Talking Stick - November/December 2008 - 60

51 CONTINUED The Evolving Role of the Resident Advisor College and university campuses are no longer filled to capacity with students living in traditional residence halls with double-loaded corridors, where students interact frequently in daily trips to a community bathroom or congregate in common areas. Many of the new housing facilities include private bedrooms, bathrooms, full kitchens, and other amenities that were not common as recently as 10 to 15 years ago. While these facilities are the very ones desired by students, the physical layout of these buildings makes the job of a resident advisor much different than it would be in traditional residence halls. Because of these differences, it is no longer assumed that an RA who was successful in a traditional setting will naturally be successful in an apartmentstyle one. RAs in apartment-style housing may have to deal with issues requiring mediation between more than two people and to resolve problems that go beyond issues of sharing, communication, and guest behavior. Staff who are interested in working in apartment-style residences need information up front – at the recruitment stage – about the unique challenges of working in apartment-style residences, and then they must be given training in the specific competencies required to succeed in the job. to live, with fewer community problems and fewer confrontations related to policy violations. Arthur states that “often times there are perceptions … that the staff position will be easy … or at least easier.” Before being hired, interested staff need to understand that the transition to apartment-style housing is not simple. Allan Blattner, associate director of staff/ student development at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, tries to immediately counter the mistaken impression that the position involves less work: “It starts with placement since many staff may see the opportunity as a retirement job. We have to make sure that interested staff realize they work differently – but definitely not less.” Charlotte solved the communication problem by using their office hours to call a certain number of students each night, throughout the year, in order to gather information about students’ needs, maintenance issues, etc. Feedback has been positive not just because of the personal contact but also because students see automatic results. Training Techniques Training for RAs should be site-specific. Blattner feels that the training received at the departmental level must be specifically applied to the building level in order for student staff working in apartment-style settings to achieve success: “We attempt to spend half of our time in training as a departmental group and the other half at the building level, focusing on specific building attributes and bringing the earlier training home to an applicable experience at the hall level.” Arthur agrees with this focus: “Each staff needs to take ownership for the material covered during departmental wide training … it is even more important for staff in apartment-style settings.” Staff in apartment-style residences need to personalize and decode the information in a way that will be useful for them. As Valerie Averill, associate director for residence life at the University of South Florida in Tampa, comments, training in programming is important for staff in any kind of residence hall, but sessions for staff in apartment-style residences should include time for discussion of questions like “How does programming work here?” Training cannot be divorced from the residential setting. At USF, some of the scenarios used for training sessions (i.e., role playing) are staged in the apartment setting. As Averill notes, “Training has to be related to what will be needed. Differing Responsibilities Staff in apartment-style residences should be given information about the makeup of the community that they will be responsible for (first year, upperclass, families, etc.) and should understand that the staff-to-student ratio may be higher, the physical area they are responsible for may be larger, and that interactions within a specific living unit may involve larger groups of people. (Differences in the work required in apartment-style housing are sometimes reflected in the position title, which may be resident manager or apartment mentor, rather than resident advisor.) The goals and overall expectations for RAs in both settings are similar, but the methods for meeting those expectations may differ. Staff working in apartment-style residences may need a more extroverted style in interactions with residents, they may need to be more creative about planning opportunities for social interaction, and they may feel more challenged by the difficulty of gathering or disseminating information. Staff in apartment-style halls at UNC - Recruitment Process Staff interested in working in apartmentstyle housing can often be found already working in traditional residence halls, and they are often enthusiastic about the prospect of working in another environment. Ginny Arthur, associate director for residence life at Iowa State University in Ames, notes that many staff members feel that the transition to an apartment-style building is seen as a step up. It is perceived of as a better place CONTINUES 0 Talking Stick 62
Talking Stick - November/December 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2008
