Reflecting...

I've been waiting to write this blog for a while. I've just been waiting for the right conditions. As I sit here typing this blog, I am sitting downstairs in the comfort of my own home. There is a fire in the wood stove to my right, and it's gentle warmth fills the whole house. My cat, Patches sits in my lap and purrs as she watches letters fill the screen. I've been home for a little over a week, and it feels amazing. Not long ago, I was writing about how I was struggling, how I was running out of steam. I am happy to report that those days are over. This installment is a reflection. A reflection of my first semester of Grad School.

My very first semester of Grad school has been quite an adventure. It all started July 28th, when I moved to Norfolk to start my assistantship. I was so excited to get out of North Carolina. I was a fresh college graduate, ready to move on and see what things the world had for me out there. I decided that Grad school was what I wanted to do, because I had loved being an RA so much, I wanted to be able to help students as a career. So that's it. I moved to Norfolk, a place that I had never been all to start over and begin a fresh start.

Two days before I moved, I get a call from my boss, who had decided to move me to a new residence hall. A BRAND new residence hall. The only catch was, it had not yet been completed, so they would be placing me, the Residence Hall Director and about 270 students in a downtown hotel. I was astounded, and I has happy to accept the challenge. But before the semester started, I got to live out of a residence hall and go through my Graduate Assistant Training. Two long weeks of training crawled by, but finally, I found the end of it.

Then our RAs showed up, and we had to train them. Getting to know them was fun, and I believe that he built a strong staff. Then the move came. A few days before the semester starts, and we move to the downtown hotel. This hotel was amazing. For myself, I got a corner room, with a king size bed, and a view of the harbor. It was nice. For about two weeks. Each day, maid service would come in and change our sheets and towels. But being stuck in the same place with the only way to get to campus was to wait for the shuttle bus took its tole over the extent of our stay. It got boring, and monotonous, and I was become very frustrated. I wanted to move back on camps. I was ready. But the bad thing about it was, the completion date was getting closer and closer. Parents weren't getting any happier, although it seemed that the students didn't seem to mind.

Finally the day comes! Our residence hall reached it's completion date, and hall staff had the privilege of being able to move in early. I had a ton of work to do, like training my desk receptionist staff, getting keys ready, and all the great things like that. Somehow, I managed to get it completed. I went to class, and then after class, I got a van, and moved all my stuff in. I literally swung my apartment door open, and scooted all my belongings in, and shut the door. The next few days would be the challenging one. It was the move. Even though I had already moved in, we were faced with the challenge of moving all 270 residents into the brand new building. Here again, we were faced with angry parents, and lost belongings, and "new building bugs." So many students had no internet, no hot water, no power, etc. It was insane.

Finally things start to become settled. Our new building quirks were working themselves out, and things were getting taken care of. Then one night, my boss knocks on my apartment door, and shared with me the new of one of our residents took and intoxicated 4 story tumble in a stair well. Long story short, blood was everywhere, and the incident really shook the morale of the building. Happily, this particular student made a full recovery, and is now back with us in our residence hall.

As things continue to settle, I lay in my bed, on the verge of falling asleep when our fire alarm goes off. Now I'm sure you've read about this, but I feel that it is definitely mentionable. Turns out, it was a sprinkler. Everything was flooded. Well, not everything. But a lot of first floor damage. After the incident settled, and we called it a night. My boss and I did our research. We found our culprits, and have taken the proper legal action. Turns out, over $6000 worth of damage happened that night.

Finally, exams approached. This was it. The first trial of grad school. I'd managed to successfully work my way through the classes and the assignments, but this would do it. I went into my exams feeling quite confident for some, and "iffey" for some of the others. Turns out I didn't do too badly. For my first semester of Grad School, I managed to pull an A, B+, and a B. 3.4 GPA for my first semester of Grad School. I was quite happy.

So as my first semester of grad school drew to a close, it had been quite an experience. A hotel, a new building, a stairwell incident, a water sprinkler, and exams. It's been quite a semester, and I can say that I am ready to get the whole graduate career over with.

