Temporary Spaces and Framing Goals

A long Labor Day weekend, coupled with a work and school backlog make blogging a secondary activity, but  I think building in some rest into my schedule needs to become more of a priority. It's less of a "protect my time at all costs" priority, and more of a "we did it, we're going to be okay" kind of self-care. We've been asking those questions to students we've interviewed, and I vaguely have an idea of how I'd answer those. I'm usually in a state of "there's a lot to unpack" and part of that is just the state of being busy and unsettled. I'm not quite at the level of the opening lines of Pride and Prejudice, but a step or two before that.

Weighty Decisions

As a PhD student and student-body president for graduate and professional students at a major public research university in the United States, I think a lot about the choices I'm privileged in making. 

Recently, my work involved hiring office staff for the student government for my university. It's tough narrowing down 325 applications to 36 interview spots, and then picking 9, knowing that we're starting the year dashing the hopes of a lot of qualified students. We also need what is best and sustainable for our organization, but it doesn't change the realities of job markets around universities.

I can also say that the pressures of working during school would be lessened, especially for master's and professional degree students,  if school itself became more affordable.

Wall Space

I've spent some long spans in my office this week; during the year, I'm usually off to meetings all across campus, but everything has been reachable by Zoom. There's a lot of good real estate in my office, but admittedly, it has clutter, and I finally feel ready to purge some of the leftover pre-COVID artifacts of my predecessors. Despite this being the start of my second annual term as President, there isn't much of a window to clean on the schedule during the 20-hour window. It would have to be on-my-own-time, and it hasn't arisen to that level of importance. That just means it would always be on the back burner though.

My office is where I have a combination of collected paper materials over the past few academic years including tickets, brochures, sticky notes, quick reports, and meme-worthy art. I have two bulletin boards in my office. The one closer to me has more personal school related mementos. The one on the outer wall is where I would put some of things that can change, so I've left some of that gray space for things I collect in September.

A NASA Calendar from NASA HQ in D.C., stickers for student parents,
stickers for Grad School public lectures, Chihuly Garden postcards, and
a faux parchment with the history of King Cake.
Gray space left for September meeting proceedings.

I flipped the calendar to September and read the blurb about Dr. Marilyn Fogel (1952 - 2022). I was also so happy to see Marilyn's blog! Although the Isotope Queen has passed, her legacy as a researcher and educator in geophysical sciences inspires me.

My actual apartment doesn't have much in terms of wall coverage; renting and the temporary-nature of my stay makes it less of a priority, and I actually prefer the visual respite compared to some of the book and clothes clutter within my college studio apartment. My own living space has more office-like qualities, and I'm not sure at the moment how I'd change it up.

Counter Space

 My kitchen is generally tidy since space is so limited. I tried putting appliances away, but the shelf space seems even more limited, and I'm hesitant to cram in some ways of hanging kitchenware on the walls. Again, renting is a real barrier to what I'd want to do.

In the office, our table tops has clutter that can be cleared off pretty easily, but we really need to get rid of, or at least start using, some more of what we have.  The counter tops in the break room has a few appliances that get some communal use, but keeping it clean seems tougher when the responsibility is diffuse. My caffeine intake is mostly regulated through multiple soft drinks, and reaching my daily quota of around 160 mg was probably established when I drank some energy drinks; my tolerances probably shift, but not enough to induce Psyduck-like withdrawal headaches.

Some restraint in not partaking, I guess.

Walking Around Campus and Around Seattle

My time in office, the physical space, is something I cherish because it is timely and temporary. However, there's a whole campus and city to explore with places that change incrementally. Within the same building, across the street, and a park away, there's usually something new to look at.

I'm not sure I get it, but I saw the work that went into the installation.
It's just under the stairs on the first floor.

Warning for active bees. So inspirational to stay active.

A nice walk the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

Communication about Science Communication

In other news, in the second half of my week, I received an invitation for a talk on my research work at the Pacific Science Center. That will be a quick Zoom call in November. I secretly wish I could fly out to Berkeley instead, but technology and digital accessibility and environmental impact all kind of weigh in.

 

Discussion

In addition to work and school, I constantly think about my thinking. The metacognitive pulse and temperature checks enable some maintenance and planning.

