I am the son of two deaf parents. Calling, or as E.T would say phoning, home has never really been an option for me. Thanks to technology there are wonderful ways that I can stay in communication with my family (Skype is a wonderful way for anyone to communicate with home). Yet this idea had me going in two directions, 1) our word choices are extremely powerful when relaying messages and 2) there are so many invisible aspects that may make up our students that we would never know unless they told us. How then do we serve our students? How do we serve a student population we have never worked with, who we have never learned a theory for, or don’t even really know are on our campus?

For me coming to college was eye-opening, it was the first time in my life that not everyone in town knew me as, “Ryan, he has deaf parents”, it was something that I had to disclose to people. Of course I shared, it’s a part of who I am, a part of what makes me, me! Now that I am in a Higher Ed/Student Affairs masters program and learning about theories for various student populations, I reflect back to my own development and am curious how much of my background affected my development. I had a great experience in my undergrad, and my mentors, advisors, and supervisors were able to help me exactly the way I needed, but I’m just one person – I wonder if there are other students like me and if we as a collective population have some special needs. This has had me thinking lately, what can we do to help those hidden populations of students? How can we bring awareness to them?

Our field places a huge focus on word choice and being sensitive to those words that may be offensive to populations. We have created buzzwords. Realizing that when I heard “E.T phone home” I immediately thought of the fact that I could not “phone” home in the traditional sense. I of course laughed that this is where my thoughts went because it is not a sad situation nor is it a difficult situation for me. Yet it highlighted the power of words. One simple word can influence thoughts, emotions, and actions. How then can we educate our students on the power of words? My opinion and philosophy is to correct them when appropriate, kindly explain to them how those words are impactful, and to be proactive and have the conversations that lead students to realize that what they say carries power. How do you educate your students on the power of words?

Ryan Bye is a graduate hall coordinator at Texas Tech University.

I happened to be in a room with several other staff members along with a few students and many different rumors were zipping around. While we were locked down a fellow staff member said something along the lines of “I can’t imagine being on the wrong end of a gun or being shot”. I wanted to reply “you may not be able to imagine it, but can you separate yourself from that image enough to relate to someone who has been on both sides of a deadly weapon?” Her comment made me think about our lack of awareness and I can only hope it made a few others think, too. How many students in that office know someone who’s been involved in the war? How many of the staff members there have family overseas with our military? Or, it could be worse, how many people in that room have lost someone due to war? I was lucky, my husband could have been on the ground in the war zone, or he could have been forced to stay in when his contract expired, but for someone else, that comment could have brought up a lot of sad memories.

Although I think every campus should have an office to support veterans, military personnel, ROTC students, and those on campus with military connection, a veteran-friendly campus can start with awareness. Students with military connections, whatever it is, may not want to be recognized, or may want to be recognized, but we should be aware of their presence. Attitudes toward the war(s), current administration, or military as a whole can be communicated in many ways, and we should be aware of how those attitudes can affect our students. Comments, even during times of high stress, can show our ignorance or lack of compassion toward students who have faced some very scary times.

I know I could have had that conversation with my fellow staff member, but it also came back to her identity development and willingness to accept new idea and concepts. I also don’t think it would have been an appropriate time to really discuss awareness of language. But I do think it’s good to keep in mind the multiple identities of our students, which can include some type of military history, background, or connection.

Chelsea O’Brien is a Senior Staff Assistant at Rochester Institute of Technology.

But what I have learned in my now 8 years in the field is that I mess up. I suck actually. I know that sounds radical, but let me break it down a little more.  I know my sucky-ness isn’t constant but I do know that I am not perfect. I find that when we do social justice work it becomes easy to get a big head. We think we are doing great educating and are able to articulate to others the process of identity, oppression, power and intersectionality; which is much needed work. However, I’ve seen this turn into this elitism that perpetuates this ‘I can do no wrong’ attitude. But we can offend, too.  And really there can be some equal opportunity offending.  Once I recognized this, the easier it was for me to be okay with my mess-ups.

