Summer 2010 Deadlines

Okay…so it’s been 7 days. My bad. This whole summer break thing is terrible for setting my own deadlines. However, defeating Red Dead Redemption and enjoying the bittersweet end of Lost, and a few NBA playoff breaks here and there, I’ve managed to set a few deadlines for the coming months…

Deadline #1: Finish Everyman by June 1st

So if you’re at all new to this blog or to my life, then it’s news to you that I wrote a novel in November. And if you do know me, then I’m sure you’re getting kinda sick of this fact. Nonetheless, it happened. Deal with it. And well, I’m still editing it. And in hopes of never becoming this guy, I needed to finish editing it. In fact, I’m about halfway done with editing it right now, and it will be done next week. Boosh. Suck it, Trebek.

Deadline #2: Finish Packing, Selling, Giving Away and Moving by June 28th

Oh, by the way, I got a job! I know. Crazy, huh? Guess I’ll be living in Portland, Oregon for a few years working as a Hall Director at the University of Portland. Yipes. Anyway, for years now I’ve been trying to downsize my life. I own faaaar too much crap from three couches, seven chairs and two TVs to a queen size bed, four coffee tables and a buuunch of musical instruments I haven’t played in over a year. Ouch. Point being, I need to get rid of 90% of my crap, not only b/c it’ll make moving out of the state much cheaper, but b/c it’ll make life much simpler. Thank God. Plus my apartment in Portland is fully furnished. Okay…that part helps a little..okay…a lot. So yeah, if you haven’t seen this guy, check it out and let me know if you know anyone who needs a bed, desk, etc.

Deadline #3: Be a Great Hall Director

While this is obviously a little more subjective than the first two deadlines, for the most part I know what it takes to become a great Hall Director. Let’s take the three categories:

1.) Know Your Students -So much of being a great mentor or leader is getting to know people in an honest, intentional, time-intensive manner. Right now, I plan on attending weekly mass (which is required in the job description), as well as taking part in some type of on campus Bible study, and overall spending a decent amount of time just sitting down with a piece of paper filled with students’ photos and names. Yeah, it’s like that. I suck at names and that’s the best way I know how to get it done. Hopefully through these methods (and whatever other ways I discover along the way), I will be able to get to know my students good and quick.

2.) Use Your Time Wisely – In the on campus interview process, I was told twice that “Hall Directors at UP have a lot of free time.” While this is a weird thing to hear about such a time-intensive job, and whether it’s a good or a bad thing, it means I’m going to need to use my time management skills (or lack of…I guess) to somehow work an adequate amount of time as well as take enough time off to not burn out of this whole student affairs thing in 2-3 years. If this is something I want to do as a career, then I need to find a sustainable balance pretty early on. Hopefully this can be done in the coming months. Overall however, this whole “using my time wisely” category is meant to use my plethora of free time to better my students. Yuuup.

3.) Listen To Your Students – While hard work and originality are definitely helpful as a Hall Director, probably even more important is being able to listen to your students. Whether it’s student leaders like RAs or just the average students living in your living area, students often know what they want and even what is best for them. Maybe I’m biased being only 24 years old and being a students was not too long ago, but the worst thing a Hall Director can do is get in the way of student development. Hopefully I can get out of my way long enough to surround myself with awesome students who want to grow and help other students grow and learn along with them.