Residence Life

Bianca Zamora
MyTresa Taylor
October 2, 2015

Learning Outcomes

Identify Important Events in the History of Residential Life

Indicate Professional Associations
Differentiate Effective Mission Statement and Objectives Goals
Summarize Core Competencies
Propose Best Practices
Identify Staffing Patterns within Residential Life
Recognize Professional Competencies Required to Obtain a Job in Residence
Life
Address how institutions have or have not addressed some of theisms within
the Residential Community
Analyze and Articulate how Black feminist critique can be applied to
Residential Life

History of Residence Life

Colonial Period
Middle to Late 19th Century
Early 20th Century
Post World War II

The Colonial Period: the Beginning of the College

Experience

Patterned after the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge

English institutions contributed formally and informally to students education; American institutions
viewed residence halls as places to eat and sleep
College life was seen as a system of controlling and instilling these young men with discipline, morals, and
character
Parents supported loco parentis (surrogate parents) that supervised all the activities of students both in
and outside the classroom
Thievery, gambling, drunkenness, vandalism and debauchery

Middle to Late 19th Century: the Disintegration of the

Residential Experience
German Influence
Many faculty of American higher
education pursued education in
Germany and brought back these
ideals such as President Francis
Wayland (Brown University) and
President Henry Tappen ( University
of Michigan)
Germans thought students should be
responsible for managing their own
housing, food, and social life
Encouraged the spread of disease,
fostered unsanitary habits and
reinforces the disinclination of
students to excise

Financials issues
Resources werent available to support
residential construction and
operations diverted funds needed
for building up libraries and
classrooms

Wayland

Tappen

Middle to Late 19th Century: Road to Revitalization of

Residence Halls
University of Chicago contributed to the
rebirth of student housing; President
William Rainey Harper believed that the
residential experience was extremely
important based on his experience as a
faculty at Yale, insisted that housing for
students be integrated
Colleges were founded for women
Development of campus life outside the
classroom such as sports, debating
societies, student publications making
living on campus more convenient

Early 20th Century: Business is

Construction of residence halls was growing at
Booming

its fastest rate in American history which was

fueled by private funds
The Great Depression decreased residence hall
construction in the 1930s
Some universities constructed housing with
state assistance; the development of the
Public Works Administration allowed colleges
to borrow funds from the federal government
to construct housing on their campuses

Post World War II: A Change of Pace

College life changed dramatically due to
young people involved in the war
Many veterans returned to complete their
education and housing making
accommodations in short supply
In the 60s housing was criticized for rules
governing student life; institutional policies
didnt permit students to entertain guests
of the opposite sex in their rooms, and
women had to return to their halls by a
certain time

Students started to challenge these policies

which led schools to stop requiring
students to live on campus
In the 90s students started expecting luxuries
such as cable tv, access to computers in
their rooms, a wider variety of meal plans,
and a lot of options for meal plans
Students expected maximum freedom and
minimum supervision while still expecting
safety

Foreseen Demands of Today

Rely on technology for the delivery of services
and programs; technological environment
that will help students manage their own
learning
The relationships student have with their
institution will be more like the relationship
they have with their bank, telephone
company or supermarket; respond to their
needs or theyll leave
Residence hall administrators will be
increasingly held accountable for the
programs, services and activities that are
offered in campus housing

Professional Associations
Association of College and University Housing OfficersInternational (ACUHO-I)

National Association of College and University Residence

Halls, Inc. (NACURH)

Founded: 1949 at the University of Illinois

Founded: 1954 at Iowa State

ACUHO-I and its members envision a future where the

value of the student residential experience will be
acknowledged universally and ACUHO-I will be a trusted
knowledge source that moves, educates, and inspires the
campus housing profession.

NACURH commits itself to providing residence hall

leaders with skills and resources that they need in order
to excel and positively impact their campus communities

Professional Focused

National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH): advocating

for the interests and welfare of residence hall students,
while also providing opportunities for their personal
growth and development.
Paraprofessional/Student Focused

Professional Associations
American College personnel Association (ACPA)
Founded: 1924
Mission: ACPA supports and fosters college
student learning through the generation and
dissemination of knowledge, which informs
policies, practices and programs for student
affairs professionals and the higher education
community.

National Association of Student Personnel

Administrators (NASPA)
Founded: 1918
Mission: To be the principal source of leadership,
scholarship, professional development, and
advocacy for student affairs.

