ADVISING & HELPING
EXEMPLARY LEVEL
The advice and support I received from my mentors inspired me to pursue a career in student affairs. Thus, I valued the opportunity to make a similar impact for my students. Throughout my graduate school experience and my internship at Ohio Northern University, I have been provided with many opportunities to enhance my skills in the Advising and Helping competency area. In particular, serving as a member of the Student Affairs Response Team and as an organization advisor has given me the knowledge necessary to achieve exemplary proficiency in this competency.
As a member of the Student Affairs Response Team (SART), I serve as a resource and first responder to community situations and crises. SART members are trained to respond to mental health and medical issues, to provide communication to appropriate constituents when crises occur, and to assess and analyze current effective plans for responding to crises. One of the duties of SART is serving on an on-call rotation multiple times per semester. The team member on duty is the first responder and primary resource for undergraduate Residence Life staff members amid a crisis.
While on-call this past February, I handled a crisis that involved a group of Ohio Northern University students. I received a call around 3:30 am from a student concerning a friend who was in emotional distress. I immediately reacted to the crisis, informing the Director of Residence Life and arriving at the on-campus location shortly after the call. After diffusing the immediate concern, the next day I collaborated with the Ohio Northern Counseling Center to provide additional services. This experience allowed me to “collaborate with other campus departments and organizations “as recommended by the ACPA and NASPA Advising and Helping competency (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p.7). Following the event, I was in communication with the students involved, providing follow-up and connecting them with appropriate resources. The duty report from that night demonstrates how I provided assistance and support to students in distress, thoroughly followed Ohio Northern’s protocol, worked autonomously, connected students with appropriate resources, and used critical thinking.
As a member of the Student Affairs Response Team (SART), I serve as a resource and first responder to community situations and crises. SART members are trained to respond to mental health and medical issues, to provide communication to appropriate constituents when crises occur, and to assess and analyze current effective plans for responding to crises. One of the duties of SART is serving on an on-call rotation multiple times per semester. The team member on duty is the first responder and primary resource for undergraduate Residence Life staff members amid a crisis.
While on-call this past February, I handled a crisis that involved a group of Ohio Northern University students. I received a call around 3:30 am from a student concerning a friend who was in emotional distress. I immediately reacted to the crisis, informing the Director of Residence Life and arriving at the on-campus location shortly after the call. After diffusing the immediate concern, the next day I collaborated with the Ohio Northern Counseling Center to provide additional services. This experience allowed me to “collaborate with other campus departments and organizations “as recommended by the ACPA and NASPA Advising and Helping competency (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p.7). Following the event, I was in communication with the students involved, providing follow-up and connecting them with appropriate resources. The duty report from that night demonstrates how I provided assistance and support to students in distress, thoroughly followed Ohio Northern’s protocol, worked autonomously, connected students with appropriate resources, and used critical thinking.
Throughout my time at Ohio Northern University, I have also served as an advisor to several student organizations. One of the most beneficial advising experiences for me was advising the Interfraternity Council. This was my first formal advisory role and the men immediately questioned my validity. This role was challenging, but was also where I developed most as an advisor. I gained an understanding of my advising strengths and weaknesses and learned quickly that a good advisor serves as a guide. The Interfraternity Council had struggled in the past with executive board retention and a lack of guidance. I actively worked to attend events, provide support, and offer feedback. My efforts helped me build a genuine rapport with the men, and they began to trust and respect me as an advisor. They appreciated and willingly took my advice. With this earned respect, I was able to have the difficult conversations and challenge the men to work on the organization’s challenges. Every week I met one-on-one with the president to work on the organization’s issues and discuss how to rebuild the group dynamic and provide feedback on new struggles.
One of the biggest struggles of the group was the lack of a real transition from one executive board to the next executive board. I incorporated the “facilitating group decision making, goal setting and processes, and establishing rapport with students, organizations and others” aspect of the Advising and Helping competency by working with the Interfraternity Council president to create a sustainable and effective transition manual and meeting agenda (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p.6). This transition manual and meeting agenda served as a guide to our annual transition meeting. The transition meeting allowed for an open space where the executive board was able to set goals and expectations, have open and honest conversations, and plan for the upcoming year. During the meeting, I allowed the president to serve as the primary facilitator, but I served as a resource about institutional services as well as offered questions to challenge the men to do more with their fraternal experience.
