Strolling down memory lane...(almost) literally

In today's Honolulu Advertiser, there was an article about Hawai'i (well, technically only O'ahu and Maui) finally making it on the map - the Google street map. During lunch, my coworkers were giddy with excitement, looking up everyone's residences online. After going online and finding my own apartment, I was somewhat freaked out. Isn't it a little...voyeuristic? As I sat and thought about how creepy it was, I shoved Google maps to the back of my brain.

After work, however, other ideas began to surface. With Google street maps, you can literally "walk" down streets and get a good look around you. The first thing I did when I got home was try to find the place I lived (way back in the day!) in Spokane, Washington. We moved to Hawai'i when I was seven, so my memories aren't clear. I remember a park, preschool, and a large rock outside. I had to call my mom to get a few details, but I found it. I "walked" down East Liberty and found the rock (which really wasn't as big as I remember it being) was still there. So was the park. And the Albertson's not too far away.

Satisfied with my discovery, I decided to take a few strolls down other memory lanes. I went to my college campus and though you can't go down the little private roads on campus, you can go down some of the main roads and I took a "walk" from Pearson's Hall to Dwight, down a road past the psychology building and crossed the lake up to Ham and MacGreggor Halls. I was curious to see if the new residence hall was built at the time of the street map, so I hopped over to Morgan street and passed Buckland Hall and the theatre - unfortunately, the new residence hall was still under construction - shucks!

Then I thought about my semester in DC and was able to quickly locate not only where I lived on AU's Tenleytown campus for Washington semester students, I also found the street where my internship was! It was in the same building as the National Press Club and there was a corner store that had the most delicious sandwiches on the planet (google maps reminded me that it was called the "Corner Bakery") and there was a Filene's basement below! Right across the street was my gym, the Washington Sports Club.

I was on a roll, why stop at DC??? My next trip was to Providence, RI where I lived for 3 years after college. I went to my old apartment and then hopped a few blocks up to go to my friend Jen's apartment. It sounds silly, doesn't it? It's completely online, but they are pictures that I can almost "walk" through. I felt like I was really there, walking down Jewett Street, waiting to meet Jen. Then I jumped over to Brown University - to the Arnold Lab - the home of my very first full-time job at the admissions office of the medical school. I was tempted to have a walk down Thayer Street, but then I remembered New York.

Oh, New York. I was only there for the span of a summer internship at an off-Broadway theatre, and it's odd how that really was a blur. I knew I lived in Spanish Harlem so I started there, just poking around. I saw the place where I thought I did my laundry, but I wasn't sure, and there were many laundromats in the area. After being unable to locate where I lived, I dug around in various email accounts, searching for where I lived. I uncovered emails I had sent looking for part time and temp jobs while I lived in NYC and I found my address - roughly around 103rd and Lexington. Many places were still there - a little tiny side park where a Puerto Rican flag flew next to an American flag, and a cafe where an artist once showcased and sold his works. The neighborhood grocery store choke full of Goya products was still there and I instantly recalled many nights of rice and beans with my roommates.

I decided to check out where I actually interned - I couldn't even remember what it was called - but I knew it was on St. Mark's. I was pleasantly surprised to immediately find the bagel shop that I so loved as I "walked" down St. Marks. Then, I found it - The Pearl Theatre. Across the street from that was a pizza place where I can recall buying Italian ice with my fellow interns.

Wow, what a trip. As I "walked" through some of my life experiences, it was quite an odd feeling. Memories, feelings, friends, and experiences came flooding back to me. I remember what it was like to be 22 years old, in a big city, and incredibly lonely; I remember reading a Harry Potter book entirely at a Barnes and Noble (I couldn't afford a hardback book!); I remember the excitement of Times Square; I remember how accomplished I felt as a young intern going into the National Press Club, to IMF/World Bank Conferences, to the Senate gallery; I remember crying into the phone to my mom at the reflecting pond at Lincoln Center; I remember a flood of emotions as I walked past Ground Zero.

So while I do feel it's a little odd that thieves and stalkers now have a much easier way to plan and target their crimes, I have to say that for my purposes, Google street maps have allowed me to, in the span of one evening, take a "stroll" down memory lane and view places from my past that I wonder if I'll ever get to see again - places that I may not have documented as much as I would have liked to - places that I am from.

Civil Rights, Social Justice, and Facebook

In light of all the readings I’ve recently done about how we’ve come full-circle (in a negative way) with regards to the re-segregation of public education (particularly in urban areas) 50+ years after Brown vs. BOE, the recent votes in Maine and New Jersey just make me even more ill.

