University of South Carolina Libraries
Hall Advisers Training, responsit By Beth Harrison Though their role in dormitory life is sometimes misunderstood, hall advisers are available to serve the student residents in a variety of ways. nan auvisers are seen oy residents as some kind ot dark, mysterious person that represents the university," said Lewis Nelson, hall adviser at Douglas dorm. A lot of residents who move into dormitories aren't familiar with the role of the hall adviser," Nelson said. "They see hall advisers as 'the law.' If they don't like us, they're down on hall advisers automatically." RESIDENTS SHOULD understand that the purposes of the hall adviser are to advise the student, provide information, help with problems and be a friend, he said. One of his responsibilities as hall adviser, is to give students access to programs that teach them "something about the world," Nelson said. A second-year hall adviser, he has taken residents to a resume writing workshop and a mortuary and has invited speakers from the medical profession to speak at the dorm Activities that hall advisers plan for residents can be social, cultural, recreationl or educational, according to Jane Root, assistant director for resident student development on the east half of camnus. Hall advisers are in charge of programming for their own floors, but they can also meet with those in charge of different floors to plan activities for the entire dorm, Root said. Other duties of the hall adviser include dealing with resident's problems and helping them get through crisis situations. "I WOULD say there is a crisis situation a couple of times a week on campus," Root said. "Some hall advisers may not deal with a crisis for an entire year. Others might deal with five or six a week." The hall adviser is a "resource referral person," according to Root. During their training, they learn who they should refer residents to in crisis situations. They know how to help students "hook up" with the appropriate resource people. "They know who the experts are," Root said. Education 510 is a hall adviser training course for which Advei IS Tables cj Screen feat [Bqd_Dra f I Asjum I THIS COUPON ENTITLES I 12 01. CUP OF BUD 1 TODAY THRU THURSDAY FR ! Not just for Spanish majors | | students, and advanced. Put ; I BEGINNER OR ADVANCED - Cost same as a semester in a U.S. college: J | includes jet round trip to Seville fror I | room, board, and tuition complete. < ! grants and loans available for eligibl | ! Live with a Spanish family, attend hours a day, four days a week, four n 16 hrs. of credit (equivalent to 4 taught in U.S. colleges over a two yea Your Spanish studies will be enhanc* lility, dealing with proble participants can receive three hours of academic credit. An alternative to this course is a continuing education course. Students in these courses study such topics as conflict resolution, alcoholism, eating disorders and sexuality. In addition to courses, new hall advisers go through a four-day training process taught by the central resident student development staff. PART OF the training involves the ability to detect a potential problem early. If someone has a drinking problem, a hall adviser is trained to pick up the signs and get help for the per son, Root said. "They've been trained in policies and procedures." They know when to call the police or get the health center involved. Hall advisers also receive a "fairly extensive manual," Root said. The most important role of the hall adviser is to be able to 'reach out and touch someone' when they need help, according to Dwayne Scott, Bates House hall adviser. Being a "listener, a go-between and a big brother to help with personal problems" are some of the roles Kevin Whitfield, Maxcy dorm hall adviser, said he fills. ANOTHER HALL adviser, Lisa Taylor, of Sims dorm said she feels that caring is the most important quality a hall adviser can possess. It is important to "really care about the residents and let them know I'll be there when they need me," she said. Hall advisers earn an average of $70 to $80 a month. They also get a private room, half of their room fees are paid for and they receive a 25 percent discount on meal plans. About 140 hall advisers are presently employed at USC, Root said. Each of these is in charge of an average of 50 residents. Evaluations by residents and residence hall directors at the end of each semester determine whether or not a hall adviser may be rehired, Root said. iviosi people siay in ine nan auviser position lur aooui iwu years, according to Root. Veteran hall advisers are required to do a special in-service project. ALONG WITH peer counseling, the hall adviser fills disciplinary duties. If we didn't have hall advisers, "it would <?tis ing 7 7 I COUNSELING !0 S. Main ! I I ?n 12-2 am I lmvu^urM * ! I "The Coun jatiinng for [JSC lop Video Games 1 I r v? | COUNSELING "uring L;<uf in Stereo 11 "^d dual -JUL lys No Cover! 11 .mS jS H -Couples fl vni I TO A 1 'PERSONAL IV-7^ 1 ^ INTERPERSONAL I10I3PT 1 SOCIAL CONCERNS I I PENDLET ?ny MA n m I 1321 r . H I Confiden ? only, but for everyone: beginners, "in some excitement into your college career is about the tunities not available in a U.S. class ?3,189. Price ardized tests show our students' la n New York, superior to students completing t Government grams in U.S. Advanced courses al e students. Hurry, it takes a lot of time to mak classes four ments. nonths. Earn SPRING SEMESTER ? Feb. 1 semesters - SEMESTER ? Sept. 10 -Dec. 22 ea irtimespan). rji i y Anr.RFDiTFn ? a Pmnr edbyoppor Christian College. ' full information ? write to: Dept. F-1, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506 ram of Trinity Christian College) ms mark their jobs i _ ? i _ -i- -r j:_ _ i! r ? ii ?? rnl/l dc a great iacK 01 uiscipime iui us an, nmurciu ?aiu. The residence hall director also plays a big part in the discipline process. "Sometimes if a problem is getting out of hand, I can go to him (RHD) for good, sound rdvice," Scott said. "We have a good relationship. He lets me know when I step out of place." The noise level in the dorm has to be dealt with sometimes, according to Suzann Bartley, Capstone hall adviser. "Capstone is a quiet dorm, but the walls are paper-thin." When somebody leaves their door open and talks just a little bit loud, you can hear them all the way down the hall. There are a lot of upperclassmen here ready to buckle down and study. The noise level is a major problem," Bartley said. PROBLEMS ARISE, but "the most important thing is to be able to get along with others," Bartley said. Hall advisers work with area managers to make sure room maintainanct reports are turned in. They are also responsible for being "on duty" in their dorm about one night out of every 10, according to Root. The person on duty should be in a place where he or she can be easily reached in case problems arise, Root said. While on duty, the hall adviser is the "cover person" for the entire building, Root said. The campus police department keeps a list of which hall advisers are on duty at what times. "The police work closely with the staff in problems or crisis," she said. In order to be a hall adviser, a student must fill out an application and get references, according to Root. The applicant also attends a day-long group process session, where he or she i..^* i r i i mi i i t i i> cvtuuiucu iui interpersonal skius ana leaaersnip potential. DURING THE process, the applicant participates in problem-solving exercises with others and is interviewed alone. The session is facilitated by hall advisers and residence hall directors. One quality looked for in a student is sensitivity to the feelings of others, Root said. "The standards are tough to be a hall adviser," Nelson said. "You grow into the position. We're learning along with everyone else." 7-4249 \ 5 AND HUMAN i?T\TT ^TPT^! 1? The GAMECOCK Is the student news^ ^,-LiA" A J-iJ-V paper of the University of South Carolina .. ~ . and is published three times a week oa SGllIl?? &6W1C6 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays dur, ,, ing the fali and spring semesters and ' students weekly on Wednesdays during both summer sessions, with the exception of unl. vertlly holidays and examination periods. ACyADtMIL Opinions expressed in the GAMEACHIEVEMENT COCK are those of the editors and not those of the University of South Carolina. 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