In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Crystal engages in a conversation with Emma Rash, who serves as a Security Analyst for a Defense Contractor. Her current role involves ensuring the safety of people, much like her previous experience as a Resident Assistant (RA). She generously shares her personal journey, discussing how she found her voice, built confidence, and learned valuable lessons about setting boundaries. Emma offers valuable advice to Resident Assistants, including emphasizing the importance of self-care by reminding us that we cannot effectively help others when our own cup is empty.
ResEdChat Ep 56: Authenticity, Adaptability, and Support: Having Effective 1:1’s with Student Staff
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.
ResEdChat Ep 55: Natasha Monteith on Effective Student Affairs Assessment and Evaluation
Dustin welcomes Natasha, one of our faithful bloggers, to the show this week. She shares her perspective on how student affairs divisions need to approach assessment to better manage their teams as well as support their students.
RA*Chat Ep 54: I was an RA: Transferable Skills for Life and Career
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Crystal engages in a conversation with Keneise Evans from the University of Iowa, delving into her experiences as a former Resident Assistant (RA) and the valuable skills she has carried with her throughout her career journey. Keneise generously shares insights into the skillset she developed during her RA days, including adept time management, effective budgeting, caring for others, and flexibility. She speaks directly to RAs on how the skills cultivated as an RA can shape their own path to a fulfilling career.
ResEdChat Ep 53: Dr. Jeremy Moore on the Dynamics of Off-Campus Student Housing
Dustin chats with Jeremy about the various factors at play currently when it comes to off-campus student housing and how institutions can better support these students. He also discusses his unusual journey to his current position as Dean of Students at Naropa, a very unique institution in Colorado.
ResEdChat Ep 52: Working Abroad in Student Affairs, Housing, and Residence Life
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, guest host Stewart Robinette chats with two professionals who are currently working outside the United States at NYU Shanghai. They discuss how their careers took them there, what the differences are when operating a residence life program outside the United States, and the learning, experiences, and skills they gained along the way.
ResEdChat Ep 51: Jennifer Watley on Maximizing the HigherEd Graduate Student Experience
This week, Dustin chats with current Roompact blogger Jennifer about her experience as a higher ed graduate student balancing working on campus and her studies. She shares reflections on her journey so far, what she is looking forward to, and some advice on how best to support grad students.
ResEdChat Ep 50: Developing A Curricular Approach Mindset
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, it's just the host! Paul Brown walks you through how to cultivate a "curricular mindset" in your residence life work. As many of you may be heading to the Institute on the Curricular Approach this month, this episode can be a good primer!
ResEdChat Ep 49: Paul Gordon Brown on the Current State of the Curricular Approach
Paul comes back to the podcast again this week to chat with Dustin about the the past, present, and future of the curricular approach in residential education. Paul brings his wealth of knowledge and experience in this area to the conversation to help capture why this practice is so important for supporting student learning.
ResEdChat Ep 48: Rethinking Residence Life Staff Structures
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.
ResEdChat Ep 47: Wimer Alberto on GradGuard & Off-Campus Career Transitions
Dustin welcomes Alberto to the show this week, where they discuss his transition from a campus based position, advice for others considering similar transitions, and his current work at GradGuard.
ResEdChat Ep 46: Designing Effective Behind Closed Doors (BCDs)
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!
ResEdChat Ep 45: Jess Robinson on Being a Working Parent in Residence Life
Dustin chats with fellow parent Jess this week about the trials and tribulations of parenthood and how it relates to residence life. Jess speaks to her experience being a single parent and living on campus. They also explore how institutions can be more supportive workplaces for parents moving forward.
ResEdChat Ep 44: Ardell Sanders & Alex Martinez Preview the 2023 Institute on the Curricular Approach
This week, we're teasing the upcoming Institute on the Curricular Approach (ICA) happening October 22-25 in Long Beach, CA. Dustin chats with co-chairs Ardell and Alex about how they got involved in ICA and what they're excited about for this year's institute. Register now to make sure you don't miss out on this amazing event!
ResEdChat Ep 43: Understanding NACURH on the Campus, Regional, and National Levels
Caring, dedication, and participation; are the three links that are used to describe how NACURH members work to lead, serve, and create a community on many of our campuses. Join NACURH Advisor, Jamie Lloyd, and NACURH Regional Advisor, Tommy Newsome, II, as they each talk about their journey from being student leaders to now serving as professional staff advisors in the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH). They offer sage advice on being a good advisor, recruiting student leaders to your Community Councils and RHA Boards, and exactly what NACURH is about!
ResEdChat Ep 42: Jong Youn On How You Can Partner With Roompact To Achieve Your Goals
Dustin digs deeper with Roompact's very own Jong Youn this week to explore more of his role on the team leading our business development efforts. He talks about his background, how he discovered Roompact and how he works with institutions to improve their residential education programs with digital tools.
ResEdChat Ep 41: Roompact User Spotlight on The College of New Jersey
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, we sit down with longtime Roompact software users at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). The staff at TCNJ have been with Roompact for six years and share their journey along with some of their best practices and Roompact "pro tips." Learn about how they use data to better tell their story, assess the effectiveness of their initiatives, and aid in student retention.
ResEdChat Ep 40: Kassidy Giles with ACUHO-I Internship Reflections
As our Summer 2023 ACUHO-I Intern, Kassidy, finishes up her time with us, we wanted to take a moment to check back in with her to see how her time working at Roompact went. Kassidy shares with Dustin her favorite moments, what she's learned, and what's next for her.