Housing and Residence Life: Community & Engagement | Competencies & Learning | Care & Case Management | Assessment
🍂 New Academic Year, New Look 🍂 A new academic year deserves a new look, and that's just what our software received. Read on to find out what else is new. From Our webinars From Our Fellows From Our Podcast From Our Blogs In this Edition: Software Training Software Updates Door Dec Winners Poster/Advertising Contest... Continue Reading →
IT'S HERE! Roompact is holding its annual residence hall "poster" contest! This contest is open to student staff (RAs, CAs, etc.) at schools who currently use Roompact's software on their campus. Send us your one best poster (or social media images... or similar type "advertisements") you've created this year (for an informational/educational campaign, a program,... Continue Reading →
As a (proud) millennial, I’m old enough to remember times before computers were everywhere and young enough to still feel like I grew up with them. I’m also at that time in my career where I’ve been involved in too many technology-driven changes in organizations to count. From digitizing information to automating processes to moving... Continue Reading →
Abstract: Tasks is one of the newest features to be added to Roompact’s software. Join us for this training to learn how the feature works, how to most efficiently assign and track tasks, and how it can help your staff keep organized in their daily work. Outcomes: Participants will be able to describe how their... Continue Reading →
For those of us who have been “in the game” for a while now, we have likely both facilitated an intentional conversation and also been a part of the conversation with student staff for the “why” and the “how” of intentional conversations on our home campuses. Of course, this strategy connects to one of the... Continue Reading →
How many times in student affairs have we heard departments, universities, leadership, claim that they are student-centered? But are we? For a field that prides itself on putting students at the forefront of our work, it does not always feel like we are accomplishing this goal. Why is that? First, what do we mean by... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Crystal connects with Dr. Zak Foste, Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration and Department Chair of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Kansas, and Dr. Lauren Irwin, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Drawing from their book and research,... Continue Reading →
There is a special kind of satisfaction that comes from finally finishing a bulletin board. After hours of cutting letters, arranging graphics, fixing crooked borders, and wondering why you decided to use individually cut-out letters in the first place, you finally step back and think: Done. But before we call it finished, there is one... Continue Reading →
You arrive with a plan. You have emails to answer, a staff meeting to prepare for, a conduct follow-up you've been putting off. Then over lunch you get an email, maybe a phone call. A student is locked out. An RA needs help with a roommate conflict. Facilities reports a flood, a fire, or maybe... Continue Reading →
Housing departments are not short on data. We have retention trends, survey results, conduct patterns, and thousands of logged RA conversations. They fill our reports, our dashboards, and the occasional 20-page document that took months to build. Yet the question that matters most often goes unanswered: did any of it change what a staff member... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Paul sits down with Sophia Muta to discuss ways to approach supervision to ensure staff members are taking care of themselves and growing as human beings, not just as employees. In her "side hustle" as a fitness instructor, Sophia has leveraged her experience to bring staff together and cultivate a more authentic and approachable supervision style. Come learn about ways you can incorporate practicality into your supervision style.
One of the hardest lessons to learn in a student leader role, such as being an RA, is that caring about someone does not mean you are responsible for fixing every one of their problems. That realization can be a difficult distinction to make when your role is built around helping people. As an RA,... Continue Reading →
October is a month that often feels like a turning point. The excitement and urgency of the start of the semester have settled, routines are becoming established, and many of us find ourselves looking ahead. What comes next? What skills do I want to develop? Where do I see myself in five years? For student... Continue Reading →
Maybe it’s a whole room. Maybe it’s a few cabinets tucked into the back of an office, or maybe it’s an entire basement in an older residence hall that hasn’t seen the light of day in decades. It’s the place where supplies go to live out their days: paper scraps saved in the name of... Continue Reading →
Ever feel like, “I don’t get paid enough for this”? In this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat, we dive into the unexpected, stressful, and sometimes chaotic moments of being an RA. We’ll talk about handling difficult situations, setting boundaries, venting professionally, avoiding burnout, and remembering that you don’t have to handle everything alone and remembering your humanity in all of the chaos. Because being a good RA isn’t about fixing everything, it’s about knowing when to respond, when to ask for help, and how to take care of yourself along the way. We are joined by seasoned professional Jordy Plieseis (They/Them) to talk about their experience in residence life and how RAs can work through these moments.
On August 25, 2026, legendary country singer, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. Dolly Parton was the fourth of 12 and grew up in a two bedroom home in Tennessee in extreme poverty. Known for her extravagant look, hit songs such as “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” and... Continue Reading →
Happy spooky season, readers! Today’s post is exploring the slightly spooky side of leadership, using your strategic leadership skills. For some of you, “strategic” may not be a strength or leadership skill you immediately identify with, but I’m willing to bet you are using it more often than you think. In our Res Life roles,... Continue Reading →
Small Assessment Moves that Reveal Big Insights about Student Learning It’s 9 p.m. on a Tuesday, and you’re walking through your residence hall after hanging out with some other Hall Directors. The study lounge is packed, but nobody seems to be studying. Two residents are arguing about dishes in the common kitchen sink. An RA stops you... Continue Reading →
One of the most interesting lessons I have learned in seven years of residence life work is that helping someone does not always mean solving their problem. That can be a difficult idea to reconcile with student affairs work. We are deeply committed to serving students. We want them to feel heard, supported, and cared... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, join host Noah and Eric Anglero, Director of the LGBT Center at UPenn as they talk about multicultural centers. Oftentimes, the work of supporting marginalized students can fall solely on multicultural centers and identity centers but is that fair? What would it look like if all of a university, particularly Residence Life professionals, shared this responsibility to support and advocate for all students that call our campuses a home? Join Eric and Noah as they talk through these questions, share stories, and provide advice to Residence Life staff.
