Incident Report

Hello!

This video was made by some incredibly creative and wonderful RAs. It obviously is in jest but every Monday when I type "Incident Report" into my inbox to enter everything from the weekend I say the words Incident Report just like they do in this song.

It is also a bit inappropriate. But if you have ever googled Incident Report you can find it :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v45ZyxDYfeE

Have a great Monday!
Jessica

RHD/SAHD Bulletin Board Competition

Hello RA staff!

Can you help me determine which BB is the best among the Pro Staff and SAHD attempts this quarter? The winner gets to choose the menu for lunch at the next monthly SAHD/RHD meeting in February. Please leave your vote in the comments below. Or email Jessica. 

Thanks everyone! Have a great Tuesday!
Jessica

Option A

Option B

Option B

Option C

Option D

Option E

Option E

Option F

Awareness and Appreciation Programming Block

In RA Training this weekend we are going to spend some time reviewing the programming model and getting some brainstorming and proposal completing done so that we jump start the semester. One of the programming blocks that is not being used to its fullest potential is the Awareness and Appreciation block.

I am going to go out on a limb here and let you all know that just because you list that you and the area residents will be "appreciating" something does not make it qualify for this block. Here are some different programming ideas that fit into the category, would fulfill the requirements for an all area program. These ideas also move away from falling back on sustainability as the default program topic in this block.

Holidays in February A program that highlights different cultural holidays outside of the holiday season. Who doesn't like a little Christmas in July? Kwanzaa in September? The event could be set up in stations where students spend 20 minutes in each culture's celebration doing an activity that is specific to that holiday. You could incorporate- Los Posadas, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Diwali, and others that you learn about while researching. You could also enlist the help of student organizations that have members who might be interested in presenting information about these holidays.

Apathy Obstacle Course This event would put students in the perspective of those students who are differently abled. Using resources like a wheel chair and crutches from the Nurse, the beer googles, a blind fold, ear plugs or loud music in head phones RAs can create an obstacle course where students have to physically make their way through the room. Barriers like opening exterior doors, having to navigate without their sight, etc, helps students to understand the difficultly of being differently abled. This program could also include different activities that simulate someone with a learning disability or other non physical attribute that can make life more challenging. Teaching students about dyslexia, OCD, color blindness and other things like that can help them to appreciate the abilities they have.

Empty Bowls Working with Sodexo you could host an empty bowls program. This event simulates what it is like to experience food disparity in the world. The idea is that the vast majority of people in attendance will be served broth with a very small amount of rice or root vegetable. A small amount will have an average amount of rice and veggies. Then a very small amount will have a full meal including meat. The percentages of people with each type of meal represents the percentages of people in the world who survive on those size servings every day in the world.

Archie Bunkers Neighborhood This is a game that illustrates racial stereotypes and how dangerous they are for relationships. The Residence Life office has this game and all the materials. The participants are divided into color groups, purple, pink, orange, etc. Then the facilitators are told how to treat each group based on a racial stereotype. The orange team might be spoken too very loud and fast while the facilitators ask if they speak English which is a stereotype of Americans or other people living here who do not speak English as a their first language. Other groups would include, African Americans, Asian Americans, Handicap persons, LGBT populations, etc. Only the facilitators are aware of how to treat each group. Then the game starts and each colored team must building infrastructure in their city by getting building permits and avoid being imprisoned. Eventually the students participating assume the role of their stereotype and learning ensues.

Keep your eyes peeled for more ideas to come through in the ResLife Reader as we start the semester that will help you think outside of the box!
-Jessica

RA Brain

The Resident Assistant has been defined in many ways and each institution has a different way that they define the role as well. There are some key areas that are agreed upon in the Higher Education Community, and Wikipedia summarizes those quite well:

A resident assistant is a trained peer leader who works with College students living in a residence hall. An RA has many roles and responsibilities, including, but not limited to, building a residential community through programming, acting as a para-counselor for students, being a familiar first resource for students with academic or institutional questions, and enforcing residence policies. The RA goes through a rigorous training process. An RA must balance his/her own schedule and priorities with the needs of the students he/she is supporting. Above all, a resident assistant must be an example and uphold professional and personal accountability as outlined by the institution.

Here at Ripon College, the RA staff is an extension of the Division of Student Life and often provide the valuable link for students in crisis to find the campus resources that are necessary for their success. It often takes years after graduation for a student to realize the impact that other students had on their College experience. It is often hard to just trust that feeling- the feeling that you know you are having a positive impact on your community through your programming efforts, your time on duty upholding community standard, and in your everyday "lollipop" moments with other students on campus. 

I promise you that students here at Ripon College not only notice the effort that RAs put into their role, but they also appreciate it. As I reviewed the fall semester for Dean Ogle and looked at all the programming we completed, all the students who were connected to resources by RAs that were academically successful, all the roommate conflicts that we helped to mediate, and just the time that we as a staff spent with our residents- I was humbled. As a department we are the backbone of a residential institution, we helped to create a caring community where students were known and valued and I thank you for that! The RHDs and I cannot do these things without all of you and your efforts. I am grateful that whatever your motivation for applying for the job that you did! You are my favorite students on campus, well that is if I had favorites. Which we all know I do not :)

I am also thankful that scientists have done scans and research on students who become RAs and their brains. All of you must have some of the following aspects in your noggins as well, which has been instrumental to our success. 

Thanks for being a wonderful student staff that makes me thankful that I work at Ripon College. 

-Jessica 

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Hello RAs!

It is almost RA training time! Believe you me I am pretty excited. I thought I would give you a preview of what you are going to see next week.

1. You are going to have fun catching up with each other again. Like in times like these:

2. You are also going to meet some awesome people that are new to staff.

3. You get to see us :)

Those are really the highlights. Get excited. NEW RA Training starts at 10am on Thursday January 15 in the Johnson Hall Main Lounge.

Then everyone else joins us in the Scott Hall TV Lounge at 1pm.

See you next week!
Jessica