Monday, March 31, 2014

March 21st Meeting

1. Group Presentation

2. 3 Things I Learned:

  • I learned that presenting with a group is much easier than presenting alone.
  • I learned that both Jill Carr and Jodi Webb are truly interested in what is going on with the students.
  • I learned that feeling like you are going to vomit and actually vomiting are two very different things.
3. I feel that we were very prepared, especially with the gap of spring break the week before our presentation.  I think that I probably could of spoken louder and rocked on my feet less but overall I think I did better than I usually do public speaking.

4. One enormous change in my life was the transition between 8th grade and high school.  I went from a class of 39 people whom, for the most part, I had known since kindergarten.  I was very comfortable.  Then, suddenly, I was dropped in a pool of 250 students, most of whom I did not know.  It was extremely frightening and I felt very alone.  To deal with I tried getting involved to find communities where I was wanted and needed.  Finding people who supported me and cared about me took what could of been a horrible year and really turned it around.

5. Lame as it was, the Bowling Team is where I found that sense of community.  This is the team from my senior year.  I couldn't find a picture from my freshman year.  Ironically,  none of the people pictured were on the team with me my freshman year.

Monday, March 3, 2014

February 28th Meeting Reflection

1.

2. Three Things I Learned:

  • I learned about the five different parts of an organization that make it complex.
  • I learned that FLI is far from being a complex organization.
  • I learned that a tree can be a good metaphor for the different aspects of Bowling Green State University's campus culture.
  • Bonus: I learned that Eric is not afraid to creep through our lives to find out what organizations we are involved in.
3. Campus Culture and Our Lesson
  • Artifacts: the seal in the middle of old campus
  • Assumptions: that every students clearly prefers BGSU to Toledo
  • Values: friendliness and diversity
  • Heroes: SICSIC, Freddie and Freida, Marge in the Union, Van Wright
  • Rites and Rituals: hockey game cheers; walking to the right of the seal
  • Communication Networks: Campus Update; SICSIC Sez Signs
  • Structural: President, then other administration, then professors, then other faculty, then students
  • Political: agreeing with the "cutting" of the professors
  • Symbolic: Falcons
4. I am very nervous for our presentation because I detest public speaking.  I believe that we are preparing well for the presentation but that does not make me less nervous because I still have to take part in public speaking in front of three of the most important people in the university.

5. This is a picture of me with some of my Alpha Phi Omega brothers.  These brothers are very special to me because they are part of  my family within in the fraternity.  Our family is called Lost Boys.  There are several other families in the fraternity.  The existence of these families is a part of our culture, based off of our big/little family trees.
We were at a surprise party for the girl in the dresses birthday.  We made sure to be there to support her since we are her family.  The sense of family is very important and is probably one of my favorite parts of APhiO culture.

January 31st Meeting Reflection

1.

2. 3 Things I Learned

  • I learned that every member of a group has a role that is critical to the group being successful.
  • I learned that groups go typically go through four stages, known as forming, storming, norming and performing.
  • I learned that, as a group, we are fairly good at keeping several balloons in the air at a time, especially when we communicate with each other.
3. This helps me understand that each member is critical to our group being successful.  I think that I tend to take on a role where I take charge and am very vocal with my opinion.  I also try to make a plan of action so that the group I work with accomplishes our goal.  It would be very difficult for me to play a role of a summarizer because I would want to add my own spin to the discussion.

4. My definition has broadened throughout our lessons.  When I started I pictured the presidents of organizations when I heard the word leader but since going through these lessons I have come to understand that leaders are everywhere but are not always obvious and do not always have a title.  I see now that those are usually the best leaders because people follow them simply out of admiration for the way they act, not because they possess power because of a title they have.

5. I chose this picture from our retreat because I think this retreat is where we really came together as a team and a group which made us able to pull this service project off.

Photo