September 2023 Monthly Goals

• Write 15-20 posts. Even if I have to go back and revise later on. Open topics.
  
• Revise August posts. Some of my ideas and thinking have evolved since; usually this will include additions rather than completely changing anything.
  
• Declutter my apartment and office space. No promises on sharing, but I feel like I want to have the option of being able to share here.
• Exercise outdoors. The weather is much more conducive to going outside with some comfort. I prefer colder weather, simply because New Orleans heat and humidity is so draining.
  

Time Spirals

On August 29, the University of Washington underwent its Google Change where our shared gmails and drives for certain shared accounts stopped working. This change affected my office, but besides some tedious hangups with Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive, I think we managed.

I had scheduled two appointments that day since I figured if anything broke, I wouldn’t be able to fix it right away anyway. On August 29, after all, Skynet becomes self-aware. At least back in 1997.

August 29 is also the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, yet it’s salient. During my sophomore year of high school, I adopted a style change that led to longer hair. For the most part, my hair had been cut short, but eventually I grew out my bangs and sides.

A picture of a yearbook picture.
Post-Katrina sophomore A.J.

 

I was early so I picked up a treat, noticing three very similar, yet distinct choices: Wetzel’s Pretzels, Auntie Anne’s, and Cinnabon. All things equal, Cinnabon wins for me because of Better Call Saul, and general overall deliciousness.

 

Hair

Overall, my haircut took about an hour, but I wonder how much shorter it would have if I didn’t laugh.

Part of the ritual included a shampooing and an awkward walk back to the chair. One side of my hair was longer than the other. Whenever she ran the comb through she pulled up strands of long hair. The mullet-like, Tiger King style midpoint Halfway through the haircut, I started laughing so hard because her deliberate cuts and sneaky footwork reminded me of Salt Bae. She started laughing, then I laughed because she laughed. We managed, but the serious face led to more laughing.

The spin with the mirror to look at the back of my head is a smile and nod.

I didn’t shave, so my shorter hair blended into the beard, a look I just wasn’t used to.

 

Between Time

Since my bus transfer pass had until 5:30, I took a trip to a different mall with a convenient route back. The app gave accurate timings for transfers, so I budgeted my time and picked up some new threads and comic books. The comic book store had new DC books out already, although the traditional “New Comic Day” is Wednesday.

 

Teeth

After a trip involving a long walk from the transit center, I took a five-minute appointment at the orthodontist for “Looks good. You might want to check with a periodontist for any final detailing. Any questions? I’m here for you.” I have a removable retainer for right now, and I called the periodontist’s office for an appointment in three weeks.

 

Discussion

I don’t mind occasional appointments with professionals when they get results.

 

[Draft update.]

Flagship University Median Earnings and Annual Cost [2023, Data Table]

Here is a data table I made to show median earnings for students going to public flagship universities in each state.

There are several key assumptions to keep in mind:

• The median earnings come from someone who attended 10 years ago, regardless of completion status.That means alumni in general; not all are graduates.
  
• The flagship university doesn't always have the highest median earnings for the state.
• I made a call if there were several high performing campuses as to which counts as the flagship.
  
• Annual cost can include tuition and fees. State contributions to annual cost vary.
• This data was pulled from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard in 2023. 

 

