Kirby R. Gibson:
You wanna make sure that you do so on your own terms and that you are comfortable with where you’re at. You’re actually like physically comfortable in terms of kind of what you’re wearing. That feels us true to you. And again, have fun, like, because like these are gonna be some, some long days, some energizing days and also draining days. And so when it comes time to, to wind down, listen to your body when it needs to wind down.

Heather Shea:
Hello, I’m Heather Shea. I am one of the hosts and the co-founder of Student Affairs Now. Today I am, uh, presenting an episode that is actually recording of a conversation among professionals and faculty at Michigan State University with several graduate students in our student affairs master’s program, these folks are preparing to attend their first national conference in March. Host of today’s episode is the student affairs graduate association, director, professional development, and second year in the SAMA program Josh Mostaert. Before we get to the episode, I’m gonna give a quick shout out to the podcast and our sponsors for today. Student Affairs Now is the premier podcast and learning community for thousands of us who work in alongside or adjacent to the field of higher education and student affairs. We hope you’ll find these conversations, make a contribution to the field and are restorative to the profession. We’ve release new episodes every week on Wednesdays. And you can find us at studentaffairsnow.com on youtube, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Today’s episode is sponsored by Simplicity. A true partner, Simplicity supports all aspects of student life with technology platforms that empower institutions to make data driven decisions. This episode is also sponsored by LeaderShape, go to leadershape.org, to learn how they can work with you to create a, just caring and thriving world. Stay tuned to the end of the podcast for additional information about our sponsors. Now I’m turning it over to Josh.

Josh Mostaert:
Hey everybody. My name is Josh Mostaert. I use he him, his pronouns and I’m hosting today from Michigan State University, which resides on the ancestral lands of the three fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi peoples. I’m a graduate student, Michigan State studying student affairs administration where I hold an assistantship as an assistant community director in the historic north neighborhood. Today I am representing the Michigan State University student affairs graduate association as the professional development co-chair together with other members of saga, we identified a need for a space where first time student conference attendees could ask questions of season conference goers about a variety of topics related to what these conferences are like and what it means to be an attendee. I’m thrilled to be joined by currently three panelists, eventually four panelists, all folks who work or teach at Michigan State. So I’d like to extend a really big thank you for are joining me today on this special episode of Student Affairs Now which is sponsored by the Michigan State University student affairs graduate association and welcome to the panel and the podcast. So we will go ahead and start with some introductions. So can each of you begin by telling us a little bit of about yourself your current role on campus and your experience with attending professional association conferences. Brian, we’ll go ahead and start with you.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
Sure. Hi friends, how’s it going? My name is Brian Hercliff-Proffer. I use he him, his pronouns. I currently serve as an assistant director here at Michigan State working with all of our registered student organizations through all the good and the bad and the ugly times. It’s a lot of fun. And I love me a good conference or a convention. I attended my first ACPA National in 2014 in Indianapolis. I believe is the year, and then I’ve also done APA, Michigan, which is the mission chapter, a ACY, NACA you know, done lots of volunteering at the conferences and conventions planning teams. I’ve probably done it all done. The sessions done the presenting. Yes. I love me some conference. So thanks for having me.

Josh Mostaert:
Thank you, Brian. Kirby, you’d introduce yourself.

Kirby R. Gibson:
Hello everyone. My name is Kirby R. Gibson. I use she her pronouns and I serve as the assistant director of residence education here at Michigan State University. I too have been around the conference circuit block for a while. My first conference actually dates back to 2012 when I was an undergrad where I had the opportunity to attend the NASPA East regional conference and specifically participated in SALT, which said for student affairs leaders of tomorrow and have made my way around various conferences, both regional and at the national level NASPA ACUHO-Ithe national conference on race and ethnicity. So a number of different conferences volunteered I’ve presented. I, I have even planned some conferences. I actually serve as the chair of, of the placement exchange which is like another somewhat conference, that experience for those who are looking for careers in student affairs in higher education. And so I too have been around the block for a bit. Glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

Josh Mostaert:
Awesome. Thank you, Kirby. And Heather, would you like to introduce yourself?

Heather Shea:
Yes. Hello, everyone Heather Shea, my pronoun, she, her and hers currently serving as the director of women student services in the interim director of the gender and sexuality campus center here at Michigan State. In addition, I have an affiliate faculty appointment and teach in the student affairs administration master’s program and have the esteem pleasure of also being the advisor to SAGA, so I’m thrilled to be joining this podcast in multiple capacities. So I attended my first professional conference back in the nineties. I am a little older than I think everyone else here. It was a NASPA conference in New Orleans and it was so great. It was so much fun. It really got me excited about being a part of this larger field. And the next year I presented with my advisor at a ACPA and I’ve attended a ACPA pretty much every year since as well as NASPA ACUHO-I, ACY AFA, ASAG, NODA.

Heather Shea:
I made a list and I’m like, this is a whole lot of acronyms of different associations, but from the student affairs lens, if you know those yeah, so but my professional home has primarily been a CPA. I’ve served in a number of different roles in the commissions and the coalitions, as well as served on the governing board as the director of membership and then helped plan the conferences in 2013 and 2014. And then most recently was the chair of NextGen for a couple of years, which was interesting as a virtual experience, but was great. And I’m thrilled to say that my, my professional engagement it with ACPA will be going to the next level. I was elected as president currently vice president as of, as of next week. So excited and anxious and the, a ACPA convention in Chicago will also be the 100th. So those are my future is pretty laid out for the next three. So that’s my connection to all the, all the associations and conferences. So I’m excited to be here. Thanks, Josh.

Josh Mostaert:
Yeah, thanks. Y’all, it’s really cool to see just like the, the, the width and the depth of engagement with professional conferences that have represented here today. We are waiting on one other person to join us. Kris will join us eventually. But why don’t we go ahead and dive into some of the questions that we’ve gathered. Brian, I’ll also start with you on this. And I would absolutely love if anyone could jump in after. So Brian, one of the, one of the like big questions that’s been posed to us the most has been on the topic of like what sessions to attend. So how do you go about picking, like program sessions? Do you go like based on functional area that you are in, that you’re interested in interested that you have, what, what goes into that process?

