E14: Unpacking Campus Life | Matthew Foster, Director, Housing & Residential Experience

Colleen: Whether you've been color coordinating twin XL bedding with your future roommate since May, or you're the student who wakes up on move in day with nothing but a toothbrush and a duffle bag, college housing is a whole thing. It's the start of something brand new, maybe even your first time away from home. Living on campus is more than just four walls and a bed. It's a crash course in independence, a front row seat to late night deep talks, fire drills, surprise friendships, and yes, the occasional whose food is this mystery in the communal fridge.

I'm Colleen Wamback, and on this episode of the WPI Podcast, we're unpacking literally and figuratively what it really means to live on campus from the best move in hacks to how to handle a challenging roommate situation from building community to just figuring out. How to do laundry. We've got it all.

Joining us straight ahead is a seasoned expert who's seen it all the good, the messy, and the unforgettable. So grab your shower caddy and your questions. We're talking living on campus. My guest is Matt Foster, director of the Housing and Residential Experience Center at WPI.

Hi Matt. Thanks for being here today. Thank you for having me. I'm excited. All right. Let's hope you stay that way. Ah, could be up and down. So let's start with this. What is residential life and why does it matter so much for the college experience?

Matt: Yeah, residential life is that on campus housing experience and it's all encompassing of. Many different things, programming and community development and just kind of being that, home away from home, if you will, when you're at college. And so, for me it's important and it matters because it allows students to start to create a comfort level at college. Um, it takes a little bit of time. There's an adjustment but it creates some comfort to have that home that place. You know, maybe when you're stressed out with classes or you are doing something across campus you can go back to your space. It's yours. You own it for the year and , you're living there and just really enjoying that. And it opens up new doors to meet new people , and so many social opportunities are there as well.

Colleen: Res life has been part of your life for many years. Um, yes. Give me a little bit of your background, um, to what led you to now the director and why you're an expert.

Matt: Yeah. It's been a journey. uh, it's not a field or an area that I thought I would go into to be honest, you know, I went to college. Um, I was a transfer student, I, went to community college, lived at home with my parents. Great experience, but it was very different from traditional college experience. And so when I transferred, I moved on campus. . And then I became a resident assistant, uh, at the college I was at in Western New York. And it was so cool to see a different way to help students and support students. And from there it kind of just spurred into, uh, working at the same institution as a professional hall director. uh, I was there for five years, uh, then came to WPI in Worcester in 2011 and have worked my way through. Different roles in the department. Yep. All the way from entry level to now director. And I've had a lot of experience at, conferences and working with colleagues and learning you know, the, stuff that goes into housing and residence life. And so, um, it's gotten me to where I am today. uh, and I really love it. I love this work. uh, I live, breathe and sleep it.

Sometimes I dream about it. Why not? Oh, or nightmares sometimes. No, no. It's, it's all good. I love it all. Yeah. And, and again, you're smiling here as we're talking, but I see you, um, across campus and you know, many, many times over the course of the years, and you do have that sense of passion and love for what you do.

Thank you. 

Colleen: As you're establishing, your cred here, which is important because you have worked at other places. You've made your way up within WPI you don't just talk the talk, you have walked the walk. So finish this sentence for me. Living on campus is….

Matt: a holistic experience because it encapsulates academic study spaces, social opportunities, programming. We hold students accountable for their behaviors and conduct and stuff. And so it's really a holistic experience in the halls and students can have that opportunity to live, grow, learn and sometimes experiment with who they are and what they're involved in. You learn a lot about yourself and others in that first six months. Yes. There's so many new people around you and , there's great times, and then sometimes there's. There's learning that happens.

Colleen: I have a few questions along those lines, but we're gonna roll it back to day one here. So the move in experience. Yes. Paint us a picture controlled chaos or well oiled machine. 

Matt: Uh, that's a great question. And both seem very different, but it's both. It is controlled chaos and it is a well-oiled machine. I got here in, as I said in August, 2011 and saw the move in process for the very first time. uh, and 14 years later we are still running close to a similar experience. We've made some adjustments over the years and, uh. COVID really had us change a larger level of the process. But it is working and it is, there's well-oiled machine pieces, and then behind the scenes there's some controlled chaos. Um, but it's, you know, students show up to campus with their families. They are going through a drive-through check-in, picking up their key. Any handouts we have. Getting anything that they need in one location on campus, then they head to their first year hall and they get to be welcomed by many of our campus partners. One cool thing we're doing this year is we're inviting academic and campus departments to sponsor a building and help to decorate it. Welcome families. Oh, oh, that's great. And students. uh, and so that's a new feature this year. But typically there'll be staff in WPI apparel and welcoming everyone. The driver. When they pull up to the building, stays in the car. This is something I emphasize all the time. Okay. Underscore that driver in the car. It's like in the car. Do not get out the car. The, it's kinda like the airport, right? then we have student volunteers, upper level volunteers. Who help to unpack cars mm-hmm. And get stuff moved up. I talk about this at first year welcome experience for families and I equate it to kind of like a, a swarm of bees to descend upon the car. Take all the belongings, take them up to the room, make sure your belongings are labeled, uh, and they take them up to the room and drop it off. And the family then can. Have that time to get set up and there's more time for them to spend getting the room set. Experiencing campus walking around. Mm-hmm. Getting pictures with our, we do a big giant Adirondack chair. We have other opportunities for families to experience stuff on campus as opposed to having to move in set up all day long. 

