Programming Idea Sheet

Program idea       contact person for details
1.____________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________
3.____________________________________________________________
4.____________________________________________________________
5.____________________________________________________________
6.____________________________________________________________
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8.____________________________________________________________
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10.___________________________________________________________

Why Program?

Before you can begin to think about who, what when, where, and how to program, it is important to know why you are doing programming in your house and building.  Our purpose as Resident Educators is to provide an environment for students to learn and grow.  This involves assisting students in integrating the various parts of their lives and becoming well-rounded, responsible individuals.  The average student spends from 3-4 hours in the residence hall for every one hour that is spent in the classroom.  This environment is a perfect place to develop citizens and scholars!!

What to do when…

It is important to assess the needs of your house to determine what programs are relevant.  You can do this by creating a survey, talking with individual residents, and just by being around to see and hear what your residents are going through, and plan something accordingly.
 An effective program includes the following:
  Assessing the needs of the house
  Determining a purpose for the program
  Identifying your resources
  Planning the program
  Choosing a good date and time (for active programming)
  Providing publicity in a timely fashion
  Carrying out the program
  Evaluating the program

Sometimes you can reach more students by providing passive programming, such as bulletin boards, informational door decs, signs throughout the hall, posters in bathrooms, etc… You may not get all of your students to attend a program, but with passive programming, residents can view a bulletin board or poster on their own time.
 

Why Programs Sometimes Fail:

1. Poor Publicity
Not eye-catching
Not enough in advance
Not creative or informative
Information too cluttered
Poor location for publicity

2. Poor Design
Not setting goals
Not getting input
Reaching wrong group or focusing only on one group
Not well planned

3. Choosing poor location
Too far from students
Not comfortable –chairs to sit on, etc.
Too cold
Too many distractions
Location not known to students

4. Choosing poor facilitators/unprepared facilitators
Poor interpersonal skills
Poor speaker
Lack of agreement on topic
Not providing productive facilitation
Speaker does not arrive
Speaker arrives unprepared
Not discussing time constraints, program lasts too long/short

5. Things that can go wrong
Film doesn’t show/is unavailable
Equipment doesn’t work
Uncomfortable room temperature
Other helpers do not come through/No support from colleagues
Run short on money

6. Not following university procedures

7. Timing
Is there anything else planned?
What’s going on around campus?
Is there something on TV that people watch?
Tis the season for midterms/finals?
 

Programming Outline

1.  Assess the needs of the students
? Interest inventory
? Questionnaire
? Suggestion Box
? Brainstorm at house meetings

2. Select a chairperson
? Give specific directions when delegating, preferably in written form.  State what needs to be done and when it should be completed.

3. Implement the program
? Identify possible dates, times, places
? Decide on a catchy program title
? Plan a budget and get it approved if necessary
? Check for scheduling conflicts
? Contact resource people early
? Arrange for specific time, date, and place
? Reserve rooms, equipment, etc. if necessary
? Involve other people – delegate and set up committees
? Decide on refreshments or food
? Publicity
~Identify who is responsible
~Identify the audience you are trying to reach
~Determine types of community and campus publicity available
~Determine types of publicity (see Creative Publicity tips)

4. Finalize plans
? Contact presenters and helpers to make sure they are coming.  Ask if there is anything else you can do for them.
? Check on reservation confirmation
? Make sure publicity goes out in time and in proper places
? Make sure all paperwork is complete

5. At the time of the program
? Arrange the room for the type of activity
? Prepare a brief introduction
? Facilitate and direct discussion when needed
? Monitor the needs of the facilitator
? Minimize distractions/interruptions
? Participate, relax, and enjoy the program
 
 
 
 

6. Evaluate the program
? Quality vs. Quantity
? What went well / What could have been improved

7. Follow-up
? Send thank-you notes
? Pay bills
? Return equipment
? Put information in files
? Turn in any necessary paperwork
? Return room to original condition
? Take down advertising
 
 

Advertising…

DO:
 Use several types of publicity
 Time advertising strategically
 Have materials prepared in advance
 Put your advertising schedule on your personal calendar
 Make printing arrangements ahead of time
 Anticipate your target audience

 Be creative! Something people hear
   Something people smell
   Something people taste
   Use high traffic areas

DON’T:

 Rely on one mode of publicity
 Wait until the last minute
 Advertise too soon
 Advertise to the wrong people
 Provide false information
 Forget to put all information on publicity… what, where and when
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

