since it is the army, they could ship him out at any point so we might not be close for long. I do have the secret motives of getting him to fall in love with upstate New York and trying to talk him in to settling down there after he gets done with the military and school.

Now, I should head back to my packing, but you can look forward to what I am going to miss about Arkansas next time.

*Ellen R. Shapiro in Relocating to New York City and Surrounding Areas (yes, I am the type of person would would buy a book about NYC)

Inevitable

2008-03-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are in the same Master's program. In fact, we are in the same cohort so we take the same classes and use the same books. I've been told that it is so cute it is almost sickening. After spending any time with us, it is easy to see that despite our similar interests we both have different strengths and backgrounds. We find ourselves passionate about some of the same problems, but we approach them differently and use different tools to solve them.

A small example of how we work differently is the job search. I regularly check job listings on The Chronicle, HigherEdJobs.com, and Inside Higher Ed. When I find a job that interests me, I start researching the university and building up excitement. My husband learns about a university, decides if he wants to work there, and begins looking at the job openings they have.

Right after the December vacation, I saw a job listing on The Chronicle website for a First Year Counselor. I loved the time I spent advising Freshmen this summer, and living in the freshman dorm the past two years has really given me an appreciation for how influential this year can be. I moved on to looking at the university and was impressed with what I saw. According to the website they shared some of my values in education, and it was in a place that I would like to live. So I applied.

A couple nights ago my husband finished scouring the university he was currently working on and decided to start looking at the one I have been talking about so much lately. For the past two years he has been coordinating a large part of the living learning community that our honors freshman go though. Every time our Honors College has an Interview/Inform day, he comes home energized and excited about everything those incoming students are about to become a part of. So when he came across a job posting for a First Year Counselor, he thought about how much he would like to continue working with Freshman. He wants to apply.

This was inevitable. We knew it would happen. We just never thought about the possibility that we wouldn't realize we both wanted the job at the same time. We had already worked out a plan of talking it though and deciding which one of us should apply based on our strengths and the job description, but I jumped the gun because a couple months ago I thought he wasn't interested. Now we have to decide if he should apply. He is really excited about it, and he would do a great job. Technically, we'd be competing for the position, but we would both benefit if either was hired. Will it make him look bad that I applied over a month earlier? Is there any chance we would both look bad? What really could he/we loose? Would they throw both of our applications out? Tell me what you would think if you received an application and then a month and a half later received an application from that candidate's spouse.

Then and Now

2008-02-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

In December I read Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television by Robert Morrow. It was a great book that talked about the beginnings of the beloved show and how they've been working to improve children's programming ever since. The other night, I started Getting to Sesame Street: Origins of the Children's Television Workshop by Richard Polsky. I am barely a dozen pages in, so I can't tell you much about it yet, but there is something that I've already noticed. So far, they both paint a drastically different picture of Joan Ganz Cooney.

It wasn't until I read the Morrow book that I really understood who Cooney was and what role she played in the Workshop. She is one of the original creators of Sesame Street and founders of the Children's Television Workshop. (She wasn't alone in doing either of these two things, but I am going to talk about how these two books have conveyed her so I'll be focusing on her involvement.) I really liked the Morrow book because he explained the setting that Cooney was working in and the research she did to justify her decisions. I wish I had the book here so I could find some quotes for you, but it has disappeared back into the interlibrary loan system. My impression and what I remember from the book is that Cooney was working against a lot of nay-sayers. People were criticizing head-start programs so the education purposes she wanted were under scrutiny. Parents were up in arms about what the television was doing to their families and the violence it was bringing into their homes. This meant that she was under attack for her choice in medium. Despite that, she wrote grants that funded research that ultimately shaped and justified Sesame Street.

The Polsky book is a little different. Let me share with you a paragraph from the second page.

One evening in February or March 1966 in New York, at a dinner party given by Mr. and Mrs. Cooney, the conversation turned to television. Among the guests that night were Lloyd Morrisett, vice-president of Carnegie Corporation and log associated with the foundation's activities in early childhood education and its more recent interest in television, and Lewis Freeman, director of programming at WNDT. As. Mrs. Cooney recalled that evening, Freedman said he felt television was going to be the great educator of the future. Morrisett then became intrigued with designing a TV series for educating young children and suggested that Carnegie representatives soon meet with Freeman and Mrs. Cooney to discuss in detail television for preschoolers.

That difference has really struck me. In one book she is a heroine standing against criticism and fighting for low-income children. In the other a television show was seemingly handed to her on a sliver platter (or her own china). I don't want to be overly critical of Polsky or call him sexist. I've just started the book, and it was published in 1971. I am just fascinated by my own reaction. I had to actually set the book aside because I was put off by my hero being described as a housewife. I am going to be working woman who also has a husband, children, and dinner parties. In fact, I've thought a lot about how much time I want to take off of work when my children are born. I am not at all put off by the idea of staying home with them while they are babies. If my perception of her is changed this drastically just by reading a second book, won't it be great to actually meet her and see how she conveys herself instead of how other people present her.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves

2008-02-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

When my friends recommend books to me, that is usually all it takes to put them on my reading list, but when Eats, Shoots and Leaves was recommended to me, I was reluctant. She's a great friend, but she is also one of those writing people. That is certainly not a bad thing, in fact, I'm a little jealous of those people. In complete honesty though, when a person who uses colons with confidence recommends a book on punctuation, I am not expecting a real page turner. I thought to myself, "Ya, that is something I should probably read." When it was recommended by a respected faculty member, I thought, "Ya know, I should probably buy that. I'm more likely to read it if it is lying around the house." When I finally accepted that I was going to be writing a lot of cover letters this semester, I thought, "Now is the time. Where did I put that book."

I was in for a great surprise. This has been the most entertaining book I have read all year (I'll even say academic year so we can start that back in August.) I was expecting so dry grammar rules and punctuation talk. The first night I was reading this, I laughed so much that my husband came in to see if I was crying. Don't believe me? I don't blame you I was skeptical too. Let me share with you a couple short passages.

"...But to be honest western systems of punctuation were damned unsatisfactory for the next five hundred years until one man - one fabulous Venetian printer - finally wrestled with the issue and pinned it to the mat. That man was Aldus Manutius the Elder (1450-1515) and I will happily admit I hadn't heard of him until about a year ago, but am not absolutely kicking myself that I never volunteered to have his babies."

"If there is one lesson to be learned from this book, it is that there is never a dull moment in the world of punctuation. One minute the semicolon is gracefully joining sentences together in a flattering manner, and the next it is calling a bunch of brawling commas to attention."

"In the family of punctuation, where the [period] is daddy and the comma is mummy, and the semicolon quietly practices the piano with crossed hands, the exclamation mark is the big attention-deficit brother who gets over excited and breaks things and laughs too loudly."

In short, if this is the type of book that will take several recommendations for you to read it, add me to the list of people who are telling you to check it out. It is punctuation for everyone.

Six Word Memoir

2008-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

NPR's Talk of the Nation Interviewed the editors of Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. The idea started with a rumor that Ernest Hemingway was asked to write a story in six words and came up with, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." I found these fabulous.

Some of the ones that I really loved are:

Catholic school backfired. Sin is in!
- Nikki Beland

Painful nerd kid, happy nerd adult.
- Linda Williamson

On the seventh word he rested.
- Stephen Dubner

A Sundress can cure ones woes
-

Just let me finish this row.
- Libby

The stories range from funny and general to heartbreaking and personal. I've added mine.

Fairy tales abandoned, dreams coming true.
-Amanda D Allen

What is your six word memoir?

Fuengirola Zoo

2008-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

My series of European journals is over, but there is one more thing that I would like to share with you: The Fuengirola Zoo. It is a small zoo in the heart of the city, but it feels much larger. There was only one spot in the entire zoo where I could see the high rises outside. It is a cageless zoo, so the animals all looked happy and there were monkeys swinging in the trees above our heads. In the places where we were separated from the animals, it felt much more like we were in a cage than the tiger on the other side of the glass. I haven't found any proof or documentation, but the people in town told us that it was designed by the same people who built Animal Kingdom. What do you think?

Disney's Animal Kingdom:

Fuengirola Zoo:

If you find yourself in Spain and anywhere near Fuengirola, you should definately go see it. It is just a short walk from the bus stop, and a great adventure.

It isn't without cultural differences though. As Mike and I walked the zoo, I decided that I was going to pick up some Fuengirola Zoo coloring books for my friend's triplets. I even considered some cute little monkey stuffed animals if I could convince Mike that we had room in the bags for them. When we walked though gift shop I was surprised to find out that they didn't sell anything at all that said Fuengirola or Fuengirola Zoo on it. Nothing at all. Even the postcards, which were obviously pictures of the animals we had just seen were missing the name and logo on both the front and back. I was disappointed, and I felt like an American consumer.

Silent Poerty Reading

2008-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Yarn Harlot, I just discovered that there is a silent poetry reading going on. I don't think I'm breaking the rules, but I am actually going to post a song. Music and poetry are so intertwined, that I don't think I'll be questioned. This song was written for me and about me by the inspiring Rachel Tavares. At the time she was Rachel Hodges, but what hasn't changes is what an incredible woman she is. She was only a part of my life for two weeks, but she completely changed the way I viewed my self. She made me comfortable in my own skin.

Well she's kickin' herself
and she tired of life
and she's asking for more and
maybe she's right
'cause life isn't perfect
but it can get damn close.

So she's up every mornin'
and working from dawn
Tryin' to better herself and
she's moving on
There's hell at her back door
and she keeps it locked down tight.

Chorus

And she screams:
What do you do when ambition's up late?
What do you do when you can't even think straight?
I filled up my damn plate hours ago
and now there's overflow
but I keep piling on.

So she looks in the mirror
and she puts on her face
and she brushes her hair as
she curses this place
Just gotta keep movin'
Can't stand to waste her time.

Chorus

So she's runnin
there's no use denying it
nobody's hiding it
it's nothing but fact.
She's stunning
clad in success dreams
the rarest of life's themes
the underdog wins.

Chorus

6-3-07 Malaga

2008-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

I know that Spain was not part of the trip that I have to report back on, but I do want to say something about it. Spain is the first place that I truly felt uncomfortable and out of place. First, it was not visitor/stranger friendly. There were no signs anywhere. Not in the stations. Not in the streets. Not even in the lobbies of tourist heavy buildings. I'm not talking about the beautiful multilingual with diagram signs that I had gotten use to everywhere else. I'm talking about signs in general. There were none anywhere; not even in Spanish. In addition to that, it was the first place that I looked different. I've written about my excitement when I may have blended in, I think it would be much harder here. The people we encountered before we got to the resort were shorter with dark hair, dark eyes, and darker skin. This white skinned red-head was clearly out of place.

6-1-07 Paris

2008-02-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

While we were at the Louvre we saw a troupe of performers signing. I would guess that it was a dress rehearsal because they kept starting and stopping, but since I didn't know what they were saying, I can't say for sure. I've taken some sign language, and I had hoped that I might understand some of it since American Sign Language was developed by a man who spoke French Sign Language. Unfortunately, I couldn't get enough to confirm that what I did get was right. Something about the whole scene struck me though. I wouldn't be surprised to see community performances at a museum in the states, but I was surprised to see it there. I kind of felt like, "This isn't just a museum: this is the Louvre for goodness sake." It's hard to explain why I felt they shouldn't be there. I think it had more to do with the Louvre than the performers. It just seems like this great entity that is stoic and static; not a lively changing place where something as fleeting as a performance takes place.

I have a confession to make. After everyone left us in Paris, Mike and I had an American indulgence. We went to a theater on the Champs-Elysees and saw Pirates of the Carribean (in English to boot). I decided it was ok because if we were to move to Europe and fully immerse ourselves in a foreign culture, I would still want to see Disney movies.

5-31-07 Paris

2008-01-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

There was a familiar smell in almost all of the cathedrals we went into on this trip. It wasn't until Brussels that I was able to place it. It was in Notre Dame and Sacre Cour too. I'm not exactly sure what it is. It is incense or a candle, I'm not sure, but it is something that burns. The reason I recognize it is because it is the smell of Catholic special events. There is a special ceremony that a priest does where he takes a little ball on a chain full of this smoky smell and waves it at the congregation as he walks up and down the aisles praying. A similar thing is done with holy water, and he flicks everyone with it. Growing up, I only remember this happening on special occasions or unique days like when a visiting priest was speaking. It seemed like this was just the regular smell for the churches we visited, but it really made me uncomfortable. Having that smell and thinking of special events make me even more aware of how much of a visitor I am. I feel like I am intruding on their religious ground even though it is a religion I could claim as my own.

5-30-07 Paris

2008-01-30T17:16:00.000-08:00

I had my "Wow, I'm in Paris" moment our first night here. We decided to eat near teh Champs-Elysees so we could check the hours on the tourist center. It's a good thing that we did because they moved the tourist center to the other end of the Champs-Elysees and it would have been awful to go looking for it with the entire group. Dr. Ness joined us and we took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe. The entire city is full of wonderful sights, but nothing prepared me for coming out of that metro exit. We walked up the stairs to the street and right there was the Arc. It was surreal. I actually teared up. It was an amazing sight. The sun was setting in a hand painted sky and wrapped the Arc in a pink glow. The Arc itself was so much more majestic than I had expected. I had seen tons of pictures, but none of them were able to capture the truth. I now understand why Pairs is such an inspiration to art. It is not just a saying, my breath really was taken away. I had a similar experience with the Eiffel Tower, but it wasn't quite as powerful or shocking. We saw the tower from everywhere. I didn't much want to go up in the tower, so I thought that I had seen it. Fortunately, Mike insisted on taking Brandi and me to the base. It wasn't quite as shocking as the Arc because we got off the metro and watched it grow as we walked closer instead of it just being there. I could feel my mind struggle as it tried to comprehend just how big it really is.

5-29-07 Brussels

2008-01-29T14:01:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed our presentations today. I hadn't realized what assumptions I had made about Bologna until she explained it. I wasn't trying to be the bad American, but sometimes it is hard to realize that the words they are using have different definitions and connotations even when they are English words about higher education. I was entertained to everyone's reaction to the grading system. We all know and understand the bell curve, but we are also horrified to see it implemented and enforced. I think what is hardest to accept for us is that in a true bell curve system, a C is not bad. We can all say it, hear it, and know it, but we can't believe it. We are all in graduate school which means we are successful students, and we've been conditioned that Cs are bad. I had a professor who used the bell curve, and tried to assure us that Cs were ok, but he was wrong. He was happy with my grade, but Financial Aid was not, the Honors College was not, and the SURF committee was not. I spent the rest of my undergraduate time trying to explain away all of the courses I took with him. I understand the entire group's uneasiness with the bell curve, but I worry what this will lead Europeans to think of American grades. She had joked that a 15/20 was an 18/20 somewhere else. When the system works the kinks out here, what will an American A be worth?

If UCL (the Catholic University of Levon) had the beautiful architecture that I've been spoiled with for the past week, I would have had to get my bags off the bus. I am very excited about everything I've heard about these university communities that they are thinking about in the U.S., and working in one that has been up and running for a couple of decades sounds like a great opportunity. I don't think that I'm ready for French language immersion, but it would speed up the process of becoming fluent.

5-28-07 Brussels

2008-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

I've never really had an occasion to use my French, and I assumed that I would lose all of my ability. There have been a couple times on this trip where I heard announcements in several languages and I wasn't sure if I had heard French or not. Between that, and seeing how similar Dutch and German are (in my mind which has never spoken either), I was afraid that soon I wouldn't even be able to recognize the language. I certainly never let myself believe that I was a master of the language by any scale, but my hearing comprehension was starting to near conversation speed,a nd my vocabulary was almost enough to read the news. When Mike asked me to look at some of the Paris website and help him find the information he needed for the tour, French was clearly foreign again. I had to exercise my memory, and eventually sing a little song to remember the days of the week. Being here has made me feel much better. I can't understand anyone's conversations, and I can't completely read any of the signs we come across. I am remembering things. I asked for the bathroom in French yesterday, and in the shops, I don't need to ask them to speak in English. These are not situation where a lot of verbal communication is taking place. It is usually just smiling and nodding, but they've made me feel good for a couple of reasons. First, it has been nice for them to not immediately speak in English for me. I like the idea that I could fit in here if I learned the language. Secondly, I like that I don't have to make them stop and rework their thoughts into English for me. As a girl who majored in communications, I hate the feeling of being the cause of a communication barrier. French was fresher in my mind when I was in Switzerland, and I probably could have spent more time talking in French than I realized. Unfortunately, I was young and scared, and my host family was eager to practice their English. I vividly remember the panic I felt each time someone spoke to me in French. In response to that panic, people spoke to me in English. There have been a couple occasions on this trip in which I've seen that same discomfort. In response, all I can do is appologize. I can't offer the same courtesy that I've been offered.

5-27-07 Masstricht

2008-01-27T08:16:00.000-08:00

Some things are universal. Last night while we were walking we saw a guy cat call and rev his engine at the woman crossing the street in front of him. She responded with what I would assume was Dutch profanity. I was very glad to find out that it wasn't a successful pickup in their culture either.

I noticed in both Amsterdam and Maastricht that when we tell people we are from the states they become a type of modest, and expect us to want things bigger and better. Both of the universities we were at emphasized how small they were. The University of Maastrict has as many students as UCA. All the people we talked to in Maastricht and Aachen began by telling us that it was a small city, but they loved it because... I guess they don't expect Americans to come from small towns or value small communities.

Mike and I have always talked, though rarely seriously, about moving out of the country for a couple of years. I think that it is something that I've wanted more. Mike has already lived in Germany for 3 years, so he is not as intent on it as I am. I've thought about Australia a lot because I am worried about the language barrier, but it is becoming clear that I would have quite a bit of time to learn the language in Europe if I could only find a job that would hire me. This trip is doing a lot to make my desire stronger. At this blissful moment the only thing that worries me is my family. I have an aunt who refuses to watch Johnny Depp movies because he moved to France, and, "The French hate Americans." I'm afraid my reasons for wanting this would be lost on them. It really would be a great adventure and Mike seems to be getting easier to persuade. We'll see I suppose.

5-26-07 Maastricht

2008-01-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

cont.
I know that some of the things we are seeing are just the result of a large number of people living together. A lot of the thing that I'm not use to are happening in the US; just not in Conway, AR or Crivitz, WI (the small town where I lived up North). On the other hand, I wonder how much we are missing because we are staying in hotels. I certainly wouldn't want to try and find host families for all of us, but hotels are generally more conforming to their guests. This one is even a Best Western.

Even tough we were hijacked yesterday. I had a great time. I know that if Mike and I had met Peter by ourselves, we never would have gone along for the tour he brought us on. I'm still not sure which of his stories to believe, and which ones were merely to lead up to his punchlines, but I had a great time anyway. I'm not certain what we would have seen the way the day was originally planned, but I was glad we did it his way.

Yesterday, I realized that everyone I've talked to is very good with European history. In America we have history buffs, and those individuals usually focus on a particular war or period of time. here it has been everybody, and most Europeans history. I thought that it was just the girl studying Dutch at first, but then it was also the concierge, the student worker at Maastricht, Peter, the women we talked to on the bus. They all made simple history references in conversation, seemingly without wondering if we knew what they were talking about. I felt a bit bad. I was always bad at history. I love the stories, but I can never keep the names and dates right.

My family is Irish Catholic, so cathedrals have always been a major part of my travels. The Dom was quite possibly the most beautiful one I have ever seen. I know that it has my favorite stained glass window. In the little prayer room off to one side the window was outlined and accented in the most beautiful teal glass that I have ever seen. I'm not exactly surprised that I liked it so much. I've always heard that European cathedrals would put American ones to shame, but I suppose I expected them to be too much for my taste. I expected to be impressed and awed, but I didn't expect to like it this much. There were sections that I found overdone. I wasn't as impressed by the pulpit as I was the tiling on the ceiling.

Just as much as I wasn't exactly surprised by The Dom, I wasn't exactly disappointed by the American Cemetery. The Cemetery was immaculate, beautiful, solemn, and every thing I would have expected from an American military memorial. I guess I just had different expectations for this one. I was looking forward to seeing how the Dutch created a memorial to the American troops. The Cemetery however is how the Americans create memorials. The dedication and gratitude that they show is moving, and I don't want to seem untouched, but I'd be lying if I denied that my expectations were not met. I am completely aware that it has everything to do with my expectations and is in no way the fault of the Cemetery. It was perfect.

Last night my feet and my husband were exhausted, so we stayed in to relax and go to bed early. While I journaled, I watched a couple Dutch cartoons and an episode of Will and Grace. It was interesting to see how they regularly switch between Dutch and English all the time. I laughed out loud when I saw a commercial with George Clooney. I know that Europeans watch American movies so I wasn't surprised to see him as a celebrity on the commercials. What struck me is that doing commercials in America is considered a sign of a failing career. I wonder if it is the same in Europe of if it makes them more excited about the star.

The caves were incredible! There were not at all what I was expecting and I am so glad we went. I doubt that Mike and I would have made the time if we were traveling alone because I thought that the tours would have been similar to cave tours in Arkansas. Expecting stalactites and stalagmites, we probably would have skipped it to do something else like a castle or cathedral tour. I'm glad it wasn't up to us. Jacques was a great guide and he and Christine were a very sweet couple.

5-25-07 Maastricht

2008-01-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

The train ride yesterday morning started out a little crazy, but it was in no way an indicator of how the day was going to go. Maastricht is beautiful. It is exactly what my mind fantasizes about when I think of a European town. The old buildings, the small shops, and the cobblestone sidewalks are what my mind's eye had predicted.

The campus tour was interesting, and ours fortunately went very well. One of the only difficulties we had was finding the Student Center. it seemed to me that it would be very difficult to find things at that university unless you knew exactly what to call what you were looking for. We were assured by everyone we asked that there was not a student center, but they all also recommended we lunch at the Econ Building. We ended up spending on hour and a half, if not more talking with a student who works in the Communications and Relations Department. She was mainly working on putting together the university's Open Day which sounded like UCA's Welcome Week.

