Central Valley University Leaders

 

 

 

 

 

Central Valley University Leaders

Final Research Paper

Soc 176 – Qualitative Research

May 16, 2019

Angelica Quintero

 

Introduction

The group I am studying is called the Central Valley University Leaders that are located at university in the central valley through student involvement center. I am a current member of this group as well; there are nine of us as well as two lead facilitators that guide us. The members of the group are all undergraduate students. We meet every week and hold small events on campus as well.  

I am a current member of this group and it has helped me a lot throughout this year. Doing work in this group has connected being an academic counselor, which I plan for my future career. 

As an active member of this group, I have already created a relationship with this group and the members of the group. I chose to do my observations on a group that I am already actively a part of which is the Central Valley University Leaders. My observations were spread out among a week. My goal was to seek an understanding in a sociological perspective of how they communicate and accomplish their goals.  I found that each member of the group takes an important role to make the group better. I had let everyone in the group about my research project in January. They were all open to the opportunity and also supportive. I believe they were very supportive because they are also college students and appreciate of research. I chose to interview three members who are very active and show a lot of enthusiasm in the group, but also people that I saw be active through my observations. Over the course of the semester, I gathered flyers that we used frequently. I also looked at the involvement page on the university's website and looked at YouTube for videos as well.

Literature Review

Symbolic Interaction

Symbolic Interactionism is an important concept that looks over other the concept of the self. The term and idea of social interaction was coined by George Herbert Mead. Mead argues that the self is active and reacts to the situation that the self is put in or surrounded by. Another action that the self does is the self reacts to others around them. The self is always anticipating and reacting to what other people are doing and communicating to them (Dillon 2013:275).

Meaningful Action

Meaningful action is a complex term that includes many ideas. In simple terms, meaningful action is doing something in response to an event. Max Weber explains that the concept of meaningful action is important because it is also attached to the person's behavior. It is a sociologist's goal to make sense of people's motivations of why they do something. Then when a sociologist does reach an understanding of why individuals behave in a certain way, they sociologists attaches the meaning a goal. Sociologists not only look at individuals, they also look at institutions and whole societies (Dillon 2013:121).

Weber notes that sociologists aim to achieve an emotional-empathetic or a rational-logical understanding of the motivation. It is extremely important for sociologists to understand the social action. A sociologist should immerse themselves into the world and fain worldviews. However, another important ideal us that sociologists cannot be judgmental; they must be sympathetic towards the people they study. Overall, meaningful action tells sociologists why people do what they do.

Definition of the Situation

            The definition of the situation is where the dependency on the situation will affect how one person will affect how a person will act. This deals a lot with the norms and values that people carry.

            People learn how to socialize and know how to respond each other. It is important to be socialized to understand 

Front Stage and Back Stage

The front stage is how one acts and presents themselves during a role. The back stage is how someone prepares for the role.

For example, a student's front stage is coming to lecture or taking tests. The back stage would be studying and reading the notes for classes.

The Self

The definition of the self is complicated to define; it could be dependent on the stance on what a person chooses to believe in such as psychology or sociology. The psychological orientation sees the self as a private possession rooted in and reflective of an individual's personality, which includes his or her enduring values, beliefs, motives, traits and dispositions." From what I saw in this, it is more internal compared to the external factors such as societal relationships. They see that person's self is more influenced on the relationships that people build through social relationships.

However, social interactionists finally define the self as "reflexive process that includes a person's subjective stream of consciousness as well as a physical, social, and moral being" These theorists again stress that the self is influenced social relationships with others. Overall, what social interactionists try to emphasize is the self is a social process, the self is a social structure and the self-staged production or dramatic effect.

The self is a social process according to George Herbert Mead; the key to self-process is communication. This again relates to the idea that social relationships are important and affect the self. People engage in self-indication, thinking, which allows us to define the world around us. It is where we define the world around us and how we interact and fit in.

Lastly self as a social structure is important. The claim from Mead is that language plays another significant role in social structure because it allows us to play and perceive roles, particularly of significant others.

Qualitative research requires three main components to this: ethnography, interviewing, and content analysis. These three components build the research and create in depth of particular group, event, or idea.

Ethnography

Ethnography is the study of observing people interact and talk within their given society; it is very important to qualitative research. The setting is an important place to start. Getting to know the setting should include the environment of where the researcher is studying. Also, setting is not a simple definition; it takes time to observe and absorb the environment's details. There are different types of settings as well: public or private. Accessibility is an important because private setting could be difficult to get into. Also, cost is important as well; it is best to choose a setting that will not involve a cost.

Roles, status, and relationships play an important role when being a researcher. There is certain type of researchers that are negative. Researchers that are thought of spy will not be trusted; this could ruin the researcher's reputation. Also do not allow the place or area take advantage of the researcher as well. Being a mascot or dancing daughter is where the institution takes advantage of the researcher. This can mess up the researcher and the researcher's reputation as well (Karner and Warner 2015).

Lastly, writing fieldnotes is important. Thick description is important when writing the notes. It is important to take into matter the context, time, weather and anything including the setting. It is important to write down everything that the researcher hears and sees.  Once the researcher gets their notes jotted; it is important for them to quickly put them into full field notes This is so the ethnographer is able to get the full and most in depth fieldnotes. (Karner and Warner 2015).

Interviewing

Another portion of qualitative research is interviewing. The interview is another important method for qualitative research. There are a few different types of interviews, but qualitative research has a specific intent, one of them being to gain research. For example, there are interviews that employers hold but that is not for research purposes. There is also survey interviewing but that is also different because that is quantitative research. With research interviewing there is special conversation which could have a special topic of interest that somehow connects to the interviewee (Karner and Warner 2015).

            There is a time and a place for when using qualitative interviews. If a researcher is wanting to know about group data, it may best to use quantitative research, like surveys. On another note with qualitative research, if the researcher is interested in behavior and interaction, it is best to use the ethnographic method, if the researcher is interested in biography and accounts, then use the interview method. Some research could benefit from both methods as well.

            Once a researcher finds their research topic and question, it is time for them to shift and create their questions. Questions should relate to their topic so the interview could stay on track and be successful.

            Once the interview is set up, it is time to do the actual interview. Interviews are special type of social interaction; it can be successful or go down in flames. It is not either the interviewer's or interviewee's faults. The questions could have been yes or no responses which do not allow room for probing. Also, the interviewees could be having an off day.

            There should be a sense and genuine development of rapport between the interviewer and respondent. With a good sense of rapport, there is trust built and the respondent's truth comes forward. With a genuine sense of rapport established, it can lead to a successful interview (Karner and Warner 2015).