It’s okay that people voted the way they did – really, because people have opinions and are free to exercise their right to vote. HOWEVER, my issue is that I don’t think this is something that people should even be voting about in the first place!!! I guess our country has a history of putting civil rights issues on the ballot even though…um…hello…they’re CIVIL RIGHTS.

As I’ve been doing research on social networking in higher education, I’d like to share something I’ve seen on facebook before – using facebook for expression and social justice. Here are some of the posts I’ve seen on facebook from my friends (gay and straight alike) with regards to the Maine and New Jersey elections:


"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." come on America, wake up....

Maine, you disgust me.

Oh Maine...sigh...I still love your Acadia National Park...

"Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities." -Ayn Rand

"From the equality of rights springs identity of our highest interests; you cannot subvert your neighbor's rights without striking a dangerous blow at your own." - Carl Schurz --- Equality America has requested that anyone who disagrees with Maine's decision to change their profile picture to black.

"Times can blind us to certain truths and later generations can see that laws once thought necessary and proper in fact serve only to oppress."

disappointed in Maine...

i wonder how you'd feel if we voted on whether or not you could marry

Maine and Jersey, I'm sad and angry.

the Maine results have left me profoundly sad... (but I want to send love out to my mainers... I have a lot of wonderful people from Maine in my life and they are all awesome! Sending you all hugs today...)

not cool, maine

Downfall of Online Courses

So, I’m really excited to do some research about online pedagogy (next semester) and feel what it’s like to be on the other side for an online class.

From the student perspective, I’m frustrated. I read three AMAZING articles at the intersection of African-American culture, education and disability. I scribbled little notes and ideas that came to my head as I read the articles…and I won’t have the opportunity to talk to anyone about this. For some topics we’ve read about, posting and picking each other’s thoughts apart can be a good exercise. But…I just wish I could TALK about some of these things.

It’s like…I have all this stuff in my head…and then adding new information to it creates this…mental gas that wants to escape. And typing about it just doesn’t cut it. I want to talk.

I think I’m going to have to do some research on hybrid classes……..

Reflection of this Semester; Planning for the Next

It is true that having a schedule that is incredibly full sucks your time and your energy from you. However, it is also true that when your schedule is incredibly full, you manage your time more wisely and become even more (dare I say it?) energized. In class last night, Dr. M drew a bell curve on the board with "productivity" on the Y-axis and "commitments" on the X-axis - that there is a threshold (that is, of course, different for different people) to the amount commitments one can have and be at their peak with regards to productivity. (This was all in response to a discussion about busy students and the important lesson of learning how to say "no" to involvements.)

Anyhow, I met with my advisor, Dr. E, last week to discuss the past, present, and future over lunch - as we usually do during advising. She asked me how I was doing with my three classes and working full time. I told her that it's actually going quite well - I think these three classes, and where things are right now, I'm really at my peak. I am challenged, I am able to stay on top of my readings and papers, and I'm getting a decent amount of sleep, too. (No all-nighters yet, though I will admit to taking a day off from work to work on a paper.) I've even managed to watch a decent amount of tv. No, I don't spend a ton of time doing "fun" things over the weekend, but, well...fun to me is sitting in a cafe and reading and writing. (I'm not the stay out late and party hardy kind of gal, in case you haven't noticed.....) Anyhow, I really feel like I'm thriving. Yes, it would be better if I could squeeze in gym time and all, but overall, I'm really happy with where I am. I am also very aware that just one more thing could push me over (and then I'd be sliding down the other end of that bell bell curve.....)

But back to meeting with Dr E...It's always fun to talk to professors -particularly in their offices when you can peruse their bookshelves!- they're always busy, involved, and full of ideas. Due to my decision to go full time this semester, once this semester is over, I'm actually only 9 credits away from being done. Make that 6 credits and my "plan B." Actually, make that 3 credits, higher ed law or finance, and my "plan B." (By the way, can we change the name to something else? Isn't that the name of like...emergency contraception?)

So those extra three elective credits I need...well...I came up with this awesome idea. I realized that I'm interested in the following things: 1) teaching, 2) research, and 3) technology. This semester I've been doing research on online social networking, but wouldn't it be great to learn more about teaching and perhaps...get some experience doing some online teaching? I presented my idea to Dr E - I could take internship credit with her and be a TA for her online research methods course! That way I'd get some actual experience on the "other side" and will give me some direction and motivation for doing some research on online pedagogy. Dr. E thought it was a great idea. Yay! I'll keep thinking and we'll start meeting in December to discuss the class. =) So excited!

