George Zinkhan & The end of the first year

As most of you may know, UGA and the Athens community experienced a loss on April 25. For the whole story, please visit www.redandblack.com (the unofficial UGA newspaper). They have a done a good job covering the story from the initial shootings, to the manhunt, and most recently the discovery of Zinkhan's body. Even for a campus as large as UGA, it seemed everyone had a connection to the people involved. Kat, a recent CSAA grad knew the victims and wrote a touching entry about them in her blog.

The days following the shooting were interesting, to say the least. From the beginning, the local authorities believed Zinkhan wouldn't return to downtown Athens/campus, but security was beefed up as a precaution. It was a bit odd to see police officers carrying large guns just strolling through Tate plaza. But, as with everything, life began to return to normal. Considering the timing, students, staff, and faculty alike were busy finishing the year and preparing for finals, graduation, etc. I think everyone can breath easier now that they have located Zinkhan.


On to a happier note: Congratulations to the CSAA class of 2009!




The past couple weeks have been bittersweet. The 2010 cohort finished up our first year and the 2009 cohort finished up their UGA careers. There have been a lot of goodbyes as some are going off to internships, while others are moving to start their first post-grad job!

Though at times, the first year was difficult and challenging, I still can't believe it's done. The first semester eased us into the program, allowing us to adapt to our assistantship and giving us a broad introduction to student affairs curriculum. This spring brought a newly restructured second semester and although balancing an assistanship, practicum, and research proved tough, I think we will be even more prepared to begin classes again in the fall. Now, the class of 2010 is off to start our internships and anxiously waiting to welcome the class of 2011!

Have a great summer!

A Week in the Life of a CSAA Student, Part 3

Friday, April 24
After such a busy day yesterday, today was all about relaxation! I have made my schedule so that I have Fridays free. I appreciate that both my assistantship and practicum supervisors are flexible with my hours and allowed me to schedule my time this way.

It reached 90 today, and I took full advantage of the pool at my apartment complex. I needed to feel a bit productive, so I brought some homework out to the pool and did some work poolside :) Later, I played racquetball and enjoyed leftovers from the banquet for dinner. One huge perk of student affairs is the leftover food after events!

This weekend is Twilight, a bike sports and music festival. Amy and I decided to go downtown on Friday and were surprised to see the extent of the festivities. One block of Clayton street was blocked off and there were bike demonstrations, food vendors, and tons of people! We visited the Winery and the Globe before calling it a night. I had a great time catching up with Amy and the beautiful weather just added to my enjoyment!

Saturday, April 25
Today was another beautiful day and I decided to get some things done around the house. So I put in the first season of Grey's Anatomy and did some spring cleaning of the kitchen and my bedroom. In the early afternoon, I received the UGA Alert about the shootings downtown (I will post more about this later). I didn't realize how serious it had become until my father called and let me know it was receiving national attention. I had wanted to go downtown and check out the second day of Twilight, but thought it would be best to stay on my side of town.

I later went for a run and made some dinner before heading over to a friend's house to watch the draft. It was a nice, relaxing, but also productive day!


So that is it! A week in the life of a CSAA student! Like I said at the beginning, everyone has different weeks, different workloads, different work styles. I work best underpressure, so you probably won't see me doing a ton of work ahead of time, but I know many of my classmates that will do a little bit of work each night. You will find what balance works for you once you get into the swing of things in August.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse! As we get closer to the first day, I will include some articles about the best of Athens food & drink, Georgia residency information, as well as some updates from CSAAer in the internship! If there is anything you would like to know about, please shoot me a comment!

For those who are graduating in the next few weeks, GOOD LUCK!

A Week in the Life of a CSAA Student Part 2

I will include Thursday separate because it was a long day, and thus, a long post!

Thursday, April 23
Today I was on campus from 8:00 AM until 9:30 PM! Class started at 8:30 and it was our last Interpersonal class ever! Interpersonal is taught over two semesters, so it was sad to say goodbye to Dr. Dean (at least, as our instructor for this class). After class came lunch in Tate again! We got out a bit early, so more people took advantage of eating together. Many of us pack our lunches (great for a budget!), but Tate's cafe provides a great place to eat and chat.