Content Analysis

Another part of qualitative research includes the content analysis. This includes visual material or media that the group produces or is published about the group. When analyzing content, it could include a variety of sources such as videos, magazines, advertisements, or images. Depending on the document, it takes a different approach when selecting and analyzing them. With these visuals, this is how the group is presented and the meaning of what the group means culturally.

Magazines and advertisements can be used as data sources and have been used over time by generation of researchers. The advertisements are stories to the audience and can provide a symbolic context to the product or group. Another part is to study the aspects of culture and how the media portrays the body. Magazines over time show the cultural studies and change of views gender and age. Researchers also use advertisements and magazines to study the race and ethnicity in society. For example, the LIFE magazine has changed its deception of black people through 1936 to 2000.

Another form of qualitative research are images. Images not only can include pictures, but they can also include films or videos. The use of images has been used for a long time through research and continues to be used today. Using images allows researchers to access another lens on how the world is seen. Overall, visual research is very important to qualitative research.

When analyzing images, it is important to look at every aspect of what is happening in the image. For example, if the image it is flyer, look at the words and how it is placed. If it is a video, listen and watch the way objects or people move. Analysis is a multistep process and takes time to look at the theoretical interests (Karner and Warner 2015).

 

Methods

Ethnography

            I observed the Central Valley University Leaders and the different activities that they do throughout the semester; each visit was very different. I conducted three separate observations that lasted one hour each. However, each event that took place are very important for the group. The first observation I attended was a retreat that is targeted for undergraduate students. The second observation was a meeting that takes place every Friday for 1 hour in the afternoon. The last observation I attended was a retreat that is graduate students.

During the retreat, I acted as a Martian and did not participate as a normal member of the group. It was different to see because I am used to being on my feet and moving around but I was able to view the group differently. As for the meeting, I initially wanted to act as the Martian again, but I decided to be a participant observer. It was harder to take notes, but I believe it was the best for my group.

As I was doing my observations, I typed up my jotted notes and put them into full field notes. I did my best to use thick description as I wrote out my notes. I then looked over my full fieldnotes and found sociological theories that were in my group. I found that audience, statuses and roles, team and teamwork. And front stage and back stage were the most significant among my observations.

Interview

The first interview I conducted was with Briana. The interview took place Wednesday April 24 at 5:10pm. We had met in library in a small, quiet room that I had reserved. I had let her know that this will be about the group matters only and it was okay to say names of the group and its members and that I will change them in the transcript. I did this because I wanted her speech to be clear and also to let her be comfortable. I gave her the consent form to sign and began to record our interview.

My second interview was with Kylie; it took place on Friday, April 26 at 9:45am. We had met at the campus library and I reserved a small private study room that fit two people. She seemed eager to talk about what was on her mind. I reminded to talk about the group and to do her best to keep her personal life out of the conversation. She agreed and we went over the consent form and she signed it.

The third and final interview took place with Yvonne. It was on Friday, April 26 at 5:45 pm. The interview took place in a conference room in a campus building. Since it was the end of the work day we had a chat about our days. I told her what the interview about and reminded her this was going to be about the group only. We went over the consent form and she signed it.

The interviews went well overall; my goal was to let the interviewees be comfortable so they can share the most. I allowed my interviewees to use real names and reminded them that the names will be changed for privacy. However, I noticed that they were all very comfortable and sometimes let out factors that could be seen as gossiping; I was able to relate this to role drift. i noticed that since I am a member of the group it could be another reason why they were comfortable with talking about other members which could be seen as gossiping. However, I was able to see another side of the group that is very important.

Content Analysis

For the content analysis, I gathered my data throughout the semester. I started by gathering flyers that the group posts around campus and social media. The group also sends out emails to the entire student population on campus. I gathered up some of the emails and allowed those to be some sources. I also looked at the involvement page and gathered up some information such as the mission statement and duties that the Central Valley University Leaders have. There were also YouTube videos that the group uses and used the YouTube transcription service that it provides. I also listened and transcribed two Instagram video that were twenty seconds or less.

Analysis

Ethnography

Thick Description

The first observation I did was at retreat that was centered towards undergraduate students. It was very busy when I first walked in and I tried to absorb what was going on around me.

"When I first arrived the students and CVUL's were coming back from volunteering. They came to eat and were having Subway catering. There were full foot long sandwiches; however, Cindy made a note that she was having trouble when ordering the sandwiches.  She told the entire group that they were supposed to get catering style sandwiches but received the footlongs instead. She said "Sorry ya'll; they were giving me a tough time. Please just find a friend and split the sandwich up." Everyone seemed to understand and follow the rules. One participant, a student even came up to me and asked to split but I kindly refused.

The sandwich table was filled with footlong sandwiches and there were condiments and vegetables on the side. The CVUL's and other participants had lined up and continued to make their sandwiches."

I thought it was important to note what happened with the sandwiches. It seemed to throw Cindy off and had wasted part of her time. Students had to find a person who liked the same sandwich as them in order to eat, which had taken up time. Fortunately, it seemed that Cindy did not let the mishap bother her.

I think that the setting and environment is important to look at. Before the meeting had officially began, I decided to look at the exact detail of the room.

"The meeting took place in the student union on the third floor. It was in a small room that is about half the size of the average classroom. There was a long 12-foot table that was across the room; it was a dark cherry brown table. There were about 20 black, rolling chairs around the table and an extra 10 black rolling chairs along the wall. There was an LG TV that was not being used."

 

There were only 10 people in the room; however, there were 20 extra chairs in the room. It made the room feel empty even though the energy had gotten lively later on in the meeting.

The next example of thick description focuses on the environment of the last room. I noticed that I was able to give a lot of thick description of the environment compared to my past observations.

"This took place in a prestigious building on campus. The retreat took place in the largest room in the building. The room was about double the size of the classrooms and had two sets of double doors that reached the ceiling. There were 2 flags in front of the room, one was a U.S flag and the other was California flag. The thermostat in the room showed that it was 71º. There was also a black speaker on the corner of the room. There was a counter on the left side of the room and 3 baskets of snacks. Snacks included pringles, trial mix, cookies, and chips.

There were five round tables that were spread across the room. They had plastic table covers on them; there were 3 red ones and 2 blue ones. There were mason jars in the middle of the table that had white shredded paper and sticks with the name of the event as well."

 

I noted that this was important to note because it was a different and new environment compared where the CVULs usually are, which is the student union.

Audience

I believe that was an important to point out because the audience is what makes the Central Valley University Leaders possible. With the audience, the group would not serve a purpose.

