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March 05, 2009

Web 2.0 "In Plain English".

These days technology is advancing so quickly it can be quite overwhelming to keep up, and understand. What exactly is a blog?  A Wiki? A Feed? What is twitter?


For some perhaps a simple introduction to these topics is the first step in embracing these technologies, and perhaps they may start utilizing these technologies on your college campus.

Twitter is the hottest new tool in the web 2.0 spectrum right now, but how does it work? and why would I ever want to use it??

I think Jon Stewart asks this question best in a recent episode of the daily show

Twitter can provides real time updates of individuals, groups, companies, and organizations.  To better understand how twitter works Here is a great video clip.

Many colleges already use Twitter to provide updates to their students on the latest happenings on campus.  For example SUNY Cobleskill has a twitter account to update students on activities happening all over campus. 

Twitter is very easy to use, and can be updated from just about anywhere.  Aside from your computer you can use text messaging, Ims, Iphones, and blackberry's to update your twitter status.



Wikis function much differently than Twitter does.  Wiki's are collaborative software that makes putting data, or a project together very easy if you are working with others.

This video will describe wikis so that anyone can easily understand.


The University of Wisconsin Madison has created a wiki to provide information about their university. The wiki covers everything from courses to housing to athletics to campus life.  Alone this would be a difficult and seemingly endless task.  But since they are all collaborating together they are able to put an amazing resource together with ease.

There are other aspects of Web 2.0 I haven't covered, but I would like to share the "in plain english" videos for them.

Social Media In Plain English
RSS In Plain English
Social Networking In Plain English
Blogs In Plain English
Social Bookmarking In Plain English
Online Photo Sharing In Plain English
Podcasting In Plain English

Posted by Steve Snedeker on March 05, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

March 03, 2009

Got Game?

Board_games1.jpg At the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience, I was excited to attend a session with Loriann Irving, of Kutztown University. Loriann has built a creative portfolio of exercises for use in her first-year seminar course that she changes up to appeal to the different learning styles of students in her first-year seminar. Thinking along the lines of Scene It or Cranium, games with a variety of tasks, you have many options for interactive learning in your next course.


Sharing Props: Seek a volunteer from the class and invite them to reach into a pre-assembled basket of "props" and select an item. Gather your props ahead of time, looking for random items that could have potential beyond their intended use. Examples could be a chip clip, kitchen sponge, nametag lanyard, pocket pencil protector, mousepad...you get the idea, whatever may be around your home or office. Ask the student volunteer to share uses for the selected item. Following the prop suggestions, discuss with students that different uses for the props allow us to see things through different lenses. Just as perception of material in a class can differ from student to student, we learn and visualize in contrasting methods. This is a great introduction to learning styles and useful for students early in the transition to college.

Can You Hear Me Now: For a lesson that appeals to auditory learners, identify 4-5 audio clips from inspirational speeches or movies and play them for the class. Loriann shared clips from a Martin Luther King speech, Mr. Holland's Opus, and The Pursuit of Happyness in her presentation.  Following each clip, ask students to individually identify who was speaking and how it could be motivational or inspirational for them in their quest for a college degree. As you ask students to share their responses, link to educational goals and aspirations and what students hope to achieve.

Visualize This: Any PowerPoint presentation is helpful for vision-based learners, but making it interactive is the challenge. Loriann uiltized basic Photoshop techniques to distort common images related to the first college year. Creating distorted filter overlays that are slowly peeled back to reveal an alarm clock, student planner, wall calendar, and student ID card can be fun ways to introduce time management and responsibility. 

Can't Touch This: Using Scrabble tiles or paper letter squares to create word scrambles is a tactile game for engaging students in group problem solving. Distribute letter tiles that create words related to the first-year of college. Examples would be "dreams', "calendar", "organize", "grade point", "homework". Invite groups to share the importance of their word when the letters are unscrambled.

