When the Students Know More Than You, by Lisa Latronica, 2014 alumna

Posted on January 14, 2015 by rcleahey

When I started my first professional position, I expected to feel some imposter syndrome. I expected to feel like coworkers knew more than me and to be a little intimidated and nervous around them. We talked about it at length in Capstone and throughout the job search process.

I did not expect to be terrified of the students I would be supervising.

In Residence Life at Colorado School of Mines, there is an additional student staff position between professional staff and Resident Assistants and Community Assistants. Our Senior Staff – made up of Hall Directors and Community Directors – are upperclassmen or graduate students who have 1-2 years of experience as staff members. The job they do is basically the same as what a graduate student in student affairs would do – they supervise a staff, oversee a building of residents, and even serve as first responders on a duty rotation.

When I first learned all that the Senior Staff did, I was in disbelief. The number of times I said, “We let undergraduate students do that?” is more than I can count. But the closer we got to their arrival on campus and Senior Staff training, the more the skepticism faded, and the stronger the fear, nervousness, and uncertainty began.

These students had been in Mines Res Life for longer than I had been in residence life anywhere. They could do the job that I just left. They knew more about the campus culture, student population, and policies and procedures than my new professional mind could grasp. And that was uncomfortable and terrifying.

Then the 8 Senior Staff arrived. And they were so nice and talented. And that almost made it worse. My mantras all through our training retreat (which in true Colorado fashion, took place on the side of a mountain and with lots of hiking and bouldering), were, “Fake it till you make it,” and “Don’t let them see the fear in your eyes.” I thought that if I showed any hint of not knowing what I was doing, I would lose their respect and trust. And on top of it, the more I got to know them, the more impressed I was with them, not just as students or staff, but as people. To this day, I would argue that you won’t find people who can balance as much, give as much, or care as much as our Senior Staff.

I felt this huge amount of pressure, but it took me weeks to realize that it wasn’t the students who were putting that pressure on me. I was doing it to myself.

A few weeks into the start of the semester, after all the training and move-in events were over, I had a conversation with one of the Senior Staff members that changed how I viewed our relationship. I was having an overwhelming day, and felt like I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I finally caved and asked them to tell me about how things were done at Mines from their perspective. It was one of the most helpful conversations I had during those first few months. I later shared with them that I had been terrified to seem like I didn’t know what I was doing.

Their reaction? They laughed and said that was ridiculous.

As real as my fear and nervousness was, it was pretty unfounded. Sure, the students knew a lot more about some things, but I forgot to have confidence in my own experiences and education. I think part of my fear was because I wanted to be the best possible person for my students, and I forgot the most important part of that:

Intentions and trying. If you have good intentions, and you try hard to do the best for your students, you can’t go wrong.

It’s easy to forget that students see us a humans, just as we see them as such. They don’t expect us to be perfect, and it’s not fair to us or them to pressure ourselves to seem as such. We screw up. We don’t know answers. We need help. And the more we are ok with showing that side of ourselves, the more our students will be ok with showing us that side of themselves.

These days, I’m much more comfortable asking the Senior Staff for answers (and it happens almost daily). I’ve realized that they’re happy to help, and it’s so much easier than guessing. They know I’m not perfect, and I’m ok with that. And deep down, I know that they feel better asking me questions because of it.

I’m still scared of them some days, but now it’s more likely to be because they’re leaping from rocks on a mountain than because I think they’re judging me. I like this way much better.

Lisa Latronica is a 2014 graduate of the Higher Education Administration master’s program. She currently serves as a Residence Life Coordinator with the Department of Residence Life at the Colorado School of Mines.

