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THE
FALL SEMESTER IS HERE!! That
means we are in full swing, opening our properties and
welcoming the students we will be serving this year!
This
edition of the Campus Advantage Residence Life newsletter
is dedicated to helping you get off to a great start!
Getting
your year off on the right foot is CRITICAL for success
in building your community.
Here
are seven tips for you to make this a great year for you
and your residents:
1.
Be Available - As you likely heard during training,
the beginning of the school year is CRITICAL for building
community. While it's always important for an RA/CA to
be available, it is especially true during the first few
days and weeks. Stop by rooms, keep your door open., and
make your presence known! STUDIES SHOW that the first
6 weeks are the most important time in building community.
If you work hard at fostering interaction and building
relationships during this time, it will make the rest
of the year much more successful, more rewarding (and
easier) for you!
2.
Plan - Your goal is to create a dynamic community
conducive to academic and personal growth for your students.
How will you do this (and continue to be a successful
student yourself)? Planning is key. Work with your supervisor
and fellow team membersto plan out your semester. Use
slow times to prepare things like next month's bulletin
board. Manage your time and responsibilities wisely, so
that you aren't caught off guard when last minute issues
come up.
3.
Learn Names - Dale Carenegie wrote "A person’s
first name is, to that person, the sweetest sound on earth."
"Hey, you" just won't cut it. You need to learn
names. When you have 50-100 names to learn, this isn't
an easy task! One tip is to repeat their name in conversation
as you speak with them. You can also come up with an association
for their name. As an RA, I found it helpful to take pictures
of everyone for a community bulletin board. I then secretly
made doubles and kept them in my room as flashcards. :-)
4.
Assess Your Residents - The community you are helping
to build is your residents' community. Find out what they
want. Find out what they are interested in, and what they
need. This should be done both formally (through an interest
survey) and informally (through conversation and observation).
You should be able to justify any program you plan based
on resident needs or interests. (see calendar of student
issues and needs for example)
5.
Have FUN! - Don't forget to step back and enjoy what
you are doing. This job should be FUN! Enjoy the time
you are spending with your residents. When you need to,
get off campus for a break. Spend time with your fellow
staff members. If you don't enjoy what you are doing,
you are missing out!
6.
Be Consistent - It is crucial that you are consistent
with your residents from the beginning. If they sense
inconsistency or favoratism as you enforce policy or in
other ways, you will lose their respect, and lose your
effectiveness.
7.
Set the Tone - You can always "lower the bar,"
but it's difficult to raise expectations if you start
them low. Set your expectations high from the beginning.
This applies not just to behavior, but to the expectation
of a great community! Tell your residents that you want
your floor/area to be the best one around. Set an expectation
for great relationships, great programming, and a lot
of fun. Set the tone now; you'll be thankful later!
~
Dan Oltersdorf
Related
resources:
The
ABCs for RAs - 26 Tips for Success
The
ABCs of Programming - It's as easy as P.I.E.
Common
RA Mistakes to Avoid
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