Discussion Journal #10

This past week in our class lectures we dove into our SEPPPs a little more. Mary took us in depth into what each section needs for our second draft and ultimately our final report of our SEPPP. Unlike our first draft of our SEPPP where we almost just stated our purpose (mission, values, etc) the second draft is more in depth and a lot closer to our final project. We need to incorporate our marketing, financial, operation, risk management, facilitation and management, and evaluation plans into one document. We were able to look at past group's plans and see what exactly is expected for our final project.

Sitting there and taking notes on Thursday really got me thinking about my group's SEPPP. We have been divided into smaller groups to work on these things, and then we come together as a whole to analyze what we have been doing. Even though we have specific leaders and a task force for each group without knowing what one another is doing we can't accomplish anything. I'm struggling doing my end without knowing EXACTLY what is happening with timings, events we have on ice, who is going to be where. I nearly laughed when Mary said the animation plan is one of the hardest, I thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but now after looking at what needs to be done I am really going to work with the rest of my group to put this together.

So now knowing what each part of the SEPPP truly entails going forward it is going to be a constant communication process with the group. I had already started to tap into that this past weekend, but now it is full force. If every one of us truly steps up and chips in our event is going to be successful. We have 60 tickets in our possession at the moment and I truly believe our group can pull off A LOT more, but it is a matter of working together through out different plans in order to do so. Becoming closer with marketing (as I have some ideas for a Facebook page and such) is going to be extremely important in the next few days as our event is a few weeks away!

Discussion Journal #9

This week we focused on management and leadership. Compared to popular belief, those who are managers aren't necessarily leaders and those who are leaders aren't necessarily managers. Being a leader means you're going to lift people up, be inspirational and someone people aspire to be. Being a manager means you are by the book, you have structure and the goal is to get things done. Most work places see failure when managers aren't leaders, as there is no inspiration and the moral of the team is quite low.

While doing this week's reading I was at work, and I had to run to show my manager what I was reading. We have had a lot of issues at work lately and our upper management has been quite horrible. They have backed off on everything they believed in. They aren't following our mission, vision or values. They have been yelling rather than explaining. Our one manager Tyler he is a true leader, more a leader than a manager, and he has always been on our side. I showed him the quote from Kotter's reading: "Management controls people by pushing them in the right direction; leadership motivates them by satisfying basic human needs." Tyler agreed and was shocked at how that one quote was exactly how our workplace has fallen to be. Previously our head manager believed in empowerment and we make our decisions, now it's chaotic and extremely controlling. This whole week has been such a reflection to leadership in my own life, in my workplace and as being captain of my swim and dive team.

Since being reminded of truly what leadership is I want to see it throughout my life. I am continuing to lead my team this year throughout our season, but not in a manger style, yes we have to get things done, but I have to stay true to being a leader. I hope to help lead my group during our SEPPP this semester, as it's been quite chaotic with everyone trying to do everything. Finding the balance between one another and each of our goals is extremely important in the next few weeks, otherwise it's going to be a disaster. Leading doesn't mean knowing everything it means sharing others thoughts and trying to bring a group together to make the best possible idea.  

Discussion Journal #8

This week we dug into quantitative data following the evaluation topic. There are 5 P's of evaluation: participants, program, place, policies/administration and personnel. Those are incorporated into our logic models and our evaluation. A big part of evaluation is surveys. If we get the participant's and worker's feedback we will then be able to see if our program is successful and meeting our objectives. It is important to specify what you are trying to do in the survey. Are you trying to measure satisfaction, accessibility or value? Like as if we were in a science class we almost write a formula. We need a dependent variable and an independent variable. The dependent variable is what is being measured and the independent variable is what influences or predicts what is being measured. We also really focused on learning how to write a good question in relation to our surveys. There are seven important things to remember when writing questions:

1. Avoid double barreled questions
2. Be Clear and Brief
3. Avoid leading questions
4. Write in the language the respondents use
5. Avoid technical jargon
6. Avoid negative questions
7. Use precise alternatives

Since our focus has been a lot more on topics rather than emotions in class it is hard to find that personal tie of how the information makes me feel. Tying this all into our group's SEPPP it is going to be extremely important to be using our 5 P's of evaluation as well as looking at our independent and dependent variables.  After learning about writing good questions for our surveys it really showed me that we need to start asking those questions to ourselves. An example of that is "on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being worst and 5 being the best) how did you enjoy the event?" Thinking of that and other questions starts to put the thought process of how we want our event to go is important.

