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:
- What type of programs would residents be interested in participating in Marine Drive?
- How satisfied are residents with the current activities hosted by Marine Drive?
- What transferable life skills are residents learning and developing through residence?
- 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.
MEMORANDUM – Progress Report
TO: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL 301 Instructor
FROM: Katherine Chan, ENGL 301 Student
DATE: February 28, 2022
SUBJECT: Progress Report – Formal Report on Enhancing Resident Engagement in Marine Drive
Thank you for approving my formal report proposal. As requested in Lesson 2:3, I have completed a progress report of my formal report on enhancing resident engagement in Marine Drive Residence. Please find this progress report below, which includes the audience, purpose, significance of the report, research plan, and writing schedule. I have also attached my outline, survey questions, and interview questions that I intend to use as primary data for my formal report.
Intended Audience
- Ms. Niloufar Rohani, Residence Life Manager of Marine Drive
- Mr. Abhijit Pandhari, Residence Life Manager of Marine Drive
Purpose of Report
The purpose of this report is to provide recommendations for enhancing resident engagement in Marine Drive Residence.
Significance of Report
This report will highlight recommendations to enhance engagement in Residence Life. Involvement in residence is an excellent opportunity to learn and build valuable life skills to complement the academic journey at UBC. The recommended implementations benefit Marine Drive residents by promoting community building, self discovery, and life long learning.
Research plan
- Identify the expectations and needs of Marine Drive residents through a survey
- Identify the interests and preferences of residents through a survey
- Investigate the opinions on resident engagement of Residence Life Managers through interviews
- Data analysis of surveys and interview
- Produce visuals based on survey data
- Study secondary literature on benefits of residence participation on university students
Writing schedule
Mar 1 – 2: Post Unit Two Reflections Blog and Revised Report Proposal
Mar 3 – 10: Upon instructor approval, administer survey and conduct interviews
Mar 11 – 13: Collect and synthesize primary and secondary data (Data Collection), analyze data and create visuals based on data
Mar 14 – 16: Formal Report Draft
Mar 17 – 19: Revise and edit Formal Report Draft by incorporating Peer Review feedback
Mar 20 – 22: Post Unit Three Reflections Blog
Mar 22 – 26: Post Revised and Final Draft of Formal Report on Team Forum as pdf
Enclosure: Formal Report Outline
Enclosure: Survey
Enclosure: Interview Questions