We are now a month into the summer.
Which means that we are now 72 days away from the very first day of Advisor Orientation.
Which also means you might be asking yourself: how do I prepare myself for my new role as a Residence Advisor?
Fear not, for the PRC is here to help you with such questions and worries! That’s what we (the PRCAs) are here for: to help you prep for you new and exciting role in this upcoming year.
Here are some potential questions you might be having followed by some, hopefully helpful, answers!
Q: What is the PRC?
A: what an excellent question! The PRC is a (magical) place where RAs, Seniors, RCs, and even RLMs visit to do RezLife related work or socialize. The PRC is filled with awesome resources that you can use within your role. We the PRCAs are there to help you with anything from printing a poster to helping you come up with your next program idea for you residents.
Q: What are some ways I can prepare for my new RA role?
A: We thought you’d never ask!
First things first: posters. It is easier, and best, for you to start thinking about what you want your floor to look like now rather than later. Many staff members plan and design their Who Am I and Where Am I boards over the summer so that they won’t have to worry about them come August or September. These two are posters that preferably go up before residents move in on Opening Day.
Q:…ok, but what are those board? How do I make them?
A: Who Am I and Where Am I boards are two posters that go up on your door (or next to your door) that help your residents get to know you and find you throughout the year. They are two of the posters that stay up from September all the way to the end when residents move out for the summer. There is no correct way to make them; you can be as creative as you want and design them however you find appealing. However, you always want to make sure that they are easy to understand.
Who Am I: in this board, you want to introduce yourself. Nothing too complicated or long to read, but rather short and eye-catching. This is the space you can use to give your residents an idea of who their RA could be.
Start with the basics: name, faculty, year, where home is for you. Then perhaps talk shortly what your hobbies and interests are; residents can use this to connect with you! Here is an example:
Where Am I: this board is meant to help residents find you when they need you. A typical board will have 3-5 different options of places the RA could be, such as home, in class, off campus, sleeping, etc. Say a resident stops by your room to chat at 3pm. Using your Where Am I board, they will be able to tell if you are home or in class or even off campus at that time.
Again, like the Who Am I board, you are free to be as creative as you’d like. Many advisors choose a theme for their board and some have a simple In/Out board instead. It is totally up to you!
You can use any application to make these boards. The PRC recommends starting with Canva.com (it’s easy and quick to learn and get used to). And if at any point you want some help or want someone to look over your boards, drop by the PRC or send us an email. We’ll be more than happy to help you!
With love,
The PRC <3
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