Now that I've gone on about how quaint the city looked, I must admit that I was surprised by the brands of the stores we saw walking around. I also saw several Jesus statues and crucifixions, and they had the think Jesus faces that I am use to. I wonder how many other things I have decided were cultural differences that really weren't.

5-24-07 Amsterdam

2008-01-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

If you think of embarrassment as a spectrum, I'd say that I've never been more than mildly embarrassed before yesterday. I've been embarrassed several times on this trip, but none of them were comparable to how I felt when our speaker made a comment about our decisions in Iraq. Here I am American. I am not a democrat or a liberal. I am not even a college student before I am American. At home, I can exercise my freedom of speech; I can use my right to vote. Here, I am responsible for those decisions. I could feel the heat of my entire face turning read as I thought about the news stories I heard of who did and who did not support us and our decisions in Iraq. I was embarrassed of my country. I was embarrassed for not knowing what our decisions made us seem like for them. I was embarrassed for wanting to make excuses.

The campus visit to Vrije University was very nice. I've known about the binary system for a while, but it is still amazing to see it in action. I'm turning 24 next month and I still haven't decided what I plan to do for the rest of my life. Right now, I am still planning out experiences to have that will help me narrow down my options. I can't fathom making that decision at twelve. At twelve I wanted to be an animator. My aptitude tests said I should be a mime or a puppeteer. Higher Ed Administration is pretty far off from all of those. I remember being horribly upset when my career test came back. I was a very talkative kid, and I couldn't understand how I would be best at a job where I wasn't allowed to speak. The irony of the whole situation is that my current desire is to work for Sesame Street.

I wonder if there are societal status differences between the students who go to the research universities and the students who go to the professional universities. I have a friend in Switzerland. They use the same system and her track was to go to the university, but her family couldn't afford all of it. While I was visiting her, she was taking a year off to waitress and save money to pay for it. She would tell me stories of how guests would look down on her because they thought that she wasn't going to the university. I know that there is a clear separation between honors students - regular(?) students- and the at risk student in our education system. I also know that there are classism issues in America. I wonder fi the binary system supports or reinforces those problems.

After the visit Mike and I went to the Van Gogh Museum. I loved it. I spent a year studying the impressionist artists so I knew the Van Gogh story. I could see the influences of the other artists in his work, and I appreciated watching how his work changed. I don't know if Mike enjoied it as much; I'm glad we went.

Last night we went back out to the Dam. There we got to see the Amsterdam police in action, some very interesting hookah bars, and a restaurant that only served fries. In the square there was a huge crucifixion statue. I'm not sure how I missed it earlier, but fortunately I didn't miss it all together. It was neat to see Jesus through their eyes. He was still in the submissive/beaten pose, but his face was so different from what we normally see. Our Jesus face is petite, fragile, and feminine. So often in the crucifixion, he looks broken. In this statue the face was strong, full, and masculine. He looked like a Roman hero. It reminded me of art made of the Greek and Roman gods. I wonder what the difference I'm seeing is. I don't know if it is a European difference, a Protestant difference, or just one artist's preference.

5-23-07 Amsterdam

2008-01-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day despite my lack of sleep crankiness. As a group we went to the Anne Frank House. It was somber, but in a good way. In fact, it reminded me that I was cranky because I was traveling the world and wonderfully privileged. I guess the most cultural observations that I did there were of the tourists. It was hard to watch people being less than somber, but I suppose you can't force anyone to be respectful, especially Americans. I was disappointed in myself for how much I had forgotten about her book. I remember it affecting me in school, but now I'm starting to wonder if I was old enough to appreciate all of it. I'll have to read it again.

They had a little movie running after going though the house. It was about human rights and freedoms, and it was clearly biased and liberal. According to the pamphlet it was an EU production, but it struck me as very similar to American, liberal propaganda directed at college students. I don't know that I expected Europe to be more subtle. In fact, I don't even know if they strive for impartial and unbiased like America claims to. I value unbiased reporting, but I think that opinionated reports have their place too. Whether the Anne Frank House is a place for those opinions is something I hadn't thought about. I know what bothers me in America is the claim to be neutral when it is not. I know that some countries have a blatant and open bias for the government (usually because the networks are government controlled), and I don't think that is always good. If all of the media works on behalf of the government, and the people get upset with the government, the media won't be able to tell them anything - even if it is good or unrelated.

I knew in my head that people rode their bicycles everywhere in Europe. I even envied the stories I heard about well-sized and well-respected bicycle lanes. My head never worked out what it looks like to see people riding their bicycles everywhere. When I previously thought of bicyclists, I imagined kids, and people in sportswear. Here it is everybody and every type of attire. The men and women in their business suites is what I couldn't imagine before. It makes sense, but it still caught me by surprise to see. The women in skirts still makes me curious. Do they do something (like wear shorts underneath) that makes it ok, or is it completely a social difference? If I rode a bike with a skirt I would be extremely self conscious. Short skirts I would worry about riding up and long skirts I would worry about them flapping against the tire and possibly getting stuck in the spokes.

Bicycle Parking Deck

5-22-07 Amsterdam

2008-01-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

A friend recently returned from Spain which reminded me that I have not shared my Europe journal yet. So for the next couple weeks, I'll be sharing my journal. This journal was an assignment for the cultural diversity class, but the content and topics were not chosen for us.

I've been accused of having Disney radar before, and it just might be true. The very first thing that I saw in Amsterdam was a kid in a Cars t-shirt waiting for someone to get off the plane. It made me smile. I like it when kids like the movies that I like. Then I had to stop and think about how American Cars is. It is very American.It is about how our country changed when the small towns on the interstate were bypassed. Does that mean I should feel the same way about kids here liking Cars as I do about McDonalds? I realize that Disney is corporate and I understand the concept of McWorld, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to share my favorite movies. Those fairy tales are European stories, and no matter how much I love Ariel, that is not how the story goes. Is Disney depriving them of their own culture? In America Disney was the story & everything else was a version. As much as I enjoy Disney, I hope that it is not like that here.

2007 Archies

2008-01-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

It is time for the Archies. The Archies are my list of top things in the world last year.

Sesame Workshop
Knit Picks
Snow
Grammer Girl
Dan in Real Life
Al Gore
NPR
Podcasts
Global Giving Give Card
WOW
Stardust
Neurosciene
SURF
iGive
CUNY
Interweave Knits
My Favorite Hat
idealist.org
Psycology and Counseling
Inside Higher Ed

Bad Headlines Cause Brain Damage

2008-01-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

I've already talked about how upset I was to discover how sensational news has become. I mentioned news bias, but I didn't really get into it. It is generally not something that I have an issue with. In my opinion, it is a side effect of things that I think are good, so I just try to be aware of it. More often than not, I actually find it entertaining. One of my favorite assignments as an undergrad was on news bias. We were given the headlines from a dozen different papers across the country on the same event. We had to write out the political party of the paper and the connotations created by their headline. I am sharing all of this to explain why I am surprised by how upset I am about a headline I recently read. Some other factors that might be fueling my disgust are that one of the journalist's sources is the Joan Ganz Cooney Center which is the new research center of Sesame Workshop, and the article completely betrays the study and the purpose of the Cooney Center.

The topic at hand is the the release of the D is for Digital report at the Sandbox Summit in Las Vegas. The Reuters headline was: Joan Ganz Cooney Center Finds Cause For Both Concern and Optimism in Billion Dollar Digital Media Industry Targeting Kids, but the article that has really been bothering me was titled: Under 7's Should be Banned From Playing Computer Games or Risk Damaging Their Brains'. The difference is obvious, and I've seen worse headlines, but this one has just gotten under my skin. The Cooney Center was named after the remarkable woman who created Sesame Street at a time when people were claiming that under 7's should be banned from watching television or risk damaging their brains.

The Daily Mail says, "They looked at more than 300 products including computer games, toys, virtual worlds for children and supposedly educational software to be run on home computers. Of these, only two educational video games employed proven learning techniques." about the D is for Digital findings. Reuters said, "Of the 300+ products studied,...the survey yielded only two education video games based on explicit educational curriculum design available in the market." This may be an educational nuance to some, but in my opinion there is a huge difference between "educational curriculum" and "proven learning techniques." Here is an example based on my understanding. Repetition is a proven learning technique, however having repetition does not mean you have an educational curriculum. Based on The Workshop Model, having a curriculum would be best, but that does not mean that a lack of curriculum leads to brain damage.

The mission of the Cooney Center is, "to catalyze and support research, innovation and investment in digital media technologies to advance children's learning." I do not speak on behalf of The Workshop or the Cooney Center, but it seems to me, based on the history of Sesame Street and the development of this new center, that they strive to help these 300+ educational products incorporate an appropriate and research supported educational curriculum. I am upset that their research has been warped into something that could scare parents away from good resources.

So Easy a Child Can Do It

2008-01-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post reported on a recent study that shows that children are becoming philanthropists before they even get jobs. This article shares some incredible stories about a little girl who had a children's hospital fund raiser for her birthday party and the collective giving of the kids at Club Penguin. I am proud of our country's youth, but at the same time I am skeptical of this study. What are the criteria for labeling a child a philanthropist? How much do they have to donate? Why is it philanthropy when they are raising money for the World Wildlife Fund, but not when they are selling candles and wrapping paper to raise money for their own schools? How much adult involvement is allowed? This is great news, and it is something to be optimistic about for the future, but I would hate for it to belittle the value of supporting your local 4-H as well.

The article claims that this growth in global caring among kids is because of the internet and social networking. Kids today can actually talk to kids in Darfur and that gives them a sense of connection. That connection translates into responsibility as well as ability to help. I think this is partially true, but children had these opportunities yesterday too. What I immediately thought of when I read this was a news story I saw over the holiday. It was a more skeptical version of this MSNBC story that was questioning the authenticity of retail giving. The reporter told the story of a major store that published in it's holiday catalog that they would be giving x% of sales to a charity. Unfortunately the nonprofit that was included in their catalog had no idea that they were going to be receiving a donation. Good or bad, honest or not, I would give retailers at least some of the credit for the surge in children's awareness. Programs like the Livestrong bands and Product RED have integrated charity into our lives in ways that it has never been before. Not only is it accessible and overwhelming, it is cool. I wonder if this is going to create a generation of fad givers, and how that will change the way nonprofits ask for help. This year RED has made fighting AIDS in Africa cool and they will hopefully raise awareness and money. Unfortunately, the problems that surround AIDS in Africa will not be solved in a year, and if WWF and Bengal tigers are the fad charity next year, will RED find itself shorthanded?

Just a Joke?

2007-12-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

I thought we were going to make it though the year without any scandalous Halloween party stories. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Last year the big story was terrorist costumes, but this year students chose to be victims. Two students at Penn State have pictures up of themselves dressed as Virgina Tech shooting victims for Halloween. Facebook groups for and against the right to be offensive are growing.

Both of these articles are about Pennsylvania institutions, but that should not be an indicator that these kinds of things are limited to any state or even region. Like the first commenter in the VT victims article, I am not really surprised by this. There have been terrorists at every Halloween party I've attended since 9/11. Before that, there were unabombers. There are always a few that are sacrilegious and I won't even get into the scantily clad. The other thing that has always been consistent is that nobody (myself included) has ever said anything to them at the party about being inappropriate. What has changed, is that the remnants of Halloween don't get thrown out like smashed pumpkins. They are not private like the left over candy stash. When those photos become public and permanent, they represent you in a whole new way than the dimly lit moments at a bonfire when everyone is hidden behind makeup and masks. I'm not saying that I approve, but Halloween use to be a free pass for mischief, and that is not the case now that there is evidence of everything that has been done.

What really bothers me about these articles is who is doing the apologizing. Why are universities asked to make public statements and apologies for student costumes? We are responsible for students in a lot of way, but how accountable are we for their poor taste? Staff are worrying about their online presence because they can't draw a definite line between when they do and they don't represent their institution, but how does that translate to students? When do students (both good and bad) start and stop representing their university?

If they are given the responsibility of representing the university, why are they not the ones apologizing? The terrorist costume from last year made a formal apology, but this year's students have reacted by creating a facebook group. (For those of you who are not members of facebook, my biased summary of his group is all of these people were offensive so I should get to be offensive to) Why not just say you are sorry? The school can't force him to, and I don't think they should, but is he against doing it himself? Is it really demanding the right to offend, or is it refusal to admit a mistake?

When I think back to all of the jokes I have told, and all of the things I have laughed at, I realize that humor really is an indicator of maturity. I know that I would regret not apologizing if I publicly offended anyone with a tasteless joke.

A Quick Congratulations

2007-12-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

My life has been consumed with the end of the semester papers, finals, and Christmas knitting. I did want to share a quick update on the SURF proposals. Of the 14 UCA proposals, 6 were funded! The other 8 haven't been rejected yet, because some of the awards may not be accepted so their funds may be redistributed yet. There were a couple strong proposals that I expected to get funded that were not on our list, but I am really proud of our results. Congratulations everyone.

Curriki

2007-11-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

While doing my Black Friday shopping online, I decided to buy myself a couple books about Sesame Street. One of them was out of print, but I managed to get myself a like new copy for only $12. Even though the other one is still in print, I didn't get it. To buy it new, I would have to $50, and used copies start above $30. I went interlibrary loan instead. Both the books were hard cover, neither were published with a dust jacket. Generally, I expect my out of print book purchases to be more expensive, so what happened here? The second book was published by a faculty member at Morgan State University and is recommended for "upper-level sociology, education, and mass media." It is a textbook.

Instead of releasing the rant on book costs that is inside me, I'm going to share something optimistic. I would like to introduce you to Curriki. Curriki is the "Wikipedia of Curriculum." It is a global non-profit thought up by Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems. In the article's interview, McNealy says, "why are we open-sourcing browsers and spreadsheets and operating systems, when we ought to be open-sourcing third-grade math textbooks?" So this wiki doesn't seem to be focusing on higher ed, but we have Google Reader and the entire Open Courseware movement working for us. Not only is this a fantastic idea, but it is also a global endeavor.

Curriki has a bit more oversight to contributions than Wikipedia, but don't let that intimidate you. Check it out, sign up, and collaborate with educators internationally to influence education.

Communicating in Academic Online Communities

2007-11-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

I am a moderator for our Honors College online community known as HCOL (Honors College OnLine). Every year with the influx of freshman there is a visible learning curve on how to participate in this type of community. Some of these students have only ever talked with friends online in social places like MySpace and Facebook. Others are comfortable in the aggressive and abusive worlds like gamer forums. When these two conversational styles collide, everyone gets defensive, insults arise, feelings get hurt, and discussion dies. Sadly, some people choose to leave the community. This is a different type of interaction so it should have different rules. here are some from the mistakes I've made and my observations of the most common issues.

No Personal Attacks. It does not matter if they are off handed or direct; no one in your community deserves to be verbally stoned.

Don’t Post Upset. I know from experience that it is hard advise to take, especially when you have been directly contradicted or insulted, but I also know from mistakes that it will be worth it. This is not a battle, you do not have to defend your honor or stand your ground. When you are that emotional, your writing suffers so you are more likely to stick your foot in your mouth, say something that is completely misinterpreted, insult others, and fall into a tangent that is completely off topic. Take some time to cool off and the community will carry the discussion and the clarifications you originally wanted to may be done for you without any of the consequences.

Create Discussion. Fortunately, conversation does not exhaust physical resources. This means that you do not have to deconstruct an argument to construct your own. State your ideas without picking apart other peoples. If you message has short snippet quotes of the previous to yours and your rebuttal to their statements, then you are not asserting your beliefs, you are tearing apart others’. You do not have to point out how your opinion is in contrast. It is obvious.

Play the Believing Game. Set aside your own opinions to try on other people’s points of view. If you genuinely try to understand and value the other arguments, carrying on conversation in a productive manner should come easily.

Agree to Disagree. This is a community for sharing ideas not converting believers. One of the skills you should strive to learn is how to appreciate opinions that are different than your own.

Do Not Discuss Logical Fallacies. People are posting to share their ideas and opinions; calling them illogical is inappropriate. There is an argument there even if it is not posted in your ideal way. Discussions on how to form a logically sound argument or definitions of what is not a logically sound argument are off topic. It is disrespectful to break the semantics of a post down and ignore its meaning. If you would like to educate your peers on logic you can start a new thread, but I’ll warn you: Don’t use specific examples from other users of logical fallacies.

Be Respectful. No matter how good or thorough your post is, what you say will not be heard if it is not presented in a respectful way.

Know Your Audience. You may be part of a conversation where only 3 or 4 people are posting and it can seem like they are the people you are talking to, but remember there is always more than that. There are other students who are lurking in the thread reading everything, but not posting anything. There are faculty and staff poking about. They may not read everything, and they may not post very often, but they are there. There are on occasion visiting guests. Just because there aren’t any at the moment doesn’t mean future visitors will not look at old threads. Some of the guests that our community has already seen include experts for virtual hightables, honors administrators from different programs, and a fellowship committee. Some of these people will be forced to judge you based on your virtual presence because they will never meet you face to face. Honestly, this should be a rule for life, not just communicating online.

These aren't the stead fast laws of the internet, but it is not just limited to honors students and their discussions either. It is just my advice, but I do hope to refine and add to these recommendations as I observe and learn more.

Honors Worthy

2007-11-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, who is teaching at the Honors College I graduated from posted the following quiz in our online community just for fun. Would you enjoy an honors education?

It's a self-assessment device for prospective honors students. You score it this way:

* agree strongly - 5 pts
* agree - 4 pts
* indifferent or can't decide - 3 pts
* disagree - 2 pts
* disagree strongly - 1 pts

If you score 70 or higher you will enjoy your career in Honors. He also says "no one will score a 100 on this (at least not without multiple personalities)."

Respond to the following statements:

1. I like to read for fun.

2. I can stall on schoolwork but still make an A with a last-minute push.

3. I am goal-oriented and hate to be distracted from achieving what I've set my sights on.

4. My strongest motivations are intrinsic. Some things are worth doing for their own sake.

5. Sometimes I enjoy being alone with my thoughts.

6. Discussing ideas with other people is exciting.

7. I find myself thinking differently from those around me.

8. I am already gathering information about postgraduate education (law schools, med schools, graduate school, etc.).

9. I solve problems more quickly than most people.

10. I enjoy being with friends who are as smart as I am.

11. I can tolerate living with "loose ends" -- unanswered questions, unsolved problems.

12. I would rather take all the classes I'm interested in than graduate early.

13. I want to take classes that challenge me, even if it doesn't mean more money when I graduate.

14. I expect to meet interesting people and be exposed to new ideas in college.

15. I would like to go abroad for study or travel.

16. I enjoy doing projects or research on my own.

17. A good course is one that is an adventure in thinking and that tackles big issues. I would take it even if I weren't guaranteed an A.

18. I'm pretty sure of who I am, even if I haven't chosen a career.

19. Even though I expect to make new friends and participate in extracurricular activities, my top priority in college is learning.

20. I pay attention to current events.

It is really interesting to see this list and think about our current students and myself as an undergrad. Until recently, our honors college admitted student based solely on ACT. Good test scores do not reflect any of these interests. In fact, some of these interests will probably work against a good GPA. I know that many of the honors colleges and programs around the country continue to use GPA/ACT/SAT for their only admittance criteria. I don't fault them for it, because I realize how difficult it is to be objective and fair when trying to admit students. I was part of our honors interview process last year as we started a program deemphasizing ACT scores and I've seen the issues that can arise when trying to determine if one student is 'better' than another. On the other side of the system is the students who are planning on being judged by their GPAs and ACTs. That is how they've been told they can earn all of the things mentioned in the above list, and this does not include parent's expectations. It is a really tough situation, and I'm proud of UCA's honors college for trying to change the system.

I scored high on this test, but I spent most of my time in honors questioning whether or not I belonged there. I've been strongly considering working with honors students, because there are so many ways in which I can relate to them. I understand the concept that any grade other than an A is failing. I've dealt with the desire to find or form the perfect argument. I've struggled with the transition from conversational honors classes to general education courses where current issues are avoided. At the same time, there are still a lot of ways that I don't relate. As an undergrad I was in love with the program, but not all the people it attracted. Then it made me like an outcast, as a professional I worry it will make me feel unappreciated. Fortunately, I think the opportunity to work with people who believe in those honorsesque ideals will outweigh the mistakes students make as they work on maturing.

A Piece of Me

2007-11-12T13:03:00.001-08:00

This weekend I put together a viewing of The World According to Sesame Street on campus. It was mainly an Honors College event, but I wanted it to be for anyone who was interested and more importantly the people I care about. I called some of my friends and asked them to make it a priority to be there. It wasn't until after I saw it for the second time that I realized why I want to share it so much. It is going to sound cheesy, and this is going to be more personal than I normally get for this blog, but I found myself in Sesame Workshop, and in sharing this film, I'm sharing a piece of me

I entered Public Relations as an undergraduate because I wanted to work for Disney. At the time, they were making great movies with Pixar and getting a lot of flak for the children's books they were publishing about hot topic issues like having two moms. I was inspired by the reach they had to children and I was in love with how easily a picture of Mickey Mouse could make the whole world smile. After spending a semester working there, I realized that Disney had the ability to do what I wanted but not the mission. As much as I wanted to influence children's lives, the education aspect was more important to me than the entertainment. I continued on with PR thinking I would eventually work for a local non-profit like Boys and Girls Club or maybe a Haven House. At this point I had never heard of Sesame Workshop or realized that Sesame Street was anything more than a Jim Henson children's show.

