Lowell Next Week

We are one week away from the start of the Region I Conference in Lowell, MA.  I hope that all of you can find the time to come out, from what I hear it's going to be amazing.

It's still not too late to register for the conference (or the Student Lead-On which is FREE), so click the link above and come visit your friends and colleagues in beautiful Massachusetts.

I look forward to seeing you all there, but if you are unable to attend and would like any information from either the lead-on or the conference itself, please feel free to email me.  I hope you all have a wonderful semester, and have a great Halloween!

Bryan

HBCU Summit at DSU

I recently got back from the Third Annual HBCU Summit at Delaware State University, and let me tell you it was extremely well done.  Jocelyn, Bill and the rest of the committee put on an excellent slate of presentations, information sessions, and networking ability.  Special thanks needs to go out to Matt Fortune, Director of Recreation and Intramural Sports from DSU, as he hosted the event.

DSU has amazing facilities, and are in the process of opening up a brand new rec center.  While I didn't get to see their current facilities, I did get to see their educational buildings and they were phenomenal.  Mike clearly has the support of his administrators, as two of the keynote speakers work in the Student Affairs aspect of university life.

Please keep in mind that the Region I Student Lead On is considered a pre-conference workshop at the Region I Conference in Lowell.  I really would like to see as many of you out there as possible, and if you're interested in getting involved, just email me!

Have a great week, and keep a look out for me on the UB highlights as that yellow vested guy you saw during the hail mary, was yours truly.  Stay in touch, and Go Bulls!

Bryan

Student Lead On is SET!

Sorry for the delay in getting to you, but I've been working to get the Region I Lead On squared away.  It's done, and now I just need to find out who wants to present information (and by all means, if you have suggestions, please email me!) 

Here's the tentative schedule:

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

10:30am to 12:30pm - Registration, Conference Information, Meet and Greet (refreshments served)

12:30 to 1:00pm - Welcome and Introduction of Region I Student Rep, National Student Rep, State Student Reps

1:00 to 1:20pm - Icebreaker

1:20 to 1:40pm - Governance Issue

1:40 to 2:00pm - Icebreaker

2:00 to 2:30pm - Professionalism and Students Responsibility

2:30 to 2:40pm - NIRSA Trivia and Prizes

2:40 to 3:10pm - Round Table - What is our goal in campus recreation?  How does it fit with NIRSA's message?

3:10 to 3:20pm - Identifying NIRSA's role in campus recreation and how to get more involved.

3:20 to 3:50pm - Transitioning from an undergrad to a GA

3:50 to 4:00pm - Icebreaker

4:00 to 4:30pm - Transitioning from a GA to a professional

4:30 to 4:40pm - Icebreaker

4:40 to 5:00pm - Writing an effective resume

5:00pm - Closing remarks

The conference starts at 6:00pm and there is NO charge for students wishing to attend this pre-conference workshop!

Thanks again for everything, and Go Bulls!

Bryan

Absolutely crazy!

Well I have a 7 page single space report that needs about 20 friends to go with it, and I just found out my midyear reports are due today (thanks to Rachel Monday after our teleconference!)  Should be interesting.

I'll update more after the teleconference when I'm at work hiring my new staff and mending paperwork fences.  I haven't forgotten about you, but school is Monday and sport clubs are already in damage control mode here!

UTEP is this coming Thursday, so get your blue on and let's see if I can get myself on national television :-)  Go Bulls!

Bryan

Vacation-Finally

While it has been nice to work hard and make some money this summer, I just can't keep working 7 days a week (apparently the business office doesn't like it either!)  I'll be out of Buffalo for the next couple of days, visiting with my parents and heading to the beach.  It is a much needed break, and I'll be back in the office ready to get going for school on Thursday.

I received good feedback from our State Student Reps, but I'm still waiting to hear back from some of them.  Once they contact 10 schools about getting a Campus Contact, I'll place their bio up on the NIRSA website for you to read.  

Once I get back, I'll tally up all the emails I've sent asking for advise on the Student Lead On, and make some final decisions.  Hopefully, more people will be checking their email in the next couple of days with school right around the corner.

Thanks again for everything, and remember Go Bulls!

Bryan

School is just around the corner...

