Let's recap:
In 4 days, I have my last final
In 10 days, I am walking at my long awaited college graduation
In 14 days, I will be without a job and a place to live (as of now)
I am stressing out... a LOT
I have yet to pack and clean.
My supervisors are toying with my resume to give it a little more BANG. The content it is there, just needs some jazzing up a bit. I've gotten an email back from Target in Biltmore saying that the positions have all been filled but I applied to two Target stores. I'm submitted two more apps last week and I plan on calling them later this week. Tomorrow, my boyfriend and I are looking at an apartment in Mesa, near the Light Rail, with cheap rent. There is also a place near him that has an opening. He is calling later tonight to talk to them.
It's stressful to say the least. I also have estranged family coming in and I have no idea how that is going to turn out. I'm really hoping that my brother will be helpful and help me move into my new place. If I have one by then.
In addition to all of this, I also have closing to do for my residents.
The next 10 days are gonna be interesting to say the least.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Career Services Event #2: STAR Interview
Disclaimer: I've had rotten experiences with Career services. I feel that they really don't care about the students and some of their advice is kinda crap. I went to this event because I thought it would prepare me for an eventually interview that I may get...soon.
On April 30th, I went to a career services event called the STAR Interview. It was advertised to be a good interview prep "You will learn how to inventory your marketable skills and effectively communicate your qualifications to the interviewer. You will also practice using the STAR technique to answer behavioral interview questions."
I had high hopes. I came prepared. I got there on time. We had packets of information about interview questions and interview skills. The session was only an hour long so I thought we would get down to the nitty gritty stuff. I was wrong.
We went over why interviews have gone wrong like not coming prepared for the position and not having questions. Okay, I thought that was valid topic to go over. Then we went over having a cheat sheet with name, addresses of references and supervisors. I thought that this was really good, I was planning on making one myself with the butt load of applications I've been filing out lately.
Then we got to how we should dress for the interview. This took up most of the time. Granted, I know that dress is important for an interview and different industries and positions require different types of dress. The presenter advocated, to the nth degree, about wearing a skirted business suit with a jacket. For EVERYTHING. Now, I've been applying for entry-level positions. I highly doubt that a formal business jacket is required. I can understand for middle management or anything higher. But for a position at Smashburger, a business jacket is a little over the top. I'm all for a nice blouse, slacks or a skirt. Just the jacket makes it over the top. But the presenter said that we could put a power pin on it but we can't deviate from the jacket cause it gives an impression of power. This debate went on for quite some time. It got annoying to say the least.
In the last ten minutes of the session, we actually got to the interview questions. We went over how to answer "about yourself" questions and practiced with a partner. Sadly, we couldn't do more cause the session started to run late.
Overall, I was disappointed with the session. I was expecting something more or at least something redeeming from Career Services.
On April 30th, I went to a career services event called the STAR Interview. It was advertised to be a good interview prep "You will learn how to inventory your marketable skills and effectively communicate your qualifications to the interviewer. You will also practice using the STAR technique to answer behavioral interview questions."
I had high hopes. I came prepared. I got there on time. We had packets of information about interview questions and interview skills. The session was only an hour long so I thought we would get down to the nitty gritty stuff. I was wrong.
We went over why interviews have gone wrong like not coming prepared for the position and not having questions. Okay, I thought that was valid topic to go over. Then we went over having a cheat sheet with name, addresses of references and supervisors. I thought that this was really good, I was planning on making one myself with the butt load of applications I've been filing out lately.
Then we got to how we should dress for the interview. This took up most of the time. Granted, I know that dress is important for an interview and different industries and positions require different types of dress. The presenter advocated, to the nth degree, about wearing a skirted business suit with a jacket. For EVERYTHING. Now, I've been applying for entry-level positions. I highly doubt that a formal business jacket is required. I can understand for middle management or anything higher. But for a position at Smashburger, a business jacket is a little over the top. I'm all for a nice blouse, slacks or a skirt. Just the jacket makes it over the top. But the presenter said that we could put a power pin on it but we can't deviate from the jacket cause it gives an impression of power. This debate went on for quite some time. It got annoying to say the least.
In the last ten minutes of the session, we actually got to the interview questions. We went over how to answer "about yourself" questions and practiced with a partner. Sadly, we couldn't do more cause the session started to run late.
Overall, I was disappointed with the session. I was expecting something more or at least something redeeming from Career Services.
That Time of Year Again
It's that time of year again. School is winding down, the weather is getting warmer, students are getting more antsy to get away from school... Oh, what's that? You need to get out of the dorm 24 hours after your last final?
Oh. Crap.
There are two busy times of the year for ResLife. Opening and closing. For opening, we frantically try to get everyone checked in and settled while allowing them to experience a variety of fall welcome activities. For closing, we get to boot you out. And fast too. In addition to finals, you have to pack and clean your room to high standards and move out.
I got very good at packing and moving out very quickly.
At the end of the year, all CAs get a huge folder full of materials relating to closing: a bulletin board full of closing info, signs that say where to put your trash, take back your microfridge, be out 24 hours after your last final, clean clean CLEAN your room AND bathroom.. etc. It's a lot of info that we have to go over with our prostaff and then go over with our residents in the last floor meeting.
But that is only the beginning. After they are done with finals and cleaning, we have to check them out. We go in and inspect their rooms, document any damages or trash, take their keys, swipe them out of the system and they are gone. Each check out appointment can last between 10-30 minutes. We have to look everywhere and document anything. Residents have to sign up for times that they want to check out. We have discretion to stop all check outs if they room is dirty or the floor is trashed. In order for check outs to resume, they have to clean up. We can also refuse their check out if they are still packing. We just ask they sign up for a later time.
Once they are all gone and the halls are close, all the CAs have appointments with their direct supervisor. We walk the floor and all the room, documenting anything that we have missed, tearing down all the posters and door dec, submit work orders and JAMS if we spot anything illegal... etc. We are exhausted by the end. And after our walkthroughs are done, we are then asked to leave the hall. You see, during our finals and packing, we have to check out residents, work the desk, be on duty and study. It's a lot. But somehow, we do it; each and every year.
This is my last year. I hope it's a good closing.
Oh. Crap.
There are two busy times of the year for ResLife. Opening and closing. For opening, we frantically try to get everyone checked in and settled while allowing them to experience a variety of fall welcome activities. For closing, we get to boot you out. And fast too. In addition to finals, you have to pack and clean your room to high standards and move out.
I got very good at packing and moving out very quickly.
At the end of the year, all CAs get a huge folder full of materials relating to closing: a bulletin board full of closing info, signs that say where to put your trash, take back your microfridge, be out 24 hours after your last final, clean clean CLEAN your room AND bathroom.. etc. It's a lot of info that we have to go over with our prostaff and then go over with our residents in the last floor meeting.
But that is only the beginning. After they are done with finals and cleaning, we have to check them out. We go in and inspect their rooms, document any damages or trash, take their keys, swipe them out of the system and they are gone. Each check out appointment can last between 10-30 minutes. We have to look everywhere and document anything. Residents have to sign up for times that they want to check out. We have discretion to stop all check outs if they room is dirty or the floor is trashed. In order for check outs to resume, they have to clean up. We can also refuse their check out if they are still packing. We just ask they sign up for a later time.
Once they are all gone and the halls are close, all the CAs have appointments with their direct supervisor. We walk the floor and all the room, documenting anything that we have missed, tearing down all the posters and door dec, submit work orders and JAMS if we spot anything illegal... etc. We are exhausted by the end. And after our walkthroughs are done, we are then asked to leave the hall. You see, during our finals and packing, we have to check out residents, work the desk, be on duty and study. It's a lot. But somehow, we do it; each and every year.