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
It changes over time. It will evolve. So in my early years, grad student and new professional, I was really thinking about like my interest, my functional area even kind of like future employers that I might be interested in or leaders functional area, I’d go to their presentation to see how do they present, what type of professional are they? As I became more comfortable with conferences, though, it became less, more professional more, almost support. So I would go to like my friends and my colleagues who are presenting, because it’s also one of the few times I can actually see them doing their work. Cause a lot of my friends are not in Michigan, so I can’t readily access them on their campus. So really seeing what they’re doing is, is one of the joys that I find. And so really right now where I am at is I do a lot of those. Oh, you’re presenting. Tell me what time I I’m gonna be there. Even if it’s that 8:00 AM presentation. I got you. I’ll bring you the coffee. So that’s kinda my journey through picking. We’ll see what the next few years and where I shift from there on how I pick my presentations.

Kirby R. Gibson:
Yeah, I’m right there with you, Brian, about if my friends are presenting at a conference I’m like, oh, I’ll be there. Maybe we’ll we’ll think about the eight o’clock no, I’m just kidding. But definitely supporting colleagues who are being able to showcase some of the work that they’re doing. I know for myself if the title of a presentation sounds interesting, I’m like, Ooh, like let me go ahead and pin that. I know a lot of the different associations have program apps that you could utilize to be able to kind of figure out what you may be interested in. Be able to see things day by day. I would also encourage folks to consider types of like sessions that are being held. And so you don’t just necessarily have to go to a lecture type presentations. There may be panels, there may be like Ted Talk type of sessions.

Kirby R. Gibson:
Sometimes there are keynotes that are throughout the day as well. Right. And so you can really build your day around again, what pipes, your interests someone that you may be really excited to see even like some of the social aspects of connecting with folks as well. And so, and I would also encourage folks to think about like how long you want, like how much energy do you wanna put into this because it can be exhausting. Right. and so if you know that you don’t wanna wake up at eight o’clock in the morning to go to a session, that’s totally okay. You also don’t have to go to all of the things that are being offered because you’re gonna want to do so many other things that may come up throughout the time that you’re there.

Heather Shea:
That is a really good point. I absolutely agree. Use your energy a wisely during conference, cuz technically it could start at 8:00 AM and it could go until 10:00 PM every day. So we’re gonna talk about that. I think a little bit more in the moment, the, the other thing I’d say about choosing sessions is that I think most of the big generalist associations have different smaller groups or entity groups, you know, whether it’s the communities of practice or the knowledge communities or the commissions or the coalitions, these are all smaller groups. You know, they sponsored programs. So if you’re really interested in one specific area and you end up at NASPA or, ACPA look for the sponsored programs by those different entity groups that might help you kind of narrow down a little bit and they’ve usually been vetted by that group a little bit, so are kind of the best of the best to get sponsored. So that’s one other suggestion that I’d have.

Josh Mostaert:
Yeah, thanks. Y’all I, you know, I Kirby I especially appreciate what you said about like the different kinds. I’m a big poster person. I do love a good conference poster. So I know that I’m gonna build in time to make sure that I’m able to visit some of those at, at ACPA too. Kris, hello

Kris Renn:
Friends. Sorry. I’m late for those who don’t know me. I’m Kris Renn. My pronouns are she and her and I’m a faculty member at Michigan State University and I’ve been going to student affairs conferences for a hundred years. It feels like my first ones, I was a grad student in my master’s program and I was really lucky to be in grad school in Boston and NASPA in Boston, my first or second year. And that was my introduction. I’ve been going almost every year since I’ve been to at least one student affairs conference. So I am so excited to have student affairs conferences back to go to this year.

Josh Mostaert:
Yes. Awesome. Thank you for joining us. It’s perfect. Perfect time for you to join us as well. So I, cause I’d like to start with you on this, this next question. So one thing that Kirby, Heather, and Brian all mentioned and I’ve heard before is about conference fatigue. I know it’s a very real thing. Some professionals experience at these events symptoms like feeling drained, overwhelmed, anxiety around FOMO. So what strategies do you employ to ensure that your cup stays full while at conferences?

Kris Renn:
Well, there’s a built-in assumption that the cup ever stays full, but a cup stays manageable. I’ll say that. So I’m gonna also add the additional thing that a lot of us have spent two years, not around a lot of people. So I think this year in particular, how we understand ourselves, the way that people will be you know, traveling to conferences in some anxiety around masking or not masking your, you know, so there’s gonna be an added level of all those things. Right. And truly, we just haven’t been as used to being in people in person or I could, you know, I, I can’t, I mean, I can mute myself, but I can’t turn off my camera if I’m sitting in the session. Right. so I think on the other hand, I don’t have to look at myself in every session, so that’s also good.

Kris Renn:
So I think that paying special attention to the strategies that people have learned about their transition and back into in personness like, I think some of those same strategies can scale up, right? So how we make decisions about what we do the sort of where we go, who we’re gonna be with my personal strategy is to manage that for me this year, I’ve set up a lot of walking dates. Both of the student affairs conferences this year are in places warmer than you know, bring a big umbrella that fits too. And so I’m gonna miss a session to go for a walk with somebody I haven’t seen because I’m not comfortable sitting down for dinner, in a restaurant right now. I’m not, I’m not doing that yet. So for me, that’s meant how can I meet with people outside?

Kris Renn:
I’m hoping I’ll carry this forward into future conferences too, right? Like that’s a healthy habit. It, right? Like let’s go for a half hour walk instead of that scone. Or let’s take scone on the hoof and go with it. So one thing for me is just knowing that I’m making decisions around a host of variables this year. People who know me. So, so people who meet me don’t understand this, but people who know me well know me. I actually don’t like strangers. I don’t like being around a lot of people. I, it’s just not my jam. Like it’s not who I am really. So I seek out my smaller pockets. I’m like, oh, I’ll go with the in one association, like the queer studies people or in NASPA, ACPA, it might be the knowledge community or the commission.