Messing up is natural really. If I have trouble understanding all the complexity of my multiple identities, how could I completely understand the complexity of others?  In essence then, there is going to be something I don’t “get” and probably don’t even know is out there in the first place. That’s the epitome of privilege, not knowing what you don’t know.  Admitting your privilege is always tough no matter how or why you do it. However, I have found there’s this struggle to do so in the field of social justice. Well, at least admit it publicly, because we want to present this idea that we can get it too. It’s like there is this imaginary scale of social justice supremacy that we are trying to progress along.  On this scale, those who educate on the issues have reached the space that others should aspire to. If we admit that we aren’t as far along that scale as others believe we are, we think the world as we know it will come to an end.

I believe when we admit our privilege, that we don’t really ‘get’ it, we not only provide the space for others to do the same, but we truly support targeted identities as well. At times when I have shared my story and my sharing was met with “explain-it-away syndrome” or the proverbial ‘you’re being too sensitive’ comment, all I really wanted to hear was “I don’t understand, I’ve never had to experience that, thank you for sharing.” In those moments of vulnerability, admitting your privilege in ‘not knowing’ provides support that speaks volumes.

The real challenge comes in how we chose to respond in times where we offend. Responding with a simple ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough. We must commit to really hearing how we were offensive and how we impacted that person. Then acknowledge that we didn’t understand, and communicate our commitment to continue learning. Lastly, we must follow through with that commitment. That, too, is part of the real work of social justice educators. We are both the teachers and the learners. Just like our work is never done, nor can be our continued growth in understanding others.

Cherjanét Lenzy has worked as the Director of Diversity Affairs at Allegheny College, and most recently served as the Living Learning Coordinator for Intercultural Competency and Diversity with Semester at Sea.

The study identifies four ways in which women create barriers to their own success:

1. Being overly modest.
2. Not asking.
3. Blending in.
4. Remaining silent.

The article indicates that men are more likely to speak about their accomplishments more openly than women. I was speaking with a colleague about seeking promotions and he asked me was I self-promoting within the office. For a moment I had to think about the last time I consciously sought out opportunities to brag about myself. Sometimes I feel I’m so involved at work, how could anyone not realize this level of involvement. However, the article states your boss and colleagues will not know what you are capable of if you do not tell them. But we don’t want to play the martyr, now do we?

I had a supervisor that used to say, “You don’t ask, you don’t get.” The article states that some women are passed up for promotions because they do not ask for the promotion. When we job search we are told to “ask,” for the job, so it makes sense to “ask,” for the promotion. Asking for a raise or promotion will accomplish two things: 1. You will have communicated your interest and intentions the organization; and 2. Their reaction to your request will determine where you stand with the organization. Ah, but we do this for the students; it’s not about the money or the prestige.

According to the article some women would prefer to blend in and remain silent rather than stand out in meetings or at events. Blending in hinders anyone’s chances to leave a positive impression on a supervisor or colleague. I can recall times that I have sat in meetings silent because I thought what I had to contribute was not important, but I also can recall times when I have spoken from experience on a topic and inherited a project and a committee to assist. But why would the Vice President want my opinion about alternative approaches to student programming?

I realize this study grazes the subject of gender roles; women are not characteristically assertive while men are asserting at all times of the day. What are your thoughts on this topic, considering that student affairs is a heavily female-dominated field? Are women deficient when it comes to self-promotion? Do we fail to speak up for a promotion out of fear of judgment?

Carla Finklea Green is a residence hall director at Old Dominion University.

