(Music) Here at WIU within the CSP: Student Affairs track one of our greatest values is
theory to practice.
We value the opportunity of our students to learn not only in the classroom but in the
field as well.
Because of this, we give our students up to five different opportunities to gain valuable
hands-on experiences in a variety of student affairs areas throughout campus.
One of the greatest opportunities comes from a graduate assistantship, which is a requirement
of the program.
Throughout the school year each cohort member will hold a professional position on campus,
giving them the unique opportunity to apply theories and concepts learned in class to
real-life student affairs work.
By participating in an assistantship you are given the opportunity to gain professional
skills and knowledge that will assist you on your way to becoming an outstanding student
affairs practitioner.
It’s our hope that upon completion of our program you will possess the knowledge and
skills to facilitate the learning and development of students wherever you land.
You might be interested to know that we offer more than 45 graduate assistantship opportunities
in over 17 offices on campus.
As a full-time graduate assistant you’ll work 20 hours a week and you receive a monthly
stipend, as well as a tuition waiver.
Listen to some of the experiences from students and learn why we feel theory to practice is
so important in the field of student affairs.
I think the most impactful experience I’ve had in my assistantship is supervising my
RAs.
We have a staff of 26 Resident Assistants for our complex and they are split into three
supervisor groups.
Each Assistant Complex Director has between 6-10 students they supervise directly.
I have weekly meetings with my RAs and it’s during those meetings that I really get to
see what we’re learning about in class.
Watching the students develop over the course of the year reminds me of why I want to be
in the field in the first place.
I can see tangible examples of the theories we’re learning about.
We spend time working on their floor and how they can best support their residents.
I also get to hear about their passions and personal lives.
It’s an opportunity to truly work with the whole student.
Living in the residence hall has its ups and downs, but getting to eat dinner with my RAs,
have them invite me to their programs, and watching them find their place on campus makes
it all worth while.
The hands-on nature of my assistantship site has given me the practical experience that
is necessary to secure a job post-graduation.
I came to grad school at Western Illinois University straight out of undergrad.
My assistantship is with Greek Life Programs with the Office of Student Activities.
While I had no prior advising experience, I was given the opportunity to advise a student
organization of 500 plus members!
It was a bit overwhelming at first, but sometimes you just gotta be willing to roll up your
sleeves and do it!
No one handed me this magic book that told me how to be the best advisor.
I had to figure out my own advising style by combining what other professionals had
role-modeled, what I was learning in the classroom, and what I believed to be most important part
of the profession.
I mean, it was a bit of a trial and error process but that's what they call learning!
This journey of self-discovery has been guided by the CSP curriculum and the assistantship
has offered me the platform to reflect on my learning.
At the end of the day, I really enjoy what I do.
My interactions with my students and colleagues make my job what it is.
It's a pretty amazing feeling to love what you do and know it that matters.
My assistantship is in the Women’s Center, advising two different student groups, mentoring
student workers, and planning programming.
I have come to really love the Women’s Center and the larger Multicultural Center that it
sits in.
My favorite part of my assistantship site is the relationship I have built with my co-grad
and the other graduate assistants in the building.
Having so many CSP grad assistants around campus is one of the most beautiful parts
of this program.
They’re classmates and coworkers all in one.
They get what you are going through and the work that you have to accomplish and it’s
just this awesome built-in support network.
I especially love the relationship that I have built with my co-grad.
She welcomed me to the Women’s Center and Western with open arms!
And I’ll never forget my first day walking to the office.
She not only met me at the door so I wouldn’t have to find my way alone, but had also put
together a welcome bag for me complete with Western swag.
Since that day my co-grad has been a wonderful coworker, mentor-figure, and friend to me.
Having a second year co-grad has been a wonderful experience because she always is there when
I have a question or need to run an idea by her or just need to chat.
Having the chance to work with a co-grad is definitely one of the best aspects of my assistantship.
The Casa Latina Cultural Center is the central hub for all Latino based programming on campus.
Casa Latina houses the Latin American Student Organization, Tradicion Latin Dance Team,
International Friendship Club, Latinas In Pursuit of Success, Spanish Club, and Undocumented
Students and Allies Coalition.