When the opportunity for me to stay at UCA and get a masters came up, I was torn about what to do. I was drawn to my current program because the topics that I was researching and interested in at the time were appropriate for older students and I believe that higher education should be a right. I care about issues in higher ed like cost, curriculum, retention, and technology. I value student services and I believe the field needs more research and support so it can become better recognized and more credible. Since starting in this field I've seen a lot of jobs I would enjoy and even more that I know I would be good at, but I have only seen a couple that make me excited the same way my imaginary role and Disney did; the same way Sesame Workshop makes me feel now.

I saw the documentary for the first time less than a year ago. Within a week I had researched Sesame Workshop, found an entry level position that I was qualified for, talked with Mike about my need to move to New York if it came though, and applied. I keep trying to be realistic and telling myself how the job search will go next semester, but I really want to be at Sesame Workshop. That film expresses a piece of me. It was a piece of me before I even saw it; I just didn't know it was there. I was looking for a way to educate and empower children through entertainment at Disney because I thought that Disney did things like Sesame Street (since they now do the Muppet stuff). I was in the wrong place. Disney is wonderful, but Sesame workshop believes, "All children deserve a chance to learn and grow; to be prepared for school; to better understand the world and each other; to think, dream and discover; to reach their highest potential." I want to work towards helping children worldwide reach their highest potential.

Finding the altruistic organization that believes everything that I couldn't articulate has given me a new mission. I know right now that someday I will work for Sesame Workshop. I tried to convince myself that it was something that I could do at any point in my life. I was telling myself that I can just wait and volunteer my time after I retire if nothing else, but I can't wait that long. I have so much to offer, and there is so much good that I could do between now and then. I'll start as soon as they'll take me.

Quality Reading

2007-11-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

I don't often ask my readers to contribute, but I've been inspired by Kaleb Tierce. As a general rule, I think banning books is ridiculous. I do think that not all books are appropriate for all ages, but I also think that the sooner you start treating students like adults, the sooner they will start acting like them. Aside from what I generally believe about book banning, taking legal action against a teacher for their class content is outrageous. Maybe I've spent too much time in an environment that values academic freedom, but I am very upset about this.

I know how much you daily bloggers like memes so I'm starting one. Take this list of challenged books, mark the ones that you've read and at (roughly) what age. Anecdotes about how they inspired, educated, and changed you are encouraged.

The American Library Association's most challenged books of all time

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" (Maya Angelou)

"The Chocolate War" (Robert Cormier)

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (Mark Twain) I read this in high school as part of class. I loved it because it was the end of sentence diagramming and the beginning of fun English classes. I forgave my grandmother her racism after this book. I didn't encounter race problems much at all growing up, so when my grandma would say off handed slurs like they didn't matter, I didn't understand. I questioned whether or not she was a good person. This book put racial slurs in a context, and while they still weren't ok, and I still give my grandma disapproving looks, I was finally able to understand that she grew up in a different time.

"It's Perfectly Normal" (Robie Harris)

"Scary Stories" (Alvin Schwartz)

"Daddy's Roommate" (Michael Willhoite)

"Of Mice and Men" (John Steinbeck)

"Harry Potter" series (J.K. Rowling) I've bought this series for my little brother as they've been released, and I started reading them my freshman year of college after he finished the first book for the third time. My brother never really liked to read before that. We really connected over these books, and we began a new relationship as friends instead of competing siblings.

"Heather Has Two Mommies" (Leslea Newman)

"Goosebumps" series (R.L. Stine) I read a couple of these in 6th grade, but I quickly graduated to Fear Street. After about a half a dozen of those, I moved on to Stephen King and finished Cujo, Misery, and Firestarter the summer before 7th grade. I generally feel like I've gotten the genre out of my system early, but I'm still working on The Stand.

"The Catcher in the Rye" (J.D. Salinger)

"The Color Purple" (Alice Walker)

"A Wrinkle in Time" (Madeleine L'Engle)

"Earth's Children" series (Jean M. Auel) I didn't read these until college, but in my defense, I didn't discover them any earlier. They were fun, but I think they would have been a completely different experience if I had read them before The Naked Ape.

"In the Night Kitchen" (Maurice Sendak)

"The New Joy of Gay Sex" (Charles Silverstein)

"Blubber" (Judy Blume) In 4th grade I read everything Judy Blume I could get my hands on, and I honestly can't remember this book specifically or why it would be contested. If anything I read from that year in my life should be challenged it should be the book about gamma rays and marigolds that had graphic details for skinning a cat. I suppose I should go back and read Blubber to jog my memory.

"The Handmaid's Tale" (Margaret Atwood)

"The Bluest Eye" (Toni Morrison)

"The Outsiders" (S.E. Hinton) I love The Outsiders. It was also a class assignment, but I had that that teacher for several years, so I have no idea what grade it was. I don't have to tell you that this is a great coming of age book. Not only that, it is a coming of age book for the real outcasts. Who is and isn't cool is so important in Jr. High and High school yet we never talked about it. In most of the stuff I read, the uncool people had glasses or too many freckles. Even at thirteen I thought it was a joke. This book really addressed social inequity and what it meant for people my age (at the time) to be on the loosing side of that game.

"Captain Underpants" series (Dav Pilkey)

"A Light in the Attic" (Shel Silverstein) I love this book. I still read this book. I've bought this book for 4 year olds. Warn your children, I suppose I shouldn't be welcome to their birthday parties.

"Brave New World" (Aldous Huxley)

"Asking about Sex and Growing Up" (Joanna Cole)

"Cujo" (Stephen King) As I said before, I read this book in sixth grade. I'll admit, it is not the best reading for SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) because sometimes you need to just let out a good long ewww. Of all the Stephen King novels I've read, why this is the one on the list, is beyond me.

"James and the Giant Peach" (Roald Dahl) Is this another shield our children from magic challenge? Did one of the nasty aunts curse? I don't understand why it is on the list. I loved it as a kid and it sparked the couple months I spent desperately trying not to squish ant on the sidewalk. It may be the reason I still escort crickets and most spiders out of my apartment to safety instead of just squishing them. This is another banned book that I've shared with the children in my life. I bought it for a kid I use to babysit who was arachnophobia and I directed the play with my kids at Sonshine.

"The Anarchist Cookbook" (William Powell)

"Boys and Sex" (Wardell Pomeroy)

"Ordinary People" (Judith Guest)

"American Psycho" (Bret Easton Ellis)

"Athletic Shorts" (Chris Crutcher)

"The House of the Spirits" (Isabel Allende)

"Slaughterhouse Five" (Kurt Vonnegut) I haven't read this. I read Breakfast of Champions this summer and hated it. Maybe I won't swear off Vonnegut and give this one a chance.

"Lord of the Flies" (William Golding) I haven't read this one either, but I've always wanted to.

"Mommy Laid an Egg" (Babette Cole)

"Private Parts" (Howard Stern)

"Where's Waldo?" (Martin Hanford) What? Was there some Disney-esque hidden image scandal that I missed? There is no content in these books, and most inappropriate thing I ever remember finding was a fat woman in a bikini. Are parents just worried that there is something in there that they don't know about? I'm going to go look up why this book is challenged.

***Edit: I guess I didn't search hard enough. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Waldo Banning. "According to the American Library Association Where's Waldo has ranked 88 out of a 100 of the most banned and objected to books in the USA. The most common reason this book has been banned because in one picture, there are tiny cartoon breasts being wantonly flashed." As a kid I went to the lake every 4th of July so I've seen real breasts wantonly flashed. The tiny cartoon ones probably didn't phase me.

"Little Black Sambo" (Helen Bannerman)

"Girls and Sex" (Wardell Pomeroy)

"How to Eat Fried Worms" (Thomas Rockwell) This one makes me sad. I read this somewhere between 5th and 8th grade, and almost instantly read it again. I spent a year or two rereading this and Summer of the Monkeys. I loved this book because he was the new kid. Growing up I never lived in one place longer than 3 years so I really related to him trying to find his place and maintain his dignity in a new school. I know that I can do whatever I set my mind to even if what I want to do seems as silly as eating worms and catching monkeys.

Well, it looks like I've got some more books to add to my reading list. Fortunately Amelia Bedlia isn't on the list so I can stick to my current Christmas plan for my friends' kids and not worry about corrupting them.

SURF

2007-11-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

I have been out of touch for the past month because I have been caught up in SURF. SURF, the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship, is a state grant to fund undergraduates to do research in their area of study. I was awarded one as an undergrad for my thesis. This year I am in a grant writing class and my professor felt that my experience with this and my experience with my assistantship in the Sponsored Programs Office gave me a majority of the general information that the course was going to cover, so I was given a special term project. Instead of writing a small grant like the rest of my cohort, I've been given a coordinating role in the SURF process. Our goals this year were to increase our number of applications. We only turn in a handful each year, and we could be more competitive if we would just submit more. I started last month by organizing the interest meeting and trying to get the word out around campus.

I wanted to keep the students from getting neglected by an increase in numbers so I added two workshops to our normal process. The first was a writing workshop intended to help them with their narratives. The students weren't really ready for it. They treated it like another information meeting, but hopefully if it becomes an annual service the mentors will get wise and help their students show up ready. The second was a budgeting workshop and we invited the grants accountant to come and help the students work with their budgets. The students showed up ready for this one. I think they were finally starting to see the differences between a grant application and a scholarship application.

The first drafts were due on the 17^th and I had 13 turned in. My goal was to break our record of 15, but at least it was up from last year's 8. I read through and edited all the proposals that weekend and returned them to the students on Monday. Over the next couple days a few stragglers arrived and shot my stress level up because I couldn't give them the good editing that I had wanted to. Final drafts were due to me on the 26^th, and I managed the whole intake process pretty smoothly. At this point, I was holding completed applications in my hands, so my anxiety started to go down. I learned if you give students a deadline and you stick to it, they will make it happen. If you don't stick to it, they will use every spare moment you give them.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent trying to get the attention and time of our campuses administrators so the proposals could get signed and approved. The grants were due yesterday and we hand delivered our 14 (still didn't break that record) submissions. My life is starting to go back to normal now. The proposals are being entered in to our office's electronic system. I'll still have to cull and file them, and in a couple weeks I'll start working with our Post Award Coordinator to streamline the processing of the ones that get awarded. Thankfully, the super-stress, adrenalin-rush portion of this project is over.

I have learned a lot working in the Sponsored Programs office, but I don't think that Sponsored Programs is a department I am going to pursue after graduation. I'm not intimidated by grants. I've decided that they are not hard, they are just tedious. What I don't like about this role is that we are the unacknowledged collaborators. When you work with someone or a group on a project, you have to take into account that they have different work habits and life schedules. Unfortunately, grant writers don't seem to realize they are working with us. We can't take into account how they work because we don't know about their projects until they come to us, and they too often don't take us into account because they don't realize how large our role is. What this leads to is a lot of stress on both parties because so much is being done after the last minute. I like to be able to organize and plan my stress. I like to see it coming and either do what I can to curb it or at least accept responsibility for. I know this isn't always possible, but in my office it seems like we are presented with projects when they are at the peak of their stress levels.

What I loved about this project was getting the opportunity to read the student's proposals. They are submitting some fantastic projects. I'm disappointed that I'm going to miss out on some of their final results because I won't be at UCA any more. I would love to have the opportunity to see these students finish their projects and present nationally. Hopefully, my comments on their proposals helped them get a little more organized and little more prepared for doing research at a level a little bit beyond what is normally expected of undergraduates.

Ocean's 11 or the Notorious Nine

2007-10-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Students at Hanover High School stole a teacher's key, and then used it to get into the school and steal copies of their upcoming finals. They are now facing criminal charges and the community is debating whether this punishment is appropriate. While they are not facing jail time, the trespassing charges could go on their permanent records because in New Hampshire 17 is considered adult.

I'm not sure how I feel about this situation. I remember feeling the pressure of grades and tests, and I didn't live down the road from Dartmouth. I can appreciate how the expectation to attend an ivy league school increases that pressure beyond anything I felt in high school. On the other hand, they pass out As in this country like Halloween candy. Sure you have to dress appropriately and learn the lingo, but overall, good grades aren't that difficult. Points are passed out for just being present. I think that most of the difficulties students have in class is because we tell them it is going to be difficult. If we would start believing in their ability to learn, so would they.

As far as prosecution goes, I think I support it. If 50 students were involved, it wasn't a spontaneous, bad idea that they had while trying to kill an afternoon. If there was damage done to the school, it needs to be fixed. Fixing requires money, and money requires documentation. Somewhere the school has to write down that there was a breaking and entering incident, and pressing charges is continuing the documentation and covering themselves. I don't want the students to go to jail, and I think a fine would be a slap on the wrist. What I don't want to see is the excuses people are making for them win out. They exist in the same society as we do so our 'notions of honesty' need to coincide.

The problem isn't that this generation doesn't think of downloading music as stealing because this generation hasn't come to an consensus about what to think of downloading music. The problem is the confession of the teacher who said he doesn't talk to his students about academic integrity. Why not? Plagiarism is a growing problem and everyone attributes it to the ease with which students can access papers online. Maybe it is because we don't treat our students like adults. Academic integrity is an adult problem facing graduate students and PhDs so we don't worry our students with it. We need to be appreciating who they are instead of building imaginary relationships with who they will be after graduating from Dartmouth.

Sensational

2007-10-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

As a freshman and sophomore, I spent very little time in my dorm room, but my tv was always on. With the exception of the semester that I had a roommate hooked on BET, CNN was always on. They said generally the same 15 minutes of news repeatedly all day long. There was also the scrolling update bar on the bottom that I could focus on if they were saying something that I had already heard. At the time it was the perfect way for me to get my news. I could pickup a story or two in between classes, or I could quickly get a full update after dinner.

After I moved off campus, it became easier to drive to campus during an NPR hourly update. When I moved back on to campus, I didn't go back to CNN. I spent a couple months trying to keep up with the news online, but I have to admit, I prefer to have someone else package it up and get it ready for me. When the hubby bought me an ipod everything became perfect again. I have several NPR shows set to automatically download and I enjoy listening to them at my leisure (often while I knit).

This past week without internet in my residence hall left me without NPR podcasts, so I sought out an old friend in CNN. It is different now. The format is generally the same, but the content is now (outrageously) sensational. I should have noticed this when I watched it in Kentucky. I remember feeling uncomfortable with it, but the major news story at the time was the trapped miners and I had convinced myself that they were just doing a poor job of trying to continue conveying the urgency of the situation (as days passed by with no news). I was making unwarranted excuses for them.

I've always been sensitive to biases in my news sources, and I've been taught that sensationalizing is a way of being biased. This was different though. People or topics weren't sensationalized. The whole presentation was just at a different level than I remember. It felt like a used car commercial not a news story. It had reached the point of insulting. Whether it was more insulting to the viewer or the subject of the story is debatable, but either way, I was disappointed.

A related anecdote that I don't have a proper transition for:
In Europe, I watched a lot of British news. While I was in Spain, Paris Hilton was going in and out of jail. One evening the newscaster began her story of Paris being released (the first time), and her co-anchor stopped her and asked, "Why are we reporting on this?" She didn't fully shrug her shoulders, but her body language became clearly unimpressed and slightly annoyed, and she answered, "Because this is all that they are talking about in the US." While we were making fun of Paris for going to jail, the rest of the world was making fun of us for caring.

Education at a Glance 2007

2007-09-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

I didn't get much feedback or excitement from the Education Pays 2007 report, but that is not going to stop me from sharing Education at a Glance 2007(pdf). This report is released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and unlike Education Pays, this report studies education globally. There are 30 countries involved in OECD. Here are some of the facts that I found interesting:

"57% of 15-year-olds in OECD Countries expect to go to university, but this rate varies from as high as 95% in Korea to as low as 21% in Germany." pg5
Economically, "Ireland and Spain provide the most equitable access to higher education. pg6
"Differences in employment rates between males and females are wider among less-educated groups." pg6
"Indicators show that across OECD countries, learning outcomes can be increased by 22% while maintaining the current level of expenditures." pg6
"Expenditure on core educational services (excluding research and development activities and ancillary services) in tertiary institutions averages about $7,664 per student" pg6
"In 2005, over 2.7 million tertiary students were enrolled in education outside their country of citizenship, representing a 5% increase in total foreign-student intake over the previous year." pg8

Counseling Theories Guided Reflection

2007-09-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Assignment:
Corey identifies 14 personal characteristics of effective counselors (pp.16-17). These characteristics are important regardless of the particular counseling theory that the counselor my follow.
1. Which three (3) characteristics do you believe are especially important? Why? Explain.
2. What is one (1) characteristic, not listed, that you believe is important? Why? Explain.

From Corey’s list, the three qualities that I find especially important are Have a sincere interest in the welfare of others, Appreciate the influence of culture, and Authentic, sincere, and honest.Of these three, having a sincere interest in the welfare of others seems the most important to me. This characteristic is needed for the client, the counselor, and the relationship between the two. The client needs the counselor to have an interest in his welfare as a general reason to begin counseling. The client must trust that a (any) counselor is interested in helping before they bring their issues to a complete stranger. Like any profession where you are helping people, the practitioner benefits from this general interest. Like any other job, counseling can be taxing at times, and this genuine caring is one of the many things that can make it rewarding and fuel a counselor’s ambition in her field. Finally, the trust required to form a relationship between the counselor and client is grounded in the understanding that the counselor is interested in helping the client. A counselor without that basic desire cannot be trusted to be working in the client’s interest as opposed to her own.

Appreciating the influence of culture also struck me as a characteristic that cannot be overlooked. A simple example from the campus setting would be helping international students. When an international student comes to a counselor, it can’t be assumed that she is trying to work through the same issues as an American student. When she is dealing with some of the same issues such as stress or time management, she can’t be expected to address them or work through them in the same ways an American student would be expected to. This characteristic becomes even more intricate than understanding that an international student is a different type of homesick than an American student. Cultural differences exist within our country. Every day that this Yankee spends in the south makes it more apparent how my Catholic upbringing has influenced who I am and how I think about things. I didn’t anticipate it before I came, but moving south was moving into a different culture even though I never left the country. I think in general, I was raised with the same or similar values as my peers in the south, but I think that the emphasis on those values varied greatly.

The third quality that I find especially important is being authentic, sincere, and honest. This one is vital to building and maintaining the trust that the counseling relationship is based on. I think the reason this one stuck out to me is because of how much I would like to be characterized by it. That is not to say that I think I am inauthentic, but I don’t know that it is on the list of top characteristics that people would use to describe me. I have heard people call me cheerful, friendly, responsible, caring, trustworthy, and probably even honest, but I don’t think that anyone has ever used the words authentic or sincere. I could strive to be more authentic or more sincere, though I’m not sure how I would begin. Even if I managed to work on my sincerity, I’m not sure that I would be striking people as sincere. I am drawn to it, because it is a quality that I would like to be known for. Maybe it is just a matter of semantics. It is probable that people believe I am sincere and authentic, but they are not my most noticeable or displayed qualities, or maybe they are not words the people who describe me normally think of when describing people.

This brings me to the characteristic that is not listed that I believe should be. It has been mentioned that there are counseling theories that focus more on the actions and the body language of the client than on what it is they want to talk about. This may be an early indicator that those theories are not for me, but an Appreciation for language should be a part of this list. I don’t believe that life can be whittled down to just semantics, but I do believe that language carries more than just the meanings of the words. What I am talking about is the combination of denotation and connotation in the words that people are using to describe their issues. In counseling, I think the connotations become even more important and telling. The words people choose while talking are clues to their beliefs, values and opinions. Some of the values are long held, and some of the opinions are formed in that instant. Either way, there is so much information to be taken from what people are saying that extends beyond the simple definitions of the words they are using.

One Small Degree for Man, One Giant Perk for Mankind

2007-09-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

My high school tried to talk me into going to college by telling me how much more money I could make with a degree. The report that proves them right has updated and released. Education Pays 2007 (pdf) emphasizes the benefits of higher education to both the individual and society. Pages 9 through 20 will show you that college graduates are still earning more money and have better benefits. Unfortunately minorities and women are still not getting paid what they deserve, but that is another topic.

What I think we should talk about more is pages 21 through 28. These are the benefits that are not associated with money. For example, people with higher education are more likely to vote, donate blood, and volunteer their time. The children of graduates are more likely to be able to count to 20 and write their name by the age of 5. They are also more likely to participate in after school activities. Not just the mathletes, sports and religious activities are more likely as well.

If the money is what you really want to focus on, things are still pretty good. College graduates have lower unemployment rates, and since their are getting paid more, they are paying more taxes. Having more successful college graduates is just smart economically. That's why we need to start investing more time, energy, and money to making degrees affordable and attainable. In 2004 graduates were taking an average of 11 years to pay off their debt, and the cost of college has done nothing but rise since then. I realize that it costs more for everyone that is contributing, but we can let the students pick up this much slack.

"It has nothing to do with homophobia."

2007-09-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

The alumni news letter of American University printed the announcement that Ross Weil and Brett Royce have gotten married and that Ross has been named chief operating officer of the Gay Rights Brigade. Unfortunately, it is not true and was submitted to the magazine as a prank. Now the university is facing a $1.5 million lawsuit for defamation. I'll admit that the 'gay rights brigade' is pretty suspect and should have raised some warning flags, but to claim that the university was being malicious seems over the top. As an active member of my alumni association, I can sympathize with American Magazine. We are constantly seeking updates and contact information for alumni, and regularly trusting that the information we have been given is accurate. However, libel and poor fact checking are two different issues.

It seems to me that in order to call this defamation (even unintentional) you have to prove that being called homosexual can tarnish your reputation. How can you do that and at the same time claim that, "It has nothing to do with homophobia?" It may not be about the clients homophobia, but if it isn't then it is about their fear of homophobs. Somebody's homophobia has to be a factor. Reputation is a finicky thing that can't be destroyed by one person. That person needs an audience. So the question becomes, what kind of power do the alumni of American University have over Ross Weil and Brett Royce that the perception of the two of them as gay causes $1.5 million dollars in damage.

