ResidentAssistant.com Newsletter: September 2006 Edition

Newsletter Content:

• Getting off to a Quick Start
• Resident Assistant Blog
• ResidentAssistant.com Internship
• Site Resources
• CALLING FOR IDEAS!
• Student issues & concerns for September and October

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO THE OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR STAFF!

Article of the month submitted by Andy B., author of New House 5.

During my three years as an RA at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, I learned that a fast start is what makes or breaks community. It's essential for you, the RA, to establish yourself as a trustworthy resource right off-the-bat. This is particularly important when working in a first-year area but it also holds true in upperclassmen communities. You have to remember that most of your residents will be spending much of their time out of class in their dorm, whether it's studying, hanging out, eating, or sleeping. Establishing credibility early will allow you and your residents to make the most out of the time you have together.

Getting off to a quick start can mean a lot of things. Programming is important but I've always believed the most important thing is getting to know each resident on an individual basis. This allows you to decide how you want to go about programming and creating your floor dynamic. During the first couple weeks I always tried to find one thing in common with each resident that was important to them. I used that as a starting point; if you like the same music or sports team or restaurant, that's a stepping stone towards a deeper, more rewarding relationship. I always observed the students' environments to find common interests; you should be able to find a common interest just by walking into your resident's room. Posters, computer backgrounds, DVD collections, themed clothing, these are all easy ways to find out what your residents like. The point is, you wouldn't trust or respect someone who you didn't relate to, so why would our residents? Knowing each the hometown and major of your residents doesn't mean you really know them. Once you've established an initial relationship, then it's up to you to take it from there. It's hard to be a successful RA if your community thinks you care about the floor more than the individuals who make up the floor.

During my junior year, I wrote a book about my experience as an RA on an all freshmen floor. The goal of this book is to educate prospective college students about what it's like to live in a modern college dormitory, show parents what some of the different issues modern college students face are and above all else, serve as a resource for RAs. The book is slightly fictionalized to protect anonymity but it's based on true story and one many of you can probably relate to. I made a lot of decisions as an RA, probably just as many good as bad. If you're curious, I'd encourage you to check it out. I wanted to make my story available to others as a guide, a tool and hopefully a source for inspiration. If you get a chance to read it, I'd love to hear what you thought and how it may have differed or coincided with your experience. The book, New House 5: How a dorm becomes a home, is available through all major internet retailers.

Good luck to all of you during the new school year. You are the people that give our campuses life.

Andy Butler

To order Andy's book click the link below:
www.newhouse5.com

Come check the ResidentAssistant.com Blog page. Here are some recent posts:

• The New Facebook
• Fire Safety in Student Housing
• Resources
• Now on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/residentassistant
• Time Savers

See Blog

Are you tech savvy? Creative? Enjoy res life? In need of an internship? Let me know! We have a number of projects that could use your creative touch. Preferred qualifications include graphic design experience and/or web design experience. Projects will include creating new resources for ResidentAssistant.com, and website improvements. Denver applicants preferred, but we can do a long-distance internship as well for a qualified candidate. E-mail me if you are interested in getting more details.

o Bulletin boards – Find a great list of ideas and premade bulletin boards
/archive/programming/bulletinboard/ - Also see the pre-made bulletin board section.

o Door Decorations (Door Tags) – Here is a list of ideas collected off of the listserve and emailed to the site. Have fun seeing what other ideas people have come up with! /archive/programming/doortags/

o Use the message boards! – This is a great way for you to interact with other RAs and Professionals all over the world! Be sure to search before you ask a question to see if there is already a thread with that topic. /archive/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi

o Social Programs – As you have certainly learned in training and noted above, the first 6 weeks of the first semester are the most critical time in building community in your areas. The first couple of weeks are especially crucial! Socials are an excellent way to get your residents to know one another. Check out ideas for social programs at /archive/programming/social/

o Flyers & other document templates

Now that the site is being re-vamped, we need new and fresh ideas... FROM YOU!! IF you have done a great program, bulletin board, door dec or even a creative flyer, upload it to the site today!

These are some issues students may face during this time of year. As you will note, these are general guidelines and will vary from student to student. This information can be useful to not only be aware of what students may be going through but also to plan relevant programs.

Each of the following issues should spark programming ideas for you. For more detailed ideas, also be sure to check out the September Programming Planner and the October planning page. To share your own ideas, visit the blog and the discussion boards!

These are some issues students may face during this time of year. This information can be useful to not only be aware of what students may be going through, but also to plan relevant programs.

September/October 

• Homesickness - especially for freshmen
  
  
• Roommate conflicts caused by personality differences, lack of understanding and unwillingness to compromise or the new experience of having to live with someone. See the roommate game program for a fun way to address these issues.
  