Interactive learning in the first-year seminar keeps students engaged and builds community. Another fun Loriann Irving classroom idea can be found here. 

What's your game?




Posted by Debra Sanborn on March 03, 2009 in Collaborative Learning, Conferences, Creativity, Freshman, Games | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Economic Crisis and Student Affairs

You may have heard, but apparently the sky is falling.  As a masters student in student affairs, I think if I hear the comment "in this current economic crisis" one more time I'm going to pull my hair out.  In a meeting last week, someone requested that we "not talk about the budget" any more.  In related news, Chicken Little has not left the building because he's worried of the sky landing on their head.


My time in student affairs is admittedly brief, but I've seen a few responses in my public research 1 university to the economic challenges facing the country and higher education.  I think there are lessons to be learned from each of these responses. 

First, the governor trimmed our budget and told us to get ready for more cuts.  Our institution responded by immediately cutting non-essential travel and by requesting us all to cut our budgets quickly and expediently.  I found the trimming of travel a little curious as there was very little discussion given to what travel was actually useful, other than that the VP of student affairs would be required to approve all travel; there was even some discussion that travel ON YOUR OWN DIME was going to be cut.  There is a lesson here though...Public perception is important and scrutiny/regulation is healthy.

Second, I have heard hundreds of discussions about trimming budgets and no discussions about raising revenue.  Most of these discussions centered around complaining about how painful it was to make cuts, but very little discussion about how cuts probably needed to be made.  I think this is why people don't want to talk about it anymore, they feel helpless to make drastic change to the system and they fear that the next axe to fall may fall on them.  The lesson here...Empowerment of people to make changes in their budgets will improve morale in difficult times.

Third, I have seen more of the costs of operation get passed on to students.  I personally find it reprehensible to take a program that was being run through state appropriated funds and transfer it to being funded by student fees.  The absurdity is that students were ALREADY PAYING a user fee to use this service; this is not budget trimming this is a shell game of hide the money.  The lesson here...poor economic times reveal character and values both institutionally and individually.

Fourth, our particular department focused on values.  It is tempting during times that are different than these to spend on infrastructure for the department ie computers or new office furniture; these expenditures are necessary and important.  However, as we saw the budget being trimmed, we decided that the student fee money that funds our department should be spent in ways that can be directly and tangibly connected to a total student experience.  We want to focus on providing the most high quality programs possible to our students at the least cost; the economic crisis helped us to reconnect with the mission and values of our department.  The lesson....we provide the best service to our university and our students when we focus on our mission and values.

I know you're probably tired of hearing about it, but don't let the economic crisis get you down.  It's a challenging time for sure, but I liken it to the Lent season of the church year.  Just like Lent, economically challenging periods are a time to cleansing and purification that will sow the seeds for times of growth and development, and they encourage us to connect to what makes us good at what we do.

Posted by Jeff Lail on March 03, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 26, 2009

Officer Transition... it's coming!

Our campus is working on expanding our support for student organization transition as a result of a recent "Aha" moment.  During some expense of brain power about the frustrating and negative impact of weak officer transition, I realized how little support we offered to the bulk of our student organizations to assist them in successful officer transition.  Of course, for those groups that our staff directly advises we try to focus a lot of energy on supporting that changeover.  My moment of clarity, however, was more about the rest of the groups and what we should be doing differently.  It only makes sense - the groups that are further "outside" the circle need more ability to exist on their own and therefore more support.

We have some things in mind for a new program and I want to share the details...

First Phase:  Deadline for Elections through end of classes

  • For the first time, we have established a deadline for student organization officer elections.  By April 3, clubs need to file a form with us that informs us of their newly identified e-board. 

  • We will be developing a Wiki site about Officer Transition, presenting sample outlines for meetings, checklists, and other tips.

  • We will be sponsoring a "Fall Event Calendar Party" to organize fall semester planning. Through establishing a deadline for elections, we will make sure that we have the right students in the room when we are making commitments to the fall calendar.