I have to start somewhere

2007-09-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

My first assignment in Budgeting is to develop the budget for the financial aid office of the fictional Smith University. I thought it was not too daunting of an assignment. I've made budgets before and I think I generally understand the goals and purposes of budgets. Then I was told that I was not allowed to do any research. When I say I've made budgets, I am of course talking about personal budgets for myself. The only bills I had were my car payment and my cell phone. It wasn't so much a budget as it was determining how much I could spend at Barnes and Noble every month. I have no idea what expenditures a university office has, or how much those things cost. There were two results from my assignment. First, it showed my professor how much I knew. In the process, it showed me how much I didn't know.

Here it is, my first budget:

Smith University
Financial Aid Office
2008 Budget

			Amount
Salaries		70%	$507,500
	Classified
	NonClassified
	Student Help

Staff Development		8%	$58,000
	Training
	Travel

Equipment		8%	$58,000
	Maintenance
	Software
	Upgrades

Supplies		6%	$43,500

Telephone		1%	$7,250
	Long Distance Charges
	Cellular Phones

Promotion		7%	$50,750
	Printing
	Mailing

Total			$725,000

I failed to budget for any fringe benefits for my employees. I suppose I'll have a high turnover rate when they all realize that they don't have any health insurance. I made some other mistakes too, but that is really the one I feel the worst about. Fortunately, I will turn in a revised budget after I do some research, and meet with my campus' financial aid director.

The Clothes Don't Make the Man

2007-09-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

I've already commented on my peers and how they act at work, and I can assure you that putting them in khakis and a polo shirt doesn't make them professional. Personally I find it very easy to act lady-like when I am wearing the rib crunching, spine straightening apparatus that is often required for lady-like attire. When I am in a skirt I feel more presentable, and I am more conscious of how I am carrying myself. My professional clothes act as a regular reminder of who I am representing and how I am acting. This is because I like jeans, t-shirts, sports bras, and tennis shoes. I'm not always or necessarily uncomfortable in my professional clothes, but they are different. That difference is what works as a reminder.

I don't think nice clothes work as a reminder for our people the same way they do for me. Students are now dressing like this. If I was regularly in a mini skirt, my work slacks would be extremely comfortable. I think that if I was teaching, I wouldn't mind students showing up to class in their pajamas. Of course I'd want them to be attentive, but that is something I care about no matter what they are wearing. Pajama pants with pink flying elephants on them are novel and would probably get attention when they enter the class room, but a mini skirt and a low cut top is sexual and can be distracting for the entire period. I would rather they be in pajamas and learning instead of dressed nice and hooking up. This isn't meant to be a defense of all pajama pant wearers on all campuses. If you are unshowered and half asleep, that is disrespectful. If you focus better when you are comfortable, that is fine by me.

Despite my personal willingness to let students dress casual for class, I really like Paul Quinn College's new dress code policy. Having a university wide (or even program wide in the case of my Masters program) dress code means much more than a personal pet peeve of of pajamaed students. The change in clothes isn't going to bring about a magical change in student behavior. If it is enforced, it will become a physical representation of college's values and mission. It will be an indicator of what their goals are for their students and campus visitors will be able to see what they prioritize. Eventually, it would ideally work to only attract students and staff who have similar goals and values, but it wouldn't work to 'weed out' people. I think the dress code will do a great job of showing outsiders what this campus promotes. Clothes don't make the man, but they do make first impressions.

Edit: If you are interested, here is a story about the Illinois State Marketing Department and their new Dress Code.

For the Love of Freud...

2007-09-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that every time Freud comes up in discussion some one rolls their eyes and comments on how everything with Freud is about sex and your mother. Then he is just negatively dismissed as if that is all there is to say about him. Why is it so cool to be so dismissive of Freud? I don't agree with everything he says, but I do think he deserves more credit than he seems to be getting. If I was going to fit Freud in a nutshell, I probably wouldn't mention his mother or sex. I would probably sum him up with the iceberg. I think Freud got some stuff wrong, but why the lack of respect for what he got right? Columbus didn't land in India, but nobody is holding that against him.

Psychology was not around before Freud. Psychoanalysis did not exist. He was a medical doctor who thought that our dreams could give us insight to our emotional and social problems. His concepts of unconscious and repression are now ingrained in our culture. I think that is pretty impressive. He is not the last person to say that we stop development at an early age. In my opinion if he had spent some time working with and observing children, he would have gotten even more right. Is it because of the penis envy? Is it because we just don't like people focusing on the taboo? Why do we roll our eyes at Freud?

The Fall Lineup

2007-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

I am excited about this semester. This semester isn't really any more or less exciting than the other semesters of my graduate program, but I have two specific reasons why this semester merits blogging. First, quite simply, I've been trying to blog more. Second, I am expecting several assignments to be blogged from this semester, so I thought you should have a heads up.

Counseling Theories-- I am actually a little giddy about this class. I like theory classes, and I like this professor. This is the first class I've had with him, but he did come with us to Europe so we already have a relationship. He has already read to us from Alice in Wonderland, and if you are ever interested I'll explain to you the Dodo Verdict. This is also the class I expect to be blogging assignments from. We have several guided reflections assigned throughout the semester to help us understand our opinions on psychotherapy. The final reason that I am excited is because when I was looking at graduate programs, psychology and counseling was an area that I was heavily looking into. In the end I felt I wasn't prepared for it. Public Relations has given me information that I have used repeatedly in my program, but I think it would have left me lacking in psychology. Hopefully from this class I can either set aside those regrets, or discover my calling.

Budgeting-- I'll admit it does not actually sound like the most interesting class. There is so much that I am going to learn from it though. Top on my list is understanding the university budget. I think that I already have the basics of budgeting down, and a comfort working with numbers. What I am looking forward to is the from practice advice of my professor and our guest speakers. I can break a budget down to income and expenses, but I don't have a true understanding of how that money flows within education. I will be learning a lot in this class.

Grant Writing-- This class is going to be a little different for me. I work in our university's Sponsored Programs Office, so I will hopefully already know most of what will be presented in the class. I am excited though, because this semester I will be switching roles. At work I search for funding opportunities and try to help proposal writers think about their idea so they can be matched up with what the funders actually want to spend money on. For class, I'll get to pretend that I am passing out the money and critically review proposals. My class project is also exciting. I am working on helping undergraduates get funding to do their research. It is a grant program that I was a part of as an undergrad so hopefully, I can encourage more than normal to apply. I also like the idea of promoting undergraduate research. Far too much of my undergraduate experience was still passive. I went to class and waited for information to be given to me. I hope that promoting undergraduate research on our campus will inspire some more active learning.

Another place that you will be seeing homework from, is my trip to Europe. We had an assignment while we were there to keep a journal. I plan on typing that up and sharing it (with pictures) here.

Personality Pigeonholed

2007-08-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Once a year, everyone in my office takes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. We then have a counselor come in and talk to us about our results and how our personality types are played out in our work styles and how we work together. I've only taken the Myers-Briggs twice with my office, but I've probably done it more than a dozen times since I've started at UCA. I like the Myers-Briggs. I like people using it as a tool to explore themselves. I like people learning about different personality types, and I like people working to teach themselves how other people think and react differently than they do. I think it is very useful. However, I also think people can take it too much to heart.

I am simply annoyed with people looking at me and saying, "Oh, so you're an ENTJ," as if it explains everything there is to know about me. I just want to tell them, "No, I just happened to be in an ENTJ mood when I took that test." My type indicator has never come back the same. I've always been an E and the other three letters are up in the air. I'm always very balanced on the other sections. My results usually come back saying that I am 50%-50% or 52%-48%. This year my J was 55% on the online test and my P was 55% on the written test, which means within two days I changed from Judging to Perceiving. The counselor always starts by telling us that balance is the goal and that they are scaled. So you can strive to be more Sensing if you are Intuitive and just because your results say you are Intuitive doesn't mean you are strong in that. You may still have traits in the other. Once she explains that, everybody seems to forget it.

I like to make lists because I like to check things off, but I don't loose sleep about the things on my lists not being accomplished. I love to plan out my vacations in advance, but once I get there I am happy to throw those plans out the window. I like to make decisions by weighing all the factors. I consider peoples' feelings to be a factor that needs to be weighed along with all the logical ones. I like to do projects that have detailed instructions and clear goals, but it is also exciting and revitalizing to where I get to be creative and make my own goals. Even when it comes to my Extroversion versus Introversion. I'm becoming more of an introvert every time I take it. Please just understand that ENFP does not define me.

I've been tagged

2007-08-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Priscilla from Rathbone Images tagged me and now I have to tell you 8 things that you don't know about me. Coming up with 8 things has taken me a couple days. I'm not sure if I am that open or if I just don't have anything about me that is exciting enough to be a secret, but here is what I came up with. (If you already knew this about me, then pretend it is a surprise.)

1. I don't think everyone should go to college. Of course, I have to clarify that. I've noticed that college is earning the reputation of grade 13, and I don't think that graduating high school and going directly to a 4 year institution is best for everyone. Some people will benefit more from technical training, military service (preferably not in wartime), associates degrees, or even work experience more than they will from grade 13. I do think that there are parts of a liberal arts education that will benefit everyone no matter what choices they pursue in life, but I think it is unfair that we make them wait for college to share these skills and experiences. I also think that their rising costs are becoming ridiculous.

2. I am a first generation college graduate. I know you don't know this, because I didn't know it until after I graduated. Just think of all the support I could have needed and all the campus resources I could have turned to if I had only known. I don't think that I actually faced the lack of family support that many first generation undergraduates deal with, but I now understand what it might have been like. My grandmother was so proud when I graduated. That's when she told me that I was the first in our family to finish. It wasn't until after I told her that I was starting my masters that she said, "More school?! Don't you think you need to acting like an adult and getting a job?"

3. I will dedicate part of my life to Sesame Workshop. I am passionate about Higher Education, and I have a lifetime to add what I can to it, but I also have to spend some time on this cause. I got my BA in Public Relations to work for an organization like this. Their mission is incredible and the work they are doing around the world is amazing. I want to be a part of that.

4. I think that honors students and at risk students have a lot of the same needs when starting college. I think that they have these needs for different reasons, but both groups need special attention. They need help learning how to manage their time, learning study skills, and learning how and when to ask for help. Many 4.0 students are 4.0 because they weren't challenged in high school so they don't immediately know how to handle the challenges that college offers.

5. I want to teach a class in Second Life. I've never taught a class, and I would like to do that too, but I am very excited about the opportunities that online communication and virtual communities are opening up. I think they have the potential to completely change the purpose of higher education and continue to push the sage on the stage cliche out of universities to make room for an interactive and interdisciplinary place. That and having cat people in my class seems pretty cool too.

6. I'm thinking about getting another Master's degree. I know that two masters' don't equal a PhD, but I think I want to learn some Sociology. One of my field's worst weaknesses is the lack of research. I want to prioritize that in my life, and I am thinking that studying some Sociology might be a way to pursue that. Then again, Psychology sounds awfully fun too...

7. I use to be really good at math. I'm not saying you don't know this, but being a communications undergrad I ran into a lot of situations where it was assumed that I was no good at it. Sadly, I'm not good any more because I haven't used it so I've forgotten a lot. Now when I look at an algebra or calculus problem I don't know where to begin, but I recognize that I use to. I loved proofs in high school!

8. Completely not education related: I have a favorite stained glass window. I didn't know I could have a favorite stained glass window until I actually discovered it. I grew up Catholic so I've visited many churches and awed at many windows, but this one took my breath away. It is hidden away in a corner room of a magnificent church in Aachon, Germany. If you ever find yourself wandering around Aachon, I recommend you see it.

Now for the 8 blogs I must tag. This is a selfish list of people I want to post. Some because I don't want them to be abandoned, some because they make me smile, and others just because they have me curious.
Ashgeb
Adamanthenes
BookSpaz
Knee of the Curve
Singularity
The twenty-fourth year
My little blog
Polished Rose

Added Bonus: A warm fuzzy moment

A while ago I posted about a study that placed students struggling in math in two different extra classes. One class was taught study skills and the other was taught how the brain works. This week someone googled child struggling with math and came to my blog. It makes me feel wonderful that there is a possibility that my blog might have provided interesting or useful information for a complete stranger. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy inside about it, so I wanted to share.

It's Alive!

2007-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

At the end of last semester I was exhausted, sleep deprived, and dealing with finals stress. I was so happy when the students left and the campus cleared out. I felt like there was a possibility of finding a moment to breathe. Today is the first day of class, and I didn't realize how much I missed having everyone here. It is so nice to have the campus alive again, and it has a special type of excitement right now. Everything is optimistic and welcoming. The freshman are excited; the upperclassmen are greeting and hugging friends they haven't seen in months. Nobody is worried about bad grades, and the dreading of tests and large assignments hasn't begun. I realize that I am able to find this so wonderful because of all the work people have put into welcome week. I wouldn't blame them if they are feeling they way I feel by the end of the semester, but I'm glad that I can enjoy today refreshed and excited. I had forgotten the little things about it being full, like how quick a walk across campus seems when there are a half a dozen acquaintances to to smile and wave at along the way. It is going to be a great day.

Campus Visit: WKU

2007-08-21T20:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend my little brother graduated from boot camp at Ft. Knox in Kentucky. My friend Cindy and drove up to watch the ceremony. Since we were driving right past Western Kentucky University we decided to stop by on the way home and visit the Honors College. I had the opportunity to meet a couple of the honors people and learn a bit about their program during a conference at UCA this summer. Unfortunately, I didn't know how long I was going to be at Ft. Knox so I couldn't really make plans with them. Despite us just dropping by, we were warmly welcomed, and given tours of both the office and the campus. It was a beautiful campus!
Here is the Honors Center. They are currently working on a lot of big changes to that little house. I will be really neat to see in a few months time.

Here are several of the honors residential halls. It was a slightly honors heavy tour, but when you have honors alums talking to an honors director, that is bound to happen.
This is the Mass Media and Technology building. I took a picture of it because it is clearly a beautiful building, but I was also excited to see mass media and technology written side by side in stone. Too often I find them to be two separate groups of people that don't talk to each other enough.

This is the Gunthrie memorial and tower. They are a beautiful focal point on campus and I believe that it is the tower that is being used in the WKU logo.

This is the huge and breathtaking student center called Downing University Center. It is just as gorgeous inside.

This colonnade is another beautiful spot on campus. If I remember correctly the colonnade was left from their old stadium. In place of where the field was, there is now the fine arts building. They are now fully prepared to have gatherings both inside and out. This colonnade is also part of the logo for the honors program there.

Here are just a couple more this campus is beautiful pictures:

It was really nice to visit another campus. UCA has spoiled me, and I owe this campus a lot, but it is the only institution that I've been at. I've been here for six years and it can easily become a whole little world of its own. It is fun to get out every so often and see what is going on elsewhere.

Growing Up is Hard to Do

2007-08-06T11:07:00.002-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got the sense in Europe that they seem to think many of the services we offer students at the Higher Ed level are babying them. I agree with a lot of their education ideals and policies, and the students I met were incredibly mature. So, I've been wondering if I agree with that. I've come to the conclusion that I don't think offering them these services is babying them, but we don't always treat them like adults either. Sometimes this is our own fault, and other times it is out of our control. For example, something that is completely my fault is that I call them kids. I'm barely older then them, and I'm a student myself, but using the term kids keeps me from thinking of them as adults. I could be argued that because I am so close to them in age it is important that make that distinction between us. Good or bad, because I use that term I treat them differently.

Something that we have less control over would be working along with parents who refuse to treat them like adults. One of the students I advised came in with his father. His father sat down across from me at the desk which forced his son into a corner chair. He then explained to me that he was there because "my son is not yet 18." He continued to talk to me like his son wasn't in the room and we were discussing legal issues. When ever I tried to talk to the student, he wouldn't look at me and always looked to dad to answer for him. It was very hard to treat him like an adult.

Of course the difference between us and Europe is cultural. During our pre-trip, how not to be insulting in Europe meetings, we were told that if we end up talking to any children, we should treat them the same way we treat adults. Many cultures believe that the transition from child to adult can be made over night. The child just has to reach a certain age, participate in a ceremony, or have some important event happen. In America we don't go from child to adult. We go from infant to terrible twos, to toddler, to child, to adolescent, to young adult, to adulthood. Then we still get to look forward to middle aged, over the hill, and retiree. I've watched as society has embraced the term tween. I was never a tween. I may have been a preteen, but if so I didn't know it. Why do we have so many stages?

When I was in psychology* the leading theorist in cognitive development was Piaget. He presented 4 stages of development. According to his theory we begin the final stage as a preteen and we may never finish that development. The theories that I know of that have been adapted from or are related to Piaget usually have somewhere between three and five stages. Six stages wouldn't surprise me, but I don't think I have ever seen it. Since studying that I have learned about the psychological process that students may go through when faced with certain situations, but not any continual psychological development of students. I am not claiming that there is not any more brain development. What I'd like to point out is that I haven't heard of any more so I am assuming that most people haven't heard of any more. Why then, is society accepting these different stages? Are they being presented to us by psychologists, or are they being presented to us by advertisers. Did the people who develop and market Bratz realize how desperately eleven and twelve year old girls want to be thirteen and create the classification tween to market directly to them.

I'm generally in support of direct marketing and audience targeting, but we have added a slew of transitions to the growing up process. Are we making it easier or harder to grow up. I understand that if you transition from child to adult over night you could could be given a load of responsibility that you are not prepared for and the expectations can be daunting, but are baby steps making it better? Or are they just making it easier to put off accepting those responsibilities? Is it making it harder for adults to give those responsibilities? That may feed right back into my generation's work ethic. We still have stages of growing to transition through so we haven't been given responsibility. Since we haven't had responsibility, we don't care about it or know how to handle it.

*Disclaimer: I have not studied much psychology. As an undergrad I only took a general education psychology course, and as a graduate I've taken a student development course that had some psychology theories in it, but it was not a psychology based course. I think it is fair to believe that my psychology education is at or above the American average so I think it is enough to be applicable to my topic. I do welcome any additional information because I find this topic fascinating.

Thinking Blogger Award

2007-07-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

I'm far over due for posting my awardees for the Thinking Blogger Award. Why do I get to pass out this award? Well, because Jenn found me interesting enough to award my blog with it. The reason that I have not yet fufilled my duty is simple. The majority of blogs I read have been awarded (so I won't be contributing anything by awarding them) or their written by professional writers/bloggers. I don't want to award them, because it just doesn't seem right. They make a living out of making us think so it would actually be a disappointment if their blogs didn't follow through. I've spent the past 2+ months searching for blogs that I consider worthy of an award. I definitely ended up with more blogs that I read regularly, but they all already had the before mentioned issues.

Here is what I've decided to do. There is one blog that I knew I wanted to award the moment that I was privileged enough to receive my award. I will award that award, share some of the interesting blogs that I've been reading, and save my other four awards for future blogs that I discover.

And now, I award the Thinking Blogger Award to Random Pointless Ramblings. I doubt he would realize the value that I find in his blog, I find it deeper and more insightful than he would ever give it credit. This blog is a commentary on our generation. He makes his observations both as an insider and an outcast, and I find it fascinating.

Here are some other blogs that I would recommend if you haven't checked them out already:
I can't sew at all but I love A Dress a Day
Collin Vs. Blog
Rathbone Images is the blog of our wedding photographers. I love their photography so much that I keep up with their blog. They just got back from a trip to Mexico and took some fantastic photos.
Neil Gaiman's Journal
Barbara's Blog is written by Barbara Ehrenreich
The Yarn Harlot makes me laugh on a daily basis and has some of the most beautiful creations I've ever seen.

Here is more information about the Thinking Blogger Award and the rules that I am doing a horrible job of following.

The Generation X Work Ethic

2007-07-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

This article has become a flaming debate on an issue that I've been thinking about for a long time. This is the first time that I have ever looked at it in the light of a generational difference, and not just a difference between me and others. Let me start with the article, I think that Jennifer Epstein got one major thing wrong. She shouldn't have equated the use of technology with the differences in work habits. We can discuss work ethic as a generational difference, and we can discuss technology use as a generational difference, but we can't link the two of them.

Now for the things that I've been mulling over for a while now. I don't brag on myself often, but I have found it to be continually true that I have a uniquely strong and dedicated work ethic. I find it very difficult to claim because it is my work ethic. It is part of me, and it seems normal. I don't try to have a good work ethic, it is my mindset and it is difficult for me to understand people thinking about these things in a way other than I do. Before I build myself up too much, let me say that I am not all work and no play. But I do separate work and play. They each have their own time and necessity, but work does fund and fuel play.

The reason I've decide that this is a unique view, is because of how easy it is for me to be successful. I have always immensely impressed my supervisors by showing up on time, dressing appropriately, and doing my job efficiently. I couldn't figure out why they they were so impressed with me. Then one day, I listened as a co-worker explained to me how to balance out the tasks she was given with MySpace, Facebook, and text messaging so that they are not too tedious or boring. The task she was referring to took her three days to accomplish, and I could have done it with the better part of the afternoon. In my opinion, it would be much more tedious to do a mundane task sporadically for three days than nonstop for an afternoon. I also know the definition of time theft, and it would bother me to spend that much time not working when there was work to be done.

This is the situation that lead me to think about my work ethic as unusual. I started trying to pay more attention to my peers and how they are doing their work. I remembered the student in my thesis class that were up in arms about the need to turn in progress reports on their projects, the co-workers who avoided projects and tasks, and my fellow graduate students who demanded an extra day off of class. I decided that I was different.

Now, with my example, I've gone and brought technology into the conversation by mentioning MySpace, Facebook, and cellphones. I have and check my Facebook, MySpace, and Freindster accounts, I (poorly) manage two blogs, and I'm an active lurker on three online forums. I listen to podcasts, audiobooks, and music on my iPod. I have a cell phone that I carry around with me constantly, and a PDA that I use to carry around all the time until I started using Google Calendar. I don't think that technologically savvy necessitates nor leads to the difference that I'm seeing. Studies have been done on the positive effects of music in the workplace. It is not bad to have music at work, the iPod is an issue because it blocks people out. It closes the user off from the people they may have to interact with. I'll admit that it is bad customer service, and probably bad coworker relations, but it is not bad work ethic.