During my first observation, I found it difficult to not take any notes on the audience members. However, I was able to not how important they are,

"The audience was really important for this retreat, without the audience there would be no point for this retreat. Also, the CVULs feed off of the audience which is meaningful action. I believe that the audience helps give the CVULs purpose."

 

This retreat is to benefit the student, or audience, not the CVULs directly. It is to help the audience become better leaders and find the leader within themselves. If the audience members did not come to the retreat, the group would lose its purpose.

At the meeting that I took an observation for as well, I found the audience still took a significant role, even if they were not there.

"Another comment that I noticed and pointed out was that "fix and organize papers" Cindy gasped "shut up; are you serious?" I believe it made her realize and remember what happened at the retreat before."

An audience member's response had surprised her and had possibly made her think about the mishap that happened at the first retreat. It shows that the audience has a big effect on how the CVULs act.

For my final observation, the audience again took a significant role for how the CVULs had acted. During this event, the audience was very quiet for some reason.

"Also, the audience for this retreat was very important. Without the audience, there would be no point in having the retreat. There were moments where it was difficult for the CVULs to communicate with the audience but it helps build the CVUL as a leader."

For this event, the audience had challenged the CVULs by staying quiet. This can truly help the CVUL become a better speaker and leader. This had made them react in a different way which can also connect to meaningful action. Since the audience was quiet, the CVUL had to react and change their stance.

Statuses and Roles

In the group, members like to think of themselves as all equal and sharing the same amount of power. However, statuses and roles are very important for this group. It helps guide the group to success.

For the meeting, it is important that we stay on track so we need to use our time wiely. Shay, as the gatekeeper of the group and our advisor, helps us start off,

"Shay had started the meeting at around 1:07. She announced that we were going to go over feedback from the past retreat. She then handed out packets to all of us and asked us to skim over."

Shay's status as our advisor is really important. Her role is what keeps us on track. She had immediately begun to hand us our packets to get the meeting rolling.

The end of the semester is on its way and it was important for us to talk about the future of the group,

"The next question was who was going to continue to be a CVUL for the next semester which was only Yvonne and myself and Kylie was unsure. Kylie had quietly left; she had got up and Shay said that they will speak next week about Kylie returning as a CVUL for next semester. Shay had brought up another point and had asked if the meeting times should change for next semester. Shay had gasped and said the time could not change because of recruitment. Destiny had asked "how many applicants applied?" and Cindy had said "About 20 applicants applied, but hopefully they all show up." Amber had asked "what do you mean" and Cindy explained "Not everyone gets to be it and unfortunately not everyone who does get it can end up doing it when the time comes." Her voice seemed hopeful but concerned. I am not sure why but I think because she wants a lot of good candidates."

Some members of the group need to take role exit because they are graduating or no longer want to do it and can no longer be an active member. However, we did mention that there are new members of the group, which could be seen as roles. Cindy said that not all people who apply can fit the role as a CVUL because of conflict or they do not fit the requirements.

Destiny plays the role as the lead CVUL and ended the meeting,

"Destiny had brought everyone together we performed the ritual; Density had started off and the rest of the members followed. It started off with a slow clap and got faster and Destiny yelled the name of the group and the members reply, "Lead the way!" I ended the observation there."

This ritual is very important to the CVULs and allows us to finish our meetings. This is one of her many roles as the lead CVUL. Unfortunately, I was unable to see the other roles during my observations.

Team and Teamwork

Teamwork is a very important factor that plays a role in this group. I think it would be very difficult to manage the retreats.

During the first retreat, I was able to see how the team works with the audience,

"A few minutes had passed, and everyone had sat down and began to talk and eat their lunch. I chose to take a seat towards the back. At first, Yvonne and Destiny were talking among each other, somewhat excluding themselves among the group and other participants. Cindy had kindly put her head between them and asked them to split apart so they can talk to everyone else. Destiny obliged and moved away sat next to two female participants."

At first, Yvonne and Destiny were almost experiencing role drift. However, Cindy had reminded them to split and spread among the audience. This is a good example of teamwork because the participants reminded each other of how to interact with the audience.

Teamwork played a significant role again during the first retreat,

"Another example of theory would be teamwork. The group had to work together in order to present and facilitate this event. This retreat would have not been possible without the group working together. Also, throughout the issues that arose, such as missing papers, where multiple people had to go and fix the problem."

The team was able to work and fix those problems. If it were a single person working there would be no possibility that they would smoothly be able to fix the mishap of the missing papers.

In the meeting, we were able to discuss matters as a team,

"Teamwork is another important theory that took place. There are many members that will not be a part of the group for the next semester. However, all of the members had some input to make the group better in the future. This group would not function correctly if there was no teamwork."

Although there are members who will not be returning in the future, they were still willing to discuss what would work for the group in the future.

Front Stage and Back Stage

Front stage and back stage stood out to among all the theories to me. For the retreats, there is a lot of preparation that took place for these groups.

"As for theory, this defiantly an example of the front-stage self. This is one of the bigger events that the Central Valley University Leaders have. The CVUL's have to present themselves as professionals and a good reprehensive of leaders to the students/participants.

This is one of biggest events that the CVUL's have during the semester so there has to be a lot of preparation and it took a lot of preparing. However, since there were issues with participants not having the correct papers, there must have been issues in the back-stage while they were preparing."

 

            What stood out to me was there was possibly a mishap in the backstage. Using this research could better help my group prepare for the future.

            Meetings are the main setting of where backstage preparation take place,

"A theory that is important is the backstage preparation. A part of this meeting time was used to discuss feedback from the prior retreats. This is an example of the backstage self. Although this after the event, it provides feedback for the next semester's retreat."

 

We were able to discuss important factors that will play a big role. This backstage preparation for next semester reflects on how we work as a team.

At the final retreat I observed, I was able to see how Shay, Cindy, and Kylie show their front stage self,

"Front stage is another important theory to be considered for this. Since this is a conference for graduate students there is a lot more professionalism that is being showed."

 

I have never seen this side of these individuals before; it was a different type of professionalism. I usually see these more relaxed and laid back, but they were still themselves. People put on a different front stage towards different audiences, where this one was to graduate students.

Interview

To begin, I ran a word count frequency query of the transcripts of the interviews. It showed the most frequent words that occurred through the interviews. The most common word was group/groups which popped up 97 times and had a weighted percentage of 2.08%. During the interview, we had both referred to our group as group rather than using the name. The second most common word was student/students which occurred 75 times and had a weighted percentage of 1.60%. I am not surprised that the word student had occurred because that is the group that the Central Valley University Leaders work with as their audience.

