918 W.

Illinois Street
Urbana, IL 61801

p. 217-300-8413
f. 217-333-6052

kkjones2@illinois.edu
Housing.illinois.edu

Townsend Hall
Community Model
Residence Hall Director Kortney Jones
2015 - 2016

Table of Contents
Townsend Hall Community...........................................................2

I.

History

Challenges

Goals

Community Capitals.....................................................................4

II.

Human Capitals

Social Capitals

Financial Capitals

Built Capitals

Cultural Capitals

III. Learning Outcomes.......................................................................7

IV. Programming................................................................................8

V.

First Six Weeks (Fall)

First Three Weeks (Spring)
All - Hall programs
Floor Programs
ThinkTank
Floor Meetings
Do's & Don'ts

Special Assignments...................................................................10
Academic Success Coordinators
Ebony Umoja (EU) Co-Advisor
Hall Council Co-Advisor
Women of Townsend Coordinator
Diversity Coordinator
PRISM Co-Advisor
Recognition Coordinator
Staff Leader
Webmaster
Wellness Coordinator

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Townsend Hall Community

History
Townsend hall is historically a building that is comprised mostly of returning
students, but not necessarily returning to Townsend. As of 2013 Townsend has
also seen an increase in first year students which consist of about 40% of the
residents. Because of its proximity to the main and engineering quads as well as
the fact that the building has AC students from across campus tend to flock to
Townsend.
We also have a higher population of international (mostly, but not exclusively
Asian) students versus other buildings. This is because ISR is one of two
complexes that stay open during University break periods to provide housing. We
also house a large number of the Intensive English Institute students. This is one
of the few buildings on campus where Caucasian students are not always in the
majority.
ISR has an issue with getting students involved. Because we gain our returning
student population from across campus instead of internally there is a tendency
for students to be involved in outside groups more than they are involved in hall
based activities. This is a challenge both for floor programming and for group
membership within the in hall groups (Hall Council, PRISM, and Ebony Umoja).

Challenges
Some of the challenges within the building come from both the structure itself
and the population of students that live in the hall.
Program attendance has been a continual challenge that is better or worse
depending on the year and the number of involved freshman we have
versus the number of returning students that have interests elsewhere on
campus and are using Townsend as a place to sleep.
The connection to Wardall. While it provides a great way to co-program and
expand resident interaction, having two staffs working very closely but
with two separate supervisors can be a challenge for the staff and
sometimes the students.
Additionally the slowly changing co-ed nature of Townsend leaves
something to be desired. In 2010-11 there was only one female floor. While
that number increased to 3 for 2011-12 it is still only 30% of the building
population which can lead to female students and staff members feeling
isolated in the community.

Goals
The goal for each parapro and for the building is to provide as many
opportunities for students to connect with each other and to get involved in their
own areas of interest as we possibly can.
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1. All residents will feel that they have an individualized

relationship with one staff member. This relationship will assist
residents in meeting others, getting involved, and becoming
personally attached to Townsend Hall. (Human Capital)
2. There are many more residents to staff in the building. They will
create the community they live in whether it is positive or
negative. It is our job to shape the community. (Facility and
Social Capital)
a. We will build a hall identity that is based on our facility
assets.
b. We will create community standards, the norms for our
spaces.
c. We want residents to fully participate in the floor and hall
including holding each other accountable for the
community standards that they create.
d. We will hold students accountable fairly and consistently
especially on noise and cleanliness.
3. Residents will feel that they live in a safe and inclusive
environment.
(Cultural Capital)
a. We will increase our residents understanding of their own
identity.
b. We will teach our residents about other social identities
than their own to increase empathy for the human
condition.
c. We will assist our residents to communicate and build
relationships cross culturally.
4. Students will thrive academically and socially. (Social Capital)
a. We will assist our students to learn strong study habits and
utilize campus resources.
b.
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We will connect students to hall and campus organizations

to help them create their niche on campus.

