My Self Change Project: Using a Car Less

Well, I guess my previous post was a prediction of me falling momentarily off the blog bandwagon. But now I am back and going to try and commit myself to one or two posts a week. Surely I can handle that right? I do have lots of fun ones started and floating around in my head. It is just hard to make time in between reading, writing, working and the occasional bit of housework and some fun, too! So stay tuned for more hiking adventures and our trip to New York City.

In the mean time, I am going to get a bit nerdy on you. I am a grad student after all. For my Conservation Psychology class, one of our assignments is a Self Change Project. After much deliberation and stress, I decided to undertake a pretty strict reduction in the use of personal cars as a means of transportation. I supposed I should also change that “I” to a “we.” Clearly, this decision affects R as well. Luckily, he is supportive and a good sport.

The basic gist is that for any in-town trips, we are not to use a car unless we are transporting something heavy or some other legitimate reason that would necessitate it. We are working on eliminating any trips that we would tend to make out of convenience or laziness. You should also note my use of “a car.” Although primarily focused on reducing the use of our car, we did not allow ourselves the loop hole of just always jumping in someone else’s car out of convenience. To further discourage our use of the car, we gave up our campus parking permit (for a refund of $375, thank you very much!) and moved the car to the parking lot of Robert’s studio which is about a mile away from our apartment. Probably ninety percent of the places we go would be within that mile radius anyways, so it would make no sense to go get the car. You may ask why we are not giving it up completely? Well, we wanted to allow us the opportunity to continue the weekend trips we have been taking to hike and explore the region. Perhaps a little selfish, but it is still going to be a change for us and a greater change in car use than most people would take. Research shows that making a public statement of intent leads to better follow through and commitment to making the change. So, I said I would write about the project on my blog. So here ya go! If you really want to know more about what I am doing and why let me know. I was going to attach my paper, but I can't figure out how! However, I am happy to send it to you if you ask.

I will leave you with a few questions to ask yourself:

Could you come up with one less car trip to make each week?

If you decided to change one behavior that has a negative impact on the environment, what would it be?

And So It Begins!

After a whirlwind 6 weeks, fall semester has arrived. Again, it felt weird to not be actually opening a hall, but I certainly didn’t mind too much. I got a lot more sleep than I usually do at this time of year and my stress level was almost none existent! I did help out with Opening Day. My job involved directing traffic for the new freshman arriving at our largest residence hall, which has over 800 students. The Residence Life department does not have centralized desks or check in so each student checks in at their specific residence hall. It was a warm afternoon, and I ended up with a sunburn on my legs, but it beat opening a building in the 100 degree August heat of Texas!

The next day, I FINALLY got to meet the students that I will be supervising and working with this year. We spent the whole day in training, so I really didn’t get much 1:1 interaction with them, just a series of first impressions. Overall, I am excited about the group. As with any group of individuals, I have a detected a few that may be a little more challenging to work with than others, but that’s how it always works, right? On Saturday, we had some team building with both mine and A’s staff at the NAU Challenge Course. We started off with the high ropes challenges, and I fully went into it planning to just be a spectator and cheer the others on as I have a pretty healthy fear of heights. I can’t even jump off the 3 meter diving board. All of sudden, A came up to me, and said that he thought we should try it. After a momentary pause, I said, okay, let’s do it! I don’t think he fully expected me to be so agreeable, and I saw a little glimmer of terror in his eyes as we went to stand in line.

So, then it was our turn. The object was that we each climbed up separate poles to a wire extended about 20 feet high in the air in between the poles. We were to inch towards each other holding onto a rope that would allow for support until we got to the middle. We then had to use each other and a second rope to start inching across an intersecting wire to get to the end. The trick is that the middle rope does not extend at all, so one of us has to be the support and hold onto the rope while stretching out as far as possible so that the other can inch across the wire to the end and then follow.

