WCPA

Well, it has been a few days since I have posted. I returned last night from the WCPA 2006 Conference in Wisconsin Dells. My opinion of the Chula Vista is that it is not the Kalahari. It doesn't look like we'll be going back to the Kalahari any time soon...sad.

This might sounds strange, but this conference was helpful in that it helped me to realize why I do not plan on being in the profession of student affairs for the long term. Fear not, I love my job as a Residence Hall Director; in fact, despite some of the frustrations, I feel blessed to have a job that I hardly consider to be work. It is so much fun!

I do realize that my value system and the value system of the student affairs profession do not mix. We have similarities, but I can sense that to find satisfaction and acceptance in the field, there are certain values that would be quite helpful to have. In future blogs, I will discuss some of these dissonances in worldview.

Overall, I really have struggled with student affairs conferences as professional development opportunities. I usually don't learn anything that new and exciting and many of the ideas that people generate either won't work in our environment or I already knew about but was not quick enough to write a program presentation about it. I will give a shout out to Peter Brooks and Ryan Bronkema who both put on programs that I did find meaningful to my work, be it student affairs or otherwise.

Sadly, the two colleagues I have been closest to in my time as Residence Hall Director will probably not be in the profession of student affairs after their tenure on the hall director level. Part of me would like them (and me) to stay in the field so that we might challenge the system and make a difference (and make a little noise). But, part of me realizes that we are drawn to different passions that will lead us in a different direction than student affairs.

On a more mundane level, I appreciated the opportunity to relax in the whirlpool and to relax in general. I got to see old friends and trade stories. As I have said in my previous entry, it was like a vacation.