Runnin' on "E"

I feel as if I am fighting an uphill battle, where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm runnin' out of steam, and my give-a-damn's busted. I'm at the point where I will bullshit my way through an assignment, just so I can call it done. And frankly, I'm perfectly fine with that.

Thanksgiving break was one of the greatest things that has happened to me in a long time. Despite the 6 hour drive, coming home to see my family and my dogs. Two of my dogs in particular were happy to see me. The moment I walked through the front door, after being tackled with a barrage of hugs and kisses from my mother, I sat in the floor for a solid 10 minutes and did nothing but hold and pet my dogs. They were just as happy to see me as I was them. It was one of the greatest things in the world.

Thanksgiving break was also great because of the sabbatical from work that I took. I brought absolutely no work home with me, and left it all back in Norfolk to fend for itself. What I did at home, was sleep in everyday, and when I actually did get up, I did what most rednecks from my area do- make noise. My brother and I both drug out our deer guns. Now, our rifles are sighted in at 50 yards, because, when you're in the thick of the woods, 50 yards is really all you need. Well, we were feeling a bit ambitious, so we took our targets and placed them about 150 yards from where we were shooting. Looking through that scope, that target didn't look any closer, but somehow, I managed to squeeze off two rounds and place them both within an inch of each other inside the target area. Case and point- if you were a deer, you'd be dead. It had been so long since I had actually shot that gun, and I pleasantly surprised myself.

Of course with Thanksgiving, you eat a lot of great food. That was no exception with my break, as I had generous rounds of home-canned green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course, turkey. It's just another thing that makes me miss home when I am up here.

It was a short lived three days that I spent back home, and then I had to return to my current existence that resides in Norfolk. Again, I drove a boring 6 hours back to my apartment, only to again, do the normal routine starting Monday- office hours till 3, class at 4:20, Dinner at 7. Homework/TV for the rest of the night.

As this semester winds down, I have all but a few things in my way. A paper and presentation that are due Tuesday. I have a little further to go on these things, but I am anticipating that they will be finished tonight. Then Wednesday brings another presentation that is due, which I will work on (you guessed it) Tuesday night. After that, all I have to do is submit a paper that I've already written, study for exams and then take my exams.

After all is said and done, I am doing nothing but vegging out on my couch, playing video games, and getting ready to close my building for winter break. Like I said, it's an uphill battle that's being fought by someone who's running out of steam.

I gotta keep hanging in there. Just two more weeks. Just a few fumes left.

There's A First Time For Everything

Four weeks. Just four more weeks of class left. Out of that four weeks, I have two presentations, two final papers, and two finals to take. I really can't wait to get all it over with. I really can't wait to get back into North Carolina, even if it is for 3 days. A little more on this later, right now, I'd like to talk a little bit about my wonderful fiasco last night.

So, being the responsible student that I am, I completely wasted the past two days, vegging out on my couch, knowing that I should be devoting that valuable, limited time to my papers and presentations. Well, my damned couch just happens to be really comfortable. Trust me. If you eat a good meal, and then relax on my couch watching TV, you'll soon be passed out. That was me for the past two days. Anyways, if I happen to nap on my couch, I usually have trouble sleeping when I actually do go to bed. Fortunately for me, I kind of stayed up into the early hours of the morning chatting with a friend on my Mac. Finally, I got my shower, went through my nightly routine of shaving and skin care, and after a bit of surfing the internet, I finally got in the bed. I laid there, quietly, listening to my radio that was in the other room. It was 1:45 in the morning. I tossed and turned a bit, and finally found a comfortable position on my back. *BAM* My apartment erupted with the sound of an eerie screech that only a residence hall smoke alarm can make. I've been through this routine before at UNCA, but for the first time in my graduate career, a fire alarm happened without me knowing it was going to happen.

