REVISED Assignment 2.1 – Proposal for Enhancing Resident Engagement in Marine Drive

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Instructor

From: Katherine Chan, UBC Student

Date: March 4, 2022

Subject: Proposal for Enhancing Resident Engagement in Marine Drive

 

Audience description

The intended audience of my Formal Proposal are Residence Life staff and residents of Marine Drive. There are 1605 residents and 28 Residence Life staff members (2 Residence Life Managers and 26 Residence Advisors) in Marine Drive Residence.  My target audience will have varying expectations, perspectives, and concerns regarding resident engagement. In particular, Residence Life staff members have the authority to act on the final recommendations provided in the Formal Report.

 

Introduction

UBC Student Housing is the largest Canadian university residence with approximately 13,000 residents who come from a diverse backgrounds, lived experiences, and demographics. For many students living in residence is their first opportunity to develop a sense of community.  Living in residence is a fantastic way for students to meet new people and build valuable life skills during their journey at UBC. In fact, most first year students are guaranteed housing in designated first-year residences, which have facilities such as dining rooms. Moreover, approximately 27% of the UBC Vancouver students are international students, which makes Student Housing a preferred on-campus living option.

 

Statement of Problem

Living in an upper-year residence, such as Marine Drive Residence, is challenging especially during COVID. Upper-year studios and shared units have in-unit bathrooms and kitchens. This is a major transition from first-year residences with communal bathrooms and dining rooms, which encourages students to meet their community and alleviates the responsibility of cooking and cleaning. Currently there is a significant number of students who did not live in first-year residence and transitioned into upper-year residence because the 2020/2021 Winter academic term was virtual. On the other hand, there are students in upper-year residence who have developed an independent routine after multiple renewals of their housing contract. Examples of specific consequences include roommate conflicts over shared common space, cleanliness, and noise due to roommates with different lived experiences.

 

There are two major implications to this problem: first, Marine Drive residents have a range of life experiences and consequently varying expectations of community-building in residence; second, Marine Drive residents have a diverse aptitude of transferable life skills (examples include budgeting, grocery shopping, and meal planning).

Proposed Solution

One possible solution is to enhance resident engagement in Marine Drive through activities that support healthy community and lifelong learning. Extracurricular activities have been shown to be a significant contributor to academic success and student residence can foster a positive and inclusive learning environment. Residence Life aims to host programs that support community building, life long learning, and self discovery. Examples of programs that support these values include table tennis tournaments, National Day of Truth and Reconciliation march, and tax workshop respectively. Interviewing Residence Life Managers and surveying residents will highlight the expectations, needs, and opportunities to enhance residence engagement in programs in Marine Drive.

Scope

To assess the opportunities of enhancing resident engagement in Marine Drive, I plan to pursue four areas of inquiry:

 

1. What type of programs would residents be interested in participating in Marine Drive?
2. How satisfied are residents with the current activities hosted by Marine Drive?
3. What transferable life skills are residents learning and developing through residence?
4. How can Marine Drive create a sense of community and inclusion among residents?

 

Methods

My primary data sources will include consultations with Ms. Niloufar Rohani and Mr. Abhijit Pandhari, who are Residence Life Managers of Marine Drive. Residence Life Managers are professional staff who oversee the safety and well-being of the residence community. I will also interview the four Senior Residence Advisors, who are team leads for each building in Marine Drive. I will round out my primary research with a survey among the current residents in Building 1.

 

My Qualifications

I have lived in multiple UBC residences for over five years. In August 2021 I became a Residence Advisor in Marine Drive. I am familiar with student services and engagement as a Project Assistant in Enrolment Services. My association with Marine Drive Residence and UBC Housing gives me the opportunity for an in-depth study.

 

Conclusion

Clearly, there are opportunities to strengthen social and interpersonal skills through resident engagement. By addressing the four areas of inquiry mentioned earlier, I can determine the needs and expectations of Marine Drive residents. With your approval I can begin research at once. Thank you for your consideration.