PROfessional session information can be found in the Schedule at a Glance.
| Presentation Name | Presentation Description | Presenters | Institution | Location | Capacity |
| RLC and the Magic Within | At this session, you, the Chosen Ones, will represent your house in the ultimate competition for the honour of becoming Hogwarts’ first ever Muggle Residence Life Staff. Hogwarts students are a rowdy bunch; anything can happen from bat-bogey hexes in the corridors to petrification in the common rooms. Professor Dumbledore has declared he needs muggle RAs who have magic within. To work at Hogwarts’ you will need to recognize how to use your authentic strengths as residence life staff. Come discover the secrets of programming for your students’ strengths and see if you have what it takes! | Lyle D’Souza & Grace Chan | University of Toronto Mississauga | PL308 | 20 |
| Challenge the Way You Think About Positivity | Have you ever found yourself in a slump? Did you try cheering yourself up? Did you just need to rant about it? Did any of these methods help? Through activities and discussions this program will challenge the way you think about positivity for both yourself and those around you. In today’s society we are surrounded by negativity. This program aims to help Residence Life Staff recognize this negativity in themselves as well as others and act intentionally to build a more positive environment. | Rebecca Hale & Sarah Birkbeck | Trent University | TA303 | 70 |
| Post-Secondary Squared | It’s time to be diverse within your residence community! Are you upset that 23-year-old Johnny didn’t make it out to your laundry social? Is it because Johnny has already been to university and knows how to do laundry? This session will ensure that mature students like Johnny will enjoy your programming! During Post-Secondary Squared, attendee’s will participate in activities to prepare programming tailored for mature students. Attendees will hear personal experiences from mature student presenters about transitioning from university to college. This program is designed to successfully get mature students to attend programs by using authentic Fleming College experiences to help create a balanced community. | Bailey Howell & Paige Droog | Fleming College | PL410 | 45 |
| Weighing in on The Freshman 15: Recognizing Eating Disorders & Encouraging Positive Body Image in Residence | Content Warning: this session will discuss eating disorder behaviours that may be uncomfortable for some participants. The “Freshman 15”, we’ve all heard it since the moment we even apply to post-secondary. But have we ever considered the harmful effects this myth may have on impressionable first year students? In this presentation we will be discussing the myth of the freshman 15, body image and eating disorders in residence. We will draw on different studies and highlight how we as Residence Staff can act as role models, recognize symptoms and support students who may be struggling in this area. | Cailin Junker & Victoria Barker | Carleton University | TA307 | 45 |
| The Residence Declassified Introvert Survival Guide | Being an introvert in Residence Life is difficult - but it’s not impossible. The Residence Declassified Introvert Survival Guide is a helpful tool for introverts and their teammates to use when learning how to support the introverted side of an extrovert-dominated field. | Amy Rebel | Nipissing University | PL311 | 20 |
| Creating Your Internal Job Description | Job descriptions are important for an organization to be successful in guiding their employees. Internal job descriptions are important for an individual to be successful in guiding their goals and ambitions. This is your chance to find out how to create your own internal job description! | Sajni Shah & Michelle Folinas | University of Waterloo | PL409 | 45 |
| Mind and Body: Balance the Equation | Do you want to get your students excited about events again? Do you want to get YOURSELF excited about events again? Most importantly, do you want your students to feel like they are at their happiest and healthiest? In this presentation we will show you how to incorporate wellbeing into your residence events in the best way we know how – interactive games and food! Come learn about the 5 pillars of well-being by participating in unique, hands-on activities that promote mental and physical well-being! | Kailey Veitch & Prabhjot Khabra | McMaster University | PL408 | 20 |
| Presentation Name | Presentation Description | Presenters | Institution | Location | Capacity |
| How 2 BU | All of your life, you’ve always been told to be yourself…but what does this mean? Join us as we evaluate what makes us who we are, what we can do to shape who we will be, and how we can help students with their sense of selves. A discussion about you…what better way to “Be You”? | Allison Ives & Max Brown | Brock University | PL410 | 45 |
| Skip the Small Talk ("STST") | How would you approach a stranger? The instinctive way often is to engage in small talk. While that is a simple, convenient way to break the ice, it does not help us go beneath the surface and see the beauty that lies within the heart. “Skip The Small Talk” will provide you with tools to make meaningful connections with anyone, and it will leave you curious as to where a meaningful conversation can take you in life. | Jenny Liu & Promise Bomide | University of Toronto Mississauga | TA307 | 45 |