This is my last year. I hope it's a good closing.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Paperwork: The Killer of Trees
With any job, you have paperwork to fill out and turn in. However, not many people can say that they have whole stack of papers to post to their floor, fill our for programs, signing in for desk, check-in and checking-out residents and rest of the random papers that we have on a weekly basis to fill out.
Here is a list of some of the paperwork that we fill out on a weekly basis:
-Desk sign in sheets: When working the desk for any hours, we have to sign in and then do it online. This ensures that we get paid and someone did actually work those hours
-Key Audits: We have to check to make sure all the keys are there, note down which keys have been checked out for 30min/24 hours, lock changes, vendor check-outs and when it's a staff use. This saves our butts cause when keys are lost, those key audits say which shifts it was lost at and who is responsible for it
-Weekly Reports: During one-on-ones with our supervisors, we fill out a sheet of paper the asks how we are doing in life, school, CA position and if they are any problems on the floor or with anyone. Then we talk it over with our supervisors.
-Program paperwork: As mentioned previously, we have to fill out multiple program papers asking for materials for programs and getting permission for food to be served at our programs. We also have a Program Proposal form that basically says what program we are hosting, we we need, when is it, where is it and how did it go in the end.
-Lock Changes Paperwork: When a key is lost, stolen or held over the time limit, we have to do a lock change. We fill out a form what asks for the residents name, room number, phone number, school ID, was the key lost or stolen and the number on the key itself. We then turn that with the key card that every resident has to the desk manger for her to process.
-Key Retrieval Form: When a lock change is processed and done, the resident comes down to the front desk to get their new key. They fill out a form that says that they actually got the key and what the new key code is now assigned to that room.
JAMS: When a resident does not follow policy such as violating quiet hours, drinking in their rooms, smoking in their rooms, leaving trash in the hallways, etc.. we have to file a JAMS report. It's a documentation that say who was involved, if there was a police report, what happened, was there drugs or alcohol, was their a fight, etc. It can be a pain to do because you have to recall the events of that situation, and who said what and who did what. But it's the good for the community so I don't mind.
Here is a list of some of the paperwork that we fill out on a weekly basis:
-Desk sign in sheets: When working the desk for any hours, we have to sign in and then do it online. This ensures that we get paid and someone did actually work those hours
-Key Audits: We have to check to make sure all the keys are there, note down which keys have been checked out for 30min/24 hours, lock changes, vendor check-outs and when it's a staff use. This saves our butts cause when keys are lost, those key audits say which shifts it was lost at and who is responsible for it
-Weekly Reports: During one-on-ones with our supervisors, we fill out a sheet of paper the asks how we are doing in life, school, CA position and if they are any problems on the floor or with anyone. Then we talk it over with our supervisors.
-Program paperwork: As mentioned previously, we have to fill out multiple program papers asking for materials for programs and getting permission for food to be served at our programs. We also have a Program Proposal form that basically says what program we are hosting, we we need, when is it, where is it and how did it go in the end.
-Lock Changes Paperwork: When a key is lost, stolen or held over the time limit, we have to do a lock change. We fill out a form what asks for the residents name, room number, phone number, school ID, was the key lost or stolen and the number on the key itself. We then turn that with the key card that every resident has to the desk manger for her to process.
-Key Retrieval Form: When a lock change is processed and done, the resident comes down to the front desk to get their new key. They fill out a form that says that they actually got the key and what the new key code is now assigned to that room.
JAMS: When a resident does not follow policy such as violating quiet hours, drinking in their rooms, smoking in their rooms, leaving trash in the hallways, etc.. we have to file a JAMS report. It's a documentation that say who was involved, if there was a police report, what happened, was there drugs or alcohol, was their a fight, etc. It can be a pain to do because you have to recall the events of that situation, and who said what and who did what. But it's the good for the community so I don't mind.
Desk Adventures
When you work at a place for any amount of time, you see and hear things that are amusing, odd and sometimes nerve wracking. Especially when you work at a university, late a night.
As I've mentioned before, I used to work late nights at the desk. These are high peak times, especially Friday night/Saturday morning. You see all sorts of people in various levels of intoxication.
I've seen people try to crawl past the desk to sign in, run past the desk to get into the building, girls dressed in almost nothing to go to frat parties in December... it's an interesting job. I've also seen people try to seek beer and wine into the building and holding it while they explain to me "oh, it's not alcohol, its just a vase that you hear in my suitcase".
People have actually run away from here when I ask them "if there is anything that is not allowed in the building, you better toss it now. People have come in with blood on their faces, people have come in carrying another person who is hopefully passed out. People have started to fight outside of the front doors, police have arrested and cuffed residents for reason I don't know. Residents have actually stolen IDs and tried to gain access to the building only to be stopped by the ID readers by the door. When asked if their ID works, they eventually fess up and I tell them to leave.
Some residents are very dumb when it comes to getting pass me at the desk. People have waited very close to the doors that lead into the building, waiting for someone to open so they can get into the building. People have sworn up and down that they live here and when asked simple questions about living here like "what's your room number?" or "who is your roommate?", they try to act all cool and make up excuses.
As the semester and year goes on, I don't see as much stupid behaviors from residents. They generally know the rules and so do their guests. It is usually the first three weeks where I see the majority of these situations.
As I've mentioned before, I used to work late nights at the desk. These are high peak times, especially Friday night/Saturday morning. You see all sorts of people in various levels of intoxication.
I've seen people try to crawl past the desk to sign in, run past the desk to get into the building, girls dressed in almost nothing to go to frat parties in December... it's an interesting job. I've also seen people try to seek beer and wine into the building and holding it while they explain to me "oh, it's not alcohol, its just a vase that you hear in my suitcase".
People have actually run away from here when I ask them "if there is anything that is not allowed in the building, you better toss it now. People have come in with blood on their faces, people have come in carrying another person who is hopefully passed out. People have started to fight outside of the front doors, police have arrested and cuffed residents for reason I don't know. Residents have actually stolen IDs and tried to gain access to the building only to be stopped by the ID readers by the door. When asked if their ID works, they eventually fess up and I tell them to leave.
Some residents are very dumb when it comes to getting pass me at the desk. People have waited very close to the doors that lead into the building, waiting for someone to open so they can get into the building. People have sworn up and down that they live here and when asked simple questions about living here like "what's your room number?" or "who is your roommate?", they try to act all cool and make up excuses.
As the semester and year goes on, I don't see as much stupid behaviors from residents. They generally know the rules and so do their guests. It is usually the first three weeks where I see the majority of these situations.
Final Stretch
In less than... three weeks, school will be over and I will be graduating and attempting to live as an adult.
To say the least, I'm anxious, nervous and scared out of my mind.
I've been applying for jobs, both ASU related and non-ASU related. I applied last week and a bunch on Tuesday. I'm hoping and praying that I get a reply. When I get back from class today, I'll also be applying to Fry's, Starbucks, Safeway, and Target. I'm really hoping for a call back from someone.
I've also been looking for places to live. I was going to get a three bedroom apartment with my boyfriend and a mutual friend of ours. That fell through and I kinda went into a panic cause I wasn't entirely sure that my boyfriend wanted to get a 2 bedroom place with me or not. Working the desk is kinda of a bad place to really freak out. I've been looking at studio apartments in the area and 2 bedroom places. Getting a 2 bedroom is cheaper (about $300 each) than getting two studio or 1 bedroom places near campus.