Kris Renn:
Like I wanna find my little community in this bigger, cause that way, when I go to my session, I see somebody across the room. My other two strategies are when, you know, even if somebody’s like been in the field for a while, I’ll go into room and, and maybe, I don’t know anybody yet. I’d look for the other person who’s standing by themselves or sitting by themselves and just say, hi, I’m Kris Renn from Michigan State. Who are you? And kind of strategy for me around holding that up is to, to to sort like take a little, try to take a little not take a piece of people, but try to like, get to know a little something about even a stranger or a friend I haven’t met in a while, just a little something that kind just makes me happy and fills my soul.

Kris Renn:
So trying to, to do those kinds of things pacing, how they’re mentioned the time zone thing, like gosh, where I go to a conference on the west coast and there’s a reception that starts at 10:00 PM in California. I was like, people in Michigan, I’ve been in bed for five hours by that time. Right. and those coming from other places, you know, when you go to a conference where the 8:00 AM session is really 6:00 AM your time, right? So I think that knowing your body, giving yourself a break if you are sharing hotels, which maybe not as many people are doing now, cause of pandemic things, having agreements with your roommates about quiet hours, as random as that seems, I heard a great story. Once I got a text from somebody who was like, oh my gosh, that one sounds so loud having the TV on a million. It’s, that’s how they relax. It’s killing the rest of us. I was like, thank you. I’m glad I’m not your roommate. Heather and I might have been sharing a room with that same one when I heard from somebody else.

Kris Renn:
So I think, you know, roommate agreements like good old fashioned roommate agreements making dates that you know, are gonna be comfortable for you, like, especially with again with pain demo stuff. And you know, fear of missing out, like, you know, we all miss out on stuff all the time. Just let it go. If it’s really important, somebody will tell you about it. You’re not gonna miss the best job you ever had. Or the, the brilliant thing somebody said with social media, if it’s brilliant or funny, you’ll hear about it. So I will stop there and let other people jump in with how they avoid the FOMO and keep their cup full. Oh, live also keep your cup full of water. Hydrate. It’s very easy to dehydrate at these things. You’re in large air conditioned, usually spaces. And you can literally, you need to keep your cup full of water or some other refreshing beverage hydrating beverage.

Kirby R. Gibson:
I totally agree with just the premise of just like it’s okay to say no. I think of a number of times where, particularly as I’ve been, I’ve been fulfilling roles where I’ve actually been running conferences and those are long days and then colleagues are like, well, let’s go out for a beverage. And I’m like, no, like I’m ready to go to bed. Like, I’m, I’m glad to see you and let’s find another time to connect. But the way in which I’m gonna refill my cup, particularly for the next day, if I have to, to you volunteering for a conference or whatnot, is to go to bed. Right. And, and, and be okay with that and know that me saying no is not saying no for everything is just saying no for that moment. Right. and knowing that if people have a issue with that, that that’s not my issue.

Kirby R. Gibson:
And there’s that I would definitely agree with Kris about scheduling time to connect with folks, cuz everybody is gonna want to be on your, your calendar. And it’s just not possible. It’s just not feasible to have all that time with folks, unless you wanna do something in, in groups, which is definitely something that you consider, but also one-on-one time is very sacred. And I like to, to honor that a lot of folks may think that I’m a woo. I am not, I actually don’t really like folks like that. Like intimate connections are very important to me. And so I’m gonna make time for the folks that I truly want to connect with. I would also recommend planning and out the times in which you are going to eat. And so whether you choose to consider in the pandemic, whether you choose to eat out or you’re gonna grab something to go don’t go at the same time that everyone goes to lunch because there’s thousands of people that are, that are in the same location and everybody’s going to try to go to the nearby spots.

Kirby R. Gibson:
Right. And so you may wanna get there, let’s say 30 minutes earlier, an hour earlier, or go later, just so you can navigate all of just the traffic that comes with it again with us being in the pandemic, trying to socially distance and all of that as well. And so those are a couple things that I, I do to kind of manage my cup as well.

Heather Shea:
The last thing I’ll or one other thing I’ll add is that I know this isn’t possible for everyone, but if your hotel is nearby, going back to my room and just taking off my shoes, because inevitably I’ve brought shoes that are not so comfortable. I, I do, I used to do this now, now I am a hundred percent about the comfortable shoes. But just take your shoes off and sit down for a few minutes. Because it is a lot and sometimes being alone, I do fall more on the extrovert end. But I think even us extroverts conferences end up being just a drain, a huge drain. So yeah. Stay, go back to your room if you can.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
I’m very much like you, Heather, more on the I’m talking to everyone I’m I am an early morning per person. I’m also a late night person. So I am one of those people. And you might vibe with this of I’m up at six, I’m ready. We’re at the conference center at 7:30, getting ready for the either presentations or getting breakfast with someone and I’m going all day. But it’s not for everyone, right? We are all, you will all have your own ways, but you know, for me in that situation where I, I am I have like basically a kitchen in my book bag with me. So I have snacks, I have water, I have, you know, a journal and a lot of times I will just sit in the conference center, you’ll see me sitting on the floor, just chilling with my little pantry around me and just journaling or I might actually be catching a up on emails, but that’s just kind of the vibe that I get because I get, I really thrive off of the conference energy.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
And, and that’s what sustains me during this time. Because for me, it’s, it’s that refreshing boost and it naturally keeps my cup full and, and manageable. And I also play in two days after every conference to not do anything. So I know I’m gonna be like this right. Four, five days straight. So I’m gonna take the two days, take him off of work or make sure I don’t schedule anything if it lands on a Saturday and that’s how I then get ready for coming back and reentering into job, life, family and stuff like that. And you know, I am a, I like budgets. And so half of my suitcase are like packets of Quaker oatmeal and granola bars. Like you’re gonna see me with a little cup in the morning, two cups, one with coffee from the hotel and one with the oatmeal. And I’m, you’re just gonna see me walking with my backpack, munching away for me, it’s a cost saving thing, but also I just know it’ll sustain me for that morning because it fills me up right. Food wise and then what sustenance wise. So that’s just kind of my take on it and kind of how I do it.