So taking all what we learned this week moving forward I think that really using how to write good questions will not only help our group create a good survey, but also help us start looking at the objectives we want to accomplish with our program.

Discussion Journal 7

This week we learned that evaluating programs is important. We evaluate programs so that we can have the best program possible; keep what works and fix what doesn't. With all that we have to make sure we use different perspectives, get facts and feelings, and ask the experts. We also learned how to incorporate evaluation into our logic models. Asking the question of who needs to know and how we will evaluate each section of the logic model helps us understand our program better.

This week nothing touched emotionally on my life in relation to evaluation, but it did make me think of things in relation to my workplace and my team. I am captain of my team and thinking about how we do things sometimes is interesting. We never really stop to evaluate how our means of communication is going or if people are really relaying the information. We text all the women as well as write the stuff on a board in the locker room. One day I tried doing a Facebook message and I asked them what they preferred they said that the text message was easier as they get it instantly. A few said they can't receive group messages. Evaluating how we communicate to our team is extremely important because everyone needs the message, so my co-captain and I have been experimenting with different ideas this week to maximize our communication, ultimately maximizing the success of our program. 

My action plan is to really incorporate evaluation into the SEPPP we are working on for our group. We have already started to run into some things that could jeopardize how our program turns out. If we constantly evaluate how our plan is going and how we see our program going I believe it is going to be successful. The biggest thing with evaluation is communication. Our group needs to communication regularly to evaluate our plan.

Discussion Journal 6

This past week has been one of the most eye-opening weeks during the semester. We learned a lot about those with disabilities and our Tuesday experience really showed us how difficult it can be for them. We were assigned a building and had a checklist to determine if the building was assessable for someone with a disability. It was really upsetting when we learned that the building where we have our Thursday class is perhaps assessable but it is not useable. The women's washroom door handle was hard for me to open, as it was really high up, and I wasn't in a wheelchair, so I could only imagine how difficult it would be for someone who was. I was also extremely hurt by the lady who was rude in one of the offices in the building. She was almost annoyed that Hugo and I asked if there was another washroom for someone who was in a wheelchair.

The whole experience really changed the way I felt about the little things. Right now I am in a brace for my wrist because I hit the diving board. I took for granted being able to do my hair or get dressed by myself. I never took it into perspective that people struggle with that every day of their life. I have been complaining about the past two weeks and there are people who have been dealing with it their whole lives. It's the simple things we overlook when it comes to those with disabilities. Like in the JWB building the fact there is a water fountain that is the height for someone in a wheelchair, but it doesn't work.

I had the chance to volunteer at the Special Olympics Utah during fall break and it was such an amazing experience. I was able to think about everything we learned during the past week and really incorporate it into volunteering. I had the job of ushering in the athletes and then to talk with them and hand out glow sticks during their dance. The environment was amazing! They had a place where they were able to participate in active living in a safe and fun environment. Everything was catered to them and everything was lined up so they could be successful and have a great time. I met so many amazing people and they told me about the two-pointers they got in their basketball game, or that their team has been undefeated, or that they won their butterfly swimming event. It was so great seeing their positive energy and love for the sport. Every one of them did it based on intrinsic motivation. They did their sport because they loved it, for them the medals and titles were just a bonus. I have had the chance to look at people with disabilities in a different light and I really take that second look to make sure things can accommodate them as well.

For my participation/attendance grade I feel it's a little difficult to judge. I missed a few classes, but I was really sick and I hit the diving board, so I wasn't able to make it to class, so my attendance was hindered. However every time I attended class I fully participated and was engaged in the conversations and discussions. I feel if the grade was based solely on participation I feel I would be close to a 50/50, but since the attendance is a factor, I would have to lower my score. Not attending wasn't my choice but it is still my responsibility and I did miss some material. It's hard giving yourself a grade but I would say around 40/50.

Discussion Journal #5

The week of September 30-October 3 we covered leisure behavior and diverse populations. I was really drawn to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as core and thread identities. Intrinsic motivation is when you decide to do something for you without benefits, such as participating in a sport just because you want to. Extrinsic motivation is where there is a benefit motivating you to do the said activity. Extrinsic motivation could be "if you participate in your sport and win you will get $500." The money makes participating extrinsic motivation, because you may not enjoy your sport but there is that driving factor. A core identity is something that defines you, it is who you are everyday and it doesn't change. A thread identity is situational, your identity can change based on what you eat, who you are with, where you are etc.

