An Unorthodox Approach to Getting

your Residents to Read Bulletin Boards

An Unorthodox Approach to Getting

your Residents to Read Bulletin Boards

Bulletin Board: A Great Way to InformBulletin Board: A Great Way to Inform

So why do some residents find them so soul-crushingly boring?

What do bulletin boards give residents?

• Helpful tips and advice on college or the local community

• Information on various resources (academic, recreational, gastrointestinal)

• Expose residents to new things (hobbies, areas of study, history, other residents)

• Information on housing policies

• Promoting community values and school spirit

• Other things that would take way too long to list

You Can Only Say the Same Thing So Many Ways…You Can Only Say the Same Thing So Many Ways…

• Many RA’s use the same ideas for bulletin boards (Look at the bulletin boards on any RA website - a lot of them deal with the same topic, just in a different manner of presentation)

• Your challenge is to find something novel to catch residents’ attention

• The first way is make it so absurd it’s interesting

• The second way is to use news and publications and use novelty stories to your advantage

What did I learn from being a RA and a resident?

• Many residents usually stop paying much attention after the first two months

• You start to get bored making them after the first three months

• Upperclassmen residents wise up to the fact that the boards start to repeat themselves after a while

So what is the solution?

Bulletin Boards I’ve DoneBulletin Boards I’ve Done

PURPOSEFUL• Black History Month

• Local Charitable Organizations

• Resident Art Display

• Bike Safety

• Spring Break Safety

• Finals Study Tips

• Battery Technology

• Where to Go on Campus

Absolutely_Pointless...• Surviving an Animal Attack

• Squirrel Lore

• Defeating Supernatural Monsters

• State Highlight: Idaho – The Land of Land and Also Dirt

• The Unelectable Founders of the USA

Why Does It Work?Why Does It Work?• People like to see new things, or at least be curious about it

• These boards are intended solely to entertain instead of inform

• Use this technique on one bulletin board, and move it to another one every month to get your residents to look at all your bulletin boards

Use Other Resources!Use Other Resources!• It’s difficult to come up with new material every month

• I’ve used different books such as “The Areas of My Expertise” by John Hodgman and “America” by Jon Stewart to take passages from

Example from “Surviving an Example from “Surviving an Animal Attack” Board Animal Attack” Board

Example from “Squirrel Lore” Example from “Squirrel Lore” BoardBoard

Novelty And Information TogetherNovelty And Information Together

• Look through newspapers, trade magazines, and other publications for interesting news, discoveries, and developments

• Couple the news presented with the hobbies and interests of your residents

•Try to avoid news involving politics, religion, etc. Try topics like car shows, annual awards ceremonies, new entertainment venues, technological advances, scientific discoveries, and so on.

• Con: Information in bulletin board becomes old news, and isn’t reasonable to use after a few months

• Con: Not all residents will understand the humor, some could be offended by it. Choose your brand of funny carefully

Excerpt from “Portable Battery Technology” Board

Excerpt from “Portable Battery Technology” Board

Ideas I Admittedly Haven’t Tried Ideas I Admittedly Haven’t Tried YetYet

• Water coolers placed strategically at bulletin board locations

• Contests on bulletin board knowledge

• Not putting bulletin boards up to see if residents say anything

•…

• I don’t really recommend any of these options, though.

Bad idea.

Remember!Remember!

• Bulletin boards serve a lot of purposes, so don’t limit yourself to the same formulas or ideas

• Get new ideas from residents, other hall staff, professors, your pet fish, use all your resources

• Some residents don’t even take time to interact with anything between the front door and their room, but don’t let it discourage you from making cool boards for the ones who are actually interested in it

• Ask for input even after you put a board up, even if residents don’t have any ideas, it will get them interested in reading it, because they know that you take an interest in making it

Submitted by Justin Wells,

Resident Assistant, University of Louisville

Submitted by Justin Wells,

Resident Assistant, University of Louisville