So If I don't think technology has anything to do with it, who do I plan on blaming? I agree with the comment posted by Dan Close that it is a maturity issue and not a generational difference. However, I am starting to think that my generation is not held to the same standard and isn't forced to maturity as soon. For that there are probably an uncountable number of causes. As far as education is concerned, I think that grade inflation plays a huge role, and the fact that being a student is no longer a full time job promotes this. I just got back from three weeks in Europe. I spent some of that time touring universities to learn about student services overseas. One of the most remarkable differences I saw happened when we would ask our hosts what kind of student services they offered and how the supported different student needs. Their response was almost always a more appropriate form of We don't do that at the university; if you baby them forever, they will never grow up.

Love it or Hate it

2007-07-10T07:24:00.001-07:00

Since I've started my internship at the advising center, several people have asked me if I love it or hate it. I've been assured that it is a very polarized option. Now that I am in my final week, I can make the assessment, and I am definitely in the realm of love it. That said, I think that I am with in the spectrum and not on the polar end.

I know that it is not over, and I shouldn't get all nostalgic yet, but this has been a great experience. Every day I get to meet a half a dozen new students and talk with them about what they want to be when they grow up. I get to give advice both as a past student and a current professional. The best part about it, is that in each one of them I can see the excitement about getting to go to college. Some of them are overflowing, and others it is just a twinkle in the eye situation, but all of them are radiating that anxiousness and energy.

I would like to spend some time in the advising center when it is not a peak period before I make any commitments, but I think I could happily do this for the rest of my life. It is a big deal for me to say that considering all the second guessing I've been doing lately. I love meeting the students. I love hearing about their aspirations. I love talking with them about their potential when they haven't decided on their aspirations. All of that appeals to my human interaction side, and then I get to work out their schedules which appeals to my problem solving side. Each student brings along an new little puzzle for me to solve. I have to fit all of the pieces that are their classes, their work schedules, and their study patterns (or sleep patterns) together to make a first semester course load that will promote their academic success.

You must be asking why I'm reluctant to put myself all the way to the end of the love it spectrum. Part of it is probably because of the questioning that I've been doing lately. Part of it is not knowing what the rest of the semester is like. The final part is that I'm not sure it will challenge me in the way that I read about in Maslow's Self Actualization. A friend was trying to explain to me that it is a drought or flood situation. Part of the year there is seemingly nothing to do, and then pre-registration comes and you are seeing students non-stop. I think whether or not I love this job hinges on that drought period and my supervisor. If I had the freedom to fill that drought time with research and projects that inspire and motivate me, it would be incredible. If I felt like that time was spent improving education, it would be everything I could ask for. However, I see the possibility that my personal higher ed interests can not be pursued during that time. Just because there are not students here, doesn't mean that there isn't anything to do. It is that time that will determine how much I love this job.

It is all about Attitude

2007-06-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering for a bit now if student services really is the place for me. There are several reasons why I've been questioning this decision. For example, discovering Sesame Workshop has reminded me why I got in to PR in the first place, and I'm pretty intent on dedicating part of my life working for that cause. Another reason is simply that I have yet to meet someone in student services and thought, "I want the job that they have."

The most worrisome thing is that so many of the people I've encountered are extremely negative. They are chipper happy people who have great experiences with students and truly believe in the value of student services. However, in the short periods of time that I've spent with the majority of people on campus and at the conference they complain about faculty, parents, other departments, and even students. I've started to worry that everybody hates their jobs, and it's been helping me create a list of things I don't want to do for the rest of my life.

Yesterday, things were different, and it left me feeling hopeful. I'm doing an internship with the Academic Advising Center here at UCA. Yesterday was my second day so I haven't learned much yet, but the atmosphere was just better than everything I've experienced. Currently we are working on summer registration for the incoming freshmen. The office is working with between 60 and 90 students a day. I expected things to be hectic, but what I have seen is really organized and I haven't been overwhelmed yet.

Even more exciting is the attitude of the advisors. At some point throughout the day each of them came out of their office and commented on how much they love their jobs to no one in particular. That is what I want. I want my everyday experiences at work to be uplifting and energizing. It has been a while since I've been excited maybe even optimistic about student services.

Gender Styles in Online Academic Communities

2007-06-12T05:10:00.000-07:00

Abstract

The relative success of conversations started by men in the workplace, and the relative inability to hear women's voices, is a well-known workplace phenomenon. A similar dichotomy may exist online. I have sampled conversations from a popular collegiate internet forum and analyzed them to determine whether real world communication traits are crossing over into an online medium, producing similar barriers for female students.

Acknowledgments

F. John, Alli, Jenn, and Geoff thank you for being the laborers of my project. I know that I worked you harder than I promised, and I know that I didn't pay you what you deserve, but I am grateful for every instant that you dedicated to my project. I still don't know what I would have done with out you guys. Thank you.

Dr. Shepherd, thank you for taking me under your wing and guiding me through the sociology of my project. Not only did you give me hope that I could do it, you gave me statistics. Thank you for your help.

Bonnie and Phil, where to begin, thank you for holding me together. Thank you for your optimism and excitement. Thank you for seeing when I couldn't, and thank you for setting the bar higher. Thank you for making my project our project.

Mike thank you for putting up and pulling together. Aside from being the Architect and making it all possible, you were amazing. Thank you for keeping me sane through it all.

Gender Styles in Online Academic Communities

In the early 1990s excitement was rising because theorists believed that text-based Internet communication was going to level the gender playing field. Communicators would be anonymous without face-to-face interaction and conversations would no longer be dominated by men. However, despite email, online bulletin boards, and blogging becoming common, and despite the fact that these skills are becoming essential to most work environments, women are still struggling to have their voices heard. After looking at the posts of participants of the University of Central Arkansas Honors College Online Forum or the "Forum," I have discovered that women's voices are drastically underrepresented. An examination of some basic Forum statistics reveals a disturbing trend: conversations started by males are more likely to be considered seriously, even though women introduce topics for discussion more often. Discussions initiated by women have a higher chance of receiving no attention whatsoever. Further, men have started twice as many meaningfully "active" discussions as women. An active thread is a thread with ten or more unique replies. These figures mean that in an environment of 837 users, women have difficulty getting ten people involved in the topics that they initiate.

The clear discrepancy between the success of men and women's conversation starters is producing an environment biased toward the interests of male participants even though 60% of the users are female. This type of inconsistency has been found in several different types of studies including Pamela Fishman's (1983) and Susan Herring's (2005). In order to be successful in communicating online, not just in the UCA Honors College, but also in the inevitable online media we will encounter in the future, we need to learn how to present our ideas in a way that conveys our meaning as well as prompting a productive response. In addition, we need to learn how to listen to users who are not using our communication styles. The trends I found inspired me to develop a method for quantifying gender traits within forum communication. The coding system I created is based on traits presented by several communication theorists. My research has sought to provide evidence for why women are being overlooked.

The 'Forum'

Before I elaborate on my project, I would like to take a moment to explain what the Forum is and why it is appropriate for my project. For the past three years, students enrolled in the UCA Honors College have been participating in an experimental online community called the Honors College Online Forum. An Internet forum is an interactive online space that promotes discussion and community. A forum supports conversation with threaded discussions. This means that one user begins a discussion by starting a new thread. The other users involved in the discussion post their replies. The thread is stored in order and the entire conversation can be read from beginning to end. In this dynamic setting, members are able to begin discussions and respond to one another in an asynchronous fashion. The interchange of ideas can be likened to a conference call except the medium is written instead of oral communication.

The Forum constitutes an ideal research opportunity for a number of reasons. The first beneficial aspect of a forum with regards to research is that all of the discussions are documented and stored; meaning anyone with access can accurately recall and research the interactions. Another aspect is that the Honors College is an academic community. The participants on the Forum are educated and expected to communicate with one another in a similar fashion as well as on similar topics. This means that we would expect users to have similar topics of interest despite gender, and that the discrepancy between sexes should be lower than normal. Finally, the Honors College Online Forum has a real life component that is unlike many of the other online message boards that students frequent. Various online forums bring people to the discussions with topics of interest. For example, you could join a message board about gardening or your favorite movie, and you would be able to create any identity that you liked for yourself. In the Honors College students and professors are interacting with one another on campus and in class. This means that each user is held accountable for their online identity. The Forum requires learning a communication etiquette comparable to the communication style expected in our future work environments.

Project Inspiration

I left UCA and the Honors College on a semester for an internship, and when I returned the community was caught up in this online phenomenon. Since I was a semester behind, I had missed important community creating conversations. I was excited to catch up and find my place in this new college experience. I eagerly voiced my opinion on the current topics and started threads that I hoped would inspire conversation and build camaraderie among my fellow Forum users. I started threads about religion, I participated in threads about politics, and I even shared my favorite movie quotes with everyone. I quickly noticed that despite my efforts, I did not seem to be receiving any response. The posts that followed mine did not include or discuss my points. In fact, the threads I started only received a couple of replies. I felt marginalized and disconnected from the discussion. Because of my inexplicable estrangement, I became a "lurker." Although I did not participate in observable ways, I never became less active. In fact I probably became more addicted. I read every single word that was posted, but never voiced my own opinion. The means I used to express my ideas changed from public threads to private messages. I was only having discussions with individuals and not the entire community.

One day as I was lurking, I read a post that turned on a light bulb and connected my education in gender studies to my Forum experience. The first time that I read this post, I was instantly impacted by its femininity to the point that I probably thought it smelled good. As I read it again I started to realize why the post seemed so feminine. The first and most obvious trait of this post that struck me as feminine was the topic. The thread was about phobias and this poster was telling stories about her fear of mice. Not only is there a longstanding social acceptance for women to have fears and be timid so that men can be protective and brave, but I was also playing out these stories in my head and they characteristically included the images of a woman teetering on top of a kitchen chair and shooing away the persistent mouse with a broom. Granted, her topic was overwhelmed by my stereotypical ideas and comical images, but as I looked more closely at her language, my conviction that it was a female post was cemented. She hedged and qualified her conversation starter as well as somehow filling her story with screaming, laughter, and the asides that would be expected from any dynamic storyteller. This post was inspirational for me, because it managed to show women's language in both of the roles that I have seen researchers lay out for it. It included the intriguing and inclusive language that builds community and drew me into the story, and the unassertive language that seems to disqualify or downplay the points being made.

Gender Theory

In my communications courses and my gender and language course I learned that theorists argue that women are being held back because of their communication styles. My project is based upon, and supported by, these theories. Pamela Fishman (1983) addresses the power relationship between men and women during conversation. While her study focuses mainly on married couples, her theories are still relevant and useful for my project because they address the work involved in creating and maintaining conversations. Her research revealed that the women clearly worked harder. Similar to my research, she found that the women were starting more topics, yet having fewer topics that were considered successful. Women were doing their share of the work in the male initiated conversations by responding or listening as the situation needed. However, the men were not filling the same role for the female-initiated conversations, so the women were forced to do extra work to make their conversations a success. Fishman asserts that the men maintain dominance over both the female and male topics by having the power to decide which conversations will be successful. Similar conclusions can be drawn in my study where women are receiving half as many replies and being ignored twice as often as men.

Robin Lakoff’s (1978) work outlines the traits that characterize women's speech. Being able to select and define these traits was vital to my project because they make it possible for me to decide what can be considered gendered communication. Lakoff breaks female traits down into three major categories: Lexical Traits, Phonological Traits, and Syntactic-Pragmatic Characteristics. The phonological traits are sound patterns in the way women speak and were not a part of my research since the Forum does not document sound patterns. I took several traits directly from the other two categories. Lakoff stresses that these traits are not an aspect of being a woman, but rather, they are cultural expectations associated with gender, which is important because she believes, "Style is a virtue only so long as it is flexible" (1978, p.147). Lakoff worries that these traits, unfortunately, are not flexible. We claim that they are techniques for being polite, but in actuality they are creating an image for women that expresses that we either have no opinions or we are manipulative. Lakoff believes that none of the three are the truth. She claims that these traits are a tool for maintaining non-responsibility, or the refusal to claim responsibility. If this refusal to claim responsibility is present on the Forum, it would explain the discrepancy between the success of men and women's discussions.

Susan Herring's (2005) work is similar to mine not only in the fact that it looks into gender communication, but also in that it focuses on gender communication online. She looks at the differences in communication as well as the differences in computer and Internet access between women and men. Concerning access, she found that slightly more women are Internet users, but, "women and men still do not have equal access to the creation and control of what takes place on the internet" (2005, p. 204). Her study of online communication looked at email, message boards, chat rooms, web pages, and more. Herring found that the Internet offers equality in the tools available, but it does not conceal gender differences as once predicted. The societal roles of men and women transfer over to the Internet and both men and women actively fill them. Neither sex is masking itself with anonymity. Like Herring, my work looks at the ways gender perpetuates online.

Deborah Tannen's (1994) basic theory states that men and women are communicating for two different purposes, and the differences of style are rooted in the differences of goal. She believes that women strive to create connections with their communication, while men strive to obtain status. In order to obtain these goals, female communication styles tend to include qualifiers, hedges, and euphemisms; which are ideal for interpersonal and cooperative communication. These communication tools help build community by being non-confrontational and fostering connectivity. Contrariwise, male communication styles are competitive and assertive. Tannen specializes her theory to address the problems these different, goals could cause in a professional environment. Since male-talk includes an aspect of competition and self promotion that is not a part of female-talk, women may be mistranslated as having a lack of confidence or expertise. My theory is that communication styles extend into our online interactions and that these gender theories could explain the gender discrepancies found on the Forum.

Methodology Creation

It quickly became clear that my theory was a bit convoluted and that I had to break it down into manageable pieces. I decided that the first step in this project was to prove that communication styles extend into our online transactions. It seemed to me the natural first step, because Tannen's theories could not apply unless the Forum was conversational. Since my interest still lay in the gender aspect of our communication I decided to focus on conversational traits that are often considered gendered. As I tried to look through the posts, it quickly became obvious to me that my involvement in this community was inhibiting my ability to be an objective observer. Because I had been reading the Forum intently for a couple years, it was relatively easy for me to associate a post with its author or the thread it originated from. I often found myself thinking things like, "I know that Sarah's posts are usually more feminine than this," or "Michael doesn't normally post like this. This was just a very heated discussion." This is why I decided to find a way to quantify my research. My goal was to create a set of rules that were strict enough that my knowledge about users and conversations could not affect my results. I wanted to force a level of objectivity so that I could even code my own posts with impartiality. I also liked the idea that anyone interested in my work could conduct the same study and produce the same results. What I did not realize at the time of this decision was that I was incorporating a whole new field into my project.

I did not have experience in quantitative research. My advisors recommended that I speak with Dr. Shepherd in the UCA Sociology department. He was working on a project that was also trying to use quantitative analysis to examine written texts. Though he did not have specialized knowledge regarding the gender aspect of my project, his advice provided an experimental foundation for my project. His first suggestion was for me to go through a group of posts and pick out everything that I felt was gendered. Then I should go back and try to articulate why I decided to pick them out. I used the things that I found as well as some traits of gendered communication from Lakoff and Herring to create various 'coding categories.' According to Dr. Shepherd, my plan should be to code a set of sample posts to find and total the number of instances.

The other suggestions that Dr. Shepherd offered were the use of multiple coders and the sample size. He recommended that I have at least three coders to ensure reader reliability. With more than one coder, I could average our results together and hopefully reduce human error. I actually decided to use five coders instead of three. Dr. Shepherd also suggested that I use a sample of 400 posts. This turned out to be the most beneficial suggestion he could make. Because of this suggestion, all of my data is statistically significant, and all of my findings should follow through in larger studies.

Another force that molded my project was the SURF grant. Shortly after my meeting with Dr. Shepherd, my advisors and I decided to apply for the grant. My motivation for applying was to be able to pay the students who were going to help me with my coding. The students I had in were also involved in several campus organizations, working part time jobs, and active in the Honors College. I wanted to be able to offer them an incentive for helping as well as acknowledge how valuable their time is. In getting ready to write my grant proposal, I started to hear troubling stories: that the grant committee did not like humanities projects, and that they were known for only giving money to scientific studies. I also had several other factors working against me. I had heard that they were reluctant to give money to graduating seniors or reward projects that were less than a year long. In order to try to overcome the odds, I worked at making my project as scientific as possible. I tried to set my project up following the scientific method with a testable hypothesis and an experimental plan. I decided to have training and controlled coding sessions to create an environment that would hopefully isolate the variables I was looking for. I also became more intent on finding a way to randomize the sample of posts I used. What I did not realize at the time was that these changes created a solid foundation that successfully supported my project.

The plan I formulated was to create my coding categories first, and then pull out my post sample while I found coders to help with my project. I decided I wanted five coders, including myself, and I wanted them to each code the same 400 posts twice. I planned on having one training session and four different coding sessions that followed a Tuesday/Thursday for two and a half weeks. After the coding, I was going to put the data into SPSS and start analyzing my results. Almost everything went according to plan.

Category Creation

I started by going back over Robin Lakoff's work. Though she did not always have succinct definitions, she had the terminology and examples for my first five categories. My second source for categories came from following Dr. Shepherd's suggestion and using a group of posts from a recent thread in general discussion. I printed the posts off and went through highlighting everything that I thought might be gendered. When I was done with that, I went back through and created categories out of all the highlighting patterns that I could name and explicitly define. My final source of categories was the Susan Herring article "Gender and Power in On-line Communication" (2005). Her work was the closest that I had found to research that I was trying to do. Because of her I added several categories that seemed obvious, but did not think to include since they did not appear in the small selection of posts I used to create categories.

I started with 12 categories, though not all of them had titles or definitions. By the time I finally finished I had removed two, split one in half, and added four more. My first goal was to limit myself to 10 categories, so when I reached 15 I forced myself to stop. I did not want too many categories because I knew it would be a lot for anyone else to learn in a short period of time, but I also did not want to be stereotyping gendered communication by only having a couple of traits. I think it weeded itself out to 15 well. They were the ones that I felt I could accurately name and define.

Sample Set

My next step was to pull out the sample set of posts that would be used for my study. Mike Allen, the Forum Architect, helped me with this step and managed the parts that involve the technology that makes the Forum. First, all of the posts from the social forums were collected, and then separated by sex. Both groups were then randomized. Mike selected the first 250 posts for each sex and gave them to me. I went through each post weeding out 'bad' posts until I had 200 'good' female posts, discarding whatever remained of the initial 250. I then did the same for the male group.

A 'bad' post was any post that did not include communication unique to the poster. An example of this would be if the post was only a link or a picture. If the poster included a phrase like, "check this out it's so cool," with their link then it was included in the study. Another example of a 'bad' post would be an organization announcement. A student might post the announcement of an event that one of their campus organizations is sponsoring, but because it is on behalf of the organization, there is no way to know for sure if the communication is unique to the poster or if it is simply the verbiage from one of their flyers, so they were not useable posts. Once I was done gathering the 400 posts that were going to be part of my study, I brought them back to Mike and the real fun began.

This part of the process always makes me think of the street vendor who is swapping around the nut shells so you will not find the one with the pea inside. I did not want the coders to get used to coding male or female posts. I feared they would start expecting to find gendered traits and they would start coding things as gendered that they normally would not. In order to combat this, after the 400 posts were selected, the two groups were brought back together and re-randomized. This made the coding packets for week one of the research. For week two I wanted the coders to code the same posts for reader reliability, but I did not want them to be in the same context so we mixed them up again. This established the coding packet for the second week and concluded our randomizing frenzy.

Coder Selection

Selecting my coders was the part of the process that I was most worried about. I had applied for my SURF grant, but it was time to sign up coders and I had no idea whether or not I was going to be able to pay them for their time. I was worried that I was going to have difficulty finding students who would have the time to participate even if I could promise them a paycheck. My original goal was to have three coders so that after I included myself I would have four sets of data. I ended up changing my mind and having four coders other than myself so that I could use my data set as a control set or to fill in if anything happened during the study. In choosing my coders, there were three ways that I hopefully minimized biases. The first and most obvious was their gender. I used two women and two men. Secondly, two of my coders, one male and one female, had at some point in college studied gender communication theories. The final characteristic of my coders that might help to avoid bias was their participation level on the Forum itself. All of my coders were honors students so they all had access to the Forum and could have read any of the posts included in the study when they were posted, but only two of them were active users who frequented the social sections of regularly. All four of them were fantastic and generously volunteered their time without any guarantee of pay.

Coder Training

Since I was going to be coding alongside the people working with me, the amount of help that I could offer them during the coding process was very limited. I did not want my assistance to skew the way the coding turned out, so I decided that once the coding process started all I could help them with was clarification of category definitions and examples. They were not allowed to discuss specific posts with me or any of the other coders. I tried to give them enough resources before the coding started that my inability to help would not be a problem. The Thursday prior to the first coding session I had my coder training. I made them a handbook that included a quick reference list of the categories as well as the definitions and examples of each. During the training session, we went through each of the categories one at a time and looked for an example of them in the set of practice posts. After we finished discussing and going over each category, we practiced coding. Then I sent them home with more practice posts to do. I told them to call me anytime they wanted day or night with questions hoping that I would be able to answer everything that might arise before the coding sessions started.

Coding

Completing the coding during scheduled sessions offered numerous benefits. By having the sessions, I was present during the coding so I was able to handle any problems that arose. I was also able to make sure that friends, roommates, and significant others were not affecting the coding by offering help or causing distractions. One of the unexpected benefits was that the coding sessions created a sense of accountability and clearly defined deadlines for the coders. This made the project more pressing and more organized, and I believe that it greatly increased the success of the coding process.

