Caution: Handle Lightsaber with Care

Lightsabers in the Workplace?
Sometimes I think it would be a great idea whenever I feel I've hit a brick wall (I call mine bureaucracy).  It's an elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.  And you never know when someone who doesn't like you will come up to you at a bar to annoy you.  There are many situations we are faced with where the solution to the problem is so simple that some people just can't see it.  When others try to explain a solution and experience little success or a great deal of resistance, frustration can build to a point where we just want to go Darth Maul on someone and do things the way we know they need to be done.  However, experience has taught me that there's always another piece to an ever-complex puzzle that we don't know about yet.  The arbitrary swing of the lightsaber may cut off the metaphorical limb that is your relationship with a colleague or department.  Without a proper game plan, it is difficult to make any progress on initiatives as new to Auckland as other forms first-year transition and student development.  That's where the first-year transition project comes in.

Don't let meetings end this way.

We're knee-deep in interviewing academic and service staff across all faculties and divisions of the university, trying to find these missing pieces of the puzzle and learning of ways to promote positive change at the university with the least amount of resistance and still be able to respect what has come before.  The views from all of these different constituencies are as many and unique as all of the outfits in Queen Amidala's wardrobe from Star Wars (Fig. 1.1).   

Figure 1.1: What Not to Wear

These view points are constantly clashing with each other in a multitude of ways, much like repeated clashing of lightsabers in an epic duel (but without the cool sound effects). Sometimes, it just makes you want to try and whip out your own lightsaber and sculpt out the perfect solution that you already know will work, just like those ice-sculpting competitions they do in really cold places that I never have any intention of visiting because I dislike any temperature below 63 degrees Fahrenheit because it makes me really unhappy and causes me to get distracted and write really long run-on sentences like this (now re-read the last 2/3 of the past sentence in a fast-paced edgy tone and you'll really get an idea of what I think about the cold).  But I digress...Such situations require a little more tact, or a use of the "Force" if you will.  By learning what everyone thinks and what strategies and philosophies are currently supported, we can begin to assemble this puzzle and see things that no one individual at the university can see by themselves.


Some staff adopt a defensive lightsaber stance and feel that first-year transition need only consist of the week-long orientation (this is the "marathon of information transmission" approach).  However, many that we have talked to have said they see the clear benefit of further support being provided within the first six weeks at the university.  A bigger divide (and more epic lightsaber battle) comes from discussing specialized vs. a more integrated and universal orientation for all students.  The university has a great deal of unique groups to cater to, which include Maori, Pacific Islander, and international students.  Currently, the Maori and Pacific students have their own separate orientation, with only one or two common events that they share with the rest of the campus population.  The argument in support of this model is that because of the unique cultural background and potentially different needs for these students, a specialized orientation helps directly address their needs in a way that generalized orientation sessions could not.

On the flip side, others would say that a specialized orientation may result in unwanted "singling out" of students based on a given characteristic and may delay their ability to successfully integrate into the greater student body.  Many of these views often have a political edge to them as well.  Whether it is out of tradition or a belief the project is linked to other initiatives that could conflict with a unit's objectives, many people have opinions that run contrary to a large amount of research that has already come out in the United States about best practices that enable first-year students to effectively transition into the university.  However, since Campus Life at the university can't enter aggressive negotiations (negotiations with a lightsaber), some diplomacy is required to gain the views of all constituencies across the institution and determine feasible courses of action that can benefit student learning and development.

Seriously, it's a proven method.

Two things are clear from what we've learned in our conversations thus far: Rome wasn't built in day, and tradition runs deep at the University of Auckland.  What I feel will result from our work here (and from those who later work to implement the findings in our report) is a some sort of hybrid model that shuffles specialized orientation components that already exist around a comprehensive, university-wide orientation that each faculty can also build around as needed (because they are equally important and influential in the university system).  Now, the best part is, orientation is just one piece of the first-year transition puzzle.  But I'll get to that later this summer, because I'm clearly writing too much work related stuff now and need to get to my adventures.


The Island
Okay, so it's actually two islands, but let's not split hairs.  Some of you may know that I'm a big fan of LOST, and one of my fantastic experiences over the weekend gave me a sense of deja vu as far as that goes.  But first, I'll start with Waiheke Island, the island of wine.

First, Waiheke Island is gorgeous.  It's called the island of wine because there are 24 different vineyards on the island with their own specialties and ways of making wine.  Vivienne and I both went on a tour of three of these vineyards and got to try several wines at each of them.  It proved to be a valuable "educational" endeavor. 

Never has tasting wine felt so epic.

Also, I've found where BFF Brendan George's dream island is.  And it's here.  Acres of plants all preparing to produce wine (taking 3-5 years to produce anything usable).  One of the vineyards, Goldie Wines, is actually own by the University of Auckland and is a part of the university's Wine Science program (you can get a master's or doctorate).  Students are even encouraged to the live on the island during part of their study as they gain practical experience at the vineyard alongside taking classes at the vineyard itself.

One of the many amazing views on Waiheke

Then there's Rangitoto Island (pictured below), which I have dubbed "The Island" from LOST.  This island is almost uninhabited except for a handful of "others" already living on it, whose houses were built prior to 1937 (when the NZ government prohibited further development of the island).  Coincidentally, these houses definitely give off a creepy Dharma Initiative vibe that makes you think either seemingly savage people are about to run out of them and attack you or that they're just abandoned.  Either way, you really get to experience a wide array of emotions that would give any therapist lots of prime time entertainment.  Anyway, since 1937, NZ has worked to preserve the island for visitors to hike on by eliminating it of pests, weeds, and other harmful bodies. 

"I've looked into the eye of this island,
and what I saw...was beautiful." --John Locke

This results in another gorgeous island with a dormant volcano smack-dab in the middle.  It's the youngest volcano in NZ, erupting over 600 years ago.  Now, the crater is covered in a large amount of greenery and is home to a wide variety of plant life.  Vivienne and I went on the early bird ferry at 7:30am (that was a big "ouch" moment) and spent from then til 4:00pm hiking around the island and seeing the coast of the west side of it, crawling through lava caves running underground, and taking in the view from the summit.  Along the way, we met an Argentine named Nicholas.  He's a professional wedding photographer and came to NZ for two months just to travel and learn English.  He joined our party for the rest of the adventure (yes, I sometimes speak in Final Fantasy terms) and ended up using us as target practice (I mean camera practice) for doing outside shots.  One of them, which he sent me, is now my profile picture on Facebook.

Nicolas is good at what he does, and is traveling around NZ as we speak.

Wrap-Up
All in all, last week was fantastic.  Including the island-hopping, I also went to the Auckland Art Museum (where I stared into infinity) and continued to enjoy the city landscape.  Coming up this weekend is my first major trip outside of the Auckland area to Wellington, which is on the bottom of the North Island.  There, I will explore a great deal of the city and see Ian McKellen perform on stage!  Expect Lord of the Rings references in my next post.