11 Finding Your Place College Podcast Supplementary Episode Transcripts

FYP Supplementary Getting Political and Critical in College Paul Junker (8:32)

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Conservative Student) There’s a bridge connecting to the West Bank campus to the East Bank campus on Washington Avenue. And all the student groups will paint murals of their clubs and organizations to try to promote them and advertise them. And at least for the several years I’ve been here, the College Republicans’ mural has been painted over and vandalized.

(Newsclip Audio) In controversy, a U of M College Republicans group painted this mural yesterday along the Washington Avenue Bridge. The sign was later vandalized. Students from multicultural groups across campus told Nina Moini they want an apology for what they call hate speech. While the College Republicans say they were simply exercising First Amendment rights.

(Conservative Student) And I feel if you like you are a conservative student in a class where the professor is more liberal, it’s a scarier thing.

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(Paul) Hi, everyone. This is Paul Junker, and you’re listening to the Finding Your Place podcast series, a series made for college students by college students. When I was first offered the challenge of creating an episode for this podcast, one of the first topics that popped into my mind was critical thinking and thought diversity on the American College campus, because college is supposed to be, what I like to call, a marketplace of ideas, where ideas can be freely and openly debated and expressed.

But unfortunately, the same type of political division that we have seen in our country lately has begun to creep its way onto our college campuses. I know of a few conservative-leaning students who sometimes feel pretty left out and out of place at college.

(Conservative Student) I have mostly avoided sharing my views in college just because I don’t want them to not be respected. So if I’m in a class or a professional place like that, I usually just don’t share my views.

(Paul) These experiences are real and frustrating. But the more I talk to people, the more I realize that students from all perspectives can face hostility because of their religious or political beliefs.

(Liberal Student) There are a lot of people in my dorm that are against abortion. And there’s one girl who is very pro-choice, and she makes that very clear. It’s, like, on her door. And there was a really heated discussion that happened the first, well, month or two of school that was pretty much turned into fighting and yelling about this. And it was just really frustrating to see that these people couldn’t come to an agreement on just being OK with each other’s decisions and ideas.

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(Paul) So I was left with two main questions. One, what do my professors think about critical thinking and thought diversity in college? And two, how do we, as students, navigate through all this? So I decided to meet up with Professor Joseph Nicola, who teaches in the Communication department at Century College.

We dealt with some rather controversial topics in his Fundamentals of Public Speaking class. And Professor Nicola struck me as a fair-minded, open person. And I wondered, how is it that he got that way?

(Joe Nicola) There was a professor. He was a philosophy professor. And I took all of his classes because I could never tell what his personal opinions were. And we talked about everything in philosophy, morals, laws, behavior, religious belief, all of that. And I was able to openly and comfortably just explore and dive into ideas that weren’t my own. It was phenomenal.

(Paul) Turns out critical thinking has always kind of been the foundation of his teaching. And his time in college actually really helped shape that foundation. He had a pretty cool way of thinking about critical thinking.

(Joe Nicola) For example, even on the simplest things, from belief to politics to what car do you want to buy, oh, I love Hondas. I’ve always loved Hondas. Hey, test drive this. I’m going to challenge your belief here. You know what? Get into this SUV truck. You’re going to be six feet off the ground. You might like it. If you’re not willing to at least get in the car, drive it around the lot, if you don’t like it, you now know and have that experience.

(Paul) But a little later on in our conversation he admitted something kind of surprising to me. Sometimes things are complicated. And sometimes he doesn’t really know what to do in a classroom setting because beliefs aren’t always about personal opinions or political candidates. Sometimes beliefs are about the value and the rights of other human beings.

(Joe Nicola) So this is a challenge. Where is the line when the belief or viewpoint imposes on a classroom environment where everyone should feel equal and equally hurt? There are beliefs on this planet today that view women as inferior to men. OK. But in the classroom setting here, everyone is equal.

So if this person comes from that viewpoint, well, I guess, then, the behavior has to change in the 50 minutes you’re in my class? Is that wrong? That’s where my challenge is. So I’m curious about your opinions on that because where does the ideas of ideas and thoughts being challenged, where’s the line as far as– do you know what I’m trying to get at?

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(Paul) And I did know what he was getting at. And it’s tough. It’s tough for all of us. Where does the right to my opinion end? When does an idea stop becoming something abstract and start impacting or even hurting other people?

The only answer I can really offer for this is we probably have to talk it out respectfully, carefully, and thoughtfully. And maybe college is still a good place to have these conversations. And you want some good news? It seems like a lot of your fellow classmates, from all political perspectives, really want to be exposed to these new ideas. And a lot of them really value critical thinking.

(Student) I think that students have a lot of different viewpoints. And each student should feel that they can say what they need to say and that their right to have an opinion is respected in that class.

(Student) Yeah, I’m a really strong believer that college should be a place to grow in your own my ideas and should be a place to take in other ideas.

(Student) I’d say being tolerant of other people’s views is extremely important. Because with the political state being how it is right now, we’re never going to solve anything or make any progress if the two sides don’t come together and actually talk.

(Student) Yeah, critical thinking to me is just kind of thinking outside of your norm, I suppose. And I do have a class that has definitely made me start thinking about things in a different light that I haven’t before.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Paul) So keep an open mind, and be respectful, and speak up if you feel you’re being treated disrespectfully. Try to remember that there are many different perspectives to think about. Not all of them will fit you. But how do you know unless you give them that test drive? And finally, as Professor Nicola told me–

(Joe Nicola) Continue the struggle. [LAUGHS] Education works. I have benefited greatly from it. It has made me a better person. It has given me a better life.

(Paul) For Finding Your Place, I’m Paul Junker.

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FYP Supplementary The PSEO Choice Zoe Ross (8:24)

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(PSEO Student Jamie) I had this one experience the first day of class. We all had to meet up with someone we didn’t sit next to already. We had to talk about them, talk about what major we’re going in, and about ourselves, and stuff like that. And I told them that I was a PSEO student. And he just kind of looks at me, and he’s like, really, you’re a PSEO student?

(PSEO Student Jaden) This one guy, he was like, oh, you’re PSEO? And I was like, yeah. And he’s like, oh, you must be smart. Like, um, not really, but sure.

(PSEO Student Nathan) Frankly, it might give people more of the idea that I’m more of a scholarly person. That I want to pursue studies more.

(Zoe) Hello, everyone. This is Zoe Ross, and you’re listening to the Finding Your Place podcast series, a series made by college students for college students. And that’s right. You guessed it. I’m one of the smart kids.

Actually, the truth is, I was offered an opportunity. And you might get offered this opportunity too. Many colleges offer high school students a chance to come to campus and take college classes. In Minnesota, we call this PSEO, or post-secondary enrollment options.

I sat down with Katy Melek, an advisor and high school initiative specialist at Century College, and she filled me in on some of the history of the program.

(Katy Melek) Minnesota was actually the first state in the entire country to have PSEO back in the ’80s. It started out as a program where students who weren’t feeling challenged enough in high school were able to get additional academic rigor and access the college environment.

(Zoe) And while it still serve students who want more challenge, Katy mentioned that there’s probably another more pressing motivation for students to choose PSEO today.

(Katy Melek) Finances ultimately, I think, is one of the biggest driving factors. That students understand– and families– that college tuition and college debt is growing every year. And a way to cut down on those costs is for students to access PSEO, since all the textbooks in the class, tuition and fees is all free for these students.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(Zoe) I had heard of PSEO almost all throughout my high school years. But I was scared that I’d mess it up. But after realizing the opportunities it could bring, I decided to take the chance. I knew it would be hard work, but also open many doors. It’s not always easy finding your place in college, no matter what stage of life you’re in, because college is not the same as high school.

(Jaden) Because in high school, I think no matter what high school you go to, it seems a lot more constrained. But when you get to a college-level education, you start to call the shots, and you’re making a lot more of the decisions.

(Jamie) I have way less courses, but I never not have homework all the time. Here’s me doing one assignment. And then I submit it, and finish it, and everything. And then six more assignments pop up. And I’m like, oh. So it’s way different than high school.

(Ethan) The only downside to PSEO would be not being able to focus more on things that you enjoy.

(Evan) Like, you’re an adult. You have to make these proper choices. And you start getting the repercussions or consequences of not doing everything the way you need to, because you start being more self-reliant.

(Jamie) The reason that it has to be so sophisticated is because they treat you like adults. You are adults. So it took a little while, but then once you get into the groove, it’s all fine.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(Zoe) My friends Jamie, Nathan, Evan, and Jaden have all been there too. It’s kind of strange. It’s not that you don’t do work or study in high school, but it’s different. Katy Melek describes it like this.

(Katy Melek) So one of the biggest things– and I think you probably identify as a college student– is student’s ability to be able to manage their own time without what you call that handholding, where there’s a lot of reminders from teachers, and announcements on the board. And even family members, for that matter, in high school tend to be involved a lot with schedules, and what’s due and when, and setting aside time for studying and projects. Of course, in college, that’s all on the student. And even for privacy reasons, we can’t share much with high schools and with parents about what’s going on with the students. So time management is really important.