I laid there, my eyes wide open. "Shit!" I thought. I covered my ears and laid there for a second more. The sound was so annoying, so penetrating. I didn't want to take my hands off my ears, but I knew that I had to get up, throw something on and get the hell out. Finally, I took my hands off my ears and rolled out of bed. I was kind of grateful that I hadn't been woken up. That would've just annoyed me even more. I put on some sweatpants, but had some difficulty putting on my shirt. With the deafening sound of the smoke detector, I managed to put my shirt on backwards, and struggled a bit to get it turned around. Then, I had to locate my ID, my keys and the damned duty phone (because it just so happened that I was on duty this week) which were all scattered through out my apartment. Finally locating everything I needed, I stepped out into the hallway and started to vacate the building.

Stepping out, I realized that I was one of the first out of the building, so I had to tell everyone else to get away from the building, because I was the grad assistant, and a bad ass. As more people came out of the building, I turned to look at the building. I stopped, and stared at the lounge area for some reason. Something didn't look right, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it was because it was so early, or because I was so distraught by the aural assault on my ears, but I was able to finally make the connection. As I looked up into the lounge area, I saw the gushing torrent of what could only be a ruptured sprinkler head. Water was everywhere, it was even leaking down on the first floor and even in the main entry way.

Immediately I called the main duty phone to report the problem, and then followed up with the appropriate people. The fire department and the police department both show up, along with people from facilities management. Facilities entered the building and began the process of turning the water off so they could get up there and assess damage and clean up. It was probably about 2:15 in the morning at this time.

While standing there, watching the sprinkler head rain down on the floor above me, a resident who assumed I was just another resident approached me and asked me if I was a resident of my building, to which I said yes. He then told me that he had a friend who lived in the same building who was very drunk. Well, I had to act on this, so as we walked over, this particular resident looks at me and says, "Uh, you're not a person of authority, are you?" To which I looked at him and said, "Why, yes. I am." Although I was not looking at his face, I could tell that the expression "Oh shit" crept across it. I approached the drunk resident, and damn. What a site to see. This girl was stumbling all over the place, and generally, a mess. I asked her how many beers she had, to which she said, "A couple." "Oh really? How many is a couple?" I asked. I took her ID and did what I needed to do, and told the both of them that I would be documenting them. Then I turned to the resident who confronted me. I could tell he was scared shitless. I asked him for his university ID number. "I forgot", he says. "Well, can you tell me your name?" I ask. "I don't know what my name is," he replies. "Are you intoxicated too?" I ask. "No sir." Obviously, this kid wasn't playing by the rules. "Alright," I said. "You can be cooperative with me, and I can take your information and document you, and call it a night, OR I can end this right now and you can deal with the Police Department." "It's your call," I said. That must've softened him up a bit, because he immediately took out his wallet and produced his university ID card and his name. That was fun.

Back to our sprinkler, it's now about 3:00 AM, and facilities management has shut off the water and is up in the community room, wet/dry vacs a-blaze trying to get all the water up. In addition, they tore up all the water logger carpet in the lounge, and removed all the furniture. But not only did the lounge receive some damage, but the office directly under the community room below, completely flooded. This particular office happened to belong to our Residence Hall Director. We gathered RA staff, and checked rooms, initiated "fire watch" and called it a night. All this, took place over the course from around 2AM to 5AM. Finally, I crawled back in the bed, only to get up 3 hours later for an open house event.

This morning when I got up and was getting dressed, I noticed that some of the water had seeped into my apartment. Although my carpet was not heavily saturated, it was damp. So once again, I call maintenance, who comes in, rearranges my bedroom, and sucks up the water. They brought me a blower to so I could move some air over the carpet, and I've been running it since.

So now, I'm pretty sure that you can see just why I want to get this semester over with. I just really would love to get home, eat some good food, not worry about classes, and just play with my dogs. I want to enjoy life again, and not worry about what's due, or what I have to work on. Another year and a half of this. I can do this. I can do this.

All I Want...

Heads up! This is a long one.


Needless to say that history was made last night, and I could not be happier. I am proud to be involved in such a pivotal point in our nation's history, and I am proud to say that I helped to bring about that change. I am excited to see the changes that will happen, but I'm setting this aside for the moment, to discuss what is really on my mind. I'll talk a little about this later. But for now, below are post-graduate plans.

