by Vicente Román The rising generation of college students is reshaping residence life practice in ways that require both reflection and adaptation. For professionals working with graduate and family housing populations, these shifts are especially pronounced. Students today are not only navigating academic responsibilities but also balancing professional careers, family obligations, and complex social and... Continue Reading →

by Mike Schilling, Ph.D. As a millennial student affairs practitioner—and more so as the millennial parent of a toddler—generational changes are often on my mind. I see how students engage with our residential environments, I see how my kiddo already understands how to “swipe” on a phone, and I know we need to continue to... Continue Reading →

by Diego Abraham The rising generation of college students is changing residence life practice through their earnestness, determination, and yearning for wealth, success, and admiration. I am of the very firm belief that in order to develop an excellent RA, you have to develop an excellent person. This particular role, alongside with the professional staff... Continue Reading →

by Sophia Muta My current favorite topic to talk about with my 18-year-old sister in her first year of college is about her use of AI. The big-sisterly advice I like to give her is to stop asking ChatGPT questions and start asking me first, so far, ChatGPT is winning the battle. While she may... Continue Reading →

by Alli Hurtado Residence life is a field deeply rooted in tradition. Many of our core practices, health and safety  inspections, multi-week student staff trainings, door decorations, on-call rotations, and structured programming models have remained largely unchanged for decades. These structures were built with care and intention, designed to create safe, supportive, and engaging residential  communities, places... Continue Reading →

by Matthew M. Inman During a recent focus group with resident assistants (RAs), one staff member said, “I’m supposed to talk with my residents about leadership, but some can’t even speak to their neighbors.” As an educator, this statement had a lasting impact. It represents a misalignment between what we currently focus on in resident... Continue Reading →

Changing Residence Life Practice to Meet Current Student Needs by Austin Korynta As a young professional, one of my least favorite phrases from mid-to-upper-level administration is the phrase “I’m old school.” In my personal reflection on that phrase, “I’m old school” communicates, to me, an unwillingness to change and adapt to the current environment, the... Continue Reading →

by Yoke Tassent In many ways, college students will always be college students. They will be under-rested and over-caffeinated. Planning their days full of opportunities to prepare them for the work force while making “core memories”. They will have a large appetite they must fulfill on a small budget. Relying on ramen and a meal... Continue Reading →

by Dr. Julie Ridgway Have you noticed your student staff engaged with your curricular approach? Are students attending or utilizing your strategies? Have you thought about if your curricular approach is Gen  Z enough?   Generation Z is the current generation of students living in our residence halls. As defined by Pew, Generation Z individuals were born... Continue Reading →

by Ryan Taylor It’s been six (can you believe it, six years!) since the pandemic impacted how we do this work. Remember the Zoom 1:1s, the virtual curriculum strategies, and for some, the closed residential communities? It’s just wild to think that was now 6 years ago - it still feels so recent. Six years... Continue Reading →

by D.J. Moore From learning about En Loco Parentis during graduate school to attending Title IX and other important trainings as our institutions, part of working in Higher Education is being dedicated to a growth mindset and being a life-long learner (whether that learning takes place in a formal classroom or on the job). Psychologists and sociologists... Continue Reading →

Residence Life practices are changing with the times, or at least they should be. Technology is everywhere, including in the way the residential spaces are designed. The historic residential spaces persist and that age old motto “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” will continue for as long as possible, mostly due to replacement costs... Continue Reading →