In this episode of Roompact’s RA*Chat, we’re joined by Alyssa Fisher, a seasoned professional in residence life with a strong understanding of resident engagement and community building. Together, we explore how RAs can recognize subtle signs of isolation and connect with residents who may be quieter or less visible in their communities while noting the importance of consistency and community building.
Guest: Alyssa Nicole Fisher (she/her/hers), Hall Director, University of Arkansas
Host: Anthony Martinez
Listen to the Podcast:
Watch the Video:
Show Notes:
Roompact’s ResEdChat podcast is a platform to showcase people doing great work and talk about hot topics in residence life and college student housing. If you have a topic idea for an episode, let us know!
Transcript:
Anthony Martinez:
Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Roompact Podcast, your go-to space for all things Residence Life. Today, we have a special RA360 episode for you today. When people think about being an RA, they often picture the outgoing residents, the ones that are at every program, hanging out in the lounges, and constantly stopping by your room. But today, we’re talking about a different group of residents, the quiet ones, the residents you rarely see, the ones who may seem fine on the surface, but could be struggling silently or disconnected, and we’re unsure on how to outreach to them. So today’s episode is called The Residents You Don’t See, and we’re talking about how RAs can recognize subtle signs of isolation, create opportunities for connection, and support residents while still respecting their boundaries and their independence.
I’m joined today by a very special guest, Alyssa Fisher, a hall director with experience supporting students with both visible and invisible challenges in the residence halls. Alyssa, if you can introduce yourself, your role, and how long you’ve been working in Residence Life that people want to know.
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yes. Howdy, y’all. I’m Alyssa Fisher. My pronouns are she/her/hers. I’m a hall director over at the University of Arkansas, but today, I’m speaking as a sole professional, independent of the university. And I’ve been in Residence Life for now six years, four years as an RA, one year as a CA in the apartments at the University of Texas, and now, this is my second year as a hall director at the University of Arkansas.
Anthony Martinez:
Great. And then my next question for you, Alyssa, is what drew you to student support and community building work?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yeah. So coming into the RA role, I was really inspired and wanting to join Residence Life just because I kind of had a very isolating experience as a first year freshman. But special consideration, in fall 2020, that was my freshman year, and so we were under strict pandemic rules, I didn’t have a roommate, and Residence Life, as many people know, kind of just turned on its head a little bit and things look so, so different. And so I kind of had a little bit of an isolating first year. But in joining Res Life and becoming an RA, I really wanted to bridge those connections for other residents as we slowly came out of the pandemic, just connecting them to resources, to events, putting on great events, and getting to know some of my peers that lived on my floor. It was a lot of fun.
In extending my journey into Res Life post-grad, I just wanted to continue being that leader for resident assistant student staff and still making sure those connections happened in a post-COVID world. But I just really love making those connections happen, helping residents get connected to resources, helping my RAs make those connections happen, and also supporting them through the ups and downs of the academic year.
Anthony Martinez:
Stop. I feel like I hit the gold mine because I didn’t know that’s when you were coming in. And so you are fabulous for this topic.
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yes.
Anthony Martinez:
So getting into it, we’re going to just start with some reflective questions, which is when you think about a resident who may be struggling quietly, what comes to mind?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yeah. What really comes to mind for me is a resident who hasn’t found their community quite yet on campus. In the lens of my institution, we can see a lot of residents join Greek life, and we can know that they’re connected in that way, or they can join an RSO, and we can see that they’re connected in that way. Perhaps they’re not connected really with the housing and what’s going on within housing and attending events, but we know that they’re affiliated with Greek life and they’re affiliated with RSOs. And so we know that they’re connected in that way.
The isolated student who we’re a little bit concerned about is those residents who really aren’t showing up to RSO events, who aren’t in those Greek life organizations, who aren’t attending housing events. We can put out little micro pulse surveys. Have they attended an event across campus? No. We might be a little bit more concerned about those students. So when it comes to the struggling quietly, we just have to keep pulses wherever we can and try to figure out those ideas because sometimes, those students won’t outright come out to their RA and say, “Hey, I’m having troubles with isolation.” It’s those little hints that they are dropping and they don’t even know it. And that’s how we build up the idea that they might be struggling with isolation and not connecting with their community.
Anthony Martinez:
Yeah. I like that you talk about keeping pulse and just doing those check-ins. I know for the RAs listening, doing those check-ins, doing that little pulse check is so important. And so with that, how do you identify residents who may be struggling quietly or are becoming disconnected? You mentioned clubs and organizations, but other ways.
