The First Week and a Half

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!