Colleen: I think that's great. I've been through it here. I've been through it at another campus with my child and, um, it's a world of difference from when I was moved into college, as my father would tell you, probably he felt like I was on the 52nd floor, even though it was only the third. But that's another story day. Same for me too. Another day. Same. But I like what you said that it gives families that time to be together to concentrate on what's important because it is a very emotional time for so many student, parents, sibling, et cetera. And it sounds like a lot of thought is put into that from your office and the community overall. So talk a little bit about that.

Matt: Yeah. You know, we work with so many campus partners to put a lot of time and thought into what the day looks like, uh, how it transpires. What's available for families to do and experience on campus specifically for the residence halls, uh, and move in facilities puts a lot of time and effort into making sure the buildings are ready to go, their on site day of. Mm-hmm. Should there be questions or concerns or things that need a quick tune up, if you will? Campus police is helping direct cars and guide families. And then we have our, our dining services partners and. For meals and all of the dining locations student activities, dean of students, uh, those offices are working to plan, a resource fair and uh, opportunities for families to be at the bookstore or go grab a coffee or ice cream social at the end of the day before they, they kindly and beautifully say goodbye to their student. So it's a lot of effort, a lot of work to be prepared for that day, but it's so much collaboration and it's one of the things I love about WPI and that's where the well oiled machine phrase comes in.

Colleen: What's the number one thing students forget to bring to campus? So the number one thing, because it is August, is a fan. So a room fan, not all of our spaces are air conditioned, and so August can, can be a little warm, but bring a fan, uh, be prepared for that. And it can help out all year long with air flow, white noise, uh, and all kinds of stuff, right? So that is probably the number one thing that I see families ask, where they can go buy one. Because they forgot the fan. Okay. Yeah. Now what's the thing they definitely don't need to bring? So the number one thing I would say that because we've seen this be top of the list in the last number of years, is some of the LED strip lighting that they install in their rooms. And if they use the tape that comes with it to install it removes loads of paint at the end of the academic year. So I would say. Don't bring it, but if you are thinking that it would add some, aesthetic to your room, you know, maybe use some 3M hooks or something that's gonna be a little bit easier to remove at the end of the year to avoid any room damage fees.

Colleen: Very good advice there. Yeah, they don't need to, you don't encourage if they do think it through. Yeah. Yes. Got it. Alright. That other person or other. People in the room. Any tips for being a good roommate? 

Matt: you know, my number one piece of advice for all roommates is communication. uh, how are you gonna talk to one another? What's it gonna look like when conflict happens? What are you gonna do to manage that conflict? 'cause it's inevitable, right? Even if you're not roommates, a group project or something else that you experience working with other people on campus can just. Lead to conflict. Very low level at times, but how are you gonna manage that? So, you know, my biggest piece there is communication and what does that look like? And to communicate with one another, right? A lot of times we shut down. It's hard to have that conversation, even if it's super low level it's easier to just avoid it. uh, but that can build up over time and not be beneficial to roommate interactions. Talk to one another. Right? It's as simple as that, right? 'cause little things can add up if you don't let out that steam. Yes, it can. Okay. And I've seen it so many times. I'm sure you have. And the RAs are so well equipped and the community advisors too. So if someone's listening to this podcast and thinking, okay, communication, but how do I start that communication? That seems to be a major. Task Yeah. That the RAs can help with. Yep. Yeah. We train the staff on ways to help guide students to have those conversations. We can give advice on some questions to ask ways to start the conversation, have it, if it's not going in a good direction, take a step back, a pause, and then come back to the conversation later.

So yeah, we train the staff to be prepared to help. So if you don't know how to. Get there, how to start that conversation. Someone can guide you and help you. 

Colleen: What's the wildest or most unexpected housing request you've ever received? 

