Residence life and education, residential curriculum and curricular approaches, student housing, and technology.
We welcome Paul back to the show this week to discuss his experience creating and overseeing a remote ACUHO-I internship program at Roompact. He shares his reflections on this initiative and advice for others curious about embarking on a similar endeavor.
In residence life, we’re constantly hiring! Every year, we launch the recruitment and selection process for student staff, exploding the outlook calendars of everyone. From marketing, to reviewing applications, facilitating interviews, and spending out offer letters–it doesn’t stop! Professional staff vacancies can pop up at any time, keeping the hiring cycle humming. Hiring new student... Continue Reading →
Right now, many of us are still hiring or planning for next year’s recruitment during the short window we call summer. This hiring marathon brings in the people who make everything possible. I love seeing candidates go through our process, sharpening their interview skills, and hopefully getting a position. The excitement of Spring orientation for... Continue Reading →
Have you ever asked yourself that question? If not, do it now…like for real pull up a mirror and ask that question. Or better yet, ask one of your staff members the question. If you are afraid of the answer, there might be a good reason why. I can’t imagine you were expecting to read... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Stewart chats with Jean MacKimmie, the Director of Residential Life at University Massachusetts Amherst as they explore the potential emotional impacts of student staff unionization drives. They explore Jean's experience at University Massachusetts Amherst over two decades ago when the RA team became the first successful Resident Advisor unionization in the US and what her experiences have been since then working in this environment. Hear first hand from Jean, as she details sage advice that she has provided other campuses that have faced similar events, and discover the support required for all levels of staff. Roompact invites you to join to hear why Jean is regarded as THE expert when it comes to student staff unions!
When it's RA/student staff recruitment season, it's time to bring on the creativity! The following schools volunteered their recruitment materials (posters, flyers, social media images, etc.) to share. Check out these examples and get ideas for your own efforts. California State University Long Beach Credit: Melanie Vo, Resident Assistant & Marketing and Social Media Student Assistant ... Continue Reading →
Labor movements are seeing a new burst of unions following COVID-19 impacts on working conditions. This session will work to demystify the world of unions by discussing the history and impacts of the United State's first Resident Assistant Union and how that's shaped daily life working as a residence director.
Have you heard of the yes-no-yes sandwich? What about using I statements during difficult conversations? How about the phrase, “Praise in Public, Punish in Private?” I suspect your answer to one or all of these questions is yes as they all related to a popular topic for Residence Life Professionals—feedback. However, have you noticed that... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Crystal engages in conversation with Camille (Mimi) Sullivan, an Associate Director of Residential Education at Sonoma State University. They delve into the art of conducting effective one-on-one meetings with RAs. Mimi offers invaluable insights on the content of these meetings, the optimal frequency for conducting them, and strategies for rebounding from a "challenging" one-on-one session. Mimi emphasizes the significance of tailoring these meetings to address individual needs, the value of authenticity in your interactions, and the importance of clear and open communication.
In an effort to provide more accessible and equitable opportunities to all student staff applicants, the Housing and Residence Life department at the University of North Texas has implemented a lottery process to recruit, select, and place student staff. This presentation will cover the department’s reasoning, methods, and assessment of the lottery process, including the ways in which this process has combated inequitable traditional hiring practices of student staff.
If I asked you when recruitment season happens in your office, what would you say? Do you typically post positions early in the Spring, interview a slew of candidates mid-semester, and make offers before move-out? If you do, that’s something to be celebrated as this “traditional” timeline is becoming a rarity in our field. What... Continue Reading →
Many professionals in residence life begin their professional staff journey with time as a paraprofessional under their belt. Some served as an RA at their undergraduate institutions. Others took on a different residence life role, perhaps navigating front desk operations or in-hall mentorship relationships. However, many professionals enter the residential world with little to no... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, we chat with Stewart Robinette, who was most recently at The George Washington University and was instrumental in some of the staffing structure changes they made to their residence life program. This episode will get you thinking about alternative ways to organize our work and how we construct the roles that serve our residents.
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, we chat with Dr. Rose Waples, who did research on RAs and crisis and emergency response, specifically looking at the experiential training experience known as Behind Closed Doors (BCDs). Many campuses have a BCDs session in their training schedule, but there are certain concepts to keep in mind when designing it to make it the most effective learning experience possible. Dr. Rose Waples is here to give us research-backed tips!
Across the country a week or two before all students return to campus, we see housing student leaders come back early to prepare and train for the upcoming year. This often involves team building, crisis management, facetime with campus resource leaders, and hopefully some time carved out for hall preparations. After the whirlwind of the... Continue Reading →
As we exit June, I think about Pride Month and how important this month is to so many. This month is a time to honor those who have blazed a trail of liberation from the Stonewall riots to today and to celebrate the many accomplishments of those within the LGBTQ+ community. Today, in 2023, there... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Paul chats with Crystal Cyr and Kimberly Kruchen-Spaulding about their findings from a multi-institutional survey of resident assistants on their role, their experiences in the position, and their well-being and experiences of burnout. Learn about what this may mean for the future of the RA role and how we can better support RAs through both structural and practical reforms.
We have previously talked about Behind Closed Doors and how to use them as a form of assessment. It would be irresponsible to not discuss Behind Closed Doors in more depth. Sometimes these activities function more like hazing than a continuation of learning and training. For those that may not have heard of Behind Closed... Continue Reading →
