Paws & Reflect

Hey Reslifers,

So the RHDs have noticed this trend where we think that cute animals are the PERFECT solution to basically any concern, conundrum, or quandary.  

Seriously, puppies fix everything.

Jessica does not agree, and seems to think that fuzzy things of the animal variety have no place in Reslife matters.  To a certain extent, this is very true and completely understandable.  After all, a residence hall is no place for a pet (besides aquatic fish in one 10-gallon aquarium per resident), and pet policies exist as they do for very, very good reasons.

However.

Julie would like to assert that while animals have no place in the residence halls, they do have a place in Residence Life.  After all, we can learn quite a bit from the animal kingdom, and what better way to utilize an internet-based tool for continued training and education (read: the Reslife Reader) than by doing what the internet does best: finding pictures of cute and funny animals and sharing them with those we love.

With that, I introduce you to a new feature of the Reslife Reader: Paws & Reflect

Issue 1: Scout

This is Scout.  Scout is a pit bull from Ontario, and proud mascot of "Stuff on Scout's Head," a blog on Tumblr that you should probably bookmark, or whatever it is you do on Tumblr when you find something cool to share.

Aside from being cute as can be, Scout has a particular talent that I think all of us could learn from.

Scout is very good at balancing things.

He balances time, and the so-few hours in a day.

He balances his health, the things that are good for him....

....and things that are less good, but super enjoyable at the time.  (This requires a bit of will power, as I'm sure you can imagine.)

 He balances times when he needs to be a bit more professional, along with times when he can cut loose and enjoy the party.

The things that he balances can vary depending on the time of the year, as seasons change and our commitments, priorities, and interests evolve.

No matter what he balances, a couple things stay consistent.  Scout keeps his focus,  eyes directly on the motivation in front of him.  He's balancing things for a reason, and doesn't get distracted from the thing that's keeping him going - in this case, his owner.

That's something else that's important.  All over the blog, it's clear that Scout's human thinks the world of him.  He has found a place full of love and support, and it's that encouragement that helps him to balance so well.  There's no pressure to balance, only cheerful praise when he takes on one of these challenges and succeeds.

So for today's Paws & Reflect, Scout and I encourage you to think about your own sense of balance, and what helps you to juggle everything on the tip of your metaphorical doggy nose.  What sorts of things do you balance each day, and what people and tools help you to keep your footing?  When you start to loose balance, what things do you set aside first as you regain your equilibrium?  Is it a commitment? Your health? Your studies? Your friends? Who do you have who, like Scout's human, is rooting for you in your journey to find balance, and what motivation do you keep your eye on to help yourself stay stable?

Scout has a thing or two to teach about balance.  But as RAs, you guys have plenty of your own experience to bring to the table.  Take a few minutes today to think about how things balance out in your life, and how you manage keep things steady.  What do you have perched at the tip of your nose these days, and what sorts of things might you need to set aside?  How do you keep your focus, and how can the RA position, your staff, and your Hall Director help you in that juggling act?  And for the record, take a moment to recognize what a rockstar you are for balancing all that you do.  Because you guys are pretty awesome, and Scout thinks so too.

Much love, 

Julie

Staff Shout Outs!

Heya Staff!

As we close out another cold but fabulous Monday, the prostaff wants to take a moment and recognize these Really Awesome staff members for going above and beyond lately.  Email Julie to submit your own for next week, or be on the lookout for a super nifty "Staff Shoutout" form coming to each RA office!

To any who haven't gotten the memo, we have TWO brand new super awesome RAs on staff who deserve your notice and recognition.  Airianna Beard has joined the Quad staff down in Mapes, and Jessica Almaraz just hopped on the TAJ bandwagon up on 3rd floor Johnson.  The prostaff is SO excited to welcome these lovely ladies on board, and we can't wait to get to know and work with each of them!

In fact, we're almost as excited as this sloth.

Hailey Mischler has really stepped up in the past couple weeks filling some spur-of-the-moment duty spots.  Twice now she's volunteered to help TAJ staff out, and her dedication is truly appreciated!

Shout out to Michael Anderson for GETTING INTO LAW SCHOOL!  HOLY WOW that's so exciting!!

On a similar note, Raymond Allen has finished up his grad school interviews!  Time to take a breather and relish some time NOT traveling!  You go Ray!

Kari Brown gets major props from Big Boss Jessica for all her help in preparing for the Oshkosh Placement Exchange.  (And double props from the RHDs for managing to MAKE Jessica let you help her!)

