The Bozeman Help Center - Service Learning

   On Halloween this year Chi Alpha Kappa (a woman’s social club on campus) is organizing a 5K run, Run For Your Life, and all proceeds are going to Bozeman’s Help Center. To provide more information for us about what it is they do, they invited us on a tour of their facilities – “facilities” meaning a small house just below Main Street with counseling areas and telephones. For those of you who don’t know, the Help Center runs a 24-hour crisis hotline; any kind of emergency, whether you’re the victim or a friend of one, can be directed there. They also serve as advocates, counselors, and a strong support system for sexual assault victims, attempted suicides, and anyone else who needs help or a caring ear. The Bozeman Help Center is the only one of its kind in the Northwest Region when it comes to Sexual Assault because they do not only advocate for the victim, but offer long-term counseling after the fact. The Help Center also runs a program called Telecare in which they make daily calls to homebound people – those who don’t have many places to go or people to see, often times they can’t leave their homes – simply to provide care and a friendly voice.

     During the tour I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who has been with the program nearly from its founding, Wendy. In her own words, she’s “only been with the program since 1975 and it was already four years old.” She is a delightful presence and I was honored to meet her.  

     The girls of Chi Alpha Kappa, including myself, are so excited to be able to benefit Wendy and the Help Center, especially after being invited into their home and given a tour, meeting the amazing staff and volunteers, and learning more about the organization. If you ever need the hotline, the number is (406) 586-3333 and if you would like more information on the Halloween 5K follow this link.

Homecoming Parade - Service Learning

     Homecoming weekend a group of fellow students and I took our TEAs to the Homecoming parade on Main Street. The TEAs had never seen anything like it. They were literally jumping up and down with excitement for every float and every horse and every trumpet. Multiple times we had to pull them out of the street at the last minute just so they didn’t get run over by a horse or a fleet of band members. They took pictures with everything and everyone. And when one of the floats started handing out those blue and gold headbands with the crazy hair they flocked to them; every woman we had in our company collected at least two head bands.

     It was an interesting contrast: to think of our American culture that has parades for pretty much every event and every holiday juxtaposed with the Nicaraguan (where most of our attending TEAs are from) culture which, apparently, does not. Sydney, Bridget, Mackenzie, and I have seen so many parades that they've just become second nature. I didn't even go to the Homecoming Parade last year, but I'm so glad that I went this year with Ana and the other TEAs.
     The language barrier, for me, is not an enormous obstacle. I understand Spanish, though I cannot speak very well. But keeping eyes on all of our TEAs was a challenge; they wanted to see everything, so naturally, they ran in every direction. At least twice (once was when we were trying to get organized for the above picture) I lost track of Ana. Both times, a lot of shouting ensued until she came running back to the group, laughing.
     By the end of that morning, I had developed a completely new view of Homecoming parades, and parades in general. I remember how excited I was a kid when I heard I was going to a parade - because I hadn't seen one thousand of them yet. But now, I've been able to realize this desensitization and perhaps be excited again. And it's not just parades, of course. You might have already realized that this is getting bigger than parades, but I'm excited to see what else I can learn from Ana and realize about my own culture, as well as hers. 

