Great job everyone! We kicked some serious rear end and got everything done that we needed to and gave the RHD's plenty of time to get everything done they needed to!

Have a fantastic break, and we can't wait to see you for Winter RA training!

Top ten ways to keep your RA skills fresh over break

1.       Be sure to document your friends and family members who are not legally able to drink.

2.       Enforce quiet hours for all members of your family and friends.

 

3.       Do rounds of your house. Be sure to document any fire hazards or trash left around.

4.       Come up with a fun program for your family to over break.

5.       Plan Christmas dinner for under $3.50.

6.       Text those you are spending break with of any work orders that may occur.

7.       Create door decs for your family.

8.       Make sure that you are home and in your room by 1:00am.

9.       Force your family to refer to your house as a Residence Hall.

10.   Make waivers for your friends and family when you go sledding. 

Bonus: Text your Hall Director and wish them a Happy Holiday!

RA RC Hawk Wellness Challenge!

Hello Everyone!

The RC Hawk wellness challenge is coming to an end soon!

Here are the standings for each area so far:

1st- TAJ
2nd-Quad
3rd-Scott

Here are the standings so far individual RA's

1st-Michaela Myers
2nd-Aspen Geheber
3rd-Danae Chaltry

There is still time for submissions! They are due to M on Friday, December 11th, by 11:59pm if your submission will count.

Here is more information!

So How Do You Earn Points? ·       Take a picture with yourself and a resident(s) from your floor at any of the following events and email it to M to earn 2 points per resident for you, and 2 points per resident for your staff score: o   Working out at the fitness center o   Attending an intramural event o   Attending an RC HAWK-sponsored speaker or event (look for the RC HAWK logo on flyers, and for emails from M about upcoming events!) ·       Take a picture of you and your residents at the wellness fair and send them to M to earn 3 points per resident for you, and 3 points per resident for your staff score!  (The Wellness Fair is Tuesday Nov. 10th 10:30am-1:30pm) ·       Take a picture showing you and a resident eating a healthy, balanced meal on campus (that means your plates should be in the picture, too!) and earn 1 point per resident for you, and 1 point per resident for your staff score! ·       Send a short paragraph to M that explains how a floor program you put on promotes one of the six areas of wellness, and earn 5 points per resident for you, and 5 points per resident for your staff score!  The six areas of wellness are: o   Community o   Purpose o   Social o   Financial o   Physical o   Mental/emotional ·       Take a picture of a bulletin board on your floor that promotes one of the six areas of wellness and email to M with a few sentences describing it to earn 5 points for you, and 5 points for your staff! ·       Send a short paragraph to M that explains how an all-area program you put on promotes one of the six areas of wellness, and earn 10 points for your staff (no individual points for this one)

WE MADE IT TO THANKSGIVING! Congratulations to all you wonderful RA’s!!  

Thanksgiving is a very important holiday, but that's not what I want to discuss today, so click here if you’d like to learn a little bit more about the holiday. 

I LOVE this holiday thanks to copious amounts of food and seemingly endless hours of football….but first and foremost for the giving of thanks ;)  However, the way we celebrate the holiday has changed drastically over the years…

 Exhibit A (1621):                                                                 Exhibit B (2015):

LOL, but also, in all seriousness, let’s all try to spend more quality time with our friends and family over this holiday. Let’s put away our phones and other electronics for a few hours, or, if you’re up for a challenge, try putting them away for the whole day! Don’t try to escape to Instagram or Snapchat, the only thing you’ll find is sadness and pictures of your friend’s food. If you’re successful, please let me know and I’ll give you a really good high five.  I wish you all a very relaxing, football filled, stress free, belly filling, Thanksgiving break. See you all bright and refreshed on Monday!

And remember, 

Top Ten Things I Wish I Had Known Before Becoming An RA

As we look back over this past semester and get ready for finals, many of you may be discovering some things that you had wish you had known before becoming an RA. Some of you are first year RA's that are getting the hang of things, but just as respected as our returning RA's who had the advantage of knowing what to expect in terms of time commitment. So as we bring this year to a close, take a look at this list and see which things you have learned this past semester, and things you can expect for next semester!

10. Not every student is going to appreciate the things you do for them, and sometimes they will judge you unfairly.

9. That I would have to deal with situations where I did not end up agreeing with the outcome.

8. Never ever be afraid to introduce yourself to anyone.

7. . The situations that are often the most difficult to deal with are not the conduct related incidents involving alcohol or marijuana, but are the drama related incidents like roommate conflicts, a resident who doesn’t shower, etc.