Afterwards, I walked to Russel and had a one-on-one with my practicum supervisor. Although the practicum experience is coming to an end, I will be continuing my work throughout the summer. So our meeting today focused on what needs to be done before I take a mini-vacation after finals.

From there, I walked to the Coliseum (home of the Gym Dawgs, the 2009 NCAA Gymnastics Champions!). I met with the Athletic Department's Director of Marketing to discuss a potential internship for the fall. Many 2010-ers are opting to add another area of experience to their repertoire in the fall by completing a practicum/internship/volunteer project. I am hoping to shadow different people and work on several projects!

My meeting with John ended early, so I took advantage of the GORGEOUS weather and decided to get some work done downtown. I went to Starbucks and sat outside, all while people watching and working on an assignment for Dr. Dean. At 4, I had a meeting with my second summer internship supervisor to discuss details. I will continue to plan the Hunker Down with Housing move-in experience (my current practicum), as well as work with the Creswell Learning Communties!

After my meetings were done, I met up with Bonnie to pick up flowers for the UGASPA Year End Banquet! We arrived at Tate and helped set up as students, faculty, and assistant & practicum supervisors arrived. We were honored to have Ted Miller, the founder of our program(!) attend as well!

It was a lovely evening! The food was great and our keynote speaker, Dr. Ralphel Smith inspired all with his "Top Ten Lessons" for student affairs professionals. Awards were handed out and the class of 2009 was honored. There were lots of laughs and hugs, and even some tears. It's so weird to think that in one year, I will be there as well! After cleaning up, I went home and crashed (a 12+ hour day on campus will do that to you!).

Lovely pictures from tonight:

Our awesome faculty with the class of 2009!


And the equally awesome (I'm not biased or anything) class of 2010, minus Caleb & Catie

A Week in the Life of a CSAA Student Part 1 (Plus a Little Good News!)

Hi, y'all! As promised, I am going to give you a glimpse into what your life may look like only a few short weeks from now (check out the current countdown!!).

But first, a little fun piece of pride: UGA was named the 3rd best Student Counseling & Personnel Services program! We all know UGA is the best program, and apparently others agree it's pretty awesome, too!

Back to "A Week In the Life of a CSAA Student."

I will preface by saying everyone's schedule is different! Different assistantships require different hours, different committments, etc. By no means is this what every week looks like, but it shows you the variety that comes with being not only a CSAA student, but a grad student and young professional, as well!

Also, this will be divided into two posts because it is a lot of info for just one!

So, let's get started! Since most calendars start on Sunday...

Sunday, April 19
I headed to campus around noon to meet up with my ugaMiracle exec members. We were taking a tour of the Children's Hospital of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. This hospital receives the money raised by ugaMiracle and it specifically goes to the Rehab Unit. It was a great tour and gave me a better appreciation for my students' hard work! Afterwards, we grabbed dinner. ugaMiracle just transitioned to a new executive council, so I enjoyed getting to know the newest members. On the drive home, we excitedly planned events for the fall!

The rest of the night was spent relaxing and preparing for the busy school/work week ahead.

Monday, April 20
I arrived on campus at 9:00 am to prep for my assistantship office's weekly 10 AM staff meeting. Afterwards, I continued work until 12:30 where I joined Daphne for lunch. It's always great to catch up with fellow CSAAers after a weekend. From there, I enjoyed the beautiful weather as I walked from Tate to Russel Hall (my practicum site). I worked there for several hours before heading home.

I relaxed, made dinner, and then drove to Ramsey to play racquetball! For me, having an outlet like working out/playing sports has been an important part of work/life balance. When I got home, I did a little school work before heading to bed.

Tuesday, April 21
I had a Dr.'s appointment at 9:30, so I parked in NO8 and walked to the Health Center (by Ramsey and East Campus Village). My experiences with the Health Center have been great and many times their treatment options are very affordable! I then caught a bus to Russell, where I interviewed my practicum supervisor about a CAS assessment project.

