1221Phil

In one of my first courses, Functions in Student Affairs, I learned the Student Personnel Point of View (1937), which guided the development of my personal philosophy of Student Affairs. I believe that Student Affairs is to //develop students as a whole// and provide support and services in order to achieve this. Taken from the Student Personnel Point of View, areas in which Student Affairs can assist in developing the whole student are looking into “intellectual capacity and achievement, emotional make up, social relationships, and vocational aptitudes…” (1937), for example. This is similar to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) vision which I agree and believe to “affirm the commitment of student affairs to educating the whole student and integrating student life and learning” (NASPA, 2008). The field of student affairs, to me, is //all encompassing// and can be found all over every campus. There are many services that fall under the umbrella of student affairs: in order to get students to even have the function student affairs, there needs to be recruiting and admissions; once we enroll the students in there is orientation; then, when students get settled there are many centers, services, and involvement that are there specifically for a student’s disposal. I, also, feel that student affairs are key in addressing //crisis situations// and keeping up with important issues. Whether I am a Residence Hall Director or Vice President of Student Affairs I will be affected to some degree of these situations. The handling of a student death or student rally is serious and the way it is handled can determine the culture of the institution. Issues of diversity, including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and ability, I feel, are becoming and should be more part of an institution. Student affairs can contribute to the enrollment growth or decline of these populations. Whether they offer support to provide a positive campus climate can show how student affairs are reacting. All of this depends on the institution, whether they have the space, funding, and believe that it is necessary. [|NASPA] and [|ACPA], national professional associations for student affairs, have also shown me //core values// that are necessary in the field. These include //learning, integrity, service, fellowship, collaboration, access, multicultural competence,// and //outreach// and //advocacy// (NASPA, 2008, and ACPA, 2008). All of these, I believe go hand-in-hand with each other. Students come to college for all kinds of learning, what they learn in the classroom, from their friends and in the residence halls, from their extra- and co-curricular activities, and from the rest of their experiences, whether it is learning from mistakes or about themselves. As a student affairs professional it is my job to support and enhance student learning, this can be through the services and organizations. Student affairs offers many services to students to assist them in making the most out of their college experience or to help them deal with difficult situations. Services can include advising, student involvement, athletics, and counseling which each have an explanation as to why the institution has it. Looking at some of these services, a student can see the kind of access, multicultural competence, and outreach and advocacy that school provides. They demonstrate what the institution values and their concern for the student. Fellowship and collaboration are also essential for student affairs. Fellowship, I consider, is what makes students affairs unique. Depending on job position, the interaction between employees and students differ. The positions where there is constant interaction with students it is important to build relationships to learn and work with them. This can allow the student to have a positive outlook on the institution. In positions where there is less interaction with students, there is more interaction between employees. I am aware that not everyone gets along but it is important in this field for us to understand why we are working at the institution. This is where collaboration comes into play. One of my leadership styles is using collaboration. Even if people don’t get along, with collaboration everyone contributes different ideas to come up with solutions, instead of one person doing it by themselves. My graduate assistantship is in academic advising and these past two years I have learned a lot about myself and the profession. I have seen these core values at work. In our office we meet all kinds of students with different situations. There are those who are exceling and others that are on the brink of being dismissed. This allows us the opportunity to tailor our services to each individual and to let students know what all the university has to offer them. Throughout the university there is an academic and advising support association ([|KASADA]) where they have monthly meetings and annual conferences. Their focus is on student learning and creating new ways to advocate and provide outreach to their students. From my courses and experiences I have been able to identify my philosophy of student affairs.

References: Student Personnel Point of View. (1937). Retrieved on February 21, 2009 from [] ACPA. (2008). About ACPA. Retrieved on February 21, 2009 from [] NASPA. (2008). About us. Retrieved on February 21, 2009 from [] search > |||||| [|« Feb] || |||||| || > || || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || > || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || > || 14 || 15 || 16 || 17 || 18 || 19 || 20 || > || 21 || 22 || 23 || 24 || 25 || 26 || 27 || > || 28 || 29 || 30 |||||||| ||
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