TiShawn Polk: Housing and Residence Life – Week 3

Activities:

-Finalize schedule for in-house presenters for RD and RA training

-Attend Weekly RLT committee meetings

-Meet with supervisor

-Video on campus professionals

Experience:

I have to report that I am really enjoying my limited experience within housing. This weeks duties included contacting and finalizing presenters times and locations by this past Tuesday. While it does not seem like a daunting task to send emails, it is a nerves thing for me because I do not like to be intrusive. If a person did not respond after the first email, I have a hard time phrasing the follow up email because I always feel like it comes off as being pushy or overbearing. However, I trudged through my nerves and successfully contacted everyone I needed to. My other task involved helping Hannah record professionals in different departments on campus who are related to or may come in contact with housing officials. The video clips will be compiled into a larger video that will be shown to incoming RAs to familiarize them with the services and offices provided on campus. This was enjoyable meeting new people and establishing more contact with those I already knew. It was awesome.

Through this process I have learned much regarding number 6 under the learner outcomes. I have had to constantly re-engineer myself to take on different tasks and learn how to approach others in a professional way. Also, I have had to understand what areas and situations I am not comfortable in. One thing that still surprises me is how willing committee members are with helping with implementing the summer trainings. I was really looking for my experience to begin in July, but I have already had great lessons learned thus far.

One lesson that I have learned this week from previous reading is the professional development in the sense of fostering relationships with people already established in the student affairs world. Something so simple as recording your mentors in HCDC or establishing connections with those in student activities is reaffirming to why I chose this major. Plain and simple it is for the people.