University
of Delaware
Office
of Residence Life
UPPER-DIVISION
HALLS
2010-2011
3/29/10
Introduction:
The
upper division residence halls include Central, Christiana Towers, Independence
South and Ray Street complexes. In total
these areas include a mix of approximately 4000 students comprised of sophomores
(@ 55%), juniors (@ 35%), and seniors (@ 15%).
The upper division halls have unique characteristics and traditions
resulting from special programs such as Special Interest Housing, Upper-class
Honors housing, apartment-style and suite-style living. Due to the variety in type of student and
housing, a wider variety of programming options will be offered for these
areas.
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 advance the residents’
understanding of citizenship.
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. This is in
response to assessment data from the 2009 Educational Benchmarking Inc. (EBI)
survey which showed that residents in upper division residence halls were
consistently less satisfied (in comparison to residents in traditional style,
first year areas) with their ability to meet other people and to improve
interpersonal relationships.
Repeating Themes in the
Upper Division Program Plan:
Resident Connections:
The
RA-resident relationship can be critical to the success of a residence hall
student. In the upper-division halls, the role can often evolve from one of
support, common in first year areas, to a partnering relationship. Community
meetings, residence hall student government (CCC), and the promotion of campus
events will continue to be priorities as ways to promote resident
connections. In addition a series of optional
Resident Assistant to resident conversations are included as part of the plan for
students who wish to participate.
The
conversations are designed to connect residents to the relevant campus resource
for the month’s topic(s) as well as to the After Class Showcase (see below)
activity for the month. Resident Assistants will also ask residents for
assistance with upcoming Community Meetings (see below). Conversations will also focus on specific
needs expressed by the resident to the Resident Assistant. Resident Assistants will also pay attention
to the needs of our residents who are upper division students, but are new to
campus such as transfer, Associate of Arts graduates, and international
students.
Resident
Connections Topics:
|
Month |
Topic |
|
September |
Welcome,
get to know each other, connecting residents to other residents, resident expectations/goals
for living in residence hall, Student Initiative Fund |
|
October |
Connect
residents to campus resources for: Choosing a major (Center for Counseling
and Student Development, Academic Units); internships (Career Services
Center, Academic Units); study abroad (Center for International Studies) |
|
November |
Wellness
|
|
December |
Building
closing, winter session updates |
|
January |
Connecting
residents to each other |
|
February |
Welcome
back, contributions to community (service initiative connections) |
|
March |
Preparing
for the next stage – moving off campus &/or graduation |
|
April
|
Relationships
with roommates and significant others |
|
May |
Being
safe on and off campus with specific emphasis on personal and property safety |
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 work and/or a specific event of that unit. This will allow our students to learn new or
enhance skills as well as be encouraged to take advantage of services offered
on campus with which they may not yet be familiar. Hall Directors will work with the Resident
Assistants and residents to decide which resource would best serve residents
during that month’s activity. The
Complex Coordinator will coordinate invitations to campus units.
Community Meetings:
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. To that end, the Resident Assistant will have
responsibility for bringing forward relevant information ranging from Complex
Community Council elections and break closing information to Recyclemania and
student code of conduct policies. Resident
Assistants should build the topic portion of their meeting based on their
Resident Connection conversations and discussions with their Hall
Director. Through Resident Connection
conversations, 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 activity if it needs to be facilitated 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).
Service Initiatives:
Semester-long
service projects will be coordinated in an effort to offer opportunities for
students to make their own unique contributions to the community. Events will be coordinated as building and
complex initiatives and will take into consideration events on campus and the
interest of the residence hall community.
Residents who choose to participate in these activities will be invited
to take part in the planning process, participate in the service project, and
will be given an opportunity to provide feedback about the project and its
impact on them and the community served.
Generally, service projects should happen each month but this will vary
based on the type of service project.
Complex Coordinators will consult with the Associate Director for the
appropriate level of depth and timeliness for each project to ensure that the
requirements of the program plan are being met.
Community News:
Each
complex will promote news of the complex and community on a monthly basis. 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. 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 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.
Faculty Connection
Opportunities:
A
wide variety of opportunities will be made available for University of Delaware
faculty to take part in activities and events in the residence halls to engage
with students in the residential environment. Faculty will be invited to offer
presentations, take part in major events, spend time with students in the
dining halls, participate with hall student government activities, or other
interactive opportunities. Each complex
will offer at least two of these opportunities each semester based on
availability of faculty members.
Weekend Events:
Weekend
socials are a time for our residents to relax with their fellow community
members. To highlight the high
percentage of students involved with registered student organizations (RSOs)
and the diverse offerings of these organizations, staffs are encouraged to
partner with residents involved in RSOs in developing these activities. Weekend events will take place each week and can
take place during Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings on building or
complex levels.
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 with
current information and can create a creative display to achieve this visual representation. Topics may include: Items related to the
program plan (i.e. Resident Connections, We are UD, 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 the Hall Director and Complex Coordinator.
We Are UD:
A
monthly posting will be crafted, with the participation of appropriate units,
to offer information on major commemorative dates such as Latino Heritage
Month, African American Heritage Month, World AIDS Day, Earth Day and others.
The monthly posting will also provide students with a listing of activities,
events, and campus lectures should they wish to explore the topic further. Resident Assistants can encourage attendance
based upon what they know residents enjoy or opportunities they are looking to
take advantage of on campus.
Student Initiative Fund:
The
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.
Because many upper division residents already have groups of friends
when they arrive in our buildings, they are not as energized to meet new people
as is typically the case in first year residence halls. An initial SIF kick off event will be held in
each complex to make residents aware of this opportunity and residents will be
encouraged throughout the year to develop activities to be funded through the
SIF to increase interaction. In the past
two years, the SIF has been utilized by many upper division residents and this
level of participation will be encouraged to continue.
Complex Community
Council:
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 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.
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 (