As an individual, this autumnal season makes me reflect back to life back at home. These cold weather seasons, autumn and winter, really get me home sick. Perhaps it's the crisp weather, the warm clothing, or the smell of wood burning in our stove at home when we start heating our house. Then again, maybe it could be the holiday decorations, holiday music, home cooking, or just a time of tradition and family, I have begun to think about my life, post-grad school.


I see the bottom line as this: in its most common sense, I want the American dream. I want my slice of the pie. I know I belong back in my home state of NC. I've discovered that a while back. What I want after I earn my Masters degree is a space to myself. A place that I can call home. A place that I can paint, decorate, and make mine. I also want to add a dog to that. I've really been looking into breeds lately, partly because I do miss all my animals back at home. After some extensive searching, I think I want a Boxer to add to that space of mine. A fawn boxer, male, with a docked tail and un-cropped ears. I want to raise him from a pup. I want him to be a dog that will bark and play the very minute I come home after a long day at the office, who wants to lay on my lap while I watch tv, and lay in the bed when I am asleep. A big dog, nothing that someone could stomp into the ground. A dog that people will respect, but adore at the same time. That's the kind of dog I want.


As for my job, I know after I earn my Masters, there will be lots of opportunities out there, because the world of Student Affairs is so small, and the demand is so great. But I feel like I am being torn between my family and a career that could potentially pull me away from them. Being 6 hours from them is bad enough, as I have not been home since July, and will not be able to return until Thanksgiving, and then again for Winter break.


Where I am torn is this: Part of me wants to go into the community college system. Being a former community college student myself, I want to go back to the same institution that I went to and serve and help others there. I want them to realize that there is so much potential beyond the Associate's degree. Perhaps now, even more than ever this is what I want to do. Just this week, I learned in one of my classes that 50% of the undergraduate population in the U.S. are community college students. Out of that 50%, only 10% of those students go on to earn their Bachelors degree. TEN PERCENT!!! I was taken back. To think that I was part of that 10% blows me away. There is some definite room for growth in this area.


What is troubling to me is this: the "four year college" does not lend any respect to the community college. In fact, if you're an educator, student affairs personnel, or work at a community college in any way, and then decide to work at a four year institution, you're chances of getting a job at that four year institution are pretty much ZILCH, simply because you worked at a community college. I think this is a huge inequality. And what scares me is, if I have this interest, I could get an internship at a CC while I work on my masters, but if I apply to a 4 year institution, what will come of that CC experience? What if I get in at the CC and then after a few years decide I do not like it? Where would I go from there?


Regardless, right now, I would love to get on the level with first year community college students, as well as the non-traditionals and encourage them...advise, poke, PROD them to push themselves, to motivate themselves to go beyond the Associates degree, and to work and earn that Bachelors. There would be so much more opportunity out there for them.


And now, back to the political issues. I've posted this on my Facebook, and my MySpace. I might as well post it here. Below is a brief note that I wrote about people's concerns for America's future under the leadership of Barak Obama:

I Just Don't Understand.

I feel the need to get this off my chest. Since the results of the presidential election were announced last night, I have seen countless amounts of Facebook updates and MySpace postings by my friends who say that "socialism" is going to reign now that Obama is president-elect, and that they are ready to move out of the country. This is something that I do not understand.

First off my friends, I ask you to examine the past 8 years. A lot has happened. Yet, some of you say they have been some of the greatest years. I ask you, where were the good times? I challenge you to examine the past 8 years and name me one time where America was great. Under the current administration we've seen the stock market plunge, a failing economy, gas prices soar, and have heard countless tragic stories of so many women and men who've lost their lives, fighting a war that should have ended years ago. We currently live under an administration that subscribes to the philosophy, "If we give to the rich, the benefits will trickle down to the rest." If such is the case, I am still waiting on my Ferrari.

My friends, I think you need to be reminded of the phrase, “The only thing constant is change.” If we cannot adapt to change, then we cannot make it in the game of life. I firmly believe that Obama is going to make America great again; that America is a phoenix, preparing to rise out its ashes and restore its place where freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness again are placed at the foundation of this wonderful nation.

