Reimagining the RA Experience – On-Demand Training

Leverage the Role to Maximize Human & Fiscal Resources

As higher education evolves, the leadership positions offered to students must be assessed and adjusted based on the current student need. Many Resident Assistant (RA) programs across the country have remained stagnant, causing many to feel that the role is less critical than it once was. This feeling may decrease participation, increase student burnout, and contribute to the overall sense of uncertainty as to why the position is integral to a positive residential experience.

By adjusting what it means to be an RA, we can reinvigorate this important role and infuse a new level of excitement among student leaders. Our presenter will help participants rethink what an RA can do – and recognize that they can serve a role beyond just a resource to Residence Life.

The RA role does not have to operate as a silo – develop more cross-departmental collaboration and incorporate other curriculum into the RA experience so you can maximize human and fiscal resources.

Topics Covered

Gain crucial, actionable takeaways that will help you:

• Perform a needs assessment for residential students to better determine what would help them thrive in campus housing – stop assuming what students want to engage in, and instead, actively and consistently check in to avoid wasting human and fiscal resources.
• Understand the importance of cross-departmental collaboration and why incorporating other curriculums, such as first-year experience classes, into the RA role can better support your institution – help meet the demands of today’s current students who are struggling with executive functions at a higher rate than previous students by sharing information on the same timeline in multiple locations across campus so they better retain information and skills being shared.
• Develop strategies to align the work-life harmony conversation we are seeing among residence life professionals into the RA role – help your students manage living where they work so you can retain them – and recruit them. 
• Embrace the less is more mentality when it comes to small programs – be smarter with programming requirements and leverage the relationship-building abilities of an RA to keep a closer eye on students’ mental health and overall well-being.

Presenter

Dr. Sara Weinstein currently serves as the Director of Residence Life and Housing at Randolph-Macon College located in Ashland Virginia.
Click here for full bio.