It's been a great first week and a half here at the University of Southern Indiana. Here are some projects I've been working on:
-- RA training for the fall. I am responsible for creating the schedule and ensuring that the two-week training, which begins in early August for USI's 60+ RAs, does not overwhelm new RAs, and keeps the attention of returning RAs. I've been able to research RA training at other institutions, and to work on some Behind Closed Doors scenarios, too.
-- Weekend programming for 2011-2012. Housing and Residence Life is seeking to transform their "Friday Night Fun" events into larger programming initiatives that students will easily associate with the department. The department reports to the provost, and the provost is a huge fan of weekend programming because he believes it can keep many of USI's students on campus, so I was given a fairly substantial budget for it.
-- Orientation. Last Friday and Saturday were the first two summer orientations for new students. On Friday I attended most of the orientation events (parent question and answer, welcome for new students, etc.) and on both days helped staff the Housing and Residence Life table. I really enjoyed interacting with the parents and meeting many of USI's new students. I also billed students for orientation and became very familiar with RMS, USI's version of Adirondack.
-- Informational interviews with everyone in the department: the director, the business operations manager, the facilities manager, area coordinators, and more. Plus an informational interview today with the director of wellness and recreation, and another one next week with the multicultural center's director.
-- Upcoming: research on QVR (the barcodes that smartphones can identify), research on how USI can better utilize social media (did you notice I made a Twitter account?), work on an alcohol campaign, and a bystander intervention program that goes way beyond sexual assault (more on that later). Lots more, too!
Sorry for the quick update, but I'm in the middle of reading How College Affects Students, which I found at USI's beautiful new library. Everyone is very friendly here and I most enjoy spending time with students at evening programs at the Community Center, where my office is located. I feel like I've been here for much longer than a week and I can't believe my internship will be 25% complete on Friday. It's going by quickly!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
My First Weekend
After a great first year as a College Student Personnel M.Ed. student at Ohio University, I've moved to Evansville, IN to begin an 8-week internship with the Department of Housing and Residence Life at the University of Southern Indiana. I found USI in February through ACUHO-I (the Association of College and University Housing Officers- International) and I chose USI over a few other offers because I couldn't get over how friendly the two professionals who interviewed me were, and because I've been looking for some experience not just in residence life, but with judicial work and conference services. I felt good about my decision from the start, and I feel even better about it after my first two days in Evansville.
I arrived in Evansville yesterday afternoon after a 7-hour drive from Athens. Kourtney, an Area Coordinator with HRL, met me outside of my new apartment, located in Leslie Hall. The apartment contains a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. I have the option of having a roommate-- I haven't had one since my freshman year at Miami University-- and I told Kourtney I would make a decision by Tuesday.
After moving in, I made a trip to the local Wal*Mart to stock up on groceries, then ended the day by exploring USI's beautiful campus. Leslie Hall is located in a large residential area containing several apartment buildings, most of which look the same. I would estimate that each building contains somewhere between 8 and 12 units-- definitely human scale. I believe there are a few suite-style buildings that resemble more traditional residence halls on campus, too. The Housing and Residence Life office is located right across the street from Leslie Hall, so my commute will be short (although not as short as my elevator ride from Bromley 610 to my office on the first floor!). I passed my new office building on the way to the "main" part of campus. I'm not sure if it has a name like "College Green" (OU) or "Academic Quad" (MU), but it's a beautiful area that contains a lot of new buildings, fountains, seating, and green space. I found a few administrative buildings, the rec center (a few students were playing basketball on a court outside the facility), the library, and the student center, which, although it was closed, looked impressive from the outside. I can't wait to learn more about these buildings and explore campus even more.