Matt: That's a great question. One time years ago, um, we had a parent on, uh, move in day, come move their student in and, uh, started asking questions around if a, another bed could be moved into this space. Mm-hmm. So either when they came to visit, they could stay with their student which is, is sweet. Okay. Yes. Word saying. Oh. But it was definitely a no for the. For that request. 'Cause it's the student's space and yes. Even if it's a single, it's still could be awkward. So, but it's the student's space, right, so they should feel comfortable in their own space and, come visit, say hi, but, uh, yeah, sometime you gotta go. Yeah. Yes. Okay. Unexpected request and hopefully haven't heard too many of those. No. No. Good. No, no. Good. Good. 

Colleen: Tell us your best case roommate story.

Matt: Yeah. You know, um, we see, you know, obviously we see a lot of roommate matches or you know, and, and some are best friends and some just went in random and they are living with strangers from day one and they become great friends over time. Um. Roommate relationships work out, then they don't work out. Right. Just like any relationship. Mm-hmm. I think, you know, one that comes to mind is, you know, a few years ago we had, started off a little rocky relationship as roommates. It was, three students in a room. Two were closer, the third was not so close. And, two of them had a rocky start and it kept getting rockier over time and it kind of spurred into a conflict that our team worked to address. Over time they reconciled, they came to , a spot where, you know, they were, they were good acquaintances for a period of time as roommates, and then towards the end of the year, they. continued to be friends and that continued to grow from there after that. You know, it, it can be a little rocky over time, but it can work itself out. Yeah. uh, and again, communication. 

Colleen: Absolutely. And that's such a good point. You don't have to be best friends with your roommate. You can be best friends with other people and maybe that's even better.

Matt: That was my first residence hall experience I was assigned a random room. I lived with a roommate. Him and I were acquaintances the entire year, and that was our life. Um, we didn't live together the next year and it was great. We were acquaintances, we were cordial to one another, but we didn't become friends. And that's okay. It doesn't have to happen. Now, how do you build a sense of community in a residence hall full of Yes, strangers, but WPI brings students from all over the world so there's a lot of different backgrounds, traditions, experiences, how do you build that community? Yeah. On at face value it seems like it could be super hard. But in reality it's actually really easy just holding social programs, having students come together, asking students in the community what they're interested in, and having those students contribute to some of the programs on the floor. Right? Because if one person has an interest. It's very likely someone else on the floor has an interest. And so it kind of spurs from there, right? So you hold a program and maybe three people show up. You could hold that same program four weeks later and maybe now 15 people from the floor have shown up because they've learned that.

I like this too, and I like that. And I, we have similar interests, even if we come from different places around the world. And so the team works hard to kind of build some of those connections. Our student staff, get to know students on an individual level, what are your interests? What do you like to do? And that can help make referrals to clubs and organizations on campus. But it also can help create connections on the, in the building, right? Because if I've interacted with. One student who has this passion or interest and another one, and I know that they've never met, I can be like, Hey, you two should talk to one another. You may have such a great connection there, uh, and, and share interest. So, that's, it's very granular. Yeah. Kind of building, grassroots kind of community development, if you will. But it's awesome, to see those relationships or those. Connections happen just by making an introduction.

Colleen: Talk to me a little bit more about that programming or the types of programs. This is not just getting students, um, that live on the floor together to go over the bylaws, what to do, what not to do. You're talking about actual. Community fun programs. 

Matt: Yeah. During orientation we do some of that. We do the policy stuff. Mm-hmm. And we do , the logistical pieces, if you will. We build in fun, don't get me wrong, it's not all just, I'm sure you do logistics. But yeah, , the year is really meant to be spent having fun doing social programs, , social stuff. , there's board game nights and they take students to the socom social committee movie nights, or they'll take students to other events across campus to build that community and connection. Playing spades in the lounge or just sitting in hallways talking and having snacks. Ice cream and cookies and whatever else. So it's really meant to be the fun programs. There is some educational stuff mm-hmm. Thrown in there in the mix. On occasion, we help students, learn how to do laundry or how to write an email to a faculty member or professor or those sorts of things. And so it's. There's fun mixed with some education along the way. And how about support systems? It's not all fun. College is great, but there's a lot of stress, how does your office bake that in and add to it? Enhance it when needed? Yeah, it is a transition, and so a lot of times students get to college and they can think about a resource they're gonna use when they get there, but when you're in it, it kind of goes out the window and you don't know who to go to, so, the biggest thing for students to do is to first go to the ra mm-hmm. Go to that person on your floor, go to the community advisor even their inside advisor, who you know is a staff or faculty to support students for that initial step. Our team works very closely with almost every other department on campus, either making referrals or building connections to get a student that support and resource that they need. We work with the care team, so that's our, a team of. Professionals from across campus that come together to support students that we might be a little concerned about. You know, that might be struggling and it could be very low level struggle. But how do we make sure that they don't continue to struggle? And so getting them to those resources and those supports is so important. 