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yeah. Sometimes, we can see it withdraw with the student life type of deal, but it can also be academically as well. We can see that perhaps when the semester comes around or just throughout the semester in general, their GPA might be dropping, maybe their roommate mentions that they aren’t attending class as much, they’re not getting out of their dorm as much, or they just notice that they’re in their dorm frequently and they’re not wanting to connect outside of their living space and that often happens. So making sure we’re keeping pulse with roommates and things like that, but those little hints can happen anywhere. So academically, in student life, sometimes, their roommate will bring a concern.
But also, during one-on-ones, these residents can outwardly say it and say, “Hey, I’m just having trouble connecting with my community, and I love campus,” or “I don’t know if I’m making a connection with campus, and I kind of want to leave at semester,” things like that. Sometimes, they’ll outrightly say it, but at times, we can’t get those hints if they’re not wanting to come out of their residence hall and make those connections elsewhere. So just trying to identify those students can be a challenge, but at times, they could be just outrightly saying it or outrightly just dropping hints that they might be feeling a little bit of isolation.
Anthony Martinez:
Yeah, no, that’s perfect. That was going into what signs can RAs notice, but you’ve already said it. They’re the ones that you’ll see. Also, they may just tell you, “I don’t feel like I belong right now.” That’s great.
And so for the RAs also, when they’re doing, sometimes, you may call them community connections, individual interactions, touching base, pulse checks, whatever it may be at your respective institution, but how can these RAs distinguish between someone being introverted versus someone potentially isolating themselves?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yeah. In my experience, I would say that introverted residents, they might still come out of their rooms and quietly attend events. If an RA puts out maybe a grab-and-go event where you just check in with attendance or write your name down somewhere, those are the events that might draw introverted residents. Just having those kind of “pulse checks,” where it’s still not as intimidating for an introverted resident to come out and interact with your space, having those kind of quiet moments for them and giving them those spaces will still tell that they’re an introverted resident. Making sure that they’re still attending classes and things like that. Those are still the introverted residents that we aren’t as concerned about, but we still would love for them to come out of their shell and connect in other ways as well, but obviously not pushing outside of their comfort zone.
When it comes to isolated residents though, I would say they’re not responding to those pulse checks whatsoever. They’re not attending those perhaps grab-and-go events at times. You can even check administratively, maybe they’re not coming to the desk as much, and maybe they’re keeping to themselves quite a bit. Administratively also, are they going to the dining hall? Are they wanting to come out of their space? Those can be the isolated residents that we’re a little bit worried about. Are they wanting to interact with their roommate? How is their relationship with their roommate? In suite-style with an independent single space, this might be a little harder. But if they do have a roommate, how are the interactions with their roommate? Is their roommate not as isolated? Is their roommate willing to just speak on how the other resident is doing? Perhaps a resident assistant can be like, “Hey, I haven’t noticed so-and-so quite as often. How are they doing?” Those little things that can distinguish an introverted resident and an isolated resident that we might have to do some more touch bases with or extra outreach.
Anthony Martinez:
Yeah. And I like this is kind of going into my next point of a low-pressure check-in, kind of subtle, and you talked about it with programming. So with programming, how can that help quieter residents feel included without them being put on the spot? So maybe our introverted residents who may isolate themselves, or it can be our outgoing residents as well, how do we get them in that programming to get a check-in if you’ve seen any successful RA ones? Or if you yourself, when you were an RA, put one on?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
I will start with, once again, those grab-and-go events. When I was a resident during COVID, those grab-and-go events were, one, very safe, but two, really great for those students who were kind of introverted and weren’t very sure that they wanted to socialize with others. Sometimes, an example of a grab-and-go event can just be goodie bags that are placed in your lounge being like, “Hey, write your name down, go grab a goodie bag, go grab a sleep kit, go grab a snack that I’ve left out if you want to just sign your name and check in.”
Also, I’ve noticed that virtual check-ins also can be preferred with introverted, more quiet residents. That gives them more time to plan their response or gives them more time to think about what they’re going to say to an RA or to a hall director, things like that. So maybe a poll, see what they want to do with events. Maybe just those quiet one-on-one DM check-ins can sometimes be helpful for those introverted residents. I’ve seen those be quite successful when perhaps we can’t get ahold of a resident or we haven’t put eyes on them in quite a bit. Those virtual check-ins can sometimes be the way to go just to see, “Hey, how are you doing? Do you want to speak one-on-one through our Teams messages or through our DMs just to have this check-in?” It’s just making sure they’re comfortable as well.