Kris Renn:
And then you have space in your luggage for swag. You pick up at the, at the, like the convention center kind of thing, where the oatmeal was. You put the swag, I love it.

Kirby R. Gibson:
One other thing I wanna quickly highlight conferences actually have like reflection spaces and quiet spaces. Designated space. You designated like I wanna be super extroverted. Right. and so you can consider those as well, but you can stop by as you’re nav, like going between sessions or if you want the break or if you’re meeting up with someone, you can check those out too.

Josh Mostaert:
Excellent. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you all for for that input there there’s so many great nuggets in there. Brian. I also a backpack person. I’ve always had my backpack on me, so I’m definitely gonna keep that in my back pocket for next week for sure. Cool. I’d like to transition on to the next question. Kirby, I’d like to start with you on this one. So I know that I’m looking for a job and I know a lot of my peers in this group are also looking for a job. And some other students may be like looking for practicum opportunities as well at other institutions and with peers in the field. So what suggestions do you and everyone else have for networking this way at student affairs conferences?

Kirby R. Gibson:
Yeah, a really great question. The first thing that comes to mind for me our socials. And so depending on the institution that you may be interviewing with, they may be hosting a like family and friends or type of institutional gathering where they may invite you directly to say, Hey, come check us out and meet some more staff. And get to know us a little better. Sometimes it’s just open for anyone to be able to come to. I know for example, Florida, actually they do like a statewide like social and so all of the institutions in the state of Florida get together and then it’s a way for you to kind of make your way around and to connect with different institutions that way. But that definitely is a great start. It allows you to one, not feel like you are like completely on, in the sense of an interview, but allowing you to get to know folks a little bit more personally being able to ask some of those questions that you may have felt like you weren’t able to ask during the interview and just being a social setting, there’s like great food depending on the institution, they may have drink be cautious of course and whatnot, but that’s one way you can connect another thing that comes to mind and actually same plug.

Kirby R. Gibson:
So for example, the placement exchange we will be hosting a kind of lounge spot actually within the exhibition hall at at NASPA. And so one of the ways that we are helping to prepare candidates is we’re gonna be offering candidate coaching sessions. We’re gonna be doing a variety of like kind of quick resume review of other ways of engaging with folks about just honestly the current landscape of careers in higher education. And so that’s another kind of informal way for you to get connected with folks and you get to check the exhibition hall out as well. And you never know, sometimes employers are there too, so it’s not, you don’t necessarily have to have a traditional, like higher ed work at an institution like job to like, as you, if you’re considering that like some folks may be in the exhibition hall and they may be looking for folks as well. So those are a couple places that come to mind.

Heather Shea:
So the couple things I’ll add I think Kirby, you’re the expert in this area with all your work with TPE. I was like, oh my gosh, Kirby we have to get her. You know, I think one of the things I would also say is a caveat, which is that ears are all around you. So even when you’re in an elevator make sure you’re behind a, a door in your hotel room before you start spilling tea around a specific job situation. I always worry a little bit about those burning bridges moments. And so that would be the one thing I would say. I, I love the going to socials. I think there’s this unknown, you know, rule, I guess, that they are open, which if you think that they’re close, like these are absolutely open. So and then networking, the other thing I’d say is that many of us have, have popped around like, you know, the folks who are on this call, we haven’t spent our entire careers at Michigan State, so we know folks and other places. So please ask your faculty, your supervisors, the folks who are in your program you know, do you know somebody at, you know, the university of Washington in Seattle, right? I mean, those are opportunities potentially for that person to like, you know, do an introduction, oh, they’re here and I will introduce you. So those are my suggestions as well.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
Yes, the introduction please is in a way, use us to help connect you. We want to, we love our friends. We love our colleagues that we know, and we want them to have more fabulous people. And so we wanna get to introduce you to them and them to you. So I very much so if there’s someone you’re like, Ooh, wonder if Kirby knows them, they’re at the conference ask, you know, know if they’re comfortable, do you mind introducing me worst case? We can say no. Or Hey, can I do that later as social or something? I think the other thing that you could consider is if you’re at a, you’re listening to something and something’s really vibing with you, or you have a question many times individuals are more than willing to talk after their presentation, or if they’re not, they’re willing to give you their information so you can follow up as you know, having presented it’s, it feels good knowing that people listen and they’re intrigued.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
And even if it’s a compliment on what the work was doing or the presentation, or if they wanna like go down a rabbit hole on something that you brought up. And so you can also then meet people in your function areas or whatever reason you went to that presentation and kind of expand it from there. I’ll be honest. There is some people I don’t know their names, but I can, when I see ’em at a ACPA, I’m like that person gave me the best compliment and most difficult question I ever had at my presentation, but I’ll remember that. Right. And so it’ll shrink your, your little world of student affairs even more. But I would encourage you to do that. It just kind of builds a rapport with you and, and your functional areas or just the field in general.

Kirby R. Gibson:
One other quick thing that I would add, it’s okay for you to have some resumes on deck with you, like as well. And it, it’s gonna look a little, I wanna acknowledge this a little bit different now in terms of probably exchanging things and paper and all of that. And so business cards I know I’ve actually saw someone post the other day about actually doing digital business cards as a way of getting your name out there too. And so sometimes you may learn of an opportunity that just gets recently posted. And if you were to able, if you’re able to connect with someone that is connected to that institution, just say, Hey, here’s, my resume would love to talk more here’s my business card or other sort of information as a way to just get your name and your foot in the door too closed mouths, don’t get fed.