Two Campuses, One Experience, by Lizzy Heurich

Posted on November 19, 2014 by rcleahey

As the Thanksgiving season approaches, I cannot help but think about those things for which I am thankful. There are the obvious things that I am always grateful for, like my family, friends, and health. Then there are the less noticeable things in my life that I am thankful for, like the opportunity to experience work and life at two college campuses during my time in graduate school. Currently, I am a first-year master’s student in the Higher Education Administration program at NC State; I also hold a graduate assistantship at Duke University. At Duke, I am the Devils After Dark Coordinator for the East Campus Housing, Dining, and Residence Life office. I help to program weekend and late night activities for first-year students. North Carolina has many fine higher education institutions, and I am lucky to go to school and work at two of the most prominent universities in this state.

Back in August, I did not feel as thankful to be having two separate experiences. First off, I am fairly directionally-challenged. Not only did I have to learn how to get around two different campuses and cities, I had to learn how to get from home to work to school to back home. On the way to my first graduate school class, I got quite lost on NC State’s campus and ended up running down Hillsborough Street so I would not be too late. I also had trouble learning the traditions, quirks, and colloquial language of each campus. Students at Duke would talk to me about house benches, SLGs, or eating at ABP. At NC State, peers were talking about Packapalooza and the Free Expression Tunnel. Needless to say, I was struggling to adapt to campus culture and traditions as well as a new work environment and course load.

Fast forward a few months and things are quite different. Although it took a transition period of a month or two, I finally began to feel like I belonged on both campuses. At work, I felt more established as a member of the team. I mastered my weekly routine of planning, promoting, and running programs. Twenty-five miles down the road, I was beginning to form friendships with people in my cohort. I felt more comfortable participating in class, and I was getting to know the professors in the department. I was becoming more aware of campus-specific acronyms and traditions. NC State and Duke finally felt like home.

In the beginning, it felt like I was juggling two campus experiences at once. Now, I embrace the fact that I get to be involved on two college campuses and integrate those experiences with my personal and professional goals. I get to see how the theories we learn in class play out on two college campuses. I get to build relationships and connections at two prominent universities. I get to root for two football teams!

Lizzy Heurich is a first year master’s student in the Higher Education Administration program. She is currently serving as the Devils After Dark Coordinator for East Campus Housing, Dining, and Residential Life at Duke University. She is also the Associate Vice President for Engagement for the Higher Education Association at NC State.

True Life: I Work in Housing, Surviving Your First Year in Residence Life, by Rickita Blackmon

Posted on November 5, 2014 by rcleahey

At some point before or during the application process to higher education graduate programs, you made a decision to apply to the housing assistantship with hopes of serving as a Residence Director. Some of you were past RAs that thrived in the position; others may have an interest in a career in housing with plans to move up the professional ladder. Many of you fall under both. Whether you “live and breathe housing” or view this assistantship as a great opportunity with wonderful benefits, you accepted the challenge! You moved all of your belongings and returned to the residence hall (not dorm). With a meal plan, reserved parking spot and health insurance secured, you felt on top of world. At some point between unpacking and attending summer RD training, you probably searched through your belongings for the RD position description, just to review exactly what you would be doing in this role. Scanning the document, you began to get excited about helping shape the world’s future leaders and revitalizing the spirit of living on campus. In your mind, you started to plan amazing programs. Suddenly, you have a Pinterest board that is dedicated to icebreakers, door decs and RA events. What a joy! As you open your new set of business cards, take the protective sticker off of your fresh name badge and iron your official housing polo, all seems right in the world. You are a housing professional.

Looking in the mirror “I am about to change the game. I have all the tools and resources that I need to be successful. I am a Residence Director. Wow. I’ve made it.”

As the summer RD training comes to a close, you realize that you are a bit unclear or nervous about a few items about the position. Perhaps you decide that you will just hit the ground running and figure it out as things go along (wise but potentially tricky). If you were like me, you planned to set some time aside to review your training binder and go over questions with your supervisor. However, RA training had already begun, which ultimately consumed every minute for the next two weeks. So instead, the night before move-in day you pulled out the position description to glance over it one last time and then you see it…

“Other duties as assigned.”

Below are a few tips to help you successfully navigate your first year in housing.

