Issue 2, December 2011

CSA GAZETTE I am pleased to share that the Field Experience website has been updated. This new website aims to be a source of information for prospective students curious to know about the variety of opportunities that the Rutgers College Student Affairs program may offer them, current students and supervisors who need to access forms and other documents, and for individuals wishing to learn about the process for their program/office being approved as a CSA field experience site. We invite you to visit our site at www.csafieldexperience.weebly.com. While there, I suggest you check out our “Tips” pages. These pages were compiled from feedback from both students and supervisors who answered the following questions:

• What makes for great fieldwork experience? • What are the challenges in the fieldwork experience? • What expectations for field experience students/supervisors do you think are reasonable?

This feedback provides great information that can guide both students and supervisors towards developing a rewarding field experience. I welcome you to explore the other features of this website and send any feedback and/or updates to Abby Stern (abbyrstern@gmail.com), webmaster. Ebelia Hernandez a faculty member for the College Student Affairs Ed.M. program. She is currently teaching Student Development and Learning Theory.

New CSA Field Experience Website

Revisiting the Office of VPVA The Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance is committed to creating a community free of violence. VPVA provides services designed to raise awareness of and respond to the impact of interpersonal violence and other crimes. On September 24, at its 30th anniversary celebration, the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) honored two VPVA staff, Ruth Anne Koenick and Laura Luciano. Ruth Anne received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Laura is received the Excellence in Advocacy Award. Ruth Anne is a co-founder of NJCASA and both she and Laura have served as board president. Ruth Anne and Laura have displayed continuous commitment to creating communities where sexual violence does not occur and dedication to assuring that survivors are treated with respect and human dignity.

VPVA holds several events each semester. On November 15, VPVA held a Survivor Garden dedication, which was open to students, faculty and staff. Participants received bulbs, which they planted outside of the VPVA building. The garden is meant to symbolize the healing process of victims. For more information on VPVA, please visit the website at vpva.rutgers.edu, or the VPVA Facebook page at facebook.com/RUVPVA.

Patty Rivas is an intern at VPVA in her first year of the College Student Affairs Ed.M. program.

Meeting  the  Unreasonable  2  |  Undergraduate  Student  Spotlight  3  |  It’s  Always  CSA  in  Philadelphia,  CSAnnouncements  4  |  Editor’s  Corner  5  

Issue 2, December 2011

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Meeting the Unreasonable: Reflections on Attending Back-to-Back Conferences

This month, local met regional in two back-to-back conferences. The Mid-Atlantic Association of College and University Housing Officers, or MACUHO, held their

Annual Conference at the Crowne Royal in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, from October 26th through the 28th. The Rutgers University Future Leaders of Student Affairs held their second annual Careers in Student Affairs Conference on October 28th. Having commitments in both, this meant I had to attend both. In order to do both, this meant sacrifice. The MACUHO Annual is a regional conference for student affairs professionals who work in Housing or Residence Life. Aside from program sessions by MACUHO members and counselors-in-residence, there are numerous networking opportunities, and a vendor fair showcasing regional and national businesses which our membership utilizes. Having sat on the Constitutional Review Committee, the Programming Committee, and continuing to serve as a VIP Mentor, this conference meant a lot to me.

The Careers in Student Affairs Conference is an annual conference organized by the graduate students of the College Student Affairs master’s program as a tool originally geared for undergraduates to learn more about the field. This year, the scope of the conference was expanded to include graduates and new professionals. Over the summer, I applied for and was accepted as the Vice-Chair for Programming and was responsible for coordinating all things programming. Like the MACUHO Annual,

this conference meant a great deal to me. Doing both meant driving at awkward

hours and competing with my number one enemy – time. After the Recognition Dinner and part of the Masquerade Ball for the MACUHO conference, I returned to the hotel, packed my things, and got some sleep. My co-pilot for this excursion, Mason Dewitt, and I woke up around 4AM, packed the car, and drove. We arrived in New Brunswick around 6:45, having stopped a few times during the trip in order to eat breakfast and recharge. Preparations for the Careers in Student Affairs Conference began at 7AM.

After both conferences finished, I returned home and reflected on the dual-conference experience. Both conferences provided valuable experience and, by attending both, I could reflect on event planning and scheduling in addition to what I learned as a developing professional at a regional conference and a conference organizer at a local conference. Attending each separately

required the proper work ethic and following a goal-laden timeline. Attending both required careful planning and recognizing what limitations existed; without those realizations and accepting the circumstances presented,

I would have had to choose between them or failed at both. While attending back-to-back conferences could be considered unreasonable, meeting the unreasonable provides a richer experience and greater developmental opportunity. Nicholoas Gramiccioni is a Hall Director in his second year of the College Student Affairs Ed.M. program.

“Attending both required careful planning and recognizing what limitations existed…”

Issue 2, December 2011

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Felix Ortiz Cruz, SAS Class of 2013

Undergraduate Student Spotlight

The Careers in Student Affairs Conference was a great introduction to the intriguing, yet mysterious world of CSA that I had little knowledge of prior to signing up for the conference.

Being involved with Student Life here at Rutgers, I was aware of the job opportunities available to me in the field, but the CSA Conference Orientation gave me greater insight into the various fields of CSA; like Student Center Operations and even Judicial Affairs within most colleges.