For our Tuesday experience we had the chance to go to three different places; our group chose to go to 24 Hour Fitness, Starbucks and Color Me Mine. We had to engage in people watching essentially and had to focus on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of to why they were doing what they were doing. It was something I never really thought of, why I do the things I do. Why do I exercise? I don't do it because I enjoy it, I do it because I want to be in shape and look good, thus being extrinsic motivation. Watching people at the gym and watching people in Starbucks I really started wondering what their motivation was and what their core intently was as well.

I personally know I have a lot of thread identities. When I am in church I act differently than when I am out on a Saturday night with my friends. I change my identity to fit the situation, and I know I carry a lot of thread identities. This week made me question what my core identity is and if I ever really compromise it in situations I approach. In simple terms I can say my core identity is I am Kersten Merry.


Something I want to focus on doing is not calling a person out based on their thread identities. We all get into situations where we change a bit of who we are and it is always for certain reasons. I tend to have the habit of mentioning it to someone and can upset them. I now know that it is common and we change our identity based on a situation. I also want to really think about why I do the things I do. I want to focus more on doing things based on intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation.

Discussion Journal #4

This week in our class lectures we focused a lot on "white privilege." On Tuesday we went over an article written by Peggy McIntosh, "White Privilege." Jeremy said that this article may be one we have seen in other classes, as it is a topic that is commonly brought up. I have seen this article before, in my communication and gender class last semester. The discussion in both of the classes seemed quite similar, but Jeremy also related it to something us as students may understand a little better. He tied in Macklemore's lyrics. Macklemore says "So scared to acknowledge the benefits of our white privilege." McIntosh in her piece says "I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege." White privilege can be defined as a set of privileges that those who are white have compared to those of color in relation to social, political or economic spaces. 

McIntosh in her article decided to write a list of 'white privileges' in her daily life. When I looked over it I felt like it was quite a long list. She had 26 different points she thought of, some simple such as I can find a bandage to cover up my skin in my skin tone, where others were a little more intense such as when talking to a person "in charge" it will be of their race. A girl in class mentioned that it's easy for her to walk into the store and find makeup that will match her skin no problem, but it may be harder for someone of color trying to do the same. Those little things I never think of, buying makeup or that the bandage will match my skin tone, and I never thought that might actually bother someone of color they don't get those options. We are quick to judge and assume a lot of the time. Steve told us a story of when one time he said he worked at the University of Utah people assumed he worked with the football team or in athletics because of his skin color.

Whileo I was writing this my parents called to tell me that unfortunately I can't go home for Christmas, for the second year in a row. I was really looking forward to it as for me home is so far away and I only get to go there maybe once or twice a year. I was complaining to my co-worker and while I was I said "geez I am complaining about not being able to go hme, but there are bigger things that other people have to face, like the fact of 'white privilege.' He asked what it was and I explained it to him. I told him I learned a lot about it in class and that it's not something we tend to really ever think of. I notice it at my work a lot of the time. I am standing at the front desk of my work with one of my co-workers who is of color and white people tend to come to me first while people of color talk to her. People always assume I am supervisor, where she actually is. It's the little things we don't notice that are the things that mean the most. From now on I am going to actually pay attention to those little details and try and not own such a label of 'white privilege."

Discussion Journal #3

This week we focused a lot on active living throughout the different stages of our lives. We learned that people develop at different rates in their cognitive, physical and social developments. When a child is younger then need short bursts of energy, but when we are older we tend to want high intensity for longer periods of time. It was very interesting, and also worrisome, to learn that we are in our peak fitness phase from the ages of 18-25.

In class we had a few class presentations on Friday, two were focused a lot on what we talked about in class on Thursday, about the different stages of our lives relating to active living. Our class discussion was really engaged with talking about what we felt about a graph that Sam provided to the class. The graph showed that there is a significant decline in physical fitness as we get older in life. A lot of us argued that a lot of our grandparents are still extremely active and we believe the graph may be wrong. I noticed that the graph was from the 1970s so things have changed quite a bit since then.

I started thinking about what is going to happen to my active living lifestyle when I get older. I am in my senior year of diving at the U and I worry even after this year I will not continue with physical activity as much as I am now. I am currently not happy with where my fitness level is and my body image and Mary did say between ages 18-25 we are in our top physical peak, so it does make me worry. I don't want to decline my fitness abilities or stop being active all together, but the lack of motivation and the fact I don't HAVE To be at practice or at the gym may be a challenge.