And then for those community connections, as a resident assistant, I noticed that, especially my second year as a resident assistant, I noticed that some populations really didn’t want to come out of their room and interact in a one-on-one conversation. So I tried to make it a little bit easier and ease them up by saying, “Hey, this isn’t just a one-on-one. We’re going to play Mario Kart together, and we’re going to talk about how we’re doing.” Because sometimes, those one-on-one interactions can be a little difficult for those introverted, more quiet students. If they’re more willing to interact with that, that’s perfect. If it’s kind of getting even harder though to reach out to those introverted, more quiet students, there might be a sign of isolation. So yeah, those are my strategies to help out with those introverted, more quiet residents who want to keep to themselves.
Anthony Martinez:
Yeah, no, those are all great tips, so thank you. But I do have to say, after hearing all of this, our RAs will do all of this work, and so they’ll be engaging and they’ll try to get these individuals to come out of their rooms or talk to them. But I want to see if you have advice for RAs when these residents don’t engage. And so what should RAs do when those residents aren’t really responding to this outreach?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yeah. One, I do want to say to resident assistants, you can’t do everything. You can’t be a superhero. And sometimes, when methods don’t work with you, your supervisor might know the best bet to help out with those residents, and that might include from the supervisor or your hall director or your RD or your CC outreach and connecting them to campus partners might be one of the biggest things because hall directors, RDs, CCs recognize they’re not mental health professionals or professionals in that scope either. And so your RD, your CC, your HD might know just those avenues that we may be able to take to have those outreach with those students because sometimes, isolation can be indicative of a bigger problem with the student’s mental health. Perhaps once again, they’re not getting connected with campus, and sometimes, another professional on campus is needed.
So once again, RAs, you’re not a mental health professional, you cannot do everything despite every effort you might be putting behind it. It is okay. And most of the time, your supervisor will see that and all the efforts that you were trying to make to connect with these residents. So just make sure that your supervisor is in the loop, and honestly, that outreach to your hall director, to your RD or CC, once again, I think can be the biggest first step to take just because they might have some answers that you don’t.
Anthony Martinez:
No, that’s great. That’s perfect. Yes, we are a resource for you for the RAs listening. We are a resource. Please utilize us. With that, I know some RAs would take it personally. They’re like, “Wow, this person doesn’t want to meet with me.” And so how do you avoid taking it personally when you’re an RA and you’re like, “I’ve done everything I should,” because we have some RAs who are high achievers in their role? And so what advice do you maybe have for those listening?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
100% to the high achievers in the RA role. I love to tell my RAs they are the best of the best on campus, and I know they got big dreams and big goals, but sometimes, these things do happen. So when it comes to making sure that you’re not taking it personally and your efforts of outreach aren’t being taken personally, that they’re not responding back, make sure you’re putting yourself in your resident’s shoes because sometimes, you can be so far removed from the first year experience or the pure resident experience that it’s very easy to take offense to them not wanting to reach out to you. Just put yourself in their shoes for sure, and maybe they are, once again, a first-time freshman who’s so far away from home and outreach might not be the easiest thing for them. Or once again, they might be struggling with something bigger.
Empathy does go a really long way sometimes because once again, I know my RAs are high achievers and they want to make every single connection they can, but sometimes, it’s just okay saying, “Whoa, let me list all my efforts that I’ve made to reach out to this resident. It isn’t working.” Perhaps, it’s indicative of a little bit more that’s happening. And so just making sure you’re putting yourself in your resident’s shoes. There could be a lot going on right now, and you are lending a helping hand and trying to make sure that they’re okay, but sometimes, they might have resources elsewhere that they’re already reaching out to or just other things going on. So just making sure that you’re putting yourself in their shoes and don’t take it personally. You are doing everything you can.
Anthony Martinez:
Yes, I would agree. Thank you, Alyssa. Thank you.
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Of course.
Anthony Martinez:
And with that, we see a lot of N models and different … Whether it’s an engagement model or curriculum across different institutions, there’s all these checkpoints, there’s all this programming happening. And so why do we see often that consistency can be really big rather than just one big interaction from our RAs? And so RAs will be like, “Why am I interacting this much with our residents? I’m a resident assistant. Why am I interacting with my residents?” And so why are these interactions so important rather than just trying to show up once and then be like, “Ta-da?”