(Zoe) But it would be a mistake to make you think that you have to do everything in college by yourself, or that you’re all alone. Yes, you’re becoming more independent and more self-reliant, but that doesn’t mean that PSEO is like going up to the moon by yourself. In fact, the social aspect of college is one of the most important things about the experience.

(Jaden) I feel like you meet a lot of different people, compared to in high school, when you just meet people of your own age.

(Evan) But everybody seems really cool. And that’s kind of always the unexpected. I didn’t think I’d make certain types of friends, whereas I’ve really cherished those friendships that have lasted quite a long time.

(Ethan) It helps me to become more outgoing. You’re going to a place where not everybody knows you. And so you get to set the standard of how people think of you, and how people look at you.

(Evan) Sometimes, if you miss classes, it’s knowing your friends around you, or being able to talk to people, and just saying, hey, how are you? And you have such an influence or support around you that you’ve created, and you know that you’ve made a safe haven of people around you.

(Zoe) And when it comes to support for your education, all of the resources the college offers to help any students in college are available to you too.

(Katy Melek) PSEO resources tend to be the same resource says that all of our college students here at Century Access. So that is a benefit as being a PSEO student. And I think a big draw for some of our potential PSEO students is that they are treated like a regular college student. So they have full access to all the tutoring services, to our access center, disability services. Even to all of the activities on campus to make friends and grow their leadership skills. We really try and acclimate them into the regular college environment, and they really seem to like that.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(Zoe) Look. I’ll be honest. All of this is good, and there are all kinds of benefits to PSEO. But sometimes, you do feel caught between two worlds. Jaden put it like this.

(Jaden) I didn’t miss it when I was there, but after I left, I’ve started to miss it. I never liked pep rallies when I went to school, but now I feel like I’m missing out on them, and missing out on school dances, and all these things that I thought were stupid when I went there that now I don’t get to go to. So I feel like I missed out on a lot.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(Zoe) So is it worth it? PSEO is definitely not for everyone. A person can graduate from high school and still not be ready for college, while someone who’s 15 is ready to take on all of the 10-page essays. It doesn’t matter your age or how smart people think you are. What matters is what’s inside you if you feel ready to take on the challenges of college. As you try to decide, get some guidance from others. Katy had to say this about making the decision to apply for post-secondary enrollment options.

(Katy Melek) I would give the advice of to talk the option over with their family, and then also with their high school counselor. It’s those two resources that ultimately are going to be the best to help them determine, is this a good fit for you? Because hopefully both the high school side and then the family side know what kind of student that student is. Are they ready for the college-level material, and do they have all the characteristics, or most of them that embody a successful college student?

(Zoe) I’m wishing you good luck with your decision. For Finding Your Place, this is Zoe Ross.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

FYP Supplementary: Full Time Student, Full Time Worker Thea Juttner (6:33)

(Justice) So the week actually gets started with work.

(Paul) So Sunday, I usually have an opening shift.

(Justice) It’s a lot of squeezing things in around different time. So Monday, I go to work.

(Paul) Then Monday, I’m at school all day.

(Justice) Tuesday, I go to school for the majority of the day, 8:00 to 5:00.

(Paul) Then Tuesday, I have school in the morning, two classes.

(Justice) And then Wednesday, I go back to work.

(Paul) And I go right from there to work.

(Justice) Full time, again, eight hours a day.

(Paul) And I usually work one to close, so about 9:30.

(Justice) Thursday, back to school. Friday, I do lab, so I actually have that day off. But Saturday and Sunday, I actually put in two 12 hour days.

(Paul) Wednesdays, once again, just school. I have an evening class and a morning class on Wednesday. Thursday’s the same as Tuesday, and Friday’s the same. And then Saturday is just work.

(Justice) That’s where it gets really tough trying to fit in any extra curricular activities, including homework. So that’s what my average week looks like.

(Thea) Does any of this sound familiar to you? It probably does. According to a recent workforce studies, around 70% of US college students work while completing their studies, and nearly a quarter of all US college students work full time while going to school full time. And if you’re one of these students, you already know this. It’s not easy.

I am Thea Juttner, and on this episode of the Find Your Place podcast, I want to use my experience and the experiences of my friends, Paul and Justice, to highlight the working experience in college. But more importantly, I want to offer you some guidance if you’re struggling to find a balance between busy work and college schedules. Thanks for calling Sunglass Hut in Woodbury Lakes. How can I help you?

My own story ties into this issue like this. I work Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sundays, and go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The reason I have my schedule set up like this is because my boss can accommodate me with having two days off to go to school, and this is a routine schedule that I personally can keep up with.

Although it gets hard at times, I tell myself this lifestyle isn’t forever. It’s kind of a catch-22 that you get caught in. You need to go to college to get a good paying job, but you need to keep a good paying job to go to college. Justice described it like this.

(Justice) Well, I worked full time to actually put myself through school. So I try to pay as much school out of pocket as I can while still having to pay rent and all the fun bills that come along with that. So you could call it both a want, and something I have to do.

(Justice) I mean, I could go live with my parents if I wanted to, but being 23 years old now, I don’t really want to do that. So I’m just put myself to school, paying everything I need to pay as I go. So it’s kind of my choice.

(Thea) For some of us, it is a choice. But as Justice added, for some students in college, it’s really not much of a choice at all.

(Justice) I don’t really complain too much about being a full time student and a full time worker. Because I know there’s people who really don’t have a choice to do it and also have to support families. And even in some of my classes, you have these adults going to school full time, working full time. They have kids. They’re paying for babysitting. They got to put food on the table.

(Thea) So if this is you struggling to handle full time work and full time college, then here are just three tips from my experience that might help you find balance. First, use your time wisely. It’s helpful to start keeping a weekly planner or to set announcements for yourself through any apps you might be using. I know for me that using a weekly planner has been a lifesaver and helps me keep everything in order. You want to be able to do as much of your work for classes as you can when you are sharp and well rested. And if you don’t take this step, well, Paul can explain what usually happens.

(Paul) Yeah, so I’m doing a lot of my projects late at night. Because most my shifts are closing shifts. And then Mondays and Wednesdays, I have those evening classes. So a lot of my work is done at night, which makes me more tired.

(Thea) Second, look for jobs on campus. You might not realize that colleges and universities set aside funds for student work study positions. And the pay is often pretty competitive with entry level work off campus. Not to mention the added benefit of having a job where your employers understand the importance of your class schedule. Check in with student employment on campus, and see what they have to offer. And see if you are eligible to apply.

If on campus work isn’t an option for you, you can sometimes have that tough conversation with your manager or supervisor clarifying what you need in terms of your work schedule. So that you can make the most out of college. It might not hurt to remind them that many skills you gained in college can help you be a more skilled employee too.

But finally, if you’ve done all you can, and you find that you’re still falling behind, let your professors know what’s going on. Yes, I know it can be kind of intimidating, and they often have language in their course syllabus that says no late work will be accepted. But many of them really want you to succeed. They will probably hear you out, and they may even have some good advice or be able to support an extension. For Justice, a conversation like this made all the difference.

(Justice) Like my first year when I was struggling, I told one of my professors, I’m like, hey, I’m working full time. I’m really starting to trying to figure out how to balance this, and he’s actually the one who suggested me the whole use of planner thing. And just him taking the timeout of his day to just have that talk and help me out. He even pushed a testy back for me, actually, even help me out there too. Just his willingness actually led me through the class, and I actually finished that class with an A.

(Thea) Trust me. I know it’s not easy to be a full time college student who also is working full time, but you can make it work. I am, and so are Paul and Justice. For Paul, he’s taking it all a day at a time.

(Paul) No, I find myself just winging it.

(Thea) Just feeling it?

(Paul) Just winging it. You just go with the flow. I mean, you find time. You find time.

(Thea) But I’m not sure winging it is exactly the best college success strategy, so I asked Justice if he’d like the last word here.

(Justice) No, that it’s probably it. And anyone listening, if you are a full time student and a full time worker, just grind through the process, and I promise you it’ll be worth it.

(Thea) Thanks for listening everyone. For Finding Your Place, I’m Thea Juttner.

FYP Supplementary A Veteran’s POV Alexa Rangel (8:13)

(Alexa) Hi, everyone. This is Alexa Rangel, and thanks for listening in. I wanted to talk a little bit about my experience here at Century College as a Marine Corps veteran.

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(Alexa) I got out in August of 2014, and instead giving myself a little bit of time, I jumped right into college here at Century College.

(Robert Jersak) So let’s stop right there. Can you say a little bit more about that decision? I mean, with so many life experiences and skills from your military service, why put yourself back in the classroom?

(Alexa) Well, transitioning out of the service and back into the civilian world, it was a hard decision on finding out what you wanted to do. And any career field I chose, pretty much every one required education.

(Robert Jersak) It seems almost everything needs a college degree these days.

(Alexa) Yes, it does.

(Robert Jersak) So right away, you started to experience a kind of a culture shock.