Despite the coding training and coding sessions, there was still some variation between the coders. To get the final data results, all four sets of data were averaged together. A few differences are worth discussing. The first is Jenn Richardson and her modals. Being a copy editor for several of the publications on campus, Jenn was a fantastic coder. However, one of the problems that I ran into was with Jenn and the Modals. According to the Coding Handbook, Modals are "words that change a statement from a simple fact by removing the assertion." These are often signified by would, could, and should. Here is an example. Instead of saying "Go rent a video," someone could say, "If I were you, I would go rent a video," or, "You could go rent a video." The difficulty we had, was that Jenn was coding every instance of would, could, or should as Modals, and often they did not fit the Coding Handbook definition. Someone might say, "If I had a car, I would go rent a video." They used would, but they were not removing assertion. In fact, they were asserting that they would if they could. Fortunately, I caught this during the first coding session and went over the definition we were using with Jenn again.

Another example, and one of my favorite anecdotes from the project, has to do with one particular post and F. John Rickert's decisions in coding it. The post reads, "Yes, you also love to use the same punctuation marks!!! With blatant disregard for the rules of English grammar!!! Repeatedly... Do you use them constantly???" According to the Coding Handbook excessive punctuation and ellipses that indicate a pause are considered Conversational Additions. Each of the coders, with the exception of F.John, coded this post to have four Conversational Additions. F. John highlighted the entire post and coded it as an insult. He may have technically coded it wrong, but I thought it was wonderful. He dealt with the post in a much more successful manner than I believe I did, and he pointed out the need for future studies to have a way to compensate for sarcasm.

Data Results

The data from my research was found to be statistically significant. I can attach a 98% confidence level to this data set, meaning it is extremely likely that the results of this sample are representative of the entire Forum. For a quick overview of the specific results, this chart shows the overall ratio between male and female instances for each of the 15 categories. The yellow indicates a female dominated category and the blue indicates male. The height of the bar reflects the magnitude of the difference or just how 'gendered' the category is. Because of statistical significance of my sample set, the differences between the male and female posts are expected to remain, if not grow, in a larger study.

Online Communication Traits

There were two categories that I created in attempts to compensate for the online aspect of the communication. The results from the Conversational Additions category were supportive of my theory that our communication traits carry over to our online interactions. Conversational Additions are written additions to a post that represent verbal or non-verbal signals that are present during face to face interactions. Examples of this category include words that are underlined or italicized to insinuate a voice change, ellipsis's that represent a pause instead of an etc., and the little happy face pictures known as emoticons. Of the 400 posts in my study 307 of them included at least one Conversational Addition. This shows that Forum users are not only letting their conversational styles "shine through," but are actually striving to make their posts represent the way they interact face to face. This chart, and the charts to follow show, the number of posts that used the trait at least once and the overall number of times the trait was used for each gender. The blue bars represent male posts, the yellow bars, female posts, the blue striped bars represent male instances, and the yellow striped bars are female instances. While neither of these categories were created with the intent of finding gendered results, I did have slight expectations in mind when I made them.

The essential difference between these two categories is how formal they make the post. Considering Tannen's theory that women strive to build community, I expected Conversational Additions to be used more by women then men, Just the opposite was expected for Post Formatting because this category often makes the post look more like a bulleted list or outline and less like a conversation. Both of my expectations held true in the number for men and women who used these traits.

Assertiveness

The theorists in my research that discuss masculine communication all agree that it is assertive. The categories included in my research that were intended to represent Assertiveness are Binding Phrases, Profanity, and Insult/Threats. The results for both Binding Phrases and Profanity support the theory that men are speaking assertively and are more likely to use these methods to communicate. The Insult/Threat category had somewhat different results. It is more likely to find an insult or a threat in a male post, but women used more of them. This means that fewer women used insults, but the ones that did were very insulting. This probably confirms the fact that women are more willing to be emotional during their interactions than men, even if that emotion is a negative one.

Hedging

The majority of my categories were intended to recognize the Hedging in conversation that signals female communication. The most supportive example of Hedging from my research is the Disqualifier category. Disqualifiers are phrases that negate the importance or credibility of presented thoughts or opinions. An example of posting felt that their ideas were silly. According to both Fishman and Lakoff, women use this trait to create a comfortable opening for someone to disagree with what they are proposing. They believe this would be beginning a post with, "Well, I'm not really an expert, but..." or, "This may be a silly idea but ...." Female posts clearly dominated this category, but not because the women that their contributions are worthwhile, but they are trying to foster further suggestions so they do not force their ideas on the community.

Manners

Aside from hedging, women were also creating connectivity by simply being polite. Women were more likely to open their post with a greeting to the community or use a friendly closing much like what you would see in a personal letter. Even though Manners was one of the least counted categories, women were using them twice as often as men.

Unexpected Results

While my research was successful in verifying the different ways that men and women communicate online, there were two categories that generated results opposite what I expected to find. The first category was Lexical Hedges. This trait came directly from Lakoff's work and consisted of the kindasand sortas that are often found in front of adjectives. Such as, "He's kinda nice," or, "That was sorta cool." Contrary to expectations, men were clearly using them more often. This may be because men were using this casual tone to "claim their territory," so to say. Even though they were participating in important academic discussions, they were demonstrating their dominance over the medium by creating an environment where their arguments do not require the special formatting that they would for an academic paper.

The other category with surprising results was Added Party, which is using an uncited source to support your statements. I decided to create this category after observing several of our alumni referencing their spouses. For example, they would say, "My husband and I were talking about this last night, and we decided..." Since this category includes any non-cited references, it counts not just spouses, but also friends, parents, professors, and roommates. Based on my experience reading the Forum I decided to consider this a female trait. As it turns out, not only did this not happen nearly as often as I expected, it was used more often by men. One possible explanation for this is that as far as academics go the Honors College is a fairly tight knit community. What I translated as additions of support may have merely been reports of actual events. Instead of citing friends and roommates for support, the posters were probably just setting up the situation and explaining the context of their following comments.

Conclusions

Despite the opportunity for Forum users to subvert the communication status quo, they continue to live up to the cultural expectations that Lakoff says creates their communication style. Men still have the power to decide which conversations are successful. Women are still allowing their messages to be translated as unassertive. The unbalanced division of power continues online. This power divide is detrimental not only to the women trying to communicate, but also to the communities that are not hearing their voices. While it may be capable of containing and displaying written and verbal forms of communication, the Internet is neither. Rather, it is a hybrid of both, and it is going to require research and a new set of communications rules.

Potential Implementations

This project is something more than findings from specific research. This research digs to the core of Internet and language research. I have done more than discover differences between men and women of the UCA Honors College. I have created a tool for studying communication online. It is simple and at this moment a bit rough, but its untapped potential is enormous. It cannot prove or disprove communication theory, but it creates a quantitative option that did not previously exist. It attaches numbers to a field of anecdotes, and it does so without researcher interference. The Internet stores a cornucopia of messages ripe for exploration. With the tool I forged, we can study the differences between women and men as they communicate via message board, e-mail, chat, blog, Web space, and more. Beyond that, as the Internet finds its way into more homes globally, we can study more than just gender. Our independent variable could be ethnicity, social class, or level of education. We have to strive to study all of these things, because the sooner we learn about the differences in how people talk, the sooner we can help them communicate effectively with one another.

Personal Reflection

I found myself in deeper than I was comfortable with in this project. My education in sociological statistics felt a lot like getting thrown overboard and being told to swim, but I floated and I made it. Now I find myself in a place where treading water is not an option. I have to decide between going deeper or heading back to shore. Through my project I have discovered that the exceptionally educated students of the Honors College do not know how to communicate online. This is not the fault of the Honors College. Quite the opposite: the Forum is one of the few opportunities students at the university have to practice with this medium and receive constructive feedback. Despite this fantastic resource, there is so much more that needs to be done to teach students how to communicate online. I cannot head for the beach because the Honors College, the Forum, and the role they are going to have in Internet communication has gotten me too excited to swim away. People entering the professions are invariably required to use some sort of online communication. Internet forum systems provide the perfect medium from which we can derive the tools useful in understanding netiquette. Even more exciting is that not only are we equipped to learn the rules of this medium, but we are the generation that will be writing the rules for this medium. How formal is an email supposed to be? What is appropriate material for a company blog? How should an individual represent themselves on MySpace or Facebook? How long can an asynchronous conversation remain idle before it is improper to reply to it? We will be answering these questions, and I do not want to miss that.

References

Fishman, P.M. (1983). Interaction: The Work Women Do. In B. Thome, C. Kramerae, & N, Henly, (Eds.) Language, Gender, and Society. (pp. 89-101). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishing.

Herring, S. C. (2005). Gender and Power in On-line Communication. In J. Holmes, & M. Meyerhoff, (Eds.) The Handbook of Language and Gender. (pp. 202-228).

Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Lakoff, R.T. (2000). The Language War. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.

Lakoff, R. T. (1987). Women's Language. In D. Butturff, & E. Epstein, (Eds.) Women's Language and Style. (pp. 139-158). Akron, OH: L&S Books.

Tannen, D. (1994). Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Turkle,S. (1988). Computational Reticence: Why Women Fear the Intimate Machine. In C. Kramarae (Ed.) Technology and Women's Voices: Keeping in Touch. (pp. 41-61). London: Routledge & Kegan in Association with Methuen.

Recommended Resources

Gauntlett, D. (2002). Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction. New York, NY: Routledge.

Heeter, C. (1994). Gender Differences and VR: A Non-User Survey of What Women Want. Virtual Reality World, March/April, pp. 75-85.

Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. New York, NY: Touchstone.

The Invisible Knapsack

2007-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Last semester I had the opportunity to participate in a webinar on white privilege. The presentation relied heavily on Peggy McIntosh's Unpacking The Knapsack. It wasn't the first time that I had 'unpacked the knapsack' before, but several of the participants seemed to be unfamiliar with it. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend that you do. It sets up the metaphor that being white equips me with an invisible knapsack of tools that I use to make my life easier. An example she gives is, "I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed." I think it is a great tool for introducing someone to white privilege, but our presenter used it to create suggestions for addressing the problems of racism. I don't think the metaphor can stretch that far.

It is the 'tools' in the knapsack that cause problems when we try to fix them. The metaphor of tools suites the privileges because it helps illustrate my involvement. I have and use these tools so racism is my issue even though I am white. Where it falls short is the active intentionality of using tools. Let me use one of the examples to illustrate my point. One of them is, "Whether I use check, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability." Stating this creates awareness that other races are assumed to have poor credit, but I do not 'count on my skin color' to convince any one of my good credit. Rather, this is a privilege given by the absence of race. Someone (who is also white) that I am interacting with is not going to think, "She's white; this check won't bounce." I'm not going to think, "Maybe since I'm white, he will not make me write my work phone number on here." Neither of us is thinking about my race because being white allows me to be raceless. Many of these privileges are not tools, but actually an absence of burden.

If they were tools, I could make a decision to stop using them or to work to provide them to others. As an absence of burden, the issue is more difficult to address. I can't decide to take on the burden the same way I can stop using the tool. Telling the cashier in the grocery store, "Just because I'm white doesn't mean I have good credit," isn't going to overcome the stereotype that certain minorities write bad checks. As an individual I can try to avoid making assumptions in hopes of not burdening others, but doing that would not be a helpful action. Instead of acting, I would be striving for an inaction, and my inaction will not relieve their burden because they have to assume that I am making the same assumptions as everyone else.
It is frustrating and upsetting, and it seems so much easier to just promise to stop using my tools, but it can't work that way. Being aware of the tools is the first step, and using them for good is a possible goal. Past that, a new plan and a new metaphor needed.

What's in a Name?

2007-05-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

Since August, I've been working in our university's external grants office. I've seen the effort that both the faculty and our office put into grant proposals. Research is done to prove a need for their project. Seminars are attended to learn how to write a budget. Draft after draft is edited and rewritten. The campus is scoured to hunt down everyone who might have a stake in the project and get their signed approval. All of this is done with the pressure of knowing that there is only so much money and only a chance that this project will even be approved. I've submitted a social science proposal to a hard sciences funder. I know what it is like to worry that they just won't understand why my project should be important to them.

Like every other faculty member who has ever applied for an NSF grant Hillary Anger Elfenbein went through this too. She was also fortunate enough to go through the elation and relief of being funded. What she didn't realize was that Congress was going to see her project title, Accuracy in the cross-cultural understanding of others' emotions, and consider it silly. The merit of her project was brought before the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

So much of academia functions on peer review, but Congress can throw it all out the window and judge these projects by their titles? I understand that taxpayer monies fund NSF and that it is a government grant, but if Congress wants to have some oversight and involvement, their appropriate role would be to evaluate and asses the standards that NSF uses to make their decisions. John Campbell's response that these projects are, "raiding Social Security funds," is what I find silly. The government spends a lot of money on a lot of things, education and research are not the standards I want to cut. The time spent by Congress to review her proposal after it was already approved by NSF and after military officials commended it for the potential uses by soldiers in Iraq , was also funded by tax payers. Does that time, "rise to the standard of requiring expenditures of taxpayer funds in a time of deficits?"

"Education Under Attack"

2007-04-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Virgina Tech has made all of us sensitive to the potential for unexpected violence. Part of that is because we see schools as a safe place. Students and teachers are unacceptable targets. Even now we see the threat coming from disturbed individuals instead of groups or governments, and for that we are lucky.

The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has been researching the violence committed against education by military and political groups. The report Education Under Attack outlines their findings and discusses several case studies. This report excludes student to student violence. Rather it talks about the teachers and young girls who are attacked in Afghanistan who are attacked by military groups who don't believe women should be educated. It talks about the groups that raid schools for soldiers and kill any students who refuse to enlist. Teachers are refusing to teach because they know that it is putting the students' lives at risk. Many of these schools cannot ask for protection, because the military troops that the government would send out are just as much a target as the school is.

According to the report, these attacks are increasing. The number of lives lost for education is increasing, and because of it, the number of children receiving an education is decreasing. In these areas that are entangled in civil combat, children who are not in the classroom are hauling ammo or searching for land mines. I mourn for the people in America who suffered a loss to school violence. I ache for the countries that are losing their futures to school violence.

A Moment...

2007-04-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment to remember those that died yesterday, and to recognize the unrest of Blacksburg. Heartache: 32 Fallen

Ross Abdallah Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian Roy Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee
Liviu Librescu
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain
Daniel Patrick O'Neil
J. Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Daniel Alejandro Perez
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole White

To Teach or Not To Teach

2007-04-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

This is a debate that I've been having with myself since I was old enough to think about what I want to be when I grow up. I have always been told that I should work with kids, and teach elementary school, but right now, I'm in a program that is teaching me about being any of the people on a college campus other than faculty. I like the things that I'm learning, and they are certainly applicable to the classroom as well. However, I'm still trying to decide what it is I want to be doing.

Teaching sounds wonderful, but there are a few things that have made me reluctant to pursue it. At the primary and secondary level, their are two scary factors. The first is parents. They often seem to have the best of intentions, but to use the forest for the trees metaphor, they sometimes can't see the classroom because of how much they love their kid, or they can't see their child because of the ambitions that they have for them.

My hypocrisy plays in here a bit too. As much as I don't want parents telling me what I should be doing to teach their special youngster, I have problems dealing with parents who are having a negative impact on their own kids. I taught a girl at Sonshine who was really a sweet kid. She had no self-esteem and she got into trouble, but she seemed to be drawn to it and rarely the instigator of it. Every time I saw her with her mother, she was being told that she was a pain, trouble, annoying, too loud, a problem, or in the way. She was a great kid, but she didn't know it because that's not what she was being told. It breaks my heart to see those things happen, and I know that I would want to speak up if I had a bigger role in their life.

The second thing that bothers me is the kids that will hate me for no reason other than because I am an authority figure. I can't imagine how I would deal with that. I suppose eventually I would figure it out. Some more education classes might even teach me a couple possibilities, but it is something that I know I will loose sleep over.

Of course, that concern extends into teaching in higher education, but what bothers me more is tenure. Don't get me wrong, job security and academic freedom sound great, but politics and the games to get there don't sound that great to me. I'd like to do research, and I'd like to publish, but if I was teaching, it would be because I want to teach. I would prioritize my class over my journal article and that could doom me to being adjunct forever. I haven't experienced it, but I have heard rumors that being adjunct after a certain point in your career keeps you from gaining respect.

To top all of that off I don't know what subject I could teach, but that is not much of a barrier. To teach at the university level I would have to get another degree anyway, and to teach primary or secondary I would want some education courses before I tested for certification. I am be a good teacher. People tell me it all the time, and I know that it is true, but I am good at student services too. I am good at Public Relations, and I'm sure there are other things I could be good at. I just have to decide what it is that I want to do.

No More Snow Days

2007-03-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Queen Anne School in Maryland responds to snow, not by canceling school, but rather by having a Cyber School Day. The students get up, log in, and interact with their classmates and teachers virtually. Here's the NPR story where you can hear more. No Snow Day for You: Log On to Homeroom I can't help but smile when Mr. Blackwood says, "As headmaster, I can tell you that I know more about what goes on and can really validate the worth while nature of it on a cyber school day than I can when their on campus, because I can't be everywhere at once on campus. "

Having this connection in place between students and their teachers is amazing. Not only could a system like this be used for the entire school for events like snow days or that time in the 4th grade when my entire school was sent home because the lice was spreading too fast. It can also help to prevent smaller groups and individuals from falling behind. For example, when the football team makes it to state, and they spend a week or more at Playoffs they already have this connection to class. My senior year a girl in my class was out for a month and a half because of major surgery. She didn't catch up in time to graduate with us.

The best part of this story is that they have been doing this for seven years. This story is a perfect example of two things that I believe very strongly. First, technology can accent and contribute to education without the threat of it replacing anything or anyone. Secondly, using the technology we have to it's fullest extent is just as important as any of the new gadgets that are coming out.

Struggling in Math? Try Neuroscience!

2007-03-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

Psychologist Carol Dweck headed a study where a group of 100 students that were struggling in math were randomly assigned to participate in two different workshops. One workshop was on study skills, and the other was on how the brain works and information is stored. The students that learned about the brain did considerably better. They embraced their potential by being taught that they have the ability to learn no matter how 'smart' they believe they are. Here is the story with more information: Students View of Intelligence Can Help Grades

I love these results and I hope that more parents adopt these ideas so that student will experience education as a process of learning instead of a sorting between the good and the bad. Another article that emphasizes my point is The Inverse Power of Praise from New York Magazine. Researchers and psychologists have told parents not to call their children stupid, naughty, bratty, spoiled, bad, or incapable because those kids will define themselves by those labels and follow the stereotypes that their parents have placed upon them. The answer to this, however, is not to call them smart, successful, and good so they fill those stereotypes. This creates a dichotomy between smart and stupid. If you are labeled either of these, there is no process (or work) to become one or the other. There is no reason for 'stupid' to strive for smart, and there is no reason for 'smart' to put effort into maintaining that status, because it is an arbitrary assignment. If children have to do smart things to become smart then they are not as confined by our labels and that attributes they associate with them.

This is incredible

2007-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a short YouTube clip on Web 2.0:
Web 2.0 ... is Us/ing us

It made me giddy!

Here is the Inside Higher Ed Article on Viral Videos that led me to it.

Better Late Than Never

2007-01-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

So, I was tagged, and Jenn beat me to it, but I haven't forgotten. I've just been taking my time ;) I now present to you six weird things about me related to graduate school or collegiate student services.

1. I can't Study -- Despite my continuing education, and the fact that I cannot foresee any point in the future where I will not be in/at a university, I cannot study. I can do my homework and absorb material throughout the semester. I can memorize a specific diagram, chart, or factoid if I know that it will be on the test, but I cannot study in general (especially cram) before a test. The more I study, the more I convince myself I don't know, and the more stressed I become. I loose sleep and I panic. By the time I get to the test I've spent so much time scolding myself for not already knowing the information, that I've convinced myself that I don't know any of it, and the test becomes overwhelming.

2. That makes me the opposite of Mike -- Mike crams... not only does Mike cram, he crams out loud. Normally this wouldn't matter too much, but we somehow thought it would be a fantastic idea if we both took the same graduate program at the same time. In true newly wed bliss we share everything including textbooks. So, at the last possible moment before the test, I need to relax, breathe, clear my mind and be calm. What I end up getting is Mike talking to himself about the chapter and driving me just a little nuts. All in all it has definitely been a bonding experience.

3. I've become very domestic in grad school -- Maybe it has something to do with getting married. Maybe it has something to do with how unhealthy I was during my thesis. Maybe it is just because I like the routine, but I've become quite the cook. I get off of work at 4:30 come home and cook dinner for us almost every night. I take leftovers to eat at work most days and I'm having fun doing it. I've eaten better in the past few months than probably my entire undergraduate experience.

4. I don't get to look like a student -- There is a stereotypical image that portrays college student. While yours may vary a bit, it usually includes battered blue jeans, worn sneakers, slightly disheveled hair, and a bulging backpack. Despite my love for bluejeans and sneakers, I have sacrificed that look. The CSPA program at UCA allows us to start working with our peers and within our field right away. In order to help mold us into professionals, and to allow the rest of the field to see us as professionals, we are required to wear business casual for classes and meetings.

5. I haven't found my talent -- Often by the time a student has picked their major, they've discovered their talents and their passions and decided what they want to be when they grow up. I haven't done that yet. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. With one full degree and 25% of the second that might not be the best thing. My current plan of action is to keep studying the things that interest me and hopefully soon a discovery will be made.

6. I am debt free! -- This is probably the cruelest to brag about but I currently am and at the end of my master's degree I will be debt free. My husband will also be debt free at the end of his master's degree. We owe it all to UCA and the Honors College. I hate the thought of students starting life in the 'real world' with debt. It is not a sign of responsibility or sacrifice. It is a sign of poor societal priorities.

