Office
of Residence Life
UPPER-DIVISION
HALLS
2012-2013
DRAFT
Introduction:
The
upper division residence halls include Central,
The
upper division plan includes activities to promote student interaction, attend
to social needs, and generate opportunities for students to contribute to
community life. The upper division plan
continues to provide students with opportunities for reflection and exploration
of citizenship while also providing opportunities for them to examine their
undergraduate goals and plan for their future success within and outside of the
University.
Staff
members are expected to follow the guidelines within the program plan in
developing and advertising activities.
An emphasis is placed on partnering with professionally trained staff,
students, and/or faculty whose involvement will enrich the proposed plan.
With
the exception of the floor and building meetings held at opening, all
activities detailed in this plan are attendance-optional. Students will not face penalties, perceived or
real, for failing to engage in residential activities and programs. Staff and
students will be informed that no activity in the residence halls is mandatory
for students to attend.
Repeating
themes in the program plan are noted below.
The selected themes place a heavy emphasis on student-to-student
interaction and connection. Minor
revisions made to the 2012-2013 plan are made in response to assessment data from the 2011
Floor Feedback Survey. This survey again showed that residents in upper
division residence halls would like additional structured opportunities that
facilitate resident interaction.
Repeating Themes in the
Upper Division Program Plan:
Community Meetings:
Monthly
community meetings are about the residents – a time for them to learn what is
happening in their community, discuss any events that might be coming up in the
residence halls or elsewhere on campus, and a time for them to get to know each
other. Resident Assistants should build the
topic portion of their meeting based on their interactions with residents and
discussions with their Residence Hall Coordinator or Hall Director. Resident Assistants will invite residents to
develop and facilitate a social activity to take place during the Community
Meeting. Resident Assistants will be
available as a resource to the resident developing the activity and funding
will be provided by the Office of Residence Life. These meetings will happen
each month at the floor level (or combined floors as appropriate).
|
Month |
Topic |
|
September |
Welcome,
get to know each other, connecting residents to other residents, roommate
relationships, resident expectations/goals for living in residence hall, Leadership
Opportunities |
|
October |
Connect
residents to campus resources for: Choosing a major (Center for Counseling
and Student Development, Academic Units); internships ( |
|
November |
Wellness
|
|
December |
Building
closing, winter session updates |
|
January |
Connecting
residents to each other |
|
February |
Welcome
back, contributions to community |
|
March |
Preparing
for the next stage – moving off campus &/or graduation, Spring Break
safety |
|
April
|
End
of semester stress management |
|
May
* |
Being
safe on and off campus with specific emphasis on personal and property safety,
building closing |
* This topic is
introduced during the opening floor and building community meetings held during
opening. This topic is repeated in the
specified month as this topic is a historically prominent issue for upper
division students during this time frame.
Service Initiatives:
Complexes
will design and hold on going service opportunities for interested students to
"give back" and socialize with other students in the complex
community. Staff will also work to understand the community service activities
our residents are currently involved in and work to plan activities with these
residents to highlight the service activities to which they are personally connected.
The goals include raising awareness about service organizations, creating
methods to assist agencies and developing relationships between residents
around common interests. Each complex will partner with one service agency for
the entire year (agency to be confirmed by
Environmental
Sustainability:
In
order to provide opportunities for students to participate in environmental
sustainability efforts, upper division complexes will offer monthly initiatives
at the building or complex level. Staffs
are encouraged to partner with Green Teams (see description under Leadership
Opportunities) when possible. The chart
below describes the timing for the types of initiatives held in each complex:
|
Month |
Topic |
|
September |
Complex
Initiative on how to be green in your residence hall and Green Teams
Recruitment |
|
October |
University Initiative -
Campus Sustainability Day |
|
November |
Upper Division Initiative -
Fall Art Show (see description below) |
|
December |
Green Teams Programming |
|
February |
Complex Initiative on how to be green in your
community and Green Teams Refresher |
|
March |
Green
Teams Programming |
|
April |
University Initiative - Earth
Week |
|
May |
Upper Division Initiative -
Spring Yard Sale (see description below) |
Fall
Art Show
Students
will have the opportunity to make displays made from recycled items. Each complex will host an art show of these
displays. Pictures will be taken of each
display and put on-line for voting by each of the complexes. The top displays will then be part of a
centralized art show during Art Under the Stars where
a final voting will occur from judges representing residents, Registered
Student Organizations and administrators.
Spring
Yard Sale with Concert
Two
Sales – Laird Turf (Indy South and Towers) and Trabant (
The
Upper Division professional staff team will partner with Registered Student
Organizations who have an environmental sustainability focus to organize the
yard sales. Students will have the
opportunity to bring their unwanted items to the yard sale location and will be
given a credit for the “value” of that item.
Yard Sale Credit or cash can be used to purchase items during the yard
sale. Donated items will be sought which
have a high interest for purchasing (i.e. gift certificates, etc.) to entice
people to donate more. Each yard sale
team will work with facilities to also give credit for carpet brought for the
carpet recycling program. All left over
items will be donated to Salvation Army and/or UDon’t Need It and all money
collected will be donated to the Registered Student Organization’s charity of
choice.
Weekend Events:
Weekend
events will be held weekly on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. These events will be timed intentionally
based on complex culture and needs.
