Student Affairs Accountability

The accountability in higher education requires student affairs professionals to be involved in creating conducive environment whereby the quality of education may be improved from time to time and it may be effective to the society. Upon the graduation students may be useful for serving humanity in the best way.

The partnership between academic and student affairs is very essential for the holistic development of each student. Kezar points out in the beginning of Chapter 21 of the textbook that "students' cognitive and psychosocial learning is intertwined, in contrast to our organizational structures which are fragmented." There is a great need of academic personal working hand to hand with student affairs professionals.

Student affairs need to make assessment a priority. They should know how each unit directly or indirectly contributes to student learning and development. Knowing that will enable them to evaluate their contributions to learning and development of students.

Fiscal Issues and Legal Aspects

As the cost of higher education is escalating faster than the cost of living and state revenues declining student affairs professionals need to work hand to hand with education leaders to articulate to various stakeholders their programs in order to get support from the philathropies.

In order to have a good and suitable budget Student Affairs Professionals to follow the suggested virtues in Chapter 25; namely: Be honest and trustworthy, consistent, creative and fair. All entities for Student Affairs Services should be treated fairly according to the present or expected funds.

College and Universities should consider student handbooks as a major legal documents between the lives of students and the daily operation of school. Student handbook needs to be revised from time to time to suit the present environment and situations.

Inside Higher EDucation

Research shows that the number of drinking-related deaths have increased among college students of age 18 to 24 years old. Although there have been campaigns to discourage te excessive drinking. This indicates that the present efforts avoiding excess drinking have failed. Government should revisit its strategic plans on alcoholism especially the 21 years old drinking law. However if possible let students be discourage to abstain from alcohol entirely.

I chose this article because alcohol takes lives of many students. It is an issue which student affair professionals should deal with it seriously. click here That is true!

Student Affairs Organization

As we live at the time of dynamic technologies and other activities student affairs administration structural organization should be fluidity in order to function at its best. Kuk says that "efforts to design effective student affairs organizations should ... take into consideration the needs and challenges presented by the diversity among the students and other constituent groups it serves." Student affairs organization must be aligned with the mission statement of college or university.

While staff members of student affairs office are working hard to help students and other staffs to be successiful they should delve on how to develop their own responsibilities in order to provide the best services to their constituents.

Middle and entry -level managers have to be familiar with the culture of the institutions they work to be in good position to serve well students. They need rapid speed to function well with students of Generation X and Millennial.

Moral Ethics

What aught I to do? and what is my responsibility? These two questions are vital in ethical arena for they need right or wrong and good or bad judgement and the creteria of soch judgment should be clearly justified. The end result of making decision based on the above questions is the moral judgment. Moral judgment is needed in most cases when someone faces moral dillemas.

Student affairs professionals need to be people of moral ethics for their daily decision making and in order to instill integrity to students who are in preparatory process of being national leaders. If we can successifully be good examples in the issue of ethics at higher educational institutions the aftermath will be the great change to the entire society.

Religious-Spirituality and Student Affairs

We live in at the age whereby life is demanding too much; there a lot of complicated issues facing people on their daily basic activities. Reserch has shown that there is a need of student affairs administrators to work with collegious who are religious-spiritual (NASPA Journal, Vol. 41. no. 4, Summer 2004). Student affairs professional with religious-Spirituality aspects view students as unique beings created by God in His own Image.
Spiritual aspect is very important for students at higher educational institution because it helps students to have sound moral judgment in every thing he or she want to do. As we prepare young people for higher responsibilities moral behavior and action are good ingrediants for a worker. Curricular specialist should come up with with the new way of intergrating spiritual matters in academic endeavour.

Relationships and Crisis

The reputation of each institution of higher education depends much on the relationships between faculty, staff members and students are vital for the tranquillity. Every person should strive to "draw the best out of the people" in order to build excellent relationships. If possible all workers a higher educational institution could agree together that that "our relationships are our legacy" (p.459).
Students affairs professionals have a great role during and after crisis at college ot university. In order to manage crisis student affairs office need to have management plan for crisis. New technology and information should be employed during and after crisis. An institution may enhance its image if it demonstrated well its ability of facing at the time of catastrophe but on ther other hand it may create a very negative image if it failed to show its ability at that time. Thus it is important always a college or university to have reliable and permat plan for crisis.

Internationalization and Diversity

Internationalization is important for the enhencement of global security as well as economy. People who interact with people of different background of nationality, race, religion and culture are in good position of working together with different people without causing conflict. International students help local students to see beyond their culture at the same time international students learn beyond their culture. Internationalization closes the gap between a nation and nation.

Chapters 12 and 13 of the textbook are about the diversity which is facing the higher educational institutions. Tolerence is required in order to function well with people of different identities. The issue of LGBTQA is a crucial one now in American society. It is believed that 10% of all men (Males) are gays. Thus it is vital for all educators to know how to deal with such a huge population of people regardless of our backgrounds (i.e. religious, nationality and culture).

Student Affairs and Mission Statement

When student affairs services started there were no job discriptions. Deans of men and women did their duties without having specific directions. We thank peoneers for puting things together after learning through tough experiences. People who are working for students affairs now need to have dialogue and to write for the benefits of the present generation as well as the future generation.

Chapter of the textbook "The Importance of Institutional Mission" focuses on the purpose of the mission statement of college or university. Student affairs personel workers have to serve students withim the framework of the mission statement of the institution. Mission ststement shows when the college or university was established its direction and its purpose of its existance. Therefore it is very important for student affairs workers to know well the mission of the school in order to serve better.

Relationship Between Theory and Practice

Both theory and practice are vital for student affairs educators in their daily duties. If theories will be put into practice correctly to students and education employees many problems will be solved smoothly.

After reading this chapter (Using Reflection to Reframe Theory -to -Practice in Student Affairs I come to realize that people who are persuing their studies while they are working there are in good position to perform well because they can apply theories right away after learning. I think that graduate schools should create opportunities for students who are in campus a means of having a chance of working with the Student Affairs Personels in order to theories they learn while there are still in school.

Information Technology and Student Affairs

Student Affairs of higher educational institutions required to provide adequate information for the distance learners on the following areas: financial aid, scholarships and contact information. Some of representations or classes which take place for on campus students should be recorded and be available for students of e-learning. College or university needs to have effective orientations for online students. Orientations have to cover the issues of time management targeting the need of online learners. Students affairs need to be accessed with 1-800 telephones for academic and psychosocial aspects. Higher Educational institutions need to provide academic and career counseling to help students to achieve their educational goals. Furthermore, online courses should accommodate students with disabilities.

Due to the rapidily increase of the usage of web 2.0 a lot of students are using IM; Social Networking Sites i.e Facebook.com and Myspace.com and thus Student Affairs need to address the danger and risk of too much openly information of students. The issues of gaming and online gambling should also be address with connection to time management. Student Affairs personnels need to update their expertise on the area of Information Technology to suit the demand of current generation.