New in 2017-2018, developed in response to student feedback and better approaching a variety of student needs, Resident Assistants will be responsible for completing and implementing the 6 Week Community Development Plan included below.
Please note the plan was designed as a diminishing plan with responsibilities front-loaded and reducing each week. This reflects the need to begin with a strong foundation and the belief that beginning strong and slowly loosing responsibilities will provide a healthy structure for residents to understand their role in the community and to feel connected to their floor and the University.
A printed copy will be provided to all Resident Assistants during training. Additionally, it can be downloaded HERE, and is available in a view-only PDF form below and in text only form below that on this page as well.
WEEK ONE/ MOVE IN WEEK (August 12-August 20, 2017)
Introduce yourself to your new residents and introduce them to each other
Post community decorations (3+ oversized & bulletin board(s) & door decorations) and notices (floor meeting flyers, etc.) before 5pm on Tuesday 8/16
Post Welcome Documents (Welcome Letter, Renters Insurance Document, Green Dot magnets, Maintenance “How To” Document and Air Quality Flyer) in resident rooms by/before 5pm Tuesday 8/16
Promote, door knock & attend the building meeting for new residents (please note all building/area meetings will be held at 7pm on Thurs 8/17)
FIRST YEAR HALLS ONLY Hold a floor meeting on August 17th immediately following the building meeting and submit your completed sign-in sheet within 24 hours
Follow-up with residents who did not attend the floor meeting to fill them in on all that they missed (sign in on same signature roster, but have clear line delineating floor meeting vs individual follow up)
At your meeting, encourage all residents to voice their opinions or to stop by and chat. Be sure to cover all points on the provided agenda
Introduce Roommate Agreements
Develop a “weekly tradition” with your residents –this could be as simple as a dinner together or walk down to the lake … what weekly tradition would work for your floor?!
Begin learning the names of your residents and preparing for the September In-Service Sociogram –be visibly available
Coordinate a campus tour for interested residents (freshmen, transfers, etc.) Point out specific classrooms/buildings and codes (example, Kirk Hall may show up on schedules as CAA or NAB)
Consistently enforce courtesy and quiet hours as well as all other Housing and University policies –nip any negative community behaviors in the bud early & consistently (with appropriate documentation)
Make it a point to walk through your floor to meet all of your residents, especially those who are not often coming out of their rooms!
Begin thinking about ideas for other programs/what your residents are interested in and/or their unique needs
Develop good relationships with the housekeeping & maintenance staff
WEEK TWO /FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES (August 21-27)
UPPERCLASS HALLS ONLY Hold a floor meeting on your selected day and submit your completed sign-in sheet within 24 hours (upper-class halls will hold floor meetings between August 22nd and 24th as posted by the Resident Assistant)
Follow-up with residents who did not attend the floor meeting to fill them in on all that they missed (sign in on same signature roster, but have clear line delineating floor meeting vs individual follow up)
At your meeting, encourage all residents to voice their opinions or to stop by and chat. Be sure to cover all points on the provided agenda
Introduce Roommate Agreements
Hold your first “weekly tradition” event & evaluation –what worked? What didn’t? What could be adjusted?
Follow up on complaints, concerns, and suggestions from residents
Continue learning the names of all your residents
Stop in and talk with residents who have their doors open
Knock & Talks: Select at least 3 rooms (6-12 individual residents – start with the residents you know the least) and use this week to specifically connect with those residents (go beyond introductions … these should be solid 5-10+ minute conversations –really LEARN about them and share about yourself to set-up a strong connection that will last all year)
Invite people to meal(s) and pick them up, especially residents who eat alone/haven’t made connections yet
Collect Roommate Agreements from residents
Publicly wish your residents a great first week of classes (flyer, banner, social media, group chat –you choose!)
Remind students that add/drop ends Monday August 28th
Take residents to the Back to School Bash from 6-9pm in the Bowl Friday 8/25!