Definition of the Situation

            The first node I created in NVIVO was definition of the situation. I chose to base some questions on this concept because I was curious to see what the group is and does in the interviewee's own perspective.

            There are many definitions of what a Central Valley University Leader is. I had asked Kylie what is a CVUL is and made sure to emphasize what it is in her own words. She responded with:

                        Kylie: "Okay. Um, Central Valley University Leaders is a group that gets people involved on campus if they're not involved already. Um, we try to find the students who don't have any group affiliations yet and try to find the matches that best match their interests through clubs and organizations."

           Her definition of what a CVUL differentiates from what other interviewees had given me. For example, the other respondents did not mention that the CVUL's seek or find students who have no affiliations or not involved. I also thought it was significant that Kylie had mentioned that the CVUL's seek students who are not involved and do not have group affiliations. It means the same things, but she may have felt the need to emphasize that fact.

I also think that definition of the situation can relate on how people view their status, role, or involvement as a CVUL. With the first interview, I had asked her if there were any final comments she had about the group, she responded with:

                        Briana: "I think it's a really great opportunity and I wish that more people knew about it a passion for, kind of like teaching. Like I never, like if you had told me in high school that I would like working with students, I'd be like, oh right. Cause I'm a very impatient person and I think, but like, um, and I think that, I mean I know I have a hot temper, like especially when people don't get things right away. But see, I definitely taught me how to um, have more compassion and taught me how to be more patient with students because leadership is hard. It's a hard thing to learn. And a lot of times I haven't had a person, when people tell me like, oh, I'm a loser, I'm like, yes, you are now please stop talking. [laugh] But CVUL has taught me like, oh no, you're not. Like there's a little bit of a good spark in everybody and it's important for you to believe that because if you believe it then it'll start to happen because the biggest component of being successful is you believing in yourself. So CVUL has definitely changed my perspective and my personality has taught me how to be a lot more patient, a lot more compassionate and more understanding. And [inaudible] hardworking because CVUL a lot of it is hands on experience. And when it's like when you're talking in front of a group of students, at first she thinks you're nervous, but the more you do it, the more comfortable you get with yourself. And I think CVUL should be more marketed towards more students because it's such a great opportunity to develop yourself as an individual."

           I chose to use this quote because she had directly connected her full experience to how she is as a person now. Her status as a CVUL has helped change her lookout on how she views leadership and she acts as a leader. Everyone has a different situation on how being a CVUL affects their personality.

          For the final interview, I had asked her why she joined the group.

 

                        Yvonne: "Okay. Uh, so when I came in I really just wanted like a lot of experience. I want to as much leadership experience as I could because I knew that I was going to be gone into a higher, even higher education then just my undergraduate. And so, um, I, and so I knew somebody who was a Central Valley University Leader and she, she talked to me, she was, she told me that, you know, my personality and what I aspire to be seen to really fit in with a Central Valley University Leader. And she thought that I can really learn a lot from it. And so I went and so, she sent me the link and everything and I applied to be a Central Valley University Leader and I came in only expecting like to talk to students, to gain experience and to be able to like help myself be able to be more expressive learning, uh, and learning more about myself and helping the students. But coming in and like our group is so-so perfect. Like the group is so wonderful. We have people that are talkative, we have people that are listeners, great, great listeners. We have people who are super attentive to everybody and the group just as a whole is so whole. And I really liked that. And I gain so much more than what I came in expecting. And so I'm glad that out of all the other leadership position I could have chosen, I chose CVUL and I, I don't regret it at all. So I honestly, came in wanting as much experience as I can. I didn't care where, but I'm glad I chose CVUL in the end. Yeah."

          I believe it is important to include this quote. She had explained that the definition or the purpose of the role as a CVUL has changed throughout time. She had mentioned that she had first come for experience and came out with much more. Her definition had not only changed, but it also very unique for her.

Front Stage and Back Stage

          Front stage and back stage are important concepts when being a member within any group. Front stage is how a member would perform in front of the audience. For the CVUL's the audience would be the students that the CVUL's work with. The back stage is how a member would prepare for events or where a CVUL would go when help is needed.

          In the second interview I had asked Kylie about the backstage:

                        Interviewer: "I want to shift this, I was talking about like, um, how we present ourselves. That's how you present yourself. That's how you see yourself. That's really good. I want to know if I were somebody in, um, in the back and the backstage. Um, if I were someone that you trust in the backstage and if I am, um, how would you prepare for certain things such as the interest session or a retreat?"

                        Kylie: "Um, well, we prepare in the back office when no other students are, there are no outside students, no outside students. But we do work with other students who are in leadership boards. So it's more informal. Um, we're usually eating and throwing jokes around, keeping things light and funny and positive, but we still get work done."

                        Interviewer: "That's good. So in the backstage, it's definitely, I don't want to put words, but it's definitely more blank. Is it more relaxed? It's more casual, is it? You throw any other word in there if you'd like, or you could use those too."

                        Kylie: "Um, it's definitely more relaxed. The pressure is off to be quote on quote on and um, it's probably a little less professional, but, um, we're still working within professional office guidelines, if that makes sense."

                        Interviewer: "Um, it kinda make sense. I mean, I understand what you're saying, but, um, explain a little bit more."

                        Kylie: "We're not making inappropriate comments. Um, we're eating, which we usually don't do around students because, um, we just want to be focused on the student when we're meeting with them. So it's, it's less formal."

          Kylie had emphasized that the backstage is in the back office. It is overall less formal, the pressure is off. She mentioned that it is a little less professional and also more relaxed. This is all because there are no students in the backstage.

          In the next interview with Yvonne, I had asked her how she presents herself with the intention of talking about the self. However, she gave me something that related more to the front stage:

                        Interviewer: "So as a member of your group, um, how do you present yourself?"

                        Yvonne: "So, I usually present myself as a very cheerful person, you can say. I talk a lot. And so whenever I'm with the group, um, and talkative and cheerful, I gave a lot of my opinions and, uh, there's a lot to say that I say in the group as compared to when I'm by myself. And so in this group I'm usually a very opinionated, that's usually a bad word to say, but opinionated and so, but yeah, that's it. I, I think they were differently. He shouldn't have been in there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah."

                        Interviewer: "Um, differently meaning, um, then when you're out of the group?"

