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Ethnography of the University Initiative >
Student Communities and Culture >
Please use this identifier to cite this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/3505
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| Title: |
A Break In the Chain: A Look at Communication Between Resident Advisors the Resident Life Employees Above Them. |
| Authors: |
Levine, Rachel |
| Keywords: |
Residential Life
Communication
Resident Advisors
Administration
Residence Halls
ANTH411_F07 |
| Issue Date: |
2007-Dec-15 |
| Series Name / Report no.: |
ANTH 411: Methods for Sociocultural Anthropology, Prof. Nancy Abelmann.
This course introduced students to a variety of ethnographic methods. Students tried their hand at some of these methods through a focused project. I had students think about their semester-long work as "pilot research"; although they did write up a short paper on their findings (their "discuss" section of the database), the culminating assignment was a research proposal in which they envision building on their preliminary findings in a longer/larger project. In the beginning of the semester, students did some warm-up exercises not directly related to their projects (an observation, an analysis of a university document, and an interview) -- some students elected to remove these from their databases while others left them in because of their connection to the final project. Students' "question" and "plan" sections of the database include multiple entries as I encouraged them to continue to refine these over the course of the semester in dialogue with their own emerging findings. I also asked students to search both the U of I Student Life and Cultures Archives and well as this EUI IDEALS collection to find archives relevant to their pilot/proposed research. All students were asked to "reflect" on the research experience and to make "recommendations" to the University on the basis of their research findings. The course syllabus is available at: www.eui.uiuc.edu/docs/syllabi/ANTH411F07.doc |
| Abstract / Summary: |
Through past experiences and observations of resident advisors (RAs), resident directors (RDs), and the administrative staff of the Residential Life Department, I have noticed a break in the communication between RAs and Housing Administration. The organization of Residential Life is very similar to that of many large departments: employees are hierarchically organized and policy is set in a hierarchical fashion as well. Policies that affect residents are made by administrators (starting with a director) and implemented by the resident advisors. This is where communication appears to be absent. While information is quick to travel from the “top-down,” there is very little opportunity for the resident advisors to give feedback as to how the reality of the situation is playing out on the hall floors. This break in communication appears to be a stressor and source of frustration for many RAs who are working with the residents on a daily basis and see nothing of the administration. |
| URI: |
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/3505 |
| Type of Resource: |
text |
| Publication Status: |
unpublished |
| Appears in Collections: |
Working at the University
University Units and Institutional Transformation
Student Communities and Culture
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Research Process |
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