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Weekend Programming
By Jamie Emery, Complex Coordinator, University of Connecticut
Weekend programming offers many opportunities to fulfill an unmet need of our residents and to further our mission of promoting safety by providing alcohol-free alternative events. Traditionally, some residential life programs have shied away from programming to their residents on the weekends. This may be because of perceived lack of residents’ interest to participate in weekend programs, unwillingness to compete with the “party scene”, and / or student staff efforts directed towards on-duty responsibilities.
This viewpoint deserves a second look. The percentage of students abstaining from alcohol is increasing, even though the number of binge drinkers remains the same according to the 1999 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. In 1999, 19.2 % of students reported they did not drink. Residential Life programs that do not program on the weekends because they believe that “everyone is partying” are doing these students a disservice. The 2002 report A Call to Action, published by the Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, recommends implementing alcohol-free, expanded late-night student activities.
At the University of Connecticut, we discovered that our students desired more activities on the weekends. Our rural location does not provide typical “college town” outlets for our students. A Student Union renovation is underway to address these needs, but the completion date is four years away. Conversely, there seemed to be plenty of activities going on during the week. A frequent excuse many RAs heard when residents did not attend programs was that they were too busy or something else was going on. Shifting resources of time and programming money from moderately attended weekday programs to weekend programming efforts addresses students needs and desires as well as continues our role of good stewards of our residents’ housing fees.
An annual survey of our residents supported providing more weekend programs. On a scale of one to seven, students rated satisfaction with weekend activities at 4.04. At the same time, only 8% felt the RAs were providing “worthwhile programs, activities, and workshops.” Residents expressed a preference for “fun” activities on the weekends, such as movie nights, concerts, game nights, dances, casino nights, coffee houses, and sporting events.
The Department of Residential Life sought to promote more weekend programming for our students. Although each area in the past had offered a limited number of programs on the weekends, we were seeking to develop large-scale programs targeted towards a specific residence hall area, but open to the entire campus. The focus also shifted away from small RA planned and implemented programs to larger community celebrations planned and carried out by the entire staff as a whole, with professional staff taking the lead.
Each residence hall director had specific money earmarked for weekend programs above and beyond their regular programming money. This money would be used for one big weekend program, not for events spread out over a number of weekends. Ideally, each weekend program would draw residents from all over campus and the programs themselves would not compete against one another, so that there would always be some weekend activity. Finding appropriate venues that could accommodate a large number of students was challenging. Due to this, we held many programs outdoors during the warmer part of the semester.
Some residence hall directors found success replicating successful TV game shows. A variation of the popular MTV shows Singled Out and Say What Karaoke allowed students to compete for prizes and showcase their talents. A variation on Survivor brought a real drill instructor to one area for the weekend to put a number of students through some grueling activities in a quest for more prizes. If nothing else, this program probably helped our retention among those students who were considering pursuing a military career.
Other staff planned fun parties with varying themes, such as a Hawaiian Luau in the winter or a Dress to Impress dance party. An outdoor Laser Tag tournament proved very popular in one of our upper class areas. Some areas turned their events into opportunities to benefit a community food bank through popular Casino Nights. Students traded food for play money that gave them chances to win prizes at the end of the evening. One area used their money to cap a week of alcohol awareness activities with a Battle of the Bands in their quad.
Most programs enjoyed great success. Residents were happy with the activities and many people attended. Staff appreciated doing something proactive and fun on the weekends, rather than spending most of their time doing rounds and being on duty. We found a key ingredient to success was the direct involvement of professional staff in planning and implementing the programs.
For some campuses, weekend programming may not be the best use of resources. Many residents may go away on the weekends or other campus groups may offer a plethora of activities. However, if students are looking for more to do, it is a great opportunity for residential life staff to step up and improve the quality of their students’ experience.
About the Author
Jamie Emery is a Complex Coordinator at the University of Connecticut. He received his M.S. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University in 1996. He received his B.A. from Castleton State College, Vt. in 1993. He previously worked as a hall director at Western State College of Colorado.