This is the End

Hey everybody!  Welcome to my final post of the school year!  It’s already the end of the semester somehow.  Finals are next week and everybody is stressin’ out.  Luckily I’ve managed to not be too stressed. Yes I have two finals and two final projects, but the projects are group ones. 

My Research Methods class performed our Colerain Township survey this month.  We only received a little over 100 responses, which is on the lower end of our goal, we could still be proud of ourselves.  We now know how to perform a full scale telephone survey, which will probably be a very useful skill for later classes (especially Capstone).  17 of us met one night to write our final paper, which turned out really well surprisingly.  I was chosen to edit the paper and write up the summary on the findings of the survey (I was the one who entered them into Excel).  I’m still working on finishing it up for the deadline on Monday, the day of our final, but I think it’s gonna be a great paper despite being a little bit of a Frankenstein’s monster.

My Public Budgeting course has turned out pretty well too.  We have a group project where we have to create a fake budget for a city department.  Me being the TV-obsessed person that I am really wanted to do a mock budget for the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana form the show “Parks and Rec.”  Myself and two classmates (one of whom is a huge fan of the show too) agreed to do it and the project has turned out really well.  We tried to incorporate things from the show into our project, such as information about the eccentric citizens and their obesity problems.  We present tonight, and I’m looking forward to it.

Also this month I went to Chicago with Dr. Lambert for the MPSA conference!  I was able to listen to some interesting panels and discussions.  I also explored the city a bit more.  I made to Millennium Park and the Bean, the Chicago Art Institute, and Navy Pier (no deep-dish pizza though this time unfortunately).  Dr. Lambert and I presented our paper and received some good feedback from the audience and our fellow panelists. 

This has been a fun foray into the blogosphere and I hope I was able to entertain you guys a little bit while sharing with you my experiences as a first year graduate student/assistant. I’ll be back in the fall for year 2, so don’t worry guys you’ll be hearing more from me.

Thanks so much!

Kyle  

March Madness

Well early March was pretty similar to late February, cold and snowy.  We missed a few more days of school in the week leading up to Spring Break, meaning my break was a few extra days longer.  Coming back that Monday March 16 was a little weird after almost two full weeks off.  I did not want to believe it.  Now we just have to power through these next couple weeks and we’re home free for summer time.

            Sorry to make you guys jealous, but I had a pretty great Spring Break.  I went to good ole Sin City, Las Vegas. Although I didn’t come back a big winner, but I didn’t come back a big loser either, so it didn’t get the best of me luckily.  I stayed at the MGM Grand so I was right there on the strip.  I got to see an aquarium inside a hotel, Hoover Dam, and lots of famous movie characters (there are a surprising amount of Zach Galifianakis from “The Hangover” impersonators, baby and tiger and all).  It was nice to get away from school, work, and everything else and enjoy my break. 

            I also just started volunteering at the Aronoff Center, so that’s pretty exciting.  I’ll be at the information desk/guest services a few hours a month, so if you ever have any questions about what’s going on there, hit me up and I might know the answer.  Hopefully I’ll be able to become an usher later in the year, but right now I’m pretty happy to be helping in any way I can.  Everyone I’ve met there is super nice and I encourage others to volunteer there if you want to see how an arts-related nonprofit operates. 

            Here at NKU we’re still working on updating our website.  I’m working on the Alumni page, so if you know any alumni who have great things to say about the program, send them my way.  Dr. Lambert and I are still finishing up for our conference next month, so I’ll be sure to share that whole experience in April’s blog post. 

Speaking of Dr. Lambert, his Research Methods class has become a great tool for performing an actual survey.  Most of the class is working on a telephone survey for Colerain Township about their various services.  We’re going through all the steps of a survey such as creating/editing a questionnaire, choosing a sample, and then actually calling everyone.  It should be extremely useful if any of us decide to perform a survey for our Capstone project. 

Mr. Elmer’s Budgeting class has also started heating up.  We recently performed a mock budget meeting where each student was given a position within a fake city and we all had to work together to get our various departments enough funding while also keeping the city under budget.  It was pretty fun, and there were a lot of heated debates between us various department heads and the city council.  I’ve really enjoyed his teaching methods, and I recommend all of you take him if/when he teaches it again!

Well March has actually been a lot busier than I thought.  Next month should be full of news with the conference, final projects/tests on the horizon, and other odds and ends I’ll come across throughout the month.  Again, thanks for stopping by!

February Freeze

Well February has turned out a lot differently than anyone thought.  After a pretty pathetic winter, snow wise, we got all the snow at once, but I suffered through the impromptu spring break.  I did absolutely nothing and it was spectacular.  The Antarctica-like conditions continue, but seem to be slowly going away soon.

Program wise we’re working on updating the MPA website.  We’ve been featuring students who haven’t been students in a few years so we’re putting up a few actual, current ones.  We are also improving the alumni page so that prospective students can see the successes of past ones.  So be on the lookout for those updates. 

I have to give a special shout-out to PASS, the student organization for the program, for their Homecoming event.  It was a lot of fun and I encourage y’all to go to their next events. 