  
• Initial adjustment to academic environment - feelings of inadequacy and inferiority develop because of the discrepancy between high school status and grades and initial college performance. 
  
  
• Class size, especially in mass lecture halls, lack of personal interest by professors and performance expectations are also major factors. 
  
  
• Values exploration - students are confronted with questions of conscience over conflict areas of race and alcohol experimentation, morality, religion and social expectations. 
  
  
• New social life adjustments - including new freedom of not having to check with parents about what time to be in, having the opportunity to experience new areas, making your own decisions on when to conduct social activities and establishing yourself in a peer group. 
  
  
• Initial social rejections - creates feeling of inadequacy when not immediately accepted in a peer group, or into a social sorority or fraternity. 
  
  
• "En-loco parentis" problems - students feel depressed because of real or perceived restrictive policies and regulations of the college.
  
  
• Campus familiarization - includes becoming familiar with campus, classrooms, buildings and meeting places. ¨ Long distance relationship - torn between being loyal to your significant other from home and going out with new people. Can the expectations of both people be adequately met? 
  
  
• Financial adjustment - involves adjusting to a somewhat tighter budget now that they are in schools opposed to when they were living at home. Students who are supporting themselves have to adjust to budgeting their money also. 
  
  
• International student adjustment - experience a sense of confusion, vulnerability and a lack of any advocate in higher positions while trying to make a successful cultural and academic transition.
  
  
• Family problems seem amplified because the student may either be caught in the middle, relied on for the answer or because they are far away, feeling helpless in helping reach a solution. 
  
  
• Adjusting to administrative "Red Tape" with students soon realizing that it is usually a long and frustrating process when trying to find an answer to what seems to be a simple question, or trying to work something through the administrative process
  ~ source unknow

• Academic stress from mid-terms builds with the great demand for studying and preparation. For some students this may be their first exam of the semester. For many, the midterm workload pressures are followed by feelings of failure and loss of self-esteem.

• Roommate problems continue, but they are smaller in scope than previous months.

• Values exploration continuing, especially in the area of sexuality.

• Dating/non-dating/friendship anxieties extremely high. Non-dating students feel a sense of loss of esteem because so much value is placed upon dating. For women who do date, the pressure to perform sexually increases and consequently increases feelings of rejection, loneliness and guilt and in some instances leads to unwanted pregnancies.

• Homesickness may be still felt by a number of students.

• Job panic for mid-year graduates starts with the onset of resume preparation and interviewing.

• Students decide to withdraw from school because they either realize that college is not the place for them, they return home for personal reasons or they transfer to another school.

• Grief from not being part of a group develops because of inadequate skills for finding a group, or from not being selected by one.

• Financial strain sets in from lack of budgeting experience.

• Homecoming blues develop because of no date for social affairs, and/or lack of ability/opportunity to participate in activities.

• Graduate school syndrome starts to emerge from graduating seniors. Signing up for graduate school exams, wondering if you will be accepted, wondering which school to apply to and questioning whether graduate school is the right thing to do.

• Time conflicts between academic and social expectation emerges.

• Signing up for classes involves starting to think about he following semester. Adjusting to new study habits includes not just being able to study the way they did in high school. More time and greater workload needs to be incorporated into their schedule for studying.

• Disenchantment with school - low reward level because student begins to realize that life at college is not as perfect as they were led to believe by parents, teachers and counselors. Old problems seem to continue and new ones are added. An external reality they had put heir hopes in has failed them.

See calendar section for other months and for planning pages

Recent Site Updates

• Food on Campus
• Ice Cream-lious
• Super Heros
• Ladies Night (Women's issues)
• XXX At A Glance (Bulletin Board)
• Bigger Better Scavenger Hunt (Complete Program)
• Who's Your RA Scavenger Hunt (Complete Program)
• Metal Month - Fun and creative series of programs that involves recycling, creating metal door decs, and a duct tape invention contest.
• Trick or Treat for Charity (complete program)
• Programming Ideas Using Technology
• Trading Stalls (Complete Program)
• Top Ten College Lists (Premade Bulletin Board)
• Paint Night (Complete Program)
• We'll Hook You Up (Complete Program)
• Document Template Page
• Let's Get Cooking (complete program)
• Ice Cream & Salsa (complete program)
• Karaoke Program (Complete Program)
• Resident Assistant Blog
• Study Tips Bulletin Board (PPT)
• Who's your neighbor: The Victim
• Roommate Game
• Murder Mystery Party

If you have suggestions for this newsletter, or would be interested in providing content, please email me at [email removed]