I was in pretty rough shape once I got about ten feet in the air. I paused, and my leg started “doing the Elvis.” If you don’t know what that means, then just picture me doing my best imitation of Thumper the rabbit. After some deep breaths, I got myself under control, and started climbing again. The mounts to hold onto and put your feet on are spread pretty far apart. So, just the climbing itself was pretty challenging in trusting that I had the strength and balance to pull myself up from mount to mount. Often I would have to stretch up on my tippy toes and just barely be able to grasp the next mount and then have to pull myself up. I got to just below the wire and got intimidated again and stopped. I looked over at Aaron, and told him I didn’t know if I could do it. He and everyone on the ground kept encouraging me to keep going, so I got my shakes under control and kept going. Finally, I was on the wire and once again, I was like what the hell am I doing? With Aaron’s constant encouragement and pausing to refocus and balance, I kept going. Did I mention that time seems to creep along while you are doing this? We finally met in the middle and attempted to go down the intersecting wire. After trying to figure out the best method, Aaron asked to opt out, and I agreed. Of course, then he almost pulled me down with him as he wouldn’t let go of me as his person brought him down! Luckily, he realized that he needed to let go, and I didn’t go crashing to the ground! So, we didn’t complete the challenge, but it was still a victory for me. And, I am never doing that again!

The morning, did provide the opportunity for some great interactions with my CMs and continued to get me excited for truly starting my job. I started meeting with them this past week, which was the first week of classes. We had our first staff meeting, and I started biweekly 1:1s with half of them. I thought the staff meeting went fairly well, and the individual meetings went really well. This is not surprising as I enjoy those interactions much more and are more my style.

This week has brought many adjustments. The campus has changed completely, and I feel like it sort of snuck up on me. It is funny how quickly we forget what the campus should really be like and get used to the empty college campus of summer, especially when you start out a new job in the summer. Suddenly, the campus is full of life and people and noise. Everywhere you look, there are people everywhere at most hours of the day. There is the energy and enthusiasm that always comes with the start of a new school year. It is actually pretty cool to be on such a lively campus, even at night. As I have walked about campus, I see people lounging in the grass, playing sand volleyball, throwing Frisbees, smoking hookahs, biking, skateboarding, walking… I think you probably get the picture.

The other big adjustment is starting my classes and figuring out my new routine and schedule. I feel like I spent all week being late or almost late as I rushed from one thing to the next. The change time between classes can be a little crazy, especially if you are on a bike. As you approach intersections you have to look four different ways and assess for both pedestrians and other bikers. Once you arrive, then you have to find a place on one of the bike racks. The amount of bikes on this campus is surreal. Then you have to fumble with your lock, and after the whole fiasco with Robert’s bike, I am super paranoid and lock both wheels and the frame, which takes time to weave and secure. I guess it will get easier as the year progresses.

When I think about the classes themselves, I become both exhilarated and freaked out. I love what I am taking, and they are all aligning perfectly with my interests. However, I think I had forgotten about the work load of graduate level classes. All have an extensive amount of reading and an almost weekly writing assignment, interwoven with larger projects and papers. I am certainly going to be busy, but at least I will be enjoying the subject material. It is also really fun to be surrounded by such a diverse cohort that has similar philosophies but so many varying interests and passions. With each day, this feels more and more right. I hope that continues to be my semester.

What’s It Like Working Here, So Far?

I warn you, this is a long one… It captures my feelings and impressions to date over the past two plus weeks (two more to go… we do love to train in res life!)

Especially within the Residence Life department, I am finding some remarkable similarities to SMU. The philosophy and the atmosphere has a very similar feel to RLSH, just about twice as big. Which makes sense as they are anticipating housing about 7100 students in 21 residential communities this year. We kicked off the first day with ice breakers and a lunch time potluck (that definitely felt like SMU!) and then we toured the office in groups to meet everyone and get a business card with a brief list of their responsibilities on the back (great idea!).

Within the Hall Leadership team (of which I am a part), I work with a very diverse group of people, and I am not the oldest one! There are married and not married; some with kids, some without; some are full-time and some are grads. Some, like me, have been here for 2 weeks and some have been here for over 20 years! They come from all over, so it is fun to learn about their backgrounds and stories.

