Housing and Residence Life: Community & Engagement | Competencies & Learning | Care & Case Management | Assessment
Full-time live-in staff might feel like they are the oldest person in the building. Maybe feel a little like they are the supposed “adult” in their residence hall who is there to follow up with student conduct issues, students of concern, and make sure that their Resident Assistants are doing their jobs. They could feel... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, Crystal connects with Demarcus Merritt, Sr., Assistant Director of Residence Life at George Mason University, on how burnout and the expectation to "push through" have become normalized within housing and residence life. Through a thoughtful conversation on supervision, wellness, move-in culture, and professional sustainability, Demarcus challenges us to rethink long-held traditions and consider what it would look like to prioritize staff wellbeing with the same intentionality we bring to student success.
When you think about preparing for a new academic year as a student staff member, your mind probably goes straight to everything you need to accomplish. Complete training. ✅ Learn your policies. ✅ Set up your community. ✅ Prepare your bulletin boards. ✅ Meet your staff team. ✅ Make sure you are ready for residents... Continue Reading →
There is a strange transition that happens when you move from entry-level housing work into mid-level leadership. For years, many of us watch Assistant Directors, Associate Directors, and Directors from a distance and create assumptions about what their jobs - and lives - must look like. We hear things like, “You’ll lose money if you... Continue Reading →
Students in college will almost certainly face some loneliness, whether that’s when they first arrive and don’t know anyone or later in the year when they feel everyone else has connections but them. While some loneliness is expected in the residence hall, it is also something that Residence Life can help tackle. Here are my... Continue Reading →
Move-in day is arguably the most chaotic, sweat-drenched, and high-stakes day of the entire academic year. For RAs and student staff members, it’s the ultimate "go time." You’re balancing logistics, heavy boxes, and roughly a thousand questions about where the nearest trash chute is. But beyond the physical exhaustion, move-in day is where the real... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, host Paul sits down with a member of the Roompact Blog Cohort, Matthew Inman, to discuss a wide range of topics from focusing on students' socio emotional learning to Pizza Hut (yes, Pizza Hut). As a recently graduated Masters degree student from Clemson University, Matthew also reflects on lessons learned and gives advice for incoming graduate students as well as those transitioning to a first time professional role.
Move-in is exciting, chaotic, loud and usually uncomfortably hot. As a Resident Advisor or other student leader, it's easy to feel like it’s an intense challenge, and like you need to have amazing conversations with every resident you see. First - you’re going to rock it, no matter what. Second - some of the best... Continue Reading →
Whimsy has become an internet phenomenon in the year of 2026 - and for good reason! The concept of whimsy has helped bring joy and fun into small moments during day-to-day life. From adding sprinkles to a coffee to getting lost on purpose, whimsy is how a lot of people are intentionally slowing down and... Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year again. The residence halls are quiet, the air conditioning is (hopefully) blasting, and you’re probably sitting in a multipurpose room chair for the eighth hour today. RA training is a unique kind of marathon. Between the policy deep-dives, the "Behind Closed Doors" role-plays, and the endless icebreakers, it’s easy to... Continue Reading →
In this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat, we discuss the unique challenge that comes with the RA and student staff role: balancing being a community leader while still being a college student yourself. From navigating friendships with residents, to handling uncomfortable social situations, and from maintaining professional boundaries, to protecting your own well-being in the student staff role. Whether you’re struggling with saying “no,” figuring out how close is too close, or trying to maintain a healthy social life while on staff, this episode offers honest advice and practical strategies for maintaining balance in the residence halls.
The first car has not even pulled into the parking lot yet, but your day has already started. You have walked your floor more than once, finished setting up your door decorations, attended training sessions, and maybe even answered a few questions from anxious families passing through. Although residents have not arrived yet, your role... Continue Reading →
For many of us in on-campus housing, we plan for it the entire year - Move-In. It’s become the main event, and that’s understandable: it’s our first impression, involves overlapping processes, and provides a rather intimate view of what we do and how we do it to every stakeholder imaginable. And because of all this,... Continue Reading →
Belonging is a continued focus of Student Affairs research, often looking at how students feel belonging to institutions. Housing is often looked at on college campuses as a supercharger for belonging, when I did a quick online search I noticed that belonging or connection came up in every single Resident Advisor posting I looked at.... Continue Reading →
This webinar introduces supervisors of student and professional staff teams in residential life to participatory processes as a foundation for effective team leadership. We'll cover practical tools for inclusive decision-making, active listening, and co-creating community norms and agreements with your team. You'll also learn how to use circles as a structure for building connection and navigating difficult conversations, alongside frameworks for approaching conflict and accountability in your residential community.
In this episode of Roompact's ResEdChat, join our host Noah Montague and guest Siobhàn Anderson-Judkins as they talk about student staff supervision. Student staff, RAs, or whatever other acronym your institution uses are all coming into the role for different reasons; so how can we best supervise them? How do we hold them accountable while also being understanding and supportive? These are important questions for every Residence Life Staff member to be considering and some of the questions Noah and Siobhàn think about as well. Join them as they answer these, share stories, and offer practical advice to Residence Life staff looking to learn more about supervision.
As a Resident Assistant (RA), you learn about resources you may not have realized existed at your institution. You learn how to recommend resources to your residents and even how to offer to go with them to the resource when you feel they need it at the moment. A topic that may not be covered... Continue Reading →
There is something about a long drive that refuses to let your mind stay in one place. The pavement seems to stretch on forever in front of you. You don’t see anything familiar behind you. Mile after mile, stop after stop, conversations replay, memories and feelings resurface, a busy mind becomes quite yet filled with... Continue Reading →
