'Explorations' Proposal
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This proposal recommends relaunching mandatory monthly in-service trainings for resident assistants and academic mentors as optional "Explorations" to allow for more personalized staff development. It proposes that professional staff create training topics and student staff select two per semester from various topics focused on job skills, personal growth, or academics. This new model aims to better address individual needs and increase interaction, collaboration, and leadership across residence halls. It also recommends incorporating senior resident assistants to lead topics and holding monthly all-staff meetings in addition to smaller Explorations.
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'Explorations' Proposal
- 1. Proposal | Explorations Prepared for: Neil Andrito | Director of Residence Life, Salem State University ! Prepared by: Alessandra Brown | Resident Director, Bowditch Hall Sarah Brown | Assistant Resident Director, Peabody Hall Nicole Cartier | Assistant Resident Director, Bowditch Hall Thomas Durkee | Assistant Resident Director, Bates Residence Complex ! October 7, 2014 ! SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY | OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE
- 2. PROPOSAL TO RELAUNCH IN-SERVICE TRAININGS AS EXPLORATIONS Summary We the Student Staff Training Committee, in an effort to provide student staff members working for the Of鍖ce of Residence Life at Salem State University in the capacities of Resident Assistant and Academic Mentor with a catered approach to personal, professional and job related development, submit for your review this proposal to relaunch in service trainings as Explorations. Background In examining feedback received from student staff members who had just completed fall residence life training, we found that many of these students were at varying points in their development as people, students and staff members. While the committee recognizes that our training was indeed comprehensive, well thought out and carefully executed, with interesting and informative presentations from our Professional Staff members, many student staff members are still in need of additional training. In order to more effectively address these additional training needs, as well as to create the opportunity for further growth and development, we have decided to propose a restructuring of the current In-Service trainings as they stand. We feel that this new model, which we are calling Explorations, will better suit a wide variety of student staff members in offering them opportunities to evaluate themselves and pursue additional training that they feel is relevant to their job performance. ! Explanation of Explorations ! Explorations is a new year round student staff development model that will allow the Of鍖ce of Residence life to provide new and exciting opportunities for training, staff development in numerous facets and personal growth to its student staff members. At the start of the academic semester, professional staff members will create at least one Exploration that they feel there is a need for. This presentation, discussion, activity or trip will present an opportunity over the course of the semester for the student staff to gain new experiences relating to any area of training, development or personal growth that they believe would bene鍖t them. Professional Staff members will then submit their Explorations to the Student Staff Training Committee who will create a selection form online, known as the Explorations Offerings. Following Student Staff Training, both Fall and Winter, the student staff will receive their Explorations Offerings via email and will be required to select a minimum of two Explorations, over the course of the entire semester, that they feel would enhance their job performance, academic preparedness or personal growth and development. Once the student makes their selections, they will receive their Explorations Itinerary which tells them what they selected as well as the date, time and location (presenter name will be omitted purposely to allow the material to stand alone.) A master spreadsheet will be created and all student staff members and their selections will be preloaded into the database. At each Exploration the Professional Staff member will receive a list of those signed up to attend and will take attendance. They are then responsible for then con鍖rming via the spreadsheet that the student did indeed attend. SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY | OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE
- 3. Why? In revisiting our current In Service training model and discussing the bene鍖ts and improvements that could be implemented, the committee found that opportunities for individualized training and development were missing. As it stands, In Service trainings are held monthly with a set topic (or topics) in which the Of鍖ce of Residence Life trains students on departmental initiatives, new policies and procedures and upcoming changes in the general oversight of the residence halls which will involve them. Although the committee recognizes that this model is bene鍖cial to the Of鍖ce of Residence Life in that it allows each student staff member the opportunity to gain new insight into departmental initiatives, it offers little in terms of personalized training. As student staff members acclimate to their roles as Resident Assistants or Academic Mentors over the course of their employment, their need for professional development varies from their co-workers, at least those on their immediate staffs. As each in hall staff is uniquely selected and crafted to best serve the residents of that area, we must recognize that each student staff member differs and may require varying levels of job training, personal development