I post about it here on the Student Affairs Collaborative because every year, there is always one theme party that makes national headlines (not to count the thousands that don’t) as being derogatory, racist, offensive, and  whole list of other words that indicate unsafe environments for students with traditional marginalized identities. When I was an undergraduate student, my University community, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was torn apart over a Greek mixer titled “Tacos ‘N Tequila”- I’ll let your imagination do the work here, but suffice it to say that students were not dressed up as food or bottles of alcohol. The experience, which still elicits a physical reaction with me, cast a shadow over my college experience which, for all intents and purposes, was otherwise one of the happiest times of my life. I remember feeling frustrated, alienated, and hurt that people who lived in a place I love and called my home could make me, as a person of color, feel so unwelcome. Last year it was the Compton Cookout hosted by UC San Diego students, but there are plenty more out there that don’t make national headlines.

As student affairs practitioners, I feel that we are the ones responsible for addressing the issues that arise from such incidents. We are the ones that are held accountable for the parties occurring, though they are never officially University sanctioned. They are often a classic example of higher education, and especially student affairs, of being reactive versus proactive. Have you had any proactive conversations on campus about what to do if/when an oppressively-themed party hits your campus? What did you discuss?

As a student, I remember feeling frustrated that the administration didn’t automatically remove these students or ban the particular organizations from campus. Now, with a few more years under my belt, I understand their decisions as a necessary step to protect free speech rights at a public land-grant institution. But it still doesn’t feel good nor does it change the fact that, even though I was not a part of the group directly being stereotyped in the party, I still felt like an outsider in my campus community.

It is wonderful to see students at Ohio U. taking a proactive stand against a very public display of intolerance. I applaud the unsung heroes of the initiative, including the advisors who helped them with the program and funding for the project, the people writing articles about them in major news sources, and all the other supporters of the initiative. I think it is a wonderful example of student empowerment and activism and I hope to see the proactive educational initiatives continue.

How do you feel institutions should respond to theme parties? Can you give where an institution effectively responded to such a situation? What other ways can higher education, or we as individual practitioners, support proactive measures to counter negatively themed parties/costumes?

Viraj S. Patel is a Hall Director at Georgetown University.

In an effort to learn more about compassion and how I can contextualize it within Student Affairs, this summer I read The Lost Art of Compassion: Discovering the Practice of Happiness in the Meeting of Buddhism and Psychology by Lorne Ladner. In the book, Ladner articulates the benefits of compassion as well as how to cultivate a compassionate attitude using Buddhist-inspired meditations. He examines through Western psychology how cultivating compassion is extremely beneficial to both an individual and the community in which they live.

The entire time I was reading the book, I was thinking about ways that actively cultivating compassion could bolster my work in Student Affairs. After all, if one of our profession’s foundational goals is the holistic health and wellbeing of students, I think it’s reasonable to argue that compassion is a necessary component of efficacy. Ideally, we practice compassion when we are helping students understand the impact of their mistakes, when we are teaching them about social justice and identity, and when we are challenging them to become responsible global citizens.

The most competent professionals I have met are those who demonstrate their commitment to students in their compassion for them, even when they behave in ways that are damaging. Yet, so few of us ever name compassion as a professional competency. I think that a lot of us, particularly in the United States, associate the cultivation of compassion as a lofty and spiritual practice. I certainly used to. Since reading about and seriously contemplating compassion, however, I have realized that my best professional moments have come when I have exercised it.

Is compassion an intentional component to your professional practice? If so, in what ways do you practice compassion with your students and your colleagues?

Adam J. Ortiz is a House Director at Hampshire College, Massachusetts

I am what we call a “new professional”. A proud graduate of the HESA program at the University of Vermont, I spent a good deal of the summer catching up with family and friends who, for the last two years, I had just barely kept in touch with. The conversations always start out with congratulations, excitement about my move to start my new job, and then came the inevitable awkward transition: “So…what do you actually do?”