My practicum in the Multicultural Development Center has given me the opportunity to serve as an advisor to the Dimension Award Scholars, a scholarship program that supports the retention of underrepresented students. Each semester I met one-on-one with both first year students and transfer students in the Dimension Award Scholars program. In these meetings, I considered all aspects of the student's transition as I worked to holistically serve and support the students as they transitioned into the Ohio Northern community. In the meetings, we discussed the journey students were embarking on, whether that was attending college for the first time or transferring to a new institution. We had a candid conversation on how the students were doing academically, how they were adjusting socially, and the struggles they might have been experiencing within their overall transition. I worked to guide the students, rather than tell them what to do. I offered suggestions and resources, but ultimately left the final decision up to the students. The Dimension Award Contact Form and Academic Performance Improvement Plan demonstrate my ability to provide students with holistic support, an open space to express challenges, and allow students the autonomy to make their own decisions. My efforts helped me build a holistic and supportive environment that provided a nurturing foundation for students to build upon their own self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977). When students felt supported and empowered in their environment, they began to understand that they are in control over their goals and experiences. Many of my students struggled with academics and adjusting to college, I worked with them to understand their own self-efficacy and provided them the inspiration and willpower they needed to excel.
Through my experiences, I have developed exemplary skills concerning the Advising and Helping competency. I have excelled in effectively handling crises, building a rapport with students and serving as an advisor for several organizations, facilitating goal setting and decision making exercises with groups and individual students, and providing holistic advising to students in transition.
One of the biggest struggles of the group was the lack of a real transition from one executive board to the next executive board. I incorporated the “facilitating group decision making, goal setting and processes, and establishing rapport with students, organizations and others” aspect of the Advising and Helping competency by working with the Interfraternity Council president to create a sustainable and effective transition manual and meeting agenda (ACPA & NASPA, 2010, p.6). This transition manual and meeting agenda served as a guide to our annual transition meeting. The transition meeting allowed for an open space where the executive board was able to set goals and expectations, have open and honest conversations, and plan for the upcoming year. During the meeting, I allowed the president to serve as the primary facilitator, but I served as a resource about institutional services as well as offered questions to challenge the men to do more with their fraternal experience.
My practicum in the Multicultural Development Center has given me the opportunity to serve as an advisor to the Dimension Award Scholars, a scholarship program that supports the retention of underrepresented students. Each semester I met one-on-one with both first year students and transfer students in the Dimension Award Scholars program. In these meetings, I considered all aspects of the student's transition as I worked to holistically serve and support the students as they transitioned into the Ohio Northern community. In the meetings, we discussed the journey students were embarking on, whether that was attending college for the first time or transferring to a new institution. We had a candid conversation on how the students were doing academically, how they were adjusting socially, and the struggles they might have been experiencing within their overall transition. I worked to guide the students, rather than tell them what to do. I offered suggestions and resources, but ultimately left the final decision up to the students. The Dimension Award Contact Form and Academic Performance Improvement Plan demonstrate my ability to provide students with holistic support, an open space to express challenges, and allow students the autonomy to make their own decisions. My efforts helped me build a holistic and supportive environment that provided a nurturing foundation for students to build upon their own self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977). When students felt supported and empowered in their environment, they began to understand that they are in control over their goals and experiences. Many of my students struggled with academics and adjusting to college, I worked with them to understand their own self-efficacy and provided them the inspiration and willpower they needed to excel.
Through my experiences, I have developed exemplary skills concerning the Advising and Helping competency. I have excelled in effectively handling crises, building a rapport with students and serving as an advisor for several organizations, facilitating goal setting and decision making exercises with groups and individual students, and providing holistic advising to students in transition.
Artifacts
Click the title to view the artifacts!
Duty Report
IFC Transition Manual
IFC Transition Manual Agenda
Dimension Award Scholar Contact Form
Dimension Award Academmic Improvement Plan
References
ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
ACPA & NASPA (2010). Professional competency areas for student affairs practitioners. Washington, DC: Authors.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.