Avenmarg - Week 1 - Dept. of Housing and Residence Life

Activities:
- RLT council meeting
- RLT committee meeting
- Orientation parent and family member panel
- Housing tours for family and students

Reflection:
The best part of my week was getting to actually take part in the Housing orientation functions. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, I attended the Residence Life Training (RLT) meetings. During these meetings we discussed what to include in RD and RA training at the end of the summer. We also divvied up various responsibilities. I will be helping with several things, but perhaps the most intensive undertaking will be my participation in creating new scenarios for an exercise called Behind Closed Doors (BCD's). This training exercise consists of various scenarios being set up and then acted out in part. Each will have to be assessed by either an RA or RD in training. Scenarios include alcohol violations, parent issues, roommate disputes, and other typical situations staff members are nearly guaranteed to encounter throughout the school year. I am really interested in this activity and I look forward to working with the committee on making it as effective as possible.

I got to do some actually hands-on work Friday after attending the parent and family member Orientation panel. During the panel, I learned a lot about not only what the Housing department offers to students, but also what concerns the students' families have regarding housing. Afterwards, I helped conduct housing tours in Moseley Hall (formerly South Hall). From my days as an Orientation Leader, I gained experience in answering questions from parents and assuaging concerns they have regarding their students' transition to college living. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to the students and parents. I also got to know the RA who was working on that hall with me. We talked about things she encounters as a Housing staff member and what her experience at MSU has been like. It was good to be able to connect with student staff and learn more about them.

I learned that my current supervisor, Calvin Mosley, will be leaving at the end of this month. Although I am disappointed that MSU will be losing such a highly respected Student Affairs professional, I am grateful for the time I will have to work with him and learn from him. I look forward to the weeks to come and to getting as much out of this experience as I can. Whether I ever work in a Housing department or not, I know that having this experience will be vital to understanding the breadth of student life and development on college campuses.

 - Noelle Avenmarg