So with the days dwindling down before school starts, I'm going to make my last big push to get everything out and lined up for the upcoming events.  I just booked my flight to Baltimore, so I will be in attendance at the HBCU Summit to be held at Delaware State University this September 12.  Also, we are rounding out our Region I SLT, but still are looking for Campus Contacts from all of our Region I schools!

I'd like everyone to welcome Emily Skoczlas from Slippery Rock University as she will be serving as Pennsylvania's State Student Rep this year.  I spoke with Emily on the phone and look forward to working with her this upcoming year.

I don't have much more to update you on, but I will be updating the information on the Student Lead On by the end of the week.  As always, have a wonderful end of the summer and Go Bulls!

Bryan

NIRSA Website Updated

My updates to the NIRSA website went through without a hitch, so when you get a chance, check out the Region I Student Site.

I don't want to jump the gun, but it also looks like we will have a student from Slippery Rock as our Pennsylvania State Student Rep by the end of business tomorrow (I'll post an update if that's the case).  Clearly the website is working, and I urge you all to nominate individuals from states that still need representation, or even just Campus Contacts from around the Region.  The more students we get involved, the better.

I'm working on finishing up a survey to send to the state directors, SSR's, and other important NIRSA folks to gauge what we should do for the Student Lead On.  Lowell is still several months away, but its better to be on top of this then to let it slide.  Don't worry, I love working under a deadline!

Have a wonderful weekend, and remember, Go Bulls!

Bryan

I finally have the internet!

After 6 weeks of only being able to access email and the rest of the internet from my office in Clark Hall, our internet was finally installed this morning.  This will definitely be a major help in trying to keep up with all of the NIRSA communication, and making sure all of our events will be a success.  Sorry for the delay, but we were rescheduled again and again and I promised myself I wouldn't post this week's blog until the internet was up and running.

One of the new updates we have, is the addition of a Region III Student Blog-created by Ashley Donaldson, our Region III Student Representative.  Take a look at it when you get the chance and remember, there's always a running list of the updated blogs on our home page here.

In terms of the Region I Student Lead On, I've decided to take the following actions.  I'm going to send a questionnaire out to our SSR and State Directors asking for their input.  Trying to play phone and email tag with everyone is proving to be difficult, so this way I'll be able to get a consensus (or at least an idea) of what we should be doing for the lead on this year.  That being said, if you're interested in answering the questionnaire, please shoot me an email and I'll forward you a copy.  I'm the type of person that believes the more input (or data) you get, the better off you are.

I'll be sending my website updates (for the NIRSA page) to the NNC tonight.  What I would like to do, is get a more up to date list of all the campus contacts we have and list them by state.   Ashley's website is really amazing, and I'd like to replicate it here.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to email me.  I enjoy hearing from all of you and would greatly appreciate any advice you may have for me.  Have a great week, and Go Bulls!

Bryan

PC has a gorgeous facility!

I just got back from the Rhode Island & Connecticut State Workshop, and let me tell you it was definitely a big hit. Over 25 professionals and students attended from these two states, and Mike Medina did a wonderful job putting this all together. I'd like to personally thank him and Providence College for hosting such a wonderful and successful workshop.

While we will hopefully have a State Student Rep from Rhode Island by next week's post, we do need to take a moment to welcome (and thank!) Eli Dann from Quinnipiac for stepping up and becoming our Connecticut State Student Rep. From the conversations we had, I know he'll do a terrific job this year.

One of the things I know the region is waiting to hear about is the upcoming student lead on at the Region I Conference in Lowell. While I would love to tell you I have everything planned out, I think its the resonsibility of the entire Region I Student Leadership Team to have input-and with only five student reps at this point, I'd like to get a few more people involved before we make any major decisions. After speaking with Kurt and some of the professionals that were at the conference, I would anticipate filling at least two or three more positions by the end of next week. Then I can start getting ideas from each representative and putting them into an overall plan for success. As always, if you have any ideas that you'd like to share, please feel free to email them to me.

I'll be back in Buffalo midnight tomorrow, and teaching CPR Saturday morning at 9. I'll make a point to update the NIRSA website by the end of this weekend (or at least send the changes I have to them). Again, please please please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions on how I can do this better-I want to make sure that I'm doing the very best for our region! Have a great weekend, and Go Bulls!