Weekend events will serve as a method for student connection and
community development through social activities and partnerships with
Registered Student Organizations.
Resident Assistants will identify student interests and involvement in Registered Student
Organizations to
encourage participation and ownership in the complex community. Staff and students will also have available
Cultural Artifact sharing activities (currently under review) which can be
incorporated into weekend events.
Community News:
Each
complex will promote news of the complex and community on a monthly basis. Centralized information will be compiled by a
committee of staff chaired by a Residence Hall Coordinator. Postings in the community news should include
relevant UDaily articles, information shared from other units on campus,
environmental sustainability information, activities from the program plan, and
any topics students would like to contribute.
The Complex Coordinator will have oversight for all items posted in the
monthly news for their complex. The news
medium will be electronic which can take the form of an electronic document
sent via email to residents, a blog, Facebook, or other electronic methods
which are attractive to residents and appropriate for the information.
Student Spotlight:
The
monthly student spotlight is a way for the entire community to recognize the
outstanding work done by our residents.
Efforts that should be spotlighted can include academic success,
community contribution, environmental sustainability, and extracurricular
activities. Nomination for recognition
can be done by students and staff members.
Students will need to provide permission to be spotlighted and will have
full editing oversight for all information posted connected to this
recognition. When appropriate, this
recognition should lead to the student’s nomination for the National Residence
Hall Honorary “Student Spotlight” award for the month in which they are recognized. Recognition can be done by building, area, or
complex as appropriate for the structure of the complex. The Complex
Coordinator will be responsible for setting up procedures for publicizing,
nominating, selecting, and posting information about monthly spotlights.
After Class
Showcase:
Each
month, the complex staff will develop an activity in collaboration with a
Division of Student Life unit or a student services unit (i.e. Writing Center,
Communication Fellows, Library Workshops, Academic Enrichment Center, etc.) to
highlight the services offered by that unit. This will allow our students
to enhance or learn new skills as well as be encouraged to take advantage of
campus resources. Residence Hall Coordinators and Hall Directors will
work with the Resident Assistants to decide which resource would best serve
residents during that month’s activity. The Complex Coordinator will coordinate
invitations to campus units.
Faculty Connection
Opportunities:
A
wide variety of opportunities will be made available for
Bulletin Boards:
Bulletin
Boards are an important visual representation of both information and the
community. Resident Assistants will have
access to a number of bulletin board topics developed by a variety of Residence
Life staff members which have been approved by the Associate Director. RAs will be provided with current information
and encouraged to create a creative display.
Topics may include: Items related to the program plan (i.e. Community
Meetings, Environmental Sustainability, Faculty Connection Opportunity, etc);
recognition themes celebrated by the University (i.e. Hispanic Heritage Month,
Constitution Day, Earth Week, etc.); and topics proposed and developed by
residents. Bulletin boards will be
changed monthly with chosen topics and quality approved by supervisors in the
buildings.
Leadership Opportunities:
includes Complex Community Council, Student Initiative Fund and Green Teams
Students
who come to upper division residence halls often come with many leadership
skills. Residence Life Staff have a
responsibility to understand the types of leadership activities in which
residents are currently involved as well as opportunities which can be offered
to residents. Knowing the leadership
activities of our students allows our staff to plan activities and find
connections between residents.
Connecting residents to leadership opportunities allows our residents to
further develop their skills. There are
three structured opportunities available in our residence halls as well as
additional departmental initiatives residents can get involved in which impact
our residents’ ability to affect the living environment while connecting with
their community members.
Complex Community
Councils (CCCs)
are leadership groups that exist in each complex. Students will be encouraged
to participate and become an active member of their community through the CCC.
Student participation will allow them the opportunity to share thoughts and
have an influence on the community. Each
CCC is advised by the Complex Coordinator with assistance from the Residence
Hall Coordinator and Hall Director staff.
Residence Life Staff will provide a kick-off event to introduce students
to the CCC, facilitate the election process to maximize student involvement
opportunities, and provide meeting space appropriate for all students to take
part in their CCC regardless of involvement level. Ongoing CCC activities will be developed by
members of the CCC and will take place each month, supported by Resident
Assistants and Hall Directors through promotion and attendance.
Student Initiative Fund
(SIF) is
an Office of Residence Life opportunity which allows residents to create events
in the residence halls designed to initiate and continue resident interaction. Residence Hall Coordinators and Hall
Directors will work with the Student Engagement Coordinator to develop an
initial SIF kickoff event. This event will
be held in each complex to make residents aware of SIF and residents will be
encouraged throughout the year to apply for SIF.
Green Teams, supported through the
Office of Residence Life and funded by the Parent Fund, are groups of students
with a shared interest in environmentally sustainable practices. Students will be exposed to environmental sustainability
information with the hope that they will continue living sustainably and
responsibly. Green Team members will be
encouraged to share their acquired knowledge with residents in their complex. Green Teams are advised by Office of
Residence Life staff members who are guided by the work of the Residence Life
Environmental Sustainability Committee.
Department Wide
Opportunities:
Staff
and residents will have opportunities to participate in a variety of additional
activities supported by the Office of Residence Life. Examples of this include “Art Under the Stars” which takes place in Central Complex and is
planned by both staff and students; Special Interest Housing (