| The Game of Rezilience & the Strategies in Bouncing Back | Do you have what it takes to win The Game of Rezilience – University Edition? Play the life of a first year student, complete with challenges and obstacles that many face. Will you be able to bounce back after your first midterm, or will your GPA forever suffer? Will your teddy bear be your only source of company or will you be the life of the party? It’s up to you to play the hand that you’ve been dealt, so join us for the journey! Learn more about how to conquer not only the challenges of first year, but also in life, with the help of resilience techniques. | Mark Mariner & Mimi Nguyen | University of Guelph | TA309 | 45 |
| So You Think You’re Smarter Than A Fish? | Have you ever encountered a student that does not learn in a traditional mindset, but does not require the additional services that a university provides? A student that needs to take that additional next step to better their learning, but is unaware of how to begin that process or is unaware that they need that additional step? You are invited to participate in an interactive session that explores the theories of multiple intelligences and growth mindset in order to establish interactive programming goals within Residence. Listen to personal experiences that have benefited from the Department of Residence programming and on-campus partners, while engaging in group activities that will further ones understanding on education. | Elyse Mulhall | Wilfrid Laurier University | PL308 | 20 |
| Understanding the P Word: Professionalism in Practice | This session will look at the six principles of professionalism and examine their importance in the workplace. Delegates will have the opportunity to discuss personal experiences regarding instances and uses of professionalism in residence life. This session will also provide students with a “professionalism improvement framework” for interacting with fellow student staff, supervisors, and professional staff in and beyond residence life. | Brian Tan | Western University | PL311 | 20 |
| The Amazing Race to Surviving YOU-niversity | What makes you uniquely you? Do you embrace your individuality? Join us on an Amazing Race to discovering YOU-niversity and find out how we help students find themselves and embrace who they are! As we take on this adventure together, we will explore different elements of Nipissing’s U-nique way of approaching needs-based programming and how we encourage students to develop the tools they need to truly be themselves and own their individuality! We can’t wait to share all of this with you and hear all of your BRITE ideas too! | Christie White & Shannon Mortson | Nipissing University | PL409 | 45 |
| Acting Authentically | We’ve all heard the expression, “fake it until you make it,” but how does that fit in with being authentic? In this session, you’ll learn that this relationship is bridged with one simple concept – acting. Any time you do anything, you are acting. Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting coach, Larry Moss says; “great actors…seem to be actually living [not acting].” Rather than becoming their character, great actors make their characters a new, sometimes radically different, version of themselves. This interactive session will leave you feeling more confident about your ability to act authentically in unfamiliar and challenging situations. | Joel Baylis & Alyssa Melville | Carleton University | TA303 | 70 |
| Presentation Name | Presentation Description | Presenters | Institution | Location | Capacity |
| You, Me & an LLC | What is the outcome of like-minded people coming together to work toward a common goal? Success. These opportunities are made possible through the creation and implementation of living learning communities (LLCs). In this presentation, we will explore how to create the most complete learning experience for both students and residence life staff members. We will achieve this through collaboration with campus partners, and by creating intentional programming. To attend we ask one thing - that you break all pre-conceived notions about living learning communities, and work with us to reimagine what it means to be community. | Julia Krbavac & Annika Bartsch | Trent University | TA307 | 45 |
| Be You. The World Will Adjust. | I would like to introduce the topic of internalized marginalization because I am passionate about resolving marginality and affecting positive change in student life. Internalized marginalization is defined as “the experience of oppressing one’s self with inner criticisms or judgments” (R. Henrich, 2015, Polyamory and Marginalization). In this session, participants will focus on developing authenticity in leadership and awareness of diversity within a residence community. This session will be interactive, encouraging participants to become emotionally vulnerable within a small group. | Luc DeGagné | Carleton University | PL311 | 20 |