Colleen: It seems as though the role of an RA community advisor. Whatever term a college or university gives to that person has really changed over the years. Maybe it started as someone to make sure that the students were quote unquote behaving. Yeah. But I'm talking not just at WPI, but throughout the industry that this is a crucial role. Yeah. It, it is definitely a crucial role. And to be honest with you, you know, we're seeing some level of an industry change a little bit with the roles. Mm-hmm. Um, it is not what it used to be.

It used to be a lot of focus on programming on call duty responsibilities, making sure students are behaving and now we're seeing a lot more of this need for. Social interactions. Mm-hmm. Um, how do we get students to talk to one another, meet one another step out of their room? Yeah, outside of classes and also, you know, mental health and anxiety and how do I handle this or deal with this. Um, and we're seeing a lot more of that. And so working to support students sometimes in a more one-on-one setting is important today. And so, we're seeing that shift in the industry, uh, and in the field. And some institutions are moving towards different types of roles. uh, that help to support students than your traditional RA that we've seen. Okay. 

Colleen: What advice do you wish every student heard before move in day?

Matt: So, I alluded to this a little bit before, I think I'm gonna say it again. Is how do you communicate with your peers and how do you engage in. That conflict without it escalating. I think that's such a big piece of advice to help students know. Um, 'cause that's the biggest thing we see is that inability to communicate. Mm-hmm. And take that next step from there. 'Cause once the door's open, it just continues to move forward. So I know I said it before, but I'll repeat it. That communication piece is important. Yeah. No, it's that important. My next question, I wanna point out the. Center's title. Again, you're the residential experience, so it's not just about having a bed and four walls close to your academic buildings, but how can students make the most of their time living on campus beyond sleeping, studying, going to classes? Go to the programs that the residents assistants are putting on in the halls. That's such an important piece. It's so simple. Seems so simple to just step out of your room and go to this, but do it right. That's one thing. The other piece is keeping your door open. That allows for social interactions across the hall. uh, you may be an introverted student mm-hmm. Who may not be the type to go to the program, but how do you meet people? And so thinking about keeping your door open because the extroverted student or another introverted student walking the hallway may stop by your room. Just say hi. Yeah. And that first time they may say hi, the second time, they might invite you to lunch. The third time you are going to, to campus events and stuff together. So keep the door open. Yeah. Is another thing I would, I would suggest literally and figuratively. 

Colleen: Turning to parents. What do you say to nervous parents dropping off their kids for the first time? 

Matt: You know, it's a difficult step and I totally acknowledge that and recognize that. What I hope parents receive is that they engage with faculty and staff on campus that they know they can rely on. And so I like to try to remind parents to give us the trust to take care of your student. uh, you know, and we're gonna work to take care of them to the best of our ability. We're gonna interact with you as parents when we need to, when we can. We also wanna recognize that the student's experience is their experience to live. And so how do we work together to support your student to make their experience successful? And so trust us in doing that. We all, we love the work we do, all of us. From the person cleaning the bathroom in the hall to the professional staff member that is gonna meet with your student to talk about anything going on. We're here for your students, so trust us in this. What's something parents should do to support their students from afar? And maybe they, something shouldn't. Yeah, so something they should do is, encourage your student to take the step, whatever it is,

whether it's join a club or organization, whether they're struggling with something, reach out to someone, right? And give them that guidance on who that person might be. You know, encourage, push. Your student to do that and to take that independent responsibility of scheduling their health services appointment or calling, the local pharmacy, if they need to get a medication pickup, whatever it might be, encourage them to do that 'cause that's gonna help them grow, learn, and do the things that we're also trying to help them learn. Encourage from afar. And not do, um. One of the things I would say is that we typically see is we typically see parents who may want to support their student and they'll reach out to a department saying, my student's struggling. Here's what's going on. And then at times they'll email other departments to do so. Because they want to get their student the help that, and support they need. Sure. Which is awesome and that's great. Our team as a campus, you know, need a little bit of time to get through some of that information. And so, you know, once you reach out to one department, give some time for that department to connect with others across campus, gather some of that information and to work through whatever's going on to support the student. 'Cause a lot of times multiple departments are then reaching out. To a student and that student is overwhelmed 'cause they've heard from 3, 4, 5 departments requesting a meeting and they're like, why am I meeting with these people? Yeah. I don't know what I did or what's going on. So give us some time. Trust that we're gonna get the information we need and so, you know, reach out to one party. Okay. Not many. That's really good advice. It's tough to have that delicate balance of giving your student the independence, but also making sure they have the needed support.