Josh Mostaert:
Yeah. I love that. I love that. Like, selling yourself looks different now and you know, like what, what do like different ways of selling yourself communicate to, to people? That’s, that’s a really interesting thought. Excellent. So at this point in time, we would love to some audience questions. So if any of y’all in the audience would like to ask a question, you can either utilize the chat function or the raise hand function, and we will spotlight ya. Do we have any questions from the audience? Oh, Abby.

Abby:
Hi everybody. Thank you so much for your time. This has been great. I’m Abby, I use she, her hers pronouns. I’m a second year in the SA program. I’m going to a ACPA. And I know myself and a lot of my peers are wondering about various sorts of dress code. There are a lot of different events at CPA. There’s the panels, there’s socials, there’s the after social socials. And so what exactly does the dress code look like for the day? Should we have sort of professional wear in the day and then more casual at night? Is it like one outfit for the whole day? What are, what are your various thoughts about, about what we should be wearing? I know you mentioned being comfortable is super important, but also we are at a professional conference. So bearing that in mind as well.

Josh Mostaert:
Abby, I appreciate you asking that I actually sent a panic message to Brian about a week ago asking him the exact same thing. So thank you for asking that question.

Kirby R. Gibson:
It’s interesting. I love this question. Cause I was like, let’s go ahead and interrogate notions of professionals, right? Yeah. So that’s the, that’s the, that’s the first part of the question that just like, just rings for me because who, who am I to tell you what you are gonna wear? Right. Like what is most comfortable for you? What is most authentic to you? I don’t know your, your finances. And so I can’t have any sort of say in terms of if you’re gonna have on this nice suit or whatnot. I would say again, what, what shows your personality? I’m the person that has like three bags that I’m taking with me to the conference, because it’s like, look, y’all about to get this fit. Okay. Sometimes I may do a combination of where I’m wearing a blazer and like some sort of funky graphic tea that is like justice oriented.

Kirby R. Gibson:
And some jeans another day, you may get a little bit Olivia Pope of student affairs. Right. But that’s because that’s me. Right. And so I would say also wear something pumpy because these convention spaces are large. And so if heels are your thing, like, mm, I wouldn’t recommend it because you’re gonna be walking all over the place. And so you wanna make sure that it’s something that you’re able to keep going and going again, be cognizant of weather, right? We’re going to Baltimore for NASA. So not as fun as warm as some other places that we may have gone, but you’re gonna need layers. Right. You’re gonna need a pop, like snow has been coming up outta nowhere, these past few days. Right. And so you wanna be functional to, so I would say, what is most true and authentic to you? What is something that is comfortable? But also what is going to like reign just share your personality that you’re willing to share.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
And, you know, I think being in student affairs and the work that we do and how we do it and our lens is the that we bring to it. I think we’re, we have a capacity to better understand if you’re wearing jeans. It’s not telling us how professional you are. Right. It’s the interactions, the relationships that we build. And I will do like three outfits a day. So multiple outfits in a day is just fine. I got my day, I got my afternoon and I got my evening. So you do you. And it’s really about the interaction and the relationships that you build. And I think that’s really what it’s about ultimately. And I think that is one of the good things about the student affairs conferences is that we don’t necessarily look at the close. It’s, it’s more of how you’re presenting the information that you’re sharing, the wealth of knowledge that you’re bringing. Right. So

Heather Shea:
I, I also am a three, two to three outfits per day type of person and maybe, or seven pairs of shoes. It will, it will depend. I, some of you know, I lead an undergrad study abroad where I require students to pack for three weeks in a carryon for ACPA. It’s like two check backs, right. Like it is definitely not, not a packing light kind of situation. And part of that’s just cuz you never know what you’re going to be up to that particular day. And yeah, I am right there with everyone. I will also say that, you know, everybody is a part of this field for a reason and that is because we care about students. And so think about like how you’re gonna relate to one another and be comfortable in those spaces. And Y yes, we don’t have college students around, but I think we live and work on college and university campuses. So yeah, that’s, that’s the only other thing I’d add.

Josh Mostaert:
Yeah. Thank you, Abby, for your question. I think, I think for me, like, I, I also think about like, what is the changing dynamic of who’s gonna be doing the hiring, you know? And so a lot of people who are going to be doing the hiring I think are closer to, to our age than, than maybe other fields, which is kind of cool. So that might be something to think about too. Ryan, you got a question for us.

Ryan:
Yeah. So when I raise a hi, my name is Ryan Wadley. I, you see him his pronouns. I’m a second year master student at Michigan State studying student affairs administration.

Ryan:
That’s my spiel. That’s my introduction feel? I actually have the same question as Abby when I initially raised my hand. So I’ve been racking, my brain being like, okay, Ryan, you already raised your hand. You gotta think of a new question. And my new question is kind of a long similar lines, so maybe we can keep the conversation going about what do you bring to these conferences? Right. I know a couple of us are, are taking flights to some of these conferences and we have minimal space. And so I know Brian, you talked about like you’re bringing like snacks in your, in your luggage. Are there things that y’all think are like, must have items at these conferences? Things that maybe people wouldn’t forget that they’re like, oh my gosh, I wish I had brought this. And on the flip side, are there things where you bring them to conferences? And you’re like, I didn’t need this like garment steamer. I don’t know why I packed a whole steamer in my luggage. You know what I mean? So are there any things that you highly recommend folks bring versus you can probably keep that at home.