Here are some interesting stories that have stood out to me so far. One is an African American woman who I am guessing has to be at least in her early 50’s and is the RHD for one of the family housing locations. I look forward to learning more of her story and how long she has been in residence life and what keeps her in this role that we tend to look at as a “starter position.” Another co-worker lived on a Navajo reservation for part of his life. In general, we have a rather large Native American population, and I am excited to learn more about this culture. Another co-worker is in a wheel chair, but is more physically active than me! She plays competitive ice hockey, is trying out for the Paralympics and has completed several half marathons! Having dealt with physical limitations for over a year after our car accident and knowing how much it affected me both physically and mentally, I have a greater awareness and appreciation for those who do not accept that they have limitations and find ways to move beyond what most assume they are capable of. Another just returned from spending 5 years working at a Christian college in Uganda, Africa, and has the sweetest little 14 month old. And that is just the tip of the iceberg, but those are the ones who stand out to me as I am writing.

It is interesting working with graduate hall directors, assistant hall directors, full hall directors, and specialty grads like myself. There is a variety of interests, backgrounds, and experience levels. Training has been both the same and different from what I experienced at SMU. In many ways there are many similarities and consistencies in practices and policies that I am used to already. For me, it is neat to see how universal so much of what we do can be and reaffirms that we truly are a profession that should be respected and recognized. It is a little weird hearing some of the same things come out of the mouths of completely new people! Training is also a little weird because I am required to attend all of it, but I would say over half has no direct application to my responsibilities. In fact, I don’t even have to attend all of RA training. It is weird to hear everyone else talking about the stresses and work of prepping for RA training and opening their building… and I don’t have any of that… not that I am complaining!

I won’t lie I have had my ups and downs with the training experience. It is so hard sometimes to sit through a 2 or 3 hour training session that has no application to my work responsibilities. Now, of course, I recognize the importance of knowing how things operate in the department. There will be those rare, all hands on deck instances where it may be crucial for me to step in and help. Even without being a Hall Director, I may encounter a student in crisis and need to refer appropriately. (These are all things I tell myself when I feel really grumpy) But it is just hard some days. Our supervisor has been making some adjustments recently and releasing us from some training sessions, which is nice because then we can focus on preparing for our CM (Community Mentor) training and setting our processes into place and getting a handle on what we will really be doing. I work hard to remain positive or find something to be optimistic about, but whew, that is hard work too! During discussions, I also sometimes find myself in the weird position of having suggestions and ideas to contribute (which are welcomed) from my previous professional experience, but feeling self-conscious and awkward and wondering if people are going to see me as a “know it all” grad who should just let the “experienced” full-time people share their wisdom? I want to be a team player and be a resource for my peers, but I still find myself holding back sometimes as I figure out my place in this group.

There are four of us specialty grads that are lumped together into an area of sorts, and right now they are my favs to spend time with. All my co-workers are great, but they are the ones that I have connected with the most. J. is in the Sustainable Communities program with me which is awesome. She is like a fusion of several friends I know from Louisville, very laid back, and what I would call “an old soul.” A. works directly with me and he is such a sweet and kind person. I think we will balance each other out well and will hopefully be able to share an office without killing each other over the next two years. He has also worked as a full-time RD, so in some ways we are on the same level with regards to knowledge and experience. He is here to pursue is Master’s in Student Affairs and Counseling. V. is one of those exuberant, larger than life people that always says what’s on her mind and enjoys being the center of attention. She is also very fun and I can tell will be a loyal friend. She is an Aggie and a Texan and proudly wears her ring and an A&M pendant (as well as lets out a whoop every now and then). Both V and J are twins, which I find interesting and love to talk to them about their experiences as twins.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post where I get all geeky and talk mission, values, guiding principles, etc J

Random Flagstaff and NAU facts I have learned so far

For my Strengthsquest buddies, Learner is my number 6, so it should be no surprise that I have already starting accumulating little factoids that I find interesting.