                        Yvonne: "Yeah. Okay. So, um, whenever I'm outside of this group, because I know that in this position I'm more on a professional, a more on a professional, at a more professional place. And so, I put myself in that kind of role where I'm still very, myself still very like outgoing and talkative and opinionated, but, but more formal. So, when I'm outside of this group and usually I just casual, oh, let it go, talk about whatever kind of stuff. And then when I'm with this group, it's still very much me. It's just that there's a certain kind of, um, line I don't really cross when I'm with this group. And so, for example, like personal stuff definitely there is talking about personal stuff, but there's just like some topics that are not when I'm with a group because of that line that I draw."

Yvonne had drawn a line from her front stage to outside of the group. She had emphasized that she keeps her personal life out of the group and tends to be more professional. I believe that this related more to the front stage for the group rather than the self. This also connects to next response when Yvonne mentions the backstage:

                        Yvonne: "So, um, whenever I'm in front of the audience and very like, I'm still very cheerful and talkative and interactive, but I'm very formal. So I, everything has, uh, and move everything to a straight cut kind of point, kind of straight cut point. If there's a script I have to follow, I will follow that script. Um, including like including what I need to say, how I need to like conduct it and still be as interactive and cheerful and talkative as I usually am. But making everything go like as planned. When I'm with my group of, uh, CVUL's, it doesn't have to be according to plan because we're all leaders here. So we know how to get things done and there and it's less, it's less formal than when I'm in the front of my audience because this is them looking at me now. So, um, and then when I'm by myself, as I said earlier, very casual, very informal, just just, um, just like talk about anything like that I want to talk about."

          In this quote, Yvonne notes how she is in front of her audience as a CVUL and when she is in front of the group, which is the front stage and back stage. She had also noted that the when it is just the members, or when in the backstage, it also less formal. In her front stage, she mentioned that she follows a guideline such as the script. I thought it was interesting that she had mentioned it was less formal as well.

Role Drift

          I was not planning to use role drift as a node; however, in each interview, they somehow mentioned a CVUL or themselves drifting away from the role. I think it is really important to mention this throughout this because it seemed very significant for the interview for themselves.

          In the first interview, Briana had mentioned former members detached and left the role and gave her thoughts on their departure:

                        Briana: "So, um, the example that I have to mention that I thought it was, um, that occurred to me was a or [past male member 2] and [past female member] because [past male member 2], well, first let's start off with [past female member]. [past female member], she was like super enthusiastic. She was really excited. She was taught, I remember her saying that she thought the kind of person, she likes to, um, go out of her shell, but she was super excited to do it. But then, um, after two weeks, two meetings after that, which is two weeks, she just kind of disappeared and nobody knew where she went. And I asked Shay and Shay told us, Oh, um, she ended up dropping out and I think she dropped out because she had anticipated too much and we weren't moving in the fast pace that she would like, she wanted us to move. So she thought since we weren't doing anything that was important, she just dropped out. So I think she anticipated too much and she was, she tried to expectations but didn't know how it was going to be coordinated. And I think people often forget that good things don't come fast. That cause, she hadn't even experienced a retreat before she had dropped out. So I think that she wasn't willing to wait the entire, um, she wasn't willing to drive the entire way to the trip"

                        Interviewer: "to the semester?"

                        Briana: "Yeah. And she just wants to get the destination right away and that's not how it works. Whereas with [past male member 2], I felt like he expected to be super easy, so he was kind of the opposite. He expected to be super easy and he didn't want to do any of the word and he slacked off. And I noticed he ditched a lot of meetings and although he was a really great guy who had a really dynamic attitude, he just, um, he didn't want to put in the work. And I think that's, even though it was only like three hours a week. I know. And it was, he didn't want to put it in the work and he skipped a lot. So, I think he had, well, as I said, [past female member] had anticipated too much. I feel like he under anticipated the expectations as well. And again, I feel like it's because the CVUL, we didn't have a really clear outline of what they had expected of us. Like if you look at the, at our description online, it doesn't talk like it doesn't really address what we really do."

          I thought that this was important to mention because the was a drift from past members in the group. Briana noted that for one past member thought the roles were not enough and the other member had slacked off in her eyes. There was a disconnection between the roles and the past CVUL's in Briana's eyes.

          In another interview, I had asked how the group worked together. Kylie had responded:

                        Kylie: "We're, we used to be a larger group with, um, maybe not such strong group ties, but now we're a smaller group since we're in the second semester. So people who couldn't make the commitment dropped out"

 

I thought it was important to note the differences she saw. She had saw the prior members has drifted away and departed from the role as a CVUL. She had mentioned that the group ties were not as strong in the first semester which relates to individual and their role connection. She had further explained the commitment and what it means to be a CVUL.

In my last interview with Yvonne she had also mentioned ideas of role drift. I had asked her to share any final thoughts and replied with:

Yvonne: "Uh, definitely I think that, um, well as I mentioned before, our group is perfect where so whole that we're whole. Um, just that there's one little thing that maybe our group can fix. Uh, it's just that whenever we don't, we as Central Valley University Leader don't follow while we came through. We don't have a consequence that follow. And so, um, being with that, I for example, uh, we came in as Central Valley University Leaders, we had to do this amount of, of volunteer each a month or present at a club and stuff, but, um, but we'll, we don't do it one semester. Uh, we don't get punished. Punish is a pretty strong word, but then in a way, there's no consequences that follow a we don't do as a Central Valley University Leader. And so we can definitely improve on that. Or, and when I see from that is that because we, there's no consequences that follow, we started becoming more lenient on ourselves. Uh, so for example, the first semester we were all like on top of things like trying to meet as many, uh, trying to do club presentations, uh, office hours and, and um, going through the volunteers that were required to do each month. But then when we realized that we don't get a consequence that follow, we don't follow something and our second semester we slacked off. And so during office hour we don't do what we're supposed to do, uh, during, um, or like second semester. I don't think any of us did a club presentation, even though we're required to do at least one for the semester or, um, or going to a more than three volunteers each semester. But that was probably because second semester there's not that much to do. And so we just see that and, and I see that in myself as well. I can't really, uh, I and I can observe that and the other CVUL's as well, but I can't say much about them. But for me, I observe it in myself and that I am doing way less than what I should be doing, what I should have been doing when I signed up to do. And that was probably because there was no consequences that follow. And our group can definitely improve that. Um, I don't know how, but the, the other than the perfect part that we have - there's that, um, gentleness. You can say there's that gentleness that our supervisors, uh, give to us and that gentleness is what's making us take advantage of the system and not, um, doing what we signed up to do."