USI is located about two miles from the closest retail area. The campus seems pretty isolated from the rest of Evansville but it's a quick drive to a suburban area with everything I'll need to get by this summer. This morning, I ventured back to this suburban area and made a stop at a local grocery store, and then I ventured a few more miles down the Lloyd Expressway, one of the city's main thoroughfares, to downtown. My first stop was the Evansville Visitors Center, located in a building called "The Pagoda." The employee staffing the desk is a current USI student, and only had positive things to say. Another employee working in the building also raved about USI; apparently Newman Hall on campus is named after her father (!). These two people gave me a ton of literature on events and places to visit, and also recommended that I stroll down the walking path by the river, which I did. It's a beautiful day in Evansville, so a lot of people were out doing the same thing.
After my walk, I decided to drive around downtown a little more in search of a coffee shop with wi-fi. I found a neat-looking street with a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and clubs, but it seemed like everything was closed. Fortunately I ran into some kind people who told me that the nearest coffee shop with wi-fi was at Casino Aztar. They pointed me in the direction of Casino Aztar, where I found a coffee shop called the "Riverside Cafe" (formerly a Starbucks). That's where I am now.
It's been a great weekend so far, and I can't wait to make the most of my internship at USI (work starts Tuesday) and the most of every minute in Evansville. I've been really impressed with how friendly complete strangers have been to me, and the area by the river-- I'm looking out at the river right now from my seat at this cafe-- is beautiful. I usually adjust to new environments pretty quickly, and I can already tell that USI and Evansville won't be an exception.
I arrived in Evansville yesterday afternoon after a 7-hour drive from Athens. Kourtney, an Area Coordinator with HRL, met me outside of my new apartment, located in Leslie Hall. The apartment contains a living room, a kitchen, and two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. I have the option of having a roommate-- I haven't had one since my freshman year at Miami University-- and I told Kourtney I would make a decision by Tuesday.
After moving in, I made a trip to the local Wal*Mart to stock up on groceries, then ended the day by exploring USI's beautiful campus. Leslie Hall is located in a large residential area containing several apartment buildings, most of which look the same. I would estimate that each building contains somewhere between 8 and 12 units-- definitely human scale. I believe there are a few suite-style buildings that resemble more traditional residence halls on campus, too. The Housing and Residence Life office is located right across the street from Leslie Hall, so my commute will be short (although not as short as my elevator ride from Bromley 610 to my office on the first floor!). I passed my new office building on the way to the "main" part of campus. I'm not sure if it has a name like "College Green" (OU) or "Academic Quad" (MU), but it's a beautiful area that contains a lot of new buildings, fountains, seating, and green space. I found a few administrative buildings, the rec center (a few students were playing basketball on a court outside the facility), the library, and the student center, which, although it was closed, looked impressive from the outside. I can't wait to learn more about these buildings and explore campus even more.
USI is located about two miles from the closest retail area. The campus seems pretty isolated from the rest of Evansville but it's a quick drive to a suburban area with everything I'll need to get by this summer. This morning, I ventured back to this suburban area and made a stop at a local grocery store, and then I ventured a few more miles down the Lloyd Expressway, one of the city's main thoroughfares, to downtown. My first stop was the Evansville Visitors Center, located in a building called "The Pagoda." The employee staffing the desk is a current USI student, and only had positive things to say. Another employee working in the building also raved about USI; apparently Newman Hall on campus is named after her father (!). These two people gave me a ton of literature on events and places to visit, and also recommended that I stroll down the walking path by the river, which I did. It's a beautiful day in Evansville, so a lot of people were out doing the same thing.
After my walk, I decided to drive around downtown a little more in search of a coffee shop with wi-fi. I found a neat-looking street with a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and clubs, but it seemed like everything was closed. Fortunately I ran into some kind people who told me that the nearest coffee shop with wi-fi was at Casino Aztar. They pointed me in the direction of Casino Aztar, where I found a coffee shop called the "Riverside Cafe" (formerly a Starbucks). That's where I am now.
It's been a great weekend so far, and I can't wait to make the most of my internship at USI (work starts Tuesday) and the most of every minute in Evansville. I've been really impressed with how friendly complete strangers have been to me, and the area by the river-- I'm looking out at the river right now from my seat at this cafe-- is beautiful. I usually adjust to new environments pretty quickly, and I can already tell that USI and Evansville won't be an exception.
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