Core Competencies
Ancillary Partnerships
Public/ Private Partnerships
Specialized Housing
Conference Services
Contracting
Resource Allocations
Crisis Management
Prevention
Intervention
Dining Services
Operations
Evaluation and Planning
Assessment and Program
Planning
Research

Facilities Management
Facilities Assessment

Master Planning
General and Preventive
Maintenance
Sustainability
Fiscal Resources and Control
Budget Development and
Reporting
Accounting and Accounts
Purchasing, Contracting, and
Outsourcing

Information Technology
Security
Computer Support
Network and Systems
Administration
Occupancy
Contracts and Lease
Agreements
Forecasting and Trends
Resident Educational Services
Personal, Academic, and
Community Development
Advising
Student Behavior
Student Conduct
Conflict Resolution

Providing Purpose for Residence

Objectives
Life
Mission
The mission should address
the living environments, including programs and
services that promote learning and development
in the broadest sense, with an emphasis on
academic success
reasonably priced living facilities that are clean,
attractive, well-maintained, comfortable, and
which include contemporary safety features
maintained by systematic operations
orderly and effective management that consist of
meeting the needs of students and other
constituents in a courteous, efficient, and effective
manner

Assisting students in becoming literate, liberally

educated persons
Promoting students development in becoming
responsible, contributing members of multiple
communities
Advocating commitment to the ideals of altruism and
social justice
Endorsing the cultivation of healthy lifestyle,
both physically and psychologically
Encouraging students to examine spiritual life
Challenging students to confront moral and
ethical issues

Difference in Missions
Lehigh University

We are a staff of highly trained and dedicated

professionals and Gryphon peer educators
with the knowledge, passion, and
understanding to foster a welcoming,
supportive, and inclusive community. Our
students will be engaged, challenged, and
encouraged to realize their full academic and
personal potential. By immersing themselves
in our dynamic living and transformational
learning environment, our students will be
empowered to excel and lead at Lehigh and
beyond.
bLUeprint
Creative Curiosity
Identity Development
Collaborative Connections
Inclusive Leadership
Professional Growth and Success

Miami University

The Office of Residence Life collaborates with

other offices to facilitate students' successful
adjustment to and transitions through their
collegiate experience. We try to provide a safe
and supportive environment promoting
academic success, personal development,
involvement in campus life, and
understanding of intercultural issues. We
support the University's commitment to build
citizen leaders for the future.
ORL Departmental Values
Celebration
Diversity
Healthy Exploration
Integrity & Ethics
Meaningful Partnerships
Respect, Compassion, & Peaceful
Relationships
Staff Development
Student Learning

Sonoma State University

Our mission is to provide a learning

environment that promotes the academic
and personal development of our students.
Residential Life Values
Community
Academic Success
Holistic Development
Human Awareness and Diversity
Responsibility

Best Practices
Questions we pose each year are things like:
Are we creating a safe and supportive environment?
Are we providing opportunities for students to achieve the goals of
our residential curriculum?
Are we living the values of our department, which we talked about
during training?
The best practices would be strategies we undertake so we can
answer yes to these three questions.
Jerry
Olson
Miami
University Director of Residence Life

Organization and Structure

Staffing Patterns
Vice President of
S.A./Corporate
Financial Officer
Director of
Residence Life
Area Coordinator
Residence Director
Assistant Resident
Director
Resident Assistant

6 factors to influence
organizational structure of
residential life.
size of institution
mission
characteristics of student
population
class mix of resident
students
university policy on
recruitment of student living
on campus
racial and ethnic mix of
student population

Job Postings

Group
Group
Group

Discussion Questions:

What are
competencies/experience
needed to acquire this position
and what are some of the
duties and responsibilities
required of position?
How does this position
influence residential life staff
1-Residence Director
and the student experience?
What do you see as positive
2-Director of Residence Life and Conduct possibilities and challenges of
this position?
Could you see yourself
3-Community Conduct Coordinator
applying to this position.
Why/Why not?

Current Trends and Challenges

Who is allowed to claim the idea of
home and safety in the
residential community? How are
institutions and professionals
addressing the intensity of the
isms is residential life?

Residential Life and Creating Safe Spaces

and Standing Up to the Systems ofISMS
Audre Lorde wrote, Those of us who stand outside the circle of this
societys definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been
forged into the crucibles of difference-those of us who are poor, who
are lesbians, who are Black, who are older, know that survival is not an
academic skill. It is learning how to stand alone, unpopular and
sometimes reviled, and how to make common cause with those others
identified as outside the structures in order to define and seek a world
in which we can all flourish. It is learning how to take our differences
and make them strengths. For the masters tools will never dismantle
the masters house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his
own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine
change. And this fact is only threatening to those women who still
define the masters house as their only source of support. (p.112).
How can Lordes idea of dismantling the masters house be applied to
residential life? Feel free to reflect on the how the different position