Engagement Model 

Cat Chats are intentional conversations conducted by Resident Assistants that serve as a check-in for their residents. These conversations allow a Resident Assistant to introduce themselves but also an opportunity to build rapport with residents throughout the academic year. During these conversations, Resident Assistants can also provide reminders about policy and resources around campus. Each Resident Assistant must complete 3 Cat Chat Interactions per semester. All Cat Chats must be entered in the tracker provided on our staff website by the posted due dates. Below you can find and access important links related to CatChats:

Each month all staff members will be required to change out bulletin boards with new content. Most of the content is premade, but you are encouraged to make your own designs with the content when desired. To help facilitate our bulletin boards in our building, we have assigned bulletin boards to each RA. Please click Bulletin Board Sign-Up to see how bulletin boards are laid out. Please remember you are required to have a background, bulletin board border, and title on every single bulletin board. We have provided pre-loaded PDFs to flashdrives that you can plug directly into the printer to print. You must return this flash drive at the end of the year. Do not use this flash drive for personal use. You must upload bulletin boards into the StarRez for them to be considered completed. 

General Work flow of Bulletin Boards: Sign-up for the bulletin boards for each month --> Print them, and physically do them --> take a picture and enter it into the StarRez Passive Engagement. 

Each staff member will co-host a pre-arranged Weekly Highlight at the second half of staff meeting. Your Weekly Highlight will function like a "Program in a Bag" and be hosted in the lobby of LPAZ. The general format of the Weekly Highlight is to engage with residents by having them complete the activity or resource, then use the prize wheel or some pre-arranged activity where they are able to get a take away item. We have additionally added your weekly highlight into Teams Shift App.

You must upload your weekly highlight pre-and-post into StarRez before the Weekly Highlight ends.

General Work flow of Weekly Highlights: Review when you are scheduled for a Weekly Highlight --> pick up the materials from Staff Office --> take a picture of the table setup in the lobby once you setup, and enter it into the StarRez Active Engagement. Complete the Entire process including the assessment. 

Colonia de la Paz historically has hosted ‘Diva La Paz’ which is a large-scale campus wide event. Diva originated 27 years ago, and the tradition of the event has continued to this day. The event focuses on educational outcomes around the LGBTQIA+ and Drag Communities. For 28 years, this event has brought together residents, students, faculty, and staff for an unforgettable evening celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and the art of drag.

More than a drag show, Diva La Paz is a Pride education experience. It is a space where creativity, performance, identity, and self-expression are celebrated openly and unapologetically. The event highlights drag as an art form rooted in resilience, culture, joy, and community-building. Diva La Paz honors the power of visibility and the importance of inclusive spaces within campus housing.

The goal this event is to:

• Educate students on the LGBTQIA+ community, the terminology used, the different identities individuals hold, and to show the history of the pride movement to encourage them to share their voices and become an advocate or take time to reflect on identities they hold.  

• We also aim to provide residents with resources and connections to campus and the Tucson community that support the LGBTQIA+ community.

• Introduce residents to Tucson drag performers and provide a space for them to ask questions and learn about a community they may or may not identify with.

We will navigate planning this event as a staff - after opening, so be ready with ideas! Check out our website from last year!