Resident Assistant Spotlight - Christopher Weiss

SIU Residence Life has some great things going on, and we want to showcase some of our proud moments on our blog. We are currently accepting applications for Resident Assistants for the spring 2015 semester. More details, along with the application, can be found on our website. Information sessions about the RA position will be held

     Thursday, 09/18 7pm Neely Hall and Lentz Dining Room #5

RA Spotlight - Christopher Weiss of University Hall

     

Hello everyone! I’m Christopher Weiss, an RA at University Hall. I currently live on the 2nd floor which has been named Mavro House. I am from Batavia, Illinois and I am studying Automotive Technology. I don’t read a lot but from the books I have read my favorite has got to be Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. My favorite place to study is in the small dining room within University Hall, but a great place to get away and relax is the courtyard on the second floor of Faner. It’s hard to find if you are new or not there often, but it is a very nice place. I really enjoy the fresh sandwiches that are made in Trueblood Dining Hall; I get one every day. I love great Chinese food so I will occasionally go get New Kahala, especially now that they moved one block from the residence halls.

I became an RA because I wanted to have some sort of leadership experience in my resume when I left Southern Illinois University. This is a great role to get that experience, and I wanted to put some of my youth leadership skills that I gained from my activity in Boy Scouts of America in my home town. It also is a great feeling when I am able to help out my residents with questions they have and to be a resource for them.

I am currently refining my resume and cover letter to be prepared for the work force. I would love to be employed with Ford Motor Company when I graduate. I know I will have to start at the bottom, but I want to work my way up and achieve a leadership role when I am employed with Ford. There is so much advice that I could give new residents and transferring students. The best advice that most continuing students, including myself, will say is to be involved at SIU. Academics come first but staying involved in clubs (RSOs), a campus job, campus events, your residence hall, and other social activities is going to help you so much. It will help you make lasting friendships as well as keep you busy during your free time. It is a great thing to put on a resume and it helps you meet some of your classmates and fellow residents in your building, campus, and your classes.

Are you an RA and would like to be featured? Talk to your Hall Director about submitting your profile information.

Mae Smith Area Council

SIU Residence Life has some great things going on, and we want to showcase some of our proud moments on our blog. We also hope people considering working in RA, graduate assistant, or full-time positions with our department will take a minute to learn more about the things we are doing. More information about our department, including position descriptions, application information, and graduate and full-time staff profiles can be found on our recruitment website.


Dennis Hoyle, Hall Director of Mae Smith, coordinated today's blog post. Dennis is the adviser to the Mae Smith Area Council, the programming and representation group for Mae Smith Hall. Members of the executive board for the MSAC contributed their thoughts about being involved with this highly successful organization.

The Mae Smith Area Council is a passionate group of students who are devoted to quality programming in the residence hall. This year for the Mae Smith Area Council, in particular, has been filled with excitement, learning and stories of student success. Below are some of the thoughts of MSAC members about what has made this year special:

"I believe what makes us successful is that we are always doing an event for the building and we are always at the top of our game. The events I am proud of most are our movie nights and making tye-dye t-shirts." -Jamal

"I like getting to make and see all the smiles that people have when they come to one of our events!" - Haylee

 
 

Make a Hand-Turkey Night

"I think that from the very beginning we all became good friends, which helps us get along and communicate easily with one another so we can efficiently plan events." - Anna

Mae Smith residents are thankful for Area Council!

"The only word I can think of to describe our Area Council is FAMILY. We are extremely close and always welcome new members and new friends." -Becky

Bowling Night!

"We all get along pretty well and we learned how to organize and communicate in a positive and effective way. I really enjoyed putting on the Tie-Dye event. I had fun when we put on the game night event and made snow cones also!" - Anna

No problem getting waivers signed for football

"I can't say that I have ever had as much fun being on an executive board than I have since I joined Mae Smith Area Council. I really enjoy the sense of community in Mae Smith and there is such a feeling of fulfillment after a successful event. I believe we are so successful because of the time and energy commitment put in by our executive board and by our advisers, we never leave good enough alone and we constantly strive to bring bigger and better events to our residents." -Adam

 Want to be a part of an Area Council for the 2013-2014 school year? Contact your Hall Director for more information.

