Apr 13, 2018 | Exclusive |
By Emilee Eustis Contributing Writer
CAs in Mallett Hall believe that residence hall programs not only help ease the unfamiliarity of college, but also aide in higher academic achievement and bonding opportunities.
Jamie St. Pierre, a first year CA at Mallett Hall, said that living in the dorms holds a lot of importance for students.
“Not only will they probably meet their first friends this way, but they also have great resources like CAs to help them out with whatever they need,” St. Pierre said.
“I enjoy being a mentor and a resource in the halls and around campus,” said Brian Weiner, another first year CA at Mallett Hall. For both Weiner and St. Pierre, building their community and having a positive impact on their residents is the most important aspect of being a CA.
Weiner and St.
Mallett CAs are working towards building a sense of community in the residence Hall. (Photo Courtesy of Brian Weiner)
Pierre are dedicated to making sure the residents who live in Mallett get the best experience possible by putting on hall programs to benefit the students.
“Programs are typically put on to build community,” said Weiner. “So the residence halls are not just where people live, but also where residents socialize and learn as well.”
It takes flexibility and creativity to come up with programs that everyone will attend, especially with the tight budget the CAs have to shop for supplies. An upcoming program Weiner is putting together is called “Guided Meditation and Glowsticks” which will help students relieve stress before going into finals week. “We have to shop on a budget so we make the best programs we can for the least amount of money,” Weiner said.
St. Pierre is also aiming to help with the end of the year madness by putting on a program called “BJ’s in your PJ’s,” where students can eat Ben & Jerry’s ice cream while doing homework in their pajamas. “Programs enhance the dorm experience by bringing residents together,” St. Pierre said, “they help to build a community with everyone around them.
Both St. Pierre and Weiner are helping to put together an end of semester barbeque with the other CAs in Mallett Hall along with programs like making your own laundry soap to help students save money and better the environment.
The CAs will continue to brainstorm program ideas to close out the end of the semester by helping students tackle the stresses of finals and begin to think about the move-out process in May.
Dec 8, 2017 | Feature |
By Alicia Davis, Contributing Writer
CAs in the UMF residence halls are mentally ready to help students during finals week, which is one of the busiest for CAs throughout the entire semester. This is Josh Beckett’s third semester as a CA, this year in Purington. “We have a lot more duty hours because we have to be around to check people out of their rooms,” said Beckett. “The office is typically constantly staffed from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. For finals week, it’s staffed all day long,” he said. CAs feel they have more to do around campus than other college students, but especially during finals week.
Margaret Fogarty, a CA in Scott North, said, “I think we work all the time, so if I’m busy studying for my exams and someone needs me, I have to stop what I’m doing and help them,” said Fogarty. “I’m a lot busier than the average student, [especially] during this week,” she said.
CAs also have to stay on campus longer than most other students. After finals week is over, CAs have to wait extra time before they can go home. “We stay until all the rooms are checked.We have to come back early in January for spring training,” said Beckett. “This gives us a shortervacation than a typical college student,” he said.
During finals week, CAs have a few extra jobs. “There is a CA on duty throughout the day, in addition to the night shift in order to help people who are checking out,” said Loren Marshall, a CA in Dakin.
Some students have been inspired by the work CAs do. Sage van Eekhout is a CA in Stone, and decided to become a CA starting her sophomore year. “I wanted to be a CA because my freshman year all of my friends were CAs, and I saw the impact they made on myself and others,” she said. “I wanted to be there for someone like they were for me.”
Some residence halls have programs that are run during finals week to help students. “In Scott we have a program called Destress Fest, where there are different activities,” said Fogarty.
“There will be yoga, Just Dance, bubble wrap popping, we have different ways to reduce stress,” she said. Collin Regan is in his third semester as a CA in Scott North. Regan said his favorite thing about being a CA is “making the connections and being there for people. Having the knowledge that I am a resource and I am available is a good feeling,” he said.
These CAs work together to create the feeling of a community on campus and in their residence halls to help students feel at home. CAs are always available to help, whether it is tips on studying for finals or any other stresses in life.
Oct 27, 2017 | News |
By Collin Regan – Contributing Writer
UMF students and their families packed the Mantor Green on a dark and beautiful fall
Friday night on October 13th to watch the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus.
UMF Community Assistants Michaela Zelie, Kendra Burgess and Sam O’Neal teamed up to create the event to add to the experience of Family and Friends Weekend at UMF.
Senior CA Michaela Zelie said, “the attendance is huge for this program every time.”
With the feeling of Halloween in the night, Friday the 13th featured one of the most successful and populated programs that UMF has seen so far this year. Along with the film, there was also popcorn, donuts, candy, a variety of hot chocolates, coffee and apple cider available for the UMF community. Students snuggled in their blankets and their eyes never left the screen as people relived some of their childhood memories.
This was the second year that Hocus Pocus was shown on the green. Last year, the event was created with the name Campout Cinema to give residents the chance to watch movies on a bigger screen. Senior Brennah O’Connell remembered last year’s program and was excited to see it come to life again this fall.
“I love that this is becoming a tradition,” said O’Connell. “A lot of people were looking forward to it this fall.”
Tyler St. Pierre, a junior at UMF, was also at the event and enjoyed the atmosphere. “It
was perfect. It was a good way to get into the Halloween spirit,” said St. Pierre.
One of the best parts about the event that had campus buzzing was the movie itself.
“Hocus Pocus is known as one of the classic movies, and it’s good for kids and adults,” said St. Pierre. “It’s a great family movie and really worked out for Family and Friends Weekend.”
Over the course of a semester, each CA has to put on a total of five programs or events
for residents at UMF. The goal of these programs is to build a sense of community. While
most programs are aimed towards a specific residence hall, this program was targeted towards
the whole campus and community, which added work for the three CAs.
“This is easily the hardest program I’ve done because it takes so much time. However the end result is always my favorite,” said Zelie with a smile starting to grow on her face. “To see that many people show up is wonderful.”
The CAs involved with the program had to communicate with several different people
across campus in order to make the program as successful as it was. Some of these
departments included Facilities and Student Life in order to get the rights for the movie. While the process was lengthy, it seemed to be worth it. Kendra Burgess, a first year CA and
sophomore, was impressed with how this program turned out.
“I think it gave a good example of the kinds of things CAs try to do for the community over the entire year,” said Burgess. “I think it was good for families to see this as well, as it fell on Family and Friends Weekend.”
Zelie and Burgess hope to continue more Campout Cinema events during this upcoming
year. “Because Hocus Pocus was such a success last year, the university bought their own screen,” said Zelie. This makes the event more manageable as the extra step of renting a screen is taken out.
Zelie and Burgess urge residents to be on the lookout for all programs that their CA’s put on, and especially potential future Campout Cinema programs.
