Did you know there is a housing community for second-year and transfer students on Florida A&M’s campus? Rattlers RISE targets a select group of students in hopes of increased retention of transfer students and those returning for their third year.
Rattlers RISE is a Residential Development Community initiated by the Office of University Housing that centers on students of similar interests. The students live in the same community with professional/student staff and opportunities dedicated to developing students’ interests and skills to prepare for their future.
According to the Rattlers RISE page, with the goals this program has in place for each student, such as: Obtaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher each semester, completing 30-plus community service hours and obtaining an internship for the upcoming summer, it’s no wonder student Aniyah Sparks gained so much from her involvement.
Sparks is studying psychology and minoring in theater, and as a student who has reached all the goals put in place for those who join RISE, Sparks returned the following year as a student success mentor.
After her summer as a registered behavioral technician intern at the Behavioral Analysis and Intervention Center, Sparks has taken what she’s learned and plans to apply that knowledge to her relationship and communication with her mentees.
“I want to be more involved and have the chance to give back to the young adults coming on campus,” Sparks said. “Being able to explain the program and its benefits and help with student engagement. I want to be a reason people know this program is beneficial.”
With little experience under its belt, RISE is growing gradually each year. Beginning in the fall semester of 2021 after being pushed back due to COVID-19, the program is now active for its third year on campus.
Herb Johnson, associate director of housing at FAMU, wanted the data to speak for itself when looking to create this program.
“Starting the program began with gathering data through surveying students and interviewing campus partners,” Johnson said. “Once we had an understanding of the true need, we assembled a team of campus partners, including the Office of University Housing, Academic Support Services, Transfer Student Services, Career and Professional Development Center, Office of Student Activities, Office of Admissions, and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs.”
Jamie Davis, director of Academic Support Services, and Johnson created the only on-campus program designed for second-year and transfer students who live and train together. Following the Living Learning Community available to incoming freshmen, RISE is a way to start working and honing your skills for the future and targeting development in specific areas such as career readiness, leadership, service opportunities and social bonding.
Wanting to know more second-year students, Sparks applied to RISE, hoping to belong somewhere on campus, gain more volunteer experience and ensure an internship for the upcoming summer.
“I enjoyed the campus partnership meetings, to know what was on campus,” Sparks said. “I feel like I wouldn’t have taken the time to do it myself, so it was amazing that they had people come and explain the resources they had.”
The program includes housing in Polkinghorne Village and weekly workshops that enlighten students about what’s available on campus and inform them of all accessible resources such as: academic coaching, study abroad opportunities, career services, educational support services and community services.