92 Creative Publicity Tips

1. Paint life size posters
2. Put ads on pop and candy machines
3. Hang well-made banners on buildings
4. Put banners on cars
5. Advertise in local establishments
6. Write information on classroom blackboards
7. Have advertisements printed with semester’s activities
8. Sponsor body painting
9. Print colorful bookmarks
10. Design creative bulletin boards for events
11. Print bumper stickers
12. Put information by campus bicycle racks
13. Buttons
14. Post calendar at front desk of each hall
15. Posters on ceiling
16. Post ads in campus newspaper
17. Chalk posters on sidewalks
18. Work with vendors to put ads on their products
19. Sponsor events with other campus groups
20. Have theatre students give out ads in costume
21. Have core group of individuals speak to campus groups
22. Create weekly newsletters and put on back of restroom doors
23. Use display areas
24. Doorknob cards
25. Put stuff in student mailboxes
26. Put notices on back of elevator doors
27. Floor meetings
28. Cultural event – have food service feature a specific food to publicize your event
29. Special fortune cookies
30. Give out a few free tickets to upcoming events
31. Raffle free tickets to season’s big events
32. Staple free tickets to packets of potato chips at local establishments
33. Put ads for food events on paper plates, napkins, or plastic silverware and attach to student doors or put in mailboxes
34. Use easel display boards at key areas on campus
35. Wear paper hats with publicity on them
36. Put ads in ziploc bags on the lids of washers and dryers.
37. Print inserts for campus newspapers
38. Print ads in local newspapers
39. Put ads in computer labs
40. Hang signs in laundry rooms
41. Distribute leaflets to students standing in lines on campus—registration, food service
42. Put leaflets on cars in parking lots
43. Plan publicity around a catchy program title
44. Place a logo for your event on all your publicity
45. Have name and date of event printed on lollipops and give out or sell before the event
46. Sponsor a lucky ticket drawing
47. Develop a mailing list built around different programming areas
48. Have arts students make posters in the middle of buildings to attract attention
49. Rent marquee to advertise upcoming event
50. Add pieces to publicity each day leading up to the program
51. Check with bookstore to have flyers placed in sacks/bags
52. Mirrors are excellent places to hang signs and posters
53. Develop news column in student newspaper
54. Encourage Presidents’ Council to distribute a weekly or monthly newsletter
55. Use odd-shaped posters such as triangles, hexagons, ovals
56. Be sure to advertise in community restrooms and lounges
57. Paint windows and glass doors with upcoming event information
58. Put paper footprints with event information on sidewalks
59. Use old wallpaper books for eye catching ads…old ones are usually free in stores
60. Make pocket calendar of upcoming events
61. Put ads inside blown up balloons and place across campus
62. Do advertising on local and campus radio stations
63. Put schedule of activities on RA doors
64. Play tapes or records in the dining centers during meals that help advertise for event
65. Send out personal invitations to people
66. Use sandwich boards to publicize events
67. Create satellite ticket booths around campus
68. Start scrapbook of campus posters for your reference
69. Use brightly colored poster board for signs and posters and hang them in unusual places
70. Silk screen inexpensive t-shirts with ads for events
71. Skits about event at key areas on campus
72. Skywriting
73. Stickers printed up
74. Buy ads in student directory, yearbooks, or other campus publications
75. Create symbolic signs
76. Table tent announcements
77. Create publicity committee for your organization who is in charge of all publicity notices
78. Use teaser posters
79. Use creative videotape commercials of upcoming events in the student union
80. Print your ad on large white bed sheet and hang it in well-traveled areas
81. Create a catchy logo as a trademark for your event
82. Use large surplus weather balloons with ads on them to create interest
83. Advertise your organization at your events you sponsor
84. Put booths up during organization fairs
85. Have organization displays up during student orientation
86. Wear button on t-shirt that says “Ask me why I’m wearing this button!”
87. Send press releases to campus and local newspapers
88. Hand people something to put in their pocket
89. Give out plastic cups with information on them during lunch or dinner
90. Ask faculty to announce your event during class
91. Use incentives to draw people – give aways, discounts, refreshments
92. Word-of-mouth is probably the most effective means of advertising.  Have members tell at least ten people who in turn tell five other people and on and on.
Creative Program Titles
 

 Help, I failed and I can’t get up
You can do it
Looking good
How to meet a woman
Flustered on the freeway
Free book
Sexual products
Giving from the heart
Win more $
Color your world beautiful
Show and tell
Be a winner
What’s Big and Blue
A thousand concerts ago…I had cancer
Beating the blues
Heavy isn’t healthy
Between friends
Illusions of grandeur
I don’t care if my husband kisses a skinny woman
Put the world on hold
It’s a woman’s thing
When you melt this quickly, who needs a microwave
Way past bedtime
This could be your 10 minutes of fame
Pretty is as pretty does
Make a man remember
The daily specials
On the edge
Make your roses stronger
Hypnotized
How to build a vine pole
Unleash your feet
How to be great
At last a rejection detector
How to build a dream
An inside look at S & M
If you can’t sleep, it’s time to wake up
This is no place for germs
The price stopped us, the taste sold us
Make sure it’s always beautiful outside
I never thought it could happen to me
Keeping them safe and sound is a full time job
A new twist on Easter
Light and sassy
Shed no tears
Over easy
Have a night out, in
Hands on
Let’s bake bread
Crisis countdown
Take a magic ride
Love this
Greetings from happy valley
Don’t go prematurely grey
Turkey – smart ways to stuff it
Kick toenail fungus
The man next door
Let’s get happy
The beckoning path
Hallway to heaven
Flipping is not a flop
A real slant on gossip
Double trouble
Hi powered couples
The sledge factor
Fight your fear
Red light, green light
It’s in the cards
Daddy dynamic
Laundry is a never ending cycle
Discover the taste
Don’t renovate, rejuvenate
Open wide
Here we come
I’ve got the advantage
Double takes
Have you lived before?
Style is in the details
Sex education for me
How to keep a woman
How to talk to a woman
Lay your hands on me
Pleasure principle
 

