Community Building Rotation 2: Reese Hall

Reese Hall hosted a community builder to promote alcohol and substance abuse awareness to residents just as they are heading home for the holidays.

There is always a push for these CBs prior to fall and spring break, but I really think it is genius to do something around this time as residents are preparing to head back home, going to reunite with friends they haven't seen in a while, etc. I don't know if that was the intent behind having this type of community builder now, but I think it's great!

The Reese RAs invited Office Roach out to the loft to talk about the effects that alcohol can have on your judgement, vision, motor skills, etc. RAs had set up Mario Kart, Water Pong, as well as Flip Cup for residents to try both unimpaired and impaired by the drunk goggles.

Things I learned:
I do not like root beer.
How to play Flip Cup.
That it is nearly impossible to grab the cup in flip cup with the goggles on (I knocked it across the room once).
Mario Kart + drunk goggles will make you sick.

Residents really enjoyed socializing, learning, attempting, and just overall interacting in this CB, and I am very proud of all the Reese RAs involved!

Great job, Reese!

Until next time,
Chelsea Oliver
WAGA

RA of the Month: November

The West Area Wolfpack is proud to have Tannen Smith representing us as the West Area RA of the Month for November!

Let's hear from his nominator, Amy Gardner:

"Every time I walk onto the Ground floor of Hess, I see residents mingling in the study lounge or playing video games. Tannen always has his door open to be available to the amazing community he has built on his floor. Community Builders are a frequent occurrence on the floor with a weekly academic initiative of “Study Group Sunday.” The floor comes together each week to work on homework and study for any upcoming exams they may have. Educational components are not forgotten with events like “Cookies and Credit Scores” to inform residents about credit and how important it is even if they are only freshman. 

Tannen creates a warm environment on the floor while remaining approachable and upbeat by having his door open. His residents absolutely adore him and love spending time with him. A few of his residents are applying to be RAs for the upcoming year. 

Not only is he an incredible RA, he is a devoted member of our RA team; always willing to help out with a project, spend time with others, and be a positive role model for the staff. We are so lucky to have him in Hess Hall."

Congratulations, Tannen, and keep up the great work!

Chelsea Oliver

WAGA

Community Building Rotation 2: South Carrick Hall

I had the privilege of experiencing a South Carrick tradition, the Art Auction!

For those of you who don't know, the Art Auction is a fundraising community builder held every year to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

First, I was treated to a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner sponsored by SCRA. This dinner was catered from Chandler's Deli, and featured turkey and all the fixins'.

After dinner, the RAs had set out paint supplies in the lobby. Residents could venture to the front desk for a canvas, and create their masterpiece! The only catch: the painting must be returned to the front desk upon completion.

I sat and painted for almost an hour, in the company of wonderful friends Sam McElfresh, Stephanie Powers, Heather Cox, and Laura Reasor, along with many South Carrick residents.

Below are a few pictures of the masterpieces on display in the South Carrick lobby! Get over there to get your biddin' on!

Great job, South Carrick!

Until next time,
Chelsea Oliver
WAGA

Community Building Rotation #2: North Carrick Hall

I had the pleasure of attending a community builder on nutrition presented by Ross Johnson of North Carrick Hall last night.

Ross provided a very informative presentation on the impact that nutrition can have on finals performance and overall feelings of well-being. I think one of the most useful parts of the presentation were the guidelines presented for eating at campus establishments. For instance, when eating at PCB, good meal options include a large spinach salad piled with boiled eggs, kidney beans, sunflower seeds, and many of the other yummy toppings provided. If salad is not your thing, consider making a sandwich on the panini press or try the fish option! For dessert, opt for a bowl of cereal or a yogurt, granola, and fruit parfait instead of the cobblers or cookies. One of the most useful tidbits of information for me was the tip for Einsteins. Being a business student, I spend quite a bit of time in the Haslam Business Building. I run to Einsteins for a quick afternoon snack every now and then, but I always find it difficult to find a healthy option there [they're usually out of the fresh fruit by the afternoon]. Ross suggested a whole wheat bagel thin with light cream cheese spread. I didn't even know they had bagel thins! I know what my go-to snack will be from now on!
 

Enjoy the pictures below, and congratulations to Ross on a successful community builder!

Residents listening intently as Ross outlines some nutrition guidelines.

Pre-presentation chatter.

Until next time,
Chelsea Oliver
WAGA

Community Building Rotation #2: Hess Hall

Joe Buckner of Hess Hall put on a hall-wide community builder to address the concerns of Hess residents.

