By
Mindy Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Sexual assault prevention, alcohol awareness to be presented to residents
Through the development of Intentional Learning Communities - targeted primarily at incoming freshmen - UA Residence Life hopes to help first-year students adjust to life at a large university
Studies conducted at the University of Arizona and published by Residence Life show that students living on campus are typically more successful and significantly better adjusted to their new environment than off-campus students, said Greg Ziebell, assistant director of Residence Life.
The Intentional Learning Communities were initially designed to encompass a list of challenges that face many of today's freshmen.
Members of Residence Hall Association thought topics such as survival, transition, community and peer development were among the most vital for students to master in order to ensure their retention at the UA.
"Sometimes, students feel a false sense of security around here," said Ziebell. "We want them to succeed as freshmen, and this seems to be a practical approach."
The program began in 1995 when committees were formed by Residence Life with the intention of creating informational seminars for students in the residence halls.
Seminars were produced and facilitated by groups consisting of hall directors, resident assistants and students.
To ensure that the statistics regarding the rise in theft and personal assault crimes on campus were relayed to the students, University of Arizona Police Department and Residence Life partnered in the seminars.
The first seminars of the fall semester began on Aug. 27 with a video presentation at Coronado Residence Hall that focused on such topics as safety and security.
"We filmed the video the week before school started. Most of the information in it is common sense, but it is all stuff the students need to be aware of," said Jered Mansell, resident assistant and video participant.
The information in the video covered such topics as leaving dorm rooms unlocked, creating fire hazards with outlets and candles, locking up bicycles correctly on campus, and calling 621-SAFE instead of walking home alone.
These concepts have also been published by UAPD and copies of their "Take a Course in Campus Safety" are available to students. The seven-minute video got a few laughs out of the audience and a seemingly positive reaction to its intention.
"It was funny and amusing," said Cristina Bennett, undeclared freshman. "It was beneficial, but we might have not been the right audience for it because we usually lock up our stuff."
The lack of seminar advertisements may be the blame for poor attendance at the Coronado presentation, Mansell, who is also a political science junior, said.
Each committee was responsible for publicizing presentations in their respectively assigned residence halls. Planned advertisements included placing fliers about the seminar on unlocked residence hall doors and near improperly locked bicycles.
Chris Robertson, business administration and management junior and resident assistant, said posters and signs should be appearing soon in the residence halls to advertise these seminars, which will run through mid-September.
Once the safety and security presentations are finished, others on sexual assault prevention, alcohol and other drugs, and health and wellness will be offered in all of the campus residence halls.
"It is a fact that students living in residence halls get better grades and graduate in higher numbers," said Ziebell.
"Offering seminars to these kids at the beginning of the school year when they are trying to adjust to being away from home and living on their own is a good way to make the halls more than just places to sleep, but rather a learning experience."