  • We will sponsor a New Officer Welcome Reception in our office where the new officers can meet each other and meet our staff before the end of the semester.

Second Phase:  Summer

  • We don't have many students around or in contact over the summer, so we will offer web-based resources (podcasts, tip sheets, etc.) and focus on the issues of "I'm in charge, so now what?"  This phase will focus on completely optional content, but topics such as Vision, Goal setting, and "Membership Management" topics to respond to an expressed need for students to get better at managing their peers. 

  • Anyone with events during the first six weeks of school will be invited to attend "Open Houses" that we will sponsor at various points in July.  Our goal is to foster earlier event planning and more frequent contact with our office to prepare to host effective events during the opening of school.

Third Phase:  August 15 - end of September

We will focus on student organization registration, preparation for our Involvement Fair and host a leadership conference at the end of September with a focus on hands-on, practical topics that will be useful for the leader just starting out.

Any thoughts on this plan?  Does anyone out there in Blogging land have similar types of efforts and can share stories of success?

Have a great week!!


Posted by Cindy Kane on February 26, 2009 in Leadership Training | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 31, 2009

Fraternity/Sorority Recruitment time! So, what's the hooplah about?

Our campus starts fraternity and sorority recruitment next week and I know that many others are also embarking on this unique time of year.  With so much focus on these groups this week, it has turned my thinking to this area and the unique opportunities and challenges that face our students who choose to lead these groups.

Let me put it out there from the start... I am a sorority member myself and am a huge proponent of the benefits of membership.  Membership in that organization definitely made me the leader that I am today and I can attribute a great amount of my personal growht to the opportunities I was given.  Love them or hate them, fraternities and sororities are a part of many of our campuses.

Leadership in these organizations brings about significant and intense experiences for students and I'm thinking recently about what makes them so unique.  These organizations make committments to holistic support of students whether in academic, social, service, leadership or other settings.  I'm thinking that might be the ticket and have something to do with why being a chapter president is such a tough job or why membership decisions are so significant and frought with advising challenges for us.

Membership recruitment (i.e. "formal rush") activities bring a lot of "hooplah" to our campus each year, whether good or bad... there's a lot of hooplah.  There is intensity from current members, prospective new members, administrators, and non-members and everyone has a lot to say.

So, let's hear from the SA blog public.... what do you have to say?

Posted by Cindy Kane on January 31, 2009 in Club/Org Recruitment | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

January 26, 2009

Gone FISHing!

We just completed the first of four half-day mini retreats for our peer leaders. These students will be facilitating our first-year seminar course in the fall and they spend this semester building team relationships and studying student development in preparation for their work. A favorite concept that we utilize is the FISH! Philosophy. We introduce the unit early and refer back to it throughout the year. FISH! includes four simple interconnected practices that are easy to remember and fun for activity transitions.

Be There is being emotionally present for others. It's the idea that respect and engagement improves communication and strengthens relationships. For our peer leaders, this means setting personal issues aside so that they may focus on issues and challenges facing their students whenever needed.

Play emphasizes that being creative and enthusiastic, whatever the job before you, can make work and tasks more enjoyable. Our first-year seminar focuses on college transition and exposure to campus resources. We encourage peer leaders to try new instructional methods and not be afraid to step outside the box or the classroom. Play-doh, crayons, and an occasional set of Guitar Hero all have potential for Play application.

Make Their Day is about finding simple ways to serve those around you in a way that is memorable and has meaning. It's about contributions and service to others, without expectation that it will be returned. Peer Leaders are encouraged to learn student names right away to help ease early transition. Many leaders bring class treats or host surprise field trips to the ice cream shop.

Choose Your Attitude is about taking responsibility for whatever your day or life brings to you. It's about how your demeanor and mood impacts others around you. Does your attitude help people around you? Grumpy moods contribute little to our program goals. We focus on accepting life's obstacles, then getting on with the day. This concept is particularly handy in our 8:00 a.m. class.

