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OTHER
ADVICE FOR HELPING STUDENTS
Understanding
reactions to tragedy and knowing how to help
"There
are many issues to keep in mind as we work through
this tragedy. First of all, remember that even
this horrific event brings to light the critical role
you play as a staff member in your hall. Your presence,
your ability to listen to and to help students, as
well as your knowledge of campus resources really
makes a difference for students coping with this event.
During
the aftermath of this event, be sure to check on how
students are doing. Many may be impacted in a variety
of ways, including loss of a loved one, emotions from
a past tragedy coming up, as well as the potential
for discrimination against students who appear to
be of Arab origin, which is an unfortunate reaction
to many terrorist events. Be aware that emotions will
come in waves as more information comes in about death
tolls, friends who are impacted, etc.
Remember
that by listening and practicing some basic helping
skills, you can do a lot to help students cope. Make
yourself and your residents aware of what resources
are being offered in the campus and community.
Also, don't take on more than you can handle. We all
need to deal with this, and most residence life staff
members are not professional counselors. Do what you
can to offer support and opportunities to cope. A
hug, a listening ear, or a caring word might be just
what a resident needs. As always, be sure you are
paying attention to yourself during this time. You
can't support others if you aren't getting the support
you need as well."
Dan
Oltersdorf
ResidentAssistant.com
Hall Director - Florida State University
"Our
residents may experience this tragedy in different
ways: It is important that we address this situation.
Our Americans may become sad, angry or disillusioned.
They may have lost family or friends. They may also
begin to express anti-foreign views. I know that I
feel an overwhelming sadness right now and simply
cannot believe this has happened.
We
need to help our American students understand the
actions of a few do not reflect the opinions of the
many. Rationally we know that Tech students
were not involved, but Terrorist attacks create a
wave of hate that could impact our campus.
Our students from the Middle East will most likely
experience prejudice in new ways in Atlanta. I encourage
them to talk to each other or to you or me if they
feel threatened. I would also suggest that they be
particularly aware of their environments when they
are off campus."
Holly
Habicht
Residence Life Coordinator ,
Graduate and Family Housing
Georgia Institute of Technology
"The
issue that comes to mind readily for me is that people
deal with tragedy differently. Some may become overtly
angry. Others may internalize the anger. Some may
go "into their cave." Others may cry openly.
Some may self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Yet
others may ignore the issue. Some people want and
need a hug, a voice or understanding while others
may want to be left alone to deal by it themselves.
It
is important to realize that different people need
different things. One cannot assume, for instance,
that because someone doesn't cry, he/she is heartless
and unfeeling. As student affairs staff we need to
be especially attuned to differential needs and act
accordingly."
Gavin
Henning
Research Associate
Student Affairs Research and Assessment Center
University of New Hampshire
"The
one piece of advice that I would offer to all RA's
is not to try to force closure on the issue.
I attended school in Washington DC during the beginning
of the Gulf War, and in Los Angeles during LA Riots,
and the one thing that most residents complained about
is that the school assumed too early that all was
OK. These is a difficult issue to deal with
and it will literally be weeks/months before some
residents will be able to process what happened.
One of my RA's at our staff meeting last night summed
up the best response by saying, "if a resident
you are talking to says that they are OK, tell them
that is fine, but that your door is always open."
We
have also been posting new school related information
as fast as possible so that the residents do feel
some sense of control and knowledge throughout this
process. I would encourage all staffs to have
people assembled to help post flyers and provide information.
We have had an RA in our lobby since yesterday at
8:30am, and having someone that the residents feel
hey can talk to has been a great resource.
I
would echo any thoughts of concern for residents of
Arab nationality. We have not had any occurrences
on our campus, however our campus police have noted
problems at other schools. I would encourage
any RA's to address any residents using discriminatory
language or making threatening statements immediately,
and to contact their supervisor. Last night
I heard several people in town using horrible language,
and if it is happening in the community, it is happening
on campus.
Finally,
I would encourage all RA's to continue with any programmatic
activities that they have scheduled. It is most
important at this point to provide residents with
a sense of normalcy, and ways to come together as
a community.
Best
of luck to all of you. I have seen the power
of college students in action during the last 24 hours,
and it quickly reminded me of why I do what I do each
day. The support and comfort that Residence
Life staffs provided around the country yesterday
was truly amazing."
Sean
L. Flaherty
Director of Residence
Life and Housing
University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs
To
share additional advice or to request advice, please
take advantage of the ResidentAssistant.com message
boards.
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