ABOUT THE OFFICE OF RESIDENCE LIFE
The Office of Residence Life central operations are located in the Alice McDonald Nelson Building. Prior to 2023, the Office of Residence Life was referred to as the department of Residential Life within the division of Residential Programs and Services. In July 2023, the Office of Student Life was created and Residential Life transitioned to the Office of Residence Life. Therefore, there are still mentions of the RPS name and acronym in both digital and social spaces.
The organization structure for the Office of Residence Life and its division, the Office of Student Life, reflects a traditional model of hierarchy in which there are clear divisions of labor, the presence of centralized power structures, and the substitution of unsatisfactory personnel. Strange & Banning (2015) describe these three key characteristics of organizations as follows:
"Organizations are characterized by: (1) divisions of labor, power, and communication responsibilities, divisions which are not random or traditionally patterned, but deliberately planned to enhance the realization of specific goals; (2) the presence of one or more power centers which control the concerted efforts of the organization and direct them toward its goals; these power centers also must review continuously the organization’s performance and re-pattern its structure, where necessary, to increase its efficiency; (3) substitution of personnel, i.e., unsatisfactory persons can be removed and others assigned their tasks. The organization can also recombine its personnel through transfer and promotion," (Strange & Banning, 2015, p. 82).
I will describe how the Office of Residence Life demonstrates these characteristics in the following sections.
Via Residential Programs and Services - housing.iu.edu
DIVISIONS OF LABOR, POWER, AND COMMUNICATION
In the Office of Residence Life, there is a clear division of labor, power, and communication between the various subdivisions of the office. The Office of Residence Life is formally a part of the Office of Student Life. The Office of Student Life, which was established in 2023, is led by the Vice Provost for Student Life. The Office of Residence Life is led by the Director of Residence Life, who is supervised by the Dean of Students.
Under the Director of Residence Life, there are three Associate Directors who focus on residential engagement, strategic initiatives, student conduct and care, and center management, respectively. As an Assistant Coordinator, I fall under the supervisory chain of the Associate Director for Center Management. The Associate Director for Center Management oversees three Assistant Directors for Center Management, who each supervise one of the three residential neighborhoods. My role falls under the supervision of the Assistant Director for Center Management (Southeast).
Each residence center at IU has a leadership team consisting of the Assistant Coordinator(s), Residence Life Coordinator(s), and Residence Manager. Residence Managers typically supervise two buildings, but the Residence Manager for Wells Quad oversees three buildings. This is because Wells Quad has a population of approximately 170 residents, the building leadership team is combined with another residence center. At the end of the organizational chart, Resident Assistants serve as the frontline for student development and play an integral role in managing the community.
IU ORG CHART
RESIDENCE LIFE ORG CHART
Via Nicholas J. Klein - stock.adobe.com
Via Residential Programs and Services - housing.iu.edu
CENRALIZED POWER STRCUTURES
Although each residence center's leadership team has a certain amount of autonomy for their center, the Office of Residence Life is also led by the Residence Life Leadership Team (RLLT). RLLT consists of the Director, Associate Directors, Assistant Directors, and Residence Managers. This team helps to achieve the overall mission, vision, and goals of the department. RLLT represents Strange & Banning's (2015) second characteristic of organizations because the team focuses on reviewing performance, shifting structure, and increasing efficiency within each center and within the entire department.
SUBSTITUTION OF UNSATISFACTORY PERSONNEL
The Office of Residence Life consistently trains, evaluates, and makes decisions based on performance evaluations. An interesting part of the Office of Residence Life is that RA staff are considered employees and earn a stipend in addition to a scholarship for room and board. This puts some supervisors, who may be used to working in departments where RAs simply earn a scholarship, in unique situations where RA staff must be treated just like any other employee. However, this is beneficial to RAs, who gain protection from HR and unfair workplace practices. Human resources are managed by IU's Auxiliary Human Resources department who work closely with supervisors to evaluate performance, make recommendations, and at times, terminate employment for RA, graduate, or full-time staff members.