(Alexa) First class, I won’t forget, was my Composition 1 class. And oh, my gosh, that was such a challenge. My instructor was, like, oh, this paper you turned in has nothing to do with anything that he wanted me to write the paper about. And I thought I answered his questions. Apparently, I didn’t. So it was a huge challenge, especially when you feel like you’re doing something right but you’re really not doing it right. You’re doing it the exact opposite way that you’re supposed to be doing it.

(Robert Jersak) And I don’t think you’re alone with this, Alexa. I mean, do you hear this from other veterans? I imagine that your orders in the Marine Corps are pretty clear. Are they less clear in college?

(Alexa) It’s a little more of a blurred line, I feel, here at college. In the military, what you really experience is direct orders on what to do and how to do that.

(Robert Jersak) You interviewed your husband Rafael for this podcast too. And he’s a Marine Corps vet as well, right?

(Alexa) Yeah. He served in Okinawa, Japan, as a canine handler.

(Robert Jersak) And he’s a college student as well. And he added another dimension to this difference of college life versus military service through something that came up in one of his college classes.

(Rafael) I know peer reviewing– you help out other students with their paper, whatever issues that they have going on in class. And you read it, and you think in your head, wow, this kind of sucks. But you can’t say that. You need to tell them, well, yeah, it was pretty good. Try doing this. Instead, I would be like, wow, this was– I had no idea what this talks about. It kind of sucks, dude.

(Robert Jersak) So the directions from instructors aren’t always clear, and you can’t always speak your mind to your classmates. Is college like being on another planet?

(Alexa) It is exactly like being on another planet.

[LAUGHTER]

(Alexa) The whole– all the differences– I related it back to my experience of going to boot camp for my first time and being able to step into a whole different world I wasn’t used to. And it’s just the same way. It’s just in reverse.

(Robert Jersak) And then I was struck by a point you raised in your audio diary. And I know you’re worried a bit about how this came out, but I think I understand you. Let’s give this a listen.

(Alexa) Oh, just excuses from other students even here. Like, oh, I work a full-time job and I’m here full-time. I don’t know how I’m going to get this done. I don’t know how I’m going to complete my assignments. And it’s like, oh, I dream about having that small of an issue.

(Robert Jersak) So Alexa, if you can, say more here.

(Alexa) Yeah, I just– I feel like, in the military, all you do is– you get told what to do, and you do that, and you can’t make those excuses. You can’t say anything back or anything. You’re told what you’re supposed to do, and you do it.

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(Robert Jersak) You’re listening to the Finding Your Place podcast, a podcast made for college students by college students. So Alexa, we’ve touched on some of the real challenges and frustrations for veterans in college. How can we help our listeners navigate these challenges? I mean, you were just e-mailing me the other day about three ideas that you thought might help veterans.

(Alexa) Absolutely. Well, I think the first thing that we’ve already covered is that always remember that college is a different world you’re entering. It’s a transition from that military world into the civilian world, and it’s going to take some time to get used to. That’s true anywhere, but it’s especially true in college. The second idea is that extra weight that’s holding you down– remember that it’s always OK to talk to someone– a teacher, a veteran, a spouse, a counselor, or even another student. Yes, I’m a veteran, but I’m also a mother. I have things that stress me out, and it’s OK to ask for help.

(Robert Jersak) I think your husband talked about this too, right?

(Rafael) So one thing, at least the military service, is you have to be– it’s not “you have to be,” but it’s better off if you’re a hard-ass. And having that confidence pretty much pushes you away from feeling certain things or trying to express yourself when certain things come up. You don’t want to say anything because you want to always be that confident person because people are going to look up to you.

(Robert Jersak) One of the core Finding Your Place series student producers, Marko Milosevic, is also an army combat veteran. And he described what feels sometimes as like Superman syndrome, that as a veteran, you’re not supposed to need help or to talk about your feelings at school or anything like that. Do you feel Superwoman syndrome sometimes too? And if so, how do you overcome that?

(Alexa) I totally do feel this way at certain times. Just coming from the military, you know what you’re supposed to do, how to do it. You don’t need that guidance or that help, and you for sure do not want to talk about your feelings.

(Robert Jersak) So we have the first two ideas– accept the transition and don’t feel like you have to do it alone. What’s the third idea?

(Alexa) The third is that military service is actually a real benefit to college success. Never forget about those core values that were installed in us through our service and that knowledge we bring to this institution. Remember that we can adapt and overcome like we have so many challenges in our service.

(Robert Jersak) I want to second that. As an instructor, I’ve seen these values push veterans into being peer tutors and student leaders and advocates for important campus community causes that need allies. I’ve seen veterans use these values to be responsive and respectful to us teachers, and I appreciate that, and to set high standards of behavior for themselves and others, and to do high quality work just like you’ve done here.

(Alexa) Well, thank you. I do see a lot of veterans take great pride in the respect and the high standards that they hold.

(Robert Jersak) Absolutely. Alexa, thank you and your husband for your service and for sharing your thoughts with all of us. And I also noticed on your tracks that your husband had a few parting thoughts. I want to ask, is it OK to give him the last word?

(Alexa) Of course it is.

(Rafael) If there’s any other military students who are in college right now and they’re listening to this podcast, I’d say keep your mind open. Find different things that will challenge your perspective, because that’s how you grow, like I said. Push past your limit and get out of your comfort zone. Just make sure you listen to other people. Think how they’re thinking, and then put your own perspective into it, and then you either disagree or agree with them. That’s about it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

FYP Supplementary Expectations of a Muslim Student Part I Nafiza Hasan (13:49)

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(Nafiza) Hi, everyone. This is Nafiza Hasan, and you’re listening to the Finding Your Place podcast series, a series made by college students for college students. This episode is a little different. While Finding Your Place usually centers around issues that all students face in college, we should probably also explore the way college is different for some of us. Different because of our culture, or because of the way people see our culture.

For example, I’m a Muslim woman student, and I constantly feel that I am stuck between identities and expectations in terms of who I should be or how I should present myself. But I’m not alone in this, and neither are you.

Recently, I met up with Inam Mahmood. She’s a friend of mine, and she has just a little bit more experience with university life. So I sat down with her to talk about some of the most important issues facing us and other Muslim women in college.

Now, I want you to know that in our culture, we come together and we talk, sometimes for a long, long time. So if you’re a Muslim student in college, or even if you’re a more family-centered religious or ethnic culture, I really think that you’ll appreciate this longer form of conversation. And even if you’re very, very different from us, you’re welcome to join us for this episode too.

(Nafiza) Hi. Alright. So can you tell me what your name is?

(Inam) My name is Inam Mahmood.

(Nafiza) All right, and tell me a little bit about yourself.

(Inam) Well, I am 20 years old, and I attend the University of Minnesota. I’m currently studying sociology of law, crime, and deviance. And I am a junior right now, so I’m going to be graduating next semester. So pretty excited about that.

(Nafiza) Nice. All right. So can you tell me what type of role did your parents play in your want to go to college?

(Inam) You know, I was heavily influenced by my siblings, I want to say. And I feel like they were also a little bit pressured by my parents, just because my dad is someone that’s very education-oriented, because he was the first to come here out of his family to America. But I genuinely do have a passion for education. It’s not like I’m doing it for the sake of just doing it. I do think that having an education is very important, especially since being a Muslim woman living in the United States, it’s definitely something that I highly follow, and I think everybody should do it.

(Nafiza) Speak more on why it’s important for a Muslim woman to be educated in this country.

(Inam) You know, I think it’s more so for people to know more about just Islam generally. Obviously, Islam is something that is very– we focus a lot about it in the United States, and I mean it’s displayed and portrayed in the media as something that’s not the best. And I feel like there needs to be people– Muslim women too– that need to speak on these issues because we need to change that perception of Islam, and what it really is about. Because the thing is, these people are kind of– they’re blinded by their own ignorance, because they just don’t know, and it’s not their fault. So it’s our job to get educated to tell these people what our message really is all about.

(Nafiza) It’s interesting that you say that it’s our job. Other people would disagree and say, it’s not our job to educate other people, you know what I mean? It’s their job to see this. Well, have you experienced, in your own going to college, the ignorance of others that–

(Inam) Yeah. I’ve definitely spoken to people that are very confused as to what Islam is. And again, I don’t blame them, because they see what’s put on news and on media. And I guess when they look at that, they’re just like, oh, OK, so this is what Islam is all about. And I feel like it’s not their fault because they’re influenced by that.

(Inam) And I feel like if someone really genuinely wants to know– and I think it’s very important. I feel like if I have to interact with a non-Muslim, I find it very satisfactory when they ask me questions, so they’re not going to other resources or other people that don’t know as much about Islam. And I’m not saying I’m an expert, but, like, it’s my religion, so it’s my job to know about it. So when they ask me, I’m just like, oh, OK, so you genuinely want to know what’s it about.

(Inam) And people have these perceptions about, oh, women can’t do this, women can’t wear that. And yes, it’s written in what we have as our holy book, the Quran. But it’s also just the woman’s choice. So a lot of questions that are asked to me is, like, oh what’s a hijab?