 

I thought it was interesting how her response differentiates from the other interviews. She had not mentioned any former members but had mentioned what the current group stays and herself in the role of a CVUL. She had given examples such as volunteering and club presentations that members of the group have not done. She mentioned that there is not a consequence when people, including herself, break the rules and the members of the group continue to break out of their role.

Although role drift was not and intended node or theory I was planning to use, I noticed that each interviewee had brought it up.

Self

I chose to ask questions about the self because I wanted to know more how the members of the group present themselves and what they think about themselves.

In my first interview with Briana, I asked who influences and motivates her and the group:

Briana: "Oh, I think hands down Shay and Cindy like there are definitely the biggest influences. Um, Cindy and she's kind of, she's super amazing. I love her and like she's had such a great attitude, but I know sometimes she can be passive aggressive where she's kind of like, oh, I noticed you didn't show up. And you just kind of like, [short laugh] I know you're trying to say that's a joke, but I know that's kind of like you calling me out the same time. You know how she does that and like I think she's amazing. I love the way she leads. I think Shay has like such a great personality and she like; she's still relaxed and everything. And when you meet Shay, she's going to be mean. But she's so nice and she's so relaxed. Um, and I think like all of us contribute a little bit of good energy to each other. Cause I know at first like I was kinda nervous about being um, a CVUL. But then I've got to meet people like you, I got to meet people like Jason and Destiny and Yvonne and was just like such a great group dynamic that it kind of kept motivating me to come. So it's kind of a little bit of everyone, but definitely Shay Cindy contribute the most.

I thought that this was an important quote from Briana because it is important to see in the group who motivates them from the inside. It is important for the self to have motivating factors because it keeps members to do their job.

I had also asked Yvonne the same question on who motivates her and the group:

Yvonne: "So, uh, the main people that I turned to, uh, Shay and Cindy because they are our coordinators, they are our leader above leader and, and so they know, they know most of what they see. [inaudible] and turns, wins, troubles and situations come up. Uh, but like, so sometimes when they're not there, especially immersions layers with three, when they're busy with other things, the main person that I usually turn to is Briana as I mentioned before because she's, she is very nice, uh, initiative taking. And, uh, her, she at, she inspires me to do, to take on actions that I haven't thought about before. Um, and she's pretty good at problem solving. I don't know how that, wow. But they, I, she's, she seems to be pretty good at problem solving and because I admire her for her personality and the way she takes an it initiative and the way that she confronts things, uh, I will probably turn to her and signs of trouble."

I thought it was interesting that she had also mentioned that Shay and Cindy were the main people that she looks for as motivation. However, she also mentioned Briana was another person she could look for. I also noticed that Shay, Cindy, and Briana were people that Yvonne looked for in the backstage.

I had asked Kylie a different question that looked more in the looking glass self:

                        Interviewer: "How do you think they view you? For members who aren't in the group, like the students that you serve as a CVUL?"

                        Kylie: "Um, in my interest sessions, um, I feel like we do, I do connect with the students, um, just student to student and helping them. So, I, I believe that they have a positive experience with me and look at me with, um, positive regard. Um, I've never gotten a complaint, so I think that's a good sign. So, I think they view me in a positive light."

She noted that she thinks that the audience, which are the students, view her in a positive light. She noted that people have never complained about her and she believed that the students she met with had a positive experience.

Status and Roles

            For the last node, I combined roles and status. I asked about role performance and was able to receive much more.

            In the first interview with Briana and asked who her group was and what they did. She replied with:

Briana: "So, our group is called Central Valley University Leaders or CVUL's for short, which is how I will address them just cause it's a lot easier to say, oh. We basically help students get more involved on campus. For example, I would have the University Rolodex, which is accessible towards anyone and they felt a small form. And we, we, um, basically match what we think we cater to them and find out what would match their interests the best. That way they can be involved in what they like. And the more they like it, the more of all they'll be. And the more likely it will be that they'll stay in it. We also host something called retreat, which is [hidden] for short. And we basically help students develop leadership skills, especially students who are unaware, they have leadership skills or feel like they can't develop leadership skills because I'm not a typical leader and it just encourages them to be more involved in school."

            She was able to give me the main roles that the group does. She noted that a role of a CVUL is get students more involved on campus. They also noted they have a retreat they facilitate that helps students gain leadership skills and get more involved. These are the main roles and a snapshot of a CVUL.

            In the next interview with Kylie, I had also asked what she and the group does as a CVUL. Her response was:

                        Kylie: "Okay yeah. As a Central Valley University Leader we're usually required to do three hours of office hours a week. Um, we haven't done that recently because we're on call and there's less work to do. But usually we do meet with students and create, um, recommendation forms so they can get involved on campus. We also do regular office tasks. Anything that the coordinators need us to do, we also put on the retreat and do tabling as well."

                        Interviewer: "That's interesting. I want to know what's the most important role."

                        Kylie: "I would say the most important role is probably the retreat because we reach most amount of students who want to get involved."

 

            Kylie also noted that the retreat because it is where they reach the most amount of students and they are able to get them involved there. She also noted office tasks that Briana had not mentioned. Kylie noted that they create recommendation forms and do tabling. This may a smaller part of what the group does. However, these are still important roles because Kylie had mentioned them.

            As for status, I did not originally have any questions. However, Yvonne brought up the importance of a CVUL and its status. Her quote was:

                        Yvonne: "So, like as a student, you're a student, you know. But when you go into a student leader position, this is like up there. And like below professors and any, like normal faculty, any faculties, a student leader positions. Central Valley University Leader positions are probably some of the higher, higher people up there, uh, for undergraduate students anyway. Because we, we interact with students in a way that gives us power, you can say. Uh, um, being aware that you shouldn't abuse that power or let that power abuse you or control and change you. So, yeah, it's just at that point, a level where you're in this position. So, oh, I have a great example. So when you're meeting with people for the first time, you guys are [inaudible] students. It's very awkward to talk to one another. But when you're in a student leader position as a Central Valley University Leader and you yourself here in that position with a regular student, you can easily talk to them. Like, reach out to them and say, hi, I'm a Central Valley University Leader. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And you can just talk on forever and ever. I get that - I get that kind of sense when I'm in this position. But when I'm just a regular student, I, I feel awkward talking to other students when reaching out first. But I'm, I'm usually pretty good at that. But I'm talking about like in terms of like when you, different positions changing, different, changing people's demeanor kinda and how initiative that a person is. So that kind of thing."

            I really liked the distinction she made between a student and a CVUL or all student leaders. The status of a CVUL is very significant to her because it shows the power she has. It shows the importance of the CVUL to the campus. She had shown her belief that her status gives her a power that she ranks above some students; however, she uses this power to help students out on campus.