Shout out to Jason Winkelmann for rallying and leading the Quad staff helm in their fearless leader's absence (see the previous post from David about grad school interviews).  Jason has successfully run a full-length staff meeting, schedule break duty, and generally keep things ship shape in David's absence. 

Jason also gets a shout out from Jessica for his super cool Bowser shell at ExtravaGAMEza.

And another shout out from Julie for being so good at reading Julie's mind all throughout GAMEza.

Jason's just been rocking it, people.

Speaking of GAMEza, Jessica particularly noticed Karla Perez's wonderful attitude all throughout set up and the event itself on Friday, and would like to thank her for going above in beyond in making the event successful.

And finally, Mherete Mherete beat his own personal record at the track meet this past weekend.  Great job, Mheretekins! (Is that how you spell it, Jill??)

Thanks for being fantastic, peeps.  Be on the lookout for our next round of shout outs, and remember to submit your own!

<3 DJ3

Travel and Interviews and Grad School OH MY!

Hello RAs!

David here wanting to explain just a little bit about what I’ve been up to and why my graduate school interviews are sort of consuming my life right now. So first let me tell you what I’m going to graduate school for. Student Affairs and Higher Education. If you ever want to be a Kyonna, or a Jessica, or a Melissa Bemus, you have to get your masters in student affairs. Some programs are called different things, some are called, College Student Personnel, or Higher Education and Student Affairs, it really all means the same thing. So I applied to five programs, got interviews at four and am traveling to three.

When I say I am interviewing at a certain program, let me clarify that this does not mean having one interview and then returning. Student Affairs is a much more hands on process. What generally happens, emphasis on generally because it varies program to program, is that you’ll apply, that program will narrow that number down to maybe 60 people and invite them to campus for a two day experience. What you do is you get a rundown of the program, curriculum, etc. Then you have a faculty interview. Which is usually an hour long and those are tough. Then the rest of day 1 is touring campus, asking current student questions, and lots of socializing with other candidates.

Then there’s assistantships. So here is what I mean by assistantships. A Graduate Asissistant is someone who works part time, usually 20 hours a week, in a functional area of the University/College. So for example, a graduate assistant could work in the Career Center or could be an Academic Advisor. These assistantships provide some amount, (depends on each program) of credit scholarships. Could be a full 42 credit scholarship or could be a 30 credit scholarship. Again, depends on the program. And at a large university, there are usually a lot of opportunities and offices to interview with. So typically Day 2 of the interview consists of interviewing with these assistantship providers. Sometimes you interview with 9 different offices, sometimes you interview with 7. So it really depends.This is the big reason why these visits take up so much time out of my schedule. It’s not just a faculty interview, it’s like 10 interviews in two days and then multiple socials and second interviews and all that jazz. 

One of the cool parts of this job is that I do find a lot of transferable skills from my time as an RA to the time here. The same things you do now are the same things that are going to make you marketable in your next interview. Event planning... marketing... interpersonal skills... You all are putting in serious work that will pay off. 

See you soon! 

David! 

Publicity: It Ain't No Thang

How many of us struggle to make awesome flyers for our events? Sometimes you just cannot get the juices flowing.

I thought today I would share some examples of not only good publicity but good use of resources.

This ExtravaGamesZa flyer was made in about 20 minutes by our very own Julie Weiner. Not only does it take advantage of using color printing by making the cost per page worth it- it also is super eye catching. It looks like a professional put that together. If you see Julie give her a high five for her effort. 

Speaking of hands- look at them all over this flyer. Not only is white paper FREE to the College from the Ripon Area Printers, it also makes an awesome back drop for these hand prints which tie into the theme of the event and provide an eye catching way to advertise. 

This flyer does not have any fantastic imagery or anything like that. But it does get straight to the point- it covers the entire page, it has a logo to tie it to other RAD events, and it uses the Guitar Hero logo. Simple but sweet.

One year the theme for TOTU was Boot Scootin' TOTU. A western theme- obviously. Well above someone did draw this- quite cool if you ask me. A great way to add some talent into things. But below they just crumpled up some paper and took a black and white print out of my face to make a wanted poster. This was pasted with butcher block paper with the details for the event. It was not difficult or time consuming- it was just thinking outside of a piece of paper and a marker. 

