Tired of hearing the excuse that residents are too busy "studying" to come out to a fun, social events? Want to find a way to get residents involved that will engage them more academically? Well, the Mozart Square Hall Association (MZHA) did! They brainstormed many ideas to think about programming academically, and thought of a brilliant way to get residents involved. It just so happened that this academic program turned passive, and was a way to for the hall association to give kudos to the residents that excelled in the classroom. Ladies and gentlemen, the program “A-Wall” has been born.

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This program is actually one that takes place through the entire semester. Any time any student got an “A” on any assignment, the residents would show a hall association exec, and the exec would record it on their data sheet. MZHA took into account that some classes give out only 3 grades a semester, and other classes give a homework assignment each night. They decided to make a goal of trying to reach 250 A’s by the end of the semester, since 250 residents live in the building (one A per resident). People can submit as many A’s as they want, either by showing the hall association exec a physical copy, turning it in to the front desk for the exec to look at and later return to the resident, or by e- mailing the hall association’s e-mail account: untMZHA@gmail.com with proof of their A in the classroom.

To further encourage residents to participate, they made this program a floor competition; meaning all 3 floors of our building would compete against each other. The winning floor would receive a mystery prize to be revealed at the Luau (a Hawaiian-themed BBQ program) that happens at the end of the semester.

The reason I write about this OTM in February is because all of the work started in this month. They made 3 posters (1 to hang on each floor), giving a description of what A-Wall was, along with a sheet of construction paper for residents to write their name on whenever they received an A. 2 execs were in charge of each floor, to check the construction paper daily, and to get in contact with the residents who signed their name to check their grades and give them credit.

Finally, a main poster is up in the lobby. A thermometer, with the goal of 250, is updated every two weeks to see how many total A’s are accounted for in the hall. There is also a bar graph next to the thermometer, which (also updated every 2 weeks) is a graph that shows the amount of A’s accumulated in each specific floor, and to compare the floor’s progress to other floors.

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MZHA wanted to make a realistic and feasible goal while still encouraging residents to participate. Since the structure of the classroom varies drastically, they felt having the goal of one A per resident was a SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and timely) goal to set for the residents. However, if the thermometer breaks past 250, the execs would still keep track of the amount A’s submitted up until the luau program held at the end of the semester. The winning floor would also be rewarded at the luau program with a special treat.

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Although this program has only been around for a month, I have seen way more enthusiasm from the residents then I could have anticipated. Many come up to me, as the advisor of the hall association, asking where to turn in or who to show their A’s. I thought no resident would utilize the gmail account, but several submissions have been sent to the hall association e-mail address. And in the first two weeks alone, over 50 A’s have been accounted for.

This program is becoming a regular part of the resident’s life in Mozart, as they gladly show off their hard work to the front desk. This is a simple mechanism for resident’s to show off the hard-work they put forth in the classroom. Saying “good job” and feeling like a contributing factor to the growth of the thermometer in the lobby is enough for the residents to want to participate in this program.

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This is a unique question to answer, since technically this program is still in progress. But what I see of right now is a passive program that reaches out to the more residents than just the normal lobby crew. Anyone can participate in this program. We put the purpose of being a student at the forefront of this program, and some people actually get motivated to study for exams to ensure that they have an A to put up on the A-Wall. This idea was fantastic, and MZHA followed through very well with it. I’m excited for the Luau, and I have my fingers crossed that we’ll far beyond exceed the 250 A goal set out for our residents to accomplish.

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The beauty of this program is that this program could easily adapt to all the other colleges and universities, simply because the motivation behind this program is the motivation of every student: to receive a college education. This program is in line with the mission of every student. The fantastic part of this program is that the residence hall provides a simple way for residents to show off their A’s. If the hall promotes A’s, then the residents will strive to reach them, and won’t satisfy for anything less.

I think this program helps motivate and encourage the residents to exceed in school. Of course, the demographic of the hall will change how the format of this program would work out. But all in all, this is a program that can be implemented and molded to fit every university.

MZHA wanted a place for residents to come home to, to feel comfortable and appreciated. And A-Wall is a small gesture to show MZHA cares for their residents, and will do whatever they can to see the residents succeed.

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