UCLA Student Affairs

On August 9th and 10th, 2007, the Office of Residential Life took 350 Student Leaders, Resident Assistants, program support staff, and many of the full-time employees on a fun- filled, learning-centered adventure as part of their fall team training and development. The event was a two-day diversity themed experience, held at the picturesque Camp Shalom in Malibu, California. The experience was a part of the staff team training, a result of 8 months worth of preparation. Planning for the training began in December, with the Office of Residential Life training committee actively searching for qualified facilitators willing to spend a significant amount of time creating and organizing an event that could continue as part of the staff training for years to come.

The facilitators invited to train the staff were Dr. Frank Tuitt, Dr. Frank Trevino and Doctoral Candidate Rachel Griffin, a dynamic collaboration team from the University of Denver. With an impressive list of qualifications, the facilitators brought a mix of activities aimed at helping students understand and apply the concepts of campus climate, racial microaggressions, oppression and the impact of the staff role in addressing those issues. For many staff members in Residential Life, it was not only the first time camping, but also the first time many of them had heard about the concept of microaggressions. Microaggressions are defined as ”brief and commonplace verbal or behavioral indignities that are subtle, stunning, often automatic mini racial insults that have psychological impacts on a target group.” (Sue, 2003) The unique approach of the facilitators was to educate staff members through a series of intergroup dialogue opportunities, interactive activities and self reflection.

The response from the staff was tremendous. The event was deemed a huge success, not only because of the challenge of transporting, accommodating and educating such a large group in a non-traditional setting, but also because of the reaction from the staff. Many described this experience as a life-changing event, with the impact of the program being felt months after the event took place.

Residential Life Director Suzanne Seplow notes that two months after the training, 15 RAs and Student Leaders had breakfast with Chancellor Block. “The most consistent message was the appreciation for the diversity training experience. The students commented on the in-depth learning, personal growth and enhanced relationship building that resulted from the training. I was so pleased with their enthusiasm for their experience and for their excitement to bring back what they learned to the residential community. It was a phenomenal life-learning event for everyone involved.”

At a recent conference, Resident Director Kenya James-Nunley described an experience where staff members challenged presenters on their use of microaggressions. “At the 2007 Central RAP Student Leadership Conference, a few UCLA ORL student staff members utilized skills they learned in fall staff training by challenging a presenter on the use of offensive microaggressions during the presentation. The presentation was not about Diversity or Social Justice, however the student staff members demonstrated that they were able to apply what they learned to a real-life situation. They also took pride in the fact that they were able to identify on their own that they were actually using the skills that they learned in ORL training.”

These observable demonstrations of the impact of this type of training is why the Office of Residential Life finds this experience so valuable. The implications for how this application of knowledge impacts students extends far beyond the residence halls and into the way students and staff interact with one another. The Office of Residential Life plans to carry that education into the academic school year and beyond, with current plans involving the expansion of the program to be a set part of the fall training experience for student staff for 2008-2009.