Member of the Month: JS

The Member of the Month feature periodically highlights our amazing membership and the things they’re doing. March’s Member of the Month is JS (He/They), Assistant Director of Student Organizations in the Center for Student Engagement, Activities, & Leadership (SEAL) at Miami University. 

What kind of work do you do?

I was speaking with a fellow NASAGA-ite, Bethany Carr about my answer to this.  Her response was “whatever you want” which, in many ways, is very true. I have a very supportive office and leadership in our office who wants us to always find our passions and grow to help with the mission of the office.  “What if…” is a common phrase.  What if we re-imagine this major campus event to do something different.  Great…let’s do it.  Through the support of my office I’ve recently been trained to facilitate using the LEGO ® Serious Play ® method. 

I am the primary campus support person for student organizations on campus as a primary responsibility, and I am on our University Lecture Series as well. In my work I create, invent, and find new ways to do tons of things. I advise a number of student orgs directly and try to find new, fun, and innovative ways to help support students. 

I worked with Bethany to create my Tabletop Games and Leadership class where students discuss leadership as seen through playing a number of tabletop games. I create workshops and trainings for students.  And I work with a tremendous group of students, the SEAL Ambassadors, to help support all of the organizations.  I also advise the League of Geeks and support them through their work to serve the numerous geeky student orgs on campus. 

Why are you a NASAGA member?

This could be answered through the simplest of answers (why I joined) or a much deeper one (Why I stay).  The simple: in 2012 someone I knew (a college speaker) messaged me and told me that they felt I would enjoy attending NASAGA and I should go to the conference, which was nearby (2 hours away in Columbus.) At the conference I had a mostly amazing time and learned a ton.  A session put on by Greg Koesser and Scott Nicholson inspired the concept that led to my aforementioned Tabletop Games & Leadership Class and I met a lot of amazing people.  I knew this was a place I belonged.  

Why I stay is two-fold.  One is a thing I share with the student organizations I work with frequently: People join an organization for what it does, but they stay for the people they meet and friends they make. This is very true, including with NASAGA.  At NASAGA I meet the most amazing people who I want to see not only at the conferences, but outside on the rare times I get the chance. (Recently Alex Suchman and I met up to play games when I was in Washington DC!) 

Also, NASAGA exemplifies how I learn and how I truly believe most people learn.  You learn by participating in your education, not by someone talking at you.  I have frequently refused many other opportunities to attend conferences because I know it will be a waste of time and money. However, I have always left NASAGA with new ideas and am typically inspired to continue growing and doing new, innovative things. 

What’s your favorite NASAGA memory? 

At the 2016 conference I took two of my friends/colleagues from Miami to the conference.  It was my first time back since 2012 and was an amazing conference with many great experiences.  One minor detriment was there were a few times where a few people were speaking over any female voice in the room - very un-NASAGA like and not what NASAGA stands for.  The final day the closing speaker had asked for people to give “90-Second Stories” of their time at NASAGA.  Bethany, Aiden and I created a 90-second story/skit illustrating the importance of valuing all voices and getting people to reflect on what many at the conference experienced from these few attendees.  Most of the attendees came up to at least one of us and thanked us for helping folks see, discuss, and reflect on this behavior. Specifically, they thanked us for showing people what NASAGA truly is: an organization that values everyone and all voices, not one where some voices were more important based on gender, race, etc. and not what those few individuals were doing. This is important to NASAGA and is important to all of us. We must integrate diverse points of view. 

NASAGA’s theme for the 2023 Conference was “Space at the Table.” What do you do in your professional practice to integrate diverse points of view?

That is an integral part of all aspects of my work. I want to make sure that all students have a home on campus. I try to find ways, both large and small, to help everyone know how valued they are by me and others. Elevating the students' voices who need it, advocating for student needs, or other efforts: all of them are critical to me.  Much of it involves working to fix existing traditions, such as our continuing efforts to make Mega Fair (our student organization fair) accessible for students in any way we can.  It also means getting students to explore and understand the importance of identity for individuals and the importance of looking at things from various perspectives.  A good example of this is when, in my Tabletop Games & Leadership class, we work on looking at both identities through the game Ladies & Gentlemen and look at representation in games. Another example recently is upgrading my recently purchased LEGO ® Serious Play ® kits to include multiple skin tones for the heads.  To me these seem like such minor things and “of course this should happen” but it is amazing to see the awareness and impact these things can make. And finally, striving to find new ways to meet people where they are and help them however I can.