Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Truly an inspiration to me
Amanda Martin expressed the following words about me during the 15th Annual Lavender Graduation at Iowa State University, on May 3, 2012. She also received the Ally Award. Thank you, Amanda, for everything you do too.
"Cristobal "Criss" Salinas Jr. is truly an inspiration to me. He has overcome so much and is a positive role model not only for Latino students but for all students. I am awed by all he has accomplished at his young age. He has been a great friend to me and always has a hug or a smile ready for me. He sees the potential in people and encourages them to take on leadership roles, like he did with me for the ELPS Interview Days. He is a national leader in higher education. Iowa State is lucky to have him as a staff member here now. I feel so lucky to call him a friend and colleague, and I know he is someone I will continue to keep in touch with after graduation. Thanks for always supporting me!"
"Cristobal "Criss" Salinas Jr. is truly an inspiration to me. He has overcome so much and is a positive role model not only for Latino students but for all students. I am awed by all he has accomplished at his young age. He has been a great friend to me and always has a hug or a smile ready for me. He sees the potential in people and encourages them to take on leadership roles, like he did with me for the ELPS Interview Days. He is a national leader in higher education. Iowa State is lucky to have him as a staff member here now. I feel so lucky to call him a friend and colleague, and I know he is someone I will continue to keep in touch with after graduation. Thanks for always supporting me!"
Sunday, April 29, 2012
50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School
50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School by Charles J. Sykes
Rule 1. Life is not fair. Get used to it.
The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You cannot control the unfairness of the world. What you can control is the way you react.
Rule 1. Life is not fair. Get used to it.
The average teenager uses the phrase "It's not fair" 8.6 times a day. You cannot control the unfairness of the world. What you can control is the way you react.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Letter to a national & social fraternity: Educate, do NOT haze!
I sent a letter to a national and social fraternity after they called me for advised:
(April 26, 2012)
Please take the time to read this reflection
about XX Chapter and YYY Fraternity. I am concern with the practices that XX
Chapter is taking to educate your future brothers.
Take this opportunity to reflect on all the
accomplishments that XX Chapter of YYY Fraternity has accomplish. In 2014, XX
Chapter will be celebrating 10 years of success in brotherhood and scholarship.
You need to learn to educate the men, your future
brothers, to become professionals and leaders in the world of academics and
professionalism. You need to learn how to empower, be critical, sensitive,
inclusive, and ethical about the practices of our educational process. You need
to recognize what are our individual learning preferences, and that not
everyone learns the same way. What is the purpose of the educational
process? Who created the traditions of the educational process? Are you
educating or damaging your community?
Throughout the process you preach 'brotherhood.'
What does brotherhood means? Brotherhood (noun) may refer to family,
fellowship, organizations, alliance, and an association among male siblings. You
cannot teach brotherhood by yelling, having others memorizing poems, and doing
physical activities. Brotherhood is a development; the bond of brotherhood will
naturally develop among each other. Your responsibility is to have a
purpose, be responsible, and respectful to others and yourself. With purpose,
responsibility, and respect, you can achieve the principals of YYY Fraternity.
You need to learn how to validate other
experiences by asking rather than assuming, and by listening rather than
hearing. You need to understand that brotherhood looks different to everyone,
and brotherhood is a two-way street. You must practice and promote
self-awareness, hazing-awareness, and safety among individuals.
I ask you to please reflect on the practices that
XX Chapter is taking. You are a young national fraternity, and much more
younger local fraternity. Do not let your "traditions" and "educational
process" not celebrate 10 years of brotherhood. Instead, you should be
working to better serve your brothers, and your community by revamping the ways
of educating, thinking, and reflecting. Reinvent and refocus on yourself, do
not duplicate.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Opportunities to attend and participate in conferences
In
the world of student affairs there are a lot of opportunities to do research:
including publishing, and presenting at various conferences. In the course of
my academic work, graduate assistantship, practicum experiences, and
professional career I have had the opportunity to attend and participate in conferences.
I have
presented at Latina Youth Conference, Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference
(NCUC), Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE), Student Affairs
Administrator in Higher Education - NASPA Region IV, Association for the Study
of Higher Education Conference (ASHE), American College Personnel Association
(ACPA), National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME), among other
national and local conferences.
On
Saturday, April 14, 2012, I co-facilitated with Gabriel B. and Isaac G. a
presentation on academics. We looked at what comes with being a
first-generation student to attend college, the importance of academics and
linking the importance to struggles to previous generations, and the importance
of making the job to higher education. The workshop was presented to the men of
Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity, Inc. during their Midwest Regional Banquet 2012,
Iowa State University.
The
overarching learning outcomes were to: examine the importance of reflection and
academics, create a meaning of what does it mean to be a first-generation
student, and identify resources that are available at the university level.
On
Thursday, April 19, 2012, Allison R. and I presented a session in the 3rd
Annual Iowa Academic Advising Network (IowAAN) Drive-In Conference. We
presented on Ways to encourage, support,
and promote [academic] success in
LGBTQ students. We looked at how do
we empower LGBTQ students to aspire to be successful. More importantly, how do
we, as academic adviser and student affairs professionals, encourage, support,
and promote LGBTQ students to be successful inside and outside of the
classroom. There is an increasingly significant need to support LGBTQ
undergraduate students. We addressed the need through an examination of
relevant theory and literature and case studies. The audience participation and
discussion was encouraged.
During
the presentations we presented a list of terminology on LGBTQ, presented a
diagram of sex, gender, and sexuality, and analyzed at a model of coming out.
We looked at how as academic advisers, we often times have to provide
counseling and mentoring – to help students develop their professional and
personal identities.
Allison
and I encourage academic adviser to:
·
Become more knowledgeable about sexual orientation
·
Include sexual orientation in definitions and discussions of
diversity
·
Use same-sex examples in the classroom/meetings
·
Display safe space signs and other indicators of support
·
Recognize the value of having visible LGBTQ faculty and staff
·
Confront homophobic and heterosexist behavior, and respond to
harassment, violence, and vandalism based on sexual orientation
Innocent butterfly
Innocent butterfly. I took the picture on Saturday, April 21, 2012 during VEISHEA 2012 on my way to get a cherry pie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)