We borrow the FISH! video from the campus resource library and purchase supplemental materials when needed. FISH! is a simple, fun method for generating a service philosophy with new student leaders and is great practice for our staff as well.


Posted by Debra Sanborn on January 26, 2009 in Collaborative Learning, Creativity, Freshman, Leadership Training, University | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

January 21, 2009

Bringing It Home

Today is the first day of classes on campus and there is quite the buzz about our student groups who did service trips over our Winter Break.  We had groups in Belize, Honduras and a Habitat for Humanity group that served in the Gulf Coast.  One of my staff members traveled with the Honduras group and had the opportunity of a lifetime to challenge her skills as an advisor and a leader but to also examine the way she views the world and her place within it.

So many distinctive lessons are learned through these great experiences on campuses across the country and it is so gratifying to watch the "higher education machine" begin to realize its opportunity to make a big difference in some of these communities.  While it's tempting to write about the value of service, etc. especially in the context of our new president's strong service message, I want to take this information in a different direction.

I want to know how we can best harness the learning that takes place in these environments to also inspire change on campus.  We spend a great deal of time reflecting on the student growth that happens from this service and the amazing impact we can have on those communities, but I also want to bring all of these students together to share common learning "moments" that might be able to be applied right here at home.  The place I work is a very positive environment, but I know we all share interests in improving our campus climates and, in turn, the ability of every student to succeed.

Here are the types of lessons I'm thinking about...

1 - The kindness of strangers means everything

All of these students talked about how "nice" everyone was in the areas they visited and seem to be very struck by how much they depended on the generosity of local residents.  If we applied this lesson on campus, I think our environment would be much more welcoming, civil and empowering.  If people facing such poverty and difficulty can extend themselves so much to visitors like us, why can't that happen more regularly at home?  I know I'd appreciate a more "civil" campus.

2 - When there is a job to be done, teamwork is essential

There is nothing like building a house to show the value of teamwork.  All of the students with this kind of experience will now understand the importance of seeing each other's strengths and weaknesses and trying to utilize them well for the good of a team.  How can we harness these lessons to develop our teams and organizations?

3 - Great risks can bring great personal growth

At least 80% of those who went on these trips have already told me that they had some fear about stepping out of their comfort zone to participate in this experience.  I feel like this kind of risk taking brought about such significant personal reward to them and wonder if the notion of the risk itself made the experience that much more meaningful.  What can we do to support risk taking on our campuses in our employees and our students?  I worry that those who go out on a limb aren't always caught if they fall...

There is a lot to think as these great experiences are processed, as I know that those who participated will be changed forever. For some reason, this is the first time I'm thinking about what these service experiences can do to transform our campuses.  We now have a cadre of students focused on service... now's the time for us to figure it out.

What other things can we apply here at home? 

 Have a great week...

Posted by Cindy Kane on January 21, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Historic Inauguration: What Does It Mean To You?

As I scanned the status updates of Facebook friends on Inauguration Day, I noticed a word appearing over and over again: history.

Yes, today was an historic day as our nation's first African American president took office.

But what does it mean to those of us working student affairs?

Truth be told, it probably means something different to each and every one of us, personally. All politics aside, there were probably moments of overwhelm for many of us, just trying to grasp the meaning of this day for our country and our world. For me, there were moments that I got choked up, trying to take it all in.

But the moment that hit me the hardest was watching President Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, entering the ceremony. And, quite frankly, it surprised me, at first. Surely there were more important moments of the day, right?

The more I thought about it, though, the more I thought it was appropriate that this moment had the greatest meaning to me, as a student affairs professional. Malia and Sasha are our future college students, and they are growing up in a world that is changing.