Chi Alpha Kappa - Service Learning

   This past summer, my roommate approached me with a desire to bring the sorority Delta Gamma to the MSU campus. Naturally, I said I would help. We got a bunch of girls who wanted the same thing, we contacted the DG alum in Bozeman, and we all approached the school's Panhel counsel. There wasn't room for another house. But we had forty girls who wanted to do this; we needed to give them something. So my roommate, another friend, and I created Chi Alpha Kappa, a social club.
     Every Sunday we have meeting; we discuss absolutely everything and they can run from forty-five minutes all the way up to two hours (which definitely cuts into Sunday Night Football, but I'm slowly learning to deal with it). I've made a lot of new friends through this club; I've had to coordinate and oftentimes control (through the use of Emotional Leadership Skills) my co-founders reactions to events and to members. We have integrated ourselves and been invited by some into the Greek life on campus. We've had to control our reputation and create our definition - and still, everyone who isn't a part of XAK seems vastly confused. We are comprised mostly of Freshman and Sophomores, and the Freshman girls we've welcomed to MSU are some of the best I've met; I'm so glad we could be here for them during that stressful time. And the Sophomores are some I recognize from around campus last year, though I knew none of them personally. During this semester, we've welcomed five new girls to the club already and we have twenty interested in joining in the spring.
     One of the things I am most excited about is our first ever philanthropy event, the first annual Run For Your Life 5k. The idea came from one of the Sophomore girls; I told her to run with it. I gave her some tips, I gave her the information that she needed, and I stepped back and supervised her awesomeness. As a group, we have organized sponsors, received funding through the school, made posters, t-shirts, a website, and we're donating all the proceeds to the Bozeman Help Center: a cause we decided as a community is the one we wanted to support and assist. This 5k is being held on Halloween afternoon, and as the day approaches I see the familiar scramble to get everything in order. It's interesting to compare the LI events and staff to the girls of XAK. Most of us have never created an event from the ground up, but it's been an amazing surprise to see the success we've had so far.
     There are some exciting things happening for XAK - we haven't given up our goal of bringing Delta Gamma to the MSU campus, and right now, things are looking good for us. But for now, I'll settle for this awesome group of outstanding women that I, with help of course, was able to bring together.

AdvoCats - Service Learning

     No body ever seems to know what an AdvoCat is; whenever I mention it, my audience will nod their heads until I finish and then say something like, "Now, what's an Advocat?" AdvoCats are the student volunteers for the Office of Admissions who provide weekly tours for prospective students and families. You've probably seen us on campus; we're always walking backwards followed by a confused-looking group of people.
     Once a week we have Advocat Class where we learn how to put our best foot forward. On the first day of class this semester (my first Advo. class ever) we were supposed to work out our tour schedules. I knew that much, but when the class began, we were bombarded (nicely, of course, because the people at the Office of Admissions are awesome) with information about the school - facts, numbers, stories, tour routes. I knew nothing: or at least, that's the idea that was swimming through my head.
     And then, as we neared the end of class, the coordinator pulled out the tour schedule. I had no idea how the tour schedule worked; I was expecting to give tours whenever I was available, something I know I wasn't ready for. However, I was relieved of this worry when I found out AdvoCats only give one tour a week and it's the same day, same time every week. I was even further relieved when I found my name under the "Thursday morning Alternates" list which would mean I only give tours when the "Regulars" can't make it. Now, I'll be honest: I was relieved, because a lot of my worries had suddenly disappeared, but I was also a bit bummed. I wanted to be an Advocat; I went through the application process and the interviews and I got it: they chose me and I wanted to give tours.
     But then they moved me up.
     Advocat class is on Wednesdays. The coordinator had just moved my name up from the "Alternates" to an empty spot on the "Regulars" list for the very next morning. I had just seen the tour route and information for the first time and I was going to have to give a tour the very next morning?! Yes. But, I was relieved yet again by the other Regular who had been an Advocat before; she took the real tour group while the practicing newbies took a practice tour by themselves.
     Last Thursday, I gave my very first solo tour. I was just me waling backwards, and fifteen other potential Bobcats and despite my nervousness the night before, it went swimmingly. I gave three more solo tours the very next day (last Friday) at MSU Friday.