| I Am More, We Are More: Challenging Self- Limiting Beliefs | How often do we feel labelled by others? How often do we label ourselves? And how often do we let those labels limit us? The I Am More, We Are More campaign is an easy and meaningful way for residence staff to challenge both themselves and residents to rethink their limitations, to embrace diversity, to be authentic—and to lead other students in challenging self-stigma and self-limiting beliefs. Participants will learn about self-stigma and self-limiting beliefs, how to identify and challenge those beliefs, and how to design a creative active and passive program featuring residents so that they can continue the conversation. | Jenny Ge | Queen’s University | PL308 | 20 |
| Men and Mental Health | Even with having the freedom of expression, many men put up a barrier to mask the challenges they face with their mental health. This presentation, will focus on the taboo topic of men and their mental health, warning signs of men facing mental health challenges, and how to feel comfortable approaching someone to discuss their mental well-being. After this presentation you’ll be able to address the stigmas associated with this topic and be prepared to address this in both your personal life and in Residence Life. This presentation is valuable for any gender as these topics affect us all. | Owen Harris & Kritijan Kovacevic | Brock University | PL410 | 45 |
| There’s No Gossip in Team: Navigating Team Relationships | Pssst, hey you: Is your team thriving or just surviving? Want to turn your team into a well-oiled machine? If you want to learn how to establish professional boundaries while building healthy relationships with your teammates, then this is the session for you! Come with us as we explore group development theory and show you how to apply it to your team. Learn how to distinguish between professional relationships and friendships, how to identify and minimize gossip, and how to re-establish relationships that have been affected by conflict. | Sam Natale & Tijuana Turner | University of Toronto Scarborough | TA309 | 45 |
| Passing the Torch | Using the “ask, listen, connect” model we will discuss, reflect, and improve our strategies helping first year students. In this session we will focus on helping prevent burnouts in the role student leaders take on. The “passing the torch” model is an analogy that is the cornerstone of describing how self-care strategies can be enhanced and developed | Jessi Osmond | Western University | PL409 | 45 |
| I’m Not There: What’s Next for the Movie Night? | All I can do, is to be me. Whoever that is.” The words of Bob Dylan ring true for this workshop in authenticity and community in ResLife. This workshop looks at redefining the tried and tested Movie Night Event to serve as a catalyst for difficult conversations to bring out important experiences and insights that are essential for an interdependent community. If you’re looking at furthering your engagement with residents and encouraging authentic conversations between peers, this workshop is for you! | Mark Subekti | York University | TA303 | 70 |
| Presentation Name | Presentation Description | Presenters | Institution | Location | Capacity |
| Knowing Your Limit & Playing Within It | Are you willing to go all in? When it comes to being a residence life staff member, it can be difficult knowing all eyes are on you. Instead of putting on a poker face, it’s time to embrace your unique qualities and stop bluffing. With a better understanding of your unique personality, you will walk away with the tools to tailor your role to fit who you are! So come and take a gamble, you may be holding the winning ticket! | Alex Jamieson & Joelle Campbell | University of Toronto Mississauga | PL308 | 20 |
| Don’t Dream It, Be It | There’s a light over at the Frankenstein place. College can be difficult for many LGBT youth. With the help of the Rocky Horror Show characters we would like to explore the types of LGBT students and how we can support, encourage, and empower our students. Using the knowledge, we have obtained from being a LGBT resident to further the experience of LGBT students in our communities. | Harrison Patterson-Leclerc & Anastasia Devlin | Georgian College | PL410 | 45 |
| What it truly means to "be a man" | When individuals hear the term hyper masculinity, they have an idea of what this may entail; either an event or someone they know, comes to mind. Healthy masculinity on the other hand, is a term that many cannot confidently define or discuss. We all want non-judgmental environments that promote inclusive language, but men sometimes fall through the gaps and follow with whatever crowd they go along with. By having the confidence and knowledge to discuss healthy masculinity openly, barriers can be broken down to be able to fully self reflect. | Darragh Hill | Queen’s University | TA303 | 70 |
| Man Up: How to Deconstruct Toxic Masculinity in Your Community | One of the cornerstones of living in residence is the right for all students to feel safe and secure. However, sometimes residents enter their communities with certain attitudes and opinions that can jeopardize this safety. In our presentation, we will discuss an attitude of this kind: toxic masculinity. We will explore how to identify toxic masculinity in your residence community, as well as discuss and practice the implementation of “calling in” toxic masculine attitudes and actions. Ultimately, participants will leave this presentation with a better understanding of how to keep your community safe for all students. | Noah Hollis & Thomas Sadgrove | Carleton University | TA307 | 45 |
