Housing and Residence Life: Community & Engagement | Competencies & Learning | Care & Case Management | Assessment
Whimsy has become an internet phenomenon in the year of 2026 - and for good reason! The concept of whimsy has helped bring joy and fun into small moments during day-to-day life. From adding sprinkles to a coffee to getting lost on purpose, whimsy is how a lot of people are intentionally slowing down and... Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year again. The residence halls are quiet, the air conditioning is (hopefully) blasting, and you’re probably sitting in a multipurpose room chair for the eighth hour today. RA training is a unique kind of marathon. Between the policy deep-dives, the "Behind Closed Doors" role-plays, and the endless icebreakers, it’s easy to... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat, we discuss the unique challenge that comes with the RA and student staff role: balancing being a community leader while still being a college student yourself. From navigating friendships with residents, to handling uncomfortable social situations, and from maintaining professional boundaries, to protecting your own well-being in the student staff role. Whether you’re struggling with saying “no,” figuring out how close is too close, or trying to maintain a healthy social life while on staff, this episode offers honest advice and practical strategies for maintaining balance in the residence halls.
The first car has not even pulled into the parking lot yet, but your day has already started. You have walked your floor more than once, finished setting up your door decorations, attended training sessions, and maybe even answered a few questions from anxious families passing through. Although residents have not arrived yet, your role... Continue Reading →
For many of us in on-campus housing, we plan for it the entire year - Move-In. It’s become the main event, and that’s understandable: it’s our first impression, involves overlapping processes, and provides a rather intimate view of what we do and how we do it to every stakeholder imaginable. And because of all this,... Continue Reading →
Belonging is a continued focus of Student Affairs research, often looking at how students feel belonging to institutions. Housing is often looked at on college campuses as a supercharger for belonging, when I did a quick online search I noticed that belonging or connection came up in every single Resident Advisor posting I looked at.... Continue Reading →
This webinar introduces supervisors of student and professional staff teams in residential life to participatory processes as a foundation for effective team leadership. We'll cover practical tools for inclusive decision-making, active listening, and co-creating community norms and agreements with your team. You'll also learn how to use circles as a structure for building connection and navigating difficult conversations, alongside frameworks for approaching conflict and accountability in your residential community.
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, join our host Noah Montague and guest Siobhàn Anderson-Judkins as they talk about student staff supervision. Student staff, RAs, or whatever other acronym your institution uses are all coming into the role for different reasons; so how can we best supervise them? How do we hold them accountable while also being understanding and supportive? These are important questions for every Residence Life Staff member to be considering and some of the questions Noah and Siobhàn think about as well. Join them as they answer these, share stories, and offer practical advice to Residence Life staff looking to learn more about supervision.
As a Resident Assistant (RA), you learn about resources you may not have realized existed at your institution. You learn how to recommend resources to your residents and even how to offer to go with them to the resource when you feel they need it at the moment. A topic that may not be covered... Continue Reading →
There is something about a long drive that refuses to let your mind stay in one place. The pavement seems to stretch on forever in front of you. You don’t see anything familiar behind you. Mile after mile, stop after stop, conversations replay, memories and feelings resurface, a busy mind becomes quite yet filled with... Continue Reading →
Belonging is a continued focus of Student Affairs research, often looking at how students feel belonging to institutions. Resident Advisors are often looked to on college campuses as a supercharger for belonging, when I did a quick online search I noticed that belonging or connection came up in every single Resident Advisor posting I looked... Continue Reading →
Throughout the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, there is a great deal of a spike in the reliance on AI in today’s college students. One of the more concerning areas that AI is appealing to students is using user data to inform responses, catering to an audience in a way that tells an individual what they... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Crystal sits down with Sarah Leahy, Associate Director of Campus Life for Residence Life and Housing at Dickinson College to discuss breaking unhealthy professional norms, creating more human-centered work environments, establishing healthy boundaries, and helping emerging professionals build confidence, self-advocacy skills, and sustainable approaches to leadership.
You spent time planning the program. You created the flyers, reserved the space, picked up supplies, and maybe even told your supervisor this would be the event to watch out for. Then the start time arrives, and instead of a packed room, only a handful of residents walk through the door. I’m talking five people... Continue Reading →
If you’re anything like me, there’s nothing like summer reality TV to help us unwind and switch off after hectic summer workdays filled with learning, training, and project planning. As an avid lover of all things reality TV, I had a moment of introspection while watching Love Island USA this summer and reflecting on many... Continue Reading →
When conversations about student loneliness and isolation come up, we often reach for the same culprit: phones. Students seem disconnected? Phones. Nobody is talking in the elevator? Phones. Attendance is down? Phones. Relationships feel shallower? You guessed it: It’s the phones. The appeal of this explanation is that it's simple, but the problem is that... Continue Reading →
Bring On Opening! As residence hall opening season approaches, we've got updates for you and some helpful information to make sure you're prepared and ready. First things first, check out the opening checklist to make sure your Roompact environment is ready to go: Review The Opening Checklist ⬆️ Software Updates ⬆️ We've made a number... Continue Reading →
What comes to mind when you hear the word “supervisor”? That was a question posed to several other incoming graduate assistants and me during our onboarding. Many of the initial reactions were less than positive, ranging from the person who conducts your evaluation to the person who can terminate you from your job. What a... Continue Reading →