Volunteer at Convocation - Service Learning

   Near the beginning of this year, my coordinator for Advocats sent out an email to all of us that the Leadership Institute needed volunteers to help at Convocation. There was a T-shirt, a ticket to the Master Class, and a meal involved so obviously, I decided I would help out. It's funny, looking back on the time now, because I work with the people I had to interact with during my volunteer hours. I was a little nervous to go to the office and get my t-shirt - I had never been to the LI office before - and Aleks helped me out, though I didn't know her at the time.
     On the day of the event, I had a full schedule of classes, so I didn't have time to coordinate with my Advo. buddies who were also volunteering; I showed up at the Master Class by myself. I was wearing the volunteer t-shirt; I felt terribly under-dressed. But then I introduced myself to some fun looking strangers and my anxiety levels went down a bit.
     After the Master Class, I was supposed to find Eric who would be wearing a blue shirt and khakis. Now I know exactly who Eric is and I have a blue LI shirt of my own, but back then, as a volunteer, I had no idea what to expect or who I was looking for. Luckily, though, I quickly noticed the uniform blue shirt and a cluster of volunteer shirts so I sorted myself out and got myself where I was supposed to be.
     After the general confusion had died down - we reached the fieldhouse, we ate our dinner, I found some familiar faces - I felt much more at ease. Then Josh told me I would be escorting Yann Martel from his car to his green room. So that was the end of that peacefulness. As an aspiring writer myself, I was so excited to actually be walking with Mr. Martel and potentially talking to him; naturally, I sent a text to my mom, my dad, and my roommate (who were all equally as excited - with the exception of my dad who still does not know who Yann Martel is).
     It was an important job; I waited in the back hall, where the greenrooms and all the important people of MSU were also waiting. I escorted lost freshman to their corresponding entrance. And eventually, Destini (another volunteer) and I were delegated the responsibility of escorting President Cruzado through the mob of freshman inside the fieldhouse. Somehow, despite the fact that my partner was much taller than me, I ended up in the front of Pres. Waded while we pushed our way through the mob, but it worked; we got her where she needed to be.
     At the end of the day, I had participated in my first LI event; I came to more fully understand my sense of unease when I know I don't know what I'm doing or when I don't have something to do. I practiced approaching people - from students I don't know to the President of the school. And then I was able to sit back and relax while I saw a tiger and heard Mr. Martel.

Decision Making

     I enjoyed the "Hidden Traps" article the most, perhaps out of anything we've read so far, because it discussed the psychological, subconscious issues that are easy to ignore - even if done simply out of ignorance. I find myself falling into the Status-Quo Trap more often than any other and I didn't recognize that until I read this article. I knew of a few problems I had in decision making, but couldn't label the problem (or trap) until just now. I've found this semester that labeling the problems - and the successes - is half the battle. As humans, we find order in labeling and organizing. Like "Leadership Styles" mentions, when something is hazy we tend to imagine it is farther away; similarly, when something is not labeled, it's easy to dismiss or ignore. Being able to label each of these decision-making traps, not only allows for us to move forward in decision-making, but ultimately to be more comfortable in general (less stressed out about subconscious problems) and so to be able to lead more completely. If the leader is comfortable, the supporters are comfortable.

Deidre, Annie, and Richard Lewis

     Today we meditated in class, led by Annie. And as I read Part three of Deedee's The Way of Conflict, I kept seeing connection after connection. For example, the statement on page 78, "When I am centered, finding answers becomes effortless; indeed, solutions seem to find me." This sentence was the third that I highlighted, the first that made me realize all of my highlighted passages were connected to Annie's lesson today. In the previous passage, "centered" is synonymous with "mindful;" and "finding answers" is the result we achieve from being awake, from controlling our reactions. I like the sentence "Conflict frequently begins as a win-lose proposition" (76). Because, more than explicitly stating it, this sentence forces the reader to realize that in order to reach any successful goal, you must move past that initial beginning: conflict, when it begins, will suck, but if you want to make it better you have to move past that beginning.
     It is interesting to me that the meditation technique from DeeDee's discussion on grounding a fire conflict highlights the difference between the mind and the body: "try moving your focus from your center to your head and back to center, and note the strength and stability." I regularly meditate - or, at least, I try to - and each time I sit down and close my eyes, once I empty my mind and begin to breathe, I am faced with my fear of wide open, empty space. When I'm in my mind what I see is the empty blackness that is me stuck behind my eyelids. When I bring myself and my focus to my body, my fear is gone and my mind can't even dwell on it. This happens every single time: I start with anxiety and a focus on the body and on the earth brings me peace.
     The idea of this initial discomfort reminds me of Lewis' parting statement, "If [he] takes off [his] national spectacles, the world is initially blurred and out of focus." It takes multiple attempts - often more chances than you think reasonable - in order to find balance, or sensitivity, or resolution, whatever it is you're looking for. When I first started meditating, all I saw for a long time was that nerve-racking emptiness, but if you're willing to reach past those, to stretch your edge, you'll reach your goal.