Not a whole lot otherwise going on around here, for me at least.  Dr. Lambert and I are finishing up our article for the MPSA conference in Chicago in April. I’ll post next month with any more exciting news for the program.  I’ll leave you with the immortal words of Ollie Williams:

Welcome Back from Winter Break

Well we’re back.  A New Year means a new semester.  I hope all of you had an enjoyable winter break.  I treated mine like just that, a break.  I caught up on some great shows (Mad Men and The Leftovers), read a little bit, and saw a lot of amazing movies (Wild and Selma being the top 2).  I decided to take only 2 classes this semester after having taken 3 last semester.  I don’t want to rush through the program (and I don’t want 3 classes worth of homework again). I’m taking ‘Budgeting’ with the new professor Mr. Elmer and ‘Research Methods’ with Dr. Lambert.  Both classes will definitely benefit me in the long run, especially research since that’s my job primarily.  I’m looking forward to gaining some new knowledge and skills. 

Two weeks into the semester and it’s been pretty quiet here thus far.  Dr. Olberding has returned to the office from her sabbatical from last semester.  So far I’ve painstakingly reorganized the Capstone Project and Portfolio shelves, so hopefully nobody comes and messes them up.  I also recently finished up researching boards of directors/trustees of some local nonprofits for Dr. Ahmed, so if you need any info on them, I got you. 

One final note: The PA Nexus, the program's annual newsletter, for 2015 has been published!  I worked a loooong time on it, and I’m glad it turned out really well (not to toot my own horn). You can stop by the MPA office in Founders Hall 424 to pick up a copy or to download a pdf version go to http://tinyurl.com/mpanewsletter.

 That’s all until February and thanks for stopping by! 

Finals Are Coming

Finals Are Coming

Well we’re down to our last few weeks of the semester already.  Black Friday ads are flooding the TV and Christmas music is in the air.  This also signifies that finals and final projects are right around the corner. 

Luckily I only have two research papers between my three classes.  I would most likely be dying right now if I had three big papers to write.  One I've made a lot of progress on, and the other one, ehhhh not so much.  Both of them are due during dead week (the week between Thanksgiving and finals), so while I’m munching down on some turkey and bread, I’ll be working on the pay differences between Walmart and Costco. 

On a happier note, Dr. Lambert and I were accepted to conferences in both Chicago and Portland (!).  Hopefully we’ll get to go to both of these conferences, we should find out soon.  But getting accepted was the first step. 

Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet here.  I helped Dr. Misis with research on fear and terrorism, (hint: people are still fearful).  I also have been helping Dr. Olberding with her research on Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge working together.  I’m also slowly chipping away at the new newsletter that will come out next year.  Hopefully I can make a good one!

Thanks for stopping by!

I leave you with a meme you've probably seen a million times before, but I love it because I actually know where it comes from:

TGIFB

Well we’re halfway through the semester already apparently.  I have three midterms this semester, thankfully they’re all on separate weeks.  The two I’ve taken were already as hard as any midterms I’d had in undergrad.  You’ve really got to keep up with your reading in graduate school, as tempting it is to drop it for Netflix and Hulu bingeing. 

This past Monday and Tuesday we had “fall break,” two full days off from class and work (at NKU anyway).  What exciting things did I do over the break you ask?  Well it was my 22nd birthday (!) so I celebrated appropriately.  I hit the links at A.J. Jolly golf course and did surprisingly well for once.  Other than that I treated fall break like just that, a break. 

Some exciting stuff has been happening at work lately; I found out I could possibly become a published author, twice!  I definitely won’t be bragging about that on my résumé (I was a French major, accent marks are important).  One of the projects I’m working on may even lead to a conference or two.  Professor Lambert submitted one to a conference in Chicago, and we should find out around Halloween if we’re accepted or not.  So keep your fingers crossed!  I’ll definitely let y’all know how that goes in next month’s blog post. 

So tips from this month: 

·        Keep up with the reading; it’ll pay off for midterm time.

·        Study your butt off for midterms whether they’re open note or not, they’re no joke.

·        Enjoy the heck out of your fall break because you won’t be getting more time off until Thanksgiving.

First Impressions

Well today is my third week in the NKU MPA program (I assume you know what MPA stands for if you’re reading this blog). So far I haven't died from stress, lack of sleep, reading too much, etc.  I'll admit I was extremely nervous about starting graduate school because everyone makes it seem like you'll have no free time from being wrapped up in homework.  I may just be a few weeks in, but I feel confident that grad school will not 1) kill me and 2) make me a hermit. 

The second week an orientation was held for all us new students that really reassured me I was in the right program. There are a boat load of alumni in the area to provide connections for past, present, and future students, (because you can never network enough I’ve discovered), while the areas of concentration ensure you get a job in a field you enjoy.  My biggest sigh of relief came from the fact that there is no huge final thesis research paper that determines your fate.  Though there is a capstone for the final semester that can take the form of research, most students have done a project they may use in their future careers (grant writing, budgeting, sewage management...)  And trust me, I’m constantly reminded about this capstone project as there are years worth of them staring me down at my desk.

This leads me into why I am writing this blog post, I am the new graduate student assistant to the Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership department (PSC, CJ, and OL for short).  I get my own desk (which I still need to add decoration to beside my Bengals’ calendar), my own coffee pot (which I won’t use), and my own pencil sharpener (which I will use, often)!  As the grad assistant I’m tasked with helping professors with their research.  The research thus far has been interesting, as in topics I wouldn't normally think to write about.   I’ve learned a ton about how much states tax their casinos (it is more than you think) and about how communities are banding together to combat economic downturns.  So far I'm really enjoying the job and am looking forward to where it'll take me.

Sorry for such a long post, but I had a lot of first impressions I wanted to get down (with some I’m saving for later).  I’ll try and update this once a month so you can see how classes and work are going, and how I’m coping with them (probably lots and lots of Mt. Dew).  Thanks for stopping by!