Warsaw Uprising 1944 – was it worth the costs?

Considering the damage to Poland, Warsaw uprising, in my opinion, was not worth its cost. Although, it was a good move and fight back by the poles to gain independence from the red army of Germany, the killings and destructions encountered in the process was not worth the sacrifice.

About 200, 000 people, one-quarter of the poles at the time, were killed. Students, doctors, educators, future leaders, families and lives were lost due to this incident. Poland would have been more developed, populated, and technologically advanced if the people were not killed during that period. In order words, the injury inflicted on the Poles cost more than their sacrifice. Almost all the buildings in ancient Poland were also destroyed with time during this uprising.

Expecting help from the Soviet Union, the insurgents’ battle was intended to last for only a few days until the Soviet Army would reach the city. At first, the poles succeeded in gaining control over some streets in Warsaw after some days. It seemed like a success. However, the German had developed weapons and armies to fight, but the insurgents had no anti-aircraft weapons to defend Warsaw from the attack. In rescue of the Poles, Soviet forces had reached a point a few hundred meters from the city, across the Vistula River, but decided not to further the journey because Joseph Stalin wanted the insurrection to fail. This dramatically contributed to the failure of the uprising.

October 2^nd when the poles surrendered to the German soldiers, all hope had been lost. This showed that the uprising has failed, binging forth negative effects on Warsaw because most lives had been lost including the insurgents’, and buildings in Warsaw had been reduced to the ground leaving the city to rebuild itself.

In addition, the Uprising of 1944 was not worth its cost. This is because the main objective of the uprising was not accomplished by the end of the battle; instead they lost almost all they depended on (their families, shelters, schools, churches and so on).

Diversity

Diversity presents a big picture in various aspects of the community. There are so many definitions and characteristics attributed to the word “Diversity.” Explaining this concept from the perspective of being a resident advisor (RA), diversity refers to the different characteristics and cultures shared among the residents living in a given place.
In a university like UB, Diversity is a big factor because a lot of the students are of different races, cultures, backgrounds and so on. Even among the cultures, there is still diversity. For example, amongst the Africans, some speak English while others speak French; amongst the Americans, some are light skinned while others are dark skinned, and so on.
A diverse community is so entertaining when every one is able to interact freely with one another, understands one another’s culture and backgrounds, respect others irrespective of background or difference. This sort of community is what is expected of the RAs in the resident hall- being capable of establishing a good community with diverse characters and people.
Some important element of diversity is communication, respect, and love. These factors, in my opinion, paints a better picture of what it means to be different and diverse, but still seem like one family living in the resident halls.
In order to encourage diversity in the hall, the RAs should plan diversity program, where everyone feels welcome and loved; emphasize communications among the residents, and show an imitate examples for the residents. By doing that, the residents understands one another and lively joyfully and happily with one another even though they might be different one way the other.
In conclusion, diversity is a very broad topic that should be considered in building a strong community of people. Emphasizing communication among the residents, planning diversity programs also attracts the residents to know more about other people and cultures shared in the resident hall.

RA/AA Class 4-8-08

Ethical decision and Diversity awareness...
The discussion began with defining values and ethics. Before I walked into the class, I barely knew much about the definitions of these vocabularies, but having the opportunity to discuss with my fellow group members and get more ideas, totally enlightened my knowledge about the whole topic.
I realized that ethics is more personal than values. Some people believe that the certain things should be done in some situation while others don’t. This explains that although the value of something may be the same for most people, the ethical thinking changes from person to person.
For example, the sample question brought to this lecture explains this subject. The story about a man who escaped from prison, changed his name and lived far off from the prison, where he did good deeds. The question was “I would I report him back to the prison?” The answered defended from one person to another depending on their ethical believes about the situation.
Another concept discussed was diversity. Diversity is a broad aspect of a community. It explains the difference shared among different people living in an environment. Focusing on the diversity from the aspect of being an RA in the resident hall at University at Buffalo, a very diverse community of people, there are very vast cultural difference between so many groups of residents living together.
As a resident advisor (RA), the most concern I have about diversity is how to ensure that people understands each other’s culture through interaction. Getting to know every resident, I guess, is a good means of better understanding their cultures. Other factors like planning diversity programs, having empathy, being respectful of others, and so on may also impact on the community the RA is trying to build.


Question:
1. How do I get the residents to interact and bound with each other, understanding one another’s values and ethics other than planning diversity programs?
Depending on the concept or issue it can be done in different ways; through programming, through discussions, through events, etc. Work with your Hall Director if you see an issue of educational opportunity in way of diversity on your floor and he or she will help you figure out the best way to educate.

RA/AA Class 4-1-08

“Community maintenance” was an interesting topic to discuss during this training. Thinking of counseling, listening, and discipline as the common elements of floor maintenance adds up to the concept of building a good community.
In the past, I've been opportune to discuss issues like this with an RA friend of mine. He emphasized the importance of trying to fit in everyone into the community, and how to maintain your floor as well. Every so often, the residents are involved in quarrels with one another, one way or the other, and the common question is "how would an RA settle disputes among his/her residents?" Not understanding this concept, Community maintenance, leaves the RA with less clues on how to resolve issues and maintain a good community as expected.
Briefly, the most beneficial aspect of this lecture on community maintenance was the listening aspect. In my understanding, the listening aspect has to do with being able to hear the both sides’ comment and description of the incident i.e. understanding the cause of the quarrel from both sides before proceeding to conclusion.
I realize that it doesn’t seem right when the RA favors one side of the argument without hearing what the other side has to say about the incident. Also, it doesn’t seem right for the RA to ignore the reports from his/her resident about issues on their floor. Therefore, listening, in this sense, works best towards community maintenance as well as building a good and strong community of people.
As an RA, the most concern about today’s topic was how to effectively practice the concept of listening before making decisions in most situations that may arise within my floor. Reports may change at times, ranging from complains about roommate to maybe, other people playing loud music and disturbing fellow residents. Also, the procedures to approach these circumstances may change depending on the reports from the residents, and so my concern is being able to know when to listen and how to make suggestions and conclusions if the disputes arise.

Question:
1.

1. How do we know which problems of the residents to report to the hall council director? (Residence Hall Director)

There is never a point where the Hall Director will not listen to what you have to say about a situation. There are going to be instances where you are unsure whether or not you should tell your supervisor, but better safe than sorry; tell him or her. You should always err on the side of caution. If your supervisor says that a situation does not warrant his or her involvement then you can take that information to the next incident that happens of the same type.

RA/AA Class 03-25-08

Programming, in my opinion, is one of the best aspects of being a resident advisor in the resident halls. Today’s class left me with so much thoughts about the work and effort that goes into programming for fellow residents.

Over the past semesters witnessing big events and successful programs planned by the RAs, I never knew they dedicated so much time, efforts and hard work towards planning and organization for the programs until I attended today’s class. In spite of the lecture though, I’m still bugged by a couple of questions about this broad topic, Programming.

I learnt a lot about Programming after this class. For example, advertising, budgeting, planning, getting ideas, types and common structures of programs; and timing are some of the common elements I learnt from this session.

However, the most beneficial aspect of Programming, I think, is the area of planning. Planning plays a huge role towards the outcome of a particular program. In a way, it incorporates what a program entails, a suitable venue and time of the program, roles of every participating RA in the event, and so on. Considering the various factors makes planning for an event a huge task towards achieving a good outcome.

In planning, the expectations of the residents are also considered. No resident would like to attend events that are not interesting to them. Of course, every resident might not have the same expectation towards a