The Completion of a Past Journey

To begin, this has truly been a rewarding class experience and I often find myself bragging to others about the class format, discussions, and new knowledge I gain each week from Sparky and my peers. I always enjoy the spring semester because it warms up, scholars get to march across the stage, and it seems shorter than the fall semester. I was attracted to this class from past reviews of other classmates. I had never had an interaction with Sparky, but everyone at Ole Miss knows his name. Interestingly I decided I would take this course to learn more about the topics in the profession and also at Ole Miss. Like Rachel, I learn better from class formats such as this one because its more than covering specific topics related to Student Affairs, but engaging in intellectual conversations. The atmosphere is always relaxing and pleasant, the type of class that you don't mind attending after a long day of work. In 2008, I set out to obtain my Master's degree in Higher Education/Student Personnel, a journey I was nervous and optimistic about all at once. As I reflect back, I can say, I have completed a past journey that has provided me with so many rewarding experiences with few challenges that I am very proud of.

This class introduced me to personal blogging and I must admit, it saves paper! Go Green... We first discussed today's college student and the many issues and differences they bring to the college campus. Like many of us, we all fall into the category of the Millennial's who are very much interested in all types of technology and social networking. Secondly, my blog concerning the due process of a Social Work student reinforced the information I learned from the Law in Higher Education course I took last semester. We all have been affected by the acts of violence that have taken place on college campuses across the nation over the last decade, even if we did not have any personal ties with any of the victims. Next, discussing restorative justice programs allowed me to think back on the social work program here at Ole Miss and how counseling and working to keep student offenders in school while having them recognize how they affected their victim(s) was interesting and informative. In addition, I used the topic to create a PowerPoint presentation in Contemporary Issues this semester. The conversations we had about speech restrictions was impressive because of the stories that Sparky told about his past experiences. Another hot topic we discussed was drug use on campus, which led to my discussion and some of my peers regarding medical marijuana and how campus officials and states will have to make important decisions in legalizing the drug to students who have doctor prescriptions. Two weeks ago Ole Miss and the nation celebrated "Green Week." My discussion was tailored to article regarding campus sustainability rankings. Finally, we discussed the transformation of the campus union/student center and viewed many different institutions new unions/centers and saw ways that they allocated funding through donations and student fees to fund the projects. Additionally, we discussed how unions/centers boost enrollment with hopes that Ole Miss will have a new union in a few years to come.

In sum, I have enjoyed interacting with my peers and listening to Sparky wonderful stories that have enlightened my knowledge of Topics in Student Affairs and the history of Ole Miss. I would recommend this class to anyone as it was recommended to me and I hope that it will be a model for other higher education courses in the future. It is definitely a different way to teach a class, while keeping students engaged and interested in the discussions. I wish all of you much success in your future endeavors and I have really enjoyed the class and my tenure at Ole Miss as a student. I look forward to touching the lives of others that I come in contact with and I plan to retire from this profession that I am very passionate about and love.