In the News.....

So much news to cover! Last week I felt I didn't have as much in The Chronicle that jumped out at me...this week, however, was overload!

Well, I guess we'll start out with the APA 6th Edition ordeal. *sigh* Well, at least we'll be able to cite youtube now, right???

I didn't read the full length of this article, just perused it, but I think it's interesting. It's about God and evolution in higher education. I think it's important to note that some people have grown up believing only in creationism, knowing nothing else and others (like myself) grew up with evolution and literally knew nothing about creationism. While there is bias on both sides, I think it's a good idea for everyone to at least learn about both sides and talk about it...else we walk around in our own worlds not knowing what everyone else thinks and knows...you know?

Related to that, Mark Bauerlein presents an article here on ideological bias on campuses. Now without getting too political, I think that many in academia due tend to lean to the left. I recall that on my college campus, that was a large criticism...our student (and faculty/staff) body was so incredibly diverse in every way...except perhaps politically. Yep, at a women's college where homosexuality was totally okay and totally normal, "the closet" was where the republicans, NOT the lesbians, hid. Those that I knew that claimed to be republicans said they were socially liberal, and I've had several friends that entered college as republicans, and exited college as democrats or moderates.

Another important difference is presented in this great little piece, about what I think is often the big "diversity" elephant in the room...socioeconomic status. I didn't feel completely out of place at my college's campus, but I definitely thought there was more they could have done with regards to SES. (I've heard that more attention has been paid to this since I've left.)

I thought this author made an interesting point in drawing parallels between Project Runway and graduate school (imagine Tim Gunn in the advisor role...) It's fun. Check it out!

This article may well be my Chronicle Article of the Week! Eric Hoover discusses several perspectives out there about the millenial generation. It's long, but totally worth the read.

Talking a little more about generational differences this is a fabulous reflection written by a professor who participated in a theatre production where he got to see students "backstage" and talks about some of the differences between his undergraduate education and that of students these days. Yep, the world is a different place now and students are very busy people! It's great to see professors pondering how to engage with students.

I had hoped to have time to blog and reflect on the surprise (shock, really) that our president, Barack Obama was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. There was so much talk about it - good, bad, and ugly. My thoughts? Well, initially it was a combination of, "good for him!" and "but what has he done?" After more consideration and thinking about the attitudes and rhetoric of our past leaders when it comes to the U.S.'s role in the world (i.e. UN), Obama has definitely carried with him a message and an air of diplomacy. Admit it, Americans are very insular in their views. Many citizens of other countries have a better understanding of the world than we do...I think it was commedienne Kathy Griffin that said the U.S. is kind of like the "Mary Kate and Ashley" of the U.N. -I thought it was hilarous, but true. We care about other countries, insofar as we are getting the return...a very..."We don't care about you. Unless it concerns us or you have something of interest to us."

Anyhow, Rachel Maddow had an excellent segment on her show about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize that I hope you take the time to watch. I think it says something that an international body awarded the peace prize to Obama based on "what he has done" and while we can ask "what has he done?" perhaps being an American leader that embodies diplomatic ideals in and of itself is a big enough change to our neighbors around the world.

Leslie Wilcox, Education, & Adventures in Journalism

So I've seen some reference to this on a couple friends' facebook pages (thanks Kealoha and others!) and will add this blog to my blogroll. 

Leslie Wilcox is well known in Hawaii for her many years in broadcast journalism and most recently as CEO & President of PBS Hawaii. I recall watching her on KHON Channel 2 morning news with Kirk Matthews...little did I know I would have an opportunity to work with her on a town hall project when I was a senior in high school called "Hawaii 2000." (Scroll to the December 16, 1999 article.) -A connection which later led to a fabulous summer internship at KHON. 

I'm really glad this came up because I've actually been reflecting on those experiences recently, particularly "Hawaii 2000." That town hall project was actually the first time I really fell in love with education. -I had always loved school and learning and all, but it was the first time I had really talked to teachers and counselors and administrators about the field of education - the problems in the system, and what drove them to do what they do. They obviously weren't in it for the money - they worked with their hearts - in a system that barely appreciated them. The biggest rewards (and often the only rewards they got) were the intrinsic - memories of the students that came in and out of their lives. Here's a quote about my experience doing "Hawaii 2000" from the young me, foreshadowing what would be my future:

This really changed me. It made me realize what demands the future holds for us. As for my future, I've become motivated to become an educator, so I can personally follow through with our plans to improve education.