Heather Shea:
Oh my gosh. So I think the one thing I’ll share is I am a big name tag, blank swag person. So I already have my name tag all ready to go. Yes, Kirby, we we love a good name tag swag. So some of these things are things maybe you already have buttons or pins related to your institution or, or social identities you wanna, so that’s, that’s the one thing I always bring and, and never leave home without. I don’t know what else I’d say. I mean, I bring a lot of food as well. I think that’s kind of a really important piece. Bring a water bottle or a coffee cup that you can refill. So you’re not adding to the environment. I have brought hair dryers in the past. Hotels all have hair dryers. You don’t need to bring a hair dryer. I think that that’s, that’s what I’d say.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
Yeah, I, that name tag and flare, those buttons are fun. For me, I’m a techie person. Like I’ll prioritize my power cords and my apple watch and my iPad and my laptop and all of that stuff over an extra outfit to be real. So that’s kind of what I’ve, I’ve come to is I know I need this much space for my tech. I need this much space, my, my snacks and my oatmeal, and then I’ll cram the rest, the clothes somehow into it. You know, as I’ve gone through going to conferences, I also always look for where stores are. So like grocery stores maybe 10 minute Uber outright, not downtown where a lot of our conferences are, but maybe a little bit further where we could go get some, some of snacks that you might wanna bring. I always kind of keep an eye out for, for me, I’m an express and type of H&M.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
So I look for that, cuz I ruin a shirt once this conference. I swear somehow it gets a hole in it or it just gets destroyed. So I just kind of keep those stuff out, knowing I might have to do that. And I’m okay with that. It’s it’s, you know and I also have friends who drive to conferences and so like, Hey, I’m friend, you drive it, throw this in the back seat and I’ll either reimburse you or either just willing to help share it with me. So, you know, it’s really up to you, but for me it’s, it’s that tech O I need that tech.

Kirby R. Gibson:
Yeah. I’m with Brian about when I get to town, going to stores and purchasing things because for me, the, the 50 pound weight limit is for the clothes, the shoes, the purses, like that’s what the tech, the, those things. And so if I want to get snacks, water, all of that, I’ll buy it in town. I’ll even buy some toiletries in town as well, just to save space and so forth. I would also recommend, I don’t know why I just blanked on this. Oh, like if you’re again, if you’re reconnecting with folks I would sometimes bring card games just as an opportunity to just like, if you’re gonna have a night in the, like the hotel room, like cool. Right. just as a cool way to again, reconnect with others. I, I bought it before the resumes, like some copies of that, or at least act like have access to them. So you can do printing somewhere. I also bring like, like this is like, it’s like if I were to spill on something on me, so like tide to go sticks like mints right? Cause like you don’t want to be talking to somebody and some funky breath, but also you can offer mint to someone if their breath is funky. But mask can hopefully help with that, given that we are still in the pandemic. Yeah, those are, yeah. Those are some things that I can think of.

Ryan:
Thanks. Y’all I’m also thinking Kirby, your last point about the pandemic I’m like maybe we bring ample extra masks, like in case your mask is annoying throughout the day

Kirby R. Gibson:
And medicine. I just, that was another thing that I would think about. So if you have like a little aid kit with you, because I remember one year, like I ended up having to go to urgent care cause like came down with something, I don’t know what it was. And so like grateful that I was able to do that. And also it would’ve been nice for me to just have some of those things already on hand.

Ryan:
Thanks everybody.

Josh Mostaert:
Awesome. Thank you for those excellent questions. So I have another question. Heather, I’d like to direct this one at you. So I’m a new professional and a lot of my peers are new professionals. So for those of us who are new professionals, what does getting involved with the professional organization look like at the conference?

Heather Shea:
Hmm. Yeah, this is, this is a great question. I think a lot of people think of going to a conference is professional development and I’m gonna go to sessions. I’m gonna listen to speakers. But you can also find a new community that is not just a conference, a one off one time, a year thing. It’s actually a, a year long opportunity to maintain some level of engagement. I think the, the other kind of unknown thing is that all professional associations are looking for volunteers to engage. So just like we want students to join student orgs, like our professional organizations want you to become an engaged member. So that means, I think participating in different meetings that they have, that, you know, if you go, if you go to ACPA, for example each of the commissions will have an open business meeting that is literally open to everybody who’s attending, attending that particular convention.

Heather Shea:
Great opportunity to say, hey, I’ll write some articles for, you know, your online newsletter or I’d be interested in reviewing awards for next year or something like that. You know, all kinds of things that you can do that will give you access to that professional network. Quick story. My first professional involvement experience was at ACPA. I was newly in the role of coordinator of commuter student affairs at the University of Arizona. I had just gotten that job and y’all, I was so unqualified for this position. I never lived off campus as a commuter student. I ne I would, was never a commuter. I lived on campus, the entire of entirety of my undergrad as an RA and a hall director or cetera. And then when I was in grad school, I also lived on campus. So I get this job and I’m like, I can’t even relate to students experience.

Heather Shea:
Well, I joined the commission for commuter students and adult learners at ACPA. And I was like, they don’t need me. I’m, I’m here to learn from them. Not to be a part of the directorate, but that ended up being my first involvement experience. It was great. So that, that’s what I would recommend is to just go to the meetings and see what you might. And then at the expo, typically, as Kirby was saying at exhibition, they have tables for different things that you can do. It’s not just vendors it’s often, Hey, if you wanna be on the program planning committee or you wanna join you know, the foundation board, like all of those types of organizations will have opportunities. ACPA also has like a big giant student org fair called celebrate ACPA, celebrate ACPA, I suppose, is the long title which is, you know, basically go round and learn all the things about all of the entity groups. I’m sure NASPA has something similar as well. So find those ways to connect with the smaller circles. Right. as Kris was saying earlier, like the people who do the work you do or share your identities, like those are the, those are the places where you can really form some strong connections.

Kirby R. Gibson:
I would recommend also volunteering, like during the event, if that’s, if that’s where your energy is or it’s also okay, if you do not. But usually the conferences, they’re always still looking for folks to help out with odds and ends. And so whether it’s helping with a registration table or if you’re helping to manage like the, the entrance to one of the keynote speakers, like those are just some little ways as well for you to get connected and people remember those interactions. And so I think back to my time with the placement exchange. And so I had initial connections already with TPE cause I served as an ambassador and intern and have the opportunity to be on the committee. But I was trying to get on it post grad and more so full time.

