RA TRAINING 101 JOURNAL

Journal Assignment 1
In A Big Country

In which country is your institution located? United States.

What makes your country special? Are there outstanding features or characteristics which have
always meant something to you? What kind of history do you feel others should know about
your country? Its Murica, thats all you need to know. Land of the free and the brave. Founded
by immigrants and we go to war a lot to help others.

What symbols represent your country? Would an outsider want to be familiar with those
symbols in order to feel more comfortable? Bald eagle, statue of liberty. Outside would want to
be familiar with those symbols because it represents freedom, something they might not have
back in their country.

What language is chiefly spoken in your country? Is that the same language that is primarily
spoken at your institution? Primary language is English and secondary is Spanish.

What is the status of higher education in your country? Is it affordable? How supportive is your
government of your students opportunities to learn? Is education valued? Is an education
available to anyone whos interested in it? Its free until you graduate high school but most cant
afford college due to extreme high prices. Texas government helps their students a lot, in my
opinion it helps a bit more than federal. Education its valued in families that have first
generation students.

Why might a student from another country consider coming to yours for their university study?
Medical school and business school.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 2
State/Province

In what state/province (or other area) is your institution located? Texas, Hidalgo county.

Is your institution funded publicly (such as a state university in the U.S.)? How does this funding
impact your institutions reputation in the state/province? Do you know the level of funding
your institution receives from the state/province? (For example, when I began working, the
State funded approximately 68% of the cost of operation for our campus. Today, that funding is
down to 34 %.) UTRGV is founded by in state and federal. People who get help are deeply
appreciated for the opportunity they get to study. No.

How easy is it to get to your institution? Are you somewhere in the remote Australian outback,
or are you in a coastal city with land, sea and air transportation easily available? If you put it in
the GPS, its really easy also there is a lot of signs showing where the school is located.

What kinds of things would make a student who is not from your state/province wish to attend
your institution? Its Texas, everyones loves Texas. UTRGV offers a students excellent
experience to be in a diverse environment while having amazing teachers to learn from.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 3
Location, Location, Location

Are you in an urban or rural setting (for example, are you a college in Boston, Massachusetts, or
in Bowling Green, Ohio)? my setting is metropolitan area.

What is your institutions relationship with the town/city in which youre located? Do you think
this relationship would be different if you were located differently? Are there relationship
issues between your campus and the town, or are things generally pretty friendly (or, are you
not really aware of the relationship?) The relationship between my city and school is great. Both
benefit from each other. If they werent located so close to each other the relationship between
each other would be extremely different.

Because of your location, what can students expect at your campus? What kinds of things might
be easier for them because of your location? What types of things might they find more
difficult? My campus has a lot of events going on at the same time. School is very affordable
while having great teachers. Its easier to meet others and create long lasting relationships.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 4
So what is it about your campus thats special? Lets think about it.

How would you describe the campus and campus life to potential students? What are the
things you find interesting about living there? Has it been a good experience for you? Would
you recommend on-campus living to others? Living in the dormitories helps a lot. You are able
to be involve in school while having enough time to study. Going to classes is extremely easy
since everything is relatively close.

What is the history of the campus? What kinds of achievements did graduates or faculty/staff at
your campus make? (Did you have Nobel Prize recipients who worked there? Students who
won Fulbright Scholarships? An Academy-Award-winning actor?) Did your campus play a major
role in historical events (was it home to a field hospital during the Civil War?) UTRGV was
recently created. it was a combination between UTPA and UT Brownsville. Together they
provide a great opportunity for students to learn and create a path towards greater education.

What traditions does your campus have? Is there a special way you welcome new students to
campus (a special ceremony like all new students walk through a special gate), or something
people must do before graduating? Since the campus is new, traditions havent not really been
set.

Whats your campus mascot? How was that mascot selected? (Have you heard of the UC Santa
Cruz Banana Slugs?) Are there special sports fan groups? (We had the Bleacher Creatures for
hockey when I attended undergrad). We are Vaqueros (cowboys) and was selected by a UT
committee located Austin. There is special sports fan groups to support our athletes.

