Tonight’s cafe was different from previous cafes that I have attended in that it was primarily a brainstorming session. We discussed ways to improve the Rose Scholars program and the West Campus Living and Learning system.
One point that I brought up during the discussion was the idea of rotating events through fixed time slots instead of having the same events at the same time every week. This semester, I have only been able to attend Rose Cafes for the most part because the other times do not fit with my schedule. However, when the “What’s Happening in Rose” email goes out, I often find that the seminar series events and table talks sound very interesting, but they happen at times that I cannot make. I think it would make sense to have events at the same time every week so that people can plan out their schedules ahead of time, but it would be nice to change the events that happen during those times. For example, some weeks we could have a seminar series event or a table talk on Wednesday night instead of a cafe.
I feel like the two main areas for improvement in the Rose Scholars Program are getting more people to come to events who are not Rose Scholars and promoting bonding among residents, especially at the beginning of the year when people are new to the house and still have free time. The first is a challenge because students are busy and will only go to an event if they know that it will be worth their time. I think that events that have clear applications to academic and/or professional success may be popular among people who are not Rose Scholars (the seminar series is a good start). As for bonding events, I think that events with food or a fun activity would be popular. Some ideas are going to one of the free concerts in the commons which run through mid September, having a barbecue at one of the state parks (preferably before the swimming closes for the season), and having an ice skating event after we return from winter break (which has been done in past years).
Hi, Charlotte! I agree that Rose House should have more bonding events early in the semester. Because it’s so common for people to move to West Campus with their freshman year friends, people are less motivated to meet others in the housing system, and a sense of community is never really developed. I have also heard from transfer students and students who moved here alone that West can feel pretty lonely. Early semester bonding events would be a great way to help those students make friends and feel welcome here.
I agree! I also think that adding social events would really help improve bonding within the program. I also think that rotating the schedule is a great idea! I couldn’t make any of the table talks as well, which was unfortunate because there were a few that I would have really wanted to attend.
I really like your idea of rotating time slots. While my schedule has been more flexible this year, my first semester as a Rose scholar I was mostly only able to attend the Wednesday night cafes. Having different types of events in the evening would be a great addition to the program.
I also really like the idea of rotating the events! Last semester, I had a class every single Wednesday at 7:30, so I couldn’t go to any of the Rose Cafes. This semester, I have work on Friday nights, so I can’t go to any of the movies. While the stability of the schedule is nice, I think we would all benefit from being able to attend a wider variety of events.
One additional challenge in implementing social events: How do you make sure people actually meet new people during those events? If you advertise a barbecue or ice skating, it seems likely that groups of friends would just sign up to go together. It seems like it might be hard to get people to want to come specifically for the purpose of meeting new people, even more so if they would be coming alone.