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Community Capitals
Definitions

Human Capital: People. It includes the leadership skills capabilities,

knowledge, wisdom, information, and skills possessed by the people who live
in the community.

Social Capital: Networking. It includes the closer bonds, the people we know
and depend on, and the loose ties to resources.

Financial Capital: It includes the resources related to community funds,

access to other sources of funding, budgeting skills, etc.

Built Capital: Facilities and location. This includes the systems and
infrastructure of the community such as common areas, amenities such as air
conditioning, and services.

Cultural Capital: It includes the dances, stories, food, traditions, values, and
connections to the spirit. It is about the diversity of the membership and the
equitability experienced by the residents.

Human Capitals

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Trained paraprofessionals on emergency response, social justice issues, and

community building strategies

Residential Hall Director is a trained professional staff member equipped to

supervise paraprofessional, respond to crisis and emergency situations, build
community, address social justice issues, support the academic mission of
university, and more

Area secretary, senior clerks, and desk clerks are trained to run a full
operation service for ISR hall. Staff are equipped with skills to address issues
with residents, access problems, and provide general customer service to
students, guest, and parents

Building Service Workers are friendly and always willing to assist making ISR a
home to all residents. Alerts staff of any concerns or residents.

International students are a great access to the hall demographic makeup.

Providing domestic students with cultural insights from around the world.

Co-RDs work together to create a cohesive hall community for both the
student staff and residents.

Returning residents help support the programming traditions of the hall and

assist paraprofessionals with building community.

Social Capitals

ISR is like a family, the staff work well together despite being two separate
halls. We share resources and task.

ISR is also a central location for students so we do collaborate with

community organizations and RSOs.

ISR has a lot of areas for students to study and meet with their groups. Keys
are available for check-out at the front desk.

Majority of the residents have similar if not the same majors. Thus we have a
lot of study groups residents form in hall.

Financial Capitals

Parapros have access to several funding avenues to meet the programming

needs of our residents which include:
o Pre-allocated floor funds
o Hall Council funds
o CRFB funding
o SocEd Funds (RD)
o Administrative Funds (RD)

The money allocated for each hall is spent jointly which allows the hall council
to provide more resources, programs, and events for all residents.

Built Capitals

Close to main Quad

Close to engineering Quad
Multiple bus stop in front and back of building
2 laundry facilities
Library in hall
Workout room
Courtyards
Onsite dining hall
Air conditioning
24 hour desk
Large amount of public space
Grab and go location

Cultural Capitals

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Large international student population in hall

Diverse population of students (i.e. classification, gender, race, etc.)

Annual Urbana North Carnival at ISR & Halloween Freight Night

Active Hall council, PRISM (LGBT group), Ebony Umoja (BSU), & more

Significant amount of students return to hall

Townsend Hall also has a tradition of frequent co-programming both with floor
partners and others in the building as well as with the staff in Wardall Hall.

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Townsend Hall Residents will

Demonstrate ability to develop relationships with

Be able to engage in dynamic conversations that

Develop diverse relationships with others, recogn

Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills

Role model attributes of a positive community en

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Learning Outcomes

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Programming
I.

First 6 Weeks (Fall- Weekly)

a. Each RA is required to do 5 community building programs & 1 safety program for their floor
(i.e. 1 program/week).
b. Requirements: At least 4 events must be planned out by you
c. Program Completion Deadline: By Saturday of that week

II.

First 3 Weeks (Spring - Weekly)

a. Each RA is required to do 3 community building programs for their floor (i.e. 1
program/week).
i. Ex) Social programs that are passive, group outing, floor dinner, etc.
b. Requirements: At least 2 events must be planned out by you
c. Program Completion Deadline: By Saturday of that week

III.

Bulletin Boards (Monthly)

IV.

