Final Blog CSL 490

First off, I just want to say I can’t believe we are already creating a final blog for our last class. The past five weeks have flown by, where has the time gone! Anyways, I am really appreciative for all the great pins our class has contributed to the board. Our board offers such a variety of different pins from looking at the life of a college student, mental health awareness, cultural awareness, campus crisis, college success, student learning, leadership, higher education, social media, technology, and so on. I find it fascinating that there are so many different routes to take as student affairs professionals. Below I will discuss some themes I found to be important from our pinterest board.  

As I looked through our pins, the abundant amount of social media and technology usage in higher education pins stood out. One pin in particular was technology usage in student affairs. Out of 315 participants, 95 percent of all respondents use/have a smart phone. When participants were asked what skills new professionals should have, 96 percent of them reported social media. Another pin I found fascinating was different ways schools are effectively using social media. For example social media is being used for school announcements, reaching out to potential students, school pride, professional development, and a general outreach. I look back at this and can’t help but think how different high school would have been if social media were used. Students wouldn’t come to school confused about what the homework was, or when club meetings were being held, etc. Good or bad, our society runs off of technology and social media. Walking through college campuses, almost every student has a smart phone, laptop, I pad, etc. As student affairs professionals, technology allows us to customize learning, use social media to engage students, and to provide options. It is important that student affairs professionals recognize the significance of technology and social media. As we get older in the student affairs profession, it is our duty to make sure we keep up with the changing times. To ensure we can provide maximum benefit to higher education, we must work within the context of change.

Another point of interest on our board is campus crises. Considering the increasing number of campus crises, this should be an important point of focus. Due to the significant amount of people in and out of college campuses, the reality is that an event or situation categorized as a crisis will take place. Campus crisis management should be top of the list for student affairs professionals. Safety comes first!

To conclude, there are so many different routes to go in student affairs, which I had not known. After taking this class I realize this is a never ending job. There is always something a student affairs professional can be doing to improve higher education. Change doesn't happen right away and it will take time. One step at a time. 

Side Note:

Prior to class I had never even considered any of these questions below. However, after these past five weeks, I am constantly thinking of questions such as these:

What does the bachelor degree even certify? What does it even mean? When and how did people come to believe that education divided out in three times a week, 50-minute classes, was ideal for all students? Why did educators decide that the period spent in the classroom was more important than the mastery of the subject? What is the reason that the lengths of semesters and quarters are kept constant, but student learning is acceptable to change? Are 120 cred hours really what makes an educated person? Where is the proof?

-Samantha Bara