Reichert, who works in the SCAD Office of International Student Services and Student Conduct, spent six quarters at SCAD Lacoste as a student coordinator. Before Lacoste, Reichert served as the ESL director for SCAD Savannah. He also spent time as a Fulbright Grantee in Belgium and an English instructor for the Samsung Corporation in South Korea. And he has participated in study abroad programs in eight countries. Reichert recently spoke to the Connector about his at home and abroad.

Why did you choose to work in Lacoste for a year and a half as a student coordinator?
This opportunity presented itself to me coincidentally. At the time, I had just completed 2 years as ESL (English as a Second Language) director in Savannah. I was at a meeting when someone asked if I knew any French speakers I could recommend for the position. Well, I ended up applying for the slot myself. SCAD had a need. I spoke French, was qualified and was feeling adventurous. I thought about it overnight and said “yes, I’ll go.” I had lived and worked outside Paris before, so I was eager to explore Provence.

What were your culture shocks when you first arrived in Lacoste?
I knew French and French culture already, so that helped. Nothing really shocked me. I would say, however, that I was in such “awe” at the natural beauty of the area; it was hard to settle down and get any work done those first few days. Every view in Lacoste is captivating. Every town and village the students visited was a new chapter for me as well. With the technology available at SCAD Lacoste, I was able to e-mail, chat, Skype and share photos very easily back home, so my “old digs” never seemed too far away.

What reverse culture shock experience did you have when you came back to the U.S.?
“Reverse culture shock” … hmmm. I would suggest that cultural differences don’t have a “direction,” so the idea of reverse shock is really a misnomer. Yes, I’m American, but coming back to the U.S. was not going in reverse culturally. Rather, I was moving forward in my life. Plus, I knew what I was coming back to, so there were no surprises. I’d come home before after travels abroad. Shock at being home just points out the things you miss where you were, like a daily routine, ways of life, a certain food or place. I miss the calm serenity of Provence, the lack of cars, the lazy narrow farm roads, the uncluttered landscape and the walkability of villages, towns and even big cities. I did not miss McDonalds, Wal-mart, Starbucks or even cars, as some first-timers report.

What was the most difficult part of the transitioning back to living and working in Atlanta?
I lived in Savannah before Lacoste, so I moved here with SCAD and started a new job when I came back. That was stressful, finding a new place to live, learning a new city, buying a car. I remember looking out over the I-75/85 Connector one day during rush hour from SCAD Atlanta. The undertone of white noise from the city was pervasive, and all I saw below were buildings, pavement, highway and cars. That’s when I really knew I wasn’t in Lacoste anymore. I miss the small village feel, knowing everyone by name in Lacoste and the close proximity of everything you need. It’s a great place for artists to go and focus on their work, instead of all the things about life that get in the way of creativity.

Has your perspective of your own country changed since coming back?
I believe that any experience in a foreign culture puts things in your own in a different perspective. The result is that we naturally think about life on a deeper level. We ask “why?” more and “so what?” less. Travel makes us more inquisitive, curious and understanding of differences. I encourage all students to take part in study abroad while they are young. You’ll be more interesting and more human. These are good job skills, too,

What do you miss the most about Lacoste?
Waking up to the sound of a cow bell from across the valley. Telling time by a 400-year-old bell tower. The evening light show across the huge valley sky. Never a rerun. Walking 500 feet to work. Not having a car. Fresh air. Time in Paris every 12 weeks. Friends and colleagues from Lacoste and the area.

For SCAD-Atlanta faculty, staff and students, such a message is a common pop-up on MySCAD. It always comes from Gary Owens, who is responsible for SCAD-Atlanta’s busy mail services. Filled with an assortment of packages, Owens’ office sometimes looks like the walls are made of cardboard bricks. However, he does not spend much time in the crowded space. He spends most of his work day outside, delivering and collecting mail sent to SCAD-Atlanta’s 1600 Peachtree St. address. It is a tight schedule. At 8:20 a.m., Owens begins making his rounds to the residence halls to deliver letters and small packages. After that, he returns to SCAD-Atlanta to receive all incoming packages and letters. At 10:40 a.m., he is en route to the post office to pick up student mail. In the afternoon, he has to sort all of the incoming mail, deliver part of it to each floor’s mailboxes, and notify staff and students of large packages and mail that requires a signature. Then he returns to his office for a spell, in case people come get their packages. And what about lunch?

