But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

 

        For this week I chose to observe Project Nicaragua from the balcony. My friend Allie is on the exec board for this organization, so I thought it would be less awkward to show up and observe a random organization. I would like to first about how the meeting went and the set up and dynamic.

        The exec board started with introduction while they stood up in the front of the room. The general members then introduced themselves and the meeting started. In all, there were 5 exec members and 12 general members as they trickled in. So it was a small meeting, in part due to the nasty weather.

        So obviously there are a lot of the questions on page 16 that cannot be answered without asking a member, or being in the organization itself, however I will do my best to answer the ones that apply. 

Who is the leader? For the first part of the meeting, the leader was clear in that one of the co-directors of the organization was doing most of the talking while the other exec members still stood in the front. There was some feedback back and forth, and you could tell it was a free flowing type of meeting where there really didn't need to be a whole lot of preparation. Then my friend Allie took over the rest of the meeting while the other exec members sat down and the co-director still stood up with her and directed some of the meeting. Allie went to talk about the Euchre tournament, which is a good way to fund raise for their cause. 

What does the organization value? From the meeting it was easy to tell that the (primarily pre-med) group of students were interested in helping the impoverished areas of Nicaragua. They have projects in which they fund raise for and take pride in traveling to Nicaragua to implement some of the change. They also do not fund raise to cover costs of travel, but to be able to build and improve the town. 

Who are the followers? The followers, again mostly pre-med and freshman, are those interested in helping out with project Nicaragua. Other fellow Ohio State students who share a common interest and goal.

What do they value/what do they gain? Members of the organization seem to share the same value that the leaders do. It wasn't as apparent, but being new members, they are figuring it out as they go. As the meeting went on, they seemed to lighten up and become more sociable and talkative about working to make the euchre tournament go smoothly. Most members seemed to step up and volunteer to do something. Another thing was that they all wanted to get trained to be able to work at Nationwide as a fundraiser. Being a member, especially one that participates has the chance to go on a trip when they do go. 

The context or environment: Well they originally had a room where it was completely flat, so I'd imagine they might have made a circle or arranged the room to include everyone, but the members sat in two rows in front of the people talking. They mostly sat and listened during the meeting, with some feedback about ideas. As to the remaining questions, the members and leaders appear to be happy with what they are doing. 

Cliche balcony picture? Check!

It was definitely an interesting experience just sitting in and observing a meeting. There were many times, especially when talking about the resources the Union offers, that I wanted to step in! I wanted to let them know that you can rent all sorts of things from the CSLS...but someone in the group eventually realized they could! I think this would also be a fun, and even beneficial exercise to do with one of my own organizations. They seemed to know what they are doing, and I am impressed with the work that they do as a student organization. 

You scream, I scream, we all scream for...Leadership!

Gotta love SLA!

Well, this try this again…hopefully the SLA computer will not lock up and reset on me! Let’s hope it’s as good as the first one!

So before I delve into the blog prompt at hand, I want to talk about my reactions to some of the articles that we all just read.

Since this is possible...right?

                The most inspiring article that I personally got the most out of was the Skilled Facilitator Approach article. Yes, we all got the blatant messages in the article, be neutral and unbiased! But I feel like there is a lot of information in the article that is of value and that as SLAers we can all take away many points. It is an interesting concept to say that a ‘group uniter’ should be someone outside of the club. But this makes sense! In many ways this article is speaking directly to us! We are that group where other student organizations go to for help and advice, and this is a great article to reiterate and drive home the importance of an unbiased facilitation. Although we may not always run or lead facilitations where we are developing an organization, this article will be a crucial resource when we are all doing our projects for the #SLA371 class! We will need to “determine when groups are having problems, ID the causes that generate the problems, and begin to ID to intervene to address the problems” It is important as this article state many times, that we will need to approach each situation with an even keel and unbiased attitude toward the individuals or ideas.

Make Low-Level Inferences

                The article talks about the fact that we can lead basic facilitations, but they are not as great of value as developmental facilitations because we need to focus on improving the process and not just the superficial problems that arise. The article points out that yes “Procedural ground rules can be helpful, but they do not describe the specific behaviors that lead to effective group process”. One of my favorite points of this article is the idea of ‘Low-Level Inferences’. It stresses the importance of being an attentive facilitator to many things, especially body language. As a facilitator it is a challenge to make sure that a group is going toward a cohesive group dynamic and ensuring that all participants are willing. The way a person acts or says things can give great insight into how they feel about the group as a whole. There are people in groups that will not question the status quo, or voice their opinions if the dissent, because they do not like to start confrontations. It is the facilitator’s job to make sure that they are being aware of each individual working towards the common goal. I love when leadership combines psychology and behaviors! Another interesting point is when the article talks about that fact that as a facilitator it is possible you may be placed in a compromising or uncomfortable situation. But it is important to remember not to dodge those subjects but to challenge them head on. You need to be the one that goes there when no one else in the group is willing to do so. This is when the group will make the most development by attacking the deep problems as they arise and not just focusing on superficial road bumps.

                All in all there are many take away points in this article. You need to ensure that your role as a facilitator is defined to help a group. You also need to make sure that you stay as unbiased as possible and to not intervene! When you try to appease a group member or take a personal investment in an issue, the group will then look to you to solve their problems instead of learning how to deal with them as a unit. You need to remember that you will not always be there as that crutch.

We live and breath it

                Alright, so back to the prompt at hand. With the Student Development Theory, I would like to start with one of my favorite aspects of the article. The Components of college environment influencing student development; Component 5: Faculty and Administration. This section reminded me of why I love Ohio State as much as I do. For any of us involved kids we know how absolutely amazing our faculty and staff are here. Not only, our entire student life is pretty phenomenal and an amazing ground to foster development in many ways. However, as an involved kid it is easy to get wrapped up in how amazing student life is and how great the Union and all of its resources are. We shouldn’t forget how easy it is to feel like just a number at Ohio State. We are a huge campus and not everyone takes advantage of the great opportunities here. As SLA members, we should remember that we are an extension of the Union and a great resource for student organizations. We are here to provide a way to connect organizations to the amazing faculty and resources that the Union has to offer. This article is a great reminder of how truly special our positions are as a cohort.

               Alright, so why do we study this theory? In many respects this article seemed geared toward higher ed graduate students didn’t it? As a college student that this article is talking about, I believe that it is important to be aware of how we are expected to develop as students. Especially with the unique position that we are in as members of SLA, we almost need to act as if we are employees of the Union well versed in working with students and their development. Yes, we don’t do anything as deep with student organizations, but who’s to say that we can’t attempt to go in that direction?

Evolution of a leader?

                The early paradigm that colleges act on behalf of parents is definitely a scary thought for today! It is interesting to understand the history of how our ideologies of college students has transformed. Again this article discussed many psychological approaches from a developmental standpoint.This article relates to leadership because it is a great way of assessing the level of maturity and development a leader is at. It is also a model to show how leaders should be development and a way to be aware of those stages. Many leaders are at different stages in development and it does not mean a leader is better for being at a higher stage, but just may have more knowledge or experience in certain facilitations or situations.

          The shared vision article is a good way of piecing all the articles together. It is the reminder of how it all fits together in that as a skilled facilitator, you are working towards a shared vision for the group. I like when the article points out “something larger than just a set of individual visions”. Because it is important not to try to influence the group toward your personal goals, but to find something that everyone can agree on. Compliance will not work in a group setting where everyone is seen as equals or individuals. A firm vision is founded on strong commitment.