In addition to job hunting and apartment hunting, I have papers and presentations to deal with. I have the papers done, I just have to make revisions and prepare for presentation and it's very stressful. I don't like the end of the year that much.
To say the least, I'm anxious, nervous and scared out of my mind.
I've been applying for jobs, both ASU related and non-ASU related. I applied last week and a bunch on Tuesday. I'm hoping and praying that I get a reply. When I get back from class today, I'll also be applying to Fry's, Starbucks, Safeway, and Target. I'm really hoping for a call back from someone.
I've also been looking for places to live. I was going to get a three bedroom apartment with my boyfriend and a mutual friend of ours. That fell through and I kinda went into a panic cause I wasn't entirely sure that my boyfriend wanted to get a 2 bedroom place with me or not. Working the desk is kinda of a bad place to really freak out. I've been looking at studio apartments in the area and 2 bedroom places. Getting a 2 bedroom is cheaper (about $300 each) than getting two studio or 1 bedroom places near campus.
In addition to job hunting and apartment hunting, I have papers and presentations to deal with. I have the papers done, I just have to make revisions and prepare for presentation and it's very stressful. I don't like the end of the year that much.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Meetings Galore!
Hope you like meetings cause when you are a CA, you have to go to a lot of them.
I've been through my share of meetings for classes and clubs but I've never been to so many meetings as I've been when I became a CA. Twice a month, I have my one-on-one meetings with my direct supervisor. I tend to keep my meetings quick with him. Since I'm a returner, I got the job under control and I keep a good track of my floor.
Once a week, we have staff meetings. Staff meetings can either be fun or very boring. Most of my staff meetings are very boring. We basically attend another class once a week for two hours. We have our Senior CA time which is not necessary, in my opinion. We are given information about upcoming events, workshops and other activities for us and our residents. With our staff, we usually have a plea session about someone working open hours at the desk because we are understaffed and we've been overworked since August. Not many people can work hours or want to. Our ProStaff presents the meeting to us but we get tired of hearing them talk. And it doesn't help that we can be a very talkative staff so that takes away time that could have been used to go through the material faster.
We also have our committee meetings that we have to attend to. Each staff member is assigned to a committee whether be it leadership, staff development, facilities, etc... We have to attend those meetings and report back to our ProStaff during staff meeting. We haven't done too much in the committees but I feel that we have done enough.
In addition, we have to attend programs and meetings held by Hall Council, RHA or CCA. Hall council meetings are short, 15-30 minutes mostly and they get right to the point. They also have free food so a good chunk of the CAs do like to attend those meetings. RHA or Residence Hall Association meetings, from what I've heard, can last forever. It's basically the policy side of reslife. There are constitution updates, appointments, candidates announcing their runs for an office or a number of other things. I've either have class at that time or I have club meetings so I've never been to a RHA meeting. CCA or Council of Community Assistants present CA matters and other topics for discussion. it's a fairly short meeting, 30-45 minutes and there is a lot of discussion between everyone in the room.
I've been through my share of meetings for classes and clubs but I've never been to so many meetings as I've been when I became a CA. Twice a month, I have my one-on-one meetings with my direct supervisor. I tend to keep my meetings quick with him. Since I'm a returner, I got the job under control and I keep a good track of my floor.
Once a week, we have staff meetings. Staff meetings can either be fun or very boring. Most of my staff meetings are very boring. We basically attend another class once a week for two hours. We have our Senior CA time which is not necessary, in my opinion. We are given information about upcoming events, workshops and other activities for us and our residents. With our staff, we usually have a plea session about someone working open hours at the desk because we are understaffed and we've been overworked since August. Not many people can work hours or want to. Our ProStaff presents the meeting to us but we get tired of hearing them talk. And it doesn't help that we can be a very talkative staff so that takes away time that could have been used to go through the material faster.
We also have our committee meetings that we have to attend to. Each staff member is assigned to a committee whether be it leadership, staff development, facilities, etc... We have to attend those meetings and report back to our ProStaff during staff meeting. We haven't done too much in the committees but I feel that we have done enough.
In addition, we have to attend programs and meetings held by Hall Council, RHA or CCA. Hall council meetings are short, 15-30 minutes mostly and they get right to the point. They also have free food so a good chunk of the CAs do like to attend those meetings. RHA or Residence Hall Association meetings, from what I've heard, can last forever. It's basically the policy side of reslife. There are constitution updates, appointments, candidates announcing their runs for an office or a number of other things. I've either have class at that time or I have club meetings so I've never been to a RHA meeting. CCA or Council of Community Assistants present CA matters and other topics for discussion. it's a fairly short meeting, 30-45 minutes and there is a lot of discussion between everyone in the room.
Night Owl working mornings
I'm naturally a night owl. I like to stay up late and sleep in to about noon. I work better at night.
Since I was a freshmen, I always worked the graveyard shifts, 2-6am, 12-4am. They were stressful hours. I would never sleep beforehand so I would just stay up all hours of the night and sleep in the next morning. That worked okay until I got the CA postion. Since CAs have to be on duty and can't work the desk when they are on duty, I couldn't not work the late night shifts. I was alright with that, I like to sleep like any other 23 year old.
However, after working those hours for several years, I grew tired of the hours and decided to change. I work mornings now. 6-8, 8-12, 10-2pm... and 4-6 am hours. It's a little hard for me to wake up sometimes and on Thursdays I work 6 hours with a three hour break between two shifts. I still retain my night owl ways so staying up late and getting up early is very hard for me.
I'm hoping my next job I have a little bit more regular hours.. in the day time.
Since I was a freshmen, I always worked the graveyard shifts, 2-6am, 12-4am. They were stressful hours. I would never sleep beforehand so I would just stay up all hours of the night and sleep in the next morning. That worked okay until I got the CA postion. Since CAs have to be on duty and can't work the desk when they are on duty, I couldn't not work the late night shifts. I was alright with that, I like to sleep like any other 23 year old.
However, after working those hours for several years, I grew tired of the hours and decided to change. I work mornings now. 6-8, 8-12, 10-2pm... and 4-6 am hours. It's a little hard for me to wake up sometimes and on Thursdays I work 6 hours with a three hour break between two shifts. I still retain my night owl ways so staying up late and getting up early is very hard for me.
I'm hoping my next job I have a little bit more regular hours.. in the day time.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Programming: The Nitty-Gritty
Programming takes weeks of prep to do.
It all starts off with an idea. Any idea. Sometimes the simplest and greatest program comes from a random idea.
Then we have to somehow tie it to an area of like job hunting or community building. And an incentive for residents to come to your program. The incentive can be free food or giveaways. Food generally works well since anyone would come for free food. The type of food can be an issue. Pizza gets old quick but it's the easiest to get. We aren't allowed to cook food for residents but we can show them how to cook food like pancakes or any culture-associated food. We can get candy but it's not too healthy and people to have diet restrictions. Food selection can be a little tricky but once you have your idea and food selection, it's time for the paperwork.
CAs have a budget. A small budget and we have to stay within that budget. We have to write up and ERF, Expenditure Request Form. We ask the university for money for our program. We have to be detailed in requesting food items and anything else that we need. We have to know what it costs, how much, what type, what brand, etc. We put all info in the ERF and underneath, we have justify the program and why we need the materials. We have to be professional in our writing. We usually get the money that we need but the ProStaff do send back ERFs if they are not properly filled out and worded in the right manner.