“I often have it on the way to the post office” Owens said. His job is about more than just circulating mail, though. It also involves lots of psychology and personal relationships. Most of the time, his encounters are pleasant, he said, but once in a while, he receives angry calls from parents asking why their children haven’t received packages from them. In those cases, it’s just a matter of students not checking their boxes, Owens said.

He was not initially hired to work with SCAD-Atlanta mail. His first job was as a security guard, a position he held for eight months. At that time, security handled all mail, except admissions mail, and Owens had experience in the area — he used to work with mail when he served in the military. “I am lucky and grateful that SCAD has entrusted me to take charge of the mail room,” he said.

Curiously, this Forsyth County native’s birth name is not Gary. He is actually Willie. “Gary” comes from his middle name. Speaking of names, Owens is widely known for knowing by heart everybody’s name. But how does he do that? According to him, there is no secret. “If you come through the door and pick up a package, I just remember … Really. I would remember that person forever.”

Call that efficiency.

What are your duties as a student services administrative assistant?
I assist several departments within student services. I basically assist all of the departments with anything they need help with. That can range from helping with career services such as career fair. I helped organize the career fair to go to Savannah. I’m assisting the dean with whatever he needs. I’m helping Marcus Mister with events for students, like handling financial aspects of it, such as purchase requests and vendor contracts. My day is different everyday as far as what I do. I assist all of these departments. So it can range from whatever is going on here.

Do you feel overwhelmed by having the responsibilities of all the departments?
There are parts that are certainly busier than the other. I take one step at a time, and I try not to get overwhelmed.

What is your most interesting task or part of your job?
Helping out with career services. I can do a lot of interesting events like being in the forefront of all the events and it’s fun to see from start to finish. I’ve been able to go to DragonCon for career services to see what the latest trends were. It goes with the student life in such as helping Marcus Mister with events. I attend a lot of events and try to help out at a lot of them. Just being around the students to help them out.

Have students come to you for help, and how?
People come to me a lot and joke about it because I’m the go-to person a lot. So, if anyone like a student who has a situation, I’m the one for go-to a lot. Being the assistance for Art Malloy and so, I get a lot of students who come to me to set up appointments with Art and I try to help them if I can. I make sure that they are going to the right place.

Do you help students relate to your experiences as a student at SCAD?
Definitely. I use it a lot when I go up to the front desk to relieve the receptionist. I find that being at the front desk, I assist a lot of students by guiding them, by being an alumni as I can relate to my experiences. A lot of time I give them advice as far as if they have questions about classes. A lot of it is academic advising and personal problems that I can help them.

What are some examples of how you shared your experiences as a student?
I can relate to the students about the financial aspect of the college, and a lot of students come down to see the bursar. They usually show distress about money and I tell them that as an alumni, you know that it is possible to afford the tuition and make it through the whole four years. I came from a single family, and I worked quite a bit when I was a student. So, I usually say that if I can do it, anyone can do it.

What jobs did you have to make your ends meet?
I worked in the Trustees Theater in Savannah. I have worked part time at one of the local carriage companies. In the summer time, I worked full-time and took part time classes. I was also part of the performance ensemble, which you get a scholarship and you had to work for the scholarship. So you have rehearsals four times a week in the mornings.

Since you were a performing arts major, did you feel that the performance ensemble benefited you?
Oh, yes. It definitely did. It helped me financially. It paid for one class per quarter. But also it helped me learn a lot about music.

When you did the carriage tour, what kind of tours did you do?
With the company I worked with, you had to be a licensed tour guide for the city of Savannah. So, I gave fifty-minute tours of the city, and I did occasional ghost tours. I got to the point where I did it for so long that I could go anywhere in the historic district of Savannah and be able to talk about anything.

How is being a staff member different from being a student at SCAD?
It’s big a difference. I’m not doing artwork anymore or performing arts. I’m working in an office setting. But being an alumni really gives me an advantage when carrying a work that I do because I have a student perspective as a staff member and bring that into some projects that we do and knowing from both sides. Being alumni and having been a student helps my having the knowledge of the college in general. A lot of people come to me with a lot of random questions.

