Documentation is an extremely important part of working at a university. It is evidence that you have followed the policies and procedures of your department and the university. As a student worker in housing, you will most likely be handling sensitive information and checking in on students of concern. The amount of documentation and paperwork can be tedious and feel unnecessary; but it is critical to ensuring that your residents are receiving the support that they need. Documentation is also necessary to demonstrate that your housing department is compliant with state and federal regulations. These regulations exist to protect students, and help to shape the policies and procedures of universities.
The following are some quick tips that can help you in situations where you may be asked to document:
- One of the main situations where you will be documenting is during on-call shifts. Every university has different procedures for handling incidents, such as the different forms for facilities issues, student of concern, and policy violations. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the levels of escalation within your department. That way, if you have any questions you know who to bring them to.
- Make sure that you understand the terms used in your institution’s student handbook and that you are using the correct terminology when documenting and writing reports! Incorrectly attributing a violation can cause issues, so ensure you fully understand the terms and violations you are referencing.
- Another aspect of an RA’s job that often flies under the radar is the written communication you exchange with residents. Avoid deleting any emails, texts, or instant messages you exchange with residents in a professional capacity so that you can reference them again in the future. You may be asked to provide this later.
- It’s a good idea to keep resident communications restricted to official university channels (such as Gmail, Microsoft Teams, or whatever your campus uses as its official communication system). Avoid using your personal accounts.
- While you more than likely can’t or shouldn’t keep a recording of the in-person conversations that you have with residents, what you can do is send follow up emails immediately after you have those conversations that recap exactly what was discussed in your conversation. CC’ing your supervisor on these recap emails helps to keep them in the loop. While you don’t have to do this after every interaction you have with a resident, it’s best to keep a record of conversations that have to do with a policy violation, any sort of official request, or an active roommate mediation. Check in with your supervisor about what is best if you aren’t sure. Perhaps your department prefers that resident interactions are tracked in a Roompact form or other form of documentation.
While these are all tips that I have found helpful throughout my time in residence life, be sure to prioritize your department’s official policies regarding documentation. If you have a situation you are unsure how to handle, discuss precedents and tips with your supervisor. Remember that documentation has to go in hand with communication!