They are growing up in a world where having a person of color in the highest office in the land is no longer a distant dream, it is very much a reality. They are growing up in a world where racial barriers certainly still exist, but are being shattered, one by one. They are growing up in a world where they can hold up a digital camera and videotape their father being sworn in as president.

In less than a decade, these will be our college students. But the historic nature of their father's inauguration affects our universities now.

Some are quick to say that Obama's presidency means we're living in a post-racial America, but this seems short-sighted. To me, it signals an era in which it is crucial to celebrate the rich diversity that race and every kind of identity brings to our nation. In turn, this signals an era in which institutions of higher education must pay closer and closer attention to issues of diversity and ensure that they put the resources and people in place to address these issues in positive ways.

And, finally, it signals an era when students of all backgrounds can be inspired to look at their dreams, no matter how lofty, and say to themselves, "Yes, we can."

Posted by Annette Martel on January 21, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 12, 2009

2009 is our year, student affairs!

Hello SA Blog readers!

I'm so excited to meet you as a "guest blogger" with this group.  I'm new at this blogging thing, but really excited to get involved in this community.  Since I'm new here, I figured i'd start by sharing a link that got people really riled up in my office this past week.  Check out what US News and World Report has to say about a career as "higher education administrator" for 2009!

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2008/12/11/best-careers-2009-higher-education-administrator.html

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that a publication like this would pay attention to our world and do know that job security is better for us than our peers in much of corporate life.  But, the review of our field as "unusually pleasant" really does carry some "tone".  Also, if he thinks that competition for student life/student affairs jobs is "less rigorous" has clearly not done his homework. I know the last time we hired someone for our programming position we reviewed nearly 100 resumes, so I think that's pretty darned "rigorous."

As a now veteran student activities professional, it is getting more and more clear that we have a problem in our field about articulating what we do.  Higher education scholars use this as a call to improve assessment and I completely agree with that as a big need.  However, we have to focus on the "everyday audience" as well.  All someone from "the outside" can sometimes see is a group of excited students dancing in front of the stage at a concert we have sponsored and obviously can never understand all of the surrounding experiences.

I'm making a few New Year's resolutions in the name of our profession and hope you'll have some too:

  1. Help more people on campus understand the campus programming board and the students behind it.  More people need to hear their stories and we need to make them more "high profile" even when it's not comfortable for them or us.  After I finish typing, I'm calling our PR office to talk to them about student stories.
  2. Be more assertive about the expertise our department holds about students, their experiences, and what makes them tick. People on campus are baffled by this and we are not, so let's share what we know! 
  3. Figure out better ways to promote our successes on campus to everyone who will listen.  Our colleagues in Career Services can do it and do it well...why not us?  I know the usual response is that our field is not as tangible in results, but let's figure out a way to change that.

I'm working on my list this week - what other committments should we make to make campus activities less of a mystery? 



Posted by Cindy Kane on January 12, 2009 | | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

January 11, 2009

Create your Cover Story!

Heroes-magazine-cover-girl In need of a fun, interactive "getting to know you" icebreaker or class energizer? Barbara Nixon offers this gem for getting to know a new group of students: create a magazine cover! Nixon, an assistant professor at Georgia Southern, utilizes her blog to share assignments in her Public Relations courses. She shares a virtual file cabinet of creative ideas for integrating social media into the classroom which are applicable in a variety of student development arenas.

I am considering using the magazine concept to introduce our peer leaders to new first-year students in the fall, or as a catchy promotional piece for our new scholarship students. I may also use this in our next staff development. 

What's your cover story?

Posted by Debra Sanborn on January 11, 2009 in Announcements, Collaborative Learning, Creativity, Leadership Training, Low Cost Programming | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 10, 2009

Self-fulfilling prophecy? Excuses for failure

0A63CEA0A359440687E5A1659A66DC2A You've heard the joke about the college students who after an evening of partying missed a final exam, claiming a flat tire. The professor told them they could make up the final on the following day.  At the final, the professor placed them in separate rooms, handed each of them a test booklet and told them to begin. The first problem, worth 5 Points, was on the subject matter. The next problem was worth 95 Points. It asked: "Which tire?

