Housing and Residence Life: Community & Engagement | Competencies & Learning | Care & Case Management | Assessment
Imagine it: You’re sitting through the eleventy-ninth candidate interview for a residence life position. You’re staring at your notes, trying to remember whether it was Candidate #14 or Candidate #17 who said their passion was “connecting with residents.” Or was it “resident connections”? Everything is blurring together. Your notes are turning into a string of... Continue Reading →
Professionals supervising student staff, such as RAs and peer mentors, face unique challenges distinct from those supervising other professionals. Effective supervision involves understanding decision-making limits, providing clear instruction, and fostering collaboration. The role is both challenging and rewarding, emphasizing continuous learning and support for staff in their supervisory responsibilities.
Number of events. Average attendance. Number of *unique* attendees in a semester. Average student staff GPA. Number of Intentional Interactions per month. Number of outreach attempts for unenrolled students. Percentage of monthly report forms turned in. Number of room moves. Number of duty calls related to a smoke detector. This is but a small portion... Continue Reading →
As the year draws to a close, Residence Life professionals might feel one of two ways: you’re either careening toward the end of the semester full-tilt, hair getting increasingly tangled, shooting espresso with alarming frequency, OR the office is getting a little quieter each day with more and more folks taking time off, events and... Continue Reading →
It’s late fall, and that means everyone on the semester cycle is looking ahead to the much-needed Thanksgiving and winter breaks. We crave the deep rest, slower schedules, and lack of deadlines that longer breaks can provide. But just around the corner—BAM. RAs are returning to campus, you’re getting full-swing into mid-year training with both... Continue Reading →
When I was a brand new staff member at my institution—my first full-time, 40 hours a week “big girl” job—I remember the feeling of validation and pride when I was approved to attend a professional conference. “They trust me and believe in me enough to spend actual US DOLLARS to put me on a plane... Continue Reading →
When you think about RA or other student staff training, what do you imagine? Long days split into 60-minute increments, each with a traditional slideshow and ubiquitous lecture-style presentation? A few standard 15-minute breaks where staff wander aimlessly, eyes glassy, as they search for energy drinks or meaning in life? Even two or three consecutive... Continue Reading →
My current role involves shepherding our residential curriculum and training and advising our professional staff on our goals, outcomes, and strategies. Every year I plan for the fall in the spring and vice versa, aided by an active and resourceful group of individuals on our curriculum committee. During the summer, I tweak a few things... Continue Reading →
Big assessment projects can be intimidating. We associate assessment with boring surveys, dry data, and Excel, Excel, Excel. It’s no wonder many staff shy away from wading into the thick of assessment unless explicitly directed. But what if it was more manageable that you thought? What if you could assess an area or program under... Continue Reading →
Some of us Residence Life and Student Affairs folks came up through “the system” as residence assistants and orientation leaders before becoming resident directors or student support staff. And then there are those of us who entered this field via another route: we had former lives as teachers, librarians, or in my case, as an... Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year. Students are cramming for final exams, holding their last student org events, and carrying stuff out of their residence halls by the laundry basketful. Over in professional staff world, we’re holding closing staff meetings, gearing up for move-out, and suddenly— somehow —the inbox feels like it’s bursting at the seams.... Continue Reading →
Are you ready for your “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” question of the day? Here it is: What is an ecosystem? Khan Academy defines an ecosystem as “a community of organisms together with their physical environment.” Brittanica says something similar: An ecosystem is the “complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all... Continue Reading →
Steel yourselves, Residence Life colleagues near and far. When asked to think about a practice or tradition that residence life departments need to let go of, it didn’t take me long to determine my hottest of takes. What’s something that takes an inordinate amount of time, asks staff to employ skills that we don’t hire... Continue Reading →