The pro staff and the SAHDs want to challenge all of you to think outside the box- the RA with the best publicity for their first program after Spring Break will be awarded a prize and $20 gift card. Jessica is the ultimate judge. She wants you to IMPRESS her! Submit to her, via email, a copy of your publicity by March 31 to be considered.

Thanks RA world!
Jessica 

The Seven Ps

You know those sayings, anecdotes, morals at the end of fairy tales, and just over all wise words that we are taught as young people and such?

Well my favorite one is called the Seven Ps. I used to say it a lot more often than I do now, but I thought that on this Thursday I would impart a tiny bit of my wisdom to you. (I am not sure that is even the appropriate use of impart). 

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. 

The Seven Ps came from a British Army adage that was actually a bit different than what I have listed above: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. See how they added practice in there? 

There is also a version that approaches it with a positive angle: Prior Planning Promotes Proper Performance, Presentation, Play, and Pay. 

Oh and the one about body building: Proper Prior Planning Promotes Peak Performance.

These are words to live by people, no matter the version you identify with, and don't forget it! Just remember that when you plan something out, a program, a paper, studying for a test, etc. you are bound to perform better.  

Happy Thursday,

Jessica 

iACE Programming

Hey there RA land!

My last post about programming was about with the Awareness and Appreciation programming block- well today you are getting some information about iACE programming. Below are six iACE programs that are coming up before and just after Spring Break. iACEs are pretty great. Not only are we attending some of the great events that Ripon College, students, student orgs, and Staff members plan- we also get to hang out with our residents!! Here are some ideas to turn programming on campus into an iACE.

EVENT: 11:15am Tuesday February 17 South to Selma is the Golden Hour this day and it features an alum of Ripon, Gary Yerkey and his experiences in the Civil Rights Movement. PROGRAM: After attending this Golden Hour you and your residents can have lunch together and talk about how the Civil Rights Movement is portrayed in the media, especially if any of them have seen the recent move Selma.

EVENT: 4pm Wednesday February 18 ACM Informational Meeting about all of the off campus study options the ACM offers. PROGRAM: You can invite someone who has been on a trip to meet up with your residents afterward to talk about their experience and answer questions that your residents might have been too scared to ask in a bit environment. Or a professor who works teaching in these programs could provide a FAQ or a dinner time chat with your residents. The Registrar's Office would have a complete list of those students and professors that are willing to talk about it.

EVENT: 5pm Monday February 23 African Americans with "Learning Disabilities" This program is designed to work over dinner as part of Black History Month events. There is a speaker (who is friends with James Bland if I am not mistaken) who is sharing his knowledge about debunking the myth about African Americans and perceived learning disabilities. PROGRAM: You could ask one of the TAJ RAs that worked on their All Area Program about disabilities both physical and learning and take one of their activities from the evening and do that with your residents.

EVENT: 11:00am Wednesday February 24 Tuition Free Forward FREE CUPCAKES Stop by with your residents to get a free cupcake and write a thank you card for the donors that make scholarships possible for students here at Ripon. PROGRAM: Your residents and you can all sit together in the Joyce Lounge to commiserate about the struggle of student loans and the deliciousness of free cupcakes.

 EVENT: 5pm Wednesday February 25 (or any Wednesday actually) Intramural Yoga You and your residents could take advantage of free yoga here on campus. POROGRAM: Share with your residents before or after Yoga the RC HAWK mindful minutes campaign that Julie helps to organize. Help your residents learn about taking one minute a day to practice relaxation techniques or learning something helpful can make a big difference.

EVENT: 4:30pm Wednesday March 11 Newt Gingrich If he ends up coming to campus this would be an AWESOME opportunity to see some speakers from the National political stage come to Ripon and hear his thoughts on the state of the nation. PROGRAM: Your residents could get together before hand and hypothesize what he might talk about or you can give your residents a fact sheet so that they are familiar with Newt himself before the talk.

Have a great Tuesday RAs!
Jessica

Need a program? Here you go. Seriously. It's right here. Just take it.

Hey all!

Remember all those times I mentioned Reslife.net and what an awesome resource it is for programming ideas?  Well just in case you didn't believe me, I've found one such program, straight from Reslife.net and ready to go, to show you what kind of cool ideas are there.  I think this one could work as a passive program for your individual floor or even for an All Area about Appreciate and Awareness! YAY! 

“My Room is Hate Free”

I use this program to establish an inclusive community.

