WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! I truly can’t believe it’s over. This been the most dynamic class I have ever experienced. No textbooks, no lectures. Just the students and the instructor talking through the issues of student affairs. Now why should that be so unusual?

I don’t know the answer to this. But what I do know is this was the most spectacular method of teaching I have ever encountered. I must say, I have learned more about student affairs through this class than I could ever have imagined. Through the interaction with my classmates, I have been able to develop an insight into several topics relevant to the college student today. We started out with the generic topic of the college student today. From that topic, we moved into more specific areas such as the college student and community, and freedom of speech on the college campus. I shared the views of most of my classmates concerning the importance of the college community. I think we all had similar feelings about the importance of the physical structure of the community. We varied on the effects of the virtual community, as it relates to twitter, facebook, and the like. Needless to say, I showed my age on this one! From there we moved into some rather serious subjects – school shootings, beyond freedom of speech, and “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” Sparky shared some of his experiences and how he handled difficult situations. It was so interesting to hear about how he worked "with" the students, not "around" them when he was working through a crisis. I learned so much just from listening to him.

Although varied, each of these topics had a central theme – what is going on in the minds of college students today. Being the “grandmother” of the class, I had the unique opportunity of hearing about these topics from each of you. You are the heart and sole of the university campus. You are living and breathing each of these topics everyday. So each of you were “teachers” for me. Thank you.

Speaking of teachers, I don’t know anyone that could have done a better job at instructing this class than Sparky. His knowledge and compassion for student affairs was evident in the stories we all enjoyed. But they weren’t just stories. Each of them had a message. Sparky shared with us his experience with and his appreciation for the college student. In each topic we discussed, he was able to add a personal insight that can't be found in any textbook.

I would be remiss if I left my blog without telling each of you just how much I enjoyed being in this class with you. The discussions we had made me feel like I really got to know each of you. This seldom happens in the "traditional" class setting. I feel like this class "set the bar" for all my other classes. I'm not sure any will be able to measure up.

I am sure our paths will cross in other classrooms, but this is an experience I will always treasure.

From "The Grill" to the Ole Miss Union

Our topic this week involved student unions. I tried to find the history of the Ole Miss student union, but was unsuccessful. However, (and I will be revealing my age with this one) I remember when the Student Union was located in what is now Weir Hall. Well, actually we called it "The Grill." Sounds strange, but it was really a neat place. People gathered each morning and discussed everything from the next sporting event on the University to world events. If you were looking for someone, odds were, they were at "The Grill."

Since I was unable to find information that specifically addressed the Ole Miss student union, I decided to write a little about the design of student unions in our country and how they have evolved.

During the late 1800’s several building types, not previously associated with a university began to spring up on college campuses. Among these were gymnasiums and student centers. According to an article I came across in the Chronicle of Higher Education, student centers began in the 1890’s as the university student population began its break from the homogeneous history. Students were from a more diversified income level, ranging from the very poor to the socially elite. The faculty members of this era were almost strictly focused on scholarly research, while the students were there for “social grooming.” There was no longer a collective identity to the university. The birth of the student center, or student union, provided an outlet for students to exercise their desire for a life outside the classroom.

According to my research, the first student center was erected on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Houston Hall, as it was named, was a cozy setting that resembled a country estate and featured a “clubhouse,” in the traditional English style and donned with dark oak paneling in every possible area. Almost a century passed before the building was remodeled to include outside concessions and a more commercial atmosphere. The discrete clubhouse gave way to the open atrium and a more contemporary atmosphere. Most every student center/union was followed this architectural design.

The Ole Miss Union seems to have been built along this same design. So what’s wrong with that? Personally, I think the design of the Ole Miss Union is more like a “visitor’s center” at a national park. Nothing against having an atrium, but our union just doesn’t have any personality. Too much concrete and glass for me. A modern student center should not only serve the students, but also act as a recruiting center for prospective students. When prospects visit the Ole Miss campus, in which single building do they spend the most time? Okay, maybe it’s the Turner Center, but I’ll leave that for another time.

How Green is Your Valley?

“Going green” is certainly the rage nowadays. We see it everywhere we look. And this is a good thing. College campuses are the perfect setting for instilling “green” initiatives. College students seem to always be looking for a “cause” and this is certainly one worthy of sustaining. The University of Mississippi “Red, Blue, and Green” campaign has really gained momentum and seems to be making progress in the environmental campaign.

However, I decided to take a walk through the “valley” of University offices, just to see how we are doing. Here are a few of the “ungreen” activities I observed.

Only 2 of the 12 offices I visited had “waste paper” recycling bins that I could see. They may have been in a back office, but how many people are going to make the effort of walking to another office to recycle their discarded paper when the trash can is right under or beside their desk?

EVERY office I visited had computers turned on that were not in use and no one seated at the computer. Each of these computers had screen savers running.

Of the 12 offices I visited, most were using LCD monitors. However, there were 8 CRT monitors among those that were left on and not being used. Newer monitors are more energy efficient than older monitors. New CRT monitors require less energy than older CRT monitors of equivalent size. However, LCD monitors require much less energy than CRT monitors. Not to mention how much friendlier they are to the eye!

Here are a few items to consider:

After lighting, computers and monitors have the highest energy consumption in office environments. Simply turning them off at night or during long periods of unused time can save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year on electricity costs.

In a typical “9 to 5” office, computers are used for less than 25% of the week. Ensuring computers are turned off at night reduces their running time by 75%. This represents an opportunity to make significant savings on energy consumption and electricity costs.