6. “You will be overworked and underpaid.”—Will Keim, motivational speaker. This one requires a little bit of explaining. While sure a lot of the things we ask you to do seem laborious and tedious, and many times you calculate how much you are working compared to how much you are making, this never takes into account the people you are meeting, or experiences on staff or with residents you are having. Enjoy this time because while fiscally, the bottom line is not equal to your paycheck, you can never again have the experiences you will have as an RA. Live it up!

5. Residents only seem to need to study when you try to get them to come to one of your programs.

4. You need to remain impartial on controversial issues when interacting with your residents and the decisions they are trying to make.

3. Leave the past in the past! Start fresh and go with the flow.

2. Communication with your staff and supervisor is essential. (Jessica, Jill, M, Nate, Zach, Maggie, and Kari can all get behind this one!)

1. Nine months goes so fast, but being on staff can be one of the most fulfilling experiences you will have ever have! Anyone can tell you that being an RA will be the most fulfilling position you will ever serve. This is true, but only when you earn it! You will get out what you put into this position, and while sometimes that takes a lot, you have got to just keep going!

RA Conference Re-Cap

If you see these RAs today congratulate them for being AWESOME on Saturday:

Lydia Nelson

Michaela Myers

Jorge Gutierrez

Marthe Folivi

Gillian Jackson

Jill, M and Jessica were there too.

They traveled to De Pere and hung out with RAs from other WAICU schools. Marthe and Michaela participated in the Case Study competition, Marthe took first place. The case was about race in the residence halls and it was TOUGH.

They also attended programs that educated them on different ways to be the best RAs they can be. There were also programs about working for Residence Life after graduation, ice breakers, making better bulletin boards, being Greek and an RA, using faculty in programming, bystander intervention, and so much more! M presented a program to fellow professional staff members about staff development exercises and there were crafts. The TAJ staff probably knows what those crafts are all about.

St. Norbert's also has a sweet cafeteria. Jessica ate feta cheese. It is her favorite. Think critically about going next year. It is a great way to meet other RAs and see how their jobs are similar to yours. And it is fun to travel with a crabby Jessica!

Pay schedule

Hello RAs!
There were some comments on RHD evals that I think were intended for me :)

One of them was the College's pay schedule for student employees- this information is on the myRipon portal for all student employees on the Student Tab of the portal.

You can get there with this link too: https://my.ripon.edu/ICS/icsfs/15-16_Student_Pay_Schedule.pdf?target=f8374f66-91e6-44e4-bc9b-0c865e1223a8

Thanks friends!
Jessica

RA Training TShirt Design?

Another Resume Resource Gem!

From residentassistant.com

RA Resume Builders Examples

The RA job has an amazing number of “transferrable skills” that you will be able to apply in any career or job in your future!

This page is intended to help you leverage this experience during job interviews and on your resume.

Sample RA Resume Descriptions…
RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Provided paraprofessional advising to undergraduate students in three distinct residential environments. Developed and conducted programs on diversity, chemical abuse, personal development, relationships, security, and academic performance. Managed administrative tasks including room condition reports, maintenance requests, incident reports, and the room change process. Enforced college policy.
RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Provided paraprofessional advising for twenty-two undergraduates each semester. Confronted and resolved issues on diversity, racism, alcohol and drug abuse, academic performance and social acceptance. Worked with group dynamics on a staff of sixteen people. Enforced University policy.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Responsible for providing educational programs and paraprofessional counseling for a residence hall wing of 40 male college students. Conducted rounds throughout the building in order to assure security and enforcement of University policies. Served on departmental diversity committee and assumed additional staff leadership positions.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson,

Supervised a floor of 40 residents, organized floor programs, and advised residents on personal and academic issues. Trained new staff members. Promoted from Assistant Resident Advisor.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Assisted 28 freshmen women with their first year transition. Developed and presented proactive, retention focused educational and community building programs. Attended leadership conferences and regular staff development inservices. Responsible for the safety and security of the building on duty nights.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Responsible for the welfare of 25 first year students. Developed and implemented programs to strengthen the community. Served as a co-advisor for the hall government. Enforced residence hall policies and procedures.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Served as a mentor and advisor for 18 first year students. Worked with other resident assistants to develop a successful hall community. Utilized organizational and public speaking skills to create and present hall programs to educate residents about critical issues. Developed mediation and conflict resolution skills. Enforced University policy.

RESIDENT ASSISTANT University of Arizona Tucson, AZ

Assessed and responded to the needs of 30 residents on wing
Created, planned, and implemented educational, social, and recreational programs
Served on Resident Assistant Selection Committee
Acted as a liaison between residents and Department of Residence Life
Counseled peers on personal, academic, and career concerns
Managed various administrative duties including maintenance requests, incident reports, and room transfers.
Enforced and upheld university policies.