(Inam) Or they don’t even know what the term “hijab” is. They’re just like, why do you cover your hair? Simple questions like that that might be offensive to some people, but to other people, it’s kind of like, oh, OK, hey, I will educate you as to why we do this.

(Nafiza) So it’s really an opportunity to teach other people for you.

(Inam) Yeah, exactly. And I think it’s important to understand that these people want to learn more about it, because they’re not just doing it like they just want to know. They genuinely are curious.

(Nafiza) I’m so glad that you have that mentality, because I know for me, it can be the opposite. And for you, as somebody who does wear a scarf, and me who doesn’t, I get the opposite questions. When people find out that I am Muslim, they say, why don’t you cover your hair? Aren’t you supposed to? And they have these ideas in their head. And they kind of, in a way, make me feel guilty sometimes. It makes me feel that I’m not as Muslim as I should be when they ask these questions, so.

(Inam) You know, I have a lot of friends who do not wear a hijab. And when people ask me questions like– because I’ve had non-Muslims, even Muslims ask me, like, oh, why is it that some people wear a hijab and not others? I give them a very simple answer, and that’s just, it’s literally the woman and her connection to God. That’s none of your business. You have no obligation to tell her what to do, what not to do. It’s her decision. It’s her choice.

And rather– I think it’s honestly kind of offensive when people are like, why don’t you wear one, because that’s just not OK for you to ask. It’s kind of like asking someone, oh, why do you wear a hat? Like a baseball hat. Why do you wear one like– I don’t know. I think these type of questions– obviously, I know they’re asked because people just don’t know.

But when they start questioning you more and making you feel some type of way– that feeling being guilt– that’s just not right to me. So I think just addressing it very simple, letting them know, like, hey, it can get a little offensive if you do ask a person repetitively about, oh, why don’t you wear the hijab? It’s totally up to that person and their connection to the religion Islam.

(Nafiza) Gotcha. Awesome. OK, well, let’s take it back. You said you were going to school to study sociology. How does your family feel about this path?

(Inam) You know, to be honest with you, Nafiza, I am raised in an Indian household. So I come from very traditional roots. And my dad– again, as I said earlier, he was the first to get a good degree, master’s degree in engineering. So it’s this mentality that– I don’t know about other cultures, but I know with my Indian culture, it’s like, there’s only three options– doctor, lawyer, engineer.

(Nafiza) Oh, definitely. Same thing.

(Inam) Yeah. Exactly. So it gets so frustrating sometimes, because a lot of people in India have no idea what sociology is. And they don’t know what public health is too, because that’s what I’m also thinking about doing too in the future. But they’re just on the straight path of just, nope. You’re not going to be successful if you’re not one of these three things.

It was actually funny, because when– my major is sociology of law, crime, and deviance. It’s pretty specific. And when people ask me– because I have two older sisters that are lawyers, so they always bring up the question, like, oh, hey, are you going to law school?

And I don’t get frustrated or anything, but I’m just like, oh, no, I’m not. I’m going to make my own career path. I’m going to be separate from those who are around me, just because I want to make it known that, hey, you can do something other than those three career fields and still be successful.

Because sociology and public health are just so broad that so many concepts and important values in society like fall under that. So I feel like it’s important that people get aware– and at least in my culture, and my parents are trying– they’re slowly understanding, hey, OK. Possibly, public health and sociology will be a good career field with you.

And I’m not blaming my parents at all. My dad is someone that’s very supportive when it comes to our decisions– his children’s decisions. He pretty much just straight up told me. He’s like, listen, I want you to do something that you are passionate about, because if you’re passionate about something, you will be really good at it.

And why do something that I’m not passionate about, like math? You know what I mean? Or studying medicine. I obviously find that so fascinating, but I personally just don’t have the motivation to study.

But with sociology and public health, I’m very involved in my studies, and I really, really like it. So I feel like I’m able to also give back to the community, because sociology is the study of people, and just the study of how society works. So yeah.

(Nafiza) Gotcha. OK. So going back to how you said you became a little bit more independent than maybe your siblings. Going to college, it is something that even forces you to become independent. Have there been times that you maybe wanted to move out of your house, and move away from your family? And how do they take this?

(Inam) Yeah. I have friends that do live off-campus.

(Nafiza) Muslim friends?

(Inam) Muslim friends, yeah. And it’s different in my household because, again, I told you, I’m from a traditional household, and my parents really don’t think it’s OK for a girl to stay out late, or live alone at all. If they have their brother, or their husband, or their dad living with them, then that’s OK. But we’re a little conservative when it comes to that.

But my brother was able to do all of that because he’s a man. So he was able to live on-campus and everything. But I still actually feel like I want a little bit more freedom. Even if I want to go to a friend’s house, I have to let my parents know, like, hey, I’m going to be out. I’ll text you when I come back.

(Nafiza) And your brother doesn’t have to do any of this.

(Inam) Right. My brother doesn’t. He has a little bit more opportunity to just go whenever, come back whenever, because it’s that– again, that same mentality, like, oh, he’s a man. He’ll be fine. But for a woman, oh, no, we have to keep in check. Which is understandable. I mean, they’re my parents. They care about me.

But I do believe that you shouldn’t completely– I don’t want to say “suppress,” but– I’m going to use “suppress.” Because I feel like it’s hard, because when I’m given freedom, then I go crazy. I’m like, oh my God, this is what it feels like. Because the more someone pressures me, and I guess pushes all these stuff– I feel like I’m just going to rebel, and completely go off the rails.

(Nafiza) Yeah, no, I completely agree. My parents, same exact thing. Any time I want to go out, I have to ask for permission. If I want to stay out late, that’s a whole entire discussion on its own.

And I’m not even allowed to sleep over at other people’s houses because– many reasons in our culture, the one you talked about, being out without your male relative not OK, my parents not trusting other families, and just so many reasons. But how do you deal with this? How do you– in college, you probably feel like your peers are getting a whole entire different college experience.

(Inam) They really are, and I get really jealous of them sometimes, because I’m like, oh my God, you guys get to do so much. Your parents are not always on your back and stuff. But I kind of just accepted it and expected it too at the same time. I’m like, you know what, my dad put so much on the line for us. We could do the same thing. It’s not going to kill us if we come home early when– you know what I mean? So if he left his entire family, including his sick mother, just for the sake of my education, then yeah, I will follow his rules under his house. I will listen to him.

(Nafiza) As a sort of respect to them, in a way.

(Inam) Exactly. Yeah.

[LIGHT MUSIC]

(Nafiza) Hopefully you haven’t tuned out by now, because no, we’re not done talking just yet. We haven’t even touched on the subject of men, or how to talk to our parents about the space or support we may need to succeed in college. So join us for part two of my conversation with Inam. We’ll see you back here soon.

FYP Supplementary Expectations of a Muslim Student Part II Nafiza Hasan (15:20)

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Nafiza) So, OK, as a Muslim girl in college, we obviously have to interact with the opposite sex on a daily basis, whether it be group assignments, just having to meet up to study. How does your family feel about this?

(Inam) I am someone that, when I was younger, I really wasn’t that close to my parents. But over the years, I got really close with them. And literally, my parents are my best friends. And I know that’s sad. But–

(Nafiza) No, no.

[LAUGHTER]

(Nafiza) That’s awesome.

(Inam) I’m able to tell them literally everything. I know this is a bit much. But I sometimes tell– I’ll be like, oh, my god, he’s so cute in front of my mom. And I’m comfortable to that point, because I know that they trust me. So I build that trust over time.

(Nafiza) That’s really awesome. Because I feel like a lot of other Muslim students– or girls, in general– just don’t have that relationship with their parents. Because our culture so strict in the way we should think, the way we should act. And so if we are showing these behaviors that don’t align with their views, they take that–

(Inam) Automatically they just get–

(Nafiza) They get mad.

(Inam) Yup, they just get really strict with you.

(Nafiza) They think like, wow, what did I raise?

(Inam) Yeah, exactly.

(Nafiza) But your parents seem–

(Inam) No, but they’re like that. You’ve seen my interaction with them before. And I do. There are some boundaries where I’m not supposed to step over.

But I do want to be friends with my parents. And I feel like that’s so important, even– I feel like with everybody, not only Muslim girls, specifically. I think you being able to talk to your parents as if you’re talking to a friend is so important. Because then you can tell them anything. And then your relationship just gets better.

And then they’ll give you the trust when it comes to you talking to the opposite sex. I’ve talked to the opposite sex in front of my parents before. And obviously, you have to display some type of formal– when you speak to a guy, it’s not like, oh, hey. You know? You obviously have to show your parents like, oh, no, I know how to control myself when I’m with these type of people.

Because I know that they trust me. And I know that– in the back of my mind, I’m like, my parents have done so much for me. So the last thing I want to do is disappoint them.

(Nafiza) And it’s the same way with your dad, too?

(Inam) Mm-hmm.

(Nafiza) OK. That’s really awesome. Because again–

(Inam) Yeah, I’m actually more closer to my dad than I am to my mom.

