FORTIFY!

Hello RA Land!

I know you have heard all about the RA Conference but I wanted to share the highlights. First of all- it was a challenge to get access to even write about this. In the digital age you would think accessing a blog would be easier!

In the world of Student Affairs in Higher Education there is a strong emphasis on professional development and continuous learning. The RA conference is one of those opportunities that we have as professionals to provide that kind of development for you as students! If you are not already familiar with WAICU I encourage you to check out their website here. WAICU has created lots of opportunities for collaboration between private schools in WI and for each of us to learn from one another. The pro staff members at different institutions get together to host an RA conference for all of our student staffs in Residence Life departments in each school.

Maggie, Karla, Kari and Megan freezing on the balcony of the CCES Building at Concordia

Concordia University Wisconsin hosted this November on a chilly day in Mequon. Concordia is located right on Lake Michigan and it was fun to see another campus. They also have tunnels connecting their buildings so some students NEVER walk outside in the winter. The RA Conference is also a great way to meet RAs from other schools and hear about their experiences- and being jealous of those tunnels.

The theme of the conference was Fortify! As in fortifying our communities and maintaining a strong foundation as we serve college students. Schools were asked to present a roll call skit demonstrating the foundation of their institution. Ripon's roll call was a play on two of Ripon's trademark slogans: "We're writing the book on quality, personal, undergraduate education" and "More.Together." We put together 12 pages in a book that illustrate the types of things that make up the foundation of Ripon's quality undergraduate educational experience and how that makes Ripon a place that is more together. It was pretty great if you ask me! Those in attendance did great work making their book pages and we looked good on stage.

The conference includes a keynote speaker, programming sessions, networking opportunities, and a case study competition. The keynote speaker this year was a High School Teacher named Tom Roekle who gave a funny and inspiring talk about how RAs can and do make a difference in the lives of our residents. He used funny stories about his daughter and his experience as a teacher/coach to help us see the lessons in everyday situations. He has a killer arm and showed it off while throwing snickers into the crowd.

Joanis asks for a selfie! Of course!

The case study competition had a component for both returning RAs and first time RAs to participate with a partner from another school. Rachel Grutz and Marthe Folivi participated from Ripon and Marthe even took home 2nd place with her partner from Marian University!

back: Marthe Folivi, Megan Marema, Kari Brown, Rachel Grutza, David Polizzi
front: Maggie Breen-Lyles, Karla Perez, Julie Weiner, and Jill Kalis

All in all the day was a great day of learning, inspiration and fun. If you are interested in learning more or making sure you are in the van to go to the next conference talk to one of these peeps! Comment in the comments section below if you have things to add to this article too!

-Jessica