As part of several international programs organized through Residence Life and Housing, six of the university’s Resident Advisers (RAs) traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, and Waterloo, Canada the week of Oct. 21. The university also hosted students from Waterloo the weekend of Nov. 12. Sophomore Resident Advisers Brett Patterson, Kristen Bryant, Tim Brady and Bryce Vielguth attended the 17th Annual International RA Conference at Tecnológico de Monterrey Oct. 21-25.

Photo courtesy of Matt Imboden

Students from the University of Southern California, Texas A&M and several other Mexican universities also participated in the conference, which was called “Looking for the Future.”

“We had table talks every day where we discussed issues that RAs are facing these days, such as the recession, sustainability and making ethical choices,” Vielguth said.

“We actually led the discussion on the economic downturn,” Matt Imboden, coordinator of residence education, said, adding that “they (the representatives from Tecnológico de Monterrey) were very complementary of our presentation.”

Besides exchanging ideas around the discussion table, the visiting Resident Advisers participated in a variety of activities, such as traditional Mexican dance lessons, the Globalifilicos Cultural Show and “Fun and Games” at Valle Alto Ranch.

Students from the university were presented with several awards at the end of the conference, including “Nicest RA,” “Best Overall RA,” and the more humorous “Mexican Wannabe” award.

“Our RAs really represented Wake well,” Imboden said. “They spoke up and did an excellent job at the conference. It was a really worthwhile experience.”

In addition to the Monterrey trip, Residence Life and Housing recently arranged an RA exchange program in coordination with Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada.

Senior Resident Advisers John Track and Kellyn Springer traveled to Canada on Oct. 22-25.

They then hosted Sarah Stockdale and Zach Hogan, Dons (Resident Advisors) from Wilfrid Laurier, at the university Nov. 12-15.According to the delegate application, the program was arranged in order to give undergraduate staff members the opportunity to experience campus life and RA work on another campus in a different country.

“One of the most memorable parts was the whole idea of going to a different place,” Track said.

As part of the exchange, Track and Springer got a taste of the true Don experience at Wilfrid Laurier, which included attending a Wilfrid Laurier hockey game.

“John and Kellyn had full schedules,” Imboden said. “They met most of the people that work in the Residence Life office, found out what the RAs do there, and had to deal with a few situations while they were on duty.”

“The students (at Wilfrid Laurier) were so hospitable and so welcoming,” Track said.

Stockdale and Hogan, the visiting students from Canada, spent last weekend at the university, where they in turn were able to experience student life in a foreign country.

After meeting with representatives from Student Government, the Student Union, the Old Gold & Black, and Wake Radio, Stockdale and Hogan supported the Demon Deacons at both the Oral Roberts basketball game and the Florida State football game.

“The pride and tradition of the Deacons also stand out,” Hogan said.

“I loved the school spirit and passion that was displayed for Athletics and Greek Life … The campus was absolutely beautiful and the students and staff were extremely hospitable.”

“I definitely think they had a good time,” Track said. “There were definitely a lot of good memories.”

“We’d like to continue both traditions and find even more ways for our RAs to engage in foreign exchange programs,” Imboden said.

“It’s a good way to grow both culturally and personally.”

He added, “We’re trying to offer more leadership opportunities like this to the RAs. They’re really good representatives of Wake Forest because they are good students who know a lot about the campus … I like to reward them with programs like these because sometimes the rewards seem really small for all the hard work they do.”

The Resident Advisers who participated in the Monterrey conference and the Wilfrid Laurier exchange will give presentations on their experiences during Residence Life and Housing Mid-Training in January.