CULTURE OF "BUSYNESS"

Recently I came across Joseph L. Murray's 2010 article When Involvement Becomes "Busyness" and I can't really get it off my mind. If you can take the time to read it now, please do, but if you cannot, to summarize:

The article discusses college professionals’ support for students to get involved and what repercussions this message has on our students. Student involvement theories have shown that student participation in activities, clubs, and other programs help students adapt to the university lifestyle quickly and often lead them to be more socially successful in the long run. However, Murray questions whether while faculty and staff are continuously encouraging students to get involved, are we overlooking other needs of our students, particularly spiritually? 

Murray’s team found that students increasingly felt the expectation to be successful, and in order to be successful, one must pack their schedules with a multitude of activities. Murray acknowledges that involvement is necessary, but if students are shuffling about from one meeting to the next, are they taking the time to satisfy deeper individual needs? Most importantly, as staff, are we making them aware that this is an important element of their growth and encouraging it? 

In his research, Murray found universities such as Harvard and Bucknell that had specific co-curricular activities to help create and facilitate conversations between students about deeper life questions they are contemplating. Murray also studied campuses to see what physical spaces had been carved out to allow and encourage students to meditate and reflect (some universities had created gardens, labyrinths, and other quiet havens for their students.)

I would concede that many of us involved in student affairs quite enjoy the "buzz" of the students, but every so often when the campus empties out, I find a certain inexplainable peace: a calmness of body and mind that allows me to recenter and refocus. For me, this article really has me evaluating my practices as a young student affairs professional. 

Personally speaking, I identified with the student in the article who felt there is an expectation to get involved. I am all for involvement, but I like to pace myself, balancing my time between myself and time with others – however, I often feel there is a pressure to join professional organizations and spend time with colleagues outside of the classroom or workspace. Of course I believe that building these relationships and support systems is important, but at the same time I struggle with sacrificing my own personal time and overcommitting to things I'm not fully invested in. At the center of it all, 24 hours is 24 hours - it can only be divided so many ways and once it's gone, it's gone.

If you do not already, I encourage you to think more critically about how you spend your time and the factors and influences that affect those decisions. Even while writing this I think "this is so common sense, how come I haven't thought about it before?" and I think it is precisely because I've allowed myself to get caught up in "busyness."

Going forward, I want to try to be more cognizant of the implicit or explicit pressures I may be placing on colleagues and student staff to become involved in certain organizations or attend certain events. I plan to analyze what opportunities I offer my staff: where can I build-in reflection time both for themselves and in a community setting? This article really set a light in me to support a culture that actively promotes a balance of action and reflection.

xoxo e