Residence life and education, residential curriculum and curricular approaches, student housing, and technology.
We Couldn't Do It Without You We've released a ton of software features in the past few months and all of your feedback has been invaluable. Thank you for help and understanding as we work through these updates. With your help, these beta releases will be ready to go by the fall! We developed a... Continue Reading →
During ACUHO-I's Residence Education Conference (and the Business Operations, and Housing Facilities Conferences) we'll be holding a social! Date: Tuesday, October 27th, 2026 Time: 5pm-7pm Location: On The ROX The social will have some free adult (and non-adult) beverages and nibbly bites. It's right across the street from the Hyatt Regency, next to the Sheraton.... Continue Reading →
We're excited to join you in Orlando this year near the house of the mouse. Join us for our social... Date: Monday, June 22nd, 2026 Our social starts just after the first full day of the ACUHO-I conference, after the regional receptions. Check out the ACUHO-I ACE schedule here. Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm Come any time for... Continue Reading →
How many residence life trainings have you been to? 10? 15? Do you see your staff spending more time on their laptops and phones, rather than engaging? I started to feel that over the past few years. Yes, staff still know how to do their jobs once they have sat through boring training, but how... Continue Reading →
Door decorations and bulletin boards are more than check-the-box tasks; they are often the first impression residents have of their community. In this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat,, we sit down with a Nikki Garcia to explore how RAs can create intentional, engaging, and meaningful visuals that go beyond aesthetics. From planning timelines to interactive strategies,... Continue Reading →
You’re walking down the hall in your building when you see a group of your freshman residents “covertly” rushing a case of beer into their room. And for a second or two, a lot of RAs and student staff aren’t solely thinking about policy. They’re thinking: “Why me?”, “Why would they do that?”, and “Man,... Continue Reading →
A lot of people dream about a big inheritance someday and what they plan to do with it. No one would turn down an inheritance, right? I mean at least in the movies, I’ve known a person or two to even kill for an inheritance. When it comes to inheriting a team of student staff,... Continue Reading →
Every summer, Residence Life departments across the country run some version of the same script. Professional staff gather in conference rooms for days of policy review, emergency protocols, and community-building icebreakers. The binders are thick. The coffee is plentiful. And by move-in day, everyone is trained, certified, and ready to go. But are they connected?... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, join our host Noah Montague and guest, Dr. April Callis, as they talk about strategies for supporting trans and nonbinary students living in residence halls. Trans and nonbinary students are a population often overlooked at universities; how are Residence Life staff uniquely situated to be able to provide that often missing support? Where a student lives while on campus matters; listen as Noah and April discuss strategies, tell stories, and share student experience for Residence Life Staff navigating systems in place and working to make them more inclusive for trans students.
May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time when conversations around wellness, balance, and self-care become more visible. As student staff, you likely can easily list approaches for supporting mental health. Strategies such as sleep, boundaries, exercise, connection, and mindfulness. You’ve probably discussed these in training sessions or workshops. The challenge... Continue Reading →
When people first step into supervision, there’s often an unspoken assumption: if you pay attention, if you observe closely enough, you’ll catch issues early and fix them. Supervision, then, becomes a matter of having really good eyesight (see what I did there?). But the longer I sit in a mid-level role, the more I realize... Continue Reading →
Abstract "Being a live-in professional means you’re always on—navigating resident crises, supervising student staff, building community, and somehow trying to have a life of your own. It’s easy to slip into survival mode or feel like you have to “perform” leadership instead of actually feeling like yourself in the role. Using The 15 Commitments of... Continue Reading →
In this episode of ResEdChat, Crystal sits down with Desmond Thomas, Meeting Logistics Coordinator for AME Church, to explore what it’s like to enter housing and residence life from another profession. Desmond reflects on what drew him to the field, the skills that carried over, and how his prior experience shaped his approach to the work.
As a Residence Life student staff member, stepping into a summer role can feel like a completely different job. The structure of the academic year fades, and residence halls quickly fill with new faces, expectations, and a faster pace. For anyone who has not experienced summer on campus before, it can feel overwhelming at first,... Continue Reading →
It’s truly the most glorious time of the year. The days are longer, the sun is shining and we are days away from the peace that comes with our students moving out of the residence halls for a few months. This might be the time to deep clean your office, reach out to all of... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Host Paul Brown sits down with 2026 Roompact Fellow, Amanda Knerr to talk about assessment in residence life. Assessment can be scary. It can be difficult. But it doesn't have to be. Amanda and Paul talk about tangible and tangible steps departments can take to make assessment infused in all departmental practices from formative to summative.
On March 29, 2026, with ten seconds left on the clock, University of Connecticut (UConn) men’s basketball team was trailing Duke by three points in the Elite Eight. (If you’re not a sports person, stay with me. It’ll make sense soon). Silas Demray Jr. from UConn made one of two free throws knocking the lead... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, I became a residence life graduate assistant, drawing on prior experience as a student staff member, relevant coursework in pedagogy and sociology of higher education, and participation in a student affairs seminar led by my alma mater's senior student affairs officer. My undergraduate capstone project centered on the curricular approach, the main... Continue Reading →
This episode of RA*Chat features insights from Tim Turner, offering advice to help RAs navigate move-out with confidence and care. From handling damage-related conversations and conducting thorough room checks to managing residents' emotions, Tim emphasizes the importance of clear communication, accomplishments, and getting support from peers and supervisors. He also shares strategies for managing stress during this busy season while still creating a positive and supportive closing experience for residents.
Consider a scenario in which you require guidance, support, or a professional recommendation from your supervisor. Despite working closely with them, you recognize that your relationship has remained largely transactional. This realization highlights the importance of intentionally developing that connection before it becomes necessary. Why This Matters It is important to acknowledge that most of... Continue Reading →
I used to call the students that I work with my team or my students, but I don’t anymore. Surface level, there is nothing wrong with that. It is super normal to claim ownership over something you are a part of, especially if that something is a group of people that you hired. That group... Continue Reading →
