Programming with Glow Sticks

It gets dark at 4pm nowadays. And it will only get darker. Maybe you should plan events with GLOW STICKS!

Check out this website for ideas!
http://mylistoflists.com/7-fun-glow-stick-ideas/ 

RAs have the BEST jobs- but resumes?

How hard is it to sell yourself on a resume and in an interview?

HARD

So instead of freaking out- you should just ask the RHDs or Jessica to help you explain how awesome you are. And follow these tips!

Check out these websites for resume keywords The Muse website or JimBurke or even here there are some resume tips. 

WAICU RA Conference - Make yourself a better RA!

So what exactly makes a great RA!?

Is it a certain quality or characteristic?  Is it prior experiences, such as being a camp counselor or an Eagle Scout? Is it the training that we provide, or maybe even the supervision that can make an ill-equipped young paraprofessional successful if they didn’t have what it takes?  Is it older students who can separate themselves from peers and not succumb to peer pressure? 

Here are some thoughts about what I think makes a good RA.

1. Recognize that experience does matter. Some level of leadership experience can vastly support one RA being distinguished from a peer whom may want them to “turn the other way.” 
2. Live by a good set of ethical standards. While developmentally knowing the difference between right and wrong is essential, knowing how to respond to those grey areas is even more applicable because so much of what an RA experiences requires snap judgments. Quick responses in the moment happen every day and how an RA responds will either turn community members away, or it will draw them into their residents as a confidante and supporter.
3. Posses a good attitude. There is nothing like a peer leader who is genuinely excited about the position on a team as attitude is something the person brings with them every time they are in your company. A good attitude doesn’t mean one just accepts what is said (though that would be nice). Instead the RA with a good attitude is present and attentive and willing to help in a variety of roles whenever the situation warrants.
4. Proactively request feedback so they can improve. RAs who ask, "How did I do?" or "Is there anything that could have been different?” are often the type of people for whom I would want to work. These people are forward-thinking about their ability to improve their work. We should all strive for an approach where there always is room for improvement.
5. Be able to challenge peer attitudes and behaviors when needed. It is never easy putting oneself in a position to appropriately challenge teammates. The RA position lives in a fishbowl with the people they are asked to take responsibility for on a daily basis. Because this difficult challenge exists, being able to provide feedback to one’s colleagues is necessary to make the team better even if that means offering a simple note of "nice job of handling that incident," or "can I follow up with you about that conduct incident from last night?" It is valuable for one to hear about how they were perceived for handling a specific situation. 
6. Demonstrate the ability to facilitate individual conversation. If a RA candidate can’t make eye contact or speak with confidence and conviction when engaging a peer, I don’t believe they will be a successful RA. RAs should practice this skill in advance; first during the selection process (if they can’t do it there, they may need more experience before being hired), and then often during training. A good way to do that is have them share a meal with a different peer or professional staff member during training and receive feedback afterwards about how they were perceived. Dialogue is the core basis for the development of a community. If an RA can’t perform that task, the RA will be hard pressed to offer programmatic opportunities, handle roommate conflicts, or encourage involvement in their community.

Obviously, all these qualities don't just magically appear. It's something that takes work, time, and dedication! One way to improve these qualities would be to attend the 2015 WAICU RA Conference at St. Norbert. This year it is Saturday, November 14th starting at 9am. You get a t-shirt, lunch, and the best part: you get to hang out with each other (which you probably haven't had the chance to do since Fall RA training) and other RAs from several different schools! If you are interested and would like more information please let one of the Pro-staff members know. We'd love to have you along!

Thanks for all your work so far this year!
-Jill :)

iACEs for October!

Here are some more ideas for you about iACEs for October. I know that some of you are getting close to having all of your programs planned out. But just in case you need that iACE- I created this blog post for you.

Good luck programmers of the future!

October 4 Drag Bingo! Get dressed up together as part of this program to make it interactive. Either dress in drag or just get fancy dressed up for this event as part of LGBT awareness month.

October 6 and the Mondays following This is that month long session about Financial Literacy that SSS plans. You can just attend one of the sessions through- not necessary to attend all four. But you could attend and learn all about the financial topics that are presented that day at 4:15pm and then head to dinner together to talk about the program and share about how none of you have ever written a check.

October 8 The Miss Ripon Charity Pageant! This is a fun event where Ms. America comes to you! Another great opportunity to dress up all fancy or like your favorite characters from Miss Congeniality. Your dressing up could count as the interactive component or you could also have a contest among your floor and have each other vote for "Most Likely To" awards that you create.

October 9 If you are not on the planning team for Couch Potato Playoffs then take your floor to participate! That event is interactive all over the place! Wear matching tshirts or black eye paint and come to DESTROY the competition.

October 10 SMAC Comedian James Jay. Comedians are always funny. Well that is what they do for a living. In order to prepare for this event you could challenge your floor to tell each other the WORST joke they have ever heard. The punny, groan worthy jokes that are so bad they are funny. The winner gets a paper plate award for their door proclaiming them as the worst joke teller on the floor and they get to pick where you sit for the show!

