~ Blog Posts Written By RAs for RAs ~
I’m sure we all (student staff and professional staff alike) have our fair share of opinions and stories regarding a residential curriculum (or RC, sometimes called a residential learning or engagement model). Some love it, and some not so much. But why?
The educational/programmatic model has to be one of the most…varied parts of any Residential Life program. Some schools might take it to mean simple programming to keep residents engaged, whereas other schools might see it as more of an educational resource. We’ll skip the guessing game and get to the point: it should be both. It should be something to be excited about, or at the very least one should see it as a valuable part of their work, and here’s how.
Engage, Engage, Engage
What probably often happens when designing the learning and engagement model for an institution is a meeting in some ResLife office, with paid professional staff long removed from the college experience. (This isn’t a bad thing! I promise I’m not calling you old.) What I’m saying however, is that when you aren’t actively living in a community, it will be more difficult to create experiences which engage students, rather than bore them.
Probably one of the biggest problems with programming as an RA is when an event has a low turnout. It can be a little dissuading for an RA, and that could in turn impact their outlook on the rest of their work. While there might not be a true, 100% effective solution, getting more input from residents themselves is the most effective way to remedy this.
At the start of the year, when asking about their interests, actually listen. Do a large portion of your residents like music? Try organizing an event themed around that. Do they like sports? Try organizing a little tournament. I had the privilege of speaking with Terrence Abney at the University of Connecticut. Terrence has been hard at work at UConn on how to make its model more engaging and productive for student staff and residents alike, and says we need to “thrive to constantly be creative and find different ways to do that, keep the pulse of residents.”
Starting from Day One
It may seem overwhelming to be an RA or student staff member and starting the semester. I think a common thing we all forget about during training is that we are also students first, and classes hit like a truck. This can make it easy to not necessarily forget about your residents, but it definitely opens the door to be less present…especially during those first critical weeks. An important thing to remember is while definitely making sure to take care of yourself, you also need to be present, and introduce yourself to your residents. If residents feel like they are loved (or at the very least liked/cared for), they will be far more receptive to you in the future. This can be as simple as saying hello on the way to the bathroom, or knocking on doors during the first week to have a quick conversation.
Another way to start the year strong is more on the professional side of the job. Find ways to build excitement during opening, such as a bulletin board or door dec contest. Make the job more fun and inviting, because these positive feelings will trickle down to your residents when they move in, as well as to other members of the staff. By making yourself care more about the job, you will be further motivated when it comes time to start some educational initiatives.
Embracing Your Diverse Community
How do you plan for ALL of your residents? As an example, when talking to Terrence about it, he brought up a scenario about shoes. While some of your residents might enjoy shoes a lot, and would love to have an event themed around them (for example), some of your residents might not care as much, and therefore be less incentivised to participate.
A real world example might be a Christmas-themed event for example. Simply removing the name Christmas and replacing it with “Holiday” or “Winter” doesn’t remove the connotation around the program, and that’s not a bad thing! But be aware that some residents might not feel as welcomed by the idea, and with that in mind, try planning other events more suited to other members of your community, especially those who might be more different than you.
A great strategy for being more inclusive with events is to ask residents what they like to do. See what they find interesting, and curate your activities around that. Oftentimes a model is given as a task to RAs, however this doesn’t mean it needs to be boring and straight-forward. Find a way to “jazz” it up and mix education with a fun activity.
Concluding Thoughts
Residential curriculum (or a resident engagement or learning model) is exciting, but only if the right effort is put into it. According to Terrence, “there will always be parameters unfortunately” in regards to any model, “and the goal should be how many can we remove.” By making educational requirements appear as less of a chore for RAs and residents alike, we can all move to make programs more constructive and engaging for everyone involved. Residents have had enough of classes with their schoolwork, try to make a residential curriculum less of a class and more of an exciting opportunity to grow.