My student affairs colleagues, you all know this question well. We each have been asked this question and struggle to find accurate answers. It seems that no matter how often I answer it, I have never been able to get down an “elevator speech” with which I am satisfied. Sometimes I try to explain what I do completely accurately. This is usually met with more confusion, an underwhelmed response, confusion as to why this required a post-baccalaureate education, or a mix of the above. However, sometimes when I speak to my friends and family, I catch myself relying only upon the horror stories of the job to get across that what I do as a Hall Director/ResLifer is indeed important. The late nights, student deaths, incident confrontations– I am not comfortable with this– I feel as if telling only the incredibly intense stories overshadows the simplistic beauty of the day-to-day work that we do. I wonder if the way I talk about my job –almost with a need for validation in order to impress my audience– is fueled by my internalized classism related to my education level and job.

Somewhere along this summer journey, this video crossed my Facebook mini-feed and reminded me I am not alone in this struggle. It illustrates a situation many of us, particularly the ResLifers, can relate to on some level. How do we talk to parents/guardians of students, our families, and friends about our job and student affairs as a profession? How does the way we talk about our job reflect the actual values of our profession?

When I engage with a parent like in the video above (which I have done to a lesser extent), I realize I am not only acting upon my internalized classism (insisting upon the proper title), but I am also going against my value of meeting people where they are. How important is it to get my title across to the parent if all they really need is the “head RA.” Of course, I am speaking only from my particular identities, and there are plenty of individual reasons for insisting upon getting a title or language correct. I am speaking from my class identity as I struggle to find a response to the eternal question that satisfies me. How do I talk about my job, and what does the way I respond say about me and my lived values?

How do you talk about the work you do? What is important for you to convey to the other party?

Viraj S. Patel is a Hall Director at Georgetown University.

Materials needed:

Two (or more) sheets of paper

Pencils (preferably the stencil pencil kind)

Or use a whiteboard/chalkboard

(Groups should be 5 or less/group)

Preparation:

1. Design two like house outlines (basic blueprints with basic room options)

2. On back of each, list:

Rooms needed:

Kitchen

Bathroom

Living room

Master bedroom

Spare bedroom

Upstairs bathroom (shared between the two bedrooms)

Appliances needed:

Oven, fridge, sink, pantry, island, counters, cupboards, dishwasher

Sofa, couch, TV, coffee table, plants (x3)

Soap and towels

Bed, armoire (x2), treasure chest, nightstand (x2)

Repeat for spare bedroom (add a desk)

Rules:

Designate 2 “parents”

Divide group into (two) equal halves

Parent 1 = you know the ins-and-outs of home building. Feel free to help with all aspects of the basic design. Give pointers but allow for choices!

Parent 2 = you try to help with basic design but have no prior experience. Accidentally, you give the group bad advice and misguided direction. Five minutes into the activity, you get frustrated and leave.

Allow for 15-20 minutes for groups to finalize their houses.

Once completed, ask the following questions (plus your own):

1. How did the “parents” help/hurt?
2. What were the difficult decisions?
3. Why did you place/label each room where/what?
4. What are the differences between groups?
5. How does this relate to first generation college students?
   1. Parents who can help/ parents who are inexperienced
   2. Some decisions are made without understanding
   3. Communication between student-home is stressed
   4. Transitioning as a freshman becomes immediately more difficult
   5. Does FGCS correlate with low socio-economic status (SES)*?

Treat this as a basic start to get the discussion/training session started. The point of the project is to metaphorically show students that matriculating through a successful college career is similar to building an efficient house— it helps to have an experienced architect. However, it takes student leaders and student affairs professionals to make sure that each student who does not have an experienced parental architect is aware of the plethora of resources offered by their university.

Remember, first-generation college students (FGCS) and students of low socioeconomic status (SES) are not necessarily correlated and should be understood as separate but equally important variables when further understanding our student populations.

Tyler Martin recently completed his M.Ed. in Higher Education and is seeking a position in Student Affairs.

Since it’s Student Leadership Season, I wanted to throw this thought-process out there as another way to approach teaching our student leaders how to approach their peers who are different from themselves. Since part of the experience of student leadership is learning how to work with people of vastly different ideas, views, and backgrounds than their selves, it’s important that we give them a little guidance so they do not have awkward experiences leaving them baffled.

