I’ve moved my site to www.kristenrupert.com

Please come over and join me and follow along as I evolve each day. Have a great day and hope to see you over there…

Kristen

This is the first post in a 2 part series about the things I believe the most strongly in… The places I love, the things I love doing, the everyday moments that make me believe.

I Believe in Ohio State…

I believe Ohio State has world class students, faculty, and staff. I believe we help students to become the best scholars, leaders, and global citizens they can be. I believe in the feeling of this university. It is a place that many call home far past their years on campus. I believe in the tradition, I believe in the people, I believe in Ohio State.

I Believe Columbus, Ohio…

I believe this town is like very few others. I believe in its culture, I believe in its openness, I believe in its diversity. I believe Columbus is an idyllic midwestern “big city” with a small town charm. I believe that it is beautiful (even in the Winter).

I Believe in Jim Tressel…

I believe he is a man who helped shape men. He preached virtue, service, and leadership. He mentored boys into becoming the best men they could be (he didn’t always succeed, none of us ever succeed 100%). I believe he is a good football coach, but I believe he is a better man.

I Believe in the Power of Service…

I believe Ghandi said it best when he said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” I believe that a few acts of selfless service can change the world. I believe in the power of paying it forward. I believe that even the smallest action, can cause great results.

I Believe in the Power of Relationships…

I believe that human relationships are the most important thing we have. I believe in creating relationships and sustaining them. I believe in being an active listener. I believe that we foster love, change, and growth through human relationships. I believe that relationships are the most important thing we have in life.

I Believe in Myself…

I believe in what I stand for. I believe I am the woman I was raised to be. I believe that I can do what I strive for. I believe in my abilities. I believe in me.

I love XKCD comics. They are witty, satirical, nerdy, and they never fail to make me laugh.  Thought I would share a few of my favorites since it is a beautiful Monday and I thought we could all use a quick “laugh break”. Enjoy!!

Marie Curie:

The Movie: Age Correlation

My personal favorite, Grownup’s:

And last but not least…

If this isn’t romance I don’t know what is:

On May 4, 1970 the Ohio National Guard opened fire into a busy college campus during a school day. A total of 67 shots were fired in 13 seconds. Four students, Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, William Schroeder, and Sandra Scheuer were killed. Nine students were wounded

As a a proud alumna of Kent State University (Masters of Higher Education), this is a day that will always have meaning to me. When you step onto that campus you begin to learn the history of  that day and what it meant. As a masters student on the campus, we not only learned about the day, but we studied it intently. We took an in depth look at May 4th and what it meant to the country, Higher Education, and students’ free speech rights on a campus. We spoke to people who were there, watched countless documentaries, and relived pain that most of us were not around to experience the 40 plus years ago. This was an experience that changed me.

It has been 41 years since those 67 shots were fired. 41 years since 4 students lost theirs lives and 9 others sustained serious injuries. 41 years since the Ohio National Guard over stepped their power and opened fire on a group of unarmed students protesting the war. 41 years that have changed what being a college student today looks like. Working in Higher Education I think it is important for students (and administrators) to understand what happened on May 4th, 1970. To really be look at how this day changed higher education and students free speech rights on a college campus, as well as changed much of the way we do discipline/conduct  in Higher Education. I am also always challenged by this day, because as much as I appreciate Star Wars and it being May the 4th be with you day, I also feel as if it should be a day for reflection on the tragedy that happened at Kent and for the people that died, some of whom were just walking to class and were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Below are some links to great information about May 4th, 1970, as well as a short video that does a great job of summing up that day, and the culture of Kent State University.

Official May 4th Historical Website

Interview with Dean Kahler (who was shot and paralyzed on May 4th)

40 years later, were still asking why?

Kent State University Libraries May 4th Collection

News Report of May 4th for the 40th anniversary on May 4th 2010

Pictures and footage of Kent State 1970

“This country’s first national student strike was the result of the killing of four students by National Guardsmen. The 100-a-day new campus protests that occurred during the four days following the student fatalities at Kent State are unprecedented in our history. Kent State escalated years of student unrest to historic heights that shocked the nation. What gave the period of May 1-15 its unique intensity and agony was the killing of four students at Kent State on May 4.”