Some of you argue that under Obama’s administration, our faith and freedom of religion will surely suffer. I ask you to consider this: If God is omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful, all knowing, and all loving, then don’t you think He knew this was going to happen? If His will is done in everything, then maybe couldn’t this maybe somehow be a part of His plan? Think about it.

This past election demonstrates to me how great America is. For the first time in a long time, I have actually been excited about my country, excited for change, and excited to see what is going to happen. The journey that America is about to go on is going to be one wild ride, and I am so glad that I have my ticket.

Finally, I leave you with this: Some of you may agree with me. Some of you may disagree with me. Some of you may message me back telling me how dare I write something like this. Others may give me kudos. Either way, I say that’s ok. That’s a part of what makes America great. But no matter who you are: Democrat, Republican, Christian, Atheist, Gay, Straight, Man, Woman- I think we need to follow the words of Senator John McCain, who stated in his secession speech, that we as a nation, as America, need to support Barak Obama as president-elect. America has spoken, and we have said that we trust Obama to be our next leader. I urge you to extend to him that trust. Pray for him, and this great land that we call home.

With all my love and respect,
Mark

I hope this makes sense to people. No matter what, we've got to come together and support Obama as our next leader. Whether we like it or not, he's the guy we put in charge. We need to support him.


That's all for now. Told you it was a long one.

Hanging in the Balance

What a pivotal time in US history, as well as world history that is occurring right now, at this very moment! Either way, despite WHO becomes our next president, history will be made. On the Republican ticket, Palin becomes the first woman to ever enter the Whitehouse in such an administrative role, where as Obama's victory would leave a benchmark for obvious reasons.

Personally, I do not care who becomes President...Ok. I lied. I do. All I know is that I want to see change. The past 8 years have not been so great, and regardless, I think the entirety of the U.S. can agree that something needs to happen. I wasn't a political science major. I can't exactly discuss politics in depth with someone. I can explain what I believe, what a candidate says they will do, how they will benefit me, and how they match my ideals.

All I know is this: this is really the first election that has really mattered to me. While this is my second election which I have been able to vote, I have actually surprised myself by paying attention to this issues. Really, this is for my family. While I do not agree who THEY are voting for, I am hoping that my candidate pulls through, for their as well as my benefit.

Change is coming. Are we ready?

Back in My Element

You know, I've really been dreading this week. So far, this week has not been kind to me. Monday, I found out that I have a group project due in two weeks. Bottom line, I have no time to do it. Then, I failed a midterm. I was pretty pissed about that. And then, on top of ALL of that, my assistantship is forcing me to sacrifice a lot of hours this week to work on a program that we call "Haunted Halls."

This is where we are taking one of the community areas in our residence halls, and converting it to a haunted house. I wasn't too happy about this, because primarily, I see myself as a student first, and then a grad assistant second. Academics come first in my life, or at least I try to.

So anyway, long story short, we started doing set-up tonight for this event. It was like undergrad all over again. We were working with wood. Hammering, measuring, making sure edges are flush. I felt like I was back in the scene shop making a set for a show. And in a sense, I was.

For the first time in a long time, I was calling shots. I was making decisions. I was telling people what to do. Damn, that felt good. I have always enjoyed getting down, working with some lumber and building something. Even if it looks like shit.

So today, we put up three flats, and we will return tomorrow to continue building. My hands feel a little rough, and they smell like pine wood. My jeans are dirty from crawling around on the floor, and my hands and wrists are sore from having to use nails and hammers. Damn, I miss this.

This Just Dosen't Seem Right...

Today's weather here in the area certainly brought back memories of undergrad. Today's weather took a turn for the chilly side. I happened to look at one of the huge digital thermometers at the Ted, where it was a very cool 59 degrees out today. Plus the skies were gray and it got a little rainy today.

