Residence Life Staff

Residence Life Dons

Your Don is:

Student-staff member in the Student Affairs department
Full-time students and residents, just like you!
Mentors and resource people who can refer you to the services you need on and off of campus

What Dons do:

They are community builders
They are peer helpers
They intervene during conflict situations on your floor, and inform appropriate Student Affairs staff
They ease the transition of living in residence
They promote and encourage your participation in curricular and extra curricular activities
They work to ensure that community standards and values are maintained
They act as mediators and encourage communication and support between you and other residents.

Dons can help you throughout the year:

By helping you find your way around the campus and by answering your questions
By presenting you with opportunities to meet your floor mates and help you familiarize yourself with your new environment
By informing you of appropriate support services on campus such as Counselling Services, Health Services, the AccessAbility Office and other resources
By helping you navigate and work through any tension or conflict with your roommate or other community members
By being a listening ear to the range of emotions that come with university transition
By informing you of activities in residence and elsewhere on campus

Dons’ responsibilities have limits:

Dons Must Document Disclosures and Incidents:

They are obligated to document disclosures (mental and physical health, academic, sexual violence, etc.) and conduct incidents in residence (policy violations, etc.).
Documentation helps Student Affairs support our Residence Dons and students. Student Affairs staff may or may not reach out to a student after something has been documented. Documentation helps Student Affairs staff understand common trends in residence to better support current policies and inform how we educate our students and respond to conduct.

You can expect your Dons to:

Dons expects you to:

Engage in community activities in whatever way possible for you (opening your residence room door, attending events, filling dining room tables, starting a workout group, etc.)
Take responsibility for your actions
Keep them informed of any problems or potential problems, as minor as they may seem
Tell them about strangers in residence
Connect with them regarding things impacting you or the community, from medical emergencies to noise complaints to theft
Contribute to building a healthy and safe community
Make the most out of your SJU residence experience (it’s more then a place to sleep and eat)

Your Don is trained in:

First aid and CPR
safeTALK Suicide Alertness
Peer counseling
Community building
Administration
Leadership
Communication
Teamwork
Your Don is NOT trained as a professional counselor or mental health professional. Dons will often refer students to on-campus resources such as Counseling Services, Health Services, the AccessAbility Office or other resources to provide the professional counseling and assistance students may need or want

Your Don is:

What Dons do:

They are community builders;
They are peer helpers;
They intervene during conflict situations on your floor, and inform the Residence & Student Life Coordinator when necessary;
They listen to you when you are happy, down or homesick;
They promote and encourage your participation in curricular and extra curricular activities;
Work to ensure that community standards, such as respect for others and reasonable noise levels are developed and maintained;
They act as mediators and encourage communication and support between you and the other residents.

Your Don can help you throughout the year:

By helping you find your way around the campus and by answering your questions;
By presenting you with opportunities to meet your floor mates and help you familiarize yourself with your new environment;
By informing you of appropriate support services on campus such as Counselling Services, Health Services, the AccessAbility Office and other resources;
By helping ease the transition of living in residence with your roommate;
By listening to you when you are happy, down, or homesick; and
By informing you of activities in residence and elsewhere on campus.

Your Dons’ responsibilities do have limits:

They do have occasional bad days, personal problems, and school work overloads just like you;
They are bound by the same rules in residence as you are;
They are not babysitters;
They are not parents, floor cops, maids, or repair people;
They need your help to build a healthy community life; and
They will not be present on the floor at all times.

A few other things you should know:

You will be part of a diverse community in residence;
Your Don strives to be consistent with all other Dons in residence;
You can expect your Don to use and disclose confidential informational only as is necessary and proper in the discharge of his/her functions and responsibilities, or as required by law.

You can expect your Don to:

Your Don expects you to:

Have fun and enjoy living in residence;
Take responsibility for your actions;
Participate in floor activities;
Keep him or her informed of any problems or potential problems, as minor as they may seem;
Report solicitors and canvassers;
Tell him or her about strangers on the floor; and
Go through him or her for all situations on the floor, from medical emergencies to noise complaints to theft.

Your Don is trained in:

First aid and CPR;
Peer counseling;
Community building;
Administration;
Leadership;
Communication; and
Teamwork
Your Don is not trained as a professional counselor or mental health professional. Dons will often refer students to on-campus resources such as Counseling Services, Health Services, the AccessAbility Office or other resources to provide the professional counseling and assistance students may need or want.

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