All-Hall Programs (Monthly)

a. Required Topics

a. 3 Floor bulletin boards must be changed every month

b. Deadline for new bulletin board is by midnight on the 15th of the month

Multicultural
Social
Justice
Wellness
Life
Skills

S
o
c
i
a
l

b. Requirements: All programs must be planned out by your group and hosted in-hall
i. Complete 2 in Fall & 3 in Spring semester

V.

Floor Programs (Monthly)

a. Fall = October, November, December
b. Spring = March, April, May
c. Required Topics: You decide
d. Requirements: At least 2 events must be planned out by you

VI.

ThinkTank

a. All ThinkTank Submissions are due on the 1st of the month

b. All ThinkTank Evaluations are due on the last day of the month (i.e. 28th , 30th , or 31st)
c. Funding information must be included in ThinkTank

..............................First Six Weeks (Fall)

During the first six weeks Townsend staff members need to
focus on several areas. The first is addressing residents
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transitional needs. Many freshman residents are away from

home for the first time and certainly the first time in this

setting. Staff needs to be approachable and HIGHLY visible to

new residents. Staff will also facilitate getting new students to
campus events including convocation, and Illinois sights and
sounds. Because of our returning student population and the
unique move-in schedule that results we will divide up
responsibilities for those events and for things like quad day,
taste of Nevada, etc.
Each RA will hold two floor meetings, one on the night of
freshman move-in and one during the first week or classes.
The meeting during freshman move in is to provide new
students with information that will help them navigate living
with us and the University in general. The second meeting is
focused on developing community standards on the floor and
needs to involve new students as well as residents who reassigned to Housing.
Things that we want to include in floor community standards
meetings are:

Cleanliness
Treatment of Common Spaces
Quiet Hours
Respects
Pride and Enthusiasm
Safety
Vandalism
Social Community
Personal Development and Growth
Inclusivity
Bathroom Usage
Academics (Integrity)
Personal Needs
Privacy
Hall Spirit
Other items that floor residents come up with are always
appropriate to add as well.

.....................First Three Weeks (Spring)

During the first three weeks Townsend staff members need to
focus on building community with new and returning
residence on their floor. Staff needs to be approachable and
HIGHLY visible to new residents. Staff will also facilitate
getting new residents adjusted to the logistics of the hall.
Each RA will hold a floor meetings during the first week of
classes. The meeting should focused on developing
community standards on the floor and needs to involve new
residents to the floor.
Things that we want to include in floor community standards
meetings are:
Cleanliness
Treatment of Common Spaces
Quiet Hours

Respects
Pride and Enthusiasm
Safety
Vandalism
Social Community
Personal Development and Growth
Inclusivity
Bathroom Usage
Academics (Integrity)
Personal Needs
Privacy
Hall Spirit
Other items that floor residents come up with are always
appropriate to add as well.

.........................................Do's & Donts

DO ask your residents for ideas for
programming & evaluate after (i.e. Needs
Assessment)

DO plan programs that will benefit residents

and meet their needs

DO plan programs that will work with your

residents schedule

DO ask the MA for help with social

justice/multicultural programs

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DONT program just to fulfill your

requirements

DONT get stuck in a programming rut, think

outside of the box

DONT just do the minimum, do more for your

residents (Having dinner with your residents
counts!)

DONT be afraid to ask the RD for help, she

was an RA too!

 Special Assignments
Academic Success Coordinators 2 RAs
This special assignment is completed by 2 designated Townsend RAs and 1 Wardall RA. These staff
members will create academic programs that focus on helping students be successful in college.
Create, advertise, and implement monthly programs with fellow RA. Recruit tutoring services to
come into ISR (departments, OMSA, etc.). Programs consisting of but not limited to, faculty
lunch/dinner events, stall stories, social events with faculty, study sessions/tables, coordinate study
buddy programs, bulletin boards in a bag, & large scale events.

