It may not have taken a village, but it did require two-weeks
of training 84 student
Resident Assistants (RAs) for the University to be ready to
make the more than 2,000 incoming St. John’s freshmen at the
Queens, Staten
Island and
Manhattan campuses feel welcome, safe and comfortable.
The training included workshops on diversity, peer-help, the Vincentian
mission, student
affairs, public
safety, student
wellness and recycling
— and much more. It began on Saturday, August 13 and ran
through August 24 prior to freshmen move-in day, Thursday, Aug.
25.
Participants found the Center
for Counseling and Consultation’s sessions on suicide
prevention, eating disorders and sexual harassment extremely
helpful. “It’s the University’s responsibility to make everyone on
campus aware of the warning signs and to give them guidance on how
to respond,” said Edward Hattauer, the Center’s Director.
“We are very proud of how comprehensive and proactive our RA
training was this year,” said Corie Richards, Residence Director,
Century Hall, who was one of the project leaders. “In designing the
program, we factored in information we got from student surveys on
the kind of support they need from Residence Life and RAs,” she
explained.
Program highlights included the annual Campus
Ministry Vincentian Dinner, the Organization Fair which
showcases all student clubs and organizations and a half-day
workshop on diversity presented by the
American Conference on Diversity —who are noted experts in the
field.
In addition, RAs were given tee shirts with the word
“Recyclemaniac” on them, at a sustainability
breakfast. “The shirts underscore how essential it is to the
University that RAs help residence students be in compliance with
recycling rules,” said Thomas Goldsmith, Director of Energy and
Environmental Conservation.
“Our training was very informative and helpful,” said Janae
Perkins,’13C, a first-time, Staten Island RA. “I feel prepared to
meet the challenges of my position. Knowing what I need to
do, for example, when roommate and other sensitive student issues
arise, makes me feel much more confident that I will be an
effective RA.”
Noting that RAs play an active role in residence students’ lives,
Ms. Richards added, “Being an RA provides an invaluable opportunity
for personal growth and for developing leadership skills.”