(Nafiza) That’s very rare that you see. I feel like, actually, there’s a problem in Muslim culture. Obviously, it’s a religion, not a culture.

(Inam) No, there’s a culture to it, too.

(Nafiza) Right– that Muslim girls, they are not close to their father for whatever reason. You see them under the mom’s control. And then the boys are under the dad’s control, as well as the mom’s. But you see that split.

That’s really cool that you have that with your dad. What would you say to girls who maybe have parents that don’t trust them?

(Inam) I think my advice to them would be it’s hard to stay patient. I know that. I am not a patient person. But I feel like everything takes time.

And I know that me saying that probably makes people angry. Because they’re like, oh, my god, OK. Who is she to tell me? But honestly, from my experience, I am able to– because I was able to talk to my parents.

It started slowly happening when I got to my teens. Because sometimes my siblings weren’t around. So I would just tell my parents about certain stuff.

And I think it’s also because my dad was raised in a household with all girls. So he has a really close relationship with understanding how a woman feels. My mom, completely opposite. She was raised by all boys. But she’s still able to talk to me about stuff like that.

Obviously, there’s always that dynamic about the dads liking the daughters better and the moms liking the boys better. That’s at least the case in my house. But it’s fine. So I guess my advice to these girls who struggle to form a relationship with their parent–

(Nafiza) And not even form a relationship with them but that relationship in where you can tell them about real things going on. Because I feel like a lot of girls I know that are Muslim hide so much from their parents, because they just can’t tell them the things that are really going on. You know what I mean? That’s really difficult.

(Inam) That is. No, I have friends, too, that don’t tell their parents anything.

(Nafiza) That’s the situation with me. Not that I’m doing anything bad, but there are things that they just wouldn’t understand. Because our society that we live in, our culture as individualistic culture in America– very different from their views, their beliefs that they hold– just complete opposite. And I guess there isn’t really one answer.

(Inam) Yeah, there really isn’t. I think it ultimately just depends on how a girl is able to handle the situation. And I understand that that’s such a generic answer.

But it’s honestly up to you. And if you truly, truly care about your interaction with your parents or whoever, you really need to understand, OK, I need to fix myself before I have to fix them. Does that make sense?

(Nafiza) I see. Because, yeah, a lot of the time, I feel like, at least with me– I think that my dad, for example– me and my mom have a good relationship, me and my dad not so much– that I see his views, and I think that they are wrong. You know what I mean? I see that. And I say, what I’m doing isn’t wrong, even though he views what I would do as wrong.

But I never stop to think, you know what? This is just how he thinks. This is his culture. This is what he truly believes.

And I like what you’re saying about I shouldn’t be trying to fix them. Maybe I should be seeing what I’m doing, and try to form a relationship.

(Inam) Obviously, you are your own person. You’re not going to completely just change just to be able to just–

(Nafiza) Please your parents.

(Inam) Exactly. You are your own person. But I feel like there are times when you have to be the parent. Does that make sense?

(Nafiza) Maybe. Go on.

(Inam) So what I mean by that is sometimes my parents will be really childish where they are really stubborn. Like, they won’t let me– for example, if I want to go see a movie with my friends, they’ll be like, no. My mom, at least, will be like that.

And sometimes what I mean by you have to be a parent is you have to kind of be the bigger person in the picture. Because if you’re arguing, that’s not helping your case at all. If you’re like, no, what’s wrong with you? Why? Because that’s going to make them even more mad.

So to me, what I would tell these girls if they ever have arguments with their parents is just try to hold your tongue. I should be talking myself before I tell other people about that. Because I have a difficult time doing that. But I’m telling you, it works.

If you’re quiet, your parent will realize, OK– well, some parents might realize– OK, maybe I’m stepping over the boundaries. Maybe I am wrong. And I’ve had this happen to me.

And everyone’s different. My dad has come to my room before and apologized. I didn’t mean that. My mom, not so much. But my dad is mostly the one that’s like, OK. Because I was able to just let it go.

And something that I try to keep in mind is, when I’m fighting with anybody, even my siblings or whatever, I just think to myself– I’m like, is it really worth it? I just don’t understand. We have such good memories together.

And then there’s this huge thing that happens. And then I get stubborn about it. And I make a huge fuss about it.

Because what’s the point of holding grudges? You’re here for such a short amount of time. I know that’s so cliche to say. But I think that’s what I’m starting to realize.

You just need to really think of the situation like tomorrow you’re going to leave. You know what I mean? You have to really value the people that you have in your life before you realize that it’s gone.

And I know that’s obviously hard. Because some girls are just not close with their parents at all. But I feel like they should start now before it is too late.

(Nafiza) No, I get that– not letting little things in our everyday life impact our relationship with our parents so much. Because it’s really easy living in this life that we do, asking our parents for something, us getting rejected, and us holding this hatred. You know what I mean?

At least, for me, very little things impact the way I feel towards my parents so much of the time. When, in reality, if I take a step back and look at why I’m angry, it’s not–

(Inam) That big of a deal.

(Nafiza) Not at all. So I like what you’re saying about taking that time to–

(Inam) But I feel like, if the parents are actually doing something that’s– for example, if they’re forcing you to marry someone, that’s not OK.

(Nafiza) Right. Obviously, there are those lines.

(Inam) Yes. There’s some clear, clear– yes, where you’re like, OK, no.

(Nafiza) I’m talking about if they say no to me going to the movies.

(Inam) Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

(Inam) Stuff like that. That’s definitely something that I would–

(Nafiza) Ladies, do not let your parents force you into marriage.

(Inam) Yeah, stay away. Run in the other direction.

[LAUGHTER]

(Nafiza) All right. Can you talk in ways in which you might be different in the house versus school?

(Inam) In the house– OK. This might surprise you. But I am the same.

(Nafiza) Really?

(Inam) Yeah. OK, well, it depends on who I’m with. OK, let me step back for a second. With me, I feed off– my energy comes from the people that I’m with. So if I’m with a group of people that are super energetic, oh, my god, I’m going to be so hyped up.

And my family’s a really loud family. We come from a huge family. And I’m always loud. People will come over to my house, and they’re like, why are your parents yelling? I’m like, nope, that’s just how we talk.

(Nafiza) I’ve definitely been in a car with you before in which they were speaking Urdu. And I thought they were yelling. And I turned to you, and I saw no reaction. And I was so–

[LAUGHTER]

(Nafiza) And I come from an Arab family. You know what I mean? They’re very loud. But with your parents, that was different.

(Inam) Yeah, exactly. So I’m just like, every person is different. And obviously, there are some boundaries. We talked about that.

I can’t talk about guys all the time to my parents. You know what I mean? I’ll save that for my friends. I’ll have that conversation– does that make sense?

(Nafiza) Yes.

(Inam) So I feel like, with parents, you have to know that there’s a boundary. Mentally, consciously know, OK, wait, I can’t say that in front of them. But I’m someone that’s kind of pretty much the same.

My mood does change, but I try to remain the same. Because I’m just like, why am I changing for this person? You accept me for who I am.

Even when I’m trying to make friends or if I have friends, I need them to know that this is me. I’m not going to change myself. I’m original. You can’t change me. You just have to accept me for who I am.

(Nafiza) I see. OK. No, that’s great. What are some ways in which you balance your home life with your school life?

(Inam) Oh, that’s hard. Oh, my god. I’m a commuter. And that’s so hard, because I come back from school, and I get in the car, and I’m worrying about all the school stress. And when I get home, I have this home stress to worry about, too.

Like for example, just the other day, I had two exams. And I had to go home. And I was like, I need to study. I need to study. I need to do this.

I literally made a list my mind, the to-do list to do when I get home. And when I get home, my mom is just yelling. She’s just mad. And I’m like, I can’t do this today. I cannot.

And she’s just getting mad. She’s like, you don’t do any work in the house. And I do the most work in the house, OK? Keep that in mind. I do the most work in the house.

(Nafiza) The most work, as in chores, right?

(Inam) Yeah, and being able to clean the house, and just do anything for my mom, at least. I do the most of anybody. So when she tells me these things, I’m just like, I can’t worry about this right now. I have two exams. And if you guys want me to be successful, I need to do well.

And with me, communication is what I live by. I will tell my mom, Mama, I need to study for my exam. I will do a little bit of the work that you want me to do. But I’m going to go upstairs a little bit.

I have to make it clear to her, because she just sometimes won’t understand.

(Nafiza) So kind of like a compromise, too, like, OK, I’ll help you. But listen, this is– I completely agree– same thing in my household.

(Inam) We’re negotiating. Yeah, exactly. I’ll do a little bit, but you also have to be accommodating to me. Because I’m still a student.

And that’s the one thing that I get jealous of students that live on campus. They don’t need to worry about their home life. They need to worry about– because even when you’re at home, you get so distracted. But when you’re in the setting of school, living on campus, you’re just super motivated and focused– at least, sometimes you are.

(Nafiza) You just don’t leave that school life.

(Inam) Yeah, you don’t leave that. Exactly. So that’s so hard to balance out. And I’m still struggling with that. And I’m a senior now. And I’ve lived at home that entire time.

