It’s unbelievable that the insanity that is NACA is coming to an end. I’ve had the most incredible time, and the entire experience totally surpassed my expectations (which I’ll admit were pretty high because of the way everybody hyped it up to be). Today was such a fun day between the ed. sessions, showcases, marketplaces, banquet, laser tag, and karaoke. I especially enjoyed the banquet because Jenn and Kelly were recognized for how AWESOME both of them are! I’m so proud of both of them and happy to call them part of our delegation. Also, I got a much needed cup of coffee at dinner, so that was a big plus. I’m really excited to get back to BSU and share all the awesome ideas with PC I’ve got swimming in my head right now. I had no idea that I’d find so many great artists and performers. I’m also really curious to see just what kind of stuff we acquired at the school swap. I’m hoping we can get some creative suggestions to use ourselves. I’m thrilled I got chosen to attend NACA, and I’m so grateful for the fabulous opportunity.
Ed. Session #4
“Leadership for the Text Generation” was led by the fantastic Ken Abrahams, the VP for Client Relations at FUN Enterprises. The first thing Ken made us do was get on our cell phones for five minutes because we were told we’d be shutting off our phones for the entire session. I really didn’t find this to be a big deal, and to be honest I kind of liked the idea of having no distractions, but I’m sure many people were confused and a little put off by the idea.
Ken discussed many different aspects of being leaders on our campus. He talked about figuring out who wants things in life, and who the individuals are that actually go after what they want. He also talked about motivating other students and ourselves because if we are motivated and trying to make things better, then people around us will feel the same. Ken also brought up many important points about communication and the ways it has changed in recent generations. So many of us rely on social media online and have made e-mails and texting a necessity in our lives. It’s important to learn that the world does not operate on our terms, which means that many people in the world aren’t necessarily as media savvy as our generation, forcing us to adjust to their terms as well.
I really enjoyed this session a lot, and I felt that I got a lot out of it. After the session, I found myself using my phone less (well, when it wasn’t dead) and trying to make conversations with fewer distractions. I also thought about just what kind of information I’m putting on the internet and how I can change how I am perceived to be more positive. I thought that Ken was such an engaging speaker, and I would love to go to a session run by him again.
Ed. Session #5
“Build It and They Will Come: Creating a Sustainable and Popular Lecture Series” was led by Elaine Pasqua, a speaker for Pasqua Productions, Inc. Elaine discussed various aspects of booking a speaker for lectures on campus, from what speakers to choose to marketing techniques to available grants to speakers. She explained how important it is to co-sponsor events and find relevant, interesting topics that will appeal to all students. Speakers must have the right message that they are sending to students, and if the speaker is not suited for the audience, a poor turnout can affect the next lecture brought to campus. Also, it’s important to find out in detail about the speaker’s availability – are they available before the event starts? After? Elaine also gave tips on acquiring grant money for lecture series that can be co-sponsored with the school’s athletic department through the Educational Affairs Grant Program, which might be something worth looking into.
Elaine speaks at schools about topics pertaining to sex, so we did an activity about fluid exchange, and how easily sexually transmitted infections can spread. We each had a small cup of water, and two unknown cups were filled with a special chemical. The idea was to share our water with partners to simulate sexual partners, and the chemical would spread as we shared the water in our cups. Once we shared with three partners, Elaine tested our cups with another chemical that would turn the water purple if it had the special chemical in it. Almost all the cups turned purple, which proved just how easily diseases spread. While this didn’t pertain to the topic of the session that much, it was a really entertaining and informative activity.
It still hasn’t hit me that tomorrow I will get in the car and be on my way back to good ol’ Bridgewater. NACA really flew right by – I had no idea it would go so fast!
Sam 🙂
Bridgewater State University goes to NACA 
Sam, “Leadership for the Text Generation” sounds like it was a unique but great ed session. I probably would have been put off a little bit too by the first five minutes, but I really liked how he talked about motivating both your self and others. I think that is a huge part of what our job is as leaders.