Kirby R. Gibson:
And so ended up reaching out to the, the chair at the time of like, Hey, can I be a super volunteer during the, during TPE? And she was like, yes. And then literally the next day, she’s like, I’m gonna send you information in the next month or so for you to consider applying for the committee and here I am now chair of the committee now eight years later. So even just some of those interactions where you may think that just you just being a part of a shift is just like nothing like those little interactions can go a long way and can facilitate connections for even more opportunities. I would also recommend checking out. I’m not sure if ACPA has this, but I know for NASPA there’s a like a volunteer central like portal.

Kirby R. Gibson:
And so you can go online and there’s always some sort of opportunity that’s available where folks are looking for new directors or chairs of the various as knowledge communities. They’re looking for folks to serve as faculty for different like leadership institutes or, or things along those lines. Right. And so other ways that you can, and I would say, even participate in the institutes that you can eventually become the like faculty for. And so I think back to, again, to when I was in undergrad, I had the opportunity to participate with the NASPA Dungy leadership Institute back in 2013. And so did that as an undergrad and then six years later applied to actually be a faculty member for that Institute. And then it was a full circle experience. Right. and so again, like those connections, those connections matter and people don’t forget.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
Yeah. And on those connections, if you find someone or a knowledge community or a commission or someone, and, you know, someone on it feel free to be like, Hey, can you talk to me about how to get involved? Or can you introduce me to another one that you’re next to? I sit on the coalition for sexuality and gender identities for ACPA, and I’m gonna be at that. I’m gonna like flip the script in my life. And instead of hosting the org fair, I will be part of it. And I will be you know, working at getting people involved in our coalition and our group. And we are always looking for volunteers, just had a call today of we need some more volunteers in our commission and our coalition. So how are we gonna work on this? And during ACPA the other thing is just like everything else that we talk to our students, there is no one way to get involved.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
So I know some people come up through identity groups, some will come up through presenting. I came up through the conference planning process. So I super volunteer on social media and then landed on the programming team and then landed on the steering team. And then now I took a retirement for a couple of years and I might get back into it, but there’s no one right wrong way. You are gonna hear everyone from every wide journey of how they got involved. So, you know, just know, do how you want to do and what you are comfortable with and how to get involved. I would just say, find how you could, that makes you comfortable.

Josh Mostaert:
Awesome. Thank you all for, for your awesome insights. I think that for me, one of the most like intimidating things about going to the professional conferences is just the plethora of opportunities to get involved. And so all your advice is excellent. And I really appreciate that. Emily, you’ve got a question for us.

Emily:
Yes, I do. Hi everyone. My name is Emily Shields. I use she her pronouns. I’m a second year in the student affairs administration program here at MSU. Sorry, I didn’t get my question in during the earlier audience portion. It just popped into my head. We spend a lot of time talking about the hidden curriculum in our institutions for our students, but what are some examples of hidden curriculum or like traditions or quirks at conferences that long term, long term attend these know, but new folks might walk in and don’t know that this thing on your name badge means that, or where you sit in this room indicates this, what are some things that we might be unaware of, but we should know going into our first conference attendance.

Kirby R. Gibson:
The first thing that comes to mind for me, especially if it’s a popular keynote speaker, get there early, so you can get good seats. Because if you’re, if you’re waiting to get there, like maybe five minutes before the room is already packed some folks are getting there 30 minutes, 45 minutes early, and that’s okay because you can go with a group of folks and you can do just, you can chat, you can chill. You can bring your card games if you wanted to do that. I would recommend definitely getting to some sessions that, you know, you want to be at early, because if it’s popular, if it’s folks are really looking forward to it, it’s gonna fill up fast.

Heather Shea:
Brian, what do you got?

Emily:
Sorry, Heather.

Heather Shea:
No. Brian, do you have any, any thoughts?

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
I’m still percolating.

Heather Shea:
Okay. Well, the one thing I was gonna say is, I think name tags are always a good and important key to learn. But one thing I will say from the conference planning side is that name tag is actually your entry ticket into the conference. So you do need to wear it at all times. But when you walk out of the convention center, take it off, take it off. I like see people walking around and I’m like, oh, and I’ve had some, you know, some awkward street things where somebody’s like, oh, Hey Heather. And I’m like, do I know you? And then I realize they just read my name tag. So highly recommend the name tag and it, and every, every conference has like their own kind of name tag traditions. Sometimes you have flags at the bottom or, or banners at the bottom. I think that’s an important cue. I think just anytime you see something that’s kind of to send that message. Yeah. See, it’s like goes down to your belly button practically. Right.

Heather Shea:
I love it. Yeah. And I, the other thing I would say is you know, every conference has, or conventions has its own kind of group of people who have been there forever. There isn’t a, like, I wouldn’t say there is an inner circle, right? I mean, I think everybody is willing to talk with everyone is my impression at least. And so go up and introduce yourself. I think that’s the other thing. And if you see faculty members who wrote a book that you’re using in your class, there is nothing cooler than having somebody come up and introduce yourself. So I, and Anna that’s happened to me, right. I was in an elevator with Susan Komivez and I was like, oh my God is Susan. And I did the whole like fan girl thing. But I think it’s such a great opportunity to make those connections. And you never know, you know, at, at what point those are gonna come back round and be beneficial to you. So the hidden curriculum I’d say is that you’re all at the conference together is totally reasonable to go up and talk with folks and wear your name tag

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
Agree. I think I don’t know, hidden curriculum specific, but I think I wanna highlight what Heather brought up earlier was just kind of be aware of your surroundings too. We do like to listen and we do like to spill the tea. So just be really aware of like, when you’re with your people, you’re with your people. Great. Just make sure you’re maybe in the back room of restaurant or hanging out doing a walk outside. Right. because that, that is a thing that we don’t really think about. Cause we’re in such a good vibe. We have such a high of this. Right. and just being aware of your surrounding with you, you know will help because we are not infallible as human beings. But we do hold each other very high standards when do make mistakes. And you know, it’s, it is a learning lesson for all of us. I’ve made that mistake before myself. So, you know, it’s those experiential learning opportunities.

