Tools of the Trade

• Alcohol Brochure

  Helpful information for residents…

• Ice Breakers: 11 Great Ideas

  Designed to help groups and individuals get to know each other and interact...

• 9 Ways To Say “NO”

  From time to time you do have the say the words, "No"...

• Stress Relief for High Stress Times: 2 Techniques

  2 simple stress management techniques that can help...

• Roommate Bill of Rights

  This information can be adapted and used on bulletin boards, in programming, and as content in newsletters, electronic communications, and welcome packets.

• RA Advice: How to Deal with Alcohol Use and Abuse

  Learn how to help when alcohol use goes too far...

• Cultivating Community for your International Students

  Ideas to support international students living on your floor.

• How do we confront? Is it really a skill?

  Steps to follow when handling situations that involve confrontation with residents.

• Let’s Relieve Some Stress the Fun Way!

  We often forgot how important it is to prevent stress from taking over our lives. Check out these techniques that can help...

• Working in an Apartment versus a Traditional Residence Hall

  You will need to work harder to develop community in an apartment setting...

• 6 Steps to Developing Your Group’s Membership

  One of the biggest tasks of any leader is to facilitate the development of the group’s membership...

• Conflict Resolution through Mediation

  Tips to help your residents resolve their conflicts in a healthy and positive fashion.

• Refining Your Skills as a Student Leader

  Leadership tips...

• How to Facilitate a Meeting

  A review of the many things you can do to ensure your meetings run smoothly and that people feel as though they have accomplished something....

• Creating and Cultivating Community Connections

  Learn how building rapport with residents can positively impact your community...

• Confrontation: It’s All About the Attitude

  Step by step advice on managing confrontations...

• Managing Your Floor

  Helpful tips...

• From High School to College: Helping Residents Transition and Mature

  From high school to college...helping your freshmen residents!

• The Key to Building and Maintaining a Vandalism Free Community

  Learn about things an RA can do to minimize vandalism before it has the chance to negatively impact community...

• Living and Working with Freshmen Residents

  Eight tips...

• Creating Boundaries Within our Communities

  Is your response to residents encouraging, or enabling? Learn how to balance this with your residents.

• The Value of Community Codes

  Simple ideas on how to establish community standards...

• Aiming High with Community Standards

  A healthy community has high standards and you as the RA play a key role in this process...

• How To Get The Most Out Of Your Supervisor

  Great supervisory relationships don't just happen...they take work! Learn more...

• Developing Positive Communities: Building Blocks for Success

  Learn important first steps that you can take as an RA to ensure that the community in your area is a positive one...

• Summer Work – Getting Ready for the RA Position: Preparing the Foundation for Community Building

  Take time over the summer to think about your position, identify what you hope to accomplish, and prepare anything you can ahead of time.

• Time Management for Finals: Who Has Time to Think About Time at This Time of Year?

  Strategies can make all of the difference between ending the semester race with the winner’s ribbon or falling to the sidelines with injuries...

• Time is on your side…Yes it is!

  5 time management techniques...

• For RAs Participating in Departmental Professional Staff Searches: Part 1 – Everything You Need to Know

  You can learn a great deal about interviewing by participating in a search process and evaluating a candidate for a position on your campus...

• For RAs Participating in Departmental Professional Staff Searches: Part 2 – Considering the Stories, Traditions and Myths

  Debunking RA myths about professional staff selection...

• The Basics of Depression

  Learn about depression and how you can help students who may be struggling with this issue...

• Building An Excellent Relationship with Your Supervisor

  Building a good relationship with your supervisor is critical to your success and is an important part of creating and maintaining and environment in which you can be happy. Learn more...

• Integrating New Residents Onto Your Floor

  Make your new arrivals feel welcome!

• Developing A Diversity Mindset: The Ripple Effect

  A diversity mindset is simple: include an element of diversity education into everything that must be done on the floor...

• Growing Up with a Parent Who Uses

  Students who grew up with alcohol and other drugs in their families can benefit from knowing where to turn for help. By being aware of the issues they face you can make a difference in the college experience and help decrease the potential for the cycle of abuse to continue. Learn more...

• Shaping a Community

  Forget about building it...shape it!

• Getting Through the First Floor Meeting

  The meeting is one of the most important moments that occur between residents and a RA, and warrants some preparation...

• Tying the Knot: End of the year ideas for bringing closure to your floor

  Lively or more passive ideas that work...

• Stress Relief for High Stress Times…Try the Dime Squeeze

  Learn a simple stress management technique...

• Stress Management…It’s All About What You Do With It!

  Learning how to deal with this stress is critical to your mental and physical well-being...

• Understanding Mental Disorders

  A brief introduction to the nature of some of the typical psychological disorders encountered within the residence halls, and some basic tips...

• Empowering Your Residents

  Help your residents understand the power of their potential!

• Building Community One Resident At a Time

  5 simple strategies...

• Helping Your Residents Solve Problems Effectively

  Students will come to you for many different problems such as relationship, roommate, academic, social, emotional, health, family, etc. It is important to guide the resident in effective problem solving...

• Difficult Situations: A Model for Handling Conduct Violations

  Learn about this simple model for handling conduct violations in a professional, efficient, and empathetic manner...

• Sugar Plums and Sour Faces: Working with Parents at Opening

  Suggestions that will send unhappy parents home with a smile...

• Developing A Strong Staff Team

  To enhance your overall R.A. experience this year, make the practice of good group etiquette a priority, and watch your staff team soar!

• Facilitating Your First Floor Meeting – Words of Wisdom

  Learn how to plan in advance for this meeting, not only for content, but also for style...

• Graceful Conflict Resolution

  Steps for overcoming a conflict if one occurs between you and your resident..

• Name Tag – You’re It!

  Door Tags are a starting point...find a fun way to identify the members of the community.

• Can’t We All Just Get Along? Establishing A Good Rapport With Residents

  From move in to the end of the semester...ideas to help!

• A Perspective on Politics for R.A.s

  So what exactly is politics, and how can you respond appropriately to it when it is encountered?

• Preparing For Success: Tips for the New And Seasoned Resident Advisor

  Learn about competencies needed for success in the RA job...

• Summer Check List; It’s Never too Early to Start Preparing for the Next Year

  This checklist will assist you with some ideas of things that you might do over the summer break to prepare for being a Resident Assistant in the fall.

• Legal Issues and the RA

  A summary of issues important to the RA job

• L.E.A.D. Your Way To Success

  Tips for being a strong leader...

• Resolving Roommate Conflicts

  Basic tips and guidelines RAs can utilize when dealing with a roommate conflict.

• Revitalize Your Organization…..By Changing It!

  Information for R.A.s involved in leadership positions in student and other organizations.

• Listening and Helping Skills: “An A to Z approach to helping your residents”

  Great ideas in an easy to review format!

• The R.A. as an Administrator: Sailing to Success

  Tips for training and getting through the first few weeks of the semester...

• Sexual Assault and Acquaintance Rape

  The first two weeks of the academic year is a time when individuals are at high risk for becoming a victim of sexual violence. Learn how to assist a victim...

• Documentation and Report Writing

  Information for "after the incident"...

• Assertiveness and Confrontation

  Confrontation is made easier if you learn how to confront in an assertive manner...

• Time Management: Helpful Info for RAs…

  The payoff of an effective time management program is the ability to get more done and control your life. Learn more...

• People go to College to Learn (and to build relationships)…That is where you come in…

  Common sense info on how to be a great RA...