Residence Life and Housing Set to Host Major Conference

02/05/2016 

SUNY Cortland will be the center of the residence life universe on Saturday, Feb. 20, when the College hosts its longstanding and highly regarded Residence Life Conference.

The all-day event, now in its 39th year, will be themed around “Space Jam,” the popular 1996 animated film featuring Looney Tunes characters and basketball legend Michael Jordan. Approximately 350 people — representing both student resident assistants (RAs) and professional staff members — from 20 colleges and universities are expected to attend.

“With this year’s theme, we’re focusing on leadership, diversity, perseverance and team-building,” said Lima Stafford, the College’s residence hall director for Bishop Hall. “Those are some of the lessons that come out of the movie, so the sessions throughout the day will be focused on those topics.”

Stafford and Meghan Henley, the residence hall director for Fitzgerald Hall, serve as the co-chairs of this year’s event. They credited a 16-member committee of student RAs with developing the conference’s theme and coordinating the day’s program.

“It’s a big event and a complete team effort,” Stafford said.

Four sessions throughout the day offer 60 different presentations for both RAs and professional staff members. Presentation topics include sexual assault prevention training, ideas for community building and promoting LGBTQIAP friendly environments. Each SUNY Cortland residence hall also supplies a prize basket for a silent auction benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“The hope is that everybody can learn lessons that can be applied outside of residence life, later on in their own lives,” Stafford said.