I’m in the airport on my way home from the annual NASPA Conference. And I’m thinking about the great NASPA Yik Yak fiasco of 2015. If you haven’t caught up yet, there’s a lot of brouhaha about a variety of yaks that have been made by conference attendees over the past couple of days. It… Read More
Brooklyn, NY. 12.20.14
Today, a violent man shot his girlfriend in an act of domestic violence, murdered two police officers, and took his own life. Today, and every day, racism and all forms of institutionalized oppression pervasively and negatively impact the lives of people across our nation, manifested in countless ways. Excessive use of police force and police… Read More
Merry Christmas on Campus: A Real, Live Case Study
The University of Maine is apparently trying to ruin Christmas. I woke up this morning to an onslaught of Facebook vitriol from my fellow Black Bears following some questionable and sensationalized reporting from WABI news that the university was forbidding holiday decorations and had, in fact, taken all of the holiday decorations down after an… Read More
Racism, Anger, and Not Going Away Quietly.
I’ve heard that there is no excuse for violence in Ferguson. I’ve heard that America needs to get together and “solve these issues”. Which we are supposed to do peacefully, politely, and nicely. To solve an issue, you first must look it in the face. You must name it, and know it, and critically examine… Read More
On Chivalry (or as I like to call it, Sexist Microaggressions)
For the most part, I do not encounter active, conscious sexism on a regular basis. Most people will acquiesce that social equality is a pretty good idea. It’s rare for me to encounter folks (especially in my age group) who voice or act on obvious and explicit sexist attitudes. But I still experience sexism all… Read More
There’s More to Life Than Work (I Think)
You should work to live, not live to work. I have, in very recent history, openly scoffed at this adage. I have thought to myself, “My work is not just work…it is life. My work is meaningful and important, so I don’t need to worry about keeping my work time under control. Everything just blends together and… Read More
The Real Life of Student Affairs Professionals
October is upon us. That means it’s Careers in Student Affairs Month! The annual occasion when we turn our attention to doing our darndest to indoctrinate bright-eyed student leaders into the cult of Student Affairs. Or perhaps more accurately put, a time when we reflect on our own career paths, our professional aspirations and goals,… Read More
America’s (and My) Post 9/11 Loss of Innocence
At age 26, I have now officially lived half of my life pre-9/11 and half post-9/11. On this 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, I have been reflecting on how I experienced that day as a 13 year old. Sitting in second period Computer Science class, we had easy access to the internet, which… Read More
My Existential Crisis of “Home”: Where am I from?
“Where are you from?” This is a seemingly simple question to which I routinely respond with complicated answers. Most inquirers are just being polite or trying to ascertain some small amount of information about where I live. However, they usually end up with significantly greater detail than expected. My answer and corresponding internal dialogue usually goes something like… Read More
The Hypocrisy of ResLife: RA Training
I recently surfaced from the Student Affairs gauntlet known as ResLife Training and Residence Hall Opening. It’s the time of year when I say goodbye to absolutely everything else in my life except for work. I worked 7 days a week for three weeks, typically logging 12-14 hour days. This level of work is actually… Read More