Colleen: Should parents get involved in a roommate situation? What's the boundary? Yeah. I've seen this often. And it's important to understand the student's perspective, a lot of times the student may be calling their family to engage in a conversation and it might be just to vent, it might not be looking for problem solving or a parent to give a solution. Mm-hmm. But , just venting. You know, so and so took my stuff without asking me. And it can sometimes spiral too far from there, if you will. Um, and so, what is your student trying to tell you to begin with? Is it event session or are they looking for your support and your advice and help? That's the first thing that I would encourage a parent to do instead of immediately reaching out to our department to say, there's a roommate conflict. My student needs to move, or the roommate needs to move. For us, it's gonna be important to work through whatever issue is going on. We ask them to create roommate agreements and living agreements at the start of the academic year that works when they first get here. At a certain point, the honeymoon phase is over and things in the room change. So their living agreement needs to change and adapt with that as well. And that's not even just after, three weeks, four weeks, that's when they come back in January after the winter break, you know? So having us work with the students to adapt their living agreement, come up with new answers about how they're gonna manage stuff in the room is important. Certainly parents can reach out to us and express that there's a concern going on. Again, we're gonna work through that, but encourage your student to reach out to us. 'cause that's gonna be the first step that's important. Just automatically jumping to a student needing to move is not the case. And sometimes we find that the student is okay. And they did just call it event. And they don't want, they don't want to move, but the parent is saying they should. So understand what your student's asking for to begin with. 

Colleen: Back to the fun. Yeah, sure. Our rapid fire round. I haven't done this before. Okay. But you are the right person. Best res hall snack?

Matt: Instant noodles. 

Colleen: Best way to meet people? 

Matt: Keep your door open. I already said it. So important. 

Colleen: Biggest pet peeve?

Matt: Moving lounge furniture into your bedroom. Oh yeah. I mean, I can expand, but you know, it sounds pretty, that's pretty self-explanatory—keep the furniture where it belongs. Yes. So important We, I think we learned that in preschool. Yeah. Yes. Don't take what's not yours. Correct. Other students wanna use the lounge furniture in the lounge. 

Colleen: Flip flops in the shower. Yes or no? 

Matt: Yes, absolutely. Always. 

Colleen: Shower caddy: small, large, none? 

Matt: Small.

Colleen: Length of shower?  

Matt: Oh, 10 to 15 minutes. Wow. That's long. You gotta clean everywhere.

Colleen: If residence hall rooms had Yelp reviews. What's the funniest one you can imagine?

Matt: Oh boy. I think I would say oh wow. So there's a lot of choices there. I don't know. Okay. Alright. 

Colleen: We'll have our listeners think about that. Maybe they can email us and send us some good thoughts on what a Yelp review would be.

What's one story or moment that always reminds you why you love your job? Yeah, over the years, um, I've definitely seen it all and, experienced a lot.

Matt: I think the moments that really remind me are the moments when I get to interact with alums who come back to campus for reunions or other events and talk to me about their time living on campus and how at the time going through it. At times it was tough. And then they had a bad roommate conflict and they had experiences and things just, you know, certain things maybe weren't going so well. But then years later as they reflect on their experience, they then get it. Yeah. They understand that the bumps in the road helped them to. Be who they are today and grow and to learn. And so, you know, getting those thank yous, even if I wasn't here. Um, you know, , the memories of, you know, I lived in Riley Hall, I lived in this building, I lived in that building. Does it look the same today? And I'm like, sometimes I'm like a little bit just some better, some different paint or better improvements, right? New bathrooms, whatever it might be. But even, those thank yous are what helps. Going through it can be rough sometimes and I get that, but what are you learning along the way is important and getting those thank yous after of, you know, you really helped my experience is what reminds me of why I do what I do.

Colleen: Good. Yeah, keep coming back to it. We're lucky to have you. Thank you. So thank you so much. This was a great episode, great advice and good luck. Awesome. Thank you.

This has been the WPI Podcast. You can hear more episodes of this podcast and more like this one at wpi.edu/listen. There you can find audio versions of stories about our students, faculty, and staff, everything from events to academic projects. Please follow this podcast and check out the latest WPI News on Spotify, apple Podcasts, apple Music, audible, or YouTube podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to open WPI. This podcast was produced at the WPI Global Lab in the innovation studio. We had engineering help from PhD candidate Varun Bhat. Tune in next time for another episode of the WPI Podcast. I'm Colleen Wamback and thanks for listening.