| Losing ourselves to power (tripping) | All too often, being in a position of authority engulfs Dons in an egotistical sense of self-importance. It is in this detrimental process that Dons forget how Donship is only a stepping stone and a learning curve. It is herein, that Dons miss out on the opportunities that the experience offers for becoming better versions of ourselves. | Jia Mirza | York University | TA309 | 45 |
| Falling on Deaf ears; How the Deaf can teach us to listen better | We often fail to realize that the Deaf must work much harder to communicate with the hearing world. In overcoming this obstacle they have learned how to engage, connect and express themselves better than most people. By taking a step back and looking at RezLife through the lens of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language, we can explore meaningful interaction with fresh eyes. Paying attention to the nuances of our communication allow us to connect on a much deeper level with our residents. So come grow your mindset; redefine your capacity to communicate, diversify your experience, explore Deaf Culture and ASL and learn the 4 ways the Deaf can teach us to listen better. | Hilarie Stein | University of Ottawa | PL311 | 20 |
| Bracelets Breaking Boundaries | Throughout "Bracelets Breaking Boundaries" delegates will be exposed to the importance of exploring the individual experience of each student. Delegates will participate in a unique community building activity making bracelets meant to allow self-exploration as well as build bonds and offer support to students by validating their experiences. The activity fosters a feeling of community as shared experiences are explored in order to create a cohesive group who learn to respect individuals’ stories. This presentation will allow delegates to take the experience/activity and directly apply the concepts and programming to their communities or staff teams. | Kelly Warren | Wilfrid Laurier University | PL411 | 20 |
| Presentation Name | Presentation Description | Presenters | Institution | Location | Capacity |
| Conscious Talk or Welcoming Words | Today’s world has many stereotypes and the use of improper words and slurs are problematic issue on campuses across Canada. The problem leads to issues in their personal lives which end up affecting their education. Students end up with two repercussions from stereotypes, the anxiety of becoming like the stereotype, and separating themselves from things associated with the stereotype. This can influence the self-concept of the student differently depending on the situation. With help from the session today we hope you will be able to help stop the spread of these slurs and stereotypes in your communities as well. | Emily Maw, Deanna Jacket & Erin Creed | Nipissing University | TA303 | 70 |
| Restorative Justice League: Exploring Restorative Justice in Residence Life Conduct | Mass consumption, drug use, and noise? Oh my! Have no fear, YOU, the RA, is here! Students are running a muck through ResVille, but fining them for their actions hasn’t been working. We’re here to help! Come learn the three magic questions, your super powers for fighting community nuisances! We’ll give you tips and tricks to handle difficult situations using the restorative justice model! Keep your residents out of trouble by helping them to understand the effects of their actions on the members of ResVille! Now, it’s up to you, our hero, to go forth and restore justice to ResVille!!! | Austin Kwong & Kaitlyn Lawson | University of Guelph | PL410 | 45 |
| Culture Shock | After moving to Canada in 2015, I struggled to adapt with the society and ways of life here. I saw my friends- other international student or immigrants, also struggle with this phenomenon called culture shock. Many people have assumed culture shock to be a myth, while others go through it not knowing what it is. My goal in this presentation is to make people aware of what this phenomenon is, the stages of it, and how people are affected by it. Most importantly, we’ll talk about what we can do about it. | Zion Olubummo | Humber College | TA309 | 45 |
| Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence | In this session, we will discuss consent, sexual violence statistics, and reasons many survivors decide not to report before moving on to talk about concrete ways student staff can act as peer supporters to survivors of sexual violence, including guidelines and anecdotes from the perspective of a student peer-support volunteer. We will discuss the diverse forms sexual violence can take and make note of what sexual violence looks like in the queer and trans community. The session is intended to spark conversation and give attendees skills and confidence to navigate conversations with students about sexual violence. | Emily Payne | Carleton University | TA307 | 45 |
