Hello all! Well, school’s been in session for most of us for several weeks now and we know what that means: programs!! Getting students engaged outside of the classroom is one of the most important components to learning, so it’s important that we do it effectively and creatively! The folks in Residence Life offices typically have good ideas regarding programming because it’s so much of what they do. So, below is a list of Residence Life programs from ResidentAssistant.com that could be adapted to other offices and other causes. Feel free to visit the website for more ideas not on this list. I hope you find something you like!
Back to Kindergarten
It's mainly for stress relief. Gather stuff for finger painting, coloring, games, story books, play-do, etc; anything you want to do that's fun and that's a thing you might do in kindergarten. It's a great way to have fun and relieve stress, and with enough imagination, there should be something for everybody.
Candlelight Vigil
A candle light service in remembrance of an event. This particular event was in held in remembrance of those lost in Kosovo. They invited guest speakers from the history and political science department to talk about the history of the Balkan peninsula so there would be a greater understanding of what's going on over there and also to give attendees a chance to think about their feelings regarding the event. One of the RA's is from Macedonia and he was going home for the summer, so he spoke about his feelings and how the war is affecting him. They also had another RA sing and play the guitar as we lit our candles in remembrance and accepted donations (food, toiletries, blankets...etc) to send over there. The food service company had boxes all over the campus for all students (not just residents) to place their donations. This is program is easily adaptable to commemorate or memorialize almost any event and is simple enough to add different aspects of creativity.
Chicken Soup for the College Soul
This is an opportunity for an on-going program. Once a month you serve chicken soup and focus on one of the chicken soup for the soul books, or a particular chapter. For instance, February could encompass couple chicken soup tales, and you can have a round table discussion, after reading at least three stories. The number of stories read will depend upon the reflection conversation. But, it is a great way to de-stress and bond with other students. It gives us the opportunity to tackle issues together that we all deal with.
Other Considerations:
Consider the time of year and the audience you wish to attract. Try to expand this so both genders feel welcome by making it topics both genders can speak about. For instance, if it is February and you are working with Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul why not open it up to couples?
Late Night Stress Relief
Description: Monday or Tuesday night of Finals week, put together a late night breakfast, at around 10 pm, held in the cafeteria. Serve traditional breakfast food such as crepes, waffle, pancakes, bacon, eggs, etc. and allow students to take a break from studying. The RAs also handed out a sheet containing study tips that they could use. Events like this usually have a large turn out, so this is a good opportunity to collaborate with other departments.
Poetry Corner
Get a bunch of people together that read, write, or are interested in poetry. Get everyone to meet in a designated room and have 30 minute reading sessions where everyone gets to read either their work or someone else’s. Then, have 30 min or so of writing as a group. Start off by having someone write a line and then passing the sheet around the room until the poem is completed. You can come up with some really interesting work.
Walking Dogs at an Animal Shelter
Pick one day each week to go to the local animal shelter to walk the dogs, and play with the animals. The animal shelter always needs volunteers, and the animals love the
attention.
Return to Sender
Return to Sender is a way for students to send a care package home to their parents, or anyone they see fit. Have participants sign up to be involved first. Then, bake brownies, cookies, muffins, etc. the day before. At the program, the students can put their packages together to send home. You can provide cards and some pictures to include in the packages. You could also include decorating materials so that the participants can decorate the outside of their boxes if they chose. When the packages are done, take them to the post office to be sent out.
Other Considerations: This is a program you need to know you will have participation in before you can do it. If not you will end up with a lot of baked goods with no one to send them to.
Frustration Piñata
Have students write their pet peeves on index cards. These annoyances can be anything from tests and classes to university policies and parking. Tape these index cards on a piñata filled with candy, treats, toys, and small pamphlets/flyers with useful information pertinent to finals period. Let the students hit the piñata once and attempt to break.
Other Considerations:
Make sure there is order when the students hit the piñata. You don't want anyone to get hurt since there is a bat involved.
Also, this is a good opportunity to talk about stress management. After the piñata is broken, you, along with a representative from your school's mental health office, can talk about different ways to deal with stress in a healthy manner.
Have fun (and take pictures!)
Who wants to be a millionaire?
This is just a basic spin on the hit ABC series "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" It uses a variety of questions, from academic to sexual to spiritual/emotional. It works best when you do it at least four nights. Just like the real show, you keep suspense by ending after 45 minutes to an 1 hour, no matter where you are in the game.
Instructions/Things Needed:
about 450-500 questions
computers to display questions (we did them on Powerpoint)
prizes (or money if your school actually lets you give away money)
Other Considerations:
Since often times funding is limited, make the top few questions extremely difficult.
SEX AND CANDY
This activity provides students with a fun way to learn about STDs, pregnancy risk, etc.
Get a group of about 20-30 students together of mixed gender. Prepare a paper bag with 4 or 5 different pieces of candy for each resident. Without telling the students what exactly is going on, have them interact 3 to 5 times with different residents (gender is not important) by having the person reach blindly into the other's bag and taking a piece of candy and then the other resident in the exchange doing the same. After residents have completed this, tell them that the people who they exchanged candy with were actual sexual partners who they had unprotected sex with. (Statistics show that most college seniors have had at least 3 unprotected sexual encounters!!!) Emphasize that the blind exchange of candy is representative of the exchange of STDs, etc. that can take place when people don't protect themselves. Next have the students sit and find out what diseases they have as a result of their behavior.
