Emergency Procedure Guide for University Housing Staff

Google Forms

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Canva

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Google Docs

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SWOT Analysis

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Emergency Decision Tree

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Google Forms ✳︎ Canva ✳︎ Google Docs ✳︎ SWOT Analysis ✳︎ Emergency Decision Tree ✳︎

Context

When I began my role as the Coordinator of Residence Life (CRL) at a small community college, the position had been vacant for three years. The CRL is responsible for the overall management of three residence halls that housed approximately 150 students and 6 Resident Assistants (RAs) and my primary duties included:

Creating an environment that promoted a sense of belonging,
Identifying, assisting, and providing follow up to students who have personal, academic, health, or other concerns,
Responding to situations in a timely fashion and provide written documentation and follow-up,
Supervising student staff and performing various administrative tasks.

I inherited a team of returning Resident Assistants (RAs) and initially assumed they had received formal Residence Life training, similar to the multi-week onboarding common at most institutions. Within the first few weeks of the semester, however, it became clear that something wasn’t working.

Problem

RAs routinely failed to complete basic responsibilities such as submitting paperwork, following established processes, or planning required programming. At first, this appeared to be a conduct or accountability issue.

Before taking that step, I paused to investigate the root cause and conducted a needs analysis to 1) surface unknown unknowns, 2) reduce defensiveness, and 3) identify both confidence and competence gaps. Using a Google Form, I learned:

None of the RAs had received formal training.
They did not understand their administrative duties.
They were unclear on expectations, escalation procedures, or documentation.
They did not understand how the RA role differed from being a regular resident.

This knowledge gap became especially dangerous during emergencies as RAs frequently lacked the ability to respond to crises, de-escalate conflict, or follow emergency protocols.

I determined that the core issue was not motivation or attitude, rather it was a lack of structured, role-based communication and training.

Research & Approach

Before creating new documentation, I conducted an audit of existing emergency documentation using a SWOT-style document analysis to identify gaps, risks, and opportunities.

The results of the SWOT analysis:

Provided a starting point for terminology and escalation titles
Introduced an opportunity to convert policy into actionable flows
Revealed liability concerns due to unclear or improperly followed procedures

Design Strategy to Reduce Cognitive Load

I designed a Housing & Residence Life Emergency Procedures Guide to function as both a training tool and an in-the-moment reference. Key design decisions included:

Step-by-step procedures and decision trees for common emergencies, written for use under stress.
Clear role delineation, so RAs understood what they were responsible for versus when to escalate.
Plain language and scannable structure, prioritizing action over policy language.
Scenario-based thinking, reflecting the realities RAs actually faced.

I also created a parallel emergency guide for my own role as the CRL. Because my position lacked comprehensive onboarding, I wanted to ensure continuity and institutional memory for whoever would hold the role next.

Training & Implementation

Rather than distributing the guide and expecting self-study, I built a week-long, experiential training model, modeled after comprehensive training I had experienced at other institutions. The training included:

“Behind Closed Doors (BCD) Practice Scenarios”

“Collaboration with Campus & Community Partners”

Learning Objectives

Demonstrate professional, role-based communication

Apply accountability practices in real-time situations

Prioritize student safety over personal discomfort

Identify appropriate escalation pathways

Experiential Training

BCD is guided, role-play–based exercises designed to simulate real Residence Life situations. This specific scenario was designed to reinforce that RAs are staff members first, even when working alongside friends, and emphasize that accountability is a responsibility tied directly to student safety and trust.

This scenario initially generated discomfort and resistance as RAs expressed hesitation about “calling out” friends or appearing authoritative. However, facilitated debriefs emphasized that holding one another accountable was not punitive, but a core function of their position.

Collaboration with Campus & Community Partners

To reinforce emergency preparedness, I partnered with campus departments and the local fire department to implement live drills and applied learning experiences. These collaborations allowed RAs to practice emergency protocols in realistic conditions while receiving direct feedback.

This collaboration served two purposes: 1) it increased procedural competence and 2) legitimized the RA role as part of a broader safety network.

Differentiate between the RA role and a peer

Outomes & Impact

Several RAs provided verbal feedback noting that, despite their early resistance, they felt more confident and better prepared to serve as leaders in the residence halls. As the semester continued, the impact was clear:

Significant reduction in after-hours emergency calls
RAs handled crises and conflicts independently and appropriately
Paperwork and administrative processes improved
RAs demonstrated clearer understanding of their authority and responsibilities

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of diagnosing communication failures before treating them as performance or conduct problems. By reframing the issue as a systems and training gap, I was able to design documentation and instructional experiences that improved safety, consistency, and confidence.

The success of this project came not from enforcing policy, but from translating expectations into clear, human-centered communication designed for the real-world.

Deliverables

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Visit my LinkedIn “Projects” page.
Visit my LinkedIn “Projects” page.