My goal is to start being active outside of my sport. Try joining classes such as Zumba or a yoga class. Continue to run outside of training and for myself and enjoyment. When I retire from my sport I can't just completely stop being active. I want to continue to do weight training and work out, but I need to find ways to do so. I am going to start exploring my options to help me now so I can help myself later on.

Discussion Journal #2

This past Friday's class we had our presentations we were suppose to have the previous week. I was looking forward to them because they were the first of the article based ones. Nate and Farmer both had such informative presentations and I was really engaged during them. Nate's presentation on sustainability was amazing and his knowledge on the subject was very thorough. He really tied everything back to Salt Lake City and made me really think of things I never thought of before. It also made me think of this week's Tuesday experience where we had to take public transit to our destination. My group-mates and I brought snacks this week and when we got off the train Hugo started walking and counting. I asked him why he was counting and he reminded us that in class Mary said people tend to walk 27 steps before they throw their garbage on the ground. Hugo ended up walking 42 before he found a garbage bin. That posed a little bit of a problem as there was garbage all over the ground leading up to the garbage bin.

While Nate was talking about sustainability and the different ways it can affect Salt Lake City I shared my story of how my team wastes water in huge amounts. During our two hour practice we are in the water for almost an hour and a half and we just let a hot water hose run. I can even imagine how much water that is wasting. It's little things like the garbage being thrown on the ground or wasting water I never truly thought about in my daily life. It's something that I just take for granted, and well most of us do.

I decided to start standing up for the little things. When we at our Tuesday experience to Splore they told us that they partner with bigger corporations and do clean ups by lakes and rivers. I started tying everything together and realized I should start doing some little things to add to sustainability in Salt Lake City. I told my teammates that we will fill up the "trash bin" and not let the water run, they were not having it at all. I was actually quite shocked because my one teammate is extremely close with nature and the environment. They were extremely against it but they finally gave it and decided to not do it for morning practice, well it's a start. I also walked around campus and picked up some trash following the football game on Saturday, boy was there A LOT.

If every single person threw their trash in the garbage or if someone saw a piece of garbage on the ground and picked it up Salt Lake City would start to be a cleaner place to live. I think we could do it we just need to start holding each other accountable.

Discussion Journal #1

I experienced a lot during this week of the PRT Integrated Core. I personally feel that I learned a lot from Brian's presentation. Brian did his presentation on disability in sport. He chose a story of this young man, Mitchell Marcus. Mitchell's story begins with his disability and his love for basketball. He became his high school's basketball team manager, and helped the team on the sidelines. The coach saw his love for the game, so on their final game he let Mitchell suit up, what Mitchell didn't know was that he was going to get to play. The coach let Mitchell in and every chance Mitchell got he missed the basket. With only a minute left in the game a player on the opposing team passed the ball to Mitchell and he made the shot!

During the video it reminded me of what we discussed in class about a person's master status. A master status is the primary identifying characteristic of a person in society. In my mind I felt Mitchell's master status was his disability, what he is known for in society. After our class discussion though I felt I had looked at the situation the wrong way. I got goosebumps when the player on the opposing team passed him the ball and let him take the shot. That is such an amazing quality in a person to have. It was looking past a chance at winning the game and giving a young man a chance who may not get many in life.

Although Mitchell has a disability it doesn't define who he is, it's just apart of who he is. He is a son, friend, manager, high school student and has a passion for basketball. I can't speak for everyone, but myself I tend to look at a person's master status and ultimately make my decision on who they are and what their abilities are. Although Mitchell may have missed a few baskets at the game, he did make one and that is more than some people could ever do. If I first met Mitchell and learned he had a disability I would assume he would be working on the sidelines, helping with water, as terrible as that may sound. My little brother has a learning disability as well as a disability that caused him to undergo surgery on his legs. He was put on the sidelines with no hope for his love of hockey. He showed everyone wrong, graduated high school and is now playing junior level hockey. Just because someone may hold a master status of one thing it shouldn't define who they are.

I am going to start trying to look at everyone from a different perspective. When our TA, Preston, was engaging us in our discussion he told us to try and look at our thoughts in a different perspective. If we were very strong argued one way, try and see the other side of things. When I meet someone or have heard things about someone I am not going to cling to their master status or how they are perceived. I am going to look at all of their statuses and look at the person they are. I feel it's something we all say we are going to do, "don't judge a book by its cover," but it is something so overlooked. 

I felt the discussion really got the class involved and I can truly say I took something away from class this week.