Analysis

Agency

            I chose to use agency as a node because I see that students have a story to tell once they are involved with the university. There is also empowerment that is showed through their stories.

            There is one YouTube video that the Central Valley University Leaders share when they give presentations and such.

"My name is [name] and I've been heavily involved since coming to [university]. I've been president of (a) pre-law fraternity I was also the founder of [club]. I'm also a member of (a) fraternity and I'm currently a Central Valley University Leader and student body president."

            I thought that this was important to include because of the many connections that this student made to the university. He was also a former Central Valley University Leader which may have shown him the importance of being involved.

            There are a few videos that the Central Valley University Leaders have, but those that they do have and promote the retreat or getting involved. There is one promo video for the retreat that the Central Valley University Leaders have on the website and send through the emails. One of the comments on the video said:

"This is great program!  Highly recommend it!

#[university's name] #Go [mascot's name]"

 

            I thought that this comment stood out for a few reasons. First, it was one of the few on social media comments that related directly to the retreat. Also, it is a positive comment that could encourage other students to get involved and attend the retreat.

            Another important story was from a past member. This video was posted on Instagram at the time where the involvement center recruits new members and Central Valley University Leaders. The transcription from the video was:

"I'm a Central Valley University Leader here on campus. It's known as CVUL because it sounds a lot cooler when you tell people. I feel what our initiative for program is the one on one connection we have with our students. Because we come to university with over 24,000 students hard to find that connection from time to time. And so to be there to help facilitate in that college endeavor in that little stuff that we do have I think it's very fulfilling."

            The story was really important because he shares the impact that he and the Central Valley University Leaders had made. Also, many students who may watch that video could be encouraged to do that and make the same impact on other students.

Frame Amplification

            Frame amplification is where it amplifies values and highlight them to get a potential audience involved. I chose to use this as node because I want to look at the promotion that the Central Valley University Leaders use.

            For the retreat that is held, they had sent out emails that had:

"Attend (the) Retreat- a FREE leadership development experience offered through [university department] Over the course of two and a half days you'll learn more about your personal leadership style, cultural influences on leadership, make meaningful connections on campus, and in the community, and have a blast while doing so!"

            This is an important quote because it amplifies the retreat and what it provides for students. It is important that it includes the skills that students will gain such as cultural influence on leadership. This could really entice a student's attention and it shows the values that the involvement center carries.

            On the student involvement page, it shares the mission statement of the entire organization. The core values are shared as well which are:

CORE VALUES

Support and Teamwork

We demonstrate our ethic of care for each other, for students and for our colleagues by providing honest, dependable, and timely counsel, assistance, guidance and feedback; by sharing our resources and our time; and by being flexible and open to new ideas.

Service

We demonstrate exemplary student-centered service by always communicating with warmth and respect, and by considering the needs of all our stakeholders in the planning, design and delivery of information, processes, services, facilities and resources. We demonstrate service by designing efficient, accessible, user-friendly and coherent processes, services and resources.

Growth and Learning

We demonstrate our commitment to growth and learning as our primary goal by intentionally and consistently framing our interactions, transactions, programs, facilities operations and resources as educational opportunities.

Leadership

We demonstrate our leadership by actively engaging in the process of inspiring shared vision. We demonstrate our leadership by collaborating, participating in, supporting and challenging the processes that move ideas into action. We demonstrate our leadership by including, empowering, and encouraging each other, our colleagues and students in our work.

Inclusion

We demonstrate inclusion by consciously planning, designing, delivering programs, services, resources, policies, procedures and facilities that are open, accessible to and appreciative of differences in background, ability, interest, and identity. We communicate respect and inclusion in our communications.

 

            Each of these values are very important and they have an important and unique story to each meaning to everyone. This could draw in a student's attention and show them the importance of what it means to get involved.

            Emails that were sent always include catchy headlines that should get someone's attention:

"Subject: Calling all Graduate Students at Fresno State!!!

[name]

The [name] ([name]: a leadership opportunity designed specifically for post- baccalaureate students) is a two days immersive experience that covers advanced leadership and professional development topics. The schedule includes networking, learning about your personal leadership style and identities, discussions on social justice, the Ropes Course, and more!

·       Get the benefit of years of experience a concise curriculum; and boost your capacity for leadership at the [name]!

·       Get to know graduate students from other departments (and connect with the leaders of tomorrow)."

 

            This email has a lot of characteristics that could catch someone's attention. It truly amplifies what they mean and what their program means. It starts with the subject which is "calling all graduate students;" it grabs the attention because it creates a visual of people calling for graduate students. It gives a lot of detail compared to a regular flyer.

Identity

            For identity, it shows the characteristics of the group and what it means to be in the group. I chose to use this because I believe that this group and the involvement center shows a lot of pride in the group.

            The group uses flyers and emails to recruit new members:

"Leave Your Mark Application Open!

Leave Your Mark

Get involved at [university]

Don't miss out on the opportunity to get involved at [university] and gain leadership experience, build connections/relationships and find your place on campus!

Student leadership boards within the Involvement Center are recruiting for the 2019-20 academic year! Apply by [date] to join one of the dynamic teams of students that impact our campus!

Central Valley University Leaders: Guide other students to get involved!"

 

            This is really important because it grabs the attention of the audience.  It leaves a short description of what the Central Valley University Leaders do. It convinces the reader that they will be able to have the opportunity to guide students to getting involved. The meaning of the group is to guide students as they get involved at the university.

            The next quote is on the involvement website that was to inform students what the Central Valley University Leaders are:

"Central Valley University Leaders are your peer advisors to help find the right clubs, organizations, and other involvement activities that fit your interests and personal development goals. When you meet with a Central Valley University Leader, you will get accurate and helpful information from someone who has already navigated the system, actively participates in various involvement opportunities, and has found the best ways to be involved."

            It is important to know who the Central Valley University Leaders are and what they do. It shows the roles and what it means to be a part of the group. The meaning of the group is to help students gain helpful information.

            The involvement center website also shares information on how to get involved:

Make your [university] experience a story you want to share!

Build lifelong relationships, enhance your collegiate experience and develop leadership skills– getting involved is your key to success! The Involvement Center in is your place to make connections to campus life.

·       Schedule a one-on-one session to receive guidance and meet your involvement goals

·       Represent the student voice and plan events as a part of student leadership

·       Access student organization resources, such as mailboxes and event planning assistance

·       Connect with our team of experienced, professionally trained staff

            I believe that it is important that it says they students will build lifelong relationships that will gain the university experience. Many people in the group see that building relationships and making connections are an important meaning to the group.

