Learning Strategies
The Office of Residence Life's learning strategies are the range of educational activities, events, and touch points with students that provide opportunities for learning and community development. Listed below, these strategies work together in an on-going basis to ultimately lead students to determine what it means to be in community with others and their responsibility in its development and evolution as empowered leaders.
Community Council
Community Councils are established at the start of the academic year in every hall. Anyone living in that area can be a member of Community Council! Councils meet weekly and act as a governing board for that area to create connections and provide opportunities for the student voice. Typical functions include setting a budget for the hall funds, purchasing equipment for the hall, determining rules and guidelines governing common areas both for residents and for outside groups requesting to use residence hall space, discussing and offering solutions to problems occurring within the halls, and planning and implementing hall events.
Community Agreement
A Community Agreement is a working document that details the ways in which we will be in community with one another throughout the year. This agreement will initially be discussed during your first community meetings with you and the other members living on your floor, and will be a continued conversation over the course of the year with revisions made as needed.
Shared Living Expectations
The Shared Living Expectations worksheet serves as the foundation for roommates to begin to develop shared expectations of their room space and and negotiate areas of concern on a small scale. Residents who engage in these conversations can mitigate difficulties by discussing potential concerns and negotiating space expectations before they develop into conflicts.
Community Connections
Community Connections are floor gatherings facilitated by a Resident Assistant (RA) to instill a sense of community and belonging amongst residents. RAs plan activities or group conversations to lead their floor through the month’s "theme" in fulfillment of our learning goals and outcomes.
Individual Connections
Individual Connections are on-going, individual check-ins and conversations done by the RA with each member of their community. Conversations are organic and build on the relationship established at the beginning of the year. Topics covered include general checking in, inquiry in line with the monthly theme, goal setting and resource sharing, and problem solving as needed.