The world of education is full of policies. There are a number of specialized areas where these can be seen from offices like Financial Aid distributing federal funds, to Student Conduct working on cases involving Title IX, or the Registrar’s Office and FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). These are just a few examples of extremely important areas where having a high level of LPG competence is going to be required to be a successful employee. Staying abreast of the constant changes throughout this landscape can be both tedious and daunting and it takes a concerted effort to ensure the safety of both the institution and the student. Although law and policy are only two of the three parts of what makes up LPG competence, the governance section is equally as important. It is described as knowing how and when to consult with your supervisor and/or your institution’s legal counsel on matters that may have legal ramifications, and at the highest level, also participating in governance as appropriate (ACPA & NASPA, 2016).

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The four subcategories as outlined by the ACPA & NASPA professional competencies rubric for LPG are: Laws and Legal Systems, Governance, Ethical and Inclusive Application of Policy, and Civic Engagement (2016). Much of my career has been spent upholding the very strict laws that are in place for working with students. I hesitate to say that I would be at an intermediate level for this category mostly due to that fact that laws, policies, and governance are going to be largely reflective of the institution. However, there are certainly policies like Title IX or FERPA that are going to be the same at any institution across the United States. While these are things that I understand and work with semi-regularly, I would not say that I am at a level where I can critically examine policy at an advanced level, or implement new policy. For each of the four subcategories, I would consider myself to be foundational.

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In the Laws and Legal Systems category of the rubric, on a macro level, I have some confidence in my ability to describe the federal systems that we are using, and act accordingly. My experience working with federal regulations for both international students and veteran students would fall into this category. For example, the issuance of  I-9 documentation for international students, or the certification of GI Bill benefits for veteran students, I would be able cite what the requirements are, why we need to meet said requirements, and act according to the policies and procedures of not only the government, but the institution. On a micro level, I would say that I am also relatively confident in siting policy as it relates to any given position that I have held. For instance in my role at the Student Union as Reservations & Events Manager -  I can easily cite room usage policy, and also have reasoning to back it up if a student inquires as to why we do things a certain way. Conversely, however, I would not feel able to do justice to the intermediate level of “identifying and explaining emerging law and policy trends” (ACPA & NASPA, 2016, p. 17) or the advance level of developing these policies.

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Having an understanding of where to take issues when conflict and resolution need to take action at a higher level, to me, makes the governance feel very institution specific. I think that intuitively after working in higher education for the past 15 years, I would have an understanding of where to start with any given issue that may arise, or at the very least, I would know where to start asking for the correct place. For instance, if I come across a Title IX violation, as mandated reporter, I would know to take this issue to the Dean’s Office and/or to the University Police. I have done work specifically at the intermediate level and the advanced level of the category in my role as a member of a tuition appeals committee, where I can say that I was able to “explain the parameters established by governing systems” (ACPA & NASPA, 2016, p. 17) and also actively participated in the governing process. However, despite this work, I would not consider myself in the grand scheme of things to be at an advanced level. I would say that giving my experience and my intuition, I would be at an intermediate level.

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Ethical and Inclusive Application of Policy is one that while I feel very passionate about, I do not believe that I have had enough experience to bolster an advanced level of competency. This is something that at this point of my career, I am actively striving to remedy. I am highly aware of inequitable and oppressive policies, and I am always aiming to help do the work that is involved with affecting change. I would say that this ties in heavily with being civically engaged, which is the fourth subcategory of competency, and in which I would say I am also intermediate. For both, I am able to critically examine laws and policies for their equitable and fair use, I appropriately consult with the constituents these policies would affect, and use the data I collect accordingly while trying to incorporate best practices of the profession, and managing personal and professional liability. An example of this would be from a previous position I held working with Tuition Assistance users in Colorado. There was an unjust policy put into place, somewhat arbitrarily, that very adversely affected a certain population of the students I was working with. After months of collecting data, advocating, taking the issue to my superiors, and them to theirs, and also by getting my students involved in the process, we were able to overturn a decision made at the State level. It took a lot of hard work, but knowing what was right, and knowing how to be involved in the process, and get others involved as well, was critical.

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In order to reach the advanced level of this competency, I believe that I will need to proactively involve myself in the LPG at my current institution, as well as in my future roles. In my current role as Student Affairs Coordinator at UB, I am responsible for working with my supervisor to aid in coming to resolutions within the formal grievance process for students in our school. As this is something I have tangential but not direct experience with from Colorado State University's Tuition Appeals Committee, I believe that it will be a great next step in my learning. I am fortunate to work in supervised practice with someone who has valuable experience and insight into UB's policies so that I can learn from her and add this to not only my knowledge-base, but my skill-set as well. In addition to my work, my spring 2020 coursework with HEA 620 Planning and Finance will also deal greatly with institutional policy and governance in a way that I have not yet been exposed to.