Cindy’s Blog Portfolio and Reflection

My introduction to blogging...

Apprehension, complete apprehension was the true feeling I had when Matt was explaining the concept of blogging the very first weekend of class. First, I knew so little about current issues of higher education and second, I am technologically challenged at times. As a first semester graduate student coming from the working world of accounting, I truly did not realize there were so many current issues/events surrounding higher education. A little narrow minded, I thought that student applied for college and if their grades and test scores were good enough, they were accepted. They applied for housing, they signed up for classes, bought their books and started class. Support services were available for tutoring and writing help. The students would have some good professors and some bad. If they were interested, they could find all kinds of ways to become involved in the university. I was certain there were issues of alcohol and drugs and some sexual offenses. I knew there were issues related to student athletes, budget cuts, on line classes and so on. I had no idea we would be discussing international students and the lack of support, the bake sale and the impact on the students, the retention rates, and the ranking of schools. I was so impressed by the variety of topics of the blogs that it was truly overwhelming.

So, I began my journey of blogging. I have never contributed to a blog or given my opinion in the form of a written entry. My first experience with blogging and I discovered it is a completely different style of writing. As I determined an article or issue to write about, I had to stop and think about “the other side”. Certainly, my summary, my research, and my opinion would be the focus of my blog but, the idea that others might not share my opinion or bring up ideas that I had not considered made me feel uneasy.

My “favorite” blog entries....

The blog that I enjoyed researching, writing and sharing was “China Conundrum.” Prior to this article and blog, I had little knowledge on the subject of international students. I was shocked to learn about the for profit companies that were assisting international students in the application process and even writing the essays on their behalf. Furthermore, I really had not considered the lack of support once the student arrives in the states. Most universities have programs to help these students with their English but once they complete that course, they are left with little follow up and support. After writing this post, I have done additional reading and research on the subject of international students. Undocumented students, support programs, international centers and international admissions are all areas that I have spent additional reading time since I wrote this blog.

My second “favorite” blog was “Revision of Student Loans” which is closer to a subject that I am more familiar with. It was an interesting article on income based loans something that I have been in favor of for students for many years. There was a follow up blog posted about some of the changes that Obama made to our current student loan program and I have to say that he was not able to accomplish what was needed to truly help these students with loans.

My third favorite blog was “New Focus for Increasing Enrollment” which discusses some exciting options for students with certain disabilities. As I have a daughter with anxiety issues, I am always curious how the universities are working towards enrolling students with varying degrees of disabilities. I have worked closely with my daughters’ schools to help with her anxiety and I am hoping that the support will continue as she enters college.

My Reflection on blogging....

Unbelievable amount of reading and keeping up with the news on student affairs and higher education but I honestly enjoyed it! As I am new to this field, I could not have chosen a better class to bring me up to speed with many of the issues related to higher education. I was surprised how much time I would spend reading some of the blogs and some of the subject matter that caught my attention. My time is very limited but I often found myself reading additional materials on subjects that were interesting to me.

One area that I mentioned above was the area of international students. I spoke with Rahman, whom I have in all of my courses, and we talked about the lack of support after they finish their initial English course. He said that it takes him hours and hours to read the chapters and articles that are required for his coursework. He utilizes the writing center but it is so hard for the assistants to understand his language that it often a frustrating process. Also, I see the additional pressure for him to succeed since he brought his family with him to UNC. A whole new perspective for me was discovered by blogging about international students.

Amazingly, in our small groups and in our class discussion, we could talk forever on certain subjects. It was great to see the level of knowledge that we could all bring to the table since we, too, had read the blogs on those subject areas. There were some great conversations and continued enlightenment as we met for class. I did not mind the weekend meeting times and is really a great way to have some good discussion without huge time constraints.

I often posted my blogs after the “blog rush” for the week due to my schedule. Often posting on Mondays and Tuesdays, I did not see a lot people that were reading and posting comments on these days of the week. But I was pleased when a blog of my would be brought up in a class discussion group. It makes you feel as if your opinion really did matter and the subject matter was important or interesting to someone else.

Without blogging, I do not believe this course would be as successful as it was. I was not a huge fan of posting but I definitely enjoyed the reading. I do not think I will run out into the world and become a faithful blogger but it did help me overcome the idea that my opinion might not matter to others.

My learning this semester...

First and foremost, I learned to blog. This is something that my kids are now able to tease me about. According to them, all I need to learn to do now is “tweet”, which I do not know much about! I encountered a few mishaps in the beginning before I started writing and saving my blogs into word documents but I was able to successfully maneuver through the blogging website!

And second, I am undeniably surprised at the amount of information I learned about student affairs and higher education. The reading was overwhelming and I was apprehensive about sharing my opinions but I can not begin to count the different areas of exposure I experienced due to this course. I began to look at my other courses much differently because of studying about the current issues that our universities face. As we spoke about the different types of institutions, the areas of adult learning, student athletes, tenure and many other areas within my other courses, I was able to think “outside the box” and realize that there is never a right or wrong answer. There are often not even viable solutions but taking what we do know and applying it can only make us better with students and meeting their needs. When we talk about “developing the student as a whole,” it takes on such a larger meaning when you consider all of the different types of students that we are trying to reach and their differing needs.

Many of the answers or suggested solutions can not be implemented due to lack of money and this subject came up many times in our class and small group discussions. Unfortunately, the universities are constrained with lack of funds most of the time. When you think about “what” could happen if there were more resources, it would be amazing at the type of support and assistance the universities could offer their students. And admittedly, the budgets are only going to get tighter.

I was personally challenged by the letter to the editor due to the fact that I never felt my opinion was worth “reading.” It was a good exercise for me especially since I wrote on prop 103 and wrote in support of the proposition. My support goes against my CPA status but one that I feel very passionate about: providing more money to education. I was also challenged by only writing a one page memo to a supervisor. One page was hard for me for the subject matter that I chose. It, too, was a good exercise in writing to a different audience.

I have to admit that I am thankful that the coursework for this class is over but I believe it will be a course that I will specifically remember both by the subjects that I learned and also some specific conversations and interactions with fellow students!