But it’s helped me, I guess, in a good way. Because I’m just like, OK, now I know how to balance other things. Because that’s a hard part to balance. But now other things, it’s easier for me to balance that out, because I’m like, OK, I know what to do.

But I think my advice to girls that live at home and they do struggle with this is just letting your parents know that, hey, I’m in school right now. And I know, again, there’s this power dynamic with like, oh, I can’t talk back to my dad. I can’t talk back to my mom. But hey, if you just talk to them in a soft voice, it’s not–

(Nafiza) Soft voice.

(Inam) Soft voice, yeah. It’s not like you’re yelling. But you just have to let them know that you are a human, too. You have things to do. And you can be a daughter, but you’re also a student.

So it’s hard. Because my mom didn’t really go through the education system. And she doesn’t realize it’s hard. And she does bring that up to other people.

She’s like, yeah, Inam’s always studying. Inam’s always doing homework. And my sisters, too, and my brother, they work really hard, too. And my mom’s just like, yeah, the education system is– you have to work really hard here.

(Nafiza) It’s almost like you have no other time to be doing these things that your parents are expecting you to do.

(Inam) Yeah. But she realized that after three kids. And then it’s down to me. But she still thinks it’s so easy. You know what I mean?

(Nafiza) Mm-hmm.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Nafiza) So I hope that if you are like me and Inam, you heard something during our conversation that you found helpful. And if you aren’t like us and didn’t relate, hopefully you found something new that maybe you haven’t thought about before. But to my listeners who connected with this conversation, I hope you learn to embrace and showcase your identity for what it is.

And always remember that each thing that makes you different from another person is exactly what makes you so special. So be proud of that, and let your voice be heard I know that’s very soft and super cliche, but I promise I’m done now. Thanks so much for listening.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

FYP Supplementary: Disability Visibility Kevin Romero (8:32)

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Gina) I was so hell bent on being normal that when I arrived on the University of Wisconsin Whitewater campus, I refused to work with disability services because someone might notice that I had a note taker or that I took my test in a different location. Instead, I thought it would be better to muddle through this on my own. So for example–

(Kevin) Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Finding Your Place podcast, a podcast series made for college students by college students. The voice you just heard at the start is Gina Maahs-Zurbey. Her story is featured in the Getting Help episode of this podcast series, and I think it really highlights the fears that so many students have about getting support for disabilities at college. And I decided that maybe it was worth exploring this issue a little bit further.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kevin) Now to be clear, I’m not currently a student with a disability. But when I was given the opportunity to create a podcast episode, it’s the first topic. I thought of. Why? Well, I believe that this topic needs have the visibility it deserves. So I set out to get to know the people who offer resources and support students with disabilities.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Patty) My name is Patty Seacrest. I’m a sign language interpreter at Century College. I’m a staff interpreter. I’ve been here just under 20 years.

(Melissa) My name is Melissa Traxler. I’m the Director of Access Services here at Century College. Primarily I meet with any student who’s looking to receive accommodations or support services from our office.

(Kevin) Sure, the wooden chairs we sat on were a little creaky. But the Access Center is actually a really nice place. You walk in there, you feel comfortable. You just have that space where you can do your work and get what you need to get done. But as I talked with Patty and Melissa, I realized that the most important part of the center is probably the attitude that they bring to their work.

(Patty) To me, that was the biggest reason to get into education is I wanted to see people who did not necessarily feel like they were doing well or could do well find out that they actually could, and they could be very successful at whatever they wanted to do.

(Kevin) We chatted a bit about anxiety, one of the biggest issues facing college students today. But before I went too far, I want to clarify one thing. How does a resource center like this define disability?

(Melissa) A disability would be a condition that would impact a major life activity. So for example, you’d mentioned anxiety earlier. If anxiety’s impacting a student’s ability to demonstrate their knowledge in a test or to participate in their coursework or be successful here at the college, that would be a major life area that anxiety is affecting. Or if it’s affecting their work, that would be another major life area. So that would be the basis of a disability.

In terms of documentation, to work with our office on an ongoing basis, I ask students that in their documentation they provide either a DSM-V diagnosis or an ICD-10 diagnosis. And so that usually qualifies students to work with our office.

(Kevin) DSM-V? ICD-10? I have to admit I had to go back and look up what those meant.

(Audio from Video on DSM-V) In 2013, the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was published. Many diagnoses and conditions were affected by these changes. And in particular–

(Audio from Video on ICD codes)  ICD codes represent the only nationally mandated standard defining the patient’s health state and the institutional procedures to help improve or maintain that health state.

(Kevin) If you’re getting support for a disability, you probably already know what these are and how to get this information to your Disability Service Center. And then there’s a bigger challenge. Once you’re aware of your disability, and once you’re registered to receive an accommodation, how do you talk to your professors about what you need to become successful?

(Melissa) Yeah, that’s a great question. So I think it depends on what the goal would be for the student in sharing that information. Sometimes I’ve heard students find it helpful to talk with their instructor and disclose their disability. So that can help the instructor kind of tailor how they help with that student and work with that student’s individual strengths or challenges. So the instructor can really individualize to that student in helping them.

Otherwise, you know, if a student feels shy or doesn’t feel like that conversation would be helpful or necessary, when students register with our office, if there is any particular accommodations that they think they’d find helpful– like taking their tests here– they really don’t have to disclose much of anything to their instructors at all, actually. Kind of what our process is is when they’d like accommodations, we send in accommodations letter to the instructor. And it only states what the accommodations are. It doesn’t state why the student’s working with our office, how they’re eligible for office, just the accommodations.

And when the student’s coordinating to take their tests here, they don’t have to disclose any information, either. And the instructors are very familiar, for the most part, with our process. And I think it would just depend on the student’s comfort level and how that would be beneficial for the student to disclose their condition or their disability.

(Kevin) And if you’re getting to the sense that people like Melissa and Patty are trying hard not to step between teachers and students, but instead, to stand behind the decisions that students with disabilities feel like they make for their education– well, you’re absolutely right.

(Patty) I find a lot of my students that are deaf and hard of hearing who choose to advocate for themselves. And then we support that in whatever way we need to. But it’s nice to see that because it’s a life skill they’ll need later.

(Kevin) So it became clear to me that the support from Disability Services was very much in line with all the other expectations of college. Understand yourself, advocate for your needs, push yourself towards your goals. But don’t be afraid to ask for the help from good people who were eager to see you reach your goals.

I asked Melissa and Patty if they’d like the last word for this episode. Melissa had some good practical advice.

(Melissa) Just know your resources. A lot of times I’ll tell students, you know, even if you don’t think you need to utilize accommodations, at least ask to know what’s available to you because you never know what are your options. So for example, if you’re in a class and you’re having difficulty keeping up with the instructor and taking notes, that might be something you haven’t needed in your other classes. But you can stop and think, oh, yeah, when I met with the Access Center, they said that they have this app that I can use that can record and organize my notes for me. Just know it’s available to you in case it could be helpful to you at some point.

(Kevin) But what Patty said reminded me that the issue of disability accommodations in college isn’t just about certain students living with certain conditions and challenges. It’s about everybody in the community. It’s about the ways we see each other, and how all of us in college can use our curiosity to build connections.

(Patty) I would say to anybody, don’t be afraid. If you see someone that’s different from you, don’t shy away. Don’t avoid them. Just go up and talk. If there’s something that doesn’t go right, well, you’ll figure it out and change it for the next time. That’s pretty much it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kevin) For Finding Your Place, I’m Kevin Romero.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kevin) Far out.

FYP Supplementary Surviving Group Work Brandon Hanson (8:07)

(Call-In Student) Well, in my past experience, when I have been in group projects, none of them are good experiences because I always got stuck probably doing about 90% of the work in the group. Somebody doesn’t put the same effort into it because they already know that if this person does good on it, or this person does this, I’m still going to get that same grade, regardless. So that’s just why I don’t like doing group projects. Plus nobody– a lot of people don’t put the same effort into the work.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Ethan) And last semester, yeah, I at the end of the semester with a big project– it was not good. Nobody wanted to be there and nobody wanted to be involved and they weren’t passionate about what they were doing. And it was a disaster.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Xander) Way too much experience working in groups. Pretty much every class I get into, there is group work to be done. It seems to be pretty common.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Brandon) Hello, everyone. This is Brandon Hanson, and you’re listening to the Finding Your Place podcast; a podcast series made for college students, by college students. I don’t know about you, but most of the college students that I know seem to have two major fears when they start a new college class. The first is, you guessed it the fear of being assigned to give a public speech. But the close runner-up is one you’ll actually probably get assigned more often. The fear of group work.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Brandon) How do you feel about group projects?

(Ethan) I’m not a huge fan. They kind of suck.

(Brandon) Why would you say that? What’s wrong with them?

(Ethan) Well, the fact that there’s a group. You have to rely on someone that’s not yourself to do the work.