We all remember being taught to “stop, drop, and roll” when we were young. Of course, then it was for putting out burning clothing. Today, I hope to instill a new reason for us to “stop, drop, and roll:” when we find ourselves amidst a new culture, creed, ideology, etc. No matter how many different ways of life I study and discover, I will never consider myself a cultural guru. In my experience, it has become clear that no matter how many people of a certain race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., that I meet or learn about, there was, is, and will always be a new experience, element, and/or example for me to take away.

When you are faced with someone very different than yourself, no matter what the difference is, try this out and see where it leads you:

1. STOP – Whatever you’re doing, stop doing it for a minute and realize what’s going on around you. How did you meet this person? Is it a resident in your hall that you’ve met for the first time? Is it someone in you class, cohort, department, etc that has introduced his/herself? Is it someone standing by you in line at the check-out who’s sparked conversation? Wherever and whatever is going on, STOP for that brief moment to clear your mind and realize your setting.

2. DROP – No matter what you think you know about this type (for lack of a better word) of person, DROP your thoughts. I don’t care if you have a PH.D in World Cultures (which, if you do, let me know so I can pick your brain!), you must DROP any and all learned stereotypes, preconceived notions, and understandings you think you have. Get rid of them. Shoo these thoughts away!

3. ROLL – Once you’ve gotten yourself ready to learn about someone new by STOPPING and DROPPING, you will be able to ROLL on with the situation/experience. Let them know that you’re interested in who they are and what they’re all about. As weird as it may seem, it does fancy people to know that someone is interested in them and (in all of my experience) they’ll feel comfortable at opening up about themselves and learning about you, too.

This version of stop, drop, and roll works every time if you’re truly interested in learning about someone else. If you don’t believe me, think about what it was like when you were a child and you just oozed with questions about the world around you … exactly. People answered you. People understood that you were just curious and you were excited to learn something that you didn’t understand. People also knew that if they opened up and explained the questions that you had as a child, you would be apt to hold a better understanding than most people, and that you would be able to defend their culture if you hadn’t asked the questions in the first place.

This may sound naive and corny, but it works.

So STOP, DROP, ROLL and learn something new– even if you think you already know it all.

Everyone has a story.

Tyler Martin is a Residence Hall Director at Valdosta State University.

Summer is in full-swing and we’re all busy bees, getting ready for the start of another new academic year. If you’re like me, this means preparing for leadership training opportunities. And for some of you, this is synonymous with Resident Assistant Training. While you’re putting this beast together, I ask how much emphasis have you and/or your institution placed on training for diversity issues? Although diversity is nothing new to us in Student Affairs, I still find that its emphasis is not on par with our students’ needs.

Yes, we may require a diversity program or two for our RAs, Hall Council, and Residence Hall Association, but how much affect do these programs have? Is open support for the various religions, abilities, races, socioeconomic status, genders, and sexual orientations of our increasingly diverse resident student body enough? And more importantly, how well versed are our student leaders? Is the RA ready to handle a student coming out to them? What would they do when faced with a roommate conflict fueled by religious differences? Could they confidently approach the needs of a wheel-chair dependent resident? The more we think about it, the more nervous it may make us.

Fret not, there’s a solution! An easy way to tackle this concern is introducing (if you have not already) diversity training into your leadership curriculum such as RA Training. As professionals and (pre)-professionals, many of us are ready to tackle these difficult situations, and we do. Nevertheless, it’s paramount that our student leaders are able to face these situations with just as much ease since they are the ones who usually are first confronted with these situations. Below are some Diversity “Behind Closed Doors” or BCD scenarios that I wrote for my department’s Fall Training. If you think it’s time your department tackles diversity training, these may provide you with a good start:

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 1

Type: Race Relations (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

It is Move-in Day and your residents are really excited to finally get to college! You notice two residents arranging their room and decide to stop by to see them.