Working at Casa Latina has been very fulfilling!
Although we have a lot of responsibilities in the center, it is very satisfying in the
long run.
The Casa staff has hosted so many huge events and, as a future professional, I feel very
prepared for post graduate life.
I truly feel that I have had the opportunities to make a difference on campus through my
position with Casa Latina.
With having the opportunity to have my two assistantship experiences in the Vice President's
Office and Health Education, I have been able to gain an understanding of how an institution
operates from an administrative aspect and then gain practical hands-on skills working
directly with students.
These experiences have really allowed me to build skills that I did not necessarily realize
I would be building and also have a better idea of what area of student affairs would
be the best fit for me in the future.
So my assistantship is in the Office of Student Activities with Greek Life Programs.
One of my favorite things about my assistantship is that graduate assistants get to switch
between councils between our first and second year, and this gives us a lot of different
experiences.
During my first year I advised the United Greek Council which is comprised of multicultural
Greek organizations.
And this year, I get to advise the Panhellenic Council which is comprised of a bunch of Panhellenic
sororities.
So, I have gotten two very different experiences, but I’ve gained a lot of skills and that
is indescribable.
I have been able to advise the councils, as well as oversee large-scale programs, such
as Panhellenic Formal Recruitment, Greek Week, and United Greek Council Showcase.
I have also gotten the chance to advise Greek honorary societies such as Rho Lambda and
Order of Omega, and I’ve also been able to serve as an advisor to the Risk Management
Committee and aid in the Interfraternity Council expansion as well as Social Event Management
Policy revisions.
At the end of the day, all of the things I have been able to do through my assistantship
have given me so many transferable skills, and I have been able to connect those things
to other practical experience opportunities, like my summer internship, which was in housing.
I would not trade my assistantship for the world, and I know that I’ve become the person
I am in student affairs because of it and I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
My assistantship with University Housing and Dining Services has really been able to enhance
my overall graduate experience.
One of many parts of working for UHDS is being on departmental committees.
So, learn about all different types of groups in our Group Dynamics course.
And then, when you’re working on a departmental committee, you are very much trying to accomplish
the tasks of the committee, but you also are developing relationships with the committee
members.
And this was more difficult than I expected because you might need to accomplish a short-term
task, but you have to consider how your decisions will impact a long-term relationship.
The committee is only a small subgroup of UHDS so these relationships also affect the
larger being that is the entire UHDS staff dynamic.
The readings and conversations we have for the Group Dynamics course brings light to
some of the phenomena I experience in the committee work.
The committee component of my assistantship really provides me this non-academic opportunity
to apply what I am learning in class.
Within my assistantship, I've really enjoyed the level of freedom and support I've had
in the office.
My supervisor trusts me with my work but is always open to my questions or concerns, whether
that be through an email or knocking on her door.
Being in this position has also allowed me to strengthen collaborations with other offices
on campus, which is something I believe to be vital as a student affairs professional.
We have the ability to enhance our work and role in our positions by strengthening partnerships
with various different departments and organizations throughout the university.
Lastly, my position has been a good balance of working with students and administrative
tasks, which allows me to see both sides of the work we may do.
All assistantships within the CSP program are essentially what you make of it, and you
have the opportunity to make it great for you, your students, your office, and Western
Illinois.
I currently hold an assistantship in the CSP
Recruitment & Orientation Office.
One of the most impactful experiences that I have had in my assistantship has been helping
coordinate the College Student Personnel interview days.
Before coming to Western, I had many previous experiences working with event planning.
My approach to the way I planned and coordinated events was strictly logistical and almost
in a “Check List” type of fashion.
I would only focus on basics about an event such as: where the event would be held, what
type of food would be present, and what would be an effective way to advertise.
While all these things are important, I have learned there is more to it for my student
affairs practice.
Having gone through the CSP experience here at WIU, I am now seeing another layer of complexity
in my event planning abilities.
I am asking myself questions about who my audience is?
What my intentions are?
What outcomes am I looking for?
What perspective am I missing?
I have seen these questions help guide team discussions that I am a part of and I have
seen my ideas and questions come to fruition.
The Recruitment and Orientation team is looking forward to seeing you at CSP Days!
Go Leathernecks!