82156Phil

Philosophy of Student Affairs*
I believe that student affairs combines the research and scholarship of student development theory and the actions and practical experience of student service. As a student affairs professional I personally enjoy the practical and tangible side of student development, whether that comes from interaction with students, or planning and implementing programs, I am a social being and enjoy contact with others. This realized, I acknowledge that there is another side to student affairs, one that guides my actions and interactions, even when I am unaware. It is important that all student affairs professionals remain cognizant of our guiding framework, but also remain critical to what it has to offer in light of student development. I personally find that being critical of the various psychosocial, cognitive, typology and other theories allows me to focus on the student more as an individual, rather than fall into the trap of lumping all students into one stage, or one phase within a theory. My view on student development theory is not by any means completely negative. I particularly find a lot of interest in the cognitive-structural development theories. It is because of this affinity, that I shape my student affairs philosophy in a way that is conducive to student intellectual development. Komives, Woodward & Associates (2003) point out that cognitive structural theory suggests change takes place as a result of assimilation and accommodation, and I believe that college environments offer a lot of instances where students must assimilate to situations or accommodate to other individuals and ideas. Student affairs offers a wide array of avenues in which a practitioner can interact with students. Personally, my experience has been within the residential living avenue. From my experiences as a hall director, I have used my philosophy towards student affairs frequently when working with residents. Because of my comfort with the cognitive theories, and because of the environment in which I work in, issues of assimilating and accommodating are typically present. Roommate conflicts, hall disputes and even vandalism issues typically boil down issues of reflective judgment, care and responsibility, moral reasoning and ethics (all aspects of cognitive development). Specifically I find Perry’s (1970) “positions” coming to mind when I observe student actions, reactions and interactions as many of my freshman male students view their world in the “dualism” stage. Combining knowledge of theory with practice is easier said than done. As an emerging-professional, I have found myself becoming more reflective and cognizant of student actions and decisions. However, I still find myself struggling with how to exactly connect what I observe and what I know from theory with the proper action to take when addressing a particular student’s needs. This I feel is a challenge for all student affairs practitioners, and, in itself, speaks to the purpose of student affairs in general. Student affairs exists as a service to students and we provide this service by reactively and proactively providing guidance, programs and environments that challenge both the students and ourselves as professional practitioners. We can not become stagnant in our thinking or our approaches, we need to continue to remain critical of student development theories, while simultaneously using their framework to guide our practice. Colleges and universities are environments of learning, growth and development not only for students but for all those associated within the community. Student affairs, in my opinion is a catalyst for this growth. Komives, S. R. (2003). //Student services: A handbook for the profession (Fourth Edition)//. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ||
 * *(I believe that my philosophy of student affairs will be ever changing as I experience new positions and further my professional career, but below is my current philosophy).