Why Programs?

In the great list of duties a Resident Advisor job has, creating programs and events for residents can seem menial and unnecessary. 

"Why should I have a community dinner? Why should I hold a weekly movie night? Don't I have enough to do? - I'm a student too!"

But programming is actually some of the most important work you can do as an RA. The results are not tangible and cannot be quantified but can make a huge difference between a resident having a positive or negative college experience. The way in which programs are inspired may be because you believe it has always been done and so you are continuing the tradition or your instincts might be telling you to take your residents on a house hike because the exercise and outdoors will be good for the community well-being. What you may not be aware of is that every program and activity you create and utilize within your residence has a theory behind the scenes justifying why your community dinner, house game night, afternoon tea time and creative door tags are significant to a resident.

Learning every residents name and then greeting them by name every time you see them across campus may feel like a polite and kind thing to do. It is also practicing one of the 5 aspects of mattering in Nancy Schlossberg's theory of Marginality and Mattering. You are giving a resident attention and showing them they matter to you.

Encouraging students to join committees, holding game nights or weekly topic discussions reinforces Alexander Astin's theory of involvement because you are giving residents the opportunity to involve themselves in activities outside of the classroom.

Holding registration parties or encouraging residents to suggest and create programs for the house is a perfect example of Nevitt Sanford's theory of challenge and support. You're making sure that residents are able to function independently but also providing them with help if they feel ill equipped.

You, my friend, are an ongoing loop of theory, practice, reflection, adjustment and retry. The diagram below shows all the different things that influence RA programming that you may take into account without realizing it.

Programming is so much more than making sure everyone is happy, fed and having fun. It's about making sure that residents feel like they matter, creating a space for them to gain a sense of belonging, involving them in the community and challenging them to learn beyond their classroom experiences. Learning is all the time and in all places - there is always an opportunity to learn something whether it's academically assessed or not. Resident Advisors are a part of the learning experience for college students - ourselves and our residents. So when you're thinking of planning a program or are feeling inspired reflect on what you are seeing going on in your community between residents and think about how your program may influence those interactions and situations. It may surprise you how often you are thinking beyond dinner to deeper theory and being aware of this can help you with future programming ideas.

Peruse our list of event/program ideas HERE.

We would love for you to share your programs with us HERE.