Anyhow, we were split into groups and my group's mentor/leader was Leslie Wilcox. I recall being extremely excited because of all the reporters that were leaders, Leslie was my favorite. Though I didn't get to know her personally from that experience, I did email her a couple years later, asking about internship opportunities at KHON. I was finishing up my sophomore year at Mount Holyoke College and was going to do my "semester abroad" in Washington, DC in an intensive journalism program with American University's "Washington Semester" program the following semester and thought to myself, "Gee, maybe I should get some journalism experience before I head out there!" 

Lucky for me, Leslie forwarded my email to the managing editor, a fabulous man named Mark Matsunaga. I alternated between coming in at 5:30am and coming in the evenings to get an idea of what went on around the clock. I went out on many assignments with the camera guys, and wrote my own articles side-by side with people like Bernadette Baraquio (who was now doing the morning show with Kirk Matthews as Leslie had been promoted to evening news!), Tina Shelton, and Greg Takayama. Though my voice was never on the news, I wrote the words that came out of Joe Moore's mouth! -Pretty awesome!

After returning to Hawaii several years later, most of the group that was at KHON while I interned was gone, but I was so glad that Leslie Wilcox was on to bigger and better things...and now, I'm so glad she's got a blog to share with the world!

I ended up eating, sleeping, and breathing journalism for only that summer in Hawaii at KHON and the following semester in DC. The semester in DC was an amazing experience where we had intensive classes 3 days a week, and an internship for 2 days a week. Almost every class involved at least one, if not two or three or more "field trips" and guest speakers. My internship was amazing as well. I had a late start on my internship hunt and my final choices were either being a "gofor" girl at This Week With Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts or actually being an intern reporter with Market News International. The choice was obvious to me - I wanted to write. 

Market News International was amazing. The office was in the National Press Building, I loved the people who worked there, and I had fabulous opportunities to report at the senate gallery and at the IMF/World Bank Conferences! (I saved my credentials, too! They're in a box somewhere....) It was somewhat intimidating being someone who knew so little about economics and policy, but it was an amazing experience and my articles were actually published with my name in the by-line on their real-time financial newswire! 

In both my intro to higher ed course and my student affairs seminar we've been talking about the importance of learning that occurs "outside" the classroom and the "bridges" to be built between academics and the real world. I truly can't say enough about the Washington Semester program and if anyone out there, reading my blog is considering it, my advice is DO IT. Even though I eventually decided that while I loved writing and the adrenaline rush of deadlines, it was just not the career for me. Luckily, the experiences I had in DC are ones that I will remember for a lifetime - not to mention all that writing which definitely helped me sharpen my writing skills!!!

So glad Leslie has a blog. So glad I spent a semester in DC doing journalism. So glad I fell in love with education. 

And the answer is...

...yes, it's political.

According to "Right Wing Watch," the NAS was founded to bring together conservatives in academia to fight the 'liberal bias' on college and university campuses and to target multiculturalism and affirmative-action policies. They are indeed, a conservative organization with funded by conservative organizations.

It's interesting because if you read that short, little paragraph on their website of "Who We Are" their mission doesn't sound incredibly conservative...but read further and you'll eventually get the gist, especially in the section "Is it dangerous to join?" --You can even have the info shipped to your home address in case you are afraid that fellow colleagues will find out about your association with this group.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against academic freedom. I'm also not against a balanced academic curriculum or healthy debate...I just thought I smelled some familiar, far right, conservative rhetoric in their statement "Rebuilding Campus Community: The Wrong Imperative." As I mentioned in my previous blog, I don't think this is a common view among professors. Yes, academic snobbery exists, but to attempt to take down holistic student development with such weak arguments??? It's kind of making sense now...

After re-reading my previous post today (now that some time has passed) I am unsure if I actually communicated the heart of what I was trying to say. The answer, I think, is to change the way this discussion is framed on campuses. Like I said, I'm not against a healthy debate, but perhaps in environments where we are trying to promote bridges between academic faculty and student affairs, it's best not to view it in the "NAS vs. SLI" perspective. We should be framing our thoughts specifically around our students and the issues on our campuses, that way, we aren't arguing against each other, but trying to achieve a common solution.