Office of Residence Life Ethics Professionalism Being a

Office of Residence Life Ethics, Professionalism & Being a Role Model RA Training 19 Aug 03 Presented by Justin Daniel Meyer Please set all beepers & cell phones to silent. August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Overview • Professionalism — Who? • Role Modeling — How? • Ethics — What / when? P R August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology E J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Who is professional? • Name names! Why do you regard each as such? • What is “professionalism”? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Who is professional? • Name names! Why do you regard each as such? – Justin, Trina – Bill Clinton / GWB, Jr. / the President – Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumble • What is “professionalism”? – How a person performs in a position of responsibility – (inherent) not the outcome but the approach – Actions and preparedness August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life What is “Professionalism”? • The way you dress • How one approaches others (not offending others with appearance, attitude, or dress) • Living up to your word • Following through on commitments • Preparing for responsibilities • Demanding more of yourself and those around you (striving) August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Characteristics Required • • • Genteel — not using profanity Consistency Polish — appearance and enunciation Education — application of knowledge Experience — the ability to learn from it Trust others — the foundation of all long-term relationships Credibility — so others will listen to you Preparation — chance favors the prepared mind Respect — treating others as they desire (or at least equal to you Teamwork & Communication August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Role Modeling • Working definitions? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Role Modeling • Working definition? – Leading by example – Being visible – Visible consistency August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Role Modeling • My working definition: exemplifying through action those characteristics to which you expect others to live up. • At least 2 required attributes in this dynamic: – The desire to better oneself (your resident) – Follow through in leading by example (you) • Examples? – First, is imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? – Examples of obvious influence: former residents on whom you made an impression? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Common Role Models in our Society • • • Parents and other senior family members Political, religious and social leaders Professional colleagues / mentors, teachers Coaches, team captains Friends Celebrities and other public figures • Who are your role models and why? (5 examples) • All these people have something in common—what is the common element? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Role Models Have Something We Want! • • • Dignity Selflessness Goals and Aspirations Accomplishments Respect Power / Authority Ambition Principles (strong) Leadership Motivation August ? ? , 2003 • • • Decision-making power Honesty Influence Courage Love Charisma Success Altruism Accountability Responsibility Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Exercise: Picking a New Role Model for Yourself • Imagine for a moment that you are traveling abroad and are planning on stopping in one country for a few years. Since you wish to enter this society, how do you figure out how to pick a mentor or guide (who may not know they are being scrutinized) to emulate? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life How One Might Go About It: • Someone who is respected by others • Someone who is where you want to be • Someone who reaches his/her goals fairly quickly • Look for social infrastructure August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life What About Residents Who Don’t Want to Improve • So you have what they want or need (at least for now)…now what? • Without a drive for self-improvement in your residents, it will be very difficult to reach them through your actions alone. • How can we reach these residents (they may be few… but the squeaky wheels are the most noticed… and the most likely to get an RA feeling down)? Ideas? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life What About Residents Who Don’t Want to Improve • How can we reach these residents (few… but the squeaky wheels are the most noticed… and the most likely to cause oneself consternation)? Ideas? – Use a roommate or someone else on the ‘inside’ to find out what they need (asking others for help often leads to success) – Get them involved in what you are doing – Be reasonably supportive (don’t commit all your time to one resident) – Delegate small tasks & increase responsibilities over time to inspire by challenges – Persevere – Demonstrate potential negative consequences – Being feared vs. being loved (Machiavelli) – If you are not the right role model – help them find someone else! August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life You Are Not Setting Yourself up to Fail! • You need to reach them on a different level than that on which you have been trying… intellect, sports, classes, hobbies, et cetera. • You will not reach everybody… keep your perspective. • As a voluntary role model, you are willingly jumping into your very own fish bowl, however small. August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life The Fish Bowl Effect (living under a microscope) • You are… • • • An RA first, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Held to a higher standard (though we follow the same policies). Expected to help RSO’s / others at a moment’s notice. Directly responsible for the condition of the hall. Recognized by non-ORL staff only when a need/incident arises. Expected to know everything. • Assumed to be always available. • Continually imposed upon from many directions and people! • How do you deal with all this? