Week 1: Campus and Community Engagement

Introduction

When you hear the word engaged, you automatically think of friends, family, famous celebrity couples and members of the British Royal Family who are going to get married. However, the word engaged is a homonym which means that there are other words with the exact same spelling as it but have different definitions. My personal definition of engagement is about the connection between people or activities. More specifically, Campus & Community Engagement is about a connection between the students, community, faculty and staff all working together to help everyone reach their individual and group goals. 


1)

Class Discussion

What did my class have to say about the word engaged  ?

In our second FYE class, we were asked by Dra. McGrath to discuss with the person sitting next to you, "what does it mean to be engaged or engagement?" I turned to the people who were sitting next who were Garrett and my roommate JD to discuss our concise ideas which were about connections or paying attention. Afterwards, Dra. McGrath asked everyone to share their views which varied from being engrossed in something, paying attention, establishing strong bonds or connections with another person and even marriage. Afterwards, Dra. McGrath asked us about engagement in an informal or academic setting to which we replied with similar answers.

What my thoughts on engaging in a conversation?

Whilst on the topic of engagement, I wonder what exactly does it mean to be engaged in a conversation. More specifically, do we listen 'to respond' or 'to understand' when engaging in a conversation? I'm guilty of the latter because when a friend is talking to me I'll respond with the last word they said or a "yeah" , "ah" and "oh". Personally, I feel that to be engaged in a conversation or any other sorts of activity you need to have some level of understanding of the other person/activity as well as a mutual connection. Otherwise, the lack of understanding or insincerity will distort the message or action that you're doing. In essence, whatever you do, you need to do it with a living passion.

TEDxTalk

Afterwards, we watched a TedxTalk entitled "How to graduate college with a job you love & less debt:Jullien Gordon at TEDxMidwest". Dra. McGrath asked us for our thoughts on it to which we replied that is was interesting and helpful because it changed our perspective to see that College Education is an investment and we need to make investments to benefit ourselves. One shocking point we discussed was that due to increase in college education, students are basically paying a dollar a minute. That point reminds of the magic bank metaphor where $86400 (which represents the seconds in a day ) is given to you everyday by the bank and anything that isn't spent is lost. Knowing this information, I am quite scared to know how literal the story has become. In Avengers Endgame, the main character Tony Stark says, " No amount of money ever bought a second of time" which brings us back to the point made by Gordon that we need to make sure that we're not wasting our time in our investment in college.

Dra. McGrath then asked if there were some negative points or disagreements with the video to which many expressed the view that college isn't the only way to get a high paying job as there are alternatives such as farming,truck driving and entertaining which isn't on 'easy street' nor 'your street' as mentioned in the video. Moreover, some people are minimalists who are happy with what they have and wouldn't need a high salary to live a life they're happy with it.In other words, College is not for everyone.

My only other problem with the video is that its title is misleading. Nowhere in the video does Gordon explicitly discuss nor mention any way of graduating with less debt which would be disappointing to people who were given false hope when they saw the video's title.

However, the video really helped see how much Georgia Southern is a fit for me as the school fits the requirements Gordon stated in terms of Intellectual,Social and Financial resources as seen in the image still taken from his video below.

2)

Readings

"Why is asking for help so difficult " by Alina Tungend

3)

This article assigned has assisted me so much with helpful tips on seeking help such as  being straightforward and concise as well as being able to tell if someone displays 

some form of reluctance in assisting you. 

Tungend has made an article that I can relate to. Firstly, she talks about the psychological barriers stopping us from seeking help such as the belief that asking for help is a sign of weakness or that it ruins one's image of being well-knowledgeable. Furthermore, she says that it's better to solve a problem now than to wait for it to turn into a crisis.

Her positive definition of campus, community and degree engagement may  be similar to mine whereby a college that offers help and guidance by students and faculty to each other with an emphasis on ensuring everyone's problems get solved in a timely manner.

"The Disease of Being Busy" by Omid Safi

4)

The disease of being busy tells the struggle of being busy in the  twenty-first century 

despite the technological advancements used to make life easier. 

The disease of being busy is the unease caused by having more and more work to do with less time for leisure, relaxation and community. Symptoms of this disease may be having to check an avalanche of emails, having less free time than before and being stressed. The disease can be treated by examining your own heart ,exploring your soul and then telling others about your heart and soul. 

