Day 5: May 26, 2010… “It’s Been a Long Time Coming”

Today has been the day I’ve been waiting for, after months of emails, phone calls, and ambiguity I was able to sit down and have a dialogue with staff members from the University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. And must I say it was an incredible meeting with one of their Resident Assistants, Carson Hamilton. He clarified his role as an RA and what he would like to see out of the position and with Residence Life as a whole. Carson was very candid about the position and I believed in that moment we helped each other understand our “university’s culture” when it comes to Residence Life.

As our conversation continued to grow and develop we were able to create a working organizational structure for the enhancement of the Office of Residence Life. By speaking with him he helped me to comprehend what he thought was essential to the office and the position and other things that needed to be more comprehensive. During our discussion all I could think is how he would make a great Student Affairs professional. He is engaging and really is dedicated to his position and student development. I almost think I should’ve encouraged him to think about this field….hmmm…maybe I will.

Learning the positions and roles they play within Residence Life was interesting. Understanding how similar the positions are just with different titiles became more and more clear over the time that we met. With some input from Dale Lynch, I begin to feel that we were making progress and that at the end of this I would be able to take our suggestions and present them to the group in a positive manner. It’s all about growth, patience, and understanding. I think the ongoing dialogue is just the beginning of this relationship and will continue to grow and develop.

This day has been incredible, as we’re sitting here blogging we’re reminded that we are in another country, beautiful Barbados, in fact…but working. I smile to myself and say this has been wonderful. I really have enjoyed my conversations and have learned a lot. I really could imagine myself consulting with other schools in other countries about their Residence Life programs and other services they offer. I think I’ll ponder on this some more.

Aris L. Hall, M.Ed (Recent 2010 Graduate)