My night was going to be action packed, so I drove home, got in a quick workout, and showered before heading back to campus. I made a quick detour and stopped to indulge in a free Ben & Jerry's cone! The weather was gorgeous, so even at 2 in the afternoon, downtown was buzzing with people!

I then went to my assistantship office and worked for a couple hours before interviewing a student for a Research Methods project. From there, I began my busy night - the SOAR awards ceremony at 6:00, the Interfraternal Council meeting at 6:30, and the NRHH/RHA banquet at 7:00. P.S. Congrats to Will O'Berry for winning Graduate Resident of the Year! The banquet was great and I enjoyed learning more about the Department of Housing (the site of my practicum and summer internship)! As I headed home, I stopped by Dunkin Donuts and took advantage of their $.50 iced coffee promotion. I needed the extra boost of caffeine, since I worked on my Research Methods project when I arrive home.

Wednesday, April 22
I arrived on campus a little after 8 and decided to walk from N08 to Aderhold. It was a little bit chilly, but I couldn't pass up sunny skies and a chance to get some exercise! In Research Methods, we discussed preliminary findings from our projects and listened to Dr. Corey Johnson (a College of Education professor) talk about how to formulate a research conclusion.

After class was lunch! It has become a highlight of my Wednesdays to head over to Tate and enjoy a Dawg Dish from the cafe. A Dawg Dish is basically a burrito without the tortilla and they are wonderful! There is usually a handful of first years who eat together on Wednesday afternoons before heading to assitantships or practicums. It's a great time to debrief the week and talk about upcoming weekend plans!

From lunch, I headed to the Greek Life Office. Wednesdays are all about my assistantship as I have a one-on-one with my supervisor and ugaMiracle weekly meetings. I enjoy my one-on-one time - it's the perfect opportunity to check up on projects, jobs, etc, but also talk about school and life in general.

Last semester, I would hang out in the office until 5, when our meetings would start. Since we switched our executive board, our meetings now begin at 7. At first, I was hesitant of this new schedule. I didn't want to stay on campus until 7, but I also didn't want to drive back and forth. A few months have passed and I can now say I love the switch! I leave a little bit earlier (around 4 usually) and it gives me plenty of time to go home, work out, eat dinner, shower, and then head back to campus for our meetings. When our meetings were at 5, I would rush home afterwards, devour my dinner (I was usually starving by then!), and then pass out on the couch from exhaustion (working out was definitely not an option by that point in the day). The new schedule allows me to exercise, enjoy my dinner, and relax/rejuvenate a bit before my meetings.

Today, I came home and relaxed by eating dinner while watching "Greek" from Monday (thanks, DVR!). I headed back to campus for our meeting and then played a quick game of racquetball. The Ramsey Gym is open until 11:00 PM most nights (and early in the AM), so it can accomodate any type of exerciser! After working out, it was time for bed (another 8:30 AM class on Thursday!)

I will leave you with Wednesday and update this weekend with Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Stay tuned!

Beep Beep, Make Way For Parking Information!

Corny title, I know.

Hey, y'all! We are counting down the days until summer here in Athens and the weather is, too! It's been beautiful and in the 70's the past couple days!

Parking registration opened last week and once you create your UGA MyID, you can register for parking.

Parking is optional for students, but many of the current CSAA students pay for parking on campus. There are students who opt to not pay for parking and take advantage of street parking or use public transportation.

To register, you will be asked to provide information for the vehicle you will use. The process takes you through a few steps, the last being your lot preference selection.

When choosing a lot, consider several factors. Do you want a covered deck or an outdoor lot? Do you want to be closer to classes or your assistantship? In the fall, I chose E04 (East Campus Deck). It was close to Aderhold and Ramsey (both class locations and the awesome gym); however, it was far from Tate, where my assistantship is located. After evening programs, I often had to wait for a bus to bring me back to E04 (bus routes dramatically decrease around 6:00 PM on weekdays). This semester, I switched over to N08, which is a short walk to Tate, but requires a bus to get to class.

