University of Delaware

Office of Residence Life

 

2008-2009 Program Plan

With the exception of the floor and building meetings held at opening, all activities detailed in this plan are attendance-optional.

 

Introduction

 

Upon the first day of hall opening, students will encounter Arrival Survival Teams and will meet a welcoming resident assistant (RA) staff as they pick up keys, activity and event information, orientation materials, safety information, and get an early opportunity to join hall government. On their floor, the student will see a set of information boards with tips, staff contact information, welcome signs on their door, and the RA’s best effort to decorate floor public areas in an informative and welcoming fashion. Technology staff will work to get all students hooked in to the electronic campus. Connections with parents will be established through a   residence hall meeting.  Students will be introduced to University policies. Safety and security guidelines will be reviewed and discussed. From the outset, students will be encouraged to get to know their neighbors, have fun, and make good choices as they begin their lives as college students. After the first “meet and greet” activity as a floor, the RA will invite students to attend one of several first-week evening activities designed to welcome all to campus.  This is simply day one in the residence halls at UD.

 

Residence hall operations are carried out 24 hours a day during the academic semesters and these operations are comprehensive and multi-faceted in serving the needs of the University’s more than 7,300 resident undergraduate students. Hundreds, if not thousands, of social and fun activities take place in the residence halls every year.  Some of these are as simple as visiting with the RA in the lounge – some require far greater planning.  They are all part of an integrated whole that makes up student life in the residence halls.  During the time that they are occupied by our students, our residence halls are our students’ homes.  They are the places students return to after a long day of class and where they come for sleep, comfort, solace, relaxation, and fun.  The Residence Life staff at the University of Delaware strives on a daily basis to provide residential environments for students that are safe, comfortable, and exciting and allow them to concentrate on being students. Resident Assistants and Hall Directors (HDs) provide a level of service to students that assist them as they transition from high school to college and from one year to the next.   They help students struggling with challenges and connect them with the resources they need to be successful at our University.  In addition to that, the residence halls provide a rich environment for learning.  The Residence Life program plan is designed to enrich that environment. Even so, the program described in this document represents only one aspect of Residence Life activities and accounts for less than one third of an RA’s responsibilities.  Appendix 1 on page 42 of this document describes the other two thirds.

The Residence Life Program Plan will also provide students with opportunities to explore issues of environmental sustainability that are relevant to residence hall living. Examples of topics include recycling, transportation, and water and electricity usage. Students will be invited to learn about and contribute to the University’s commitment to reducing its resource and environmental footprint, as described in the recent Strategic Planning Report, and reiterated by President Harker’s signing of both the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and The Talloires Declaration on April 23, 2008.

 

Program Goals

 

The Residence Life program encourages students to become engaged and active citizens on campus by understanding how their thoughts, values, beliefs, and actions affect the people with whom they live and by recognizing their citizenship responsibilities at a local, national, and global level. Exploring concepts of citizenship is a meaningless activity in the residence halls in the absence of solid strategies for the development of residential communities. A major premise for the citizenship priority stems from the idea that students have significant opportunities for peer dialogue and idea exchange in the residence hall setting. Peer interaction is not only one of the most significant determinants of student satisfaction, but a powerful influence in overall student success in college. Establishing a healthy and engaging community is a pre-requisite to any exploration of citizenship. Reaching out to students and encouraging them to share their unique perspectives with others is also foundational. Social activities, serious discourse, and general feelings of belongingness are all related to the overall sense of community. The result of efforts by Residence Life staff should be the development of strong student-to-student connections and the creation of healthy and positive communities.

 

In order to develop program goals in a meaningful manner, significant limitations were considered. The value of putting our energies towards a limited number of program goals in order to do them well, rather than do many poorly, was in our minds as we crafted this proposal. Most importantly, these program goals have been drafted through a serious exploration of the University of Delaware’s educational priorities.  A listing of the structural considerations are offered below.

 

Structural Considerations:

 

The formulation of program goals for the residence halls began with a series of structural design characteristics and assumptions:

  1. The plan is to be tied to the educational aims of the University of Delaware as articulated by the current Strategic Planning process, the General Education Goals of the University of Delaware, and the University of Delaware Mission Statement.  They are thus “distinctly UD” in nature.
  2. The plan is to be informed by programmatic goals and student learning outcomes established by the First Year Experience Committee in the fall of 2007.
  3. Students will not face penalties, perceived or real, for failing to engage in residential activities and programs. Staff and students will be aware that no activity in the residence halls is mandatory.
  4. Activities and programs are to be reflective in nature with an emphasis on the student’s own meaning making process.
  5. The unique physical design and social dynamics inherent in residence halls are to be heavily considered in the development of activities.
  6. The program plan designed and implemented by the Office of Residence Life should be transparent and copies of it readily available whenever requested.

 

Proposed 2008-2009 Program Goals:

 

Working with the FYE Office, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, and other UD entities that support an institutional approach to an integrated first year experience, Residence Life will strive to provide learning opportunities to students that contribute to the achievement of the FYE student learning outcomes.  To that end, several of the program goals listed below (numbers 1, 3, 4, & 5) were derived from the recently revised FYE program goals and student learning outcomes.  The Residence Life program will provide opportunities for students to:

 

  1. Explore their personal skills, values, traits, and attitudes.

 

  1. Recognize how history, background & culture affect one’s perspectives.

 

  1. Analyze the impact of their actions within the context of their daily lives and the democratic processes that take place in the residence halls.