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Coping with Your Responsibilities • Compartmentalize your personal life and the RA job as possible • People are always observing and unconsciously judging you: residents, peers (on and off staff), administrators, and even family & friends. • Make sure you provide yourself some “downtime” from all • Never compromise your values, what you believe in • Maintain a sense of professional self-accountability • Always remain loyal to your residents and confidentiality reqs. • “To thine own self be true and then it follows as night the day, thou canst be false to no man. ” -W. Shakespeare August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life What is Ethical? • Working definition… August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life What is Ethical? • Working definition… – – – Doing what you consider good Upholding the (societal? ) code of conduct Believing in and standing up for your beliefs By definition: not always logical or common sense Set of standards on which individuals build • Ethics go beyond the law: they are not a mandatory element as in the law “non-choice. ” When there is a choice—no law/policy/etc—ethics come into play. August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Application of Values to Voluntary Behavior = Ethics! • My working definition: the application of one’s values to determine right & wrong action in a given situation. • This requires either judging others or responding to one’s environment. • Draw upon your frames of reference – – – Religion Family Culture Country Previous experience August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Ethical RAs • • • Respectful Trustworthy Judgmental (reservedly? ) Full of integrity Consistent and Fair Honest Compassionate Firm Willing to admit fault and take corrective steps. Fair and consistent in policy enforcement training info August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Teach Your Residents About Your Position: • Set clear expectations at your first meeting (take suggestions!) • Show NO favoritism • Maintain confidentiality as required by law & Stevens policy • Always be honest, never hedge • THINK before you answer a resident’s question (they tell 4) • Be available when feasible (non-duty night open-door hours) August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Common Scenarios: 1. Some of your residents invite you to go out to a bar. 2. You observe students cheating on a test. 3. You overhear freshmen planning to go drinking at a fraternity. 4. You observe a non-burnt candle in another RA’s room. 5. A friend asks to borrow a CD so s/he can copy/rip it. August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Wrap-up… • Carry yourself in the manner you expect your residents to act. • Provide your residents with your best qualities and work from there. • Remember to keep your perspective when dealing with a situation • Questions? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Additional slides August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Discussion Questions 1. Who are your top 3 role models? Why? 2. What makes an effective role model? 3. Whom do you respect, professionally? 4. How do you define your ethics? 5. What makes you an ethical person? What about someone else? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Common Scenarios: • You are over 21. Your friends invite you to go out drinking and dancing. Earlier you overheard some of your underage residents making plans for the same venue. What do you do? • The RA on duty knocks on your door to investigate marijuana odors. The police have been called. You find a room, knock, and the door is answered. Then the officers arrive and tae over. One of the officers seems to know one of the residents and steps into the room for a few minutes. When the officer emerges, “it has been taken care of” is the only response you receive. • One of your residents comes to talk to you about an experience they had last night. Their description suggests attempted date rape. The resident does not want to do anything. When you learn the alleged perpetrator’s name, it is someone who has been accused of similar aggressions before. How do you proceed. • At the next staff meeting, your RD instructs you that the Institute is implementing a new policy. Despite your strong objections, no compromise is possible. How do you reconcile your job with your belief that the Institute’s policy is wrong, possibly morally so? August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer

Office of Residence Life Further Thoughts • Separating yourself from others due to responsibility & conflict of interest. (this is what makes you human!) If you didn’t do it, you would have to be an emotional amoeba in order to avoid breaking down! • The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell (examples of social epidemics which started small and grew quickly) • Truth • Credibility – the reputation you come in with will work for or maybe against you, you build from there – no illusions, here. • Consistenty • ICFs in fairness/consistency, etc • Pronoun selection “one” for “we”, s/he for they, etc August ? ? , 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology J. D. Meyer