Actors:

(Resident 1, Resident 1’s Parent, Resident 2)

Scene to be enacted:

Move-in Day:  Two residents are arranging their room. One resident has a parent with him/her. The RA stops by to see how move-in is going and the parent begins aggressively complaining about how his/her son was put with someone of a different race and that he/she will not have his/her student picking up drugs and becoming promiscuous because of his/her roommate.

RHD: Processing:

1. What did the RA do well?
2. What could the RA have done better?
3. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
4. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
5. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

1. Ask the parent to join you in the hallway.
2. Explain to the parent that roommates are required to live together for the first two weeks before they can be moved.
3. Explain that being moved will be the choice of the students involved once the two-week waiting period has elapsed.
4. Speak to the students, individually, later to see how they feel about their living situation.
5. If the situation escalates more, send the parent to the RHD.

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 2

Type: GLBT Coming-Out (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

Two of your residents came to VSU as lifelong best friends and have maintained their friendship despite rooming together. They’re inseparable and never fight. As you’re doing a round, you hear screaming coming from their end of the hall.

Actors:

(Resident 1, Resident 2)

Scene to be enacted:

Two roommates are best friends and are inseparable. They’ve known each other their entire lives and have no secrets—or so one of them thought. After rooming together for almost a semester, one roommate decides to tell the other his/her one secret: he/she is Gay. Roommate 1 is completely flabbergasted and the surprise of it all erupts in homophobic rage. Roommate 1 screams at the other roommate, calling him/her a faggot/dyke and proceeds to run out the door, slamming it behind him/her. The RA calls for your attention but you keep going. The RA stops in to ask Roommate 2 what had just happened. Roommate 2 is in tears and states that he/she just came out to Roommate 1 and doesn’t understand his/her reaction.

RHD: Processing:

1. What did the RA do well?
2. What could the RA have done better?
3. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
4. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
5. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

1. Both roommates are very emotional right now and it’s your task to sift through their emotions to reestablish their common bond.
2. Have Roommate 2 recount the incident.
3. Locate Roommate 1 and discuss his/her feelings (they’re important, too!).
4. Suggest taking both roommates to a GSA meeting, or inform them of GSA and their services.
5. Discuss the situation with your RHD.
6. Check up on residents to see if their relationship is rebuilding or further deteriorating.

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 3

Type: Religious Differences (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

Two of your residents are roommates but not friends. You know that they coexist without much communication, but neither of them have explained why. While doing a round, you hear a bunch of commotion followed by screaming and the slamming of a door.

Actors:

(Resident 1, Resident 2, Friends of Resident 2 [if possible])

Scene to be enacted:

Resident 1 is of a traditional, conservative Christian religion. Roommate 2 is a Neo-Pagan (define). Despite Resident 1’s intolerance towards Roommate 2’s beliefs, both residents manage to remain roommates since they have conflicting schedules that keep them separated. Tonight, however, Resident 1 walks in on Resident 2 and his/her friends performing a ritual that involves them sitting in the form of a circle with lit candles and incents amongst them and a religious text in the center of their formed circle. Resident 2 and his/her friends appear to be chanting. Resident 1 bursts into anger and kicks the candles, incents, and text; screams at them and crashes out the door, slamming it behind him/her. Resident 1 sees his/her RA and charges towards him/her demanding a room change.

RHD: Processing:

1. What did the RA do well?
2. What could the RA have done better?
3. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
4. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
5. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

1. Lead Resident 1 back into his/her room and have all non-residents leave the room.
2. Point out the policy violations with the candles and incents, but do not make the situation about the policy violations, but rather the roommates situation.
3. Emotions are high right now, separating the roommates and speaking to them individually may be a good idea. Start with Roommate 1 since he/she came to you first.
4. Bring the roommates together and use the Talking Stick and Roommate Mediation skills.
5. Be aware that some situations are above your skill set and that is OKAY.
6. If you feel that the situation will only become worse, contact your RHD or the RHD on duty so he/she may investigate and decide on any further action.