Safi's positive definition of a campus, community and degree engagement may be one that enables everyone to have sufficient time and opportunity to have fun and learn with each other.Conversely, his negative definition would be a place everyone suffers from the disease of being busy as people on campus have no time to have friendly interactions with each other as they're being bogged down by a load of work. "All I know is that we are losing the ability to live a truly human life. We need a different relationship to work, to technology. We know what we want: a meaningful life, a sense of community, a balanced existence. It’s not just about 'leaning in' or faster iPhones. We want to be truly human" is a quote which supports the two definitions since it displays Safi's deepest feelings for his concerns and solutions for his ideal world where people can enjoy themselves and not allow work to barricade them from it.

As previously stated, this is another article that I can relate to but it also offers the unique perspective of a Director of an Islamic Studies Center of Duke University who uses and explains Arabic phrases such as "haal" through some parts of his article which drew my attention.

Similarities and Differences of the two articles

The similarities of the definition of a community,campus and degree engagement by Tungend and Safi intersect  in that they both focus on the well-being of the students and faculty. However, what differs is their methods to achieve this. For instance, Safi may want to ensure there's a balance between work and free time for everyone whilst Tungend may want systems put in place to ensure that everyone's struggle can be fixed.

Campus Resources

Georgia Southern offers a myriad of resources to help students strive their best in achieving their goals and passions. My two goals are to get good grades and to find a job specific to my career path.The problems that I face achieving these goals are that I'm not an efficient and creative writer and that I'm really indecisive as to what exactly I want to do with my Major in Mechanical Engineering when I graduate. Luckily, I can remedy this with the Writing Center and Academic Advising which are located at Henderson Library 2nd floor and the IT Building room 1208 respectively.

Writing Center

5)

I can schedule an appointment online or walk-in at the writing center where the consultants will assist in any essay or assignment that involves writing. Furthermore, I appreciate that they will help you at any stage from whether you're still brainstorming or your nearly finished with your work. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to receive feedback and constructive criticism from experienced writers and teachers who will always find ways to improve your work since they're engaged in what they're doing.Through the writing center, I would have improved my connections with my assignments as well as the experienced advisor.

Academic Advising

With Academic advising, I may have a clearer career path to a specific job rather than just being a general Mechanical Engineer. Moreover, the advisor can suggest what classes I take in the future as well as whether there's any other courses or degrees I should pursue. As a result, the adivsor (who is a member of staff) and myself will have both fulfilled our duties as a student and advisor but also the shared goal of coming to some form of an agreement or suggestion.

Final Thoughts

In summary, I believe Georgia Southern does an excellent job at Community, Campus and Degree Engagement through the well-balanced system that focuses on work as well as everyone's well-being through various resources and facilities such as counselling, tutoring or mentoring.Furthermore, there's fun things to do with your friends  like going to the RAC to play sports or work out.There's also many fun clubs and organizations to join.Georgia Southern has all the help,emotional support and things you need to succeed. Otherwise, it's probably on Amazon! But in all seriousness, I'm happy to know that I picked the right University that facilitates various levels and forms of engagement.

Sources and Useful Links

Articles Mentioned

"Why is asking for help so difficult " by Alina Tungend: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/07/business/07shortcuts.html?pagewanted=all

"The Disease of Being Busy" by Omid Safi:https://onbeing.org/blog/the-disease-of-being-busy/

"The Magical Bank Metaphor" :https://contextualscience.org/the_magical_bank_metaphor

Video Mentioned

"How to graduate college with a job you love & less debt:Jullien Gordon at TEDxMidwest": https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=29tJAgc54RA

Photo Credits

1)Ron Chapple/Ron Chapple Stock 2009
2) Image still taken from "How to graduate college with a job you love & less debt:Jullien Gordon at TEDxMidwest": https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=29tJAgc54RA
3) Katherine Choi
4) Alasdair Elmes/Unsplash, Public Domain Dedication (CC0).
5)Zach S. Henderson Library 1: 
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/lib-friends-photos-hl/1/

Useful Links

On-Campus Resources:

https://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/fye/students/first-year/on-campus-resources/

Advisement Center: https://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/advisement/

Writing Center:  https://cah.georgiasouthern.edu/writing-center/

Introduction

Hi Everyone! My name is Matthew A and I'm a freshman studying Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Southern University. I choose Georgia Southern because of its well-known engineering program and because it's one of the few schools that I know which genuinely cares about the students' well-being. I'm from a twin-island country in the Caribbean called Trinidad and Tobago. My interests include playing the guitar and keyboard, hiking, kayaking and travelling to different places to experience and learn new cultures and environments.

This is a picture of me feeding camels in a dune near Dubai