Whats the student population like at your campus? Is it a diverse campus not just racially, but
ethnically, socio-economically, etc.? Are your students from blue collar families or first
generation college students, or are they legacy, white collar families? Has that population
shifted over the years? Student population at UTRGV is about 30k, its very diverse and will
continue to grow into the biggest university in south texas soon. Most students are first
generations students.

How does your campus make people feel like they belong? Do all new students get shirts or car
decals at Orientation? How are visitors welcomed to your campus? Is there a special visitor

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

center/space for those coming to campus thats easy to locate and park? Are maps of campus
available (either paper maps or way-finding signs posted around campus?) My campus makes
me students feel like they belong by having a friendly environment and helping them make new
friends. Most of the students I know have great school spirit, either by getting shirts or logos
hang in their car or rooms. My room personally is swag out with UTRGV spirit.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 5
A little bit closer now: your building.

Whats its history? Is it the oldest building on campus? Is it the newest? Anyone special ever
live there? Any spooky stories to tell? What kind of rules were in place 40 years ago for students
who lived there? When was it renovated last? Is it named for a special person or place? History
can be anything, it all depends on a person and the feeling it creates on others. The oldest
building in UTRGV is the education building. The newest is the medical building. No. the story
that is creepy is that about 30 years ago somebody died in the heritage apartments by jumping
off and dying when they hit the bottom. I do not know of past rules.

What kind of building is it? Is it a traditional, corridor style building, suites, townhouses, or
apartments? What kinds of spaces are there for people to interact in? What class ranks does it
house? Is it co-ed? Does it have special spaces (classrooms, cafeteria or snack shop spaces,
conference rooms, computer labs, fitness centers)? Are there any special interest or living-
learning communities there? Apartments, separated in 6 sections where in each section most of
the students belong to a sport. The village office is the best place where people can interact
with each other. Theres freshman through graduate students. It is co-ed. No.

Are there traditions associated with your building? Does it always host a spring luau? Does it
open its doors to local schoolchildren for Halloween? Is it a place couples come to for proposals
or wedding photos? No it doesnt have any traditions yet. The closest thing to a place where
graduates go to take pictures is the big UTRGV sign in front of the school. There is also a giant
bronc in the front of the school where it has somewhat tradition.

Does your building have an identity on your campus, and is this something of which you can be
proud? Do you have competitions among your buildings, and do you proudly wear your hall
colors for the games? Is there a special mascot for your building? The village apartments is
known for having more mature residents. We have battle of the halls were buildings participate
to win a trophy that gives you bragging rights. Nope.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 6
Video Assignment

Youve been given an assignment to create a 2-minute video that gives prospective students from
other countries an overview of your institution. Thinking back over the questions and ideas weve just
discussed, outline how your video might look and record this in your journal.
What kinds of things do you feel it might be important for students to know?
Tutoring opportunities such as the learning center which helps with most classes offered in UTRGV,
also the learning center which helps with writing essays and papers. The University Center which
helps students stay active. Dining hall because it serves great food at a affordable price.
How would you best communicate that to them in such a short period of time?
It would have posters showing times along with allocated time within the video showing how
each facility looks like and the faculty.

How would you help them begin to see the community you belong to at your institution via this
video?
Show them first how great the atmosphere looks like, such as going to basketball games within
the university and then showing interesting points around the city.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 7
Customer Service

Find 3 friends who attend your institution, and ask them the following questions:

Tell me about a time you needed help on campus and you had a hard time getting the help you
needed.
What did that feel like? It was like I was entering high school all over again.
What made it difficult for you? Not knowing where anything was located
How would you want the experience to be different if it happened again? Maybe taking a
tour of the university before the school year started.

Tell me about a time you needed help on campus and you got exactly what you needed.
o What did that feel like? It was an awesome experience because i found out there is some
people out there who help others without expecting anything in return.
o What made it easy for you? How much patience that person had with me plus giving very
specific directions.
o What was it that the person did made the situation turn out better for you? Giving me specific
directions and pointing out where I needed to go.

