Housing and Residence Life: Community & Engagement | Competencies & Learning | Care & Case Management | Assessment
The student staff hiring process looks very different today than it did just a few years ago. With each new generation of students comes new challenges and opportunities for how we recruit, interview, and select our resident assistants and other student leaders. Today’s college students live online. Their social circles, studies, and even job searches... Continue Reading →
It’s late fall, and that means everyone on the semester cycle is looking ahead to the much-needed Thanksgiving and winter breaks. We crave the deep rest, slower schedules, and lack of deadlines that longer breaks can provide. But just around the corner—BAM. RAs are returning to campus, you’re getting full-swing into mid-year training with both... Continue Reading →
Residence life supervisors spend a lot of time and energy supporting staff who are struggling, and rightfully so. But you can’t forget about the anchors of your team. You know, the ones who turn things in early, show up to every event, and volunteer before you even finish the sentence? That’s right, I’m talking about... 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 →
One of my most beloved autumnal traditions is re-reading the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series. For those who aren’t aware, this is a children’s book series containing urban legends, folklore, songs, and ghost stories. The trilogy of books are perhaps best known for the macabre hand drawn illustrations that accompany the... Continue Reading →
When I was a brand new staff member at my institution—my first full-time, 40 hours a week “big girl” job—I remember the feeling of validation and pride when I was approved to attend a professional conference. “They trust me and believe in me enough to spend actual US DOLLARS to put me on a plane... Continue Reading →
Craft measurable learning outcomes for residence life programs using the Audience–Behavior–Condition–Degree model. A – Audience Who are the learners? Example: Residents, student leaders, first-year students B – Behavior 1️⃣ Choose a Domain: Select a level Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create 2️⃣ Select a Verb: Select a Bloom’s level first 3️⃣ Define the Behavior: Describe... Continue Reading →
The midpoint of the first semester often arrives quietly. Between midterms, conduct meetings, and fall programming, we might suddenly realize that the semester is half over, and with it, the feeling that our course is already set. The communities are established, the RAs have found their rhythms, and the energy of opening has been replaced... Continue Reading →
Every year, residence life professionals enter one of the busiest (and most consequential) periods of the academic year cycle: student staff selection. Applications open, information sessions are hosted, and teams prepare to interview and evaluate dozens or even hundreds of students. The goal is clear: to identify the best possible group of student leaders to... Continue Reading →
This summer marked my third RA training where I didn’t have an RA staff to supervise. After spending four summers with boots on the ground in the thick of training season, the first RA training I experienced without a staff was tough. Seeing the energy, the triumphs, the chaos, it all made me miss being... Continue Reading →
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 →
Roompact's door dec competition is now closed and we're ready to announce the winners. We received 85+ entries (!), so picking ten was incredibly difficult. We tried to select a diverse group of winners that reflected the diversity of the submissions themselves. Thank you to all who entered! Your ideas are now a resource for... Continue Reading →
You’ll have to indulge me, as I have been worrying a lot about the state of the nation lately, and one of the ways I can feel like I am doing something worthwhile is by thinking about how my work in residence life has supported students being good people when they leave our halls. When... Continue Reading →
In all honesty, the title of this blog post should be, The Years I Hired Off-Cycle, but that doesn’t match Jenny Han’s Will Belly Choose Conrad? energy, so here we are. When I first began working professionally in the field, hiring, on-boarding and training for both professional live-in hall directors and student leaders followed a... Continue Reading →
When you think about RA or other student staff training, what do you imagine? Long days split into 60-minute increments, each with a traditional slideshow and ubiquitous lecture-style presentation? A few standard 15-minute breaks where staff wander aimlessly, eyes glassy, as they search for energy drinks or meaning in life? Even two or three consecutive... Continue Reading →
I love a good program calendar. Brightly colored posters, grids of events, deadlines, themes. They give the impression of structure, of energy, of things happening. But here’s the question: Do those calendars actually add up to a coherent experience for residents? Too often, I think the answer is no. A busy calendar doesn’t necessarily mean... 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 →
When I first became a parent, I thought I had a good handle on chaotic schedules, emotional outbursts, and sleep deprivation. After all, I work in residence life! I’d managed crisis situations at 2 a.m., mediated roommate conflicts that could rival a soap opera, and helped launch countless student leaders. Parenting shares a lot of... Continue Reading →