| Survival of the Resilient | Do you have what it takes to be Survivor Be You 2017? Join us to discover ways you can display and highlight your resiliency to your students. Strategize ways to adapt to challenges within your role, figure out techniques to bring out the best in your students, and learn about the values of integrating resiliency into your long-term goal setting. There is no immunity in residence … we call it resilience. So come discover if you have what it takes to be crowned Survivor Be You 2017! | Ryan Principi & Leigha Carson | University of Toronto Mississauga | PL311 | 20 |
| Models of Student Support: Towards a Community Approach | When we talk of student support in Residence Life, it is often centred around what we as CAs/RAs/Dons can do as a reaction to situations as they arise. While this is surely a critical part of any model for supporting residents, it is incomplete without further considerations. This program will explore the ways in which the traditional support model in residence could be supplemented with a strong focus on community. Through discussion and activities, delegates will develop ways in which we can foster a culture of peer support in residence. | Zach Rudge & Kieko (Kat) Xie | McMaster University | PL409 | 45 |
| The Research You Didn’t Know You Were Conducting in Residence | Come learn about how you can improve the high impact conversations you have with your students! We will look at Qualitative research methods such as Focus groups and Interviews to help student leaders as we communicate with groups of students at floor meetings and have 1:1 interactions with students. This presentation will help you apply what you’ve learned through mock 1:1 interviews and focus groups based on residence specific subjects! | Brooke Williams | Ryerson University | PL308 | 20 |
| Presentation Name | Presentation Description | Presenters | Institution | Location | Capacity |
| The Game of Rezilience & the Strategies in Bouncing Back | Do you have what it takes to win The Game of Rezilience – University Edition? Play the life of a first year student, complete with challenges and obstacles that many face. Will you be able to bounce back after your first midterm, or will your GPA forever suffer? Will your teddy bear be your only source of company or will you be the life of the party? It’s up to you to play the hand that you’ve been dealt, so join us for the journey! Learn more about how to conquer not only the challenges of first year, but also in life, with the help of resilience techniques. | Mark Mariner & Mimi Nguyen | University of Guelph | TA309 | 45 |
| I Am More, We Are More: Challenging Self- Limiting Beliefs | How often do we feel labelled by others? How often do we label ourselves? And how often do we let those labels limit us? The I Am More, We Are More campaign is an easy and meaningful way for residence staff to challenge both themselves and residents to rethink their limitations, to embrace diversity, to be authentic—and to lead other students in challenging self-stigma and self-limiting beliefs. Participants will learn about self-stigma and self-limiting beliefs, how to identify and challenge those beliefs, and how to design a creative active and passive program featuring residents so that they can continue the conversation. | Jenny Ge | Queen’s University | PL410 | 45 |
| Men and Mental Health | Even with having the freedom of expression, many men put up a barrier to mask the challenges they face with their mental health. This presentation, will focus on the taboo topic of men and their mental health, warning signs of men facing mental health challenges, and how to feel comfortable approaching someone to discuss their mental well-being. After this presentation you’ll be able to address the stigmas associated with this topic and be prepared to address this in both your personal life and in Residence Life. This presentation is valuable for any gender as these topics affect us all. | Owen Harris & Kritijan Kovacevic | Brock University | TA303 | 70 |
| Falling on Deaf ears; How the Deaf can teach us to listen better | We often fail to realize that the Deaf must work much harder to communicate with the hearing world. In overcoming this obstacle they have learned how to engage, connect and express themselves better than most people. By taking a step back and looking at RezLife through the lens of Deaf Culture and American Sign Language, we can explore meaningful interaction with fresh eyes. Paying attention to the nuances of our communication allow us to connect on a much deeper level with our residents. So come grow your mindset; redefine your capacity to communicate, diversify your experience, explore Deaf Culture and ASL and learn the 4 ways the Deaf can teach us to listen better. | Hilarie Stein | University of Ottawa | TA307 | 45 |
| Bracelets Breaking Boundaries | Throughout "Bracelets Breaking Boundaries" delegates will be exposed to the importance of exploring the individual experience of each student. Delegates will participate in a unique community building activity making bracelets meant to allow self-exploration as well as build bonds and offer support to students by validating their experiences. The activity fosters a feeling of community as shared experiences are explored in order to create a cohesive group who learn to respect individuals’ stories. This presentation will allow delegates to take the experience/activity and directly apply the concepts and programming to their communities or staff teams. | Kelly Warren | Wilfrid Laurier University | PL409 | 45 |