Below is a post I wrote for my Fraternal Change Blog, that I use for the Fraternal Leadership Class I am co-teaching this Spring.  I thought I would post it here as well, because it is a relevant to the field of Higher Education, as well as to the many fraternity and sorority members out there.

For more information on the fraternal leadership class visit my last post http://karupert.com/leadership/flcsp11/ or to visit my fraternal change blog visit www.karupert.blogspot.com

“ The Greek system is dedicated to quelling young men’s anxiety about submitting themselves to four years of sissy-pants book learning by providing them with a variety of he-man activities: drinking, drugging, ESPN watching and the sexual mistreatment of women”.

I know you are all wondering… Kristen, what is a Fraternal Leadership class?

Well, it is a leadership class designed specifically for sorority and fraternity members at Ohio State that uses the social change model as its derivative for leadership.

You think that sounds great, and you want to know more? Well Okay…

This class is like no class you have ever seen before. It functions differently. The majority assignments focus on blogging, the outcomes are specific and distinct, and the syllabus will certainly make you giggle and think at the same time.

• First off, instead of a syllabus, this class has a blogabus. Yes-I said blogabus. Since a main component of this course is student blogging, it is fitting that this class has a blogbus instead of a traditional paper syllabus. (Yay Blogabus).
• Secondly, instead of a traditional course purpose this class instead has a “Reason for Leading” (See below).

{Reason for Leading (our fancy way of saying “Course Purpose”)}

This focus section of EDU 270 exists to provide general members of all 4 councils the opportunity to realize that you all have not only enormous and magnificent potential to change the future of the Fraternal Movement, but also the awesome responsibility to act upon that potential. But we realize that such a daunting task can be, well, just that: daunting. Therefore, this class also exists to provide an overview of the theory related to, and skills necessary for the practice of effective leadership in the Fraternal Movement setting (we’ll talk more about what we mean by the “Fraternal Movement” in class). So, in laymen’s term, for the next 10 weeks we all are going to give each other a reason to lead our Fraternal Community to heights never seen before, and give you the resources, skills, and confidence necessary to achieve those heights. In essence, this course will – hopefully – give you a reason to go above “managing” your councils to actually “leading” your councils to become the exemplary collegiate fraternal councils.

Imagine Leadership:

This past week I attended the annual ACPA conference in Baltimore Maryland. It is by far my favorite conference in Higher Education to attend because I get to the opportunity to learn from, and interact with people from every area and every level in Higher Education. I can attend sessions on Leadership and sit next to a Union director, or I can attend sessions on assessment and rub elbows with a Senior Student Affairs Officer. ACPA allows me the chance to meet new people and expand my knowledge of all the functional areas of higher education, plus its just an all out blast. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by thousands of higher ed professionals for 5 days, they are quite a fun bunch. This year at ACPA was the first time I had the chance to present at a national conference, and overall it was a great experience. I presented on SPF (no not Sun Protection Factor) with Chris Conzen, Director of Campus Activities and Student Leadership Development at Suffolk County Community College. We looked at Bandura’s research into self efficacy and how to use specific positive feedback (SPF) to promote self efficacy in students. Overall the session was a success for being on a Monday at 7:30 in the morning. We had a great turnout with good interaction, and valuable insights. I was quite pleased. People even followed along with our back channel (#ChrisandKris) and interacted from home.  If you are interested in looking at the Prezi portion of our ACPA 11 presentation, it is linked below, and feel free to check out the conversation on the twitter back channel.

Also, at ACPA I got to reconnect with some of my favorite people in Higher Ed, and meet tons of “new” people. I put new in quotes because many of the new people I met, I felt like I already knew. I participate in an online, social media based group (#SAchat) that allows higher education professionals from all over to connect with each other each day. At ACPA, I finally got the chance to meet many of these people “In Real life (IRL)”, and let me tell you, they were all fabulous!!!! I’m now even more excited to meet some of the others from #sachat , and hopefully soon. I even have an IRL list of people who I am most excited to meet (but we’ll save that for another day and another post).

Overall ACPA 11 was a phenomenal experience. In the twitter world people will often categorize their 3 best for the day, meaning their 3 best moments of that day, I couldn’t narrow down all of my ACPA experience to just 3, so I did my 7 best.

1. Spending a few day with @OberBecca and Kathy_Petras

2. Blog time with @EdCabellon, who is the best long distance support system and mentor a girl could ask for

3. Finally meeting @julieclarsen @laurapasquini @Laura_Ulmer- They are AMAZING women in higher ed and I would highly recommended following them if you use twitter.

