Justin Tidd
Personal and Ethical Foundations (PEF)
Maintaining a strong sense of who I am as a person and professional is crucial in how I show up for my students and community. ACPA & NASPA (2015) articulate that this competency deals with maintaining integrity in one's work, committing to one’s overall well-being, and so much more. This is a foundational area that I have always prioritized due to my ability to positively react to change, my passion for connecting with colleagues and student leaders, and acknowledging and respecting the work that my community puts into me and each other. As I continue to develop in this field, I hope that I can lean more into feeling confident in my decisions without seeking out affirmations as my past experiences of success and assistance are enough to inform me that I’m capable of making a wise and reasonable choice in a consistent manner that is considerate of the people around me.
Foundational Outcomes
Relevant Experiences
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Articulate key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments (e.g., values, morals, goals, desires, self-definitions), as well as the source of each (e.g., self, peers, family, or one or more larger communities).
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I use one-on-one meetings with my supervisor to reflect on my values and further allow my staff to think through their motivations and how they can incorporate them further into their work and daily lives.
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Identify ethical issues in the course of one’s job.
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I recognize when departmental changes affect my staff and their mood and proactively offer a non-judgemental space to express feelings and talk through what is needed from myself and the community to help move forward.
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Utilize institutional and professional resources to assist with ethical issues (e.g., consultation with appropriate mentors, supervisors and/or colleagues, consultation with an association’s ethics committee).
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I seek out resources from various student facing departments (CAPS, Legal Office, Student Conduct) in order to educate and refer students to proper hubs of support.
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Identify the challenges associated with balancing personal and professional responsibilities, and recognize the intersection of one’s personal and professional life.
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I understand that student affairs requires a lot of energy, but I also use this as an opportunity to meet new departments on campus and create personal connections and community with other professionals.
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Identify and describe personal and professional responsibilities inherent to excellence in practice.
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I believe that a good work ethic and respect for one's professional community is the foundation for excellent outcomes, and I use this understanding to stay accountable in my role and consistently provide for my staff and colleagues.
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Recognize the importance of reflection in personal, professional, and ethical development.
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I use evaluation meetings as development sessions to recognize what areas of my work were beneficial and which fields I can develop in another direction to potentially foster better outcomes and connection.
Intermediate Outcomes
Relevant Experiences
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Seek environments and collaborations that provide adequate challenges such that personal development is promoted, and provide sufficient support such that development is possible.
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I encourage partnerships between colleagues and outside departments and assist in the strategic implementation of potential collaboration.
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Explain the process for executing responsibilities dutifully and deliberatively.
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I clarify individual tasks with their minimum requirements and further offer various plans for completion that could benefit a variety of work styles.
Advanced Outcomes
Relevant Experiences
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Engage in effective consultation and provide advice regarding ethical issues with colleagues and students.
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I seek out engagement opportunities with my colleagues to talk through opinions on departmental changes and either affirm or challenge initial perceptions in a constructive, practical manner.
Artifacts
Thank You Letter
This letter is from a recent student leader I supervised during my time with student government. The students' content focuses on my ability to find a good balance between professionalism and personal relationship building while pushing them in a healthy way to be the best professional they can be. This narrative reminds me that I support my staff in healthy ways and always make sure that they never feel isolated in work or personal matters.
Master Link Resource
This document lists various hyperlinks and organizes them by categories that are relevant to student staff member’s roles as Resident Assistants. This initiative showcases my proactive nature and commitment to my staff and work as I find ways to connect with other relevant departments on campus to gather resources that may prove to be beneficial for our department. By listing resources in this manner, my staff is able to find certain information quickly and do not have to stress about where/how to access the different sites.