 

  1. Understand their own and others’ concepts of justice.

 

  1. Develop a personal and career plan that considers their contributions to society.

 

  1. Learn to articulate their point of view while respectfully engaging in dialogues about different ideas.

 

  1. Explore the connections that exist between the concepts of environmental sustainability, personal choice, community, and citizenship.

 

 

 

 

Proposed Activities - First-Year Residence Hall Areas

 

This First-Year residential plan will be implemented where first-year students live including Rodney, Dickinson, Russell, and Independence Complex. This plan was developed in an effort to support the educational and social needs of the first-year students living on-campus. We have created a series of activities that promote interaction, prompt self-reflection, and facilitate the building of a sustainable community through exploration of citizenship. The programs will not only support the individual needs of students and floor communities, but will also build connection among students across all first year complexes. It should be noted, that participation in all activities is entirely optional.

 

Residence Life staff members in first-year areas strive to provide students with the skills and resources they need to transition from high school to college. College serves as a period of critical personal and identity development.

 

Cornerstones of the First-Year Program Plan:

 

Resident Assistant (RA) and Resident Relationship:

The RA-resident relationship can be critical to the success of a first-year student.  A series of optional RA conversations are included as part of the plan to help stimulate this important relationship. 

 

Community of Stakeholders:

For our purposes a stakeholder is defined as a person or group who can affect or is affected by actions in the halls. We believe that students are members of multiple communities.  In each of these communities, we hope students will analyze both their responsibilities and the benefits of community membership.  Floor meetings will provide opportunities for students to explore these issues.

 

Floor Meeting Series:

The floor meeting series offered in the first-year areas will include discussions of environmental sustainability and provide students with opportunities to explore the relevance of sustainability to their lives as UD students.

 

Personal Development Series:

Through this monthly program series, students will be offered opportunities for personal and individual development.  The specifics of this series will be developed based on assessment by building staff and student input.

Complex Community Council (CCC) Structure:

As in the past, CCCs will be student-governing bodies that will make meaningful decisions about what occurs in their living environment and the types of opportunities students in the complex have available to them.  While some CCC activities are articulated in this plan, many will be determined throughout the year by the students residing in the residential complex.

 

A Vibrant and Engaged Campus:

The University of Delaware is an active campus with learning opportunities around every corner.  In order to support and take advantage of these opportunities, the program plan articulates, under the heading “Campus Resource Connections,” how RAs and HDs will inform and encourage student attendance and participation in campus events.

 

Current & Relevant:

The programs and activities in this plan are designed to anticipate and react to what is occurring in the local, national and global landscape. Our students will have the opportunity to participate in dialogues attuned to real world problems and issues.

 

 

 

Traditional Residence Hall Activities:

While the task at hand is the development of a program plan, the Office of Residence Life coordinates the following activities.  Some of these are mentioned in the plan that follows in an effort to illustrate the breadth of staff activities.

·         Welcoming floor environments - door decorations, bulletin boards, lounge decorations, advertising of campus events, birthday boards, etc.

·         Floor dinners, study breaks and stress relievers

·         Facilitation of roommate and community agreements

·         Mediation of student conflicts

·         Programs related to health education and wellness

·         Holiday parties and floor decorating contests

·         Leadership opportunities through hall governments and special interest communities

·         Talent and art shows/contests

·         Intramural athletics and tournaments (dodge ball, volleyball, Frisbee, soccer, field days, etc.)

·         Video game tournaments and traditional game nights

·         Activities co-sponsored with dining services

·         Monthly resident recognition activities with the National Residence Hall Honorary

·         Service projects (book drives, food drives, volunteering, other fundraising)

·         Recycling efforts

 

For a full description of how Residence Life activities and programs will be assessed, see Appendix 2 on page 44.

 

The program plan that follows has many similarities to residence life programs across the country. See Appendix 3 on page 46 for examples of the variety and types of programs being offered elsewhere.

August/September

 

 

Title

Description

Program Goals Connection

Support for Academics

Programs

Personal Development Series

This program series will be developed based on assessment by building staff and student input.  Topics may include time management, transition, home-sickness, test taking skills, budgeting, exercise and nutrition, body image, stress management, conflict resolution, negotiating new roles with parents, hygiene.

1, 3, &  5

 

The Many Perspectives on Environmental Sustainability

A campus-wide program with faculty which will provide students with the opportunity to learn about different perspectives and insights related to  sustainabilityenvironmental sustainability.  Faculty representation will include those from disciplines such as business and economics, sociology, political science, and environmental sciences. UD’s Sustainability Task Force will be asked to help develop this program.  Break-out group conversations on specific topics will follow the event for students seeking additional information and discussion.

2, 4, 6, & 7

 

Campus Safety

Community Police Officers: Provide information about campus safety and University programs. (building-staff)

3 & 7

 

Individual Consumption Introduction

Students will be introduced to the concept of individuals’ consumption in relation to environmental impact.  This will be an important prelude to power and energy conservation efforts in the halls. (building-staff)

1, 3 & 7

 

Social Events

Spirit Week Events

A week of events focused on strengthening students’ connection with each other and the UD community. Events will focus on building school spirit and friendly rivalries among floor communities.  (football game, volleyball tournament, etc)

 

 

Eat & Greet

An event to help residents connect with their floor community. RAs will take their residents to the dining hall for a meal during the 1st weekend of the semester.

 

 

1st Night Activities

RAs will take residents to a series of activities that help them become acclimated to the campus culture and community.

 

 

Floor Meetings

Building Meeting

HDs/CCs introduce learning opportunities for the year, present info. about residence hall policies, student code of conduct expectations, CCC recruitment, and introduce RAs.  (building-staff)

3 & 7