Since you studied at the Savannah campus, and you’re now working at the Atlanta campus, do you feel that your giving a perspective at the Atlanta campus based on your experiences in Savannah is different from if you were a student at the Atlanta campus?
They’re generally the same.  Even though we have two different campuses, when it comes down to it, a lot of core questions are the same.  I don’t think there is that much difference from what I encountered in Savannah and in Atlanta.

Are you still doing any art projects or performing art projects these days?
I am apprenticing at the Horizon Theater in Little Five Points. It’s a ten-month program.  I wrapped a short film in September and it will be premiering at Landmark Theater in March. I was an actor. My apprenticeship really keeps me busy and it’s at nights and weekends. So, I usually leave from here and go straight to the theater.

By Megan Glasscock and Angela Sasser

SCAD-Atlanta provides services to aid students during the most trying times of their college career. Are you feeling stressed, depressed or simply in need of a helping hand? Never fear, for the counselors are here! Meet Kevin Buckins, one of the counselors at SCAD-Atlanta working for the good of the student body.

1. What is it exactly you do for SCAD?
My exact title is Counselor and Disability Specialist. I work in Counseling and Student Support Services on the first floor in
Student Services, along with my Director, Sophie Viola, and our counseling interns. We each provide student support through
confidential counseling for personal concerns (like relationship problems, anxiety and stress), academic services (time management, study skills and the like) and accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

2. Why is being a counselor so nifty?
Nifty? What does that mean, exactly? I’m not sure about “nifty,” but I enjoy being a counselor because I find it to be rewarding work. Being able to help students discover their own answers to life’s unique problems is a special thing; it’s both a great privilege and a great responsibility. Counseling students in particular is especially rewarding because people in transition are usually far more open to and excited about the change process. As a problem-solving mechanism, counseling is also a very creative endeavor, which appeals to my own more artistic side. I like helping people, and counseling is just a great way to do that.

3. How did you decide on your profession? Were there any inspiring moments?
I was greatly inspired by my own counselor when I was an undergrad in college, and also by my RD at the time — a special mentor and friend who himself had attended the same program at Georgia State University, where I received my graduate degree in counseling. I suppose I’ve always been considered a natural-born listener and creative problem-solver and enjoy thinking optimistically outside the box, so peers have always tended to turn to me for support and input. Also, working aimlessly in retail for a few years after graduating with a fairly unemployable degree forced me to recognize what I enjoyed most about my job: helping others. So, when it was suggested to me for the umpteenth time that I should consider becoming a counselor, it finally clicked, and that’s what I decided to do.

4. When you were a child, what was the worldview on people with disabilities? How do you feel about it as an adult?
I can’t speak for the entire world’s point of view, but clearly people with differences have always had challenges in our society — whether those differences happened to be about sex, race or physical appearance. I think we’re fortunate to exist in a time where people’s thinking has evolved somewhat, and where education has allowed us to begin taking more sophisticated approaches to life’s more complex problems. The way I see it is that we each all represent the same life; we’re just poured into different molds, and if it weren’t for my unique DNA and my unique experiences, I would be you, and you would be me, so who am I to judge or to not help my neighbor in need? It could just as easily be me in any situation. We’re all essentially the same in essence, and what we fail to do for others is really a failure within ourselves. I believe that we’re constantly creating our world by the choices that we make, and if we’re not happy with how things are, it’s up to us to change them, and our effectiveness in doing so depends completely upon how we value human life and how we treat each other, regardless of individual differences.

5. Who are the kinds of people you help?
Really, there is no one that I don’t try to help, whether it’s directly helping or by providing information or through researching a referral. If I were to pick a specialty, I suppose it would be in working with the broader category of people I refer to as “the worried well,” that is, people who are essentially okay, but who are struggling with life’s direction or meaning and need some basic guidance; people who are motivated, but perhaps feeling stuck. In a way, I guess you could call it “coaching.” I suppose I am an existentialist by nature — meaning, someone who ponders the deeper questions in life and thrives on the notion that we are each responsible for making what we can of ourselves in this short, precarious, but extraordinarily rare and sacred existence, and that existential orientation of mine is very much reflected in my work as a counselor, no matter the kind of problem a student might be facing.

6. Finish this sentence: My name is _____. I am here to _____.
My name is Kevin. I am here to be what I can be, do what I can do, and share the fulfillment that I achieve in ways that are genuine, relevant and creative, and to hopefully succeed in making a small but positive mark on my world.