If you program doesn't need food, then your paperwork is done. However, if there is food involved, then you get more paperwork to fill out. The two forms are only for food and they are the Business Meals form and the Food Waiver form. Both forms accomplish the same thing. They are stating that food will be served at an event, no alcoholic beverages will be served and it states who will be serving the food.
All forms have to be submitted together about 10 business days before the program. Once the paperwork is submitted, ProStaff will inform us once it's been approved.
After approval, we can begin to advertise the program. It can be posters, flyers, one-one time with residents and even facebook. More word, more chance that someone will come to the program.
It all starts off with an idea. Any idea. Sometimes the simplest and greatest program comes from a random idea.
Then we have to somehow tie it to an area of like job hunting or community building. And an incentive for residents to come to your program. The incentive can be free food or giveaways. Food generally works well since anyone would come for free food. The type of food can be an issue. Pizza gets old quick but it's the easiest to get. We aren't allowed to cook food for residents but we can show them how to cook food like pancakes or any culture-associated food. We can get candy but it's not too healthy and people to have diet restrictions. Food selection can be a little tricky but once you have your idea and food selection, it's time for the paperwork.
CAs have a budget. A small budget and we have to stay within that budget. We have to write up and ERF, Expenditure Request Form. We ask the university for money for our program. We have to be detailed in requesting food items and anything else that we need. We have to know what it costs, how much, what type, what brand, etc. We put all info in the ERF and underneath, we have justify the program and why we need the materials. We have to be professional in our writing. We usually get the money that we need but the ProStaff do send back ERFs if they are not properly filled out and worded in the right manner.
If you program doesn't need food, then your paperwork is done. However, if there is food involved, then you get more paperwork to fill out. The two forms are only for food and they are the Business Meals form and the Food Waiver form. Both forms accomplish the same thing. They are stating that food will be served at an event, no alcoholic beverages will be served and it states who will be serving the food.
All forms have to be submitted together about 10 business days before the program. Once the paperwork is submitted, ProStaff will inform us once it's been approved.
After approval, we can begin to advertise the program. It can be posters, flyers, one-one time with residents and even facebook. More word, more chance that someone will come to the program.
Programming: The Overview
A big part of being a CA is programming. We both loathe and love programming. We don't program for ourselves, we program for our residents.
In the beginning of the year, we have to get a feel of the residents, what their needs are and what they want. It can be a tricky thing. Some programs are a bust while others are a great success. We tend to program more in the fall, try to get residents engaged with the floor and community and steer them away from parties and other negative behaviors.
Our programming varies greatly. It can be from an ice cream party to suicide prevention program to a whole complex wide program.
Programming involves a lot of time and effort. In the beginning of the year, we are asked to make up a programming guide for the semester, programming that we want to see happen. Nothing is set in stone but it gives us and ProStaff an idea of what we want. As we get to know our residents, things may changed. CAs might be more focused on drug prevention or activities that residents can do in place of going out and drinking. Other CAs might be more focused on games and sports. It's all relative. Programming takes up a lot of planning time. We have to set a date and time that residents would go to a program, it has to be a topic that interests them or looks fun. It can be difficult to market boring program like safe sex or drug prevention. Some CAs are able to twist the topic into something fun and interesting. They are gifted like that. In my next blog, I'll discuss more details about programming like paperwork and money.
In the beginning of the year, we have to get a feel of the residents, what their needs are and what they want. It can be a tricky thing. Some programs are a bust while others are a great success. We tend to program more in the fall, try to get residents engaged with the floor and community and steer them away from parties and other negative behaviors.
Our programming varies greatly. It can be from an ice cream party to suicide prevention program to a whole complex wide program.
Programming involves a lot of time and effort. In the beginning of the year, we are asked to make up a programming guide for the semester, programming that we want to see happen. Nothing is set in stone but it gives us and ProStaff an idea of what we want. As we get to know our residents, things may changed. CAs might be more focused on drug prevention or activities that residents can do in place of going out and drinking. Other CAs might be more focused on games and sports. It's all relative. Programming takes up a lot of planning time. We have to set a date and time that residents would go to a program, it has to be a topic that interests them or looks fun. It can be difficult to market boring program like safe sex or drug prevention. Some CAs are able to twist the topic into something fun and interesting. They are gifted like that. In my next blog, I'll discuss more details about programming like paperwork and money.
Flood
Every building has it's quirks. Some buildings are known by their ghost fire alarms that only appear in the system but don't go off, other buildings are known by their growing pains when they open. Others are know by being temperamental. PV West is one of the temperamental ones.
During the beginning of the fall semester, one of our elevators broke. Being a building with well over 700 residents, it cause a lot of problems for about four months. PVW is about.. 40 years old. The elevators haven't been updated so it's very very hard to find parts to fix a broken elevator.
Eventually, about a couple weeks before finals, our elevators were fixed. They had to strip parts off one of the PV East's elevator to fix ours.
I'm digressing.
About two months ago, there was a flood in the building. When it got called in, I thought it was a simple toilet overflowing, wet carpet and that's about it.
It was a bit more.
The whole first floor flooded. The pipes backed up and it all came out on the first floor. Some rooms only backed up in the shower stalls or toilets. A few of the rooms were more damaged. The blackwater got onto the resident's possessions and walls and about three rooms had to be placed somewhere else for about 2.5 weeks.
The damage was so bad that carpet had to be removed, walls had to be torn down, everything had to be cleaned. It was an extensive process. The whole first floor had a very unique smell for a while, maintenance people were in and out for a few weeks and residents were placed all over campus.
During the beginning of the fall semester, one of our elevators broke. Being a building with well over 700 residents, it cause a lot of problems for about four months. PVW is about.. 40 years old. The elevators haven't been updated so it's very very hard to find parts to fix a broken elevator.
Eventually, about a couple weeks before finals, our elevators were fixed. They had to strip parts off one of the PV East's elevator to fix ours.
I'm digressing.
About two months ago, there was a flood in the building. When it got called in, I thought it was a simple toilet overflowing, wet carpet and that's about it.
It was a bit more.
The whole first floor flooded. The pipes backed up and it all came out on the first floor. Some rooms only backed up in the shower stalls or toilets. A few of the rooms were more damaged. The blackwater got onto the resident's possessions and walls and about three rooms had to be placed somewhere else for about 2.5 weeks.
The damage was so bad that carpet had to be removed, walls had to be torn down, everything had to be cleaned. It was an extensive process. The whole first floor had a very unique smell for a while, maintenance people were in and out for a few weeks and residents were placed all over campus.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Spring Training
Training, training and more training.
Spring training is more laxed than fall training. It's shorter but more intense. Spring training usually lasts about a week, maybe a day more. It's more of an overview of policies and procedures. While there are new CAs that have been hired over winter break and it can be rough for them, it's too horrible.
Spring training is pretty much the small as fall training, in terms of content.
We have:
Training theme
Lectures
Sessions
Staff bonding
Ice breakers
Lunch with all the CAs on campus
Policy overviews and explanations
Creative Time
Staff Games
etc etc
While there is no spring opening, CAs can take a bit more of a breather and relax before pushing through the final semester of the year. And since it is more lax that fall training, some CAs can take a short nap before afternoon sessions. It's always a plus when you can get a bit more shut eye.
Spring training is more laxed than fall training. It's shorter but more intense. Spring training usually lasts about a week, maybe a day more. It's more of an overview of policies and procedures. While there are new CAs that have been hired over winter break and it can be rough for them, it's too horrible.
Spring training is pretty much the small as fall training, in terms of content.