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 4

Type: Socio-economic Status/ First-gen College Student (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

You love community building activities. In fact, you’ve managed to get your entire floor to regularly see movies on opening nights, go off-campus to eat, and they even designed and purchased several floor pride shirts! One of your residents, who used to be just as active as the rest of your floor, has recently stopped going to the movies and off-campus to eat. Tonight, you decide to stop by and see if he/she’s okay and find out why he/she’s changed.

Actors:

(Resident 1)

Scene to be enacted:

Resident 1 hails from a family of low socio-economic status and is a first-generation college student. Although the HOPE Scholarship and his/her Financial Aid covers most of the cost for college, he/she still had to take out a loan for some books and living expenses. Resident 1’s floor is very engaged and regularly sees movies on opening nights, goes off-campus to eat, and even designs and purchases several floor pride shirts. Even though Resident 1 has really enjoyed this, he/she’s realized that continuing this will deplete his/her fixed finances. The RA has noticed that Resident 1 has stopped attending the movies and no longer goes out to eat with the floor. He/she stops by tonight to ask Resident 1 why. Despite Resident 1’s embarrassment, he/she places pride aside and explains his/her situation.

RHD: Processing:

1. What did the RA do well? What could the RA have done better?
2. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
3. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
4. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

1. Finances can be a sensitive subject to students, so approach them with diligence.
2. Do not hesitate to use the programming budget—designing low-cost and free programs is very simple. Be sure to utilize CAB, RHA and general University events as programs!
3. All students need to understand finances: program a Budgeting/Finance 101 program.
4. Be aware that First Gen students may need more assistance than other students. Plan for this by knowing basic questions to University services and guide them to the resources/services/offices that may help them.
5. Praise your residents’ academic success through programs and conversation: ask residents how they want to be recognized (some wish to be, others do not).

Behind Closed Doors – Diversity-based Situations

Scene 5

Type: Students with Disabilities (Not to be disclosed to RA-in-training)

Prompt Read to RA-in-training:

One of your residents uses a wheelchair for mobility. This resident has been very social and active all semester—coming to hall events and spends a lot of time in the lobby being chummy with other residents. Recently, however, you’ve not seen this resident around. Being concerned, you stop by why the resident is out and ask his/her roommate if everything is okay.

Actors:

(Resident 1)

Scene to be enacted:

Resident 1’s roommate uses a wheelchair for mobility. Lately, Resident 1 has noticed that his/her roommate has become frustrated with the way other residents are treating his/her disability. Resident 1 has seen other residents walk around his/her roommate as he/she is leaving the building since he/she uses a proxy card that automatically opens the doors. Resident 1 has also seen residents make faces, gestures, and comments about his/her roommate being slow and taking up the whole hallway as he/she navigates the building. Resident 1 knows that his/her roommate has become aware of the ignorance/intolerance of other residents has become less active in the hall and is now spending most of his/her time outside the resident hall. When the RA stops by to ask about Resident 1’s roommate, Resident 1 explains the situation.

RHD: Processing:

1. What did the RA do well? What could the RA have done better?
2. How has training taught us to do in this situation?
3. Is there specific protocol for approaching this situation?
4. Veteran RAs: What advice can you give Rookie RAs?

RHD: Points to make:

1. Start the year by discussing a climate of acceptance and expecting diversity. This will set the tone for the year and make residents more aware of one another initially.
2. Talk to the resident experiencing the issue to assess his/her feelings and sentiments.
3. Ask the resident if he/she would be interesting in creating an ability-based program (some residents with disabilities are more than willing, while others would rather not).
4. Become acquainted with the Access Office (aka Disabled Student Development)—they will be glad to help you understand your resident and his/her needs.
5. Do not tolerate any intolerance of any diversity element: treat it as you would any other inconsiderate behavior.