John Jones

SUNY Cortland

Service

Overview

Starting in the Fall of my second year at Cortland, I began to serve as a member of the Social Justice Committee and the Dispositions Committee of the Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department. On the Social Justice Committee I have been tasked with gathering resources to help the committee create a kit of diversity and equity-related tools and recommendations that can be used by faculty in the department in their own courses. The Dispositions Committee reviews and suggests changes to the department’s dispositions policies, and members are responsible for taking part in dispositions procedures that move past a certain level. I have just recently joined both committees but, especially on the Social Justice Committee, there are many opportunities to become involved on campus. Eventually, I would like to take over the responsibilities of chair of one of the committees.

Outside of committee work, I have been actively seeking ways to become involved on campus and in the Cortland community. During the Fall of 2022, I participated in some events hosted by the SUNY Cortland Black Student Union, and I plan to continue this in 2023. In February 2023, I delivered a lecture as part of the Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office’s Black History Month activities. Through contacts in the Cortland area, I have learned of volunteering opportunities at the Cortland YWCA, The Cortland Free Library, and the Catholic Charities, which runs a GED and literacy program. I plan to volunteer with these organizations this year.

 

Statement on Advisement

Like most of my colleagues in the Childhood/Early Childhood department, I advise many students. This semester, I currently have 32 advisees, but at times that number has risen to around 40. Advising students is one of the most difficult and rewarding parts of our job, and it is also one that requires a significant time commitment. Advising requires the professor to gain some level of familiarity with workings of university processes that take place outside the classroom. It also requires a great deal of emotional labor. In my own time here, I have had to help students who were dealing with losses in their families, those requiring counseling for negative experiences that have happened on campus (I reported these incidents to the proper offices who deal with these things), or the disappointment of being removed from the academic program.

There are many aspects of advising that are positive. Advising gives me the opportunity to interact with students who are not in my classes. I can also gain an understanding of what campus life is like from the student perspective by talking with my advisees. This part of the job can be emotionally draining, as students routinely come to me to discuss problems that they are having in their lives, some of which are quite severe. I have included a screen capture of my list of advisees from Banner (sensitive information has been censored), as well as some screenshots of email notifications from Starfish regarding my scheduled meetings with advisees. 

 

Committees

 

SUNY Cortland

Departmental (CECE)

  • Dispositions Committee: Fall 2022-2025, Letter
  • Social Justice Committee: Fall 2022-2025 Letter
  • Graduate Curriculum Committee: Fall 2023-2025 Letter

University

 

SUNY SYSTEM

SUNY Geneseo Department of Education

  • Literacy Committee: Fall 2020-Spring 2021, Member
  • Social Foundations Committee: Fall 2020-Spring 2021, Member

 

Campus Engagement

  • Clark Center for Global Engagement: Letter
  • Center for Ethics, Peace and Social Justice (CEPS) Board: Documentation
  • SUNY Cortland Rock, Jazz and Blues Ensemble (AAS 142-001): Spring 2022-Present, Band member (Brass Section)
  • BSU Silent Disco Party: September 23, 2022/2023, Chaperone: Documentation
  • Delta Phi Epsilon: Fall 2022-Present, Faculty Advisor-Letter

 

Advisement

  • Fall 2021-Spring 2022/10 advisees; Fall 2022-Spring 2023/ 35 advisees; Fall 2023-Spring 2024/ 32 Advisees