This community builder had a town hall setup. Joe invited hall director Richie Kenney, the two SGA Senators representing Hess Hall, and Joe spoke from the RA prospective. Residents raised concerns or questions that they had about living in Hess Hall, and the panel provided insight into possible solutions  or ways to address these concerns.

The residents were very engaged in this discussion, and the suggestions were very interesting. They ranged from the very silly: "Hess doesn't smell good." to the very important: "How can we work to use the wasted/discarded food from campus facilities for the betterment of the Knoxville community?"

The Senators had good ideas for bills to draft during the spring homework, Richie was given ideas for general building improvement. Joe was an excellent facilitator, and was very understanding and welcoming of all suggestions.

He even provided pigs in a blanket for attendees. They were heavenly.

Great job on a successful community builder, Joe!

Early arrivals grabbing some snacks!

Post-Town Hall discussion among senators and residents.

SGA Senator explaining the role he plays and how residents can get involved.

 Until next time,
Chelsea Oliver
WAGA

Community Building Rotation #2: Morrill Hall

Give Back, Give Books.

This community builder was different from any that I have attended this year. Why? It encouraged reflection and giving and overall community awareness of the residents. I love the idea and I loved the program.

Lauren Owsley and Curtis Bowrey of Morrill's 12th and 13th floors were the brains behind the community builder. Residents were asked to bring a new or slightly used book with them, suitable for anyone ages 0-18. [There were quite a few donations of "The Accidental Asian."] These books are going to be donated to the Mission of Hope (read about it here) at the end of the month. After the community builder, signs were put up throughout Morrill to encourage hall-wide participation in the book drive.

The community builder provided a time for residents to participate in fun, stress-relieving holiday activities. Residents were encouraged to cut out snowflakes for floor decorations, and decorate holiday trees using ice cream cones, icing, and candy. Residents could take their creations with them, eat them, or leave  them as floor decorations.

Check out a few pictures!

The wonderful hosts, Curtis and Lauren!

Curtis sharing information about poverty in America and Tennessee with residents.

The food line!

Holiday trees in the making! Smile everyone!

Hard at work, creating masterpieces.

Snacks and Socializing!

Great job, Curtis and Lauren!!

Chelsea
WAGA

RA of the Month: October

Congratulations to Collin Napier of Reese Hall on being selected as the West Area RA of the Month for the month of October.

Lets see what Collin's nominators, John Michael VanHorn and Michael Banks, had to say about him:

"Collin is working on his Masters in secondary education and has had a very busy semester with student teaching, class, and his work as an RA. Collin leaves campus every morning around 7:00 and teaches for the entire day and does not return to campus until 4:30 or 5. He then has night classes several nights a week. Even with these busy days, Collin is still extremely dedicated to his residents and the Reese Hall staff. Collin has seemed to continuously have great programs, door decorations, and bulletin boards. Collin worked this month to get Reese a new grill and had a cookout with his floor which had an attendance of 25+. He has great relationships with his residents and seems to know the majority of them on a personal level. The following was one of Collin’s interactions from October that I feel shows the type of relationships that Collin has formed on his floor.

Howe, Sean, and Avery came by my room when I had the door closed and unplugged the pumpkin light I have out my door. Not only did they unplug it but they took the cord and put it inside the pumpkins mouth. They were just messing around, but little did they know that I was looking out the peep hole… muwahaha. I saw them come back from PCB and go into their room so I took the pumpkin down to their room, plugged it in right in front of their door and then door-bell ditched them (banged on the door and ran). When they saw the pumpkin they were kind of freaked out and started asking each other if somebody saw them. After a few minutes of laughter behind my door I came out and told them that I saw the whole thing and have eyes in the back of my head. They thought it was pretty funny, and I successfully proved to them that even when my door is closed I am very aware of what goes on in the hallway.

Collin really showed his dedication to Reese and the staff during the Haunted House this year. He put in countless hours in the days leading up to the event by helping with advertising and construction of the event. Monday night right after work Collin was at Reese ready to go for the first night of the Haunted House. Collin worked throughout the night until we finished at about 2:30 a.m. The next morning Collin woke up sick with fever. He had to go to work that day because he was being supervised by several of his professors. That night for the Haunted House, Collin worked to find replacement actors for him, which he did. The next day, still sick, Collin spent several hours helping clean up. Collin also took the Praxis this past Saturday which he studied for while still working with the Haunted House and his everyday RA duties.

Collin never complains about the work load or anything that is ever asked of him. He has almost twice the amount of work load that the average RA has and still does everything to the best of his ability. I have always described Collin as the RA that only has to be asked once to do something and it will be done right the first time without fail. Collin seems to fly under the radar much of the time in Reese because he goes about his business and takes care of what needs to be done. Collin has no problem saying how much he has loved his time as an RA in Reese and this also shows in his dedication to his residents and his fellow staff members."