WEEK THREE/SECOND WEEK OF CLASSES (August 28-September 3)
Try to involve your residents in appropriate on-campus activities …
MON 8/28 “Monday Movie Night”: Mary Poppins @ 7pm in Selby
FRI 9/1 “Mass of the Holy Spirit/Convocation” @ 11am in the Abbey Church
FRI 9/1 “Involvement Fair” @ 11am-1pm at the SOB/Kirk Hall Sidewalks
Get to know the names and faces of all your residents. You should know all their names by now
Identify students who are dealing with homesickness and loneliness and ask them about their classes and campus involvement
Knock & Talks: Select three (or more!) different rooms (6-12 individual residents) and use this week to specifically connect with those residents (go beyond introductions … these should be solid 5-10+ minute conversations –really LEARN about them and share about yourself to set-up a strong connection that will last all year)
Identify disturbing social patterns in your community and work with your RAD for strategies of how to confront those issues. Maybe you can plan programs to address the issue!
Consider the physical layout of your floor that might create conscious or unconscious barrier & implement one strategy to begin to break that barrier.
Develop a strategy for letting residents know when you WELCOME interaction with them (this could take many different forms –you could post a sign on your door, you could send a text or group chat reminder, you could engage them in social media, etc.)
Create a place for residents to list their classes and coordinate study groups with each other
Introduce other staff members on your floor to your residents (and vice versa) … on call rounds are a great time to do this!
Hold your area fire drill(s) and educate residents about fire safety
WEEK FOUR/THIRD WEEK OF CLASSES (September 4-10)
Remove all outdated welcoming material from your floor/hall
Emphasize the concept of the residence hall being a “home away from home” and reflect on what you have done to make your community a “home away from home”
Be prepared to discuss with your RAD the social patterns that have started to develop on your floor
Knock & Talks: Select three (or more!) different rooms (6-12 individual residents) and use this week to specifically connect with those residents (go beyond introductions … these should be solid 5-10+ minute conversations –really LEARN about them and share about yourself to set-up a strong connection that will last all year). If you’ve already hit every door, use this week to begin a new cycle!
Hold your first program of the semester or finalize preparations to complete it next week (per the date you submitted in your program proposal). Programs must be completed no later than Friday 9/15
Hold your first OneOn1 of the semester with your RAD. OneOn1s must be completed no later than Friday 9/15. Be prepared to talk about yourself (personally, academically), about your community (individual residents, floor trends, maintenance issues, staff dynamics, etc.) and job responsibilities (programming, committee work, other, etc.). What else do you need from your RAD?
Begin to come up with a plan for developmental programming for the rest of the semester
Begin reaching out to faculty for your faculty/staff program (must be held before Thanksgiving)
Consider Ernest Boyer’s Six Principles of Community. To what extent is your floor educationally Purposeful? Disciplined? Open? Celebrative? Caring? Just? Pick one of Boyer’s principles to focus on and do one corresponding initiative to better your community.
WEEK FIVE/FOURTH WEEK OF CLASSES & ONE MONTH IN (September 11-17)
Identify disturbing social patterns in your community and work with your RAD for strategies of how to confront those issues. Maybe you can plan programs to address the issue!
Strive to make matches between residents with similar interests
Stop in and talk with residents who have their doors open
Knock & Talks: Select three (or more!) different rooms (6-12 individual residents) and use this week to specifically connect with those residents (go beyond introductions … these should be solid 5-10+ minute conversations –really LEARN about them and share about yourself to set-up a strong connection that will last all year). If you’ve already hit every door, use this week to begin/continue a new cycle!
During “knock and talks,” evaluate roommate pairs and ask about any conflicts
Assess how well your residents know one another
This is a good point in the semester to remind/encourage residents to hold each other accountable & confront each other (respectfully) about community concerns like noise, trash, etc.
Take down old signs so residents don’t become poster blind. Do a quick assessment –how good have you been about taking them down in a timely fashion? Is anything other than laziness preventing you from staying on top of this? How can you improve?
WEEK SIX/ FIFTH WEEK OF CLASSES (September 18-24)
Use signs and/or banners/bulletin boards/social media, etc. to publicly appreciate and thank residents who have contributed positively to the community
Begin preparing for next week’s floor meeting on Health and Safety Inspections (prepare agenda, post notices regarding date/time/location)
Reevaluate your RA plans/goals for the semester based on the needs of your community
Knock & Talks: finish the knock & talks with any residents you haven’t reached and/or conclude your second cycle if you have a smaller community.
Hold your second program of the semester or finalize preparations to complete it next week (per the date you submitted in your program proposal). Programs must be completed no later than Saturday 9/30
Begin planning/developing your October bulletin board(s) and door decorations
Be ready for the upcoming Sociogram at In-Service on Friday September 29th