Program Redesign: Report Writing for Resident Assistants at Western Carolina

University

Megan Marshall

Higher Education Student Affairs, Western Carolina University

HESA 611: Organizational Administration and Finance in Higher Education

Dustin Evatt, Ed. D

 Resident Assistant Conduct Training

Resident Assistants (RAs) have a very important role within the campus environment,

and more specifically the on campus, residence hall community. They serve as mentors, peer

advisors, and leaders on campus (Manz, 2019). Due to their amplified visibility to other students

on campus, how they are trained is of the upmost importance. At Western Carolina University

(WCU), RAs are also tasked with reporting violations of the Student Code of Conduct (The

Code). Violations are reported using an online incident report (IR) form. This part of their role,

relating to upholding community (and university standards) aids in their community building

(Boone et, al., 2016).

Historically, RAs began writing a form of IRs due to the passing of the Campus Security

Act in 1990 (Boone et, al., 2016). Later revisions to this law in the later 90s resulted in the

collection of IRs, to be shared with the campus community. RAs eventually began conducting

inspections of student rooms to ensure proper health and safety guidelines were being met as

well (Boone et, al., 2016). Nowadays, RAs write IRs in a way that reports violations, that might

not necessarily be reportable crimes

RAs play an important role in the student conduct process, but they are not instructed

adequately on how to perform the functions of this role. RAs who are inadequately trained to

support students in their role, may experience higher rates of burnout (Paladino et, al., 2005).

This document serves as a proposal for Residential Living (Res Life) leadership to work in

conjunction with the Department of Student and Community Ethics (DSCE) to implement new

features into the preexisting RA Conduct Training.

Vision and Mission of Residential Living

The department of Residential Living at Western Carolina University aims to help

students develop both academically and personally, they attempt to do this by creating a living

environment where students can feel safe. This relates to the goal of the reimaged RA conduct

training because part of the RA role is to document incidents in the residence hall. The incidents

that RAs document relate ultimately to safety and well-being in the hall.

Vision

“We strive to create living and learning communities where students feel valued as

individuals and where diversity and fellowship with others can be celebrated. While

maintaining a high level of quality service, we also encourage and provide opportunities

for personal growth and development of character, leadership, honesty, respect, and

pride.” (WCU, n.d).

The vision of Residential Living really revolves around community building, and student

development. IRs that are detailed allow those adjudicating cases to do so in a way that is

equitable, especially if a case is heard in absentia.

Mission
"We provide clean, safe, and healthy living environments that enhance and support the

educational mission, goals, and creed of Western Carolina University." (WCU, n.d).

With a focus on safety and wellness, the role of the RA better enhances the security in the

residence hall. It allows for students to feel like they have someone in the building that they can

go to directly regarding various issues or concerns they may have. When students feel that they

have a safe place to grow and develop, then they can focus on their academic pursuits. This is

further shown through Maslow’s Hierarchy or Needs, in which housing is a fundamental need of

all individuals. (Maslow, 1943).

Best Practices

Several institutions throughout the United States instruct their RAs to write IRs in a

similar way to the method proposed here. For example, Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa

utilizes a method similar. The method used by Cornell is done so that the person reading the

report (Dean of Students, Conduct Board, Student Affairs staff, and members of Campus Safety)

understand what happened in the report (Cornell College, n.d).

The University of West Georgia (UWG) is another school that utilizes a conduct training

process similar to what is being proposed for WCU. The training that UWG utilizes focuses on

objective, third person, and chronological reports in the same way that RAs at WCU should be

taught. This method is also taught in a similar way through a PowerPoint presentation with

examples and opportunities for the RAs to practice.

New Conduct Training

RAs at WCU do not know how to write detailed IRs. Part of their role is the adherence

of community standards, and documentation of alleged violations of The Code. This training

will be implemented twice in the academic year. During Fall and Spring RA training a member

of Res Life will give an hour-long interactive presentation This training will include all of the

aspects of the previous training, but an extra hour will be added where RAs focus on IR writing,

and the general conduct process. This training will be held in the same space that the rest of RA

training will be held: Blue Ridge Multipurpose Room (MPR). This training will ideally be after

the preexisting conduct training by DSCE and will function as a way to build upon the

knowledge and extend it beyond simply The Code. It will require that all members of the Res

Life professional staff team are present so that they can clarify questions.
 This addition to training will have a positive impact on DSCE. It will aid in creating

conduct cases. RAs learning to write detailed IRs means that the staff in DSCE will be able to

understand

Current Training

Contemporary conduct training for RAs at WCU includes the following:

1. Review of the WCU Code of Student Conduct

a. When and where students are subject to the WCU Student Code of Conduct.

2. Overview of incident report writing.

a. Write in the third person.

b. Write detailed reports.

RAs are taught about The Code. They review common violations to the code of conduct,

and they have an open discussion where students can share what they found surprising about The

Code and ask any questions about parts of it they may have found confusing.

Briefly, RAs are instructed to write IRs in the third person, as well as to write reports that

are detailed. No example of either of these principles for report writing is shared with the RAs,

changes to training would include examples

Proposed Changes

Updated conduct training would go into more depth about The Code and would ask

include IR writing and the conduct process.