Based on your overall experience here at our institution, would you say youve had good, average,
or poor customer service? Its more than good. Opportunities grow everywhere and helps students
grow mentally. Professors are amazing, they truly care about your education and what you get at
the of the semester.

Now think about what youve heard. Were there common threads with the good and not-so-good
experiences people had? What were some of the themes you noticed? As you listened, were there
things you thought you or your department might be able to do to improve these students situations if
something like that occurred in the future? As a department, we make students move in to their dorms
the weekend before school starts. If we make RAs do a program where new students can get a tour of
the university that way they learn about where their classes might be and also show where the dining
hall are located.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 8
Ethics

What criteria did you use when doing your ranking of these options?
Past experience and some common sense
How did you determine what was least or most acceptable?
Thinking what would affect a persons life safety the most. Also the value of the things thats
happening in the question such as stealing a dollar item to maybe risking a person life.

What criteria did you consider most valuable? Are there any of these that you simply would
not do? Why?
I would not run over a red light, that puts others in danger. If somebody is going to do something stupid,
let them but if they are risking another persons life thats where I draw the line. Others should not pay
for the mistakes somebody thats not responsible is doing.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 9
Ethics Quiz

What criteria did you use when ranking these options?

Mostly scenarios in my head or past experience. Also with the training ive gotten I know what is
somewhat not acceptable or things an ra should never do.
What kinds of things did you consider in determining what was least or most acceptable?
Least would be drinking or breaking confidential information a resident told you.

What criteria was most valuable to you?

Never breaking trust of a resident.
Are there things here that you could never imagine doing?

Telling another person other than your supervisor about somebody getting abused.
Are there any that you may already have done?
Maybe telling somebody about a time when we can meet but not knowing I was busy at that time.
the most common would probably be taking a pen or something similar by accident and forgetting to
bring it back.
How do you feel about that now that you are rating these actions?
If it was any of the scenarios that I mark with a 1, I would obviously tell somebody who is in
charge that way they never do that again.

Did it play a role in where you placed that action in your list?
No.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 10
5 Questions to Ask When Identifying Risk

What youve just done is to identify the risk at hand. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself
when youre considering risk and your actions.

What is your role in the situation? In the example we talked about, you probably werent on
duty. Does that change how you would respond? Yes, I would notify the RA on call to get the
problem fix.

Where are you (location)? Is this unlocked door in an area thats easily accessed by others? Is it
in your residence hall, or a classroom building?
Im in the village apartments going towards class. Yes, it is a residence hall.

Are you acting within the scope of your responsibilities? If the door is in your residence hall, of
course you are acting within your responsibilities to notice and report it. If its a door in a
classroom, however, it probably has nothing to do with being an RA. Does that change how you
might respond?
Well if an RA has class and in not on call, he is not supposed to attend to any situations that
occur while he Is on call. Yes to last part.
What is your level of knowledge of, or in, the situation? Youre probably not a locksmith, but you
may know that the doors are supposed to be toggled open each morning, and toggled locked
each evening. You may have access to that toggle key to do the locking on your own.
For the dorms, RAs have access to master keys which helps opening any doors or close. If we
cant close a door because there is something wrong with the mechanism, we just put a sign
that is not working and we submit a maintenance request to fix the issue by a professional.

What are the relevant laws and regulations that govern your actions? If that door was meant to
be toggled locked each day at a specific time by the RA staff and it wasnt done, is that your
responsibility or someone elses?

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Has RAs we receive training for things we should and shouldnt do. Also if we do something that
is wrong, and thats decided by the RA code of conduct, which helps students learn thing they
should not do, and if they do the punishment. If the door was not locked, and he has the time to
do it, then just lock it and tell somebody about the person who did not do it to prevent it from
happening again.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 11
FERPA at your Institution

Find the FERPA information on your campus website.

What does it say?

FERPA, is student confidentiality about disclosure about a students information.