Each piece of candy would be assigned a consequence. For example, a mini Snickers bar would be genital warts, Smarties would be herpes and a Jolly Rancher would be an unplanned pregnancy. When revealing what candy is what consequence, give out basic information about disease, ways to avoid as well as ways to cure or treat it. I have found that this program keeps the residents captivated and they don't feel as if it's one more Sex Ed program that they don't want to go to. Instead they want to figure out what diseases they might have and really think that it could happen to them if they're not careful.
Look, Mom! I'm an Author!
The idea is to write a poem, then get students together and illustrate the poem. Then, get the pages laminated, bind them together. Now, students have created a children's book! Here's the kicker, you donate the book to a local hospital to give to new parents or another organization that deals with children. With the book, you can include a pamphlet about local "learn to read" programs, so that parents who don't know how to read may be encouraged to learn how to read the book to their child. Depending on how many students show up for the event, you can maybe even several books!
Instructions\Things Needed:
Construction Paper
Access to binding and lamination materials
Baby shower
Plan an event that is very similar to a real baby shower. Have students bring gifts suitable for a baby. When the students arrive have baby shower games for students to play, a variety of prizes, and food! Also include some baby shower-type decorations to go along with the theme. Donate the gifts to a woman's shelter or person/organization that is in need of the items.
Other Considerations: Encourage people to bring some type of small gift or encourage students to split the cost of pricier items like diapers.
Garage Sale
Collect items that students and others are willing to donate and set up a drop off location. Price the items collected and hold a garage sale. Donate the money collected to a local charity.
Stress Free Week
A week before midterms or finals when people are stressed out, tell the students that for one week they can donate non-perishable food items and clothing to a centralized location. When they bring the item give them one ticket. (Make sure to keep a tally of how many tickets each person gets). When the week is over they can redeem their tickets for things like an snacks, prizes, movie passes, etc. all of which can be worth different ticket prices. The items are then donated to a local charity.
Instructions Things Needed:
Place to collect items
Tickets
Tally sheet (in case they lose their tickets)
List of prizes and costs
Prizes
Book Club
Choose a book per month and bring people together who have read the book to discuss it. Ask them questions about the book like why they liked it, what they got out of it, what they thought of this or that event in the book. Try to choose books with pressing social issues (ex. eating disorders, poverty, sexual/racial/gay discrimination).
Other Considerations:
Some people read at a slower pace or do not have time to read. Maybe choose one book with a lot of short stories or essays.
Brain teasers
Find a dozen or so riddles--some easy, some challenging. Then post them in a location that is popular for students. The first student to turn in all 15 answers by a certain time, or the student with the most correct answers, gets a prize. This allows students to have fun with and solve problems at the same time. The riddles can also be challenging math or statistics problems.
Paper-Editing Party
Arrange a time and place for students to enjoy pizza and other snacks while getting assistance from English and writing tutors on work due for class. Students can ask questions about writing issues that they’ve experienced and get assistance in a fun environment. It can also count as volunteer hours for the tutors should they need them.
Below are a couple of sites that list additional volunteer events
http://lancaster.unl.edu/4h/serviceideas.shtml
Regarded as the guiding doctrine describing the relationship between students, parents and colleges, in loco parentis in higher education refers to institutions’ legal right to act in place of parents in some instances. Although this doctrine guided the relationship between colleges, students and parents for many decades, it is often referred to in the past tense, having reached its decline in the 1960s.
However, many higher ed professionals question whether Millennial matriculation and infamous “helicopter” parents are beckoning a re-emergence of this erstwhile doctrine. Some even question whether the concept of in loco parentis was ever abandoned. Gavin Henning, in the article, “Is In Consortio Cum Parentibus the New In Loco Parentis?” suggests that higher education is experiencing the generation of a new model to guide the colleges’ relationships with students and parents.
In consortio cum parentibus, or “in partnership with parents” is designed for traditional-aged students and their parents. It defines and guides the relationship between the institution, students and parents, and directs the work of student affairs professionals.
The model assumes that students learn from an autonomous decision-making process and being held accountable for those decisions. The model also accepts that students have certain rights that must be protected and acknowledged by higher education institutions. Finally, this model acknowledges that students today are more connected with their parents than previous generations and that parents have significant influence on their child’s behavior. Thus, higher education professionals need to partner with parents and use them as a resource in educating students.
Below are some resources to help higher ed professionals partner with parents.
Is In Consortio Cum Parentibus the New In Loco Parentis?
By Gavin Henning
journals.naspa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1835&context=jsarp
How to Safely Land Helicopter Parents
By Chris Chavez (University of Southern California)
Reframing the Way We Think About Parental Involvement
By Robert Reason and Jennifer Mallen (Penn State)
www.parentprogram.psu.edu/presentations.shtml
Managing Millennial Parents
By Kayla Hersperger (Slippery Rock University)
fyrst.sru.edu/FYE_Assessment/mMP.ppt
Happy reading!Cynthia Sullivan
Assistant Academic Advisor
The University of Texas at Austin
