5309Phil

When I started on my journey to higher education, I thought my path was set and I had everything on cruise control. However, once I got involved on campus I realized that my earlier plans did not seem as rewarding as I could get by working in higher education. My experiences were shaped by many of the student affairs professionals I interacted with on a daily basis. I want to bring those memories and challenges to students of newer generations. I want to help students develop, but more than just academically. I want to, as the Student Personnel Point of View lays out, develop and nurture a holistic, well rounded student. In these changing times, our students will face new and challenging issues and we have a place to educate our students for the betterment of themselves but also our society. It may seem like a delusion of grandeur, but student affairs professionals change lives, so they can change the world in the future. //**Leadership**//  Every student has the leadership potential to do great things for our university. Sometimes its in the form of joining or leading a student club or organization. For other students, it is serving as a student worker in the residence halls, in the career service center, or maybe through campus ministry. We have students who use their academic ability to tutor those struggling to gain the abstract concepts in unbelievably hard math courses. These are the leaders on our campus and leaders of the next generations. Student affair professionals in all areas have to develop and nurture students and their leadership potential. Many people think student activities has the market cornered on leadership development through student organizations. However, other areas in student affairs develop and nurture leadership skills and potential in our students. I had the experience to learn leadership through my involvement in my fraternity, being a resident assistant, and in the classroom. I believe that student affairs professionals need to push students further to develop the new leaders of tomorrow. //**Access and Opportunity**//  I believe that there should be no barriers keeping any student from gaining the necessary enrichment that going to college can bring to a student. No matter what a students racial or ethnic background, their socio-economic status, sexual orientation, political view, or any other arbitrary category that we place upon students should hinder a chance for an education. We in student affairs have a moral obligation to help those students receive the same benefits and treatment as other students. I believe we need to stand up to the “isms” in our society and work within higher education to make all students feel comfortable and apart of the university, see Student Environment theories by as examples.  I believe that the biggest problem facing higher education is the lack of help offered to students struggling in a lower socioeconomic status. I myself came from a lower income family. Unfortunately, my parents made too much money to qualify as financially needy but not enough to pay for my educational needs. I have gone into massive debt trying to finance my education. We should not force students to be in permanent debt to attend colleges. As student affairs professionals are mission is clear. We need to help these students be it through grants through the residence life program to lower the cost of on-campus housing to needy students, or provide avenues for students to get books through student affair grants or scholarships. We need to stop just talking and theorizing about what to do and actually follow through. //**Be Their Own Self-Advocate**// The recent inflexion of the so-called “helicopter” parents into the student affairs and higher education equation rubs some professionals the wrong way. In actuality, these parents want the same goals that we seek as student affairs professionals. We need to utilize these parents better to push their students toward accepting responsibility and becoming their own self advocate. Being their own self-advocate is more than just moving them away from their involved parents, bur rather a holistic movement toward accepting and understanding the idea of responsibility. I believe that we as professionals should install in students the belief that they are in charge of their own destiny be it academically, professionally, and personally. I believe that wee have an obligation to push are students towards that idea and understanding. With all the changing and challenging issues and concerns we face as student affair professionals, it seems daunting at times. Our role in our students lives is directly on pair with the academic side. We have a hand in helping shape and mold students once they step foot on our campuses. We can meet and beat those challenges by working on a core fundamental belief in promoting leadership, developing opportunities and access for all students, and pushing students towards a firm grounding in responsibility. This can not be accomplished alone but rather as a team approach in student affairs. No more institutional silos but one collective student affairs voice pushing students and each other to be better and not settle for the old ways. We need to work together to forge new ideas in this new society.