We have:
Training theme
Lectures
Sessions
Staff bonding
Ice breakers
Lunch with all the CAs on campus
Policy overviews and explanations
Creative Time
Staff Games
etc etc
While there is no spring opening, CAs can take a bit more of a breather and relax before pushing through the final semester of the year. And since it is more lax that fall training, some CAs can take a short nap before afternoon sessions. It's always a plus when you can get a bit more shut eye.
Fall Training
Every fall semesters, all the CAs, both old and new, must under a semesterly ritual: Fall Training.
This happens before school even starts and before residents have left to go to their new dorms. Fall training is basically training and retraining on all things CA and ResLife. Since each year a new staff is put together, mandatory staff bonding must be had. Fall training usually lasts between 1.5 to 3 weeks. 7 days a weeks. From 7am to 10pm, roughly. While there are some days where you get let out early or it's a half day, that's pretty much a CAs life until opening. Very few CAs that I've known actually like fall training. We are run ragged for three weeks and we are very tired by the end of it.
Training goes something like this:
Day one: Get to know your staff. Mandatory staff dinner.
Day two-five: Go to big room with all of the CAs. Have some sort of theme for training. Prostaff urging CAs to earn points for some random prize. Listen to some lectures. Count up points. Award most awesome staff from day before. Break out. Going over basic policies in 1.5 hour sessions. Ice breakers Staff lunch. "Fun time" with staff. Random sessions with Counseling and Consultation. Creative time. Stress Reliever. Staff dinner. More get to know your staff. In bed by 11pm. Desk scheduling. Duty scheduling. Other scheduling
Day six-twelve: JAMS and documentation. Floor set up. Make 60+ door dec and 12 posters for the floor. Possible staff skit, depends on year. More lectures. Lunch. More sessions, more ice breakers. Final tally of most points won on the last day, award ceremony. Go back to dorm.
FALL OPENING
Yes, even after being put through a lot during training, CAs have to go through fall opening. It's basically another week before classes start but with a twist: residents! Not only do to welcome residents and their family to the hall, answer their questions, but we have to take them to events like Passports and the Tiki Luau. It's good for the new freshmen and good for us.
And at the very end.. we can sleep.. for about a day. Cause as soon as classes start, we get busy again.
I never said that being a CA was an easy job.
This happens before school even starts and before residents have left to go to their new dorms. Fall training is basically training and retraining on all things CA and ResLife. Since each year a new staff is put together, mandatory staff bonding must be had. Fall training usually lasts between 1.5 to 3 weeks. 7 days a weeks. From 7am to 10pm, roughly. While there are some days where you get let out early or it's a half day, that's pretty much a CAs life until opening. Very few CAs that I've known actually like fall training. We are run ragged for three weeks and we are very tired by the end of it.
Training goes something like this:
Day one: Get to know your staff. Mandatory staff dinner.
Day two-five: Go to big room with all of the CAs. Have some sort of theme for training. Prostaff urging CAs to earn points for some random prize. Listen to some lectures. Count up points. Award most awesome staff from day before. Break out. Going over basic policies in 1.5 hour sessions. Ice breakers Staff lunch. "Fun time" with staff. Random sessions with Counseling and Consultation. Creative time. Stress Reliever. Staff dinner. More get to know your staff. In bed by 11pm. Desk scheduling. Duty scheduling. Other scheduling
Day six-twelve: JAMS and documentation. Floor set up. Make 60+ door dec and 12 posters for the floor. Possible staff skit, depends on year. More lectures. Lunch. More sessions, more ice breakers. Final tally of most points won on the last day, award ceremony. Go back to dorm.
FALL OPENING
Yes, even after being put through a lot during training, CAs have to go through fall opening. It's basically another week before classes start but with a twist: residents! Not only do to welcome residents and their family to the hall, answer their questions, but we have to take them to events like Passports and the Tiki Luau. It's good for the new freshmen and good for us.
And at the very end.. we can sleep.. for about a day. Cause as soon as classes start, we get busy again.
I never said that being a CA was an easy job.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Summer & Part-Time Apple Inc Jobs Info Session
One of my co-workers told me on Monday that Apple is looking for students to work from home during the summer and part time during the year. Since I am currently looking for a job, I thought it would be great for me to go. I went to an info session yesterday at 4pm. There was about 6 people attending so it was great to get some personal time with the presenters. During the presentation, the presenters talked about how well Apple is doing, how innovated and competitive they are. They threw sales numbers at us, saying how well sales are even in a down economy. About half way through the hour presentation, they actually started to talk about the job.
Basically, they are looking for current students to work for Apple as an IT for the iPhone. It's 4 weeks of training, full benefits (healthcare, dental, 401K, stocks...) and it's 40 hours a week during the summer and between 16-22 hours during the academic semester. You have to be a student (guess I can't do the iPhone IT job that they are talking about) and have between 12-17 credit hours during the fall semester. They don't want you to have too much of a workload and not do your job. They pay for your internet and new phone line (up to $50). I thought it was pretty cool, even though I can't do it. I asked if there are any opportunities for near-graduates and they said to go to the career fair that is today or apply online. Since my schedule is crazy, I can't attend the fair but I did submit my application on line to several jobs that Apple has. At the end of the session, there was a drawing to win a iPod. Guess who is now the new owner of a gen 4 iPod Shuffle? I had the lucky ticket and was beaming for the rest of the night.
I felt that they info session was a great help to me in exploring other positions that I thought I wouldn't be qualified for. I'm hoping to hear back with Apple in the next few weeks for any job offers. Not holding my breathe but I'm hopeful. This weekend, I'll be applying for more jobs in the area and getting my taxes done. Wish me luck!
Basically, they are looking for current students to work for Apple as an IT for the iPhone. It's 4 weeks of training, full benefits (healthcare, dental, 401K, stocks...) and it's 40 hours a week during the summer and between 16-22 hours during the academic semester. You have to be a student (guess I can't do the iPhone IT job that they are talking about) and have between 12-17 credit hours during the fall semester. They don't want you to have too much of a workload and not do your job. They pay for your internet and new phone line (up to $50). I thought it was pretty cool, even though I can't do it. I asked if there are any opportunities for near-graduates and they said to go to the career fair that is today or apply online. Since my schedule is crazy, I can't attend the fair but I did submit my application on line to several jobs that Apple has. At the end of the session, there was a drawing to win a iPod. Guess who is now the new owner of a gen 4 iPod Shuffle? I had the lucky ticket and was beaming for the rest of the night.
I felt that they info session was a great help to me in exploring other positions that I thought I wouldn't be qualified for. I'm hoping to hear back with Apple in the next few weeks for any job offers. Not holding my breathe but I'm hopeful. This weekend, I'll be applying for more jobs in the area and getting my taxes done. Wish me luck!
Duty Stories Three
This third story takes place in September of this last year, just after a month of being at my new residential hall.
It was a Saturday and we had just got back from 1am walks. We were both tired and decided to go to bed. Around 3:30am, I get a call about an paramedics responding to someone on the third floor. I'm still a little tired but I book it out of my room, without my contacts. I take the stairs to the third floor and I start seeing blood on the walls, on the ground and my heart sinks. I open the door to the third floor and I see a familiar face. It's one of my residents, just doors down from me. He's bleeding from the nose and maybe the head, I couldn't tell. I see my duty partner for that night and paramedics attending to my resident. I ask my duty partner what happened. He doesn't know for sure. All he knows is there was a party on my floor and my resident was drinking. My duty partner said that as he was going down the stairs, he tripped and possibly broke his nose. CAs can't really do anything in this situation, it's beyond us. ProStaff arrives and asks us what has happened and then proceeded to get information from the police officers. My resident is then taken in ambulance to the hospital because he wasn't responding to the paramedics. I'm pretty shaken up.