Congratulations, Collin!

Chelsea Oliver

WAGA

November Bulletin Boards

Greetings!

Below you will find pictures of the bulletin boards submitted for the November Bulletin Board contest, as well as a link to the voting site! [Note: Remember the number of the bulletin board you wish to vote for when you go to the voting site. It doesn't have pictures.] Excellent work, to all!

I will announce the winner on November 21st. Voting will remain open until then!

Vote Here!

Entry 1:"Lets Save the World! & Water"

Entry 2: "No Shave November" & "Facts About Alcohol"

Entry 3: "Gobble Up a Good Book" & "What Are You Thankful For?"

 Entry 4: "V for Vendetta" & Light Cover

Entry 5: "The Trustworthiness of Beards"

Entry 6: "What are You Thankful For?"

Entry 7: "Gopher the Grades"

Community Building Rotation #2: Humes Hall

I had the pleasure of attending the Pinterest Night community builder hosted by Stef Powers of Humes Hall for her residents of Humes 5 West.

I was greeted with "slutty brownies"..and it couldn't have been a nicer welcome to the community builder! For those of you who don't know, "slutty brownies" are a cookie base, Oreos in the middle, and brownies on top. So. Delicious.

Next, Stef provided supplies and her sewing expertise to her residents and assisted them in making a variety of crafts, mostly made from old t-shirts. A few of the creations are displayed below!

Stef and her residents bonding over sweet treats!

Slutty brownies!

Converting t-shirts into tank tops.

Humes RA Molly Kate Benson showed up to support Stef and shows off her new t-shirt tank!

One of Stef's residents, Meghan, and myself modeling our t-shirt headbands!

Awesome job, Stef!

Until next time,
Chelsea Oliver
WAGA

RA of the Month, September 2012

Congratulations to Drew Nash of Morrill Hall's 7th floor for being selected as the West Area RA of the Month! See what Drew's nominators said about him below:

During the month of September, Drew Nash has been instrumental in his role as a returning RA for Morrill Hall. Morrill houses many of the university’s living and learning communities (LLC), and Drew is responsible for the 62 freshman males in the Chancellor’s Honors Program LLC on his floor. Drew has taken it upon himself to see that both his residents and other honors residents in the hall have the opportunity to work with the student-run Honors Community Board. This board serves as the primary programming body for the Honors students, and this past month Drew has given his time to make sure that meeting locations are secured, and that body members are readily notified of Honors Community Board events and meetings. Drew’s involvement with his LLC does not stop there. In mid-September he attended an interdepartmental meeting between University Housing and the LLC advisers, to give and get feedback on how all of the LLCs in Morrill Hall can be improved.

Drew set the bar high for community development in September. In mid-September, every RA is required to take a resident name test that demonstrates their knowledge of resident names and room numbers. Drew had a perfect score for his floor, and only missed 2 names for his buddy RA’s floor out of 124 total residents. It is clear that he has taken initiative to personally know the individuals on these floors. Additionally, he attended the LLC whitewater rafting trip and insisted that he go down the river with a raft full of his residents.

Also, Drew centered the focus of his September bulletin board on roommate agreement contracts. He took a survey from all of his residents asking how they want to approach issues of the trash getting taken out, study time in the room, and other preferences for how to resolve conflicts. He posted the anonymous results on his bulletin board to display how many of the residents have similar preferences when it comes to different situations. Though Drew planned and led 4 community builder programs in the month of September, his trivia night, had over 30 residents from his floor and his buddy floor attend. What was more impressive was that everyone who attended stayed for the entire duration of the program.

One of the biggest strengths that Drew has brought to the hall staff in September is his set of technology skills. In September, many staff members were still struggling with how to effectively use the newly distributed iPads for work use. To ease our frustrations, Drew became our personal technology guru, and developed applications that made housing forms readily available for all staff members. He has also been the mastermind behind our hall website, designing a calendar for our RAs, head staff, and hall association to advertise hall events! The website also includes a suggestions for hall improvement section, where residents can submit their ideas. Without Drew, this site would not have been not be up and running at all, let alone in the first full month of school.

Last, but certainly not least, Drew’s composure in responding to incidents in the hall has been phenomenal. He has been instrumental in assisting first year RAs with their first incidents and hall situations and has responded to his own situations in the most professional of manners. He has consistently made sure that all of his facts and necessary resident information were ready for campus police and head staff when they arrived to help with an incident. He has been instrumental in seeing that hall operations run smoothly and community development is a priority. His entire staff is thankful for his work.

Keep up the excellent work, Drew!

Chelsea Oliver
WAGA