Discrimination in Registered Student Organizations

2006-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Abstract

Christian groups have filed lawsuits against several institutions across the country on behalf of students and student organizations. These lawsuits deal with the students’ rights to speak out against homosexuality and restrict homosexual students from joining Christian organizations on campus. These lawsuits follow a recent movement is fueled by gay rights activists and groups promoting universities to change their tolerance and anti-discrimination policies to include sexual orientation.

Discrimination in Registered Student Organizations

Is it discrimination to forbid someone to discriminate? Are tolerance laws intolerable? Is hate speech protected by free speech? These questions seem circular at first glance, but they are the foundation of a serious issue currently facing leaders in higher education. Institutions across the nation are reviewing their anti-discrimination policies and it seems students are protesting no matter what decision they make. The Human Rights Campaign is crossing the nation asking colleges to reassess their policies and consider adding sexual orientation to the list of traits that they will not discriminate against. In their wake, the Alliance Defense Fund is filing lawsuits for discrimination and violation of the first amendment. As university officials make decisions about these issues, they are setting a precedent that will affect the country in ways that extend beyond the campus borders.

GLBT Rights

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an organization that works for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender rights. “By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.” (Human, 2004) On this issue they work to end campus discrimination for both students and employees based on sexual orientation. Several years ago they began asking campuses to change their policy and at last report 562 colleges have made the adjustment. (Jaschick, 2006) They offer several arguments for why the change should be made.

The first argument supporting gay rights seems to be the most simplistic. Sexual orientation should be added to anti-discrimination policies to stop and prevent discrimination. Anti-discrimination campaigns are not uncommon and they have created the policies that are currently in place. They stand behind the assertion that it is the responsibility of the institution to protect its students and staff. This side asserts that while no one deserves to be discriminated against in the first place, if discrimination is not prevented it leads to hate speech, and hate speech leads to hate crimes. The way for a college to be proactive is to stop the discrimination.

A second argument is that the University needs to update it policy in order to stay competitive. If they want to appear progressive and concerned with student rights they should change their policy before they are forced to. Both students and parents want to invest in a university that fosters a safe environment and actively deciding to permit or perpetuate discrimination does not convey that. It becomes an issue of what the institution wants to stand for. When discussing a recent decision by Virginia Tech to remove sexual orientation from the policy HRC national field director Seth Kilbourn said, “Virginia Tech needs to decide if it wants to be known as a place of higher learning or lower principles.” (Human, 2003)

Their final argument is directed more specifically at the recent opposition by Christian organizations. They assert that public institutions do not have the responsibility to uphold and promote religious ideals. GLBT staff and students have not decided to go to private religious institutions and demand special treatment. Rather, they have gone to an institution that they as citizens support with taxes. This argument has the fundamental weakness that most state policies do not include sexual orientation and therefore none of the other tax supported state agencies are required to include it in their policies.

Religious Freedom

This status quo argument is one of the strongest offered by the Christian organizations. The Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (FEEO) laws state, “We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and there fore do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, or disability.” (Equal, 2004) This policy is in place for all federal employees. At the state level, the state governments have made their own policies for state employees. Since these policies represent a minimum requirement, the majority of states have based their policy off the federal standard just as the majority of institutions have based theirs off the state. At any level they have the freedom to expand upon the policy, and its affects will trickle down to any policies at a lower level. In this case the institution policies are trickling down into the student organization policies. The argument here is that if there are no federal or state changes, then there is no need for an institutional change.

The next two arguments supporting religious freedom both deal with the first amendment but they are separated by the rights being claimed and the types of trials that they are surfacing in. The first of these is the right to religious freedom. This argument is the basis for the cases where Christian student organizations on campus are being denied funding or RSO status because they have policies that keep homosexual students from being members or leaders of the group. Lawsuits like these have taken place at Southern Illinois University, Ohio State University, and Arizona State University. “Legal scholars see the cases as a conflict between the First Amendment's guarantee of free exercise of religion and its requirement that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.’” (Murphy, 2005) Students are saying that forcing them to accept members with different religious views negates the purpose of the organization and restricts their religious freedom. Other student organizations have the right to limit student access and so should they. This argument has had tremendous success in the courts. Southern Illinois was forced to recognize their student group, and several universities that are still waiting for a ruling have been told to recognize their groups in the interim.

These cases are being fought by both the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Legal Society (CLS). The ADF is “a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation,” and CLS is a professional association of Christian attorneys. (About ADF, 2006) The second strain of lawsuits that they are filing focus more on the freedom of speech aspect of the first amendment. This argument asserts that tolerance policies that ban negative speech about homosexuality violate the first amendment right to free speech. Faculty have gotten more involved with this argument because of the implications speech bans may have on Academic Freedom. ADF’s Director for Academic Freedom David French says, “The old draconian speech codes were unconstitutional because they enabled university officials to engage in blatant viewpoint discrimination. The new policies make it impossible to punish a student expressing his or her viewpoint simply because someone finds that speech offensive” after an ADF victory that resulted in Penn State altering its speech code policy. (Penn State, 2006) Students are increasingly stepping forward to demand their right to speak out against homosexuality. A lawsuit has recently been brought forward against Georgia Institute of Technology and the hopes are that the precedent of Penn State will start another trend of success.

Significance

These rulings have the potential to impact every aspect of higher education. In the immediate future homosexual students and organizations can be expected to return this issue to the courts. This extends beyond the universities that have already begun this process to every college in the nation. These organizations will be reviewing campus policies in hopes of finding some that are weak or poorly worded so that making a change and claiming a victory will be easy. Both sides of this issue will be actively working to build up legal support. In more general ways, students, staff, and faculty will start including the institution’s stance on this issue when they make decisions about coming here. In this way it is no different than any other issue a college can take a stance on, but just like those other issues, decisions will have to be made about what the institution stands for and who they want to attract.

This issue will also affect higher education well into the future. As alluded to before, even campuses that are not currently facing litigation need to have a close look at their policies and their missions. It only took a few years for the issue of gay marriage to make its way through the nation’s state elections. There is reason to expect this issue to have the same driving power behind it. Universities need to consider how these decisions will affect students beyond extra curricular involvement and free speech areas. By altering campus tolerance policies, institutions may be setting the ground work for a hostile environment where students are turning societal issues into personal attacks. In addition, the campus is the student’s first interaction with their future profession. Universities are setting a standard of expectation that will follow the student to the work place and graduate school. Once again this is an issue of the institution comparing these decisions to their goals for the students.

Aside from the students these lawsuits are setting a standard that is already working its way into campus employment. If the faculty are demanding the right to discriminate then staff may soon follow. If the university has set a standard that allows discrimination, even if that standard is in an RSO, it makes the battle to include sexual orientation on employment policies even harder. It may seem like a slippery slope, but that is how legal precedent is used. For example, in these university lawsuits lawyers were using the recent ruling on the right of Boy Scouts of America to discriminate. If we continue to take this to the next step, campus decisions to exclude sexual orientation in equal employment could affect all state employees. This quickly becomes an issue that deals with all government jobs.

Personal Opinion

Though not intentionally, I may have already given my position on this issue away in the Significance section. I side with HRC and against the decisions made in the majority of these lawsuits. My initial, and often emotional, response is that Christianity does not necessitate speaking out against homosexuality. There are plenty of Christian faiths that tolerate homosexuality and there are even GLBT Christian churches. However, it is also my opinion that the worst possible reaction of a university leader would be to tell students, employees, community members, and peers that they don’t understand their religion.

After counting to ten and maybe some meditation, my opinion is still in full support of HRC and the two different types of cases have two different types of responses. In the first issue of allowing homosexual students to be members of Christian organizations the main thing that I find important is framing. This issue needs to be reframed. They are not Christian organizations. They are Student Organizations. They are not funded by the local churches; they are funded by student fees. Christianity is the interest that brings all of these students together, and as I mentioned before Christianity does not dictate anti-homosexuality. If I as a leader at an institution were faced with this issue, I would like to think that I would handle it similarly to Arizona State. Out of court, they decided to allow the student organization to continue as an RSO provided they, “opened membership to all students, heterosexual and homosexual, who uphold its religious values regarding sexual behavior.” (Murphy, 2005) I think that it is good for students to be involved with organizations that are formed with the basis of religious beliefs. It is great for students to have that kind of support as they make the transitions to independence and adulthood. I don’t want to see these student groups abolished, I want them to function within campus tolerance policies.

The second issue of free speech is the one that truly upsets me. Ruth Malhotra started a lawsuit in March because her university “bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation.” (Simon, 2006) She is not upset because there is no free speech area on her campus. She is not upset because she is prohibited from discussing and debating the current issue of gay marriage. She is upset because she is not allowed to ‘put down others.’ A person’s rights only extend until they infringe on the rights of another, and homosexual students have the right to higher education with out personal attacks on the sexual orientation. Maybe I am nit picking with this particular case, but in my opinion it would be handled better with a student, a counselor, and maybe a diversity trainer. Unfortunately, involvement of organizations like ADF and CLS make that impossible at this point. I do not know the series of events that led up to her decision to pursue litigation but I would hope that the answer would fall somewhere before this point. Regardless, this is the situation that Georgia Institute of Technology is in right now. As a leader of this institution I would once again want to accomplish something out of court. In court I have the power to defend my decisions, but I do not have the power to make the decisions. I would try to work with this student to identify the differences between issue debates or protests and personal attacks. Together we may be able to work out an area or forum where these debates could be held and develop a code of conduct and a set of guidelines for it. Our goal should be to make sure that the guidelines are unbiased and still protect the students.

These are not easy issues to discuss. They are emotionally charged and polarized. It saddens me that they are being addressed through the court systems, but perhaps if enough colleges take heed, they can begin now assessing and justifying their policies so that legal disputes will be unnecessary.

References

ADF: Alliance Defense Fund (2006). About ADF Accessed December 5, 2006. http://alliancedefensefund.org/about/Default.aspx.

ADF: Alliance Defense Fund (2006) ADF Wins First Amendment Lawsuit For Christian Silenced By SUNY College Officials. May 24, 2006. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3765.

ADF: Alliance Defense Fund (2006). Penn State Revokes Unconstitutional Speech Codes After ADF Intervention. May 22, 2006. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3761.

ADF: Alliance Defense Fund (2006). University Life. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://alliancedefensefund.org/issues/ReligiousFreedom/UniversityLife.aspx.

Cohen, J. (2006). Southern Illinois University is told to recognize group. Chicago Tribune. July 11, 2006 Accessed through The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Religion News December 5, 2006. http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=10848.

Equal Employment Opportunity (2004). About Equal Employment Opportunity. April 20, 2004. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://www.eeoc.gov/abouteeo/overview_laws.html.

Human Rights Campaign. (2003). HRC Deplores Virginia Tech’s Move to Omit Sexual Orientation From Anti-Discrimination Policy. March 13, 2003. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=9879&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm.

Human Rights Campaign. (2004). About the Human Rights Campaign. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_HRC.

Jaschick, S. (2006) Long-fought Win for Gay Rights. Inside Higher Ed. Sept. 18. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/18/bias.

Murphy, K. (2005). Student Groups in a Clash of Church and State U. Religion News Service. November 26, 2005 Accessed through The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Religion News December 5, 2006. http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=5772.

Press Release (2004). Center for law & religious freedom sues Ohio state university over discriminatory “non-discrimination” policy: Christian Legal Society Chapter at OSU Law School Told to Accept Non-Christians, Practicing Homosexuals as Leaders and Members. March 12, 2004 Released by Christian Legal Society. Accessed December 5, 2006. http://www.clsnet.org/clrfPages/pr_2004-03-12.php.

Simon, S. (2006). Christians Sue for Right Not to Tolerate Policies. Los Angeles Times. April 10, 2006. Accessed through The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Religion News December 5, 2006. http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=10330

Wisconsin Experimental College

2006-12-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

Abstract

In 1927 Alexander Meiklejohn founded the Experimental College (Ex-college) at the University of Wisconsin. It was a program that strived to provide an education that would enrich students and create citizens. It threw contemporary structure aside and challenged higher education. There were no formal grades and the faculty lived in the same building as the students. Its uniqueness attracted adversity and in 1932 cost cuts shut it down. The program itself only lasted five years but the philosophy behind it persists in learning communities throughout the country.

Wisconsin Experimental College

In the mid-1920s was undergoing a new wave of criticism. Abraham Flexner had started printing his critiques the decades prior and in response visionaries of higher education were immerging. The traditional student had reached the average age of 18-22, and the curriculum has been broken up into courses for credit hours that add up to a major and a degree. While this set up sounds similar to what we see now, one of the defining differences is that, at this point in history, there are no general education requirements. This caused several critics to question the purpose and practicality of college. Some claimed that college had no purpose aside from preparing for graduate school and that young men who were interested in work would be wasting their time in a university.

Alexander Meiklejohn was one of the most exciting visionaries of the time. He decided to address the issues in American higher education with a food metaphor. He called the contemporary learning model the cafeteria education. Allowing students to choose their own food is not going to ensure that they have a healthy diet. They quickly end up with too much protein and not enough vitamins. He decided to start an experimental college to work on reforming the education model. It was a lack of funding and the young, ambitious, and new President of the University of Wisconsin Glenn Frank that convinced Meiklejohn to associate his experiment with an institution.

Meiklejohn aimed to change more than just the curriculum; he was challenging the entire setup and structure of higher education. He believed that college should engage students as citizens so they could participate in democracy, but he believed that higher education did just the opposite and in actuality was fostering apathy and indifference. “Envisioning a small college where instructors and students would be colleagues, Meiklejohn proposed a school in the nature of an experiment where traditional notions of curriculum standards and teaching methods would be abolished in favor of an integrated study of various subjects taught in the style of the Greek philosopher Socrates.” (Abler, 2002) He wanted students and faculty to interact as peers, so he made his college residential. The faculty and the students lived together in their own building on campus. Unfortunately, this kept female students from participating since co-ed living was not an option for the students. This arrangement created a relationship between faculty and students that Meiklejohn believed was directly responsible for the success of his ‘experiment.’ He said, “The college, we have said, intends, by using scholarship–its fruits or processes or both of these—to so cultivate and strengthen the intelligence of a pupil that he may be ready to take responsibility for the guidance of his own behavior.” (Meiklejohn, 1932)

This community focused on the students’ first two years study, and learned about civilizations. The first year was dedicated to ancient Athens and the second year to modern English or American culture. “Both years involved intense scrutiny of all imaginable aspects of society: architecture, philosophy, politics, justice systems, geography, sculpture and painting, law, science, money and banking, war, social inequality, marital institutions, education, medicine, evolution and downfall of the society-if it could be named, chances are it was integrated into the Ex-College curriculum.” (Abler, 2002) In order to accomplish this, the year was broken down into six week sections that were each lead by a faculty member. There were four or five class sessions, several smaller group meetings, and at least one individual meeting between the faculty member and the student happened every week. The faculty member taught the subjects they knew as they pertained to the civilizations being studied and the students did extensive reading and produced a paper concerning the subject matter of each six week session. In addition to these papers there were two major project papers. At the end of the sophomore year there was an essay on The Education of Henry Adams, and the summer after the Freshman year was a ‘regional study’ that, “Was an extensive study of an American community, often the student’s hometown or some other area with which he was familiar. The project was intended to integrate the knowledge and special insight that the student had gained in his year of societal study by applying that perspective to an actual community.” (Abler, 2002) These major projects often extended beyond these guidelines and included the students’ commentary about the society as well as the Ex-college.

From the beginning, Meiklejohn had several issues that he felt were going to be difficult for the Ex-college. The first of which was student responsibility. He worried that students at age 18 were not ready to bear the burden of being peers with faculty. There was always the concern that without explicit rewards and punishments students would not behave like adults or complete their work. External observers were also eager to contribute to this criticism. They believed that their continual food fights and disregard for quite hours were evidence of their inability to handle the responsibility of the work as well as the freedom of the environment. Despite that, they did manage to be successful. As one alumni put it, “If you wanted to goof off, you could. But I think that there was probably less of that then might have been expected because the majority of them were serious students who went along with what the general intent of the place was.” (Abler, 2002)

Secondly, Meiklejohn worried about the demand on faculty. He strived to hire faculty from outside the college for several reasons. Mainly he wanted teachers who would be willing to experiment and were not attached the standard of how things were, but also he wanted faculty with fewer ties to the University of Wisconsin in hopes that it would mean fewer obligations. He knew that incorporating such intensive involvement with students would consume time and energy and he was afraid that it would be too arduous for the professors. This concern came true in many ways. Despite being hired by Meiklejohn for the Ex-college, the faculty understandably still had obligations to the university and living on campus gave them no escape from these burdens. Everyone’s exhaustion is one of the reasons that the experiment was so easy to end. (Meiklejohn, 1932)

Next he worried about the criticism of non-expert teaching by the faculty. In order to cover the range of subjects that the program did with the staff available, faculty members were going to have to do some teaching outside the field of their degrees. Meiklejohn decided to accept this issue for what it was, but not to fix it. He believed that if there were more faculty and the sessions were shorter than six weeks he would be sacrificing the mentorship and extensive engagement that the program was all about. He also believed that the faculty learning along side the students would not only strengthen their bond, but also the students’ ability. If the faculty were extended just past their comfort zone, there was more assurance that they were working with students to ask the critical questions instead of just telling students their already formed critical assessments. (Meiklejohn, 1932)

In a different form of assessment, Meiklejohn’s final concern was in reporting student achievement. The majority of student work was out of class reading and class participation. Occasionally there would be a quiz, but they were infrequent and there were no tests. While there were regular papers, they were graded subjectively. Meiklejohn stood behind the belief that the relationship between the faculty member and the student would provide enough information for assessing their performance. In these small classes and individual meetings it was readily apparent which students had adequately prepared and which ones had not. (Meiklejohn, 1932)

Meiklejohn’s last two concerns dealt more with concern over the criticism he expected to receive as opposed aspects of the college that he believed were troubled. He was certainly justified in addressing them because, as predicted, they came up. Unfortunately there were several problems that he did not consider that eventually brought about the end of the Ex-college. The first of these was a lack of enrollment. Meiklejohn’s model flourished as a small college, so he never worked to expand it and a steady decline in enrollment gave the program the appearance of being unsuccessful. In addition to this, an increasing number of the students applying were from out of state. Fewer and fewer Wisconsin students were electing to take part in the experiment. In the end it became hard to justify a program that was losing students and potentially alienating in-state students. (Abler, 2002)

Alienation was happening in other ways as well. Faculty and students from the institution felt that the Ex-college was excluding itself from the university as a whole. Since Meiklejohn’s original plan was to be a separate college, it is easy to understand that it may have had difficulty integrating into the rest of the university. While the program had difficulty integrating, the students did not. The Ex-college did not teach any trade or professional classes, so students were involved with the rest of the college for any courses they took that counted toward their major. The Ex-college was also deficient in teaching languages and sciences yet expected the students to be well versed in them. Additionally, the students were regularly involved in campus organizations, and often in leadership roles. Justified or not, the sentiment existed and the appearance of exclusion may have attracted extra critics.

It is possible that Meiklejohn’s liberal use of the term ‘experiment’ gave President Frank a limited view of the Ex-college. Whatever caused it, “President Frank spoke of the College as a temporary establishment, a testing ground for ideas on educational reform, rather than a legitimate institution of learning.” (Abler, 2002) This in conjunction with a need to make funding cuts during the depression brought an end to Ex-college. In the 1931-1932 school year Meiklejohn stopped accepting new freshman and after five years the Experimental College was closed. Meiklejohn continued to teach for the University of Wisconsin in philosophy and eventually left to start an adult learning center in California that was based on the same principles as the Ex-college.

Despite the Experimental College being shut down, Meiklejohn’s revolutionary ideas persisted in higher education. They persisted in his students who today, in their nineties, continue to gather as alumni in testament to the strength of the experience he created. In education, he inspired others to question the standard of curriculum and value the liberal arts education. The Ex-college foreshadowed, “both in duration and intent many experimental colleges of the 1960’s.” (Cohen, 1998) In more current ways, “More than five hundred colleges and universities now offer some type of ‘learning community’ in which students take two or more courses as a group.” (Smith, 2003) His concepts have been brought to successful fruition across the nation and are enriching students. A recent National Survey of Student Engagement found that, “participation in learning communities was positively related to diversity experiences, student gains in personal and social development, practical competence, general education, and overall satisfaction with the undergraduate college experience.” (Smith, 2003)

Alexander Meiklejohn has been partnered with John Dewey and Abraham Flexner for the impact he has had on higher education. He dedicated his life to putting his philosophies to the test and improving the methods that we use to teach students. His philosophies offered us an original way to consider the student and the process of learning.

References

Abler, E. (2002). The Experimental College Remembering Alexander Meiklejohn and an Era of Ideas Archive: A Journal of Undergraduate History 5, 50-75 Accessed December 4, 2006. http://uwho.rso.wisc.edu/Archive/Erin%20Abler%20volume%205.pdf

Cohen, A. (1998). The Shaping of American Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Integrated Liberal Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Meiklejohn’s Influence at UW-Madison. Accessed December 4, 2006. http://www.wisc.edu/ils/Meiklejohn.html

Meiklejohn, A. (1932). The experimental college. New York: Harper. Accessed December 4, 2006. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/UW/UW-idx?type=header&id=UW.MeikExpColl&isize=M

Smith, B. (2003). Learning communities and liberal education. Academe 89, 14-18.

Stuart Wells, A. Oakes, J (1996). Extra Issue: Special Issue on Sociology and Educational Policy: Bringing Scholarship and Practice Together. Sociology of Education, 69, Accessed November 27, 2006 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0038-0407%281996%2969%3C135%3APPOSRE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L

Colleges, Prisions, and Mental Hospitals

2006-12-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

I should be writing the papers that are due, but I didn't want to go another week with out writing so today I'll quickly share a quote I found while was researching my History of Higher Ed paper on the University of Wisconsin Experimental College. You can find the following quote here: The experimental college.