In a few days, the resident came back to the hall. He's fine. No broken nose but his parents heard what happened and are removing him from the university. I can't say that I'm surprised that he is going. All I could do was wish him well and hope that he's okay. It could have been a lot worse but thankfully, we responded quickly and he was okay in the end.
It was a Saturday and we had just got back from 1am walks. We were both tired and decided to go to bed. Around 3:30am, I get a call about an paramedics responding to someone on the third floor. I'm still a little tired but I book it out of my room, without my contacts. I take the stairs to the third floor and I start seeing blood on the walls, on the ground and my heart sinks. I open the door to the third floor and I see a familiar face. It's one of my residents, just doors down from me. He's bleeding from the nose and maybe the head, I couldn't tell. I see my duty partner for that night and paramedics attending to my resident. I ask my duty partner what happened. He doesn't know for sure. All he knows is there was a party on my floor and my resident was drinking. My duty partner said that as he was going down the stairs, he tripped and possibly broke his nose. CAs can't really do anything in this situation, it's beyond us. ProStaff arrives and asks us what has happened and then proceeded to get information from the police officers. My resident is then taken in ambulance to the hospital because he wasn't responding to the paramedics. I'm pretty shaken up.
In a few days, the resident came back to the hall. He's fine. No broken nose but his parents heard what happened and are removing him from the university. I can't say that I'm surprised that he is going. All I could do was wish him well and hope that he's okay. It could have been a lot worse but thankfully, we responded quickly and he was okay in the end.
Duty Stories Part Two
This duty story is from late February/early march of last year.
Myself and my duty partner were on our last walks of the night and in the last building our of duty round. We decided to sepreate on the first floor (this building has an outdoor courtyard and we can see each other the entire time). After I completed my side of the floor, my duty partner starts to wave his hands around to get my attention. I come over to see what's going on. He tells me to be quiet and listen to the door. As I pressed my ear up to the door, I could hear ping pong balls being bounced. My duty partner tells me that they are playing beer pong so we knock to check it out.
As someone opens the door, we can see 6 people in the room, cans of beer everywhere and people are upset. I decided to take the lead on this duty situation and start asking questions, doing observations and telling them to pour out their beer. My duty partner is taking down notes and collect information from the residents. It was all good until this very intoxicated residents decides to confront me. She's yelling at me, demanding to know why I'm doing this to her and her friends. I calming explain that it's our job to do this, we need to document everyone on the room and my duty partner is backing me up, so we can present a unified front. As I start to back out of the room, the intoxicated girl still yelling at me and her friend is trying to make her calm down, I notice in the crack of the door, that there is a person hiding between the door and the wall. I point this out to my duty partner and he calls the guy out. I couldn't believe that he was hiding! As my duty partner was documenting him and asking him why he was hiding, this girl was not letting up. I started to talk to her again, in a calm manner and all of a sudden she starts to cry. For no reason. I nervously glance at my duty partner because I am very comfortable with the situation now and I have no idea what to do.
Thankfully, he was done getting all the residents information and quotes from what people have said, so we left. He told me that I did a great job for only being on the job for a few months.
A few weeks later, I am at the desk and this girl comes to the desk. It was the same intoxicated girl that confronted me. She wanted to apologize to me and handed over a letter. She said that she was embarrassed that things had gone that far and she wasn't acting like herself. I accepted her apology and she left. I still have that letter. It's not often that CAs get apology letters from residents.
Myself and my duty partner were on our last walks of the night and in the last building our of duty round. We decided to sepreate on the first floor (this building has an outdoor courtyard and we can see each other the entire time). After I completed my side of the floor, my duty partner starts to wave his hands around to get my attention. I come over to see what's going on. He tells me to be quiet and listen to the door. As I pressed my ear up to the door, I could hear ping pong balls being bounced. My duty partner tells me that they are playing beer pong so we knock to check it out.
As someone opens the door, we can see 6 people in the room, cans of beer everywhere and people are upset. I decided to take the lead on this duty situation and start asking questions, doing observations and telling them to pour out their beer. My duty partner is taking down notes and collect information from the residents. It was all good until this very intoxicated residents decides to confront me. She's yelling at me, demanding to know why I'm doing this to her and her friends. I calming explain that it's our job to do this, we need to document everyone on the room and my duty partner is backing me up, so we can present a unified front. As I start to back out of the room, the intoxicated girl still yelling at me and her friend is trying to make her calm down, I notice in the crack of the door, that there is a person hiding between the door and the wall. I point this out to my duty partner and he calls the guy out. I couldn't believe that he was hiding! As my duty partner was documenting him and asking him why he was hiding, this girl was not letting up. I started to talk to her again, in a calm manner and all of a sudden she starts to cry. For no reason. I nervously glance at my duty partner because I am very comfortable with the situation now and I have no idea what to do.
Thankfully, he was done getting all the residents information and quotes from what people have said, so we left. He told me that I did a great job for only being on the job for a few months.
A few weeks later, I am at the desk and this girl comes to the desk. It was the same intoxicated girl that confronted me. She wanted to apologize to me and handed over a letter. She said that she was embarrassed that things had gone that far and she wasn't acting like herself. I accepted her apology and she left. I still have that letter. It's not often that CAs get apology letters from residents.
Duty Stories Part One
To show that duty time can be wacky, confusing, dangerous and oddly fun, I'm gonna share with you three of my duty stories. The duty stories will be separated into three different blogs. Let's get started then!
This story takes place in April of last year. After a bad breakup with a boyfriend, I had a lot of free time on my hand so I would accompany the duty CAs on their walks. It can never hurt having more CAs with you and they didn't mind. I was walking with two co-workers and we passed a room with festive look. It was a girl's birthday that day and she decided to celebrate. With alcohol. My two coworkers were in front of me and didn't see the open door with the bottle of open vodka on the student's desk. But I did. And so did the resident. As soon as she saw me observe her and her drink of choice, she sprang up and slammed the door on me. Myself and my coworkers were not deterred.
I told the duty CAs what I saw and we knocked on her door, and one of us started to take down notes to but in the report that we had to file. The resident didn't answer the door. So we knocked again. No answer. The doors at my old placement on campus has vents so you can look and hear what's going on in the hall. We decided to use this to our advantage and say to each other, very loudly, that we would call the police if she wasn't going to answer the door. We knocked one more time but the resident in the room didn't change her mind and didn't answer the door. We called ASU PD and they knocked on the door. She answered for them. After the police officer asked some questions and had her and her male friend in the room pour out the alcohol, she was arrested and escorted to his car out front. She was cited for minor in composition and minor in possession of alcohol. She was released after a little while.
If the resident had answered the door for us, we would have wrote her and her friend up for the alcohol, made her dump it out and that was it. But residents tend to make it hard for themselves and not do what they are told.
This story takes place in April of last year. After a bad breakup with a boyfriend, I had a lot of free time on my hand so I would accompany the duty CAs on their walks. It can never hurt having more CAs with you and they didn't mind. I was walking with two co-workers and we passed a room with festive look. It was a girl's birthday that day and she decided to celebrate. With alcohol. My two coworkers were in front of me and didn't see the open door with the bottle of open vodka on the student's desk. But I did. And so did the resident. As soon as she saw me observe her and her drink of choice, she sprang up and slammed the door on me. Myself and my coworkers were not deterred.