Start out by making signs for people to decorate that say “My room is Hate FREE. Please help me keep (insert the name of your residence hall here) a safe place for everyone!” I like to have a related picture on the signs.

Print out enough of the signs to have one for each room in your hall (and some extras for mess-ups) on one color of cardstock.

To execute the program, set up a table in your residence hall (I prefer to do it right next to the front door) with all of the cardstock placards and markers, and invite people to make the commitment to have a hate-FREE room.

Have them color one if they do, and then write their room number on the back.

Go around the hall after the program and hang up each completed design. Try to hang them up all in the same place next to each door so it’s uniform.

This program leaves a visual representation of a very positive community. We did it in my hall and it was VERY successful. Almost every door has one, and people seem to be very respectful.

Happy Programming!

XOXO,

David

If You Program, They Will Come

Hey there wonderful RAs! 

Your are probably now getting into the flow of things and finally figuring out where that one class actually is. (We're looking at you, Jill.)  Now you're starting to think to yourself, what should my next program be?!? Now I understand some of you may have had a little bit of difficulty with attendance with your floor. Maybe you had a few no shows happen. So now you're probably thinking, "well what's the point of planning a program now if no one is going to show?" 

Well you're right. Because if your attitude is, "no one is going to come," you'll probably be right. Why would I want to come to a program that the RA doesn't even want to be at? 

But that may have just been one program that no one could come to or maybe something last minute came up. RAs can plan programs that are easy to put together and are engaging. You may have to think outside the box sure, welcome to the 21st century. So if you're feeling stuck or what some creative ideas, talk to your SAHD, they've put on plenty of programs. They have numerous ideas. Go to Jessica. Go to reslife.net that has roughly two thousand ideas. Whatever you do, don't rule out your floor programs just because of one or two no shows. Work hard. Be innovative. Move away from just a simple flyer for advertisements. Because just going through the motions is the most disadvantageous thing that you could do. 

Okay. Off my soap box. 

Here are some quick, simple, concrete tips you can try to give that one last nudge and get people to attend when you're having trouble.

1. Send out a Doodle Poll! Doodle.com is a free service that helps you send out a user-friendly tool that lets your residents quickly and easily let you know when they're free.  Next time you're deciding on a date and time to program, send out one of these bad boys and get some quick feedback on what days work best for most people on your floor.
2. Get a commitment from people!  Next time you pass a resident in the hallway or find yourself brushing your teeth next to one another, ask the resident if they're coming to your floor program.  Having a direct, face-to-face invitation makes folks more likely to attend, due to reasons that I'm sure some of our Psychology majors would be happy to explain.
3. Send out a "RIGHT NOW" email!  Some RAs have had great success sending out a final reminder email just a couple minutes before or during their events.  It snags the folks who maybe lost track of time or forgot that your program is happening, and can help to prod people out of their cozy rooms in search of food and company.

What's helped YOU get better attendance at programs?  Tell us in the comments!

XOXO,

David

Recruitment & Selection: Why You Should Care

Hey staff!

It's recruitment season here in Reslife World, and you've already gotten several emails asking for your help and input.  There are several ways you all can be involved in helping us select the newest crop of RAs, from nominating candidates, to helping us conduct interviews, to participating in information sessions and just generally sharing your insight.  Here are a few of the many reasons why as a current/returning/brand new/graduating/totally awesome staff member, YOU should care about RA recruitment and selection!

• If you're returning to staff, these are the people you're going to be working with!  Have a say in choosing your next staff! 
• If you're not returning next semester, this is your legacy.  Help to leave Ripon Reslife better than you found it.
• Each year our RAs report that helping with the interview process gave them valuable experience and insight that they look forward to utilizing in their professional endeavors.  (Seriously, interviewing takes on a totally different feel once you've been on the other side of the table.)
• The more you help spread the word and encourage awesome candidates to apply, the greater our pool of applicants to select our staff from.  And the more candidates we can look at, the more likely we are to find those stellar staff members who can help make YOUR Reslife experience just that much more awesome.
• You know your residents, your friends, and your peers better than anyone else does.  Help them to maximize their potential and help Jill, David, Jessica and I see our shining stars-to-be.
• As an RA, you have to be able to trust each other.  These are the folks who are going to have your back at 3am.  This is a chance to start developing those relationships early and feel good about the folks we're bringing in to be in your corner.

Help us bring in the best of the best and make 2015-2016 the best year Ripon Reslife has seen yet.

Keep being awesome,

Julie