A NY Times article highlighting ego protection and lowering of expectations suggests that some students protect their failures and lack of achievement through self-handicapping. Excuses ranging from "I didn't buy the textbook" to "I overslept" are just the tip of the iceberg as students engage in self-defeating behaviors that evade success. If allowed to continue unfettered, self-handicapping behaviors become workplace headaches, characterizing individuals as unreliable very early in their careers.

During the spring semester, I meet with first-year students who were not academically successful during their fall semester. Many of these students were early identified as not performing to potential, and were monitored for intervention opportunities. I wish I had a nickel for how many times I have heard "the professor hates me", "I don't understand the teaching assistant", or "I lost the syllabus". Instead, I develop a schedule of advising appointments with students who frequently rely on excuses versus making a genuine effort at academic achievement. The task becomes helping these students recognize how their actions or inactions define them. Utilizing a discussion on responsibility is a positive beginning to the semester.

What does it mean to be a responsible student?
  • If you are responsible, you are reliable. 
  • If you commit to enrolling in class, you will complete the required assignments. 
  • If you are responsible and you have an assignment, you will do it on time and to the best of your ability. 
  • If you are responsible, you will think about the consequences before doing something. You won’t do anything that will jeopardize yourself or your college career.
  • If you are responsible, you will be accountable for what you do, and you won’t make excuses or blame others for your mistakes. 

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.   ~~George Washington Carver











Posted by Debra Sanborn on January 10, 2009 in Campus Issues, Freshman, University | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 09, 2009

Sixty Ideas in Fifty-Minutes

We actually had no intention of trying to break the record for low-cost program ideas set last year at the APCA National Advisors' Conference.  Fifty minutes later, the delegates in Las Vegas had suggested 106 ideas!

Jill captured these for you, and I wanted to make sure they got posted.  If they don't make sense to you, drop me a line and I'll try to explain. I hope you find some inspiration for low-cost programs on your own campus.

