Campus & Community Engagement

Hey there, nice of you to join me on my blog! This has honestly been some heck of a week engaging with many new and some not-so-new people. Particularly in my FYE class, I have met many others here, and we have had great discussions about the word "engage", along with a short video about college with incorporation of book and street smarts: "How to graduate college with a job you love and less debt: Jullien Gordon at TEDxMidwest" (link within name). 

link: https://images.app.goo.gl/RXCYaNEANGivpfaC9

During these great discussions, I really enjoyed talking to my partner (Avery P.) about what the word "engage" meant to us. My partner and I found similar definitions such as, "to be involved". Eventually later in the class we hear other people's opinions about the word such as: "to participate", "focus", and "be present", all of which I agree with. I must say that the video about college (mentioned above) really caught my attention. The video was a perspective changer for me; I know that times have changed along with many other methods. Once the video ended, we did discuss a few thoughts about a few topics Mr. Gordon touched on. A classmate commented that there are a few pressures on some who live in a house where both parents went to college and may expect their child to go to college without asking. Another point that was brought up about the pressure of going to college was that as a first generation your parents and other siblings may expect you to do exceptionally well, just as much as they are living through you because none have ever went (this was my comment because it is my current situation). With that being said, I would have liked to talk more about the video and what everyone else may have thought about it. 

Bringing it back to the main focus about the word "engage", Dra.McGrath (our professor) brought up an excellent point about how "old schooled" professors may be shocked at how students are on their phones instead of engaging with other students. This is a statement that I slightly disagree with because of the rapid dependance on technology. To back me up, in a reading we were assigned the author Omid Safi of the article, "Disease of Being Busy" (link within title) mentioned something about being busy with emails. He stated, "One of my own daily struggles is the avalanche of email. I often refer to it as my jihad against email. I am constantly buried under hundreds and hundreds of emails, and I have absolutely no idea how to make it stop." I can only imagine the many emails professors have to send out or even receive themselves. As an example, during my 8am math class my professor, right after saying 'good morning' to the class as a whole, will hop right into her emails in the time frame she has before class starts. Going into further detail, the two readings outside of class "Disease of Being Busy" by Omid Safi and "Why is Asking for Help so Difficult" by Alina Tugend (link within title) were both good readings and related to the word "engage" in some way. Both authors have a general theme about receiving human contact and engagement with others. Author Tugend emphasizes the topic of asking for help while author Safi talks about one being so busy that they forget to check their own heart along with emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual balance. The common idea is that we need human connections; whether it's asking for help or simply checking on one another, we simply need human engagement. These types of engagements are promoted on our campus, in our community, and our degree engagement through many of our campus resources like the counseling center, academic advising, or the writing center. However, while the authors bring about human engagement, one specifically talks about not only asking for help from others but also giving help to others. Author Tugend talks about the fears of communicating the fact that you or another person may need help. Tugend stated, “Another fear is that if you ask for help, you will be surrendering all control, and that the person you want assistance from will take over the entire project.” This is one of the many reasons many people may not engage in the campus or its community, especially in the degree engagement due to some possible embarrassment of some kind. Author Safi on the other hand talks about how being too busy can affect one's self. Safi stated, “Smart phones and laptops mean that there is no division between the office and home.” If a student here at Georgia Southern were to think about it, the student will most likely remember: “always check your (student) email” or will be on folio for most of the day outside of class just to get the work done to enjoy what may be left of the weekend, if they're lucky (also known as me).

link:https://images.app.goo.gl/ep1y53rmzS3NtcGc9

Personal Reflection:

Due to my previous comments being so long, I'll try to keep this personal reflection short. I have always been a shy and analytical person when if comes to meeting people and asking for help, so I want to challenge myself to break that shell. I feel as though the counseling center (located at  building 435 on Forest Drive), my academic advisor (for my major is located at the Waters College of Health Professions), and the student activities will really help me. Due to the way I think and process things, I want to widen up my understanding of different things by attending student activities. I have actually attended one of the FYE success series, and I talked to Matthew for the first time even though he is in my FYE class. I wouldn't have done so otherwise inside the class because we are rather far apart, but because I went to this social event, I made sure I would talk to at least 1 person there. Thanks Matthew. My academic advisor is definitely the top choice because I know she will be there when I need her and she will guide me on the right path through the discussions we will have. I will continue to use these resources to help me become a more well rounded person not only to make more friends but for my academics as well.