Previously Written for Campus Talk Blog (campustalkblog.com)
Staff Development training is something that people working in Residence Life are very familiar with, but we often forget about the student workers who are changing lightbulbs and serving spaghetti in the student union. Many of these students, given the right tools, would make fantastic Student Affairs administrators, or could simply benefit from training outside of their normal job description. Working in both student union activities and campus housing, I’ve noticed a significant difference in the training and development programs between these areas. While many student union staff are trained specifically for their job function, resident assistants and housing staff are trained in life skills and are given several opportunities for experiences beyond the scope of their employment. This is an understandable difference because staff development is somewhat ingrained into the culture of Residence Life. Continue reading