and career preparedness, amongst other things. This is where we can best serve our student staff members, but recognizing their unique needs and crafting new training sessions that further learning and encourage job growth. Positive Impact The committee feels that by implementing the Explorations year round training model, the result will include many positive bene鍖ts that could work in favor of continuing the development of a strong, comprehensive Residence Life program here at Salem State University. We believe that student staff members will positively react to their employer recognizing their need for further training and professional development opportunities, while also providing the autonomy to accommodate the individual selection of each. By allowing the student staff members to select their own Explorations, each one should be mixed with Resident Assistants and Academic Mentors from across all 鍖ve, soon to be six buildings, thus increasing communication, collaboration and interaction between staffs. The committee feels that this increased interaction will positively impact the Residence Life program by allowing more cooperation across our three campuses, especially as our evolving Residence Life program opens Viking Hall and launches the Senior Resident Assistant position, creating new staff members and increasing the overall numbers of student staff. With these increased staf鍖ng numbers, we feel that by providing Explorations in smaller groups, we can continue to offer comprehensive staff development opportunities though out the year that target speci鍖c needs that we may be unable to address during our full staff trainings. A more personalized approach to staff development could also lead to increased retention of student staff members who feel supported and see opportunities for their own development. This becomes important if we look at the number of student staff members that we have seen depart from their positions over the preceding years and then look at our current group of upperclass student staff members that are returning for a third year. With the creation of the new Senior Resident Assistant position, we feel a focus more on staff development will ensure that we are preparing a new group of leaders, well versed in their positions and who can 鍖ll these six positions. The committee hopes that by developing our staff and educating them in new facets of their job, we will see greater leadership, increased job performance, satisfaction and morale as well as an overall shift in competency and retention of staff members. SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY | OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE
- 4. Senior Resident Assistant Incorporation With the launching of the Senior Resident Assistant position, the Of鍖ce of Residence Life will take on a new initiative in each of its halls to support and develop a new kind of student staff member. This position will create a Resident Assistant that functions with professional expectations in regard to their job performance. We feel that one way to develop this professionalism in the Senior Resident Assistants is to have each of them offer one Exploration, each semester, in an area they feel con鍖dent and knowledgeable in. With the addition of the Senior Resident Assistants to the Explorations Offerings, we will be able to increase options and topics for the larger student staff to choose from while continuing to support the professional growth and development of this new group of leaders. Development of Family Sta鍖 Meetings In order to supplement the change from larger In Service Trainings to the personalized approach to Explorations, the committee recommends that the Of鍖ce of Residence Life should launch Family Staff Meetings. With the change to a set staff meeting time each week during the 2014 -2015 academic year, all student staff members are now available at the same time across campus. This would allow us to convene as a complete Residence Life Staff once a month in place of the regular staff meeting where central of鍖ce can speak to departmental initiatives, policy changes and new staff opportunities, amongst others. This would also give the Professional Staff and their committees an opportunity to share some of what they are working on. We recommend that this initiative launches in the Fall of 2015 with the opening of Viking Hall. As our student staff grows, we see the value in assembling for a cohesive staff meeting once a month and pairing this with our smaller, individualized staff development opportunities. Proposed Time Line of Rollout October 2014 | Student Staff Training Committee members each develop one Exploration for the months of November and December. These four opportunities will be offered to the student staff who will have to select one of their choice. November 2014 | Student Staff Training Committee members will complete test Explorations, and then discuss areas for improvement and expansion based upon feedback from student staff members. The committee will then open for Exploration submissions from Professional Staff Members. December 2014 | Student Staff Training Committee will create the Explorations Offerings and con鍖rm other details with Professional Staff members to solidify our Spring 2015 offerings. January 2015 - May 2015 | Student Staff members will select their Explorations immediately following winter student staff training. These Explorations may begin the week following the conclusion of winter training and will continue into the spring semester. Summer/Fall 2015 | An evaluation will be conducted following the Spring 2015 Explorations to understand areas for improvement and opportunities for growth. The Senior Resident Assistants will also be factored into the plan for Fall 2015 and offerings will be curated from these folks as well as from Professional staff for Fall 2015.