Talking Stick - November/December 2015 - 58

CONVERSATIONS
situation and then handles it on their
own, with the others in the group
silently watching on. Everyone has a
turn tackling one of the scenarios on
his or her own. After it plays out, we
get feedback from the returners, the
SRA, and the AC.
This is extremely helpful in putting
what we learned the previous week into
practice. Also, if (when) we mess up
during these scenes, it's okay, and it
lets us get through our nerves and then
learn how to handle it best (better).
These situations range from roommate
disagreements to suicidal thoughts to
sexual assault victims.

Bailey: There are many useful parts
about training, one of which is that
we spend two weeks with just the
RAs on campus. This allows us to
learn together, creating a tight bond
before school starts and we are hit
with our busy schedules. Another part
of training is getting us prepared for
what we would least expect, such as
awkward conversations with residents.
Those types of things aren't what you
are prepared for and ready to handle.

Abrego: One of the most useful parts
of training for me was the diversity and
social justice training. I am involved
on campus with issues of diversity
and inclusivity, and I was glad that
a big group of leaders, such as RAs,
were trained on such important topics.
At UNI, the diversity and inclusion
training for RAs is called Boxes and
Walls. The training consists of different
rooms exploring information about
social justice, LGBT issues, racial
inequality, feminism, and privilege.
This program gives the staff an
opportunity to learn about each other's
identities and struggles. This session
helped build community among the
staff and has made us more aware of
each other's privileges. I have used
parts of this training session in my
programming efforts, and I know that
a lot of other RAs have used parts of
this session, too.
58

TALKING STICK

TS: What parts of training haven't felt
helpful yet, or do you have a hard time
seeing how they will be used in your
role?

Herbst: On the whole, the
informational sessions were
quite helpful and useful logistical
information, but some of it was drawn
out longer than it needed to be or
would become repetitive when talked
about in multiple sessions. Thankfully,
a few boring ones weren't too draining
because the days would often be
broken up into a mixture of lectures
and interactive games. Some of the
extreme situations (like suicide, sexual
assault, and mental illness) may not
come to fruition as often, but they have
happened on this campus before, and
I think it's much better to be a bit over
prepared than to skip it entirely and
then need it and not know what to do.
Bailey: It is hard to pinpoint parts of
training that were not very helpful.
Our training was very relevant and was
all put to practice afterwards, which
helped ensure the usefulness of the
information. Sometimes we felt like
we were being lectured more than
trained on some topics. But that's okay.
Some things are just hard to explain.

Saraceno: As of this year (knock on
wood) I have yet to use anything major
from my first aid training, bloodborne pathogen training, or
fire safety training. We were also
taught how to identify different types
of drugs, but the only thing I have ever
had to deal with is marijuana. I think
I can honestly say I have used every
other skill I learned in training within
the past two years.

Abrego: I think RA training overall is
very helpful. I have always had a hard
time keeping focus when it comes
to sessions that I have been through
before. I think the people in charge
of training should be conscientious
about the fact that returning staff

have already been through a lot of the
sessions, and it would be nice for them
to not have to repeat it all. It would
be nice to have some sessions where
returning staff can opt out since they
have likely already dealt with some of
those issues.
TS: What was the biggest surprise or
takeaway for you individually during
training?

Moretton: My biggest surprise is how
bound to policies the RAs are. We
have to do certain things in certain
situations that really go against what
would be the instinctive response. For
example, there was a bat in our lobby,
and we weren't allowed to take care of
it; we had to call campus police and
animal control and just wait.

Saraceno: One of my favorite
aspects of training is when we made
clipboards. I am all about the bonding.
We draw names out of a hat to see
which co-worker we will be painting a
clipboard for. This task is kept secret
until the end of our training when
we exchange on the last day. If you
already know your person, this task is
a little easier, but if you are like me and
draw the name of someone you don't
really know every time, you have to
find creative ways to get to know them
so that they don't catch on, and you can
make them a clipboard they are going
to love.
Herbst: On a similar note to Noel's,
I really bonded with my fellow staff
members. Here at HWS we have
four groups of RA staff depending on
where you are an RA and you do duty
in that area, so this is the group that
you have weekly meetings with and do
weekend duty with and share an area
coordinator with. What I also loved
most about our training is that there
was a lot of time specifically cut out for
individual staffs to interact with their
own staff area. Meals and other staff
bonding time were incorporated into
Talking Stick - November/December 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2015
