More than just a place to sleep, University Residences provides unique educational programming to develop Boilermakers into well-rounded citizens of the campus community and prepare them to make an impact in communities beyond their time at Purdue. Whether they’re serving as a resident assistant, participating in a leadership retreat, working at a front desk or attending an event, students have numerous opportunities to learn about themselves and the world around them.
Behind each of these experiences are outstanding staff who work tirelessly to plan and implement these programs. One such individual is Brian Kocher, assistant director of campus living and compliance, whose excellence in designing and implementing programming was recently recognized by the Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers (GLACUHO). Kocher received GLACUHO’s Outstanding Project Award for his “Red Zone Programming” initiative at the 2023 GLACUHO Annual Conference, held in Fort Wayne. He will have the opportunity to present the program as a model for other schools to follow at next year’s conference.
Kocher collaborated with Residential Life staff, Purdue Recreation & Wellness (RecWell) and the Center for Advocacy, Response & Education (CARE) to develop programming raising awareness of interpersonal violence. The first six weeks of the school year, known as the Red Zone, are when more than 50 percent of all sexual assaults take place on college and university campuses nationwide.
More than 1,600 residents participated in Red Zone programming, which took place in every University Residences residence hall and apartment building during the first two weeks of classes. Interactive events educated students about the Red Zone and covered other topics such as alcohol safety, consent education and bystander intervention. Representatives from CARE, a campus department that supports victims of interpersonal violence, were on hand to educate students as part of the initiative.
The program produced successful outcomes, with nearly two-thirds of participants completing end-of-event surveys to gauge learning and impact. Residential Life staff found that students demonstrated that they had mastered the desired learning outcomes of the program.
Planning included the development of the lesson plan as well as partnerships with CARE and RecWell. Professional and student staff were trained over the summer on the implementation of Red Zone programming for their respective communities.