• Railroad tracks go through the middle of town and a large number of trains pass through Flagstaff daily. I hear them rumbling all the time. However, a noise ordinance was recently passed that prevents them from using their horns except in emergencies.
• There is an airport, but it is so small that the person that checks you in shuts down the check in desk at a certain point and then runs security, so running behind is not suggested!
• Historic Route 66 goes through town
• Two cemeteries border NAU’s campus. Apparently this is unique enough to warrant a Trivial Pursuit question. It can also be an issue with Native American residential students who are not comfortable with a view of “dead people” from their window.
• The mascot is Louie the Lumberjack. Frankly, I find him a bit scary looking and I am not sure why anyone would want a t-shirt with him on it.
• The school colors are blue and sage green with touches of gold, however, the athletic colors are blue and gold because they cannot find sage green in uniform colors.
• The original campus buildings are made out of this beautiful red sandstone brick that I have never seen before. It looks like giant roughly carved stones. It is called Coconino Sandstone, which is also the name of the county I live in (which according to Wikipedia, it is the second largest county by land area in the 48 contiguous states.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconino_County,_Arizona
• I was told that the current mayor of Flagstaff is the first woman elected and she is younger than 30. Wow!
• Mid-July (and my arrival time) marks the start of Flagstaff’s monsoon season. What does this mean you ask? It leads to regular afternoon thunderstorms through mid-September. If you really want to know the technical weather reasons, go here: http://www.arizona-vacation-planner.com/monsoon-season.html
• The Walk Up Skydome, where they play football, is the 3^rd largest wooden dome in the country and held the record as the largest from 1977-1983.
• The Arizona Cardinals football team are currently on campus for their summer training camp.
• The scientist that discovered the origin of the anthrax that was being sent through the mail after 9/11, is at NAU.
• Pluto was discovered at the Lowell Observatory here in Flagstaff. There are also special light pollution ordinances in the city due to the presence of this observatory.

First Impressions

I am playing a bit of catch up here. This is the email I sent out to some of my friends after arriving in Flagstaff:

Well,
I have now spent a full 24 hours in Flagstaff. Gosh, is it beautiful and different. The flight from Phoenix to Flag had some amazing scenery and I also saw the effects of some of the recent forest fires that occurred in the area. It was a balmy 72 degrees when I arrived - nothing like a 30 degree drop in one day! Today was beautiful, sunny, and the 80's. I think I am experiencing a touch of altitude sickness, so trying to stay hydrated. The campus is sooooo much larger than any of I have ever worked on or gone to school, but doesn't seem to overwhelming and still very walkable. It is beautiful, too. In a much different way from the traditional architecture of SMU. So far everyone has been nice and friendly. You would be jealous of the food options I will have during the school year. Now it is like us, and pretty minimal. The Arizona Cardinals start their training camp here next week so that should be interesting. I start training tomorrow, and we go through the first week in August - so they definitely believe in as much training as we do! I think it will be very interesting training and prep. As a "specialty grad" (you guys always tell me I am special!) I have a lot less prep to do and a lot of the training will not directly impact what I need to know for my job (required to attend as more of an FYI and not keep us separate from the larger group). The apartment is going to be interesting. It has some interesting pros and cons. It has no central heating or cooling. It has no AC at all, but that really doesn't bother me, especially not with these temperatures. We will see how this heating unit (that is only in the living room) goes... It is a true apartment with its own exterior entrance, so that feels really nice. I think I mentioned it is in family housing... there is definitely families all around... with lots of wee ones running around. Perhaps I will be engaging these recently brushed up babysitting skills more than I anticipated! It is has patios with patio furnitures and gas grills right outside our apartment!! How exciting is that? We just have to walk down a short flight of stairs to throw something on the grill. The kitchen leaves a lot to be desired and will require some creativity. However, the bathroom was just renovated and it has new carpet and tiling in the kitchen and bathroom... so, I think we can make it work, especially knowing it is temporary. Well, I guess that is enough for now. Will keep ya posted. Feel free to pass onto others who ask how I am doing. Just didn't want to bore people who are not necessarily interested. Miss you already!