The Job Shadowing Day was by far my favorite experience. I was able to work one-on-one with a professional staff member of Rutgers, Avani Rana, and get to know her personal journey as an undergraduate in Douglass College at Rutgers, to graduate student at NYU, then her career in politics, and finally making her way back to College Student Affairs.

The conference was a great networking resource, as well as a positive learning experience. It gave me great exposure to the world of CSA outside of Rutgers and helped me get a better understanding of how to a pick a Graduate school to fit my needs and find a career that I will be passionate about for years to come.

Deciding to go into Student Affairs has been an exciting and confusing decision for me. When I first began looking into graduate schools, I felt completely overwhelmed. There were so many types of programs and I didn’t

understand what the differences were.

Attending the Student Affairs Orientation cleared up a lot of the questions I had. The program helped me understand what each type of graduate program focused on. This has helped me realize what type of program and education I want to experience.

The job shadowing was the most rewarding experience for me. I had the chance to meet and interact with many Residence Life

Professionals that I never had met before. Spending that time with the Jacqueline Cetera, a Residence Life Coordinator on Livingston, and other members of the Livingston Residence Life Staff, helped me gain a better understanding of the day-to-day work of a Residence Life staff member. Having had this experience has made me realize that I want to break into the Residence Life field in graduate school and early in my career.

After having these two wonderful experiences, my passion was truly ignited at the Careers in Student Affairs Conference. Having the opportunity to learn more about Residence Life, Leadership, and masters degrees in Student Affairs and Higher Education truly prepared me for the journey I am on. I want to thank the members of Future Leaders in Student Affairs Student Organization and the Jersey Alliance for arranging the conference and the activities beforehand. I can’t wait to attend next year!

Cortney Brewer, SAS Class of 2013

These Future Leaders in CSA attended events in October organized by Future Leaders in Student Affairs

Issue 2, December 2011

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On October 18, 2011, the new College Student Affairs cohort (a.k.a. Cohort Cubed) took a trip to where it’s always sunny…Philadelphia. With our professor and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Patrick Love, Cohort Cubed visited St. Joseph’s University, Bryn Mawr College and the Community College of Philadelphia. This trip for the Introduction to Student Affairs course was designed to give us a glimpse into the student affairs division at three vastly different institutional types. St. Joseph’s University, a Catholic institution anchored in the Jesuit tradition, offered us a presentation on the university’s strategic plan, along with their newly revisited Transformative Learning Goals. Following St. Joseph’s, we headed over to Bryn Mawr, a small residential women’s college. At Bryn Mawr, the Associate Dean, Dean of Studies, Director of Residential Life, Director of Student Activities and Acting Director of Intercultural Affairs facilitated an informal conversation over lunch during which we were able to ask questions and learn about how this institution’s student life division operates with a flat hierarchy. We closed the day in the heart of Philly to visit the Community College of Philadelphia, where the high-energy representatives from academic and student affairs met us and talked about the immense and diverse student populations they serve. The conversation continued during dinner, where we all reflected on the surprising, the fun, and other aspects of the schools. Comparing our institution to the three other schools helped us all realize the vast possibilities for us after our time in graduate school. Overall, experiencing the different ways in which student affairs can be organized at various institutional types will help Cohort Cubed better understand the profession and our place as future professionals. Nicole Ponticorvo is a Hall Director in her first year of the College Student Affairs Ed.M. program. Michael McCormack is a Hall Director in his first year of the College Student Affairs Ed.M. program.

It’s Always CSA in Philadelphia

~CSAnnouncements~

Casey Hennessey (2011): Academic

Advisor at New Jersey Institute of Technology

Nicole Miele (2011): Student Activities Coordinator at the

School of Visual Arts

Alicia Regina (2011): Senior Administrative

Assistant at the Office of Academic Services, SAS

at Rutgers-New Brunswick

Topher Sutton (2011): Resident Director at The College of New

Jersey

Gianna Verdoni (2011): Director of Fraternity and

Sorority Life at Coastal Carolina University

Laura Banti (2013): Engaged on October

30th to Jeffrey Yankowski after dating

for seven years

Eric Hafner (2013) and Paul DeStefano (2012): Engaged on October 4th

and plan to marry in late 2012

Nick Gramiccioni (2012): Accepted the appointment as Systems Administrator

for MACUHO

Issue 2, December 2011

Editor’s Corner

I am excited to announce our re-vamped CSAnnouncement section of the newsletter! We will be announcing job placements, new professional association positions, engagements, marriages, or any other noteworthy life event. Please alert me if you have any story you would like to be included in the Announcement section of our next newsletter.

If you’d like to submit an article to the CSA Gazette, please email me at abbyrstern@gmail.com.

You can learn more about the College Student Affairs Ed.M program on our website http://www.edpsych.rutgers.edu/CSA/ and see past editions of the newsletter here: http://www.edpsych.rutgers.edu/CSA/currentstudents/index.html.

Also, be sure to “like” us on facebook: Rutgers University M.Ed in College Student Affairs

Abby Stern CSA Gazette Editor, 2011-2012

Contact Us Rutgers University

Graduate School of Education College Student Affairs Ed.M Program college.student.affairs@gse.rutgers.edu

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