Gonzaga Lingo – Housing and Residence Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In higher education, acronyms are all the rage.  LLC this, RD that, VPSA for this other thing, and on and on it goes.  In Housing and Residence Life, we have several acronyms that we like to use and we’d like to explain a few of them to you in order for you to get a sense of some of the entities with which your student will be interacting. 

• RA (Resident Assistant) – This acronym might be the most likely known on this list. RAs are present in nearly every community and their job revolves around building community, ensuring safety, a resource for students, event planning, and policy enforcement.  These are well-trained student staff members who care about our students.
• GRD and RD (Graduate Residence Director and Residence Director) – These are professional staff members who are currently in graduate school (GRD) or folks who have completed their master’s degree (RD) and oversee RAs and a block of 1-5 buildings. These are highly trained professionals who oversee programmatic and community building elements of the building, supervise student staff, respond to crises, hear conduct cases, and handle many logistical elements.
• SM (Student Minister) – Available in some communities, these are student staff members who interact with students regarding their spirituality. They might have 1:1s with students or put on events depending on their style and type of community. 
• RHA (Residence Hall Association) – RHA is an entity that puts on programs that are typically campus-wide such as the casino night during GEL (See, another acronym! Stands for Gonzaga Experience Live, which is a preview day for prospective Gonzaga students) weekend, ice cream social, and battle of the blocks.
• LLC (Living-Learning Community) – Themed housing options, designed for students who are interested in pursuing their passions alongside others outside of the classroom. Each learning community is the result of partnership between Housing and Residence Life and a variety of academic and educational on-campus departments. Gonzaga has several, which are:
  • Solidarity and Social Justice
  • Global Citizenship
  • Women 4 Others
  • Cura Personalis
  • Learns 2 Lead
  • Pre-Health
  • Outdoor Pursuits
  • Engineering and Computer Science
  • Honors

This should be a good start to Housing and Residence Life’s acronyms.  College can be a confusing place to navigate, so we hope this is a helpful way to get familiar with your student’s environment!

 

Drew Satter, M.Ed., MBA

Assistant Director

Housing and Residence Life