According to Cornell University’s website, a typical workstation consists of energy eating devices such as a computer, monitor, and any number of peripherals. A typical example might include a Dell Optiplex GX280 desktop, Dell 17" CRT monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and a scanner. Such a configuration when left turned on and idle, would consume 150 watts per hour or 3.6kWhrs every day or $1,143 per year. I don’t know exactly how many such configurations like this are on the University of Mississippi campus, but the cost for every 100 such configurations would be $114,300.00 per year. And this is if the system is left idle!

Bottom line, we all need to be more conscious about turning off our computers at night or anytime they are not in use for an extended period of time. Additionally, we need to discourage the use of screensavers, and simply turn off our monitors when not in use. As for printers, speakers, scanners, and other peripherals, these devices should also be turned off when not in use.

I found this information from the Cornell website really put it into perspective for me.

These days with power consumption and costs on the rise, saving energy is becoming a larger issue. There are a multitude of ways to save energy by adjusting settings on PCs, printers, and peripherals. Looking at computers, you can see the difference between leaving it on all the time compared to turning it off at the end of the day. It would take the work of close to 500 trees to counteract the effect of leaving one computer on all the time. Compare this to only 70 trees for a computer that was turned off at the end of the day, weekends and lunch hours.


The entire article can be viewed at: http://computing.fs.cornell.edu/Sustainable/FSSustainableComputingGuide.pdf

Most of us are pretty good at turning off the light when we leave a room. Why not just turn off that computer on your way out?

The following link is a fun video about "Going Green." Talks about "walking the walk" when going green. We can't just talk about it, we have to do it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hPcPEeB_Ok

Changed Lives

If it happened to this female it can happen to anyone.

Mary was excited about entering college. She had grown up around the university – actually lived in the same town as the campus. Most of her best friends were attending the same school. Like many females on this campus, Mary went through "Rush" with the anticipation of being in a sorority with her friends. That part didn’t work out exactly as she had anticipated. Although her other girl friends were invited to join the sorority of their choice, Mary was not. As the week of "Rush" progressed, Mary was “cut” from what were considered the “prestigious” sororities her friends were asked to join. However, she did get a bid to one of the “other” sororities. Mary accepted the bid.

As the first weeks of school evolved, everything progressed much as Mary had anticipated. She met new friends and really began to enjoy her life as a “pledge.” She lived on the same floor of the dorm with her high school friends and life was good. Much to her surprise, Mary was asked to be a “little sister” to one of the fraternities on campus. She never expected this, as these invitations usually went to girls in the sororities her friends had pledged. Mary was so proud, so excited!! Everyone in Mary’s sorority congratulated her and encouraged her to accept the offer of being a “little sister.” Mary did.

Soon after, the fraternity had a party and all the “little sisters” were invited. Mary even had a date with one of the fraternity pledges. She didn’t really know the guy, but her sorority sisters assured her that it was okay. Mary was quite anxious, but also excited about attending the prestigious party.

The music was loud and everyone was drinking. Mary was embarrassed to admit to her date that she had never had any alcoholic beverages, so when her date brought her a drink that tasted like fruit punch was felt relived. She found it actually tasted quite good. As the evening progressed , Mary's date continued to refill her cup. That was about the last thing Mary could clearly remember about the evening.

Mary awoke the next morning in a bed she did not recognize in a room she did not ever remember seeing before. Where was she? Was she still in the fraternity house? She was dizzy and nauseated. What had happened? She only remembered drinking a few glasses of that “punch.” As her head began to clear, Mary realized that she was naked. She looked at the sheets partially covering her body and saw that she had been bleeding. The pain she felt on her body was nothing compared to the emotional pain that soared through her head. Oh my God! Mary knew what had happened. Sometime during the night she had had sexual intercourse, but with who? She quickly dressed and walked out of the room. As she proceeded down the stairs, she realized immediately that she was in fact still in the fraternity house. The jeers and laughter she met as she exited the building still echo in her ears.

Mary was ashamed. No, she was humiliated. How could she have let this happen? How many people knew? How could she ever face her friends again?

Mary’s life was forever changed. She never went back to the fraternity house. She did not accept the invitation to become a fraternity “little sister.” As a matter of fact, Mary never stepped back into a fraternity house. Her sorority sisters could not understand her decision and made known their disappointment in her. Mary eventually left the sorority.

This is a true story. It happened over 35 years ago to someone I know very well. Date rape on the college campus is a serious problem. According the U. S. Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 1 in 36 college women experience a rape or attempted rape in an academic year. The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies reports the following alarming statistics:

§ 1 in 6 college women are victims of rape or attempted rape
§ Average age of victim is 18
§ 70 – 85% of women are acquainted with their assailant
§ Almost 60% of rapes occur on the 1st date
§ High percentage of acquaintance rapes of freshmen women occur sometime between the first day of school and the first break
§ Alcohol and/or drugs are involved in 90% of all acquaintance rapes
§ 95% of victims do not report the assault to the police / 50% tell no one

Acquaintance rape is a serious matter. No one has the right to sexually assault another person. Being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol does not change this fact. Mary Todd, sexual assault advocate and assistant director of Kansas State University’s Women’s Center put it this way. "There are absolutely no circumstances which make it acceptable to force sexual activity on another person. It doesn't matter if a woman has been drinking with someone all night, if they are engaged in petting, if they have had sex on previous occasions -- without an active, mindful 'yes' it is an assault.” (http://www.k-state.edu/media/webzine/Didyouhearyes/mostunreported.html)

I found a very informative NPR radio interview dated March 4, 2010. I hope everyone will find time to listen to this audio. Perhaps it will help you avoid becoming a victim. Or maybe it will help you understand just how tragic acquaintance rape can be to both the victim and the perpetrator.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124272157