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RBA
Roles and Responsibilities
There
are a variety of resources available
to support the students and living
groups participating in Residence-Based
Advising, so don't go it alone.
Please check out the resources
summarized below.
The
Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming (UAAP)
The UAAP is
responsible for making sure that
RBA is running well and getting
students the resources they need.
The UAAP coordinates the budget,
reimbursements, program schedules,
and requirements for the entire
RBA program.
UAAP staff members are always
available to help the RBA community and the two key staff members associated
with RBA are:
- Dan
Chapman,
Staff Associate, New Student Programs, Leadership & Mentorship, dwc@mit.edu,
7-103, 253-9764
- Donna Freidman, Associate Dean, Advising and Academic Programming, 7-104, 253-9762
In addition to UAAP, a number of other individuals are also available to support the students and living groups participating in Residence-Based Advising. These individuals include:
Resident
Associate Advisors (RAAs)
In addition to a faculty
or staff advisor, each
RBA advising group is paired with
an upperclass student known as the Resident
Associate Advisor (RAA). While the RAA lives in the residence hall, the advisor does not actually live in the
residence, but is actively
involved with the residence community.
The Resident Associate Advisor (RAA) helps strengthen the support network for first-year students by enriching the residence hall community. RAAs are active community-builders and peer mentors who can draw upon and connect the resources of the House, with Residential Life Programs, the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming (UAAP) , and the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness at MIT Medical.
Faculty
and Staff Advisors/Housefellows
Please
note that advisors do not live
in RBA residences (Next House, Spanish House, Chocolate City,
and McCormick Hall). Rather, they take
part in monthly programming visiting
the residence for meetings or
events specific to RBA . In addition
to the advising they provide,
advisors
are a critical link to academics
and help students involved with
the program as they develop campus
wide relationships.
The role of
the faculty/staff advisor is to
lead an advising group of RBA
freshmen through teaching a freshmen
advising seminar or traditional
advising. Advising groups
consist of students living in
the RBA residences. Advisors help
connect the residential community
with other areas of the Institute
providing
students with an opportunity
to see, hear, and learn not only
from fellow freshmen and upperclassman
but also from professionals in
the fields they may study.
Bringing
advisors into the residences helps
to compliment the role of Resident
Associate Advisors (RAA’s)
and lets students know that there
are resources outside of their
residence hall.All
RBA advisors are House
Fellows and
that means that they have agreed
to go a step beyond their advising
duties in your residence to attend,
fund, and organize fun events
for the entire residence throughout
the academic year. Past events
have included Lego building contests,
going to see the Blue Man Group,
going to movies, helping with
the production of Next Act and bringing
in speakers. Through the
House Fellow program, RBA students
are able to interact with and
get to know a faculty member or
MIT professional in a way that
reinforces the residential experience.
The House Fellows Program was
created to enrich the student
learning and living environment
at MIT through informal faculty-student
interaction within the living
groups. The activities of the
house fellows vary widely depending
on the interest of the fellow
and the culture of the living
group; however, all the fellows
share the following set of objectives:
- Maintain
contact with house through freshmen
advising group;
- Be
available as a faculty resource;
- Contribute
to the intellectual and social
life of a house through a variety
of activities;
- Encourage
students to become familiar
with and aware of the faculty
in ways other than are demonstrated
in classroom teaching;
- Give
students an opportunity to "get
to know" at
least one member of the MIT
faculty;
- Encourage
students to interact with other
faculty beyond the classroom.
Residential
Life Associates (RLAs)
Residential
Life Associates (RLAs) provide
resources, while lending their
expertise, and energy to crisis
response, event planning, activities
support, and training. The RLA’s
also maintain effective communication
between MIT’s
Student Life programs and undergraduate
residence halls. RLAs
live in the RBA residences and help enable
house teams and students within
the residential system. Specifically,
RLAs serve a set zone of 3-4 residence
halls and work collaboratively
with housemasters, students and
staff in Residential
Life and Student
Life Programs (SLP).
RLAs
supervise the on-site work of
the Resident Associate Advisors
as part of the Residence Based
Advising program and work with
the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming to
assess, evaluate, and improve
the RBA program. RLAs also provide
after hours and weekend emergency
response to the entire MIT campus.
Housemasters
Housemasters have
overall responsibility for the
residence. Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programs
staff, RLA’s
, and Housemasters work closely
to support the residence and communicate
concerns and issues. Housemasters
also offer programming within
the residence, which may include
guest speakers, cookouts, group
outings, trips, etc.
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