Talking Stick - January/February 2011 - 17

Although Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, have taken different approaches, they both have documented significant results. While these campuses varied in the make-up of their student bodies, one thing remained constant in their responses: both campuses felt that students’ interactions and

might not be getting along with one another,” says Saha. The main focus is engaging all students in conversation, for many students begin to talk openly about social justice issues once a comfortable atmosphere is created. As Saha notes, “This brings about a strong individual relationship between the residential advisor and the student. It’s these strong relationships and the

Kneflin, assistant director of residential life, credits three things for their success: the social justice wing of their apartment complex, community action days on campus, and the programming-based model used in their RA program. Xavier’s programming model for residential advising is essentially mission-based. “The programming model has influenced the ranking from students living in apartment residences,” says Lisa Brown, associate director of the office of residential life. Each RA is required to institute a diversity program and a service program on their floor. These programs typically include a floor gathering to attend a social event on campus or a speaker session on a topic geared toward social and civic engagement. Xavier has also taken an active role in discussing civility on campus. “In addition to the programming, each activity is designed for students to reflect on how it impacts them as a person,” says Kneflin. At the beginning of the academic year, the school distributed pamphlets and e-mails to students describing what it means to be civil. In one apartment complex, each of the four floors had an individual focus on the topic. “Our first floor addresses the importance of being civil in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. The second floor is focused on being civil in the classroom. The third floor lists resources on campus for students to turn to on these issues, and our fourth floor addresses the role the media has played in forming our opinions on this topic,” Kneflin explains. Bulletin boards on each of these floors display pictures and statements related to the individual floor’s focus. On the fourth floor, for example, the boards display pictures of Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan, two celebrities who received publicity for not being respectful of others. “A student may feel more comfortable talking about the recent
january + february 2011

Climate — To what extent do your fellow residents respect people of differing ... Genders
3%

iefs

Races/Ethnicities
4%

Sexual Orientation
4%

Political Views

9% 62% 35% 60% 36% 57% 39% 50%

41%

3% 28% 69%

67%

31%

61%

37%

61%

36%

relationships with residential advisors were the key factors in creating a residential environment that promotes humanitarianism and civic engagement. At Drexel, Subir Saha, the director of residential living, credits their top performance on the ACUHO-I/EBI assessment to the students’ overall satisfaction with residential advisors and to their relationship-based model of residential advising. “RAs are focused on learning each student’s individual story; this brings about more dialogue,” says Saha. In Drexel’s model, RAs must hold a floor event every week but are not obligated to follow a structured programming model. This means that events sometimes take the form of smaller gatherings of students living on a particular floor. “Residential advisors also arrange smaller interactions amongst students, like going out to dinner with four or five students that

high level of student satisfaction with their RAs that have helped us achieve success.” The university’s focus on creating and maintaining a diverse RA population is also a key factor. “In 2006, we realized that we were having difficulty recruiting and retaining RAs of color,” says Saha. “This group of residential advisors said that they did not feel a connection with the campus, so we made changes to our program and to the RA selection process to address these issues.” RAs at Drexel now complete a two-week course in RA competencies that cover those topics related to social justice that may arise in residence halls. Saha specifies two factors that explain Drexel’s success: the increased focus on diversity in the RA population and the emphasis on strong individual relationships within their residential halls. Meanwhile at Xavier University, a Jesuit, Catholic University, Angie

Talking Stick - January/February 2011

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