Housing and Residence Life: Community & Engagement | Competencies & Learning | Care & Case Management | Assessment
Guest Post by Alex Baker, Student Affairs Professional In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education, creating inclusive environments is not just a moral imperative but also a modern necessity. Inclusivity is not just a concept for policymakers and senior leadership; it's a practice that can and should be implemented at every level. This article aims... Continue Reading →
Resident Assistants (RAs) play a crucial role in fostering a supportive and inclusive community within university residence halls. Understanding the dynamics and relationships among residents is essential for creating a positive living environment. A floor sociogram is a powerful tool that can help RAs gain valuable insights into these dynamics. In this blog post, we... Continue Reading →
“Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group. It is when an individual can bring their authentic self to work. When employees feel like they don’t belong at work, their performance and their personal lives suffer.” Cornell University Take... Continue Reading →
Hopes and Fears is an icebreaker game that can be used to help process through new beginnings or periods of transition. Typically, a facilitator will pass out an index card--one side will be for the participant to list "hopes" and the other side for "fears." It is supposed to be a moment of vulnerability and... Continue Reading →
Residential curricula are focused on student learning. Ultimately, curricular approaches primarily concern themselves with what we hope students will know and be able to do once their time with us comes to an end. Community building falls outside the learning-focus of the curriculum but it is critically important for its effectiveness. A switch to a... Continue Reading →
Roompact "Perspective" posts are opportunities for individual staff members to work out ideas and provide their individual thoughts and opinions on a given topic. Believing that community building happens naturally and doesn't require intervention is a myth. This "myth" is often not one that is widely believed by most professionals that work in residence life,... Continue Reading →