(Brandon) I know exactly how my friend, Ethan, feels. Trust me. If you’ve been raised to be independent and self-reliant, or even if you’re just a bit introverted and shy, being assigned to group work can feel like a nightmare. But I wanted to focus this episode on group work because regardless of how you feel about it, it is something every college student will have to do in at least one of their classes. I have almost every semester. And I’ve been able to use the skills I’ve gained from group projects when working on things with co-workers and even when doing things with my family.

(Brandon) So I understand the struggle. You see, I’m in at waist deep right now. This semester I actually enrolled in an entire class on group work, Comm 1041: Small Group Communication. And I thought I’d sit down with the professor of the course, John Anderl, and get his perspective on the agony, and maybe even the joys of task based, small group work.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(John Anderl) Yeah, groups are all over the place. So exposing students to the process of group phenomenon is something that will equip them for the workforce and also for life. When groups function well, there is more cohesion, more fun, more creativity, problems are handled better, the quality of work is better because of the way that groups are able to create environments for people to get connected to one another in healthy ways.

(Brandon) On the flip side, do you think there are any real drawbacks to group work?

(John Anderl) Yeah, things like World War I and II and terrorist organizations and cults or sexism or racism, or anything else. Like, this is our society. And that is all hammered out through the process of groups. And so all of the good and all of the bad is socially created, and that’s something that I think that we can learn to be more competent players in that situation.

(Brandon) Do you have any thoughts or advice relating to group projects that you would like to share with new students?

(John Anderl) If I was going to give students advice on working in groups, it would be to be OK with people wherever they’re at. Treat people as valuable individuals, not as tools or barriers to get the job done. Try to empathize with their world, which is probably very different than your world. And then just work on being clear in your communication and what you want to see out of the projects.

You’re going to end up having at least the chance of seeing eye-to-eye, and then you can start to figure out how to solve the problem. Rather than pushing through the task or the problem, and then grinding up your human assets, your group members in the process. The success and the failure of your experience moving forward is dependent upon your ability to recognize that groups are part of life. Learning how to manage group experience should be what we consider most valuable in our life.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Brandon) OK, so Professor Anderl is a believer, but does it all really work like this in the real world? Will these skills really be valuable to a career? In a word, yes. Here is the late Steve Jobs talking about the way a company, like Apple, structures its management.

(Audio from Video of Steve Jobs) One of the keys to Apple, is Apple’s an incredibly collaborative company. One person’s in charge of iPhone OS software. One person’s in charge of Mac hardware. One person’s in charge of iPhone hardware engineering. Another person’s in charge of worldwide marketing. Another person’s in charge of operations. And we all meet for three hours, once a week, and we talk about everything we’re doing. The whole business.

(Audio from Video of Steve Jobs) And there’s tremendous teamwork at the top of the company, which filters down to tremendous teamwork throughout the company. And that’s what we do really well. And we’re great at figuring out how to divide things up into these great teams that we have, and all work on the same thing, touch bases frequently, and bring it all together into a product. We do that really well.

(Brandon) So maybe all this group work we get assigned is good for us after all. And it might help to think of ways we can apply what we’re learning about groups to our career and service paths in life.

(Ethan) I’m already kind of doing that. So I’ve learned a lot in the group communications class. I’ve learned how to better manage the way I interact with the group. And the direction that I lead them. Because you don’t take leadership, it’s given to you. Or you earn it.

(Brandon) And it helps to remember that the social aspects of group work can help us build important friendships in college, too.

(Brandon) Have you ever developed any good relationships through group projects?

(Ethan) Oh, absolutely. Lifetime friends. Friends close enough where I can call them up right now, and they’d give the shirt off their back to me if I needed it. And vise versa.

(Brandon) And that’s true. Xander, one of my other group members from a class several years ago, put it like this.

(Xander) Try to get along with everyone else. Try not to be too pushy. Also, try to keep some of your more rowdy group members on task.

(Brandon) All right.

(Xander) Brandon just pointed at himself.

(Brandon) So the next time you get assigned group work in a college class, don’t get too upset. Sure, this might not go perfectly smoothly. But the skills you build in fulfilling a role in creating cohesion and in collaboratively completing a task can serve you well for the rest of your life.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Brandon) For Finding Your Place, I’m Brandon Hanson.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Brandon) All right, thank you for meeting with me here.

(Ethan) Oh, yeah. Thank you for taking me out to this eerie swamp to do our interview.

(Brandon) Boom.

FYP Supplementary Being a Single Mother in College La’Tisa Block (8:49)

(La’Tisa) Jacari, do you got anything you want to say in the mic? What do you got to say, Jacari Tell them how old you are. Say, my name is Jacari, and I am six months old. And I am touching on the mic.

[BABY NOISES]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(La’Tisa) That’s me. La’Tisa Block. And when I was given the opportunity of creating an episode of Finding Your Place, I knew right away who I wanted to talk to. Single mothers in college. Because that’s me. That’s a big part of my story. And as Sharon, one of my classmates in the human service program will tell you, it’s important to hear from people with a standpoint.

(Sharon) Oh, my. I’ll tell you about what brings me here to Century College for Human Services is my background and me growing up out of poverty, out of not having things. I had a learning disability myself growing up. And I decided to go into Human Services because I feel like there’s nobody better to tell the story or help people than someone that’s already been through those things.

[BABY NOISES]

(La’Tisa) So let me also tell you a little bit of my story. I am a single mother of three beautiful kiddos. And I started college in 2015. And boy, it has been a struggle. The only reason why I started college was a better foundation for my kids. To give them the life that I never had.

(Fergus) Hey, my name’s Fergus, and I’m 10.

(Colli) Hi, my name is Colli and I’m two years old.

(La’Tisa) And those three voices you’re hearing? Those are my kids. They’re the reason why I do so many of the things I do. My friend, Nicole, is a single mother who recently returned to college after years leaving her degree behind. And she puts it like this.

(Nicole) My motivation is– I want to show my kids that it’s important to finish what you started. That it’s important to go to college and get that degree. And that’s probably my biggest motivation. It’s for my kids, to send them a good message. And it’s also for me. I need to be proud of myself for finishing college.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(La’Tisa) And we are motivated, but we can also get a bit overwhelmed. Juggling class schedules while raising our children is tough. I asked Nicole about what the experience is like for her and how she copes with it all.

(Nicole) I [LAUGHING] it’s hard. I would absolutely be lying if I said it was easy. I typically– for school and homework– I have to stay very organized. I have a calendar of my classes, and the syllabuses are all out in the open so that I can see what I need to do each week.

(La’Tisa) That’s a good idea. And most of the success strategies you hear about in some of your first college classes really can help. But our experience as single mothers is just different than the average, struggling, first-year student. So sometimes you have to ask around and make connections.

So I decided to meet up with Michele Jersak, a counselor at Century College and the director of the Resource and Support Center. I wanted to share my episode topic with her and find out what she would say to students like me who are listening and who could use some help.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(La’Tisa) Here I am at the Resource Center, and I am walking in. Hi, Michele.

(Michele) Hi, how you doing?

(La’Tisa) Good. How are you?

(Michele) Good, good. My name’s Michele Jersak, I’m a counselor here, and I also oversee the Resource and Support Center.

(La’Tisa) OK, I actually interviewed a couple of students on campus that were single parents. And I have an audio clip that I would like to play for you.

(Sharon’s Recorded Voice) I don’t know very many resources out there for single parents attending college. I just went with the flow, for me, and did what I thought was right. It would be good if there was some more resources out there, though, because I don’t really know any.

(La’Tisa) What is your response to the student?

(Michele) I understand she’s a single parent?

(La’Tisa) Yes.

(Michele) OK. So one source that’s available to all students in the state of Minnesota, as long as they’re taking six credits and they have an eligibility of a certain income, is the Minnesota State Child Care Grant. So that’s something that a lot of times students don’t know about, because it’s not part of your financial aid package. It is in addition to.

So when we have a student come in here, they fill out a card, and we’ll ask them– gently– if they are parents or they might talk about their children. And so we’ll say, oh, you have children. And so if we hear that here, we say immediately they might want to know about this child care grant.

(La’Tisa) What seems to help single parents the most?

(Michele) Money is a big, big, big factor. I think that when you are a single parent, money is always something that you’re struggling to make ends meet. I think the other piece is really finding other parents. When students come in here, and they talk and they interact and they find out there are other parents, there’s just this natural support that occurs.

Maybe sometimes it’s sharing parenting tips or it’s sharing, here’s what I do for making my budget stretch or here’s how I manage my stress when I’m trying to prepare for finals. Just that feeling, oh my gosh. I’m not the only one on college that is struggling with all this, can go a long way for students.

(La’Tisa) What word of advice can you offer to a single parent?

(Michele) One of the most powerful things for single parents is to have that vision of what they want their life to be. Why are they here? Parents, whether they’re single parents or not single parents, but especially single parents who want a better life for their children, they are much more motivated than your typical student because they want their children to have better lives than they are having.

And very often when you are a single parent, you’re struggling financially. And so I will hear parents say, I don’t want my children to have to struggle so much. I want my children to be able to do anything they want to do. And that’s why I’m here.

