Let’s be honest: no one aspires to be an entry-level, live-in hall director their entire career. From my experience, most Hall Directors make it five years before they are looking to move up or out. And that’s kind of how the role was designed: it’s meant to be a stepping stone, not a forever role. So how are you going to make your time count? The Hall Director role is one in which you wear many hats and you’ll likely be busy with many different responsibilities, from conduct meetings to one-on-ones with staff members. It’s ridiculously easy to keep your head down and go through the motions. But since there is such a limited time in this role, it’s critical to think about how you are going to make an impact on the residents and student staff around you. How do you want to be remembered? This is where the concept of Community Development Plans (CDPs) come in: it’s specifically used for naming how you are intentional about establishing connections with residents in your community, how you plan on being visible to be recognized by others, and how you are helping students build connections with one another.
Summer is an ideal time to put this document together. It is an ideal time to reflect on what has worked well in the past and to start scheming on what is coming next in the academic year. This also could be a helpful time to ask colleagues to brainstorm: they have likely had their own strategies that have been successful and it could be an opportunity to name opportunities for collaboration between communities. All around, it is important to plan ahead if you are going to create a well-rounded CDP. Here are some considerations for success.
Consider the goal of your CDP.
Unless you use a goal or mission from your department, everyone’s goal could look somewhat different based on what they are wanting to accomplish. The typical goal of my CDP is to create opportunities for residents to build connections with one another, learn more about resources on campus, and grow in their leadership experiences. I achieve this goal by trying to facilitate engaging programs, inviting offices and organizations on campus to come present in my community, and by advising our hall’s activities board. In a previous office I worked for, the goal was to get to know every resident in their area by name within the first 50 days of classes. It was a lofty goal and while (to my knowledge) no one managed to reach it, it really helped staff narrow down how they were going to make personal connections with students to get as close to that goal as possible. Whatever you name as your overarching goal, let it be shaped by your why for this position and what you hope to accomplish this year.
Step 1:
Identify what you are going to do to help develop your community. This is an ideal first step as there will need to be ways that you can be visible within your hall so that you can make connections with residents. Some strategies that have been typically used within CDP that I have drafted are conducting knock and talks, hosting institutional trivia in the community’s lobby, visibility at institutional events throughout the year, writing Of The Month awards (OTMs) for the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), naming how often you’ll be doing social rounds in the hall, and how you plan on utilizing social media to be more of an approachable presence. Lean into your strengths and how you have successfully shown up for students in the past. If technology and social media really aren’t your things and you do better in one-on-one interactions, use of social media may not be the best route for you. And that’s okay! It means that you can spend more energy meeting students individually with knock and talk conversations. Unless you are wanting to learn and grow in different areas, do yourself (and your students) a favor by connecting with others in methods that come easy to you.
Step 2:
Learn about resources on your campus and what would be most beneficial to them at different times of the year. From my experience, offices and organizations are very excited to meet with students in person as they do not receive a lot of interaction with them unless students are in need of something. Academic Advisors are forgotten about until it’s time to register for next semester’s classes and students won’t reach out to Financial Aid unless there is an issue with their package at the beginning of the semester. By inviting them into your communities, it gives these offices the opportunity to proactively share information and ideas with students to help their success for the future. Some ideas to implement could be Root Beer Floats & Registration with Academic Advising, inviting staff from the LGBTQ+ Center to present their Safe Zone Ally program, hosting a financial literacy event with Financial Aid, or having members from Student Involvement hang out during a lobby program to share information on how students can get involved in organizations on campus. Timing is everything with these events: many residents are not going to be looking to join a new organization at the end of the semester. Be strategic in terms of when you invite offices to present and what topics they will share with students. It is also encouraged to be proactive in your communication with these offices. The sooner you ask if they’d like to collaborate, the more likely they will be to pencil you into their schedules. I have typically reached out before the semester begins, using the first two weeks to solidify plans with campus partners.
Step 3:
Find ways that you can help student leaders engage within your community. Many communities have their own methods of hall leadership, whether it is within a floor council led by a resident or a community council that encompasses all who live in a hall. The community that I currently serve has a hall activities board that focuses on planning around two events each month to help residents engage in social activities to help build connections. While this activities board typically comes up with event ideas in the spring, my plan for this year is to slate all of the events for fall semester so that these student leaders have an idea of what to expect. Typically these activities boards are elected within the first three weeks of the semester. This past year I organized our first meeting and shared that elections would be held the following week during an event called “Votes & Floats,” which would provide an incentive for residents to attend who were not intending to run for office. Another event that amped people up and has become a community tradition is Canoe Battleship. During the event, each community creates their own floor flag, displaying it as they walk to the Rec Center’s pool to compete against one another. Find ways to continuously get students excited about events throughout the first few weeks and they will make showing up a priority throughout the rest of the semester.
These three steps can help make your CDP a successful one that sets up a strong year of engagement with residents. While these three methods are helpful in developing a community, it is not necessarily all encompassing: use your knowledge and experiences to create a strategy that is effective for you and recognizes the needs of students within your community. When developing this proposal, it can also be helpful to rely on the feedback from your peers, colleagues, and supervisor to help refine it. These individuals can help provide insights that you did not initially consider but are helpful bits of knowledge to help steer your year. At the end of the day, this intentionally names what you are committing to in order to create a well connected and coordinated community. Your planned purpose will make a significant impact on your residents’ experiences in your hall and make the most of your time in your current role.