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
In my opinion, it’s all about visibility for your residents and them knowing that you are not always there, but you are there and you are prepared to help them and be that mentor for them. Yes, big events and these big one-time programming things can be great and they can be a lot of fun, and I 100% recognize that they are a lot of fun, but it’s those little moments that sometimes matter when it comes to showing up. Them just knowing that, “Hey, this RA is a resource and they are here for me in my hall,” and these little interactions like, “Hey, the other day when I was having a really hard time with this exam, my RA randomly popped by and said, ‘Hey,’ and just wanted to do this little check-in, that can mean so much to somebody, those tiny one-on-one interactions, or, “Hey, my RA said hi to me while we were brushing our teeth,” things like that.
Those little interactions really make it clear to residents that you are visible and you are there for them. I do push my RAs to try to study in their communities or just be around in their community lounges as much as possible. Some days, I recognize that you do want to be in your room and you might want to recharge after a day, and that’s perfectly fine. I say schedule out those little times where you are studying in your lounges, you are saying hey to residents as they pass by their elevators and things like that. Those little interactions really do mean the world as much as those big programming type of deals. And while they are a lot of fun, I think those one-on-one moments really do matter.
Anthony Martinez:
Yeah, no, that’s great. Thank you, Alyssa. Thank you. We’re kind of coming up on time, but I do have a couple of more questions for you. And so is there a small moment or interaction, I know we just talked about moments and interactions, but have you had one where you’ve seen it end up making a really big difference for a resident?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
That is a really good one. I’ve noticed actually a little bit this year with my resident assistants. Once again, a little bit independent from UArk right now, but UArk is trying a new engagement model at the moment, and we are noticing that those little moments do matter. My RA was making rounds one night, and she saw her residents doing each other’s nails in the lounges, and it was so cute, and I loved hearing about it. And they ended up keep on just inviting her to keep on doing the nails, and they just made it a presence in their hall to just make those little moments happen.
Another moment that I noticed recently is that two of my RAs were doing rounds as well. Once again, it’s the one-on-one little interactions and not the big programming things, but they were also doing rounds, and a resident came up to them and was like, “Hey, no one showed up to this resident’s birthday. Can y’all come sing Happy Birthday to her?” And so my two RAs gathered a bunch of residents on that floor and they all sang Happy Birthday to her. And it was those really little moments that make those bigger picture, bigger stories happen, and that’s something that residents will tell 20 years down the line like, “Hey, I had a really bad birthday, but my two RAs came by and gathered a bunch of people and sang Happy Birthday to me.” It’s those little interactions that bring people out of the isolation, out of the introvertedness, just knowing that their RA is there and visible in their community encourages them to do the same.
So once again, it’s the little moments that I really do see shine when it comes to my RAs. While big events and them putting on spectacular intricate events is so great, it’s those little moments that I get super proud of them for.
Anthony Martinez:
No, that’s awesome. Well, thank you for sharing.
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Of course.
Anthony Martinez:
I do want to say to the people listening, this has been a really important conversation because not every resident who’s struggling is going to openly ask for help as we’ve seen, but there are ways for us to interact with them, to talk to them, to maybe get that information out. And sometimes, those students who need connection are the ones who aren’t showing up. And so knocking on their door, watching them do their nails, doing your rounds is really important, and making yourself, as noted, visible is really important. And while RAs can’t force engagement, they can create an environment where residents feel very seen, noticed, and cared about.
And then before we wrap up, Alyssa, is there any final takeaways you have for our RAs listening to remember? And how can they connect with you after?
Alyssa Nicole Fisher:
Yeah. The biggest takeaway I want to say is, and this is something I wish I remembered as an RA, is that once again, you can’t make everything happen, but you can definitely have those little moments and those little efforts that will create a bigger lasting impact for your floor and for your residents. Once again, sometimes, the outreach doesn’t work, and sometimes, different methods don’t work, but it’s the little things that you do that really, really matter. So I want to say keep up the great work. I know that sometimes, it can get mundane, but those residents, it means more to them than you will ever know. So once again, just keep on keeping on. You’re doing fantastic and keep doing that outreach.
If you do want to reach me, my email is anf015@uark.edu. That’s the easiest way to reach me. I check my email a little too often, times that I shouldn’t be. I love my email. So I will be checking my inbox if you ever need anything. You can also go ahead and connect with me on LinkedIn. I believe I’m under Alyssa Nicole Fisher. If you do ever want to connect with me, I am all ears and all open to it.
Anthony Martinez:
Awesome. Well, thank you again, Alyssa, so much for being here and sharing your perspective. And to everyone listening, remember that even small acts of care and quick little pulse check-ins or remembering someone’s name, saying hello in the hallway is a bigger impact than you realize. And so we’ll see you next time here on the Roompact Podcast.
