My First Week by Travis Tucker

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.

Today's blog post was written by Travis T. Tucker. Travis began working at SIU on July 1, 2013, and is one of three Hall Directors in West Campus. Travis recently completed a Master's degree at Miami University, and his undergraduate work was done at the University of Akron.

My First Week

As I spent my Friday evening packing up my belongings in preparation for the move from my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to Carbondale, I thought about the amazing journey that I was about to begin. And it was not just in relation to the 8.5 hour drive that I had in store the next day! Much of my last 6 months of grad school had been devoted to the much talked about job search; endless hours researching, prepping, and of course interviewing for positions. Throughout that time, I was looking for a place that would provide me the space I needed to grow and provide the day to day challenges that would make me a better practitioner. I also wanted a place that spoke to my passion areas of social justice and student development theory, as I see both to be crucial to my work with students. From my first interview with SIU at The PlacementExchange (TPE) and now through my first week on the job, I have seen these same values espoused in their professionals and so much more.  I am excited to work with a group of caring, compassionate, funny, and engaged co-workers. They have helped take many of those jitters that come with starting something new and have replaced them with the comfort that I made the right choice. Everyone that I have met, whether they are from our Residence Life staff, University Housing, or from the Carbondale community at large, has visible allegiance to SIU and their beloved Salukis. It is hard not to catch it yourself! As I move to my second week and beyond, I look forward to the rest of our time in training, but also meeting and building my relationships with my graduate student and RA staff. The sky is truly the limit and I look forward to a great future. Go Salukis!

Tunnel of Oppression

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 who are 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.

Alfred Jackson, Programming Coordinator for University Housing, wrote today's blog post about the Tunnel of Oppression. University Housing has been coordinating SIU's Tunnel event for the past seven years. The 2013 Tunnel of Oppression will take place from 5-9pm each day February 25-28. We hope YOU come out to experience this transformative event. Check out the Daily Egyptian's article on last year's Tunnel of Oppression.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s seventh annual Tunnel of Oppression offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience first-hand oppression and raw emotion.

The lower level of Grinnell Hall, located at 275 E. Park St. near Mae Smith tower, will undergo a big transformation from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 25-28. Each of the dozen rooms along the half-hour walking trip will become the representation of a theme: race, gender, body image, class, physical ability, religion, homophobia and more. Volunteers from campus Registered Student Organizations and community groups will provide participants with an immersion experience, giving them the opportunity to feel for themselves prejudice, oppression and other awareness-evoking experiences and emotions.

“The Tunnel of Oppression is a very powerful experience. Even today, people still suffer injustice in America and around the world. Underground human auctions occur, hate crimes take place and prejudices inflict pain and oppression. Those visiting the tunnel will experience for themselves what it is like to be treated unfairly, what it’s like to be laughed at or mocked. Our goal is increasing understanding and discussion to bring about positive changes,” - Alfred Jackson

Everyone is welcome to take the free tour. However, there is a limit of 20 people per tour and the last visit begins at 8:30 p.m. The tours typically fill up quickly, drawing visitors from a wide geographical area, including other universities, so organizers highly recommend reservations.

Because of the intense nature of the program, it is open to people ages 17 and older only. After each tour, participants have the opportunity to participate in a debriefing with staff from the SIU Carbondale Center for Inclusive Excellence and Counseling Center as well as the CarbondaleWomen’s Center.

To reserve a spot for the Tunnel of Oppression, email your top three choices of dates and times to cnhale@siu.edu or call 618-536-2054. Participants should arrive at Grinnell at least 10 minutes before their scheduled tour. Due to the high demand for the tours, spots are all filled with those present on site 10 minutes before each tour begins.

Event sponsors are University Housing and the Black Togetherness Organization. Individual rooms and displays are created and facilitated by Registered Student Organizations and community groups.