Residence life and education, residential curriculum and curricular approaches, student housing, and technology.
What makes a satisfying conclusion? Do you go for heartfelt with warm and fuzzy feelings? Or perhaps you like something more bittersweet. You might even like a surprise twist ending. I’m a sucker for a good ending to a movie (the original Halloween and The Shawshank Redemption are among my favorites, not that you asked),... Continue Reading →
February has one of my favorite holidays of the year. It is a holiday that is, in my opinion, criminally underrated. No, I’m not talking about the lovey dovey Valentine’s Day - I’m talking about Groundhog Day. I grew up in, and still live in, Western Pennsylvania, just a stone’s throw away from the town... Continue Reading →
Although it may sound a little odd, one of my favorite hobbies is budgeting. As a person who loves to collect many different types of items, and who carries an insatiable love of traveling, I’ve become rather skilled in how to make my money bend and stretch. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from filling... Continue Reading →
Does anyone else celebrate Spotify Wrapped release day? I certainly do. It sits firmly in my top 5 holidays of the year (nestled between Groundhog Day and Thanksgiving). As I mentioned in a previous Roompact article, music is a powerful way to foster a unique connection with someone. Spotify Wrapped allows us all to share... Continue Reading →
We’ve all been there - you have a long night of duty, rushing around campus from one crisis to the next, and now you’re sitting at home, unwinding from the night. You might pop a favorite movie on (Shrek 2 was always my duty night comedown movie), eat a sweet treat (Cosmic Brownies have a... Continue Reading →
One of my most beloved autumnal traditions is re-reading the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series. For those who aren’t aware, this is a children’s book series containing urban legends, folklore, songs, and ghost stories. The trilogy of books are perhaps best known for the macabre hand drawn illustrations that accompany the... Continue Reading →
This summer marked my third RA training where I didn’t have an RA staff to supervise. After spending four summers with boots on the ground in the thick of training season, the first RA training I experienced without a staff was tough. Seeing the energy, the triumphs, the chaos, it all made me miss being... Continue Reading →
Around this time of year, it used to be common to see different curated lists that speak to what this incoming first-year class has experienced during their 18 years or so on this Earth. These lists would include little historical and social factoids like “these students have always lived with e-books” or “most of these... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, I received an invitation to attend my undergrad’s Reunion Weekend to celebrate my five-year reunion. Once I moved past the shock of being that far removed from my college experience, I scoured the website to see what the happenings of the weekend were. Between the information sessions, happy hours, dinners, and... Continue Reading →
CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. DING. SWOOSH. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. On the eve of RA training one year, many of my colleagues stopped by my office to see where that boisterous clicking sound was coming from. “Is that what I think it is?” a colleague asked. “A typewriter? Yes, it is!” I replied in a... Continue Reading →
When it comes to seeking out professional and personal development opportunities, I am like a frantic squirrel hunting for nuts. There is so much I want to learn and so many skills I want to add to my repertoire. I attend workshops, watch seminars, host a weekly trivia game at a local bar, I’ve collected... Continue Reading →
“Wait, you actually know what ‘Army of Darkness’ is?” my student asked. “What a silly question, of course I know the 1992 Sam Raimi directed classic, it was a huge part of personality in college,” I thought to myself. I had made a fleeting reference to the film ‘Army of Darkness’ in a meeting I... Continue Reading →
When people find out I’m in Residence Life, I often get asked: “what are some of the wildest things you’ve seen?” It’s a common ice breaker question that many of us in the field, if not all, have been asked at least once. Roles and responsibilities vary across careers in Residence Life and different institutions,... Continue Reading →
