Residence life and education, residential curriculum and curricular approaches, student housing, and technology.
If you work in Residence Life, you’ve probably been at a family gathering or social event where someone asks, “So… what exactly do you do?” And then you find yourself trying to explain a job that somehow includes crisis response, student development, event planning, facilities management, counseling, and occasionally amateur plumbing. So, for everyone who... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month a Director of Residence Life from a former institution of mine reached out asking about benchmarking practices for the re-evaluation of their four-year fixed contract for live-in Residence Directors. He reached out asking if our live-in hall directors were on fixed-term contracts - limiting our Residential Community Coordinators to four years in... Continue Reading →
What does it take to rebuild a program from scratch-and make it better than before? In this session, we'll explore the journey of revitalizing a Camps and Conferences program by centering feedback, refining systems, and embracing innovation. Whether or not you work directly with Camps and Conferences, you will gain practical, transferable strategies for managing change, leading projects, and creating systems that actually work. This presentation is for anyone looking to improve a program, build from the ground up, or simply work smarter with the people they serve.
There isn’t a guidebook for firing an RA. I mean, there are usually work rules, job descriptions, and an HR department that lead us to the decision. But none of that will prepare you for the human side, like how it feels to deliver the news, how to cope afterward, and how to move forward... Continue Reading →
A sentiment that has long been a question of mine – why do application and interview processes for entry level positions feel like you’re interviewing for something much more serious, and why do these processes have so many steps? With multiple rounds, meeting with various people, and sometimes involving a presentation or writing sample submission,... Continue Reading →
Unionization efforts by student staff, including Resident Assistants (RAs), are becoming more common. Increasing numbers of undergraduate (and graduate) student employees are organizing for better compensation, clearer job expectations, and fairer accountability practices. You may already be seeing early signs of interest in unionization on your campus. Whether or not your student staff have initiated... Continue Reading →
Even though ResLife is focused and committee toward development, performance reviews can sometimes feel like a grueling process. They do not have to be; it’s all about how you, as a manager, can provide outstanding feedback connected to specific observations that help to develop the staff member. A well-crafted review fosters motivation, improves performance, and... Continue Reading →
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. Michigan Tech Concordia College Moorhead, MN East Texas A&M University Examples From Other Years Texas Woman's University... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact’s ResEdChat, Crystal is joined by Dr. Erica Alcantara Aros, Leadership & Workplace Culture Consultant with Mentor Culture Consulting. Erica defines workplace culture and explains how to assess it during a job interview. Erica and Crystal also discuss navigating boundaries for staff in live-in roles, being open to feedback, and thoughts... Continue Reading →
Whether you are supervising students, graduate assistance, or full-time staff, identifying and sharing expectations are one of the most pivotal aspects of your role as a leader. It sets the tone in terms of how individuals are to perform within their role, ensuring that team dynamics remain positive and that tasks, whether they are door... Continue Reading →
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 →
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.
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 →