Resident Advisors. Being a Residence Director at NC State is a tremendous opportunity to gain valuable skills that can be transferred to a variety of functional areas in higher education. One of the many benefits of this role is the experience of supervising undergraduate students. Working with your team of Resident Advisors will allow you to learn more about yourself as a leader and help develop other leaders. In this supervisory role, I recommend being confident, consistent and professional. Being relatable also goes along way with people who look up to you. Utilize your one-on-one meetings with your RAs to get know them beyond their work as an RA. What clubs are they involved in? Are they reconsidering their major? Building these relationships is key. It would also help to identify additional ways to support your staff. Your RAs are college students, some only a year removed from high school. They are balancing school, work and everything else that life throws their way—sound familiar? If you find yourself frustrated, remember that there is no such thing as a perfect RA, and even your Area Coordinator is still learning. Create developmental opportunities for your RAs. Spend time developing yourself as a supervisor. Seek out advice from second year RDs and talk with your Assistant Director regularly about how you can continue to grow in this role.

Managing a Budget. Stay up to date, organized and consistent with your budget practices. It is critical to communicate often with your AD and the person who oversees the management of your building’s budget and receipts, to ensure that you are following the preferred protocol.

Parking. Win.

Laundry. Loss. However, there are tricks that can make this process easier. Monitor the laundry room to find times when residents do not regularly wash clothes. Never leave your belongings unattended for lengthy periods of time. Additionally, the washing machines require less detergent, so if you really think about it, you are saving money.

Professional Development. Make sure to use your professional development funds. Communicate with other RDs about trainings or conferences that people are interested in attending. There may be ways to save on additional costs by combining efforts. Consider ways to maximize this opportunity, such as submitting proposals to present at conferences.

Conduct. Some RDs love the conduct process and others not as much. Regardless, it is a part of your duties. I rely heavily on the NC State specific policy guides in Maxient as well as the support of second year RDs to manage this portion of the job.

Meetings. In housing, we like to have a lot of meetings. I average roughly 15 meetings every week. This is when Google Calendar becomes a lifeline. Ever wonder why housing people always send you a Google meeting invite? It’s simple. It is extremely difficult to manage every meeting on our schedules; so essentially, if it is not on Google calendar then it does not exist. Make the most of your meetings! Plan and prepare ahead to make sure that you are respectful of others’ time as well as your own. Utilize agendas! My RAs really appreciate my weekly meeting agendas because it is a reference point for them to remember deadlines and upcoming dates. If you are a paper saver, share a Google doc. Refrain from “meeting just to meet.” This is not advice to cancel all of your meetings. However, if there are only a few light items on your agendas then ask yourself if meeting is the most efficient way to disseminate the information. For meetings that you are attending and not leading, just get used to them. They are here to stay.

Duty. Make sure that you plan ahead before going on duty. This may mean going grocery shopping, doing laundry and getting ahead on class assignments. When you are on duty, there is no telling when you will receive a call that may take up a large amount of your time. Prioritizing important items the week before you are scheduled for duty will help relieve some of the stress during duty week.

Living Where You Work. Figure out how to personalize your space. Each RD apartment is unique with its own perks, so take some time to embrace your space. Hang curtains, buy a welcome mat or put magnets on your refrigerator. Do whatever you think is best to make your RD apartment feel more like a home. If you are lucky and pull this off really well, there may be a few mornings when you wake up and forget you are in residence hall (this will only be for a few minutes, but still).

Serving as a RD is an amazing opportunity that is truly like none other. You have the opportunity to impact your residents’ college experience in a major way. Leave your mark! One day, hopefully, you’ll have a peaceful home away from campus with laundry machines and a job that will probably still have a line on the position description that indicates “other duties as assigned.” However, I doubt you’ll get to go to BJ’s and load multiple carts with fun program supplies, rent an inflatable and plan team builders that require people to jump through hula-hoops. Make the most of it!

Rickita Blackmon is a first year master’s student in the Higher Education Administration program. She is currently serving as a Residence Director for Lee Hall. She is also the Vice President-Elect for Recruitment for the Higher Education Association at NC State.