Programming ideas (Campus Wide)

1.  Wares Fair idea. (CMU) local merchants fair in Dome or Field House. (free:
       food/samples, posters, contests, raffles, prizes).

2.  Internet homepages for each residence hall on campus linked to main UNI homepage and then link to each house in each hall and each resident (do a program using either geocities or other much easier homepage editor on Bookmarks in Netscape).

3.  Campus wide pool party in the East Gym/PEC?  Watch movie jaws on inter-tubes.  (Coordinate with Tony Lake?)

Programming Ideas (Bender Hall)

1.  Hall word of the week (success, satisfied, determined, invigorated, conserve, luminous, intention, involved, initiative, relaxed).  Hall pride spirit word of the week-dates (i.e. Aug 27-Sept 3).
2.  Have RA staff turn in sheets saying what is going on in their house (programming).
3.  One-on-One’s with RA’s (each week each RA should plan to do something with another RA i.e. go to a movie, play games at the union, etc. and right it up) rotating schedule each week with different RA pairs).
4.  Programming requirements/goals for the semester/year: must program with (another RA in your hall, outside your hall, and must participate in at least one hall wide program.
5.  Internet page for whole hall and then link to each house in hall.
6.  Stuff to do lists like in Drake House (show RA’s how to do or I can do for entire hall.
7.  Work with RIB?  Have RIB do a program on how they judge hall of the month’s/year and houses of the month/year.
8.  Midnight toga party.
9.  Take pictures of all events and programs!
10.  Fund Raising- birthday/finals week packets
11.  Spring break program (tropical fruits and music and props) have girls and guys houses, wear bikini’s and bathing suits, have big plastic pools.
12.  RA staff team building (build a 6 foot high tower using newspaper).
13.  Using the weather to program (contests for free pizza).
14.  Playdo shapes make shape of how you feel about someone else in the room on staff, pick from a hat names.
15. Have each staff member do a staff devo scheduled for each meeting (rotating).
16. Use UNI-TV to publicize their Birthdays.
17.  Having a early retreat (late Sept/early Oct).
18.  Hardy’s idea ($3 for lunch voucher like Royal Oak Room).
19.  Have guests at RA meetings? (i.e. Lyn, Drake, Bob, etc.)
20.   Start Bender movie rental program.
21.   Get RA’s, Senate, Programming Board, and House Presidents together at beginning of semester (cool place! Fun ice breaker get together).
22.   Recognition for everyone in hall that does something.
23.   Do birthday cards to every resident who has a birthday and have staff sign cards.
24.   Go to each house meeting with hall president.
25.   Set goals with Senate and programming board, what they want done this year.
26.   Look at Bender Hall constitution (any revisions?).
27.   Go to as many RA programs/hall programs as I can! (support RA’s).  Help RA’s
       program (at RA training talk about how to promote the heck out of a program:
       laminate and put in showers and in stalls, on the floor, put in Northern Iowan and on
       UNI TV.
28.   Meet with Hall President.
29.   Who are the House Officers? (have RA’s turn in list or ask Bob for a list).
30.   Bender Hall Staff Shirts?
31.   Make Desk Shirts?  Senate Shirts?
32.   Signs on doors of residents involved in hall.
 

Concerns

1.  Weather radio’s for all HC’s, CC, AHC’s.  Better communication with public safety during warnings.  Tornado procedures in each hall.  i.e. summer 1997 Campbell Hall incident.
2.  Go to each RA’s first house meeting? (introduce myself?)
3.  Committee work (Raise/Fall/Spring Workshop).
4.  Coordinate DA staff meeting every two weeks.  Have meetings at different locations (i.e. bowling alley, roller rink, picnic, union, over dinner, etc.) in charge of DA’s (constructive Feedback).  Go to mail training with DA’s.
5.  Have 1 on 1’s with Bob once a week usually on Tuesday afternoons with Andrea the Bender Hall Secretary.
6.  I advise Program Board, and can go to Senate meetings do free pizza thing with Papa Johns.  RA reps to both Senate and Programming boards.  Try to get more residents to Senate and Program Boards.
7.  Time off- No set days and no on duty responsibilities.  Just fill out time off reports and
      put it on the log.
 
 

The content on these pages was originally provided by Brian C. Steinberg, the founder of http://www.theallygroup.org and http://www.safezoneforall.com (Creater of the previous: http://www.residentassistant.com/reslifepro)

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