I S S U E N O. 1 / / V O L U M E N O. 1 / / F A L L 2 0 1 7 ISU SAGA I L L I N O I S S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y ' S S T U D E N T A F F A I R S G R A D U A T E A S S O C I A T I O N
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1 2 5 6 ISU SAGA Executive Board Social Events Professional Development
A New Name Brettney Birdwell, 2nd year The idea of updating our organization s name had been discussed amongst the Co-Presidents before us. They felt that College Student Personnel Administration Group (CSPAG), while catchy, was perhaps not the most creative or official name we could have. Meghan and I agreed. We also felt that this would be a great opportunity to expand the reach of our organization. With a name like College Student Personnel Administration Group, you are rather siloed into only providing support and affecting change within the CSPA program. We know the field of Student Affairs to be a field with many different stories and paths. There will be highly-involved undergraduate students who go directly into a Master s degree, and from there their first Student Affairs full-time employment. This might be considered the traditional pathway into Student Affairs, but in no way is it the only pathway. From gap years to returning to Higher Education after decades spent in another field and many more other experiences- Student Affairs has been made stronger by our diverse life and career experiences. We wanted to honor that important feature of our field with our new name. We know that CSPA students are not the only graduate students that hold assistantships within our office. While their program might not be Student Affairs- they are still contributing to the work we do and supporting the students we also support. We want to include them within our organization, as well. We are currently still figuring out what that exactly looks like, but we hope this new name ushers in an era of continued inclusivity for us as a student organization. With this in mind, we looked towards the current CSPA students. With everything we do in our officer roles we strive to be a mouthpiece for the cohort s wants and needs in graduate school, the name change was no different. We collected name nominations and went through a voting process to determine our collective top choice. This led us to Student Affairs Graduate Association (SAGA)- we are excited about our new name, now to just finish up the paperwork! ADVISOR Skylar Guimond- CSPA Class of 2015 He/Him/His Leadership Specialist Student Activities and Involvement Unit, Dean of Students Office One of my favorite parts of working at ISU is working with the grad students in the CSPA program. I am always excited to see how they grow as professionals and discover the higher education field. 1
EXECUTIVE BOARD CO-PRESIDENTS Brettney Birdwell- 2nd year Undergraduate Institution: Texas A&M University Home State: Texas I wanted to be a part of SAGA, specifically in the Co-President role, because I wanted to serve our CSPA program. I earnestly believe in selfless-service. This was a value I had a lot of opportunities to practice in my undergraduate experience and I wanted to continue to pursue that here at Illinois State. I recognized that SAGA has been in a growing phase for the last few years and I was excited to be a part of that growth. These two ideas are what drove my why for SAGA Co-Presidency. Meghan Jack- 2nd year Undergraduate Institution: Wichita State University Home State: Ohio "I wanted to be part of the SAGA Board because I wanted to be a part of a group that inspired aspiring student affairs professionals to grow within their cohort, program, work sites, institution, and professional communities. As Co-President, I have the ability to co-lead a team that makes this growth a priority, and by acting in this role, the SAGA Board has allowed me to expand my leadership abilities and create life-long relationships with peers, colleagues, faculty, and administration." 2
EXECUTIVE BOARD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CO-CHAIRS Garrett McAlister- 2nd year He/Him/His Undergraduate Institution: University of Illinois- Springfield Home State: Illinois "Saga is a great way to get involved! We find new ways to improve the learning we all receive in grad school!" Kevin Thomas- 2nd year He/Him/His Undergraduate Institution: Western Illinois University Home State: Illinois "SAGA is an amazing opportunity to advocate for other graduate students within our program and future colleagues to leave a lasting legacy at ISU." Ashley Shoemake- 1st year Undergraduate Institution: Texas State University Home State: Texas "I wanted to be a part of SAGA because I wanted to get more involved within the CSPA program. I am also passionate about professional development, which is why I wanted to become one of the Professional Development Co-Chairs. It has been great being able to brainstorm and execute ideas that encourage development for my fellow program-mates and I can't wait to see what the rest of this school year brings!" 3
EXECUTIVE BOARD SOCIAL CO-CHAIRS & TREASURER Mackenzie Kinman- 2nd year Undergraduate Institution: Northern Kentucky University Home State: Kentucky My favorite part of being Social Chair, is being able to create and plan events that bring the first and second-year cohorts together. It s a rewarding experience when you get to see program members getting to know each other and enjoying some fun outside of the classroom setting. Dynae Trone- 1st year Undergraduate Institution: Illinois State University Home State: Illinois I ran for SAGA Social Chair because I saw it as an opportunity to develop leadership skills and to plan events that encouraged the people in the CSPA program to build connections and friendships. Treasurer Asiah Claiborne- 1st year Undergraduate Institution: University of North Texas Home State: Texas "Being a part of SAGA has been a great way to work together with the executive board to brainstorm ideas to benefit our program." 4
SOCIAL EVENTS So far this year, we have had social events such as a game night, a bonfire, and even a Thanksgiving potluck. Spending time together outside of the workplace and classroom has really allowed us to make lifelong friendships. Dynae Trone, 1st year Have other events you would like to participate in? Contact our social co-chairs! 5
SOCIAL EVENTS SPRING 2018 February 2nd Altitude Trampoline Park 7-9 PM February 4th Super Bowl Potluck Location is TBD 4:30-7:30 PM (or whenever the game is done) February 17th Ice Skating @ Pepsi Ice Center 2-3:30 PM February 20th Movie Night: Black Panther @ Wehrenberg in Bloomington 9 PM ish (time & location may change depending on movie times) February 22nd Lunch @ The Coffeehouse 12-1:30 PM March 9th Movie Night: A Wrinkle In Time @ Wehrenberg in Bloomington 9 PM ish (time & location may change depending on movie times) March 20th Bowling and Pool @ ISU s Bowling and Billiards Center 8:30-11 PM March 31st Rock Climbing @ Upper Limits in Bloomington April 10th Lunch @ Lucca Grill 12-1:30 PM April 21st Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market @ Grossinger Motors Arena 10 AM-12 PM April 28th End of the Year Cook Out (location TBD) 12 PM-3 PM Mark your calendars! Events are subject to change. Updates can be found on group or event pages. 5
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS The CSPA program had the pleasure to hear from Dr. Matt Goodwin ( 03), Dean of Campus Life, St. Joseph s College (Maine) and his wife, Maria Goodwin, Coordinator for the First Year Experience, University of New England. They shared information about their careers, how to continue learning and growing as student affairs professionals, and how to maintain a dual career relationship. They were open to the various questions our students had about student affairs and job/practicum searching. Have other events you would like to participate in or topics you would like to hear more about? Contact our social co-chairs! 5
Stay tuned to see what SAGA has in store! https://education.illinoisstate.edu/ms_cspa/cspag/