I told the duty CAs what I saw and we knocked on her door, and one of us started to take down notes to but in the report that we had to file. The resident didn't answer the door. So we knocked again. No answer. The doors at my old placement on campus has vents so you can look and hear what's going on in the hall. We decided to use this to our advantage and say to each other, very loudly, that we would call the police if she wasn't going to answer the door. We knocked one more time but the resident in the room didn't change her mind and didn't answer the door. We called ASU PD and they knocked on the door. She answered for them. After the police officer asked some questions and had her and her male friend in the room pour out the alcohol, she was arrested and escorted to his car out front. She was cited for minor in composition and minor in possession of alcohol. She was released after a little while.
If the resident had answered the door for us, we would have wrote her and her friend up for the alcohol, made her dump it out and that was it. But residents tend to make it hard for themselves and not do what they are told.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Graduation
It is less that eight weeks until graduation. It still hasn't hit me that I'm finally graduating... or that I'm even a senior! I think as I get closer to May, it'll finally dawn on me that I am graduating.
My family is coming down. My family and I have a sorted history but over the past few weeks, we are talking more and trying to reestablish ties with each other. It's kinda of scary. For so long, I didn't really have a family and now that I do, I'm not sure what to do.
I got my cap and gown last week. I was expecting it to be more pricy but I was surprised. My cap and gown are hanging on the edge of my lofted bed. I need to get the wrinkles out of it before the bed day.
I'm starting to look for jobs and places where I want to live. I'm scared out of my mind cause I don't know what my next step is. I know that I'm going to work and live somewhere, just don't know where.. yet. Everything is going to hit me at once, I just know it. Hopefully, I'm prepared enough for when that happens.
My family is coming down. My family and I have a sorted history but over the past few weeks, we are talking more and trying to reestablish ties with each other. It's kinda of scary. For so long, I didn't really have a family and now that I do, I'm not sure what to do.
I got my cap and gown last week. I was expecting it to be more pricy but I was surprised. My cap and gown are hanging on the edge of my lofted bed. I need to get the wrinkles out of it before the bed day.
I'm starting to look for jobs and places where I want to live. I'm scared out of my mind cause I don't know what my next step is. I know that I'm going to work and live somewhere, just don't know where.. yet. Everything is going to hit me at once, I just know it. Hopefully, I'm prepared enough for when that happens.
Duty Time!
Duty. Building walks. Rounds.
Duty is a vital part of a CA's life. During duty, not only are getting to know other residents, but we are checking on behavior issues and any building issues that may arise. To residents, duty means that CAs are "out to get us", to "ruin our fun", etc. While duty can be an intense time for CAs, it is for the best of the community that duty walks are done.
Every day of the week, someone is on duty from either 5pm-8am on weekdays to 8am-8am the following day on weekends. Being on duty means being on call for that building. If there is a behavioral issue with a resident that comes up or if there is a flooding in the building, the CA on duty is there to respond. But, it's not just the CAs that are on duty everyday. Our Professional Staff, ProStaff, are on duty too. However, they cover a wider area than we do. CAs just cover their building that they are in, ProStaff can cover between their "neighborhood" to the entire campus, all depending on their exact position. ProStaff are there to help CAs out and handle situations that we don't know how to handle.
During duty, several CAs complete two to three building walks. Two for weekdays and three for weekends. The number of CAs that are on duty vary from complex to complex but usually two CAs are on duty together and complete walks, together. Building walks or walks, as we call them, occur at night when most of the issues arise. During walks, we.. well.. walks the entire building, from top to bottom. We check to see if there is vandalism, trash, damages to the building itself and most issues with residents. Since we are in university environment, illegal drug and alcohol use occur fairly often in the residence halls. If we smell marijuana in a room, we call the police, ProStaff and wait for the police to come to confront the residents. While on walks, we spot a resident with a bottle of vodka on their desk, we confront the resident ourselves and make a report of the incident. If we someone vandalizing a poster or a wall, we confront the resident and make a report. CAs only call ProStaff when we call the police, paramedics, when there is property damage, when the press ask us questions and any plumbing issues. But CAs can call ProStaff when we are dealing with a difficult situation and need advice. ProStaff were once CAs/RAs and are more than willing to help.
In addition to looking out for floods and intoxicated residents, we also look for community standards violations. These are small infractions such as being too loud during Quiet Hours or leaving trash in the hallway. Usually, we talk to the resident and they are sorry and turn down the music or take out the trash. But sometimes, they are disruptive and cause a scene. Depending on what they do, we can document the resident or call the police if they get violent.
It's never boring when you are on duty.
Duty is a vital part of a CA's life. During duty, not only are getting to know other residents, but we are checking on behavior issues and any building issues that may arise. To residents, duty means that CAs are "out to get us", to "ruin our fun", etc. While duty can be an intense time for CAs, it is for the best of the community that duty walks are done.
Every day of the week, someone is on duty from either 5pm-8am on weekdays to 8am-8am the following day on weekends. Being on duty means being on call for that building. If there is a behavioral issue with a resident that comes up or if there is a flooding in the building, the CA on duty is there to respond. But, it's not just the CAs that are on duty everyday. Our Professional Staff, ProStaff, are on duty too. However, they cover a wider area than we do. CAs just cover their building that they are in, ProStaff can cover between their "neighborhood" to the entire campus, all depending on their exact position. ProStaff are there to help CAs out and handle situations that we don't know how to handle.
During duty, several CAs complete two to three building walks. Two for weekdays and three for weekends. The number of CAs that are on duty vary from complex to complex but usually two CAs are on duty together and complete walks, together. Building walks or walks, as we call them, occur at night when most of the issues arise. During walks, we.. well.. walks the entire building, from top to bottom. We check to see if there is vandalism, trash, damages to the building itself and most issues with residents. Since we are in university environment, illegal drug and alcohol use occur fairly often in the residence halls. If we smell marijuana in a room, we call the police, ProStaff and wait for the police to come to confront the residents. While on walks, we spot a resident with a bottle of vodka on their desk, we confront the resident ourselves and make a report of the incident. If we someone vandalizing a poster or a wall, we confront the resident and make a report. CAs only call ProStaff when we call the police, paramedics, when there is property damage, when the press ask us questions and any plumbing issues. But CAs can call ProStaff when we are dealing with a difficult situation and need advice. ProStaff were once CAs/RAs and are more than willing to help.
In addition to looking out for floods and intoxicated residents, we also look for community standards violations. These are small infractions such as being too loud during Quiet Hours or leaving trash in the hallway. Usually, we talk to the resident and they are sorry and turn down the music or take out the trash. But sometimes, they are disruptive and cause a scene. Depending on what they do, we can document the resident or call the police if they get violent.
It's never boring when you are on duty.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Workin' the Desk
CAs have many assigned roles. One of which is a desk assistant (DA). What a DA does is, well... sit at the front desk of a residence hall. All freshman halls on ASU campus are open 24/7. There is someone behind the desk at all times, save for winter break and summer vacation but even then, there is one hall that is open for Summer Bridge or a main winter break desk. CAs are required to work four hours at their hall's desk. Those required hours are not paid but we can work more hours to make some money. It's not a lot, $7.25 an hour but it pays the bills. Myself, I work 16 additional hours at Palo Verde East and Palo Verde West desks. Since I'm in PLEX (Palo Verde East and West), it only makes sense to work these desks.