"Never again, unless he is taken over by a prison or a mental hospital, will any institution devote itself explicitly to the forming of his character, the general training of his mind, the enriching and directing of his personality." --Alexander Meiklejohn 1932

This quote really hits home with me because as a student affairs professional, I live for the 'whole student.' I want to enrich and enlighten. I want to develop character and promote success in the training of the mind. But I've already thought to myself, "How much is too much?" Seeing my profession compared to a prison or a mental hospital add a very sharp perspective.

Students are coming to college for a degree. They want instruction in a specific field. I want to make them good people and good citizens. The kind of development that I want to offer can't end when they walk off campus but I know that no one else will be striving to develop it.

There is also the people that never come on to campus. So there is also a part of me that wants my job done before they get to me, but that's not the answer either. Ideally, personal enrichment would be a life long societal and cultural goal. Then I could be assured that high schools, colleges, churches, community centers, workplaces, and individuals were striving for enrichment. That is much less pressuring than thinking that I and my institution are the last stop personal development in the game of life.

Either way, I have to keep in mind that I am a support field. My goal is to enrich the experience that is defined and driven by academia. I am responsible for the environment that makes student learning and faculty teaching as successful as possible. Inspiring good people and good citizens is just one way of promoting that success.

Student Citizens

2006-11-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

This post was originally titled Student Activists, but it didn't quite fit what I've been thinking about. I needed a word with a different connotation; something that didn't give me the mental image of protests and police barriers. It started with student activists because of the protests at Gallaudet, and we've been learning about Berkeley and the Free Speech Movement in History of Higher Ed, but as I was writing, I found myself straying off to explain why any student should not be a student activist because they should be students first and foremost. Let me explain. We've all seen the Disney sports movie where the coach says, "they are student athletes ... student comes first." The dilemma is that English just doesn't work that way (and Jen is more then welcome to back me up or correct me). In English the adjectives and descriptive terms come before the subject. So a minority student is a student who is a minority and a student activist is an activist who is a student. I think it's great for students to be passionate about issues and to stand up for what they believe in, but they shouldn't be defined as activists. They are not here to change the world, they are here to learn how to change the world.

So why then did I accept Student Citizen? Because we can't help but be citizens first and foremost. Activist or not, passionate or not, student or not, we are citizens. Citizens of the university, the community, the state, or the country it doesn't matter; citizenry defines us. More and more, I'm seeing students so caught up in the role of student that they forget they are citizens. I'm included in the guilty party. When Benjamin Franklin wrote the founding documents for the Academy of Philadelphia he wanted an institution that would create good citizens. He wanted an experience that would teach students their power within and their responsibility to their government both federal and local. Has that gotten lost somewhere along the way?

In an NPR interview one of the student leaders from Gallaudet was asked, "Could students on this campus get as excited about the war in Iraq as, say, they were in protesting the choice of a president for their campus?" He replied, "I'm not so sure if they would, only because you know that's more of a Democrat/Republican thing. I don't know. Maybe we're too focused on our own community here." He continued to comment on the oppression that the students on campus were feeling. How do we reconnect students to the world? I presented for a class on election day and one of the students was working to convince the class that their vote was not worth the energy it took to cast it. I know he wasn't serious, but I've heard all of his arguments before. How can we return the image of voting to a right instead of an obligation? Programs like Rock the Vote have improved student turn out, but we need to go further. I don't want students failing classes because they spend too much time at sit ins and protests, but concern and attachment to the world beyond campus borders shouldn't is vital. The actions that are taken while a student is in college will define the world that she enters after graduation.

The Research after the Rant.

2006-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

As I talked about earlier, the cost of college has been an issue for a long time. Things are just getting worse. Tuition is going up and Pell funding is going down as the criteria for eligibility changes. Fortunately, they didn't need me to tell them to start dealing with it. Here are several new approaches that are being taken towards financial aid:

A New Way for Need Based Aid This article talks about the program that Oregon is called a 'shared responsibility' plan. Students will be expected to pay the equivalent of what they could earn working full time during the summer and up to 12 hours a week while in class(Oregon's minimum wage is currently $7.50) for a community college. For a four year institution they will be expected to take out a loan for some of the additional costs. Student's families are also expected to contribute their portion as outlined by federal financial aid methodology. Oregon will pay what is left over.

This plan was developed after a committee polled citizens about starting an endowment and received negative reactions. The people who spoke out said that they didn't want to give students a sense of entitlement, and that higher education was a privilege not a right. This way students can prove themselves and earn their education.

I am troubled by this plan and it probably has a lot to do with my financial/academic history. I had a full ride to college that was a combination of need and merit based aid, so I earned part of my aid. However, the work I did to earn my scholarship was on school work, and it was my expectation that the work I would do here would be on school work. College is supposed to be a full time job. For every hour of class I’m suppose to spend 2 to 3 hours outside of class studying. This program is requiring students to have 1 ⅓ jobs if their parents or spouses are contributing. The article wasn’t clear about whether the family contribution was necessary to receive the funding or if it was just part of the calculation for how much the funding would be awarded. Another issue I have with this program is that they are setting the program up on students’ potential earnings. Do the students still have to pay tuition at the beginning of the school year? Has anyone taken into account the additional hours the student will have to work for living expenses? Are programs going to be put in place to ensure that students can find and maintain a minimum wage job? What about a full time job? What about the holiday breaks are students no longer going to be able to visit home for fall and spring break because they need to make those 12 hours that week?

Student is an occupation. Students are showing their responsibility by being successful on campus. I don’t think that they should have to prove their worth in any other way especially knowing that part time jobs have been shown to have negative impacts on student grades and involvement.

A different approach is coming from the University of Washington. Everyone who qualifies for Pell Grants or need based state aid will have their tuition and fees paid for by the university. A capital campaign is currently underway to raise funds and the program will be implemented at all of the University of Washington campuses. This plan is following the lead of some private colleges, but unlike their plans UW will not be covering room and board. Since the criteria is that they be eligible for other aid, students will be expected to use that aid for housing.

I suppose that it's a bit obvious that I support this program more. I don't have anything at all against giving away education. The GI Bill has proven that education is simply good for the country. In the most basic and measurable sense, if we educate people, they get better jobs. With those better jobs they make more money. When they make more money they spend more money and pay more taxes. Now we'll just have to develop a better system for determining need.

Its degrees that we shouldn't be giving away, but grade inflation should be a completely different post.

Internet Identities Part I Faculty

2006-10-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

According to Inside Higher Ed, Instructor John Hall from the University of Florida was participating in a distance learning course that videotaped lectures and made them available online for students enrolled in the course. Clips from one of the classes were uploaded on websites such as break.com and youtube.com under the title ‘Stoned Professor,’ shortly after the lecture. Since then Prof. Hall has been put on paid administrative leave and the course has been taken over by someone else. Once voted teacher of the year, Hall now has his future employment with the University of Florida, “Under consideration.”

While I think this is a very important topic, I was disappointed in this article. The author never asked why Hall was put on leave. There is a distinct difference between putting an instructor on leave because they were stoned, because an investigation into their drug habits is underway, because the university doesn’t approve of the current teaching method, and because he was the center of too much negative student attention. What the reader is left with is that he was put on leave because some unknown student said online that he was stoned.

Unlike many YouTube.com videos of professors, this one was being filmed intentionally by the University and the instructor was well aware that he was on camera. I wish that this author would have talked about what criteria or assessment the university uses when they decide which course to video tape. Is someone reviewing these lectures before they are put online? Was Belinda (the woman referenced in the clip as in charge of the zooming) concerned with Hall’s 'performance' on this day? Hall’s CV and his presence on the University of Florida online directory are impressive. Even his ratings on ratemyprofessor.com are good (based on the rumor that instructors want an average rating because a good rating is a signal that your classes are too easy).

This all leads to a soapbox that I probably frequent too often about faculty keeping up with the online identity that students are creating for them. Students are posting extensively edited and elaborately planned videos of their professors as a new hobby. When a faculty member's course is being represented online with videos of the students struggling to stay awake during lecture, that faculty member now has a negative online identity. It doesn't matter if it is only two minutes, because it is the only two minutes many people will ever see of that lecture. As Ann Springer said in an article about faculty being filmed with out their knowledge for youtube.com, “Students will always mock professors and there is nothing you can do about that.” However, with students embracing new technologies and mocking professors for an audience of strangers that will never have the opportunity to interact with the instructor or experience one of her lectures, the mocking has become much more powerful. Student mocking is now being electronically published and the lines separating student banter from slander and libel are getting awfully close together.

If a precedent is started that faculty members can loose their jobs based on this internet mocking, it means there could be a scary power shift that gives advantages to those who know how to Google. Lately faculty and mentors have been eager to point out that our future employers will be looking at our facebook accounts and judging us, but there is the possibility that the university is also looking at our facebook, and they are judging the faculty by what we say. I'm not saying that faculty have to become avid facebookers or should be reading the blogs of every student they encounter, but they need to keep in mind that avoiding the internet does not keep them from developing an online identity. Faculty need to be keeping track of where their names and their classes are popping up online. Not only for the CYOA theory, but there is also the possibility that it is some of the most honest feedback you'll ever get.

My Degree and My Debt

2006-10-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

I was reading this article when I noticed the statement that, "the average student now graduates with $17,500 in student loan debt." It doesn't seem that hard to know why that is, but I'm wondering if there is just a whole different approach we should be taking. Students have never been able to afford college. However, one of the major differences is that in the 17, 18 and early 19 hundreds students were just skipping the bill. Now we carry around our debt for years. I'm not suggesting a grassroots movement that inspires students everywhere to dodge thier debt collectors, but if tuition for students doesn't work and has never worked, maybe it needs to be reassessed from top to bottom.

According to this simple College Cost Calculator, a high school freshman right now can expect to pay $90,591.93 for college. If that freshman starts working at 14 (when it becomes legal) for $7 an hour and 20 hours a week over the next 4 years she will earn $26,880. If she continues to work at the same rate through four years of college she will earn a total of $53,760. That student is short $36,831.93. She almost earned 60% of what she needs. Of course this doesn't take into account any living costs that she may have such as the car or the gas to get to this job. I could go on but there is no need to. We are knowingly marketing and selling a service to customers that cannot afford it. That is unethical.

I understand the importance of the commercial approach and that marketing universities supports the quality and diversity that we have in our country. I also understand that the students are people receiving the services rendered, but all of our campus programming on being responsible with a credit cards and staying out of debt seems ironic and perhaps a bit hypocritical given the situation we are putting them in.

During a discussion with one of my instructors she mentioned that tuition made up 15% or less of the University's budget. I don't have documentation for this but if it is true, we are expecting student to take out loans, be awarded scholarships, and work part time to provide us with only 15% of our budget. It doesn't seem like much to ask but it is enough to jeopardize their grades both in high school and college, cause them extra stress and anxiety, and edge them in to counseling (financial and mental). It has the potential to keep them from engaging in their community, visiting with their faculty, or even coming to college in the first place.

I don't know what the solution is. Maybe we should cut 15% of our budget. It's not a task I would want, but it wouldn't be the first or the last time a business has done it. Maybe employers should be recruiting students the same way sport coaches do, and whichever employer is lucky enough to get me is also lucky enough to pay off my debt. Maybe every potential student in the country should be given vouchers that equal the average cost of college. If they want to go somewhere more expensive then they should start worrying about scholarships and loans. It may be crazy talk, but crazy talk may be just what we need. This problem has been around for hundreds of years, we have to completely abandon the box in order to find an answer.

The Collegiate Experience

2006-09-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

As a writer concerned with the current events of higher education, it is only appropriate that I comment on the recent speech by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. Unfortunately, I feel like I am entering in the middle of this discussion, and I am not ready to begin participating in it. Instead I'm simply going to offer you some article links and talk about something else.
The Spellings Plan
The Sounds of Conciliation
In Focus: The Spellings Commission

Instead of Spellings, I want to talk some more about the implications of Course casting. I know that I've already posted on this, but I just can't get over the excitement of what it all could mean. Everything to follow is my personal and probably overly optimistic hopes for the changes that would follow the widespread availability of quality courses online with audio visual components.

If the content of a course is available free for everyone, what are the students who decide to pay to be there really wanting? They want the Collegiate Experience. Without lectures what is the collegiate experience? It is going to a place where experts of the field congregate. It is mentorship and networking. It is access to lab equipment and primary resources. It is peer discussions and study groups. It is RSOs and football games. It is the cafeteria and the local hangouts. It is living with strangers and making new friends. It is leaving home and growing up. It is the whole student.

I'm sorry I got a bit carried away there. What does this emphasis on experience mean? Well in my ideal future, there will no longer be lecture halls full of 50+ students. Faculty will be leading smaller classes where the group spends more time working with the content than they do trying to absorb it. Learning communities will have a surge of popularity, and faculty involvement outside the classroom will be expected.

Eventually everything will level out. One of the perks of American Higher Education is it's diversity. There will be colleges with huge lecture halls and there will be colleges that offer the experience emphasis. What might change for good is which one is considered mainstream.

We're getting better?

2006-09-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here is the Arkansas report card from Measuring Up the National Report Card on Higher Education.

Preparation D+ (Improvement)*
Participation C (Improvement)
Affordability F (Minimal Improvement)
Completion C (Improvement)
Benefits C (Improvement)

“Arkansas’ underperformance in educating its young population could limit the state’s access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy over time. The proportion of 9th graders graduating in four years has declined since the early 1990s. Moreover, relatively few students who do graduate are adequately prepared to succeed in college compared with leading states. In addition, Arkansas trails other states in providing college-level education and training opportunities for working-age adults. Since the early 1990s, four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas have become less affordable for students and their families. If these trends are not addressed, they could undermine the state’s ability to compete successfully in a global economy.”

According to the 2006 report we are improving, but here are the grades from 2004:

Preparation C
Participation C-
Affordability F
Completion C
Benefits D+

*Improvement indicates change over time

Good News for Good Will Hunting

2006-09-25T11:22:00.001-07:00

According to this article, The Next Level of Open Source Yale is going to start video tapping course lectures and making them publicly available online. They are not the first to do it, in fact MIT has been offering it since 2001. They offer syllabi, reading references, lecture notes, and even assignment and project descriptions. There is no reason why a self-motivated, self-teacher couldn't couldn't take full classes online. If this trend continues, what kind of changes will happen in higher education?

What will this transparency will mean. What will happen when someone compares Fundamentals of Physics offered at UCA to Fundamentals of Physics at Yale? Will UCA instructors be expected to make their course comparable to Yale's? What if UCA is better, would Yale be tarnished? What if a student doesn't like their professor? Can they find a different professor online and opt to take that course instead?

What does this mean for my resume? Right now I fill the special training section of my resume with UCA course titles that are relevant to the job I'm applying for. Can I put OCW (OpenCourseWare) courses on there as well? Will my potential employer see me as self-motivated or will they think that it's irrelevant since there is no way to determine that I understood and processed the information I took in? What if my employer starts expecting it? As a college student I'm suppose to be self-motivated and self-teaching. Per class I'm suppose to spend two to three hours working outside of the classroom. Supposedly I'm already good at taking online courses because the majority of my college experience was happening on my own. That means I have little excuse for not self teaching during breaks. Along those same lines, are students who can't afford college expected to self-teach online? Will a day come where retail management positions require OCW business courses?

The most obvious questions, what will happen to my classes? If everyone can receive the same education, why should I pay for it? Am I still paying for the education, or am I paying for the test? Can they charge that much for a grade? Will the lecture become part of the homework? Will I have the right to demand that my in class experience goes above and beyond what everyone else gets for free? Will college become more about the experience and less about the investment?

This last question is one of the most exciting to me. When the first colleges were founded in Colonial America, they didn't always make the most economic sense. In that agricultural society, there was little reason to let your son leave the farm to learn Greek and Latin. Colleges were providing an experience that was intended to create good citizens and good leaders. Unfortunately, as colleges became more accessible, they also became an investment. We've reached a point where we know exactly how much more a person will earn in their lifetime based on each degree they have. It could probably be argued, that now the experience has very little to do with the courses. If these Open Source Courses take off, we could have education available to all, and the experience available to many.

I’ve been blogged!

2006-09-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

To step away from the ‘my life in Higher Ed’ theme and focus a bit more on just the ‘my life’ theme, I’ve been blogged. You may have visited the Rathbone Images link on my sidebar and seen some beautiful pictures of mainly of weddings. Well now, some beautiful pictures from my wedding are there.

My husband (Mike) and I got married in Seattle and Rathbone Images did our photography. They are an incredibly wonderful couple who were just great to have participating. A few weeks after the wedding, they gave me a sneak peek at our pictures and they instantly became two of my favorite people and one of my favorite businesses. I am one of the luckiest women in the world because my wedding exceeded all of my expectations. Keri at Bliss Events made it better than what I had envisioned perfect to be, and Bob and Priscilla captured that. Everyone who sees our pictures understands just how amazing the day was. I’ve lost count of how many people have cried, or struggled not to, while looking at the pictures they put up for us online.

They are amazing people and someday when we move back to Seattle, I’ll have to see about making them our friends instead of our photographers.

Things Taken for Granted

2006-09-19T07:04:00.001-07:00

"We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and there fore do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age or disability."

I admit I've completely taken these words for granted. This phrase has been grouped in with Miranda Rights, the surgeon general's warning, and flight attendants' instructions on how to use my seat cushion as a flotation device. I hear it all the time, but I've stopped listening to it, and I've started assuming too much.

I've never thought about where it comes from. If I had thought about it I probably would have just assumed that there is a law or policy somewhere that organizations just copy into their handbooks and manuals. While that is often the case, things can get hazy as we transition between federal employees through state institutions to private businesses. For more information check out the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity laws, but that is not exactly what I want to talk about right now. The reason that I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't know where it came from is because to follow through with that, I didn't think about who updates it. While I was taking this phrase for granted, I happily assumed that it was updated in a timely fashion all across the country. I was startled yesterday to find out that I was very wrong.

Yesterday this article, Inside Higher Ed Article found it's way to my inbox. On Friday Missouri State University added sexual orientation to the list of barred biases. In other words, as of Friday it is no long acceptable to discriminate against students or employees based on their sexual orientation. I was disappointed in Missouri when I heard this. In my head they should have updated back when everybody else did. I'm not certain when that actually happened, but I know that major corporations are offering benefits for same sex partners so certainly that's already been revised. Ok you can look now. Go back to the quote at the top... that's right it's not their either, but I assumed it would be. That wording was taken from my university's staff handbook and matches the information on the FEEO website. (To UCA's credit our student handbook does have a policy protecting students from discrimination.)

Missouri State University has received a considerable amount of attention and a lot of flack on the topic because of how clearly biased the former president was, but I'm not certain how I should feel. I want to be embarrassed that it took them so long, and I want to scold the board for not setting their president straight. I want to be angry that even after that president left it was a 5-3 vote. Then I look at the numbers they rank with. According to the article, "Missouri State joins hundreds of colleges — 562 according to the latest study by the Human Rights Campaign — that bar bias based on sexual orientation." That seems good but it's the most disturbing point of the entire article. I found out in class a couple weeks ago that in 2003 there were about 4,500 accredited institutions awarding degrees. I am sad that of 4,500, only 562 are barring sexual orientation discrimination.

Something else to think about...

(Brought to my attention by the enviably articulate Michael Herring)

To continue on with the assumptions I was so naively making, I thought this was just about protecting people from discrimination. As it turns out, refusing to let people discriminate is in its self a form of discrimination: Christians Sue for Right Not to Tolerate Policies. This issue of this article is that religious views are being discriminated against if people are forced to accept everyone. Is it unfair to force a Christian student organization to accept homosexual members? or is it unfair to tell homosexual students that they can't be in Christian organizations?

High Tech vs High Touch

2006-09-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Academic Errands as a Freshman

I skipped lunch and my afternoon class in order to make time for an afternoon of errands. I left straight from class to work so I could wait in line and get my paycheck as they were being signed. I took it right to the bank and waited in line to cash it and pull out the majority of my savings because on Academic Errands Day I'm always a big spender. Cash in hand I was ready to head back to campus. For my convince my campus sets up almost everyone that I need to pay in a big room so I can take care of it all at once. I stood in line to pick up my ID. I stood in line to pay my fees. I stood in line to buy my parking permit. I know you can see the pattern already but it doesn't end there. I headed to the bookstore. I stood in line to get help finding my books, and then I got to stand in a longer line while I held all of my books and supplies so I could pay for them. I finished up earlier then I expected so I headed over to the advising center to declare my major. Fortunately I didn't have to stand in line there; they had a place for me to sit and wait my turn. Afterward I was understandably famished so I headed to the cafeteria where they have a fantastic assortment of lines.

My intent isn't to complain. Everyone I encountered was pleasant and helpful. Everyone politely asked, “May I help whoever’s next?” instead of just yelling out, “NEXT!” but a cattle call is still a cattle call even if your cowboy is smiling. Since then, I’ve set my paycheck to direct deposit, I can transfer funds online, and I can withdrawal money from the student center, but few of those types of convinces have been sprouting up on campus. As I start seeing behind the scenes of higher education, I’m hearing more and more about the high-tech vs. high-touch debate. As a student I’m troubled that there is a debate at all. I want my university to be accessible to me when I need it. It is not a matter of high-touch at all. Rather, it is a matter of convince, and I'm not concerned with the number of pleasant faces in the process. I want to get it done efficiently, and more often than not I want to get it done in the middle of the night while I'm up doing homework and thinking about it. I'm speaking only for myself of course, but I believe I would make more appointments with faculty and advisors if I could hop online and make the appointment instead of working into my schedule a time between 9 and 4 to reach them just to make the appointment. Student's value ease, efficiency, and a quick turn around. We would rather not play phone tag when we know we can get something accomplished asynchronously via e-mail. We are not shunning human interaction; we are streamlining busy work.