FiftyOne Hundred and Six Ideas in Fifty Minutes

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  1. Sitcom Night

  2. Lunch with Lawmakers

  3. Singing Contest-College Idol

  4. Biggest Loser/Winner Weight Loss Competition

  5. Most Pushups, etc. Beat the Trainer

  6. Olympics Sports Competition

  7. Open Mic Night

  8. Rock Band/Guitar Hero Battle

  9. Battle of the Bands

  10. International Festivals

  11. Ability Day

  12. Lip Sync Competition

  13. Grains of the World-i.c. Coffee

  14. Dances of the World

  15. Art Shows

  16. Local Battle of the Bands

  17. Car Show

  18. Stereo Competition

  19. Game Night Sporting Event

  20. Midnight Madness w/ Intramurals

  21. Election Night Party

  22. Texas Hold’em

  23. Casino Night

  24. Holiday Bizarre

  25. Gingerbread House Making

  26. Karaoke Night

  27. Microwave Cooking Contest

  28. Iron Chef

  29. Home-grown secret postcards

  30. Halloween Costume Contest

  31. Pumpkin Carving

  32. On-Campus Trick-or-treating

  33. Staff Trick-or-Treating

  34. Trunk-&-Treating

  35. Haunted House

  36. Ghost Tours

  37. Pumpkin Toss/Bowling

  38. Turkey Bowling

  39. Halloween Dance Party

  40. Day of the Dead

  41. Christmas Caroling- Nursing home

  42. Jail and Bail

  43. Kiss a Pig

  44. Craft Night

  45. Board Game Night

  46. Retro Game Night

  47. Twister Tournament

  48. Dining Etiquette Banquet

  49. Fashion Show

  50. Murder Mystery Dinner Theater

  51. Glow-in-the-dark Easter Egg Hunt

  52. Dress for Success

  53. Interview Dressing

  54. Spaghetti Luau

  55. Dancing w/ the Staff

  56. Glow-in-the-dark Frisbee Golf

  57. Happy Friday Motivation Message

  58. First-Class Mondays-Hand out cheesy items

  59. Happy Hour Mondays-Mocktails

  60. Finals-Snacks

  61. Midnight Breakfast

  62. Massages

  63. Makeup/Spa Day

  64. Last Comic Standing

  65. Campus-wide Pillow Fight

  66. Oreo Stacking

  67. Largest Twister Game

  68. Bingo

  69. Marshmallow Wars

  70. Beauty Pageant

  71. Drag Show

  72. Cow Bingo

  73. In the Dark-use flashlight

  74. Cup Program-Roofies w/ Sheriff’s Dept.

  75. Sidewalk Chalk Contest

  76. Window Decorating Contest

  77. Lincoln-themed Jeopardy

  78. Jeopardy Game

  79. Who wants to be a Millionaire?

  80. Pop Culture Trivia

  81. Take it or Leave it-Deal or no Deal

  82. Reality TV Show

  83. Amazing Race

  84. Dorm Room Makeover

  85. Diversity Uno

  86. 24 Hour Make a Film

  87. Boxes and Walls-Diversity Events

  88. Date Auction

  89. Shack-a-thon-homeless awareness

  90. Oscar Party

  91. Cut-a-thon – Locks of Love

  92. Dr. Pepper Hour

  93. Tasty Cheesecake

  94. Best (fill in the blank) Showdown

  95. Chicken Wing Competition

  96. Chinese New Year

  97. Super Bowl Party

  98. Ipod Party

  99. CD Party-Swap Music

100.Afternoon Tea

101.Sample the Wine

102.World Religion Panel

103.Mad Hatter Tea Party

104.Mad Pottery Tea Party

105.Pack of Clothes from Goodwill and have Fashion Show

106.Pool Tournament

Posted by Del Suggs on January 09, 2009 | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 07, 2009

Better Get To Know An SA Professional - Tyler Archer - San Antonio College

Here's our latest installment of our "Better Get To Know AN SA Professional" series with Tyler Archer of San Antonio College. Make sure to watch all the way through for some extra goodies :)

Feel the need to email Tyler with a question? Here it is > tarcher1@mail.accd.edu

Posted by Tom Krieglstein on January 07, 2009 in BGTknowASAP | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

December 10, 2008

Facebook Page or Facebook Group?

What's the best way to represent your student club/organization or school department on Facebook?



Due to the number of questions received about this topic, I was about to write up my own analysis, but figured I should check with my blogging pals first. Sure enough Leigh Householder of Advergirl put together a nice post for businesses that is easily translated to Student Affairs. Here is a full repost:

There are a lot of choices – groups, pages, causes, fans, friends. And, none of the which and the why seems terribly clear.

To make it simple: There is one main choice. And, then a few other important options.

First pick: Page or group or both

Page
Who can create it: An official representative of the real public figure, artist, brand or organization that the page is for

Why page?

  •     First up, pages are indexed on Google. A nice little add to your integrated social SEO strategy
  •     Allows you to connect with an unlimited number of fans (personal profiles & groups support up to 5000 friends)
  •     You can send messages to all your fans
  •     You can use rich media and leverage Facebook apps (super customizable)

Why not page?

  •     Little of the new content or activity you post is actually fed to your profile new feeds (the most visible? New fans. New photos or video uploaded by fans)
  •     Messages to fans don’t go into their inbox; rather, they’re delivered as an “update,” which fewer people see.
  •     Unlike being an administrator of some non-FB communities (like blogs or wikis),there’s no automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc.

Group:
Who can create it: Anyone (on any topic)

Why groups?