What information does your institution list as directory information?

Name, Address, Telephone Number

Date and Place of Birth
Major Field of Study
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Dates of Attendance
Most recent previous educational institution attended
Classification
Degrees, Honors and Awards Received
Date of Graduation
Physical Factors (height and weight) of athletes
Photographs
University Email Address

Does your department ask you to handle student records differently? (or do you know?

Its about the same procedure. If anything changes our department director will notify the staff
immidiately

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 12
FERPA Discussion

Discuss with other participants the following questions:

Why is there duty to report?
To have proof an RA did its work.

What might happen if you do not report incidents of sexual misconduct/violence?

The RA will for sure lose its job since he technically decided not to inform the supervisor
about the situation that is happening.

Who do you report to at your campus?

There is a website called vaqueros report it which helps you with the application really well.

What do you do on your campus if the student does not want to formally report the incident?
First I try to speak with the student why he does not want to report it. If its something that I feel
my supervisor needs to know, I will notify him and at the end the one who will decide what to
do will be them. We of course provide aid to the student if we can help him feel better

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 13
Confidentiality

Lets think for a few moments about the kinds of information that you have access to as an RA that
you think may be confidential. Make your list now and record it in your journal.
As an RA some things I have access to thats confidential would be Residents school ID, DOB, phone
numbers, school email, and contact information. If a resident tells us something that its personal or
anything they reveal in secret, that information must remain confidential. Only thing that we can do, is
notify our supervisors since they are the ones that are clear to get that information.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 14
Policies at Your Institution

What are your institutions policies in these areas? To whom do you report? Are there
specific protocols that youll need to be familiar with? Is this being covered during your formal
training? Record your findings in your journal.
I dont understand what the question is asking when it says in these areas. My university
has the same rules as most universities out there. I report to my housing directing who is in
charge of the Village apartments and the Lead RA is another person I report too. Protocols I
need to know is the incident report protocol or whenever there is an emergency. All these
procedures and protocols are covered during our 3-week training for becoming an RA.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 15
Referrals

Resources on your campus for referrals (and who they serve/for what purpose)

An RA can send the resident to the counseling center if they need help and want to talk to a
professional. If a student is falling behind in class, we can referral him towards the learning
center where they help with most academic classes.

Does your campus outline specific rights, resources and support?

My campus does have specific rights, if you need any help with something we have a
department called students rights and responsibilities, which helps with anything a student
might need related to a student college life.

Are there confidential resources v non-confidential resources? If so, who?

Yes. If you go to the learning center, that is not confidential but if you go to the counseling center
thats confidential since the people cant release if somebody is attending there or not.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 16
Six Steps to Conflict Resolution

Below are some question for you to reflect on:

What areas of your life are going well?

In my life, school is going well. My education keeps getting better since Im

starting my junior year of college and starting undergraduate research.

Where are you able to practice self care?

Anywhere, I self care when I play league of legends for an hour or two. I also
relief tension when I go play with friends or just a long walk.

What areas need more attention?

Area that need more attention would be my physical body. I noticed I have
gained weight so I need to work out more.

Are there areas of balance and self care that you had not considered
before? What will you do with that perspective now?
Im not sure to be honest. The question is extremely vague with no point towards
the right answer.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099

Journal Assignment 17
Personal Reflection

Now its your turn. Write your own mission statement, personal definition of leadership, or
manifesto. Remember to use this when you need to refocus or prioritize yourself among the many
expectations others have of you.
My mission for this upcoming year is to be great.
I have a lot of things going on but I know I can manage doing all of it if I put my mind into it.
Ill be taking 17 hours for the next 2 semester and working as a Tutor. Another thing I do is being VP for
RHA, Leader of UTRGV Clean River Program, board member of the buckaroo committee, and starting
this year with undergraduate research. With all these things going on at the same time, I want to be
great in all of them. That will require hard work and dedication, and thats something I want to have
more in my life.

1445 Summit Street | Columbus, OH 43201-2105 | 614.292.0099