It was very poignant to me today as the skin on my cheeks kissed the brisk, cool wind. The first thought through my head, was, "Damn! I need a jacket!" And then it suddenly occurred to me. Something is not right. The cool weather was something that I welcomed, and something that I longed to see (or feel rather). I love it when the cool weather begins to set in. But as I said earlier, something just wasn't right. I felt a touch out of place. I felt like I needed to be in Asheville again.

I have several memories, fond memories of walking from class, and seeing that golden sun pour from the open sky, drenching the crimson and golden maple leaves on the quad. I would just walk, and breathe in the cool air, and bask in the glory of the sun. It was amazing.

Then there are times, where it would be around 7. I would be walking across campus to the theatre for rehearsal for the upcoming show. There would hardly be anyone on the quad, because not many people stayed on on the quad when it cooled off. (Spring is a different story though). Again, the sun would be setting, bleeding through those crimson and golden leaves, and casting Ramsey Library in perfect and warm golden-yellow light. I would be bundled up in a sweater and most likely a scarf. Keeping to myself, I would walk, looking down mostly at the fallen leaves. The leave were so abundant that sometimes, you couldn't even see the grass. And sometimes, you could come across one of those really dry leaves. These were leaves I loved to step on, just so I could hear the crunch. This was a sign to me that fall was here, and winter was coming.

Maybe it's because I'm a fan of colder weather. Maybe it's because there's a part of me that longs to be back in Asheville. Maybe its a little of both. Needless to say, I had a bit of a flash back today about something I miss at the good ole days at UNCA. Being a little heartsick, I went on with the rest of the chilly day, knowing that someday, somehow, I'll be back.

One day.

Just What I Needed

Being a grad student can become very taxing on your life. Just take my word for it. However, I am approaching the end of a pleasant fall break, which is just what I needed! Since Friday, I have done nothing but lounge around my apartment, watched TV, and watched a few movies. That's it. No school work. Just relaxation. *Sigh* I just hate to see it end.

In other news, contractors came in and actually hooked up the stove in my apartment, so I can actually start cooking for myself, which I have and it has been a JOY to do so. Some furniture for my spare room was also brought in, so I was able to clean some mess up and actually make the room functional. So now, I have set up my desktop and have turned the spare room into a den/study space. So no more homework from the kitchen table.

So tomorrow, its back to the regular routine. And I guess its just something that I'll have to get through. Thanksgiving break comes in November, and then a week and a half will take us to Winter break. Damn. This semester sure has gone by fast.

Life Goes On

Despite an interesting weekend and a rough start of the week, this week is beginning to ease its way into the weekend. And as an added bonus, its the start of fall break.

Things have been interesting needless to say, what with incidents, school work, I can honestly say there is never a dull moment in this field.

So there's not really much to say here, other than things are going well. School is a pain in the ass, and I don't think it'll ever stop being that way.

Just another year and a half. That's all.

With a New Building Comes New Woes

The past three days have been a hell of a three days. Being a Grad Assistant, I was able to move into my apartment early (which is very nice by the way) but I was not able to settle until today.

These past three days have consisted of a noreaster, 5 AM mornings and 1 AM nights, and a laundry list of problems that every new building has. The minor stuff, you know. And all on top of that- me being in charge of the entire building because my boss is actually out of town bringing his stuff down from his home state.

With most, if not all of our residents out of the hotel, we can actually adjust to the swing of things. We're on campus. But with that, comes a greater challenge. These first years have become spoiled. Spoiled by the "magic" of turndown service, and weelky room cleanings. At the hotel, you could simply place your trash outside your room, and the folling morning, poof! Its gone! They will soon find that this is not the case now that they are in their residence hall. Already, students have placed their empty moving boxes out into the hallway thinking they will magically disappear overnight. Such was the case on our third floor, that if a Fire Marshal had been in the building, he would've had a hay day writing us citations. You could not see the floor for so much cardboard.

However, added to this, come benefits. As I said, we're now on campus. Our students no longer have to worry about catching the bus, waking up extra early for classes, and every pain-in-the-ass problem you could ever think of. On a personal note, my apartment is pretty sweet. This is my first "official" space since the residence hall room, which by my standards is a HUGE upgrade. I thought I had so much stuff, but since I moved into the new apartment, my perspective of "stuff" has changed.