This is a brief run down of what we do at the desk:
-Check the keys to make sure that they are all accounted for
-Check out keys to residents who have locked themselves out of their rooms
-Check out keys to appropriate vendors and ASU Facilities Management
-Check out equipment
-Answer telephones using proper telephone etiquette
-Various administrative tasks
-Checking students IDs to verify that the live here and if they don't, they have a resident of the building escorting them
-Being aware of the behavior of the residents and calling the CAs on duty to have them address the issue
Those are basic DA tasks. It's gets more complicated when move-in and move-out occur. As with any job, we have rules that we have to follow. Some rules are:
-No drinking at the desk or before your desk shift
-No sleeping at the desk
-Don't leave the desk (someone is always behind the desk)
-Always dress in ASU attire
-Always be on time for your shift or call ahead to let the person you are relieving that you will be late
You can be fired if do not follow the rules. Some rules are more serious than others (like the no alcohol rule) and they do fire you on the spot.
If you follow all the rules, it's pretty fun and can be laid back, depending on the shift. I've been working the desk since I was a freshman so I've experience really heavy traffic and seeing no one during my shift. I've also seen some very interesting sides of residents during my desk shift. It can be very entertaining.
This is a brief run down of what we do at the desk:
-Check the keys to make sure that they are all accounted for
-Check out keys to residents who have locked themselves out of their rooms
-Check out keys to appropriate vendors and ASU Facilities Management
-Check out equipment
-Answer telephones using proper telephone etiquette
-Various administrative tasks
-Checking students IDs to verify that the live here and if they don't, they have a resident of the building escorting them
-Being aware of the behavior of the residents and calling the CAs on duty to have them address the issue
Those are basic DA tasks. It's gets more complicated when move-in and move-out occur. As with any job, we have rules that we have to follow. Some rules are:
-No drinking at the desk or before your desk shift
-No sleeping at the desk
-Don't leave the desk (someone is always behind the desk)
-Always dress in ASU attire
-Always be on time for your shift or call ahead to let the person you are relieving that you will be late
You can be fired if do not follow the rules. Some rules are more serious than others (like the no alcohol rule) and they do fire you on the spot.
If you follow all the rules, it's pretty fun and can be laid back, depending on the shift. I've been working the desk since I was a freshman so I've experience really heavy traffic and seeing no one during my shift. I've also seen some very interesting sides of residents during my desk shift. It can be very entertaining.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Live, Work and Play: The Res Life Way
Well, let's get down to business, shall we?
What does it mean to be a Community Assistant at ASU?
ASU says that CA (aka RA) should do the following:
Build and lead a community of peers by being available and accessible to residents
Connect peers to educational, social and cultural activities
Check-in and check-out paperwork
Address policy violations
Crisis intervention
Night/weekend community walks
Work a weekly shift at 24 hour hall desk
Attend required staff meetings and training sessions
Encourage and support student involvement in Hall Council
Serve as a academic and social role model, friend, confidant, and resource for a diverse group of students
And for the most part, this is what I do. I'm support for residents and guests, I handle confrontation between students, I document any policy violations (alcohol, drugs, community violations like noise or trash), I work the desk 16 hours a week to pay bills, I attend meetings every week and go to council events, I program events for my residents and the complex at large...
I do a lot of stuff. And this is what I can remember!
I have so many roles in addition to being a full time students, just months shy from graduation. What makes my internship unique is I live where I work. I live in the dorms 24/7. I interact with students on a hourly basis, always on watch incase that I'm needed for a situation like a flooding or a fire. Most people can turn off when they go home, not think about work and the drama that's been going on there. I can't really. I'm always in CA mode. At least, when I'm here. When I go out to friends or crash at a friends place, they notice when I'm not in CA mode. I'm more relaxed, not on guard. I didn't even realize I was like that until my boyfriend pointed it out to me. It was rather startling to see myself as always on guard.
Now, this job can be stressful at times. There have been times where I just want to lock myself in my room and turn off my phone cause I've had enough of what's been going on. But there are rewarding times too. Getting to know new CAs and sharing your horror stories, helping a resident move out a tough living situation or celebrate an A on a midterm with ice cream. It's all a mishmash of things, good and bad. It's worth it, I think. :)
What does it mean to be a Community Assistant at ASU?
ASU says that CA (aka RA) should do the following:
Build and lead a community of peers by being available and accessible to residents
Connect peers to educational, social and cultural activities
Check-in and check-out paperwork
Address policy violations
Crisis intervention
Night/weekend community walks
Work a weekly shift at 24 hour hall desk
Attend required staff meetings and training sessions
Encourage and support student involvement in Hall Council
Serve as a academic and social role model, friend, confidant, and resource for a diverse group of students
And for the most part, this is what I do. I'm support for residents and guests, I handle confrontation between students, I document any policy violations (alcohol, drugs, community violations like noise or trash), I work the desk 16 hours a week to pay bills, I attend meetings every week and go to council events, I program events for my residents and the complex at large...
I do a lot of stuff. And this is what I can remember!
I have so many roles in addition to being a full time students, just months shy from graduation. What makes my internship unique is I live where I work. I live in the dorms 24/7. I interact with students on a hourly basis, always on watch incase that I'm needed for a situation like a flooding or a fire. Most people can turn off when they go home, not think about work and the drama that's been going on there. I can't really. I'm always in CA mode. At least, when I'm here. When I go out to friends or crash at a friends place, they notice when I'm not in CA mode. I'm more relaxed, not on guard. I didn't even realize I was like that until my boyfriend pointed it out to me. It was rather startling to see myself as always on guard.
Now, this job can be stressful at times. There have been times where I just want to lock myself in my room and turn off my phone cause I've had enough of what's been going on. But there are rewarding times too. Getting to know new CAs and sharing your horror stories, helping a resident move out a tough living situation or celebrate an A on a midterm with ice cream. It's all a mishmash of things, good and bad. It's worth it, I think. :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Little About Myself
Hello. My name is Georgia Looney. I go to Arizona State University and I'm majoring in Urban and Metropolitan Studies. This is my last semester here. That's right, in May I will be graduating! I've had an interesting four years at ASU. I've changed my major four times. I've done physics, geology, Earth and Space Exploration and now UMS. As you can see, I went from a pure science background in geology to public policy. I've been in the UMS program for the last two years and I can safely say that I know more about the Phoenix metro area, urban policy and local governments than I have ever really wanted to learn. But I can say that my geology background coupled with my urban studies will actually come in handy. My dream job is to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. I would like to do disaster management, specifically in geologic hazards. According to Wikipedia, disaster management is:
"Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks.[1] It is a discipline that involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster response (e.g., emergency evacuation, quarantine, mass decontamination, etc.), and supporting, and rebuilding society after natural or human-made disasters have occurred. In general, any Emergency management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or ameliorate the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards. Actions taken depend in part on perceptions of risk of those exposed.[2] Effective emergency management relies on thorough integration of emergency plans at all levels of government and non-government involvement." -Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_management
So, I have a lot of work ahead of me. For all I know, life will steer me towards something better. But overall, I just want to help people. I think I'm on the right track.
"Emergency management (or disaster management) is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks.[1] It is a discipline that involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster response (e.g., emergency evacuation, quarantine, mass decontamination, etc.), and supporting, and rebuilding society after natural or human-made disasters have occurred. In general, any Emergency management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or ameliorate the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards. Actions taken depend in part on perceptions of risk of those exposed.[2] Effective emergency management relies on thorough integration of emergency plans at all levels of government and non-government involvement." -Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_management
So, I have a lot of work ahead of me. For all I know, life will steer me towards something better. But overall, I just want to help people. I think I'm on the right track.
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