Motivation

            The motivation is what encourages people to join or get involved. I believe that this is an important aspect because that is the goal and mission of the Central Valley University Leaders.

            In an email that was sent out to the university's students:

"You're invited to be a member of the Leadership Academy!

Attend any 4 Leadership on Demand workshops and be inducted into the Leadership Academy!

What is the Leadership Academy?

The Leadership Academy is a unique program that allows you priority access to the Center for Leadership's news and upcoming event information. You will receive perks such as a certificate identifying your leadership competencies, a Credly badge for your LinkedIn profile, a subscription to the Center for Leadership email blast, and an invitation to attend the Leadership Recognition Celebration in May!

Being inducted into the Leadership Academy is a great addition to your resume and the process is easy! All you have to do is attend any 4 Leadership on Demand workshops this semester!"

            I believe that this is an important aspect to motivation. This provides incentives that offer students opportunities to enhance their resume and LinkedIn profile. It also invites them to join the Leadership Academy which provides more access to leadership opportunities. It motivates students to take this leadership opportunity and get more involved.

            Another opportunity for the students is an opportunity to be a Central Valley University. This was posted on their website:

"Leave Your Mark

Make the most of your college experience- get involved!

The Student Involvement Center provides a variety of volunteer leadership roles to enhance your college experience and help you leave your mark at [university]! We are looking for passionate individuals to join our leadership boards for the 2019-20 academic year. Apply online to get involved at [university]!

Central Valley University Leaders (CVUL)

Central Valley University Leaders (CVUL) serve as a resource to students interested in becoming connected to the campus community through involvement. Members advise, facilitate and public speak in this role.

Requirements:

·       Prior involvement experience at [university].

·       Enrolled as a part- or full-time student.

·       Attend meetings Fridays 1 to 2 p.m.

·       (4) office hours per week.

·       2.50 GPA or higher (semester and cumulative) throughout application process and 2019-20 academic year.

Responsibilities:

·       Promote campus involvement by connecting students to clubs and events

·       Facilitate leadership retreats

·       Introduce students to leadership opportunities on campus

·       Tabling, presentations, and meeting one-on-one with students"

            I believe that giving out details of the opportunity entices students. The leave your mark campaign allows students to imagine that they can make an impact on campus and even in student's lives. Also, the description mentions that the role of Central Valley University Leaders enhances the own student's college career as well.

            In a video of students who got involved, one student gave their recommendations on why to get involved:

"By getting involved in different kinds of organizations not only helps you become a better leader, (but) a better friend. It also helps you with your career and sets you apart from other job candidates when you are looking for a job. So, get involved, leave your mark, and be proud of your college experience. Just do it whether it's going to that one event or meeting individuals from particular club. It may not even be something that you're too familiar with but just go out to that one event or go out to that one meeting and that might spark something that finds an interest, or you might find an interest that you've never had before."

            I believe that hearing from fellow peers motivates students to do the same. It is reassuring to see someone who recently had and is involved; it creates a closer connection to the student and the idea of getting involved. This student really pushes the idea of you were to go to one event, it can open up a lot of doors. The student reminds the opportunities that are offered through just getting involved.

 

Prognosis

            The prognosis is the solution that is trying to be solved through joining the group. It provided what the group can do and how they can fix the problem.

            One issue that students go through is finding out their major and what they want to do. The Central Valley University Leaders enhance the idea that getting involved creates connections. In the video, one student said:

"I would definitely recommend students to get involved as soon as you can it's definitely going to make your experience here at [university] worthwhile and you're gonna get to meet new people it's gonna definitely help you develop those professional skills and it might even help you find out what you want to major in because it definitely helped me out"

            Many students feel lost during their college experience, specifically while finding or changing their major. Students are able to find out what they finally want to do once they get involved and find something that suits them. The student enhances the idea that getting involved guides students in the right direction in what the student wants to do.

            On the website of promoting the retreat, there is a description:

"College is an adventure and you should make the most out of your experience! [The University] has a TON of opportunities. There are chances to network with clubs and organizations, to grow into a more confident person and leader, make a difference in our community, experience a ropes course, and to meet friends that will last a lifetime. Luckily, there's even a place where you can gain access to all of those things in the course of a weekend... at the Retreat!"

An issue that many students go through is that they are unaware of what the university has to offer them. Some students get very overwhelmed and choose not to get involved at all. The Central Valley University Leaders enhances that issue that there is "a TON of opportunities." The Central Valley University Leaders solve this problem by promoting students to go to the retreat which offer a place to gain experience and get involved.

Another issue that some graduate student miss out on is networking. The involvement center also offers a retreat made for graduate students.

"Graduate Retreat 

Don't miss out on the opportunity to participate in two days of advanced leadership development workshops and networking geared toward graduate students!

The Graduate Retreat (a leadership opportunity designed specifically for post- baccalaureate students) is a two days immersive experience that covers advanced leadership and professional development topics.

·       Get the benefit of years of experience a concise curriculum; and boost your capacity for leadership at the Graduate Retreat!

·       Get to know graduate students from other departments (and connect with the leaders of tomorrow)."

Networking is a necessity in college; it helps build your experience to get ready for your careers. Some students miss out on that opportunity. The Graduate Retreat offers that opportunity to get involved and network at a higher level.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed looking at the Central Valley University Leaders in a different light which was an outside observer, or the Maritain. I believe that looking at them from the Maritain role made me realize what I can do to help my group out in the future. I plan to continue to be an active member of this group in the future and my research has shown me how I can help. It was also interesting to how many of the theories overlapped one another as I did the analysis.

I have learned a lot through the interviews I conducted. I learned the new perspective that my fellow group members had shared with me. for example, I did not know that former member leaving this group. As an active member of this group, I thought I knew everything about the group. However, the interviewees have taught me a lot about the group that I was unaware of. It has made me more aware of other's people affiliation with this group. I have grown to know more about this group and feel that I can be a better member in this group.

Looking at the content analysis and the documents of my group gave me the opportunity to look the Central Valley University Leaders from a different lens. This group's mission is to help students get involved in the undergraduate years at the university and transfer them to become better leaders. They start with first getting them involved and then transferring them to their careers.

Overall, I think this group is great and I learned so much from my research. I plan on continuing to being a Central Valley University Leader and becoming a better member.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Dillon. 2013. Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Application to

the Twenty-First Century. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. pp. 273-297

Dillon. 2013. Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Application to

the Twenty-First Century. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. pp. 121

Sandstrom, Kent L. 2014. Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Social Psychology and Sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.