1. Explain what the “Magic Sentence” is when writing an incident report and how it adds to

the clarity of the IR.

2. Use the “Magic Sentence” when writing an incident report.

3. Assist other RAs in writing detailed reports.

 4. Explain the conduct process.

Outcome One. The first outcome that is identified requires RAs who have finished this

training to be able to describe a method known as the “Magic Sentence.” The Magic Sentence

refers to the first sentence of an IR, in which all of the immediate details are disclosed. This

method is beneficial as it allows for whoever reads it to immediately understand what happened,

who was involved, and how the RA came to become involved in the incident.

Format) On day of week, month date, year at approximately time Resident Assistant (RA)

first and last name was activity in location when alleged name + activity.

Example) On Tuesday, October 10th, 2023, at approximately 8:32pm Resident Assistant

(RA) Paws Catamount was doing rounds of Blue Ridge Hall when Sylvia Carolina

(920******) drove through the hallway on an electric scooter.

Outcome Two. After they are introduced to the Magic Sentence RAs will practice writing

the Magic Sentence with mock IR information for about ten minutes. Once they go through a

few examples the RAs will be instructed in more detail how to write the rest of the report. They

will be given information to include in the report, and then they will get the chance to practice

writing a report in its entirety. This will take about twenty minutes, and members of Res Life

professional staff will walk around the room to assist the RAs and answer any questions they

might have about the process.

Outcome Three. The RAs will be able to work together during the session to write reports.

This will allow them to practice talking about the method. The goal here is that if their staff

team were to get a new hire midyear the returning RAs on the team would be able to assist in

writing IRs.
 Outcome Four. The RAs will be able to explain the conduct process. This means that the

RA will be able to explain what happens to the IR once they write it, all the way to case

adjudication and sanctioning. This is so that when residents are informed of documentation, the

RAs are able to answer a depth of questions that the student may have about the process and

what happens when they are involved in an IR. The RAs will be able to briefly explain the

process outlined via the flowchart below.

Why IR Writing is Important

IR writing is a very important. As indicated in the diagram above, IR writing is the

second step in the conduct process. IRs allow for hearing officers to get an idea of what

happened during an incident. During the meeting with the alleged student, the hearing officer

will share the IR with them and then ask them if they would like to share anything. At WCU, the

conduct process is voluntary, and a student has the right to meet with a hearing officer and not

say anything, or they have the right to not meet at all (DSCE, n.d). If a student chooses not to
meet with a hearing officer this is what is known as in absentia. When a case is adjudicated in

absentia, the only information that the hearing officers has to determine responsibility is the

incident report. Just because a student chooses not to meet, does not mean that they are

automatically responsible for a charge. With as much information as possible, a hearing officer

is able to make a better-informed decision. In addition, due process laws state that students have

a right to know the details of any allegations brought up against them (Nguyễn et, al., 2022). A

properly written report allows for students and hearing officers to fully understand the situation.

Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development

William Perry outlines four distinct positions regarding intellectual and ethical

development in undergraduate students. This is applicable here because the conduct process

finds itself tangled up in the way that undergraduate students develop their ethical standing. IR

writing is important to the conduct process, and the conduct process is ultimately important to

the ways that students develop in the cocurricular sphere. Therefor report writing is relationally

connected to the moral development of students living in on campus residence halls. In addition,

this model can also be used to process the way in which RAs see themselves interacting with the

conduct process from a professional capacity.

Dualism

Dualism is the first position and the idea that there is a right and wrong, and that only two

options exist (Perry, 1999). RAs might start here and see violations of the code of conduct, as

right and wrong. This may come with surface level opinion of those who violate The Code, in

that their actions are either right or wrong.

Multiplicity
 The next position is this concept that everyone has an opinion or perspective (Perry,

1999). For RAs, this position could be that their residents have a story to share when it comes to

potential violations of The Code. This is something that should be kept in mind when RAs write

reports. They should write them in a way that is equitable, objective, and does not assume

violations.

Relativism

Relativism puts the focus on the context of the situation. Not only do all student involved

in an incident have a perspective that is unique, but the context of this situation is very important

to the writing of the report as well. RAs will be instructed through this new modality of training

that the setting is important to the integrity of report.

Commitment

The last perspective is that students should be able to take in the other perspectives and

also accept a certain level of uncertainty in ethical decisions (Perry, 1999). With this also comes

students accepting their own understanding of ethical decision making. For RAs this means

accepting even more so that students will make their own decisions regardless of their

understanding of The Code. Regardless of personal feelings about a violation, the RAs still

support their residents and continue to build relationships with them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, RAs are expected to write “detailed, third person” incident reports, and

should be trained on how to do that in a way that is both clear and engaging. This proposed

training does not cost the department of Residential Living anything, as the space that training is

held is already reserved for the amount of time needed and those who will be responsible for

instructing the RAs on this method of IR writing will already be present. This method will

positively impact the clarity of reports that hearing officers receive and will aid in the personal

understanding of residential undergraduate students and their relation to their larger campus

community.
 References

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https://www.wcu.edu/experience/life-on-campus/residential-living/about/index.aspx

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