  •     Most importantly, you can message all members and the notice shows up right in their inbox for maximum attention
  •     All activities are picked up in the feed – posts, discussion, photos, etc., which provides a lot more visibility
  •     Tend to be more informal, which can, in itself, feel more social
  •     Lots of control over who to involve. There are three different types of groups: Open (anyone can join); Closed (the group owner/admins have to approve all members); Secret (only the members and invitees know the group even exists).

Why not groups:

  •     There’s a 5000 fan limit for messaging. More people can choose to be fans of your group, but you won’t be able to directly contact them
  •     You can’t add apps directly to a group
  •     Customization is limited
  •     Unlike being an administrator of some non-FB communities (like blogs or wikis),there’s no automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc.
  •     Word is, these groups are also very tricky to delete (Editor Comment - Only way to delete a group is to ask everyone to leave the group, then it just closes. There is no delete button)

Then add:
  •     Fan: both these pages allow administrators to turn on a fan function. Allowing fans lets your organization rack up contacts (just like a personal profile allows you to add friends)
  •     Cause: Want to raise money, enable supporters to raise money, win volunteers, etc? Facebook’s new action-based app is Causes. It’s a good add for a group or page strategy. But, because it requires users to add an application, it’s definitely not a standalone.

Quick update in response to an offline discussion:

Q: What's the difference between a profile and a page?
A: Short answer: a profile is for people; a page is for non-people (or super people, i.e. celebs). Profiles are the basic building blocks of FB. They represent its millions of members. In a longer answer, I'd also tell you that pages allow a lot more customization and flexibility ... but, I think this whole person vs. nonperson thing gives you the talking point most people need.

Posted by Tom Krieglstein on December 10, 2008 in Myspace/Facebook Best Practices, Online Tools, Technology and Programming | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

December 09, 2008

Student Affairs and the Bad Economy

December is a time for me to sit back, pick up the phone and call many SA friends I've neglected since school started. Unfortunately the conversations this year are unnervingly more depressing than before, and the main topic on everyone's mind...The economy.

"This is the worst budget crisis I've seen in my 20 years of working in student affairs." - Phone conversation with SA Director in WA.



In case you haven't heard the U.S. economy is hurting and every day a news article is written about the impact it's having on higher ed.
"Arizona State University, anticipating at least $25 million in budget cuts this fiscal year — on top of the $30 million already cut — is ending its contracts with as many as 200 adjunct instructors." - The NY Times

"Take the UW. The university's endowment fell by 14 percent in the year ending September, to $1.9 billion. The UW spends about $95 million of that each year on professorships, scholarships and other programs — money which may now need to be trimmed back." - The Seattle Times

"Harvard has sent a letter to its deans saying that the university’s $36.9 billion endowment fund lost 22 percent of its value in the last four months and could decline as much as 30 percent by the end of the fiscal year on June 30." - The NY Times
The irony of bad economic times is college enrollment generally increases.
"There is also student demand, which has been skyrocketing. Last week, the UW announced 1,100 more sophomores, juniors and seniors stayed in school this year than had been anticipated, probably because of the worsening economy. Emmert says applications for the 5,500 freshman slots could shatter records this year by reaching 25,000." - The Seattle Times
Most articles I've read talk about the impact on faculty and administration, but what about the SA Departments. How are you handling the downturn?

SA budgets are generally either:
  1. Operational - based on the institution and/or state budget
  2. Activity Fees - based on a per student / per credit enrollment fee
How is each budget fairing right now? Are operational budgets being hit the hardest because of massive state budget cuts? Are activity fees going up due to the increased enrollment? Or are activity fees hurting as well because they now have to service a larger number of students?

The economy is hurting almost everyone, but educational institutions have to deal with it in their own unique way.
"We can adapt to changing spending environments, but we are not like a business," Jenny said. "We can't just cease degree programs that students have already enrolled in." - The Seattle Times
How are you managing now?

Posted by Tom Krieglstein on December 09, 2008 in Budgets, Campus Issues | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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