All that remains for us here in our new building is to become nestled, and once again, find our niche. *Sigh* It's good to be home.

A Welcomed Week of Worrying...

Ok, so I know that my past few entries have been about thoughts and observations about happenings in class. This blog won't be about that, I promise. Ok, not quite. This will still pertain to student life, but more specifically, mine.

As you may know, I am currently living out of a hotel. I have been for the past month and 5 days. (Who's counting now?) The reason I am living out of a hotel is because I, a Residence Hall Director, and 286 eager first-year students are awaiting the day our residence hall reaches a status of completion. That day is tomorrow. Well, for staff anyway. Tomorrow, the entire staff of my building will begin moving and making the transition into our new building. As exciting as this is, it also presents a great deal of stress and worrying.

There are still a few kinks to work out of the building. And I'm sure, because the building is new, these kinks will continue to be worked out. My assistantship is actually beginning to kick in. These past few weeks, I've had to hire a staff of 8 Desk Receptionists, train them, and schedule them to work. While most of this has been smooth, it has happened at break neck speed.

In a positive light, I was able to enter the building today and see my actual living space near its completion. Furniture has yet to be installed, but hey, at least I have a fridge. Yeah, I think that's all they've installed at this point. In addition to this, I got to take a look at my office. (I have an office?) This is a pretty sweet deal, I won't lie.

So, you may be sitting there in your seat, thinking, "Mark, you've got it made! You've got a brand new apartment, building, office...everything!" Right you are, but you also need to think about the transition into our new building. That's where the worrying kicks in. We're not doing this all in one day. No. That would be hell. We are stretching this over the span of the week. So, by Saturday, theoretically, we will be entirely out of the hotel. It doesn't sound like much, but we have a lot to focus on, and a lot of chances to drop the ball. I don't want to be the one who drops the ball. Although, I do have the innate fear that it will be me who drops it. I always sucked at dodge ball.

So, we'll see how this week pans out. As a student, I'm on top of things. Homework is pretty much taken care of at this point. My greatest concern is getting into my new building. I move my stuff in Tuesday, but I will not be able to settle until Saturday, when everyone is moved in. That sucks. All I want, is to get back in the swing of things.

Here's to worrying.

The Cost of Education

There's an old saying out there that goes something like this: "If you think education is expensive, consider the cost of ignorance."

While I think this is a witty and poignant quote, it was revealed to me today just exactly what may be the cost of education. Beside of all the student loans, books, homework, and time spent working on education, I believe I've found something that's a little less tangible when it comes to the cost of education- reputation.

In my classes this week, the topic is university leadership; specifically, the university president. Our professor handed out a rather interesting article that just points to how much a reputation can cost. Featured in a 2005 issue of The Chronicle for Higher Education, I read how former president of Harvard University, Lawrence H. Summers made a somewhat generalized comment about women in the field of mathematics and science at a scholarly meeting. He suggested that this situation may be the cause of innate differences of ability from men. Upon hearing this, some women of the conference walked out.

Here, we have the president of a prestigious (not to mention, America's first) institution who makes a shrewd comment at a scholarly meeting. Later in 2006, because of this comment, President Summers steps down as president of Harvard University.

So, what does this mean? What does this imply? Because he is the head of a highly acclaimed university, does it mean that the rest of the University thinks the same? I think one can certainly take it that way. I'm certain in the fact that what took years of a reputation to build up, in approximately 3 seconds, Dr. Summers destroyed. Easy as that.

Opinions mean everything. The thing is, everybody has one. However, the difference between a person and an educated person is that the educated person can back up what they say with tangible proof. If you can support your reasoning with solid and valid research it's good.

Watch what you say, and what you do say, be able to back it up. It could cost you everything.

The First-Years

A few things that I'm noticing particularly here on the ODU campus are certain idiosyncratic tendencies with our first year students. With these students growing up in a world of instant access and gratification, I am constantly seeing first-years buried in technology.