S'more Time with the Faculty/University Associates!

SIU Residence Life has some great things going on, and we want to showcase some of our proud moments on our blog. We also hope people considering working in RA, graduate assistant, or full-time positions with our department will take a minute to learn more about the things we are doing. More information about our department, including position descriptions, application information, and graduate and full-time staff profiles can be found on our recruitment website.

In University Housing, our mission is to "...provide a high-quality, affordable living/learning environment that contributes to personal development and academic success." One way we contribute to the living/learning environment is by inviting faculty and staff members from across campus to get involved in our residence halls through the Faculty/University Associate (F/UA) program. F/UAs are volunteer members of the SIU Carbondale community who commit to spending time in University Housing, interacting with our residents. Each F/UA is different and so is each community, so there are no set expectations. We like the F/UAs to be able to work with the Residence Life staff in their community to find the best fit for them.

Last night we held "S'more Time with the F/UAs" programs in Mae Smith, Schneider, and West Campus. F/UAs were invited to come out, make s'mores, and hang out with the residents. We had a great turnout at all three events and want to extend a huge THANK YOU to the faculty and staff who participated.

Residence Life staff and students chat with Mae Smith F/UAs from the School of Architecture and New Student Programs.











Residence Life staff and students at the Mae Smith S'mores event

Beautiful lakeside s'mores event for West Campus residents and their Faculty/University Associates

Students, faculty, and staff mingle outside Schneider Hall during their s'mores event.

Illinois Rookie of the Year - Koban Havelka

SIU Residence Life has some great things going on, and we want to showcase some of our proud moments on our blog. We also hope people considering working in RA, graduate assistant, or full-time positions with our department will take a minute to learn more about the things we are doing. More information about our department, including position descriptions, application information, and graduate and full-time staff profiles can be found on our recruitment website.

Illinois Rookie of the Year!

While attending the annual Illinois Residence Hall Association’s Conference in Macomb, Illinois February 8th – 10th, Koban Havelka was named the Rookie of the Year for the State of Illinois! Koban is the Public Relations Coordinator for the Residence Hall Association and lives in Mae Smith Hall here at Southern Illinois University! Koban was recognized for his commitment to the residential experience here on campus during his first year at SIU. Institutions from across the state are able to nominate one individual from their home campus to be named Rookie of the Year. Nominations are reviewed and selected by the Illinois Residence Hall Associations (IRHA) Executive Board announced at the annual conference! Congratulations Koban for being named IRHA Rookie of the Year!

Meet the RAs! - DeJhauna Smith

SIU Residence Life has some outstanding Resident Assistants, and we want to show our appreciation by featuring them on our blog. We also hope people who are considering working in RA, graduate assistant, or full-time positions with our department will take a minute to check out the people who could be their future co-workers! RA profiles are featured on the blog, and graduate and full-time staff profiles (and information about positions) can be found on our recruitment website.

1. What’s your name?  DeJhauna Smith
2. Where are you from?  Evanston, Illinois
3. What’s your major?  Speech Comm with specalization in Public Relations
4. What is your favorite dining hall food?  I like a lot of their foods, but probably the meatloaf and cookies the most.
5. Where is your favorite place to go off-campus?  The mall
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  Living in some city, doing event planning. Or Europe, it's all up in the air still!
7. What do you like about being an RA?  Meeting a bunch of different characters.
8. Favorite quote?  "We should all begin to live before we die, fear is stupid so are regrets" - Marilyn Monroe
9. Best study spot on campus?  3rd floor of the library
10. How else are you involved at SIU (besides being an RA)?  SANKOFA, PRSSA, Pyramid (student public relations agency).