(La’Tisa) Well, thank you, Michele, for your time and letting me interview you.

(Michele) Yeah, let’s– I’ll walk you out.

(La’Tisa) Thank you.

(Michele) Have a great weekend.

(La’Tisa) You too.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(La’Tisa) I’m glad I stopped by. It’s good to have a conversation with a counselor or an advisor on campus from time to time. Sometimes, we single parents second guess ourselves. Nicole set me straight.

(Nicole) I would say for parents and single parents and anybody attending college, you need to know there is no dumb question. There is no silly question that you can ask. And they’re out there to help you, and you just have to reach out and ask. And they’re more than willing to help.

(La’Tisa) And like my friend, Destiny, says, try to do a few things for yourself.

(Destiny) Taking a bubble bath, going to a chiropractor. I’m not very good at doing stuff for myself, but self-care is really important when it comes to being a single parent, especially while you’re in school.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(La’Tisa) We single mothers need to advocate for our needs, absolutely. It’s not going to be an easy journey to your degree. I can tell you that. But for me, it’s worth it because my kids are the reason why I push through the struggles. At the end of the tunnel, there’s always a light. And when I have that degree in my hand, I’m going to be so proud of myself, and I know my kids will be proud that I built a future for them.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(La’Tisa) And if you’re listening to this episode as a single parent, wondering if you should take the first step towards your degree, you might want to take a slow at first, but–

(Sharon) Do it. Do it. You can do it. It’s going to be hard at first, and it’ll probably be hard all the way through, but eventually you’ll find that balance, and things will work out. I’d go for it.

(La’Tisa) For Finding Your Place, and for all the single mothers in college out there, this is La’Tisa Block.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

FYP Supplementary Crossing Cultural Boundaries Kaitlyn Gerber (10:39)

(Kaitlyn) So tell me a bit about yourself.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Roberto) I’m Roberto. I’m from Mexico.

(Dominic) My name is Dominic Stewart. I’m from Jamaica.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Annan) My name is Annan. I’m from Saudi Arabia.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Maki) So I’m Maki. And I’m from Japan.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kaitlyn) My name’s Kaitlyn Gerber. And we’re here to talk about the international student experience.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[CHICKENS CLUCKING]

(Kaitlyn) You might be asking yourself, why is a young, white, woman from Minnesota, one who’s feeding her chickens, exploring the international student experience? Well, I don’t exactly live a farm life. But my family and I do live in a smaller suburban community on the fringes of the metro area.

[CHICKENS CLUCKING]

(Kaitlyn) But that doesn’t mean I live in a small world. In fact, as a college student, I am part of a much bigger world. And you are, too. Whatever college or university you attend, you likely have an office that helps students from around the world come to your school to either start or continue their college education.

And I have gotten to know some of these students personally. And I’m so glad that I have, because with these friendships come knowledge that I otherwise would have never had. Even if you don’t personally talk to these other people, they exist. And they have things worth listening to– like any person, really. I would even go as far as to say that learning how to be respectful of differences– even tolerant– and being able to listen to people’s thoughts or views which might not align with your own is a vital skill, especially in today’s world.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kaitlyn) On this episode of Finding Your Place, we’re going to offer some advice for crossing cultural boundaries, what it’s like for international students, yes, but also what it’s like for students who are maybe a bit afraid to connect with newcomers in your college community. I want you to be able to see that we are, in many ways, very different but also, in many ways, very similar, as well.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kaitlyn) First of all, I think it’s important to let you know that a lot of international students want to connect. Many of them are waiting to have that conversation, to practice their college-level language skills, and to learn more about life in the United States. But many times, we’re afraid of saying the wrong thing, so we don’t say anything. And that can be hard for international students like Minori.

(Minori) I think this is very common of American culture. So American people didn’t ask us, where are you from or something like that. Because America has a lot of diversity people. So that’s why it’s kind of rude question for them.

That’s why they couldn’t ask me or my friend, where are you from? That’s why, at first time, it’s little bit struggle to introduce myself. Actually, I won’t do. They asked me, where are you from?

Then I could– and said, I’m from Japan then. I cannot introduce myself a lot. So this is American culture. So to asking nationality or something, this is very good.

That’s why they couldn’t ask me. Then I couldn’t explore my story or my conversation with them. This is a little bit difficult. So hopefully, someday this thing– so this is very good or something.

(Kaitlyn) I definitely understand where she’s coming from. Campuses in the US are diverse cultural spaces. It can be hard to know if someone is a newcomer or if they have generations of family here already. A good conversation starter would be asking about someone’s semester so far or if they’re new at a college.

(Kaitlyn) You could also check out the Multicultural Student Center. They usually offer some kind of meet-and-greet event to bring students together from different backgrounds.

(Kaitlyn) Hi, nice to meet you.

(Pakou) Hi, nice to meet you.

(Kaitlyn) What’s your name?

(Pakou) Pakou. What’s your name?

(Kaitlyn) I’m Kaitlyn.

(Pakou) Kaitlyn.

(Kaitlyn) So I was wondering how the Multicultural Student Center both helps international students, as well as domestic students, in crossing cultural boundaries and just what kind of benefits the Center provides?

(Pakou) Yeah, great question, Kaitlyn. So at the beginning of every school year, we host a kickoff or an orientation right before the fall semester begins. And we invite new international students to campus.

And at that same time, we also invite current students who are going to be a part of our retention and support programs in the Multicultural Center. I think also, too, just at the International Student Orientation, we’re able to bring in different staff that students would be engaged with, as well as current international students for students to do some Q & A, get to know about some different clubs to join or different instructors to take classes with. So those are always exciting times.

And then also, too, the other piece is that, throughout the school year, we highly encourage students to be a part of the International Student Association on campus, or ISA. So that’s a club where students are able to come in, share about their concerns, their thoughts, their challenges, laugh, cry, get to know each other, mingle, as well. One other really cool event is the Festival of Nations event. And so that happens in April.

And that is a collaboration with international students but also domestic students here, as well. And they get a chance to really come together, celebrate different cultures and diversities all across the globe. Those are all just some of the highlights.

(Kaitlyn) Awesome, thank you so much.

(Pakou) Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kaitlyn) But sometimes, before we try to connect, we all might need to think about the way we perceive international students and students who are learning English. For example, culture shapes us in different ways. And a cultural behavior doesn’t always mean what we think it means. Maybe Fasil can say more.

(Fasil) How am I supposed to explain this? Well, they would be just afraid of us. Because when we speak with one another in Arabic, it sounds like we’re arguing basically to them. But usually, we’re just talking about normal topics.

But our words come out loudly. It’s how we usually speak. And they would think that we are arguing. So they just leave the place.

(Kaitlyn) And if we haven’t had much experience with people outside of our own culture, we can get some pretty limited images of who they are and what they can do. Or to say it in another way–

(Fasil) I mean, yeah, so many people just have some weird-ass stereotypes.

(Roberto) It’s like– for me that I’m Mexican, a lot of people think that we still use sombreros, and we wear Old West. But no, it’s not like that.

(Annan) Sometimes it’s very difficult for me to express an idea I have in English. But just because I can’t express it in English, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have an idea or I don’t know anything about the topic.

(Dominic) Because people already come with the assumptions that, oh, you’re an international student, so you probably don’t know enough English, or probably don’t have enough knowledge, or how you’ve been taught is totally wrong.

(Kaitlyn) And the result of these “weird-ass stereotypes”?

(Dominic) They make you more invisible. So for me, at least I think domestic students should try their best to make international students more visible in the classrooms.

(Kaitlyn) Sitting down with the friends you’re meeting here, Fasil, Annan, Dominic, Malik, Maki, Minori, and Roberto reminded me of the perspective that can come from taking risks in crossing cultural boundaries. I asked each of them for some advice or some final words of wisdom they’d like to give any listeners of this episode. And I think what they had to say applies to people who become international students, as well as people who could welcome international students. Here’s a bit of what they had to say.

(Roberto) Always, when you’re learning something new, you’re afraid. And don’t lose yourself so easily. So I think we shall start like thinking less, and act more, so we can learn.

(Fasil) We talked about it. But I just want to repeat it one more time. Please, please, please, if there is an international student in the class, do not make fun of them. Because you do not know the hardship of becoming one of you.

(Annan) That we are not very different than them maybe just because I come from a different background or I have different nationality. We are all students at the end. So we all go through the same troubles, like any students.

(Minori) I highly recommend to be international student, because I can learn a lot of things. And also, I think I can choose a lot of job in the future.

(Malik) But I feel like a lot of international student can move from a country to a country, and can they do whatever they want.

(Maki) Yeah. I thought my world was so small. And now I realize there are many views or many values. And I can learn it. So, yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(Kaitlyn) I also thought my world was really small. But I’ve come to realize that it’s not. And the people you meet in college, whether you find the resources to study abroad or if you have the time to connect with international students, can help you understand just how big the world really is no matter where you call home.

[CHICKENS CLUCKING]

(Kaitlyn) For Finding Your Place, I’m Kaitlyn Gerber. And thank you for listening.

[CHICKENS CLUCKING]