Let me run this down a bit. I am a Graduate Assistant in a residence hall that is currently under construction. While our completion date is fast approaching, we currently reside in a hotel in the downtown area. Because of this location, the University has arranged buses to commute back and forth to escort these first-years to campus and the hotel. I too take the bus, because it helps me to save gas and because of my "hippie" liberal arts undergraduate education, I realize that this is a great way to be green. These buses run every half hour.

In my commute on these buses, I constantly see these first-years completely absorbed in their high dollar iPods, shiny new smartphones, and super-techy laptops. When riding the bus, one simply hears the lone, constant rumble of the diesel engine, pneumatic pressure release from the air brakes, and the ever present sound of music coming from a student who has no concern for their abilities for hearing in their later years.

This situation perplexes me. Whatever happened to human interaction? What is wrong with verbal communication? These students just sit in silence, absorbed in tech world. And personally, this kind of scares the shit out of me.

I come from a generation before these students, where we had computers, and all the technology they have; it was just a little less refined. Yet, I cannot make myself walk across campus with earbuds in. I can't shut myself out from human interaction; I crave it. This world of fast paced information and instant results is nice, but some people are downing in it. Welcome to generational theory.

I am also drawing an analogy with these students. Really, to me first years can be compared to newborn puppies. They're cute. Cute in such a way that they are utterly helpless. Their eyes are still shut to the real world, and they huddle close together for warmth and support. This is where the analogy ends. These students act like the own the world. They know it all, and have a certain nonchalance about them. I'm not complaining about this behavior, but I certainly can see that they have a long way to go before they actually become "big dogs." I see it as my job, as a future Student Affairs professional to help these little pups open their eyes, get their shots, and grow up to be a healthy individuals.

That's what I'm here for, and that's what I love doing.

An Introduction

Hi there. Name's Mark.

Call it motivation, or procrastination from readings, (I prefer the latter) this blog is about my life, my odyssey. This blog will be free written, usually containg a general theme, or topic of the current happenings in my life. Sometimes, it will be written from a professional point-of-view, using complete and thorough grammatical style...as much as I have retained anyway. Other times, I may resort to my backwoods raising, and add a few explicatives, conjunctions, slang, and all kinds of shit. It's the nature of the beast. So, with out further delay...

I'm 23 years old, a recent UNCA graduate (GO BULLDOGS!) and a first year grad student at ODU. I'm working on my Masters degree in higher education. I love what I do, and do what I love, even though I'm working my ass off for it. I have an assistantship with the housing office, which is where I got inducted into the world of student affairs.

It all started out with being an RA. Who would've thought two years earlier when I first became an RA that I would soon be embarking upon my first year as a grad student working on a masters degree? Certainly not me. I got a BA in drama. Me? Grad school? What a hell of a joke!

But somehow, I'm here. Somehow, I was chosen. SOMEHOW, I made it a point in my life that I wanted to work with college students, and be a part of their life, whether they knew it or not. That sort of excites me. To know that I can make a difference.

To me, it all comes down to making a difference. It means passing it on. In my first year at UNCA, it was MY RA who reached out to me. Who helped me to adjust to the changing world around me, and who helped me with problems. That meant so much to me, I wanted to get in on the action. I wanted to help others, just like my RA helped me. How little did I know that the step I took in that direction would lead me to a twisting, winding, thrill ride of an adventure known as student affairs.

So here I am, in my own little world, no longer a freshman, no longer an undergrad, but considering myself something I never really do think myself to be: an adult. As much as I hate to deny it, I am one. But hey, I'm still a kid at heart. I still watch cartoons. I still sing and dance in the mirror to my iPod in my underwear. I still act like everyone is watching me when no one really is. I still try and steal attention. (Hey, I was a drama major.)

So there it is, a bit of an introduction. A little bit of me. I'll update this as I can. I consider myself to be a devoted student, which means I'm reading a lot, or doing homework. But if I'm bored, here I'll be, ready to invite you into my life, my odyssey.