Residence life and education, residential curriculum and curricular approaches, student housing, and technology.
Resident Advisors (RAs) are first and foremost community builders. One of the simplest and most useful frameworks you can use to understand how your residents grow as a group is Tuckman’s stages of group development. This includes five stages (four of which I'm focusing on here): forming, storming, norming, (performing), and adjourning. In university housing,... Continue Reading →
A post-break reset for RAs focused on rebuilding momentum, re-establishing expectations, and reconnecting with residents after winter break, with Assistant Director Chasten Conway. This episode covers strategies for addressing burnout, re-engaging residents, and setting a strong tone for the semester ahead.
We're awarding a "Top Ten" Get a little something back for your time and effort. Roompact is holding its annual RA bulletin board contest! Here’s how it goes. This contest is only open to RAs at schools who currently use Roompact's software on their campus. Create a bulletin board and email us a photo (high-quality... Continue Reading →
Winter break provides a much needed time to rest after Fall semester, allowing students to reconnect with their lives away from campus. However, with this period of rest and recharging, it’s easy to lose the good habits that you developed during the semester– such as sleeping on a regular schedule, getting outside everyday, maintaining good... Continue Reading →
It’s always around the holiday times that I find myself pondering the things in my life that I am grateful for. As a student leader in housing or a Resident Assistant, it is important to reflect on the things you are grateful for as well because the job can be demanding and stressful. While I... Continue Reading →
Many students are originally interested in an RA or student leadership position because they love being with people. Often they have good, healthy friendships, people like them right off the bat, and they don’t cause a lot of conflict. These are great things! However, it does mean that many RAs are not as used to... Continue Reading →
At many Universities, the “RA” role is a competitive and highly sought-after student job. Because of this passion and drive students have for wanting to become a RA, as a current RA, you might get questions from residents about the role, your experience as a RA, and any advice you may be willing to share.... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat, join us for an insightful conversation with Dwayne Peterson as we delve beyond traditional resume tips to explore the full spectrum of career preparation, from strategic networking to intentional job applications. Learn how your RA experience translates into valuable, transferable skills that employers seek. This deep dive session will... Continue Reading →
Being a student worker for a housing department is both a high demand and high pressure environment. It requires extreme prioritizing, balancing, and accountability. While there can be considerable perks, your education and long-term health and goals should come first. It’s safe to say that being a Resident Advisor (or whatever your institution may call... Continue Reading →
Change is a constant in campus life, but when your supervisor leaves their position, it can feel especially unsettling. Supervisors play a vital role in shaping the culture of a residence life team. They provide mentorship, guidance, and stability. When they move on, student staff and residents alike may feel uncertain about what comes next.... Continue Reading →
If you clicked on this article…you just might be feeling like you have a terrible co-worker who isn’t good at their job. Having a bummer colleague makes any job worse, but when you have to live in the same building/community as them!? That’s a real challenge. Here are some steps you can take to navigate... Continue Reading →
The use of preferred names has become increasingly common over the last decade, though they have always existed. This increase is especially noticeable for students entering higher education as higher education is an environment that typically encourages students to explore and showcase their unique identity and background. Many college students have just become adults and... Continue Reading →
As the semester winds down and winter break approaches, in this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat Dr. Asha Jones guides listeners through the essential practice of year-end reflection, offering practical strategies for processing the past year's experiences and setting intentions for the future. She explores how to navigate end-of-year stress and use winter break for both rest... Continue Reading →
My blog post for Roompact this month is a reflection on my past few weeks, which have frankly been one of the most difficult times of my life. A close family member of mine suddenly passed away with no warning. I was thrown into planning a funeral a couple states away from my home, a... Continue Reading →
Imagine posting a story where you complain about some aspect of serving residents. Maybe you caption it, “If one more person knocks on my door I’m quitting.” Or, imagine you and your Resident Advisor (RA) friends dancing to a viral sound. The text on the screen reads, “Getting called out at 3am to clean vomit... Continue Reading →
In 2014, Taylor Swift dropped the album “1989”. I won’t forget this because it was my first year of college. I met a Swiftie in my residence hall, Brianna, and asked her if I could burn a copy of the album. From that moment, my friendship with Brianna was written in permanent ink. This year,... Continue Reading →
Roompact's door dec competition is now closed and we're ready to announce the winners. We received 85+ entries (!), so picking ten was incredibly difficult. We tried to select a diverse group of winners that reflected the diversity of the submissions themselves. Thank you to all who entered! Your ideas are now a resource for... Continue Reading →
Do you love video games? Me too, and I am willing to bet a lot of your residents do as well. Instead of fearing video games as something that takes residents away from meeting others or getting out of their rooms, you can use video games to your advantage - by involving them in programming!... Continue Reading →