Josh Mostaert:
Wow. Everybody that y’all are making me think so much. I, Brian, I really love that. Like, going back to that piece too, of like being aware of your surroundings, especially at a conference space. And Heather specifically, I I’m hoping I’m have one of those moments. I know that one of my favorite scholars that I’ve read in my time here at Michigan state is gonna be a CPA. So I hope I’m gonna meet them and talk with them about their, their work. So absolutely. Well we’ve kind of come to the end. So I’d love to get some final thoughts from y’all. Brian, do you have any lasting knowledge, wisdom you’d love to impart on.

Brian Hercliff-Proffer:
Oof last thing already. Final thoughts? I, you know, I think enjoy it, have fun. Use this as a time to learn and ask questions. You know, if you, if you’re at ACPA and you see me just come on up and be like, Brian, I’m so confused by this agenda. What the, the heck am I doing? Where should I be? Right. I am more than happy to help you, or introduce you to people, hang out with you, get to know you. Absolutely. but, you know, take time for yourself. But be okay with being, being yourself too. You don’t have to put on a facade, your best is your best self. And we will resonate that with that. Everyone will resonate with that so much better than you know, putting on a facade and trying to be what they want you to be, be yourself. And you’ll be, you’ll have a great time at the conferences.

Josh Mostaert:
Awesome. Thank you, Brian. Kirby, any lasting thoughts for us?

Kirby R. Gibson:
Yeah, I would retweet everything that Brian shared. I would also add you are the one that is able to curate what you want your conference experience to be. And so there’s no one way to conference, right? There’s so many different offerings that is gonna be at your fingertips and you’re not gonna be able to do all of it. And that’s okay because it’s up to you to figure out kind of what you, what you wanna lean into, whether that be you go to all of the sessions or if it’s like, you know what, I’m gonna go to two sessions today. I’m gonna have lunch with some peers here, and then I’m gonna go to the little, the party spot that they’re having for a social later. Right? again, it’s really up to you to kind of decide how you want to navigate your time there.

Kirby R. Gibson:
But again, you wanna make sure that you do so on your own terms and that you are comfortable with where you’re at. You’re actually like physically comfortable in terms of kind of what you’re wearing. That feels us true to you. And again, have fun, like, because like these are gonna be some, some long days, some energizing days and also draining days. And so when it comes time to, to wind down, listen to your body when it needs to, to wind down and remember to stay hydrated, stay moisturized it’ll be a good time. And I hope to see folks there too, if you still happen to be going to NASPA in a couple weeks, I’ll be around check us out at the expedition booth particularly for TPE. And yeah, don’t be afraid to say hello.

Josh Mostaert:
Thank you, Kirby and Heather, any final thoughts for us?

Heather Shea:
Sure. so I know this session was particular geared towards graduate students. The one thing I’ll say for once you move into your full-time professional role, one definitely ask for professional development fund. So you can keep coming back to these conferences. I think that is my, my number one suggestion for negotiating in your first job. And then when you go as a professional different, slightly different than when you’re a grad student, bring that information back to your conference, right. Or back to your campus your institution has sent you to that convention for a reason, and you have so much knowledge to learn and to share when you come back. So I know for me I’m really grateful for the support from Michigan State to be able to attend. I know not everybody, some people self-fund as well and it is an investment, right?

Heather Shea:
It’s an investment of your time and your energy and your institution is making an investment in you as well. So that’s the one last thing I’d say that it’s, it’s always been my favorite time of the year. I consider my, ACPA, my family I’m sure you know, any, all of us who are connected to professional associations, they’re like the constant, right. We move around jobs and we move around different locations in the country, but this, this one thing is the same every year. And so I’m, or similar every year. I think it’s gonna be a great year, even though we haven’t been in person for a while. I’m really looking forward to it.

Josh Mostaert:
What an excellent way to, to wrap a bow up on our panel today. So I’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of our panelists, for sharing their thoughts and wisdom with I’m really grateful for y’all for your investment in us as developing student affairs professionals and student affairs professionals beyond Michigan State. I would like to give, have a big thank to Student Affairs Now for giving us a platform an opportunity to kind of share our conversations beyond the bounds of Michigan State today. And I would like to thank all of our attendees for asking questions and engaging us with us today. So thank you all very, very much.

Heather Shea:
Thank you so much to Josh Mostaert and the student affairs graduate association or SAGA for sponsoring this great episode today and to my colleagues, Kirby, Brian, and Kris. Your contribution to this conversation were phenomenal. Thank you so much for your time. Sending heartfelt appreciation to the, our dedicated, the scenes work of Nat Ambrosey. Our production assistant is doing extra work this week to splice together all these parts. Thank you so much, Nat. A little bit more about our sponsorsLeaderShape uh partners with colleges and universities to create transformational leadership experiences, both virtual and in person for students and professionals with a focus on creating a more just caring and thriving world. LeaderShape offers, engaging learning experiences on courageous dialogue, integrity, equity, resilience, and community building to find out more, please visit www.leadershape.org/virtualprograms or connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Heather Shea:
Our other sponsor today is Simplicity. Simplicity is the global leader in student services, technology platforms with the state of the art technology that empowers institutions to make data driven decisions specific to their goals. A true partner to the institution, Simplicity supports all aspects of student life, including, but not limited to career services and development student conduct and wellbeing, student success and accessibility services. To learn more, visit simplicity.com or connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you’re listening today and not already receiving our weekly newsletter, please visit website studentaffairsnow.com and scroll to the bottom of the homepage to add your email to our list while you’re there, check out our growing archives. And if you found this conversation helpful, please share it on your social media platforms with your friends and your colleagues and your students. And please subscribe to the podcast, invite those to subscribe and share on social media. Thank you so much again to our sponsors for today. LeaderShape and Simplicity. We are so grateful for your support of the podcast. And again, I’m Heather Shea thanks to our listeners and to everyone who’s listening and watching make it a great day.