One of the questions I had to ask myself was "Would I rather arrive early for class to catch a bus or wait for a bus later at night?" This is definitely something to consider, as well as pricing (some lots are more expensive than others). You probably will not know your class or work schedule by the time registration is due, but you may want to e-mail your advisor and inquire about a typical week.

Although switching lots midyear worked for me, there is a price involved (over $100) that was not made explicitly clear. Since I was going from a covered lot to an outdoor lot, I received money back, but only once those fees were taken out.

A final note - the campus map may look daunting and big, but I have found that I can walk from Tate to Aderhold in 15-20 minutes, Tate to the Arch in about 10, and from East Campus Deck to Aderhold in about 5. I admit that I walk fast, but that may give you an idea in terms of the scale of the map.

Please feel free to contact current students and ask where they park, if they park, and their thoughts on their choice!


Oh and coming later this week (two posts in one week?!?), check out "A week in the life of a CSAA Student!"

Nearing the End

Here is a quick note from almost second year (32 days till graduation!!) and UGASPA president, Brad:


Greetings future CSAAers! I'm sitting at Two Story Coffee House (which for those of you debating where you will study next year, look no further!) and reflecting on how quickly the end of the semester has approached. It's hard to believe that a year ago at this time, I was searching Craigslist trying to find both an apartment and a future roommate and getting excited about the big move. Spring is definitely in the air here in Athens (along with the pollen) but like the rest of you scattered across the Southeast, we are currently experiencing a cold front and Spring seems to have disappeared for a few days.

So what's going on here in Athens? The class of 2009 are looking ahead applying and interviewing for jobs from coast to coast from Seattle, Washington to Winston Salem, North Carolina. It's exciting to hear about the various opportunities they are pursuing and to see how prepared they are for the job market. It's also great to see how supportive the faculty have been in giving them interview and presentation tips. The class of 2010 are finishing up our practicums, filling out paperwork for our summer internships, and getting excited to welcome you all into the program this fall. Some of us are even gearing up for our own move into new apartments this summer.

As for UGASPA (how can I not make a shameless plug as the President?), we are busy preparing for the UGASPA Banquet later this month to recognize and honor the Class of 2009 and celebrate the accomplishments of the CSAA program over this past year. We've also been busy with several Philanthropy and Social Events. Daphne organized CSAA's participation in Relay for Life this past weekend exceeding and doubling our goal of raising $1,000 for the American Cancer Society. We have an upcoming trip to Six Flags scheduled and a Field Day. Perhaps even a kayaking trip on the Broad River. Good things are in store.

For those of you finishing up your final semester in college, I wish you all the best with exams and with closing that chapter in your lives in anticipation of beginning a new one. For those of you working professionally, I hope you're looking forward to a change in pace and schedule and a return to the world of papers, textbooks, and examinations!

As you continue to finalize your plans and think more about your move to Athens, please let us know how we can best assist you. Whether it's information about places to live, things to do, or what to expect, we're happy to help in any way we can.

We're excited to see you all in August (if not sooner!) and cannot wait for a great year together.

All the best,
Brad

Where to Find Home Sweet Home in Athens

Dear CSAA class of 2011,

My apologies for not updating in almost a month! As you will soon learn, the life of a graduate student is hectic (but great!). The second semester of your first year includes classes, assistantship, practicum, internship searches, whew! Since spring break, things have calmed down quite a bit, which means we can bring you all the information you are dying to know about your big move to UGA!

If you are not provided housing with your assistantship, a big decision to make is where to live. A few students choose not not live in Athens, but I am going to highlight choices for those who do! There are lots of great options in Athens and many (depending where you are coming from) are quite affordable! Athens has two main areas (West and East) that stretch out from campus. Both include lots of apartment complexes, as well as shopping, dining, and services.