Meet the RAs! - Ivan Vargas

SIU Residence Life has some outstanding Resident Assistants, and we want to show our appreciation by featuring them on our blog. We also hope people who are considering applying for the RA position will take a minute to check out the people who could be their future co-workers! Look for new RA profiles to be posted regularly as we continue this feature!

1.  What’s your name?  Ivan Vargas
2.  Where are you from?  The City that Never Sleeps: New York City
3.  What’s your major?  Architecture & Photography with a minor in German Language
4.  What is your favorite dining hall food?  I really enjoy the breakfast at University Hall! I see many Hall Directors early in the morning getting their breakfast at UHall.
5.  Where is your favorite place to go off-campus?  Walmart...why? Because in NYC there's no Walmart stores, so I take advantage of the low price down here.
6.  Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  An architect working in a firm in New York City and probably have a small photography studio as my part time job.
7.  What do you like about being an RA?  I really enjoy the bond I have with my University Hall staff. I have a good relationship with my residents. And you meet many people through this job.
8.  Favorite quote?  I relate this towards my architecture major. "The whole difference between construction and creation is this; that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists." -Charles Dickens
9.  Best study spot on campus?  Small dining room at University Hall.
10.  How else are you involved at SIU (besides being an RA)?  I am President of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Volunteer member at Carbondale Public Library.

Meet the RAs! - Jennifer Koob

SIU Residence Life has some outstanding Resident Assistants, and we want to show our appreciation by featuring them on our blog. We also hope people who are considering applying for the RA position will take a minute to check out the people who could be their future co-workers! Look for new RA profiles to be posted regularly as we continue this feature!

1. What’s your name? Jennifer Koob
2. Where are you from? Morton Grove, IL
3. What’s your major? Elementary Education
4. What is your favorite dining hall food? Alfredo
5. Where is your favorite place to go off-campus? Giant City
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? A teacher in the Chicago land area
7. What do you like about being an RA? Meeting new people all the time and gaining leadership experience.
8. Favorite quote? "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." -Coco Chanel
9. Best study spot on campus? Library
10. How else are you involved at SIU (besides being an RA)? President of Alpha Gamma Delta

Meet the RAs! - Meagan Radloff

SIU Residence Life has some outstanding Resident Assistants, and we want to show our appreciation by featuring them on our blog. We also hope people who are considering applying for the RA position will take a minute to check out the people who could be their future co-workers! Look for new RA profiles to be posted regularly as we continue this feature!

1. What’s your name?  Meagan Radloff
2. Where are you from?  Tinley Park, IL
3. What’s your major?  Architecture
4. What is your favorite dining hall food?  Spaghetti and meatballs/ grilled cheese
5. Where is your favorite place to go off-campus?  The mall
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  Settled into a firm in Chicago and married
7. What do you like about being an RA?  All the new people I get to meet!
8. Favorite quote?  "worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but does not get you anywhere"
9. Best study spot on campus?  3rd floor of Morris Library
10. How else are you involved at SIU (besides being an RA)?  I am Senior Executive of my sorority and involved in three honors societies.

Meet the RAs! - Ashley Carriere

SIU Residence Life has some outstanding Resident Assistants, and we want to show our appreciation by featuring them on our blog. We also hope people who are considering applying for the RA position will take a minute to check out the people who could be their future co-workers! Look for new RA profiles to be posted regularly as we continue this feature!

1. What’s your name?  Ashley Carriere
2. Where are you from?  Chicago, IL
3. What’s your major?  Pre-Nursing
4. What is your favorite dining hall food?  my favorite dining hall food is grinnell pizza
5. Where is your favorite place to go off-campus?  I like to go to the movies
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  In ten years I see myself working as a surgical nurse, making a lot of money and driving a nice car.
7. What do you like about being an RA?  The thing I like about being an RA is gaining leadership skills and getting to know a lot of new people.
8. Favorite quote?  "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase" Martin Luther King.
9. Best study spot on campus?  The best study spot on campus is the library.
10.  How else are you involved at SIU (besides being an RA)?  I am a Saluki Dazzler and a member of the Black Togetherness Organization.