“Best Of” Showcase

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 @ 12 p.m. ET (US)

Putting on an event can feel like something we should all be good at by now, but if you are new to residence life this might be something that is not explicitly taught in professional staff training.  If you feel lost when it is time to put on a program, this session will break the process down into manageable steps and then spend a significant amount of time working through the logistics steps for the event.  (Simply put, how do you bring the plan for the event into actual reality?)  We will also spend time working on adaptability as even the best plans are sometimes disrupted in the moment.  You will walk out of this session with practical skills to help you and your teams stress less about executing programs.

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will be able to outline the ten steps of effective programming
• Participants will be able to deconstruct the logistical details of an event and will determine other considerations for each individual step.Participants will be able to practice adaptability through case study exercises where events don’t go as planned.

Watch here

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 from 3 p.m. ET (US)

We’ve talked the talk about diversifying our staff complements, now it’s time we walk the walk. Many institutional and departmental structures within Student Affairs are catered towards the neurotypical, making it challenging to attract and retain neurodivergent staff. This session aims to illustrate various barriers that exist within our workplaces for neurodivergent staff to succeed. Utilizing universal design principles as well as expertise from mental health professionals, participants will work together to identify solutions for these barriers and build their own personal resource toolkit to coach and support staff.

Learning outcomes:

• Describe how their workplace structures contribute to the lack of accessibility for neurodivergent staff.
• Identify strategies/solutions to address accessibility regarding neurodiversity in the workplace.
• Create a personalized resource toolkit to support and coach neurodivergent staff.

Watch here

Friday, September 20, 2024 from 12 p.m. ET (US)

In this session we will be discussing a new process we have implemented at Texas A&M that allows returning RAs to test out of SOME of RA Training. As you know, live in staff training is a lot to cover in a small amount of time and depending on the number of RAs you have on your campus, it can be a bit of a logistical nightmare not to mention an expensive endeavor. This process is something that we are continuing to refine, but we have had positive responses to this updated system. It has allowed us to dive in deeper with RAs who are returners but struggle with certain areas of their role so they can get more clarity. This has also enabled us to free up time for our returning staff members to complete building prep without being completely sleep deprived to start out their semester! In this presentation we will discuss why we made the decision to go to this model, how we implement this process, and what our results have been so far.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify five reasons their returning RAs could benefit from testing out of portions of RA training.
• Describe the start to finish process for testing out.
• Articulate the effect this process has had on the RA team at Texas A&M University.

Watch here

Thursday, September 26, 2024 @ 12 p.m. ET (US)

Hear from former international student and now on a H1-B workvisa Benedikt Dorweiler on the barriers & navigation of getting to and doing college for international students, and learn/hear tips and tricks how to support these students.

Learning Outcomes:

• Have a basic understanding of the pre-arrival process, terminology, and what barriers our international students have to navigate,
• Gain some advice on what they can do as an individual, in their area, and as a community.

Watch here

Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 3 p.m. ET (US)

Looking to improve your supervision or at least explore different supervision styles? Come to this session where the presenters combined have over 40 years of supervising everyone from student staff to professional staff to union and non-union employees and everyone in between! Reexamine with us Sanford’s Challenge and Support theory and how to use it in your own daily supervision and create and action plan you can use with your staff.

Learning Outcomes:

• Learn how to become a better supervisors, mentors, and coaches
• Share their experiences regarding supervision with other participants
• Reexamine their definition and use of Sanfords’ challenge and support
• Recognize how their biases impact their supervision of staff
• Create action plans to utilize with their staff

Watch here

Friday, September 27, 2024 from 12 p.m. ET (US)

This session will introduce participants to the concept of psychological safety, breaking it down into its four key stages. Attendees will learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of work environments with high and low psychological safety, understand the profound impacts these varying levels can have on both the organization and its employees, and develop individualized action plans to enhance psychological safety within their teams. Through a blend of theoretical insights and practical tools, this session equips any campus housing professional in any functional area with the knowledge and strategies necessary to foster a culture where every team member feels valued, heard, and empowered to contribute meaningfully.

Learning Outcomes:

• Define the concept of psychological safety and identify its four key stages.
• Understand the signs and symptoms of work environments with high psychological safety versus low psychological safety.
• Explain the impacts of varying levels of psychological safety on the organization and employees.
• Create an individualized action plan for increasing psychological safety in their organization.

Watch here