Illinois State University Housing Services collaborates with multiple campus partners and volunteers to conduct annual House Calls, which are brief visits to every residence hall room to ensure that students are adjusting properly to the start of the academic year.
Many of the students residing in the residence halls are freshmen and sophomores, and for a large number of the residence hall population, it is their first time away from home. University Housing Services lets students know ahead of time about the check-ins to ensure that they are comfortable in their new home away from home. The year’s House Calls were held September 19–22.
Assistant Director of Residence Life Elizabeth Thomason has spent the last three years spearheading the House Calls program and was even a participant in House Calls for four years before that. She also oversees the themed living-learning communities, residential curriculum, coordinates Move-In and Move-Out, and advises the Association of Residence Halls. Office Support Specialist Taylor Barnard has also assisted in the planning and implementation of House Calls for the last two years.
Barnard’s favorite part of House Calls this year was meeting people from other departments. “This year felt even more normal compared to last and allowed for more students to feel even more connected.”
Thomason said the House Calls are a great opportunity for volunteer staff to learn who students are, what they’re dealing with, what their struggles are, and what the student experience is like. “Students are really enjoying their experience on campus (this year),” she said. Barnard said, “(House Calls program) gives people who have never been to the residence halls a chance to actually see the community built within the residence halls, get to see interactions, programs, and how students are living in their own spaces.”
The House Calls program allows students to connect with volunteers that truly care about them, such as faculty mentors. While the volunteers hold various roles across campus, where some work directly with students, most volunteers never see students in their home. “Volunteers get to see students in a unique environment,” Thomason said. “That’s the beauty of housing, is getting to see students at their most comfortable and that leads to a unique experience.” Further, Thomason said, “House Calls keeps us (volunteers) in tune with today’s student college experience to be able to have those personal connections in a student living space.”
“House Calls keeps us (volunteers) in tune with today’s student college experience to be able to have those personal connections in a student living space.”
Elizabeth Thomason
“There is such a wide variety of volunteers coming from departments such as our Community Engagement Unit with ISUPD, Milner Library, University College, Dean of Students and many more and each time, they have so much to add and contribute to those conversations and everybody on campus has a different knowledge set that can help a student,” Thomason said.
If students were not able to interact with someone directly during House Calls, they may contact their resident assistant, community assistant, or residence hall coordinator. If students have concerns about their residential experience, another avenue they can use is to go through the Association of Residence Halls (ARH), which is a student leadership organization whose sole purpose is to look closely at the residence hall experience and see if there are opportunities to improve it and to make the more meaningful. ARH has biweekly meetings where they open it up at the end to hear student feedback. University Housing Services’ main office, the Office of Residential Life, can also be an additional resource for students during business hours.
Visit University Housing Services for more information on House Calls.
