It Begins

RA Training is over, and Welcome Week is here. The students have been slowly trickling into the building, and tomorrow is the big day when we get hit with 400-500 freshman. The RA’s, the Grads and the Professional Staff are exhausted and drained... and then there is me… with enough energy to power a drumming bunny.

Let me back up a little bit.

On the 14^th of this month, we met the Resident Assistants (RA) that will be working and living in the building. I was really nervous about meeting this group of young men and women. New on staff or returning for their third year working in Read, these are young people that I have to mentor and lead and supervise. I was (and still am, a little bit) terrified of failing them – and we hadn’t even met yet.

And then we met.

I have never fallen in love so fast.

This group is eclectic and ridiculous and smart and funny. They are genuine and caring and excited about this school year. They have been taking the initiative in training. They have been going out of their way to get to know their International residents (which can be pretty hard to do). They have been inclusive with each other, sending mass texts to the team about grabbing grub or heading to the gym. They have been supportive of each other’s ability to learn and make mistakes and grow. 

I couldn’t consider myself more blessed. 

This week is my first week on duty (which means I have the “duty phone.” If there is an emergency in the building, or if an RA is nervous about handling a situation or simply wants backup, I get the call, day or night.) Of course, I end up with the first week that all of the students are in the building, the week that will undoubtedly have the most policy violations. I am nervous about handling alcohol, drugs, noise violations, violence, etc. I’m nervous about it all. But I have a killer staff backing me. And I can’t wait to see them in action. Not only that, but I can’t wait to also have the opportunity to learn and make mistakes and grow. And I know the support will be there for me through it all. And that is priceless.

Lots of love! – Jillian Liota

Grad Training 101

For the past two weeks, the grad students at IUB who are working in Residential Programs and Services were given extensive information on philosophies, situations and strategies related to working in residence halls. Below is the list of the most important things I learned:

• Sleeping in is a privilege.
• International students go through a LOT to be here, and deserve extra attention, patience and kindness.
• After making huge changes in your life, having someone take the one constant away (i.e. another group stealing the table you sat at during training all week) is a devastating feeling.
• IceBreakers will always be "in."
• Event Planner is a God-send.
• Ice Cream Socials make everything better, especially when delicious brownies are available.
• The Indianapolis Indians get upset and stare you down if you're making too much noise in the stands.
• Trying to find the students who smoke weed in their rooms will be one of the most frustrating parts of the job.
• FERPA is really, really confusing (even for someone like me, who thought she really understood it).
• IUB has some pretty amazing staff members who truly support the grads.

Now that grad training is over, it is on to Resident Assistant training!!! WOOOOWOOOOOO

Settling In - The New Normal

The bookshelves are filled with books, the TV is all set up, and the welcome mat is out. Our apartment is smaller than we thought it would be, but it is already starting to feel like we belong here. It's official! We are home!!

I just finished my first week of Grad training and have met some incredible young men and women who I will be working alongside. Here is a quick list of new important people in my life that I will be mentioning often:

Amber and Julia - My immediate supervisors in Read Hall
Brandon and Sarah - The two other Graduate Supervisors in Read Hall, second-years in grad school.

I have been blessed immeasurably in the people I will get to work with every day for the next year. Amber and Julia have been nothing but encouraging and informative during this very transformational and challenging time in my life, and the whole staff  have been incredibly supportive as I work through my emotions about having practically ZERO residence life experience. They are AMAZING people.

I have spent the last week learning the ABC's of RPS (Residential Programs and Services), meeting wonderful new colleagues, experiencing legitimate programming and supervision training, and eating really horrible cafeteria food. It has definitely been an experience.

This Saturday (8/6) will be the only free time I have in the next three weeks, and I am choosing to spend it reading manuals, handouts and anything else I can get my hands on to learn, learn, learn as fast as I can. I can't wait to absorb knowledge and grow into this profession. I truly believe I have finally, FINALLY found a path in life.

More to come - Jillian Liota

Following I-40 from California to the Carolinas (PART II)

Driving across the country has to be one of the most exciting things I have ever done. It also has to be one of the craziest. As much as I love people, and as accepting as I try to be of each individual person's uniqueness, this road trip has done nothing but prove to me how interesting people can be :)

10 Best, Worst and Funniest Road Trip Moments:

1. Seeing a man sleeping next to the highway under the "Welcome to New Mexico" sign
2. 'Toad Suck Park' in Little Rock, Arkansas
3. Bouncing (serious bouncing) as we drove across the bridge into Memphis
4. Seeing the last In-N-Out Burger as we drove through Arizona, and not stopping (worst mistake EVER!)
5. Danny legally drinking a beer in the car as I drove
6. Kissing before crossing every state line
7. Leaving Memphis, we drove through Whiteville and then Brownville (we think they might still be a little bit racist there)
8. Watching a car in front of us maliciously try to hit squirrels as they ran across the highway (and succeeding in hitting three)
9. Hitting London, Paris, Versailles and Frankfurt in one day (apparently Kentucky has the inability to come up with their own town names)
10. Seeing a woman in a bikini trying to flag someone down to help fix her car

Following I-40 from California to the Carolinas (PART I)

Well, we did it! Danny and I departed our tiny apartment (after hours and hours of painstaking cleaning), packed up the kittens and hit the road. Our original plan was to drive straight to Indiana, board the kittens and head on a road trip through the South. But in a very non-Jill move, I decided I wanted to scrap the plan and go on a REAL adventure. So we decided to continue following the 40 to the east coast.

Spending five days in a car with someone is a serious testament to your ability to deal with all of their issues. For instance, Danny drives like a grandpa. On normal days, it isn’t a big deal. But when we are trying to cover 700 miles in one day, 50 mph starts to affect your sanity. And as someone who has grown up in Southern California, I find the flat terrain of the Texas panhandle absolutely fascinating. My husband, however, does not appreciate being woken up from his nap every 5 minutes to hear about what flat land looks like, or how far away I think that itty-bitty farm house is way out in the distance.

In a brief overview, we drove through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina on the 40, before heading into South Carolina to visit our friends. We had dinner with my friend Lindsay from college in Oklahoma City (and boy did she show off that city! Danny and I fell in love!) We had lunch with family in Little Rock, Arkansas. We had delicious BBQ in downtown Memphis. And we put our feet in the water on the coast of North Carolina.

It was an absolutely amazing trip that my husband and I will never forget. We just finished spending a week in South Carolina with our friends Tucker and Amanda, and tomorrow we drive up north to Indiana to get settled into our apartment. Not having a home for two weeks has been hard on my emotional state, and Danny’s too. But we cope by leaning on each other.

Now, off to Indiana! Let the true adventure begin!!!

P.S. Check back soon for a list of our craziest road trip experiences!!!