Ebony Umoja (EU) Co-Advisor - 1 RA

Serve as the student staff co-advisor for EU, ISRs Black Student Union, with the assigned Wardall
RA and attend weekly meetings. Provide leadership to the group by helping with programming
efforts, bulletin board feedback, and other pertinent logistics. Attend executive board meetings as
schedule permits.

Hall Council Co-Advisor - 1 RA

RA will aid ISR executive board in programming and the planning process, announce upcoming
events at Staff Ds, and inform HC when the ISR RAs have something planned to prevent overlap of
programming dates and ideas. This RA will work with the assigned Wardall RA and will attend
weekly hall council meetings and/or executive board meetings. They together will ensure the board
is staying on task and guide HC with funding request and program planning. Assist with volunteer
recruitment of parparos for Urbana North Carnival and Fright Night and creating list.

Webmaster 1 RA
This staff member will be responsible for updating the Townsend staff website with info from the
RD. Add staff bios to the website. Maintain the Townsend Facebook page with weekly post about
upcoming events in and out of hall. This individual will also be responsible for creating and
distributing electronically & as a stall story monthly Townsend newsletters. In addition, submit
request for digital signage for staff members events & hall group programs as needed.

Diversity Coordinator 1 MA
This staff member will be the Townsend Hall multicultural advocate. This individual will host biweekly MA moments in staff development meetings to educate the RAs on current events or discuss
a social justice topic. The MA will also be responsible for leading special programs to improve
relations between international and domestic students in Townsend Hall that could be active or
passive.

PRISM Co-Advisor 1 RA
Serve as the student co-advisor for PRISM, ISRs LGBTQIA group, and attend weekly meetings.
Provide leadership to the group by helping with programming efforts, bulletin board feedback, and
other pertinent logistics. Present to the Townsend staff during Staff D meetings on current
issues/topics.
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Recognition Coordinator - 1 RA
Write OTMs for hall programs and submit them monthly; recognize staff birthdays (special
treat, b-day cards, keep track of upcoming birthdays) Recognize the achievements of staff
members; provide interactive activities for Staff Ds. Find creative ways to encourage the
enhancement of staff members self-esteem and morale of staff. Will take or collect pictures
at training, staff events or meetings, hall programs, etc. They will put together a slide show
for the end of the Spring Semester and put together a staff book/memento by the end of the
year. Coordinate events/programs to recognize BSWs, maintenance, and front desk staff
each semester.

Staff Leader - 1 RA
This staff member will assist with icebreaker, team builder, and/or time-management
activities during staff development and training meetings. Coordinate duty scheduling for
fall & spring semesters as well as maintain calendar and duty change updates. Assist RD
with all staff trainings and facilitate some workshops/meetings. Assess staff needs and help
plan trainings and bring in outside resources. Coordinate meal orders for non-session meals
for hall staff. Provide support to other RAs within their special assignments as needed and
requested. Coordinate training schedule for mid-year hires (if applicable). Oversee the
Townsend Hall Safety Coordinator(s) and assign them task. Perform duties as assigned by
Residence Hall Director.

Women of Townsend Coordinator 1 RA

This special assignment will be assigned to a female staff member. This staff member will be
responsible for coordinating monthly programs (passive or active) for the women of
Townsend to educate them on topics that impact women. These topics could be but not
limited to, womens health, domestic violence, heathy social media usage, eating habits,
self-esteem, relationships, sex, dating, etc. In addition, host a social event to help build
community between all the Townsend women once a semester.

Wellness Coordinator - 1 RA
This staff member will create wellness initiatives for the staff and will gather (and report out
at Staff D) information that will help the staff stay physically, mentally, and spiritually
healthy throughout the school year. This will include a joint alcohol education program (w/
WD RA) to take place prior to Unofficial, and helpful hints for staff members. Large-scale
publicity for programs, possibly including mailbox drops, banners, creative flyers, etc.
Coordinate and create monthly Stress Free Fridays and/or Stress Free Zone programs for fall
and spring semesters.

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