The start of the semester served as a fresh start for everyone after a
revitalizing winter break. For second year grads, this marks their last
semester and for first year grad students, it marks the last semester of
their first year of graduate school! Many of us are enjoying the semester,
however, there is some anxiousness as conference season is fast
approaching. Many members will be attending various conferences, some
of which will be on the job hunt. Good luck everyone!
@UWLSAAORG
#saa705
#SAABuddies
#SAAConnect
New Student and Family Programs at UWRF has been buzzing with all sorts of new projects, tasks,
and challenges since the beginning of the spring semester! Here are some of the highlights:
We had a successful Winter of Welcome (WOW) program in late January, where we assisted in
registering and orientating over 200 new and transfer students to UWRF. Our very own
PROVOST, Fernando Delgado, came to speak about academic excellence during our program. We also encouraged all students to attend a hockey game after registration, an
open skate event with walking tacos during the weekend, and Midnight Mayhem in the
University Center during the first Friday of classes. All in all, I’d consider our WOW event
as a success!
Hillary Young, one of our esteemed cohort members, has been working closely with our supervisor, Adam Ludwig, and other campus partners, to help create an effective online transfer
program. This program would provide an early, online registration experience for our
transfer students during future programs. She’s working hard with everyone else to hopefully have a fully functional program for next year!
Devon Lindley has become the new supervisor to our Falcon Guides, which are the student
employees that provide tours to prospective students and families. Our Falcon Guides
now meet twice a month to touch base with the office, as well as hear from different presenters around campus and the community in the hopes that their knowledge base of
UWRF expands, and is used in future tours. Most recently, Dining Services presented on
their Balanced U program and DineOnCampus.com, which are food/health services available to students and faculty alike. Now our prospective students and families will know
about these services as well!
NSFP as a whole has been challenged with moving all current and incoming employees from a
lump sum payment system to an hourly system. It has been a difficult logistical challenge
to say the least, but we continue to provide the best for not only ourselves, but the students that we employ as well.
Lastly, NSFP is finishing up our Orientation and Transition Leader (OTL) application process at
the beginning of March. We will be reviewing applications and proceeding into interviews
over the next month. We’re excited to see new and familiar faces who will be joining us
for our wonderful summer programs!
The Wisconsin Resident Assistant Conference (WIRA) was
hosted at University Wisconsin-River Falls this past month.
WIRA is an annual event where Resident Assistants, Community
Assistants, or House Fellows across the state of Wisconsin
come to meet, network, engage, and learn. Several program
breakout sessions are provided for delegates to attend and
further their knowledge on the topic at hand or gain program
ideas that could be implemented at their institution. This year
over 100 delegates attended the conference and participated in
the program sessions, case studies, and social events.
Three Graduate Student Interns in Residence Life with the
Assistant Director for Residence Life, Kenney White,
coordinated the planning, execution, and success of the conference. The process from start to finish lasted
over the course of the fall semester with contacting institutions, advisors, and presenters. The event was a
huge success and many students were able to return with stories, information, and insight to their institution.
This is my second time attending MBLGTACC as part of my
assistantship. This year we traveled to Purdue University in
West Layfette, Indiana. Though we had a few students drop
out last minute, we were able to take 50 students from
UWL, Winona, and St Mary’s! The conference started with
Todrick Hall! Not only is he a great performer, but he is
friendly and personable. They had a filming of Matt Shepard
is a Friend of Mine (which I highly recommend watching, just
make sure you have tissues!). Judy Shepard, his mother,
came to talk with us about how her life has changed and called the students to action with voting. Gene
Robinson closed the conference talking about how religion and queer identities intersect. There were mixed
reactions with Gene being the final speaker, but overall the students were in love with the conference.
Though most of the sessions were focused on undergraduate students, there were many takeaways from the
conference. One of the sessions started a conversation on what to do when your personal values and beliefs
do not align with the institution’s values and beliefs. As some of us are deep in the job search, it is important
to know what type of institution you are looking for and what you are willing to adapt to. One piece of advice
I learned was, when possible, talking to students of underrepresented identities on campus. Students can give
you a perspective the professionals interviewing you cannot. Is the institution saying they are doing one
thing, but the students explain it is another way? After you learn this information, you need to do some selfreflection on what that means to you as a person and as a professional. There was more conversation on
which questions to ask when interviewing, if you want to chat about those please contact me! Overall,
MBLGTACC 2016 was a success! I am sad this will most likely be my last time attending MBLGTACC, but I
cherish all the memories created.
The social justice initiative is something that is new to the SAA Org. We began piloting the idea last semester
after a majority of our members indicated that this should be a focus of our organization. The initiative is
meant to spark conversation and further our own development so that we better understand the tenets of
privilege and oppression. As student affairs professionals we will need to have an understanding of our own
privileges and how these identities impact the spaces we work in. We also need to have an understanding of
oppressed identities so that we are better able to serve students in an equitable fashion. Most importantly,
we are developing the Social Justice and Inclusion competency, which is one of the ten competencies defined
by ACPA/NASPA. So far, the initiative consists of members attending pre-planned campus events put on my
diversity groups and/or the diversity offices. Attending these events facilitates our learning while also
supporting other constituents on campus. We are also looking into more opportunities that will allow us to
reflect individually and as a group. See the article below for a reflection on the event SAA members attended
this month!
I attended the Reflections of Ebony Program and Dinner on Saturday, February 17th with some other
students in our SAA program. The event was sponsored by Black Student Unity (BSU) and the Office of
Multicultural Student Services. The seniors of BSU were recognized, including the soon-to-be-graduating
president of the organization. It was really cool to hear members of BSU speak so highly of their peers and
the deep connections that exist between them. Before the event, I had heard wonderful things about the
soul food dinner and I was not disappointed. There was delicious cornbread, macaroni and cheese,
mashed potatoes, and I even was able to try catfish for the first time!
The keynote speaker, Dr. Shonta Smith, has over 23 years of experience in education at both the K12 and
collegiate level. She spoke about the "Essence of Education," which is based on the writings in her recent
book. Essentially, she challenged us to take advantage of the education we are receiving and the
opportunities it affords each of us, and practice diligence and discipline as we work towards our goals. Her
presentation was very interactive at times, asking
us to stand up and interact with those around us
by repeating positive affirmations.
I appreciated this part of Dr. Smith's presentation
because sometimes I can get so caught up in the
busyness of school and work that do not take time
to recognize the positive things surrounding me or
affirm how much I have accomplished. Positive
affirmations are something I hope to incorporate
more into my daily life.
I look forward to attending again next year and
encourage others to join! :)
1. SAA Visit Day was a Success! Thank you to everyone who participated and helped out.
2. Congratulations to Dr. Lozano on her promotion to Assistant Professor.
3. The department has launched a search for another assistant professor for the
upcoming year.
4. Dr. Lozano will be the advisor for the SAA Student Org next year.
5. SAA Research Day will be held on Friday morning, May 13th, in 102 & 104 Wing,
everyone is welcome to attend.
1. We are planning to launch a t-shirt sale in the local area for the beautiful student
affairs administration shirts we had designed last semester! The money earned from
selling the shirts will go toward a professional development fund to help send SAA
students to conferences and other professional development opportunities.
2. Start sending in submissions of internships, job acceptances, and any travel plans for
the summer so the SAA Org can highlight it in the newsletter!
3. We will be participating in some upcoming #SAchat Tweetups on Twitter, please join us
in the Twitterverse on March 10th at Noon @UWLSAAORG
4. Please have a safe and enjoyable Spring Break!