The University FOR Washington has my heart <3

Data Table

State Flagship University Median Earnings (k) Annual Cost (k) AL University of Alabama $56 $22 AK University of Alaska - Anchorage $50 $13 AZ University of Arizona $60 $16 AR University of Arkansas $54 $15 CA University of California - Berkeley $88 $15 CO University of Colorado - Boulder $65 $22 CT University of Connecticut $76 $22 DE University of Delaware $72 $18 FL University of Florida $69 $4 GA University of Georgia $63 $15 HI University of Hawaii - Manoa $56 $13 ID University of Idaho $51 $12 IL University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign $77 $15 IN Indiana University - Bloomington $61 $14 IA University of Iowa $63 $19 KS University of Kansas $59 $19 KY University of Kentucky $56 $18 LA Louisiana State University $59 $18 ME University of Maine $49 $17 MD University of Maryland - College Park $77 $18 MA University of Massachusetts - Amherst $66 $16 MI University of Michigan - Ann Arbor $80 $17 MN University of Minnesota - Twin Cities $65 $17 MS University of Mississippi $51 $12 MO University of Missouri - Columbia $61 $18 MT University of Montana $44 $14 NE University of Nebraska - Lincoln $56 $17 NV University of Nevada - Reno $59 $15 NH University of New Hampshire $65 $22 NJ Rutgers University - New Brunswick $70 $15 NM University of New Mexico $43 $15 NY University at Buffalo $66 $19 NC University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill $68 $13 ND University of North Dakota $61 $17 OH Ohio State University $59 $19 OK University of Oklahoma $60 $20 OR University of Oregon $57 $19 PA Pennsylvania State University $61 $28 RI University of Rhode Island $67 $20 SC University of South Carolina $58 $21 SD University of South Dakota $49 $19 TN University of Tennessee $57 $19 TX University of Texas $73 $18 UT University of Utah $64 $13 VT University of Vermont $63 $19 VA University of Virginia $81 $21 WA University of Washington $74 $11 WV West Virginia University $55 $13 WI University of Wisconsin $71 $17 WY University of Wyoming $53 $8

 

Median earnings of public flagship university attendees ($k), 2023.

Discussion

More research is needed XD. I plan to visualize these data on a map of the U.S.

Of course, the public flagship universities can be an excellent opportunity for the students who attend; however, access and affordability of higher education in the United States remains a key issue which drives economic inequality. Increasing access to these institutions alone won't erase the disparities across class in our country, but higher education access can be a good proxy for economic opportunity. We need to consider that higher education is a public good.

More reading:
"Most of Nation's Top Public Universities Aren't Affordable for Low-Income Students" – Alexis Marshall, NPR, 2019
"IHEP Analysis Finds the Majority of State Flagship Universities Fall Short of Their Promise of An Affordable Education for Students" – Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2019

"State University No More: Out-of-State Enrollment and the Growing Exclusion of High-Achieving, Low-Income Students at Public Flagship Universities" – Ozan Jaquett, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, 2018

Green Spaces Around Seattle

It's usually nice out most of the year in the PNW. Besides the smoky wildfire season, I often prefer to spend time outdoors. I haven't been on any serious hikes or camping trips yet, but that's something to look forward to.

Woodland critters adapt to city life.
I wish we could make cities greener.

Bellevue Botanical Garden

There are a few sections, including a Japanese garden and some nature-inspired structures. This one area reminds me of the opening scene in "A Quiet Place."

I don't like toy space shuttles that make noise :(

Bellevue Downtown Park

This is easy park to go around, seeing as it's a giant circle. Conveniently around the mall, this is usually a place where I meet Louisianians. It's a place that's easy to grok. Surprisingly muddy in the middle. I think there are concerts around the Fourth of July.

What I imagine in a planned city park.

Gas Works Park

Just west of campus, this has a pretty view of Queen Anne, Downtown Seattle, and Capitol Hill from across Lake Union.

Folks taking in the views at Gas Works.

A view to the south.

Gold Bar

This was a retreat destination in my second year. I had just come back from Chicago after a conference at Northwestern, so I remember well the difference in accommodations that week.

A view from just outside our cabin's backyard.

Golden Gardens

The west coast of Ballard. They have a dog park with very well-behaved dogs, and some of the paths can get steep. It's also the westernmost point of the Burke-Gilman Trail.

A beach looking out to Pudget Sound.

Long stairs between the dog park and beach.

Green Lake

Like Bellevue Downtown Park, this one is a less regular circular path. Depending on the time of year, it's green, gray, or blue.

A warm, cloudless summer day with a slight breeze.

Pack Forest

The forest itself was nondescript. I even missed the mountain! But this was my first out-of-Seattle adventure destination during the Summer 2021 return to campus office retreat.

We drove faster than I could take the photo.

Ravenna Park

Heading northeast on the Burke-Gilman Trail, this has a main trail with a few branches outward, and two bridges that subdivide it into thirds.

The green bridge, prettier than the concrete one.

A wide path most of the way.

Yesler Terrace Park

This is a Honk! Fest West site for live music!

This captures a lot of Seattle to me.

Hopes for the Future

I hope to add more parks, photos, and memories here. I also kinda wonder how these trips would go while walking a dog...