Bryan

Providence Next Week

For those of you who didn't know, I'll be presenting/helping in a presentation for professionals utilizing FaceBook at the Rhode Island - Connecticut State Workshop next Thursday.  Mike Medina has done a great job putting this event together, and it will be good to try and recruit a State Student Rep from the area.  I also haven't seen Kurt since we were in Corvallis together, and I'll be interested to see how he's doing.

As far as NIRSA goes, I'm still in the middle of year end reports (fiscal year ended July 1 for us) and moving into my new office.  By the tomorrow afternoon, both should be settled and I'll be able to devote the weekend to getting on top of the Student Lead On, updating the website, and some other miscellaneous tasks. 

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments and remember, Go Bulls!

Bryan

First Teleconference

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, but with the 4th of July and moving it's been tricky to find time to get on a computer connected to the internet (trying to get it set up at my place is way more then a struggle then I thought!)

Here's some highlights from our first SLC teleconference.  First, we will be working individually to ensure that our regions have access to the Mentor-Mentee program that was set up last year.  While each region will be going about it in different manners, feel free to contact any one of us to help you find somebody else thats interested.   Second, we will be doing our best to promote sustainability and we encourage all of you to do so as well.  When in doubt, go green!  Third, look for the NIRSA Student website to be completely updated by August 1st.  Its tough to pick and choose through all the information, but we are working to get it up to date as soon as possible (and Ashley in Region III has already done hers!).  Lastly, we want to encourage all students to become more involved, and in particular, attend the student business meetings.  This is your opportunity to find out what NIRSA is about and really leave a lasting impact on the organization.

I hope all of your summers are going well.  As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.  I look forward to seeing those of you at the Rhode Island-Connecticut State Workshop.  And as always, Go Bulls!

Bryan

SLT Takes Charge

While its only been a couple of days since we returned from Corvallis, the SLT is hard at work to get the NIRSA family ready for another year.  I've added links to the student blogs that Anna and Richard have posted, and I encourage you to visit them often.  We also are in the process of finalizing our goals and objectives for the upcoming year.  Most of what we have left is just finalizing the wording as in our minds we are all on the same page with what we plan to accomplish this year for the students.

I can tell you that I'll be speaking with the State Student Representatives this Friday to fill them in on where we stand, and where we plan on moving.  I'll also be contacting members from the host committee to discuss the upcoming Region I Conference at Lowell (I hope you're as excited for this event as I am!)  I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Crockett, from University of Maryland Baltimore College tonight about some ideas and strategies I have for the upcoming year.  For those of you who don't know Bill, he is a great resource and an amazing colleague/advisor/mentor.  Since I know he'll be mad I said that, I'll pre-empt his response by saying you should all take this opportunity to see what the NIRSA Foundation is up to, and get involved anyway you can to help (hope that helps Bill!)

I finalized the welcome letter and got it out to Kurt, so expect it in your email sometime this week.  I'm going to try and post it on this site (I'm still new to this blogging thing) so we'll see if it works.  

Remember, make sure that you get in touch with me to let me know if there's anything I can do for you.  I'm here to represent you, and I want to make sure that I do the best I job possible.

Have a wonderful week, and Go Bulls!

Bryan

Welcome to the Region I Blog

Hi Everyone,

I hope that all of your summers are going well, and that you are as excited as I am for the upcoming year.  For those of you who I haven't had the opportunity to meet, my name is Bryan Van Vliet and I will be your NIRSA Region I Student Representative this year.  I am in the process of finishing up my degree at the University at Buffalo (or SUNY at Buffalo) and have been working in campus recreation for the last six years.

One of the goals of this years Student Leadership Team is to increase the use of technology in communicating with NIRSA members across the country.  We feel that it is important to increase the ways that we communicate information to members, and to utilize new means of technology to stay current.  Each of the six Regional Student Representatives will try to implement blogging, and when they do, I will be sure to add links for you to see what is going on in other regions.  My hope is that we are able to find ways to reach out to the membership in ways that keep as many of you informed as possible.

While I have zero experience in blogging, I am more then willing to take suggestions or ideas from you at any time to make this successful.  My goal is to publish a blog at least once a week (Thursday's after we all receive the NIRSA Know) and additional posts when I have updates for you or when I have a recap of an event I attended.  Don't worry, I tend to be informal in the way I write.

Look for a couple of updates this week.  I'm going to send out a welcome letter to Kurt Klier this week to have forwarded to you all.  Have a wonderful week and Go Bulls!

Bryan