October 14 Attend the poetry reading with the UW Madison professor Amaud Jamaul Johnson. Before you go or after you go- the interactive part can be creating a poem together. By that I mean you all sit together. You take a piece of paper and you write the first line of a poem- whatever you want. Then pass to the second person- they write a line to accompany that line. Then the fold over the first line- so the third person only sees the second line. They write something, then fold over the second line- see what I mean? Then by the end you read the entire poem aloud and it should be funny.

Those are all the iACEs I planned before Fall Break! Get your proposals in!
Jessica

Bulletin Boards Change Lives

Hello RA friends,

These past couple of weeks have been rough on our Bulletin Boards.

It is hard to see something of such hard work and talent like a bulletin board fall to the ground in ripped up pieces. But if this happens to you understand a couple things:

-The RHDs and I are proud of your hard work.
-Someone's 2am drunken run through the hall with arms outstretched does not minimize your talent.
-That Bulletin Board probably taught them more than you realize- or at least resulted in a paper cut.
- We have extra boarders in the office for just these occasions.
-Residence Life will metaphorically karate chop all of the bulletin board decor ruiners.

It is also almost time to change those boards out again- ok well there is about 26 days until October 25 when your bulletin board is due to be changed. So this week can be a great brainstorming week and a chance to try out the new CRICUT! Tavia will be emailing out a how to guide for all of you to get access to the new one and get cutting out some sweet letters. Here are some examples from the internets that I liked:

Good luck as you create your newest master piece. And no worries about the haters who don't want our communities to look and feel wonderful. We love your boards.
Jessica and the RHDs

Inner Tube Water Polo iACE!

Hello everyone!

There is an intramural event coming up (not for quite some time but it will be here before you know it) that the intramural director is very excited about. The intramural staff is planning to hold an event known as inner tube water polo on Thursday October 29th. The time has not quite been decided but it will be distributed once the space is reserved. This event will count as an iACE as it is a one time event that will be displaying the awesomeness of inner tube water polo. So if you were saving your iACE up for a later time you can go ahead and plan a program with your residents! 

But wait! There's more! Now instead of one inner tube you'll get a second for the same price. Uh, sorry about that. Dare I say my, "inner" TV salesman came out. Get it? Well whatever I laughed. But seriously there is more to this deal. I have already created most of the program proposal for you! Isn't that awesome! Not only do you get a quick and easy iACE, most of the proposal is already done! Now all that is left for you to do is to sign up for this awesome event onimleagues.com and make sure your residents sign up too! Because, you know, you have to have them there for this to count as an iACE.

So come out, have a blast learning how to play the awesome sport that is inner tube water polo, and have most of the work already done for you! Hope to see you there! I will of course be providing more information, as well as the program proposal as we get closer to the event. If you have any questions be sure to email Nate at ebertn@ripon.edu!

Dorm vs. Residence Hall

Ever wonder why Jessica is so nuts about using the naughty word DORM?

Some of you might think I am ridiculous, you might even ask yourself is this age old debate between residence hall and dorm just a matter of semantics? Does it really make a difference what they are called?

The dictionary defines a dormitory as “a room for sleeping, especially a large room containing a number of beds.” It defines a residence as “a building used as a home.” Just as more occurs in a home than just sleeping, more also occurs in a residence hall. The professional and RA staff in the residence halls provide programming, tutoring, socializing, counseling, emotional support, discipline, leadership skills acquisition and a myriad of opportunities to grow and develop.

Over the years, residence hall staffs have come up with a number of acronyms to illustrate the difference. For example, “DORM” stands for “Dreary Old Room of Mine”. “RESIDENCE HALL” stands for "Really Exciting Sensational Individually-Designed Enlightening New College Experience that Houses an Abundance of Life and Love.” Or as Jessica likes to call it- a residence hall is a WORLD OF WONDER. You sleep in a dorm, you LIVE in a residence hall.

There is an old story about a wealthy jeweler on a cruise. She compliments the captain on his wonderful boat. The captain explains that it is not a boat; it is a ship. However, over the next few days, the woman continues to refer to the vessel as a boat. The captain, not the most patient of people, finally says to her, “Madam, if you are going to continue to call this a boat, than I must counter by calling those expensive pearls you are wearing ‘beads’ and that fine steak you are eating as a piece of meat.” While all ships are, in fact, boats, all boats are not ships. A boat goes from one place to another on the water. There is much more occurring on a ship. All pearls may be nominally beads, but not all beads are pearls, and all steaks are meat, but not all meats are steak. Ships, pearls and steaks are the higher, more special versions of those items, as are residence halls.
Jessica also found that while reading on the internets- that some schools changed the names of their halls from dorms to residence halls in the 1920s to convey to Trustees and others that a residence hall is worth the money used to construct it, as it would better the education with all of the living and learning that goes on in those buildings.

So the next time Jessica corrects you, please know that it is just because she does not want you to devalue the work we do, making the residence halls wonderful places to live, learn, socialize, and just BE.