4. Geeking out over a Web 2.0 presentation

5. Challenging gender baised marketing of the NCAA tournament at a resturaunt with some other student affairs peeps over dinner

6. Catching up with my Kent State masters friends

AND

7. Meeting the man, the myth, the legend… “@”man himself @tomkrieglstein. (and listening to his theories on makers, lol)

Our ACPA 11 presentation: Accentuate the Positive: Using Specific Positive Feedback for Student Success

Each year for Lent, I not only give something up , but I also challenge myself to do something. Either something that betters me as a person, or something that betters the people or world around me. This year I have chosen 40 days of gratitude. Throughout Lent I will send at least 1 message of gratitude per day to someone who I appreciate or has helped me, my students, or the world. It may not be much, but it makes me feel good to show my appreciation for others, and I sure hope that it will in some way brighten their day as well.

As some of you may know, a message to me doesn’t include an e-mail, I prefer handwritten notes (or faxes). I think there is something really special about taking the time to actually write someone a card or letter, there is beauty in peoples handwriting.

My first message of gratitude today is going out to an #SAchat rockstar who inspires me daily… @cindykane, be on the look out for a love letter headed your way. (And Happy Birthday)

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~G.K. Chesterton

I figured it was only fitting, and probably long over due that I write a post about the thing that fuels me on a daily basis… caffeine. I wouldn’t say it’s an addiction, but I would say that caffeine plays a serious role in my daily functioning (Okay, okay call it an addiction if you would like). I love coffee, I love tea… there I’ve said it. I have a love affair with the two.

I thought it was about time that I share some of my favorite things about my caffeine addiction…

1. My Bodum french press tumbler. It’s a great way to make loose tea or french press coffee on the go. It’s always fresh coffee or tea and is so easy to use. It work’s just like a normal french press but is in a smaller, portable cup. It’s perfect for any coffee/tea lover and is super easy to clean. (Mine is green, just in case you were wondering)

2. Teavana’s Mate Vana Herbal tea. It’s so good, with a smooth creamy flavor, and is super easy to make in my bodum tumbler. It’s got just enough caffiene and is great for an afternoon pick me up.

3. Staufs Banana Nut coffee.  I love it so much because it really does taste like banana nut bread, although I wouldn’t reccomend making this one in a french press, it’s just not as good that way. (http://www.staufs.com/storeproduct409.aspx)

All in all it comes down to the fact that I love coffee and tea, most people know this about me, and if they don’t they tend to learn it very quickly. Thank goodness I work on a campus full of coffee shops and diet coke. Not sure what I would do without it.

A student once sent me this article about caffeine consumption and stress, and well I think this just goes to show that my addiction to caffeine is actually quite healthy.  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00693.x/full

A quick Thanks for @JeffBC94 for my title inspiration, as he once introduced me to someone this way.

The best advice I was ever given came from my Mom… I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was in seventh grade and had a particularly bad day at school. When my Mom got home from work that evening, we sat down and I spilled my guts about everything, how much I hated school, how much I hated my friends, how much I hated myself. Of course I was 12 and to me the world seemed like it was coming to an end, clearly it wasn’t. My mom listened for several minutes while I spilled my guts about everything  and then my mom simply responded with “be authentic”. I didn’t understand this at 12, and I’m not sure I would have fully understood it at 25, had she not explained.  She said to be authentic is to be yourself. To show the world who you are and not who others want you to be or who you think you should be. It took me a while to embrace this, and I still struggle with it at times, as I’m sure anyone would, but I honestly believe it is the best advice that anyone has ever given me.

I tend to use my mothers sage wisdom when talking with others as well. I see so many students who struggle with being authentic.  They are trying to conform so hard to what they think society , their friends, their sorority or fraternity, or their parents want them to be, that they forget to just be themselves. They read websites and magazines they tell them how to dress, who to be, what to study… etc. They get so caught up in what they think they should be, they they forget who they actually are. I often say that the only thing the worlds needs you to be is yourself. You may not look or think like the person standing next to you, but your differences are what make you special. Embrace that. You are perfectly imperfect, and that is the best way to be.

To sum it all up, I want to quote the eternal words of Dr. Suess  “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than You” Smart man, huh…