Section 5: Safety and Crisis Management

General Confrontation Guidelines

Confrontation: The process of describing another person’s behavior so that the person can see the consequences of the behavior and possibly change.

Goals of Confrontation

1. Short-term Goals:

a) Gain all the information necessary to deal with the immediate situation and/or its consequences.

b) Alleviate the apparent, immediate situation and keep it from escalating.

2. Long-term Goals:

a) Student Development. Student becomes focused on others as well as self, learns to make more responsible decisions, clarifies values, and forms a positive self-identity.

b) Community Development. Group norms are supported; community becomes self-regulated; caring and respect for each other are evident; and positive community identity and pride is developed.

General Confrontation Steps

1. Identify yourself.
State your name and position. Let the individual know you have some authority to approach them. Be polite and assertive. “I’m Teresa, the RA/ALA.”

2. Advise the individual of the alleged violation. Explain why it is that you have approached them. “It’s after Quiet Hours and your music can be heard down the hall. That violates our Noise Policy.”

3. Request that the individual identify him/herself. You have a right to know who the individual is and why they are in your building. Express this right if necessary. “What is your name? Please show me your ID.”

4. Explain the solution to the immediate problem. Describe the individual’s alternatives, as well as the consequences of their behavior. “I need you to turn down your music to a level that cannot be heard from outside your closed door. Also, you should know that this incident will be documented. If you continue to play loud music after Quiet Hours, you will be documented again.”

Important Aspects in Confrontation

1. Know your stuff. As an RA/ALA, you have an obligation and responsibility to familiarize yourself with University and residence hall policies. Students will perceive you as being inconsistent and unfair or, worse yet, ignorant, if you do not confront a situation because you do not remember the policy.

2. State your expectations. The most important thing for you to do at the beginning of the year is to spell out, very specifically, how you interpret your disciplinary role. For example, as an RA/ALA, it is your role to document all behavior that violates the stated policies. You do not have the authority to take disciplinary actions. Your floor should know and understand this fact right away. You should also let your residents know what responsibilities you have for enforcing rules. If the floor decides a quiet hours policy, then the floor may have the initial responsibility for enforcing it. You may need to get involved only after floor members have been unable to or unsuccessful at confronting each other. It is very important for residents to understand which rules they are responsible for, how to enforce them, and what to do if they cannot. Additionally, you should also bring home the reality of residence hall living. The hall is not a sanctuary from the laws of the land or the rules of the institution. Residents will be held accountable for their behavior. As an agent of the school, you are expected to enforce rules and hold students accountable. In other words, you should make sure students understand that the disciplinary role is a valid one and that you, as enforcer of the rules, are a fact of residence hall living, whether students like it or not.

3. Teach students the rules and the system. It is important that you, as the RA/ALA, explain the standards of conduct, which will be expected of each resident. That does not mean that you should read every institutional rule at the Community Meeting, but these rules should be highlighted and available in written form. In doing so, you should explain the purpose and intention of these rules, not as restrictions upon behavior, but rather as policies that ensure consideration and respect for the rights of others. It is best to instill in the residents a feeling that these policies do serve useful purposes and, hopefully, to generate a voluntary willingness to abide by these rules. By emphasizing community, consideration, and cooperation, students may better understand that they must accept responsibility for their actions and control their behavior accordingly.

4. Be consistent. Most RAs/ALAs who have trouble with discipline do so because they are inconsistent. If two situations arise that are virtually identical and you handle one very differently then the other, trouble will brew. If one person is dealt with differently than another for violating the same rule in the same way, you can expect much criticism. There should also be some consistency from the beginning of the year to the end. Residents will be surprised and angry if you “give them a break” in the beginning and then “crack down” when things get out of hand. They will not understand why they are suddenly being reprimanded for a behavior that was previously permitted by you on your floor.

5. Maintain a balanced attitude. Nothing will get you into trouble quicker than creating the impression that you enjoy applying discipline. RAs/ALAs who seem to like having authority over students will fail in disciplinary situations because students will resent their attitude. It is equally important that, in your desire to avoid the role of hall police officer, you do not go too far to the other extreme – overlooking situations in which it is your responsibility to intervene. As the RA/ALA, you will be closely watched by the residents, especially early in the year; if you appear to be the type who turns away from enforcing the rules, your role of disciplinarian will become impossible. The RAs/ALAs who continually try to give residents a “break” so that they may better serve in their advising and counseling roles are only fooling themselves. Few residents will respect such an RA; they would feel that the RA/ALA is incapable of performing the duties of the position. To reach a happy medium, you should explain all of the functions of your job to your residents at the beginning of each semester.

6. Be honest. There may be times when you disagree with a rule or policy. It is important that you discuss your opinions with your supervisor and clarify the expectations that they have of you. However, you should support the policies of the department in interactions with students. Honesty with students should never be an excuse for inconsistency, ambivalence, or failure to fulfill your discipline role.

7. Be decisive. Another way to get into trouble in disciplinary situations is by being ambivalent. When action is required, you should take it. Doing nothing is almost always a mistake. Most residents will view ambivalence about what to do as a sign of weakness. Anticipating typical disciplinary situations and thinking about how to handle them will help you become decisive, as will seeking advice from other RAs/ALAs and supervisors and acquiring the proper training.

8. Abide by the rules. RAs/ALAs are role models. You will consistently diminish your effectiveness in the discipline role if you violate the rules yourself. It may also result in extortion. That is, a student who is documented by an RA/ALA for some violation may threaten to turn you in for an earlier violation unless the documentation is canceled. It is hypocritical for you to enforce rules on the one hand and violate them on the other.

9. Get help when needed. If a discipline situation is getting out of hand, do not be afraid to get help from other RAs/ALAs, supervisors, the RD on-duty, Campus Security, or the University of Massachusetts Police Department. Particularly in group discipline situations, never confront alone. Always have someone as a back-up and witness.

10. Know the appropriate communication channels. Generally, all matters calling for immediate action should be reported directly to your supervisor and/or the RD on-duty. This includes everything from serious illness or accident, unusual or inappropriate behavior, gross violations of campus or residence hall regulations, to plumbing or electrical failures, hall damage, fire or other extreme physical plant problems.

Adapted from: Upcraft, M.L. & Pilato, G.T. (1982). Residence hall assistants in college. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass, pp144-146.