The same could be said for the Dennison Hall Staff in the month of September. These nine individuals are resourceful and represent a variety of leadership experiences, diverse backgrounds, and unique personal styles which join together through the RA position. While it has only been a short time, the connections have created a circle of trust and support. Through moments of strain and stretching times, the staff is able to be flexible through unexpected issues which impede on a regular schedule. Lastly, as I mentioned, I could not do my job without them.

I have been impressed with the nine staff members I work with in Dennison Hall. The fact is, I could not have done my job this month without their support, trust, and flexibility.

September began with me taking a weekend away from campus. While I was away, the residents chose to play and the staff was able to respond to three incidents in my absence. They kept me informed with voicemails and emails as delineated in their job expectations. In addition to responding to situations, they were able to begin recruiting members to join the Dennison Hall Community Council. From these efforts, 15 individuals were elected the following week to become the peer leadership of the hall who are committed to this responsibility.

This month also begins academic advising season at Miami University. It is unique that the head of hall also serves as the primary academic adviser for the residents of the building. Individual meetings must occur before registration begins in November, so I will be meeting with approximately 130 residents in a little over a month. Without the staff’s resourcefulness and support, I would not be able to juggle all these appointments and respond to all the needs of the hall personally. I rely on my staff to help me reach out to the residents and collect necessary information so I can focus on the advising appointments with each individual resident.

Also in September, the staff have put on five programs with good attendance and held individual room-on-one conversations with the residents of their corridors to go over roommate agreements and personal concerns. This has been a time consuming process and difficult to balance at times, but the Dennison Hall Staff has done their best to ensure that these experiences are developmental for residents.

On September 14th, severe winds from Hurricane Ike knocked power out of the Oxford, Ohio area for multiple days. The hall lost power for close to two days and the staff was called upon to help ensure the residents safety and security, and aid them during these moments of boredom and concern. The Dennison Hall Staff developed programs and initiated conversations with residents to keep them entertained and informed about what was happening. Several staff members also stationed themselves in the lobby to answer resident’s questions and guide people to their rooms with flashlights.

It has only been a short amount of time, but the Dennison Staff has taken their individual traits and forged a strong loop of trust, resourcefulness, and flexibility through multiple moments of strain and frustration. I know I could not have been able to keep things bound together without the rubber banding staff of Dennison Hall to support me this month.

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