Some of the popular choices of current CSAA students include:

Legacy Mills
This is about 15 minutes from campus and includes some fun amenities like gym, pool, tennis court, etc. It’s close to restaurants and shopping centers. Most of the residents are young families or other UGA professionals/graduate students

Beechwood Pines
This is also a popular CSAA complex and is very similar to Legacy Mills. This is a couple miles closer and nestled between some popular shopping and dining areas. Overall, it’s in a great location for grad students – close enough to campus that you run home if need be, but far enough that you can “get away” at the end of a day.

The Exchange
Located right across from Target (who wouldn’t love that!), this complex is about 10 minutes from campus and also close to shops, dining, etc.

Family & Graduate Housing
Some students choose to live on campus and Georgia has some great options for those who go this route. Location can’t be beat and the apartments come with amenities like water, electricity, internet, that you may pay extra for somewhere else.

There are many other complexes around Athens and generally offer competitive rates/amenities. The Area Guide for Athens is great and has a lot of other apartment complex listings. Word to the wise – many of the complexes close to campus are mostly undergraduates. Keep this in mind as a young professional. Some mind it, some don’t, but it’s definitely something to consider.

Craigslist.com is also a great place to look! What you want (included utilities, pets allowed, washer/dryer), is going to play a huge part in where you end up and sometimes clist posts offer up the perfect combination at a great price! This is also good for non-complex apartments, roommate searches, and cheap furniture!

Wherever you are in your search, please contact current CSAA students! We are more than willing to answer questions about location, prices, complexes, etc.

Or shoot me a question here! Over the summer, there will be posts about other need-to-know items in terms of moving to UGA, but if you have a particular topic of interest, let me know!

I do hope to update more frequently, especially as school winds down and our internships begin! This summer you will find CSAA students everywhere, including Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina, and even Qatar! There will be a handful of us staying in Athens for the summer and we can’t wait for the new students to come!

Go Dawgs!

Congrats!

Congratulations to all those offered admissions! We know you have some tough decisions in the next couple weeks, so please let us know if you have any questions!

Kevin, a first year, works in the Center for Leadership and Service. One of his biggest projects has been the Georiga Collegiate Leadership Conference, which was held earlier this month. Check out below what Kevin has to say about GCLC!


"GCLC sets new attendance record"

The Center for Leadership and Service (CLS) and the Leadership Resource Team (LRT) hosted the 13th annual Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference (GCLC), February 7, 2009, in the Tate Student Center on UGA's Athens campus. Bringing together participants from UGA and a dozen institutions across the state, the conference and its theme "So You Think You Can Lead?" challenged students to consider their personal and professional development in the context of their abilities to lead responsibly as citizens of the world community. With a 350% increase in UGA student registration from the previous year, the GCLC hosted its largest and most comprehensive collection of leadership- and service-based workshops, seminars, roundtables, and networking sessions.

Keynote speaker Joshua Fredenburg opened the morning with a rousing reminder of our roles in society and urged a call to action for all students to employ servant leadership. Presenters included current CSAA students, faculty, and other university staff who inspired a culture of responsibility via interactive workshops. CSAA '09 students Steve Dutton, Kari Rood, Jillian Sroda, Stormy Zink, Kathryn Kay, Courtney Brawford, and Jemilia Harrison along with CSAA '10 students Dawn Aiello and Lindsey Ann McKinney led workshops on effective group communication, networking, empowered leadership, cross-cultural dialogue, successful student organization meetings, and ideas for positive change. The Coffee Hour and Energizer were expertly facilitated by CSAA '09 students Jessica Morgan and Steve Dutton, along with CSAA '10 students Caleb Keith and Brad Romig.

Designed, implemented, and hosted exclusively by University of Georgia student members of the Leadership Resource Team, the GCLC reaches a diverse audience of participants seeking leadership development. Serving the UGA and surrounding university communities, GCLC is free to all UGA students (just $45 for students from other campuses). We look forward to an even larger delegation February 6, 2010, for the 14th annual GCLC, in the newly opened Tate Student Center expansion. See you then!


Keep checking back here! This semester is flying by and we hope to be able to update more as we get closer to summer and then throughout the months leading up to fall!