Talking Stick - July/August 2008 - (Page 48)

Support System Some schools, such as Central Arkansas, SUNY Geneseo, and Radford University in Virginia, have classrooms in the residence halls, where the transition course for first-year students is frequently taught. The proximity of faculty, students, and the residence hall staff promotes communication and collaboration. Faculty also report that a hall location often seems to contribute to a more open, congenial atmosphere in the class. Students know each other, feel connected to one another, and are not afraid to speak. Frequently, these residence hall classrooms are open for all to use when classes are not in session, and they can accommodate tutoring sessions, workshops, advising meetings, and informal study sessions. Dining halls, often a part of a residence hall or hall complex, can also be used to facilitate academic support. Iowa State makes some dining halls a quiet zone when they are not open for food service, providing students a spacious, quiet area to study near their residences. To further enhance academic success, Iowa State also offers math tutoring in some of these accessible, quiet study areas. A more subtle form of academic support that can be offered through the residence halls is programming that specifically parallels and complements the work going on in first-year classes. Many kinds of activities – from showing movies to sponsoring a speaker to setting up a panel discussion – help develop community in the halls and foster academic success if the programming is specifically coordinated with classroom activities. Tougaloo College in Mississippi sponsors Friday Forums that focus on campus issues through the residence halls. DePauw has a planned curriculum for out-of-class programs where floor communities are able to select which programs to attend. At Purchase College, resident assistants offer specific programming synchronized with classroom activities. PEER involvEmEnt Academic support in residence halls can be greatly enhanced by involving student peers, who can be used in many of the same roles as professional staff members – as tutors, academic coaches, mentors, and community supports. One of the challenges that institutions face in supporting students academically is getting the students to raise questions and ask for help in a timely manner. Rather than waiting for a day or a week to seek out the right person in the right office, students are more likely to bring a concern immediately to a peer living in the same hall or even on the same floor. Since student peers have firsthand experiences with the courses, the professors, and the services at their school, they can give excellent advice to new students about academic matters such as prioritizing their schedules, preparing for classes, anticipating highstress times (e.g., midterms), and finding appropriate help. This information can be A career advisement session in SUNY Geneseo’s Allegany Hall with faculty from many disciplines attracted about 50 students. Talking Stick SuNy geNeSeo

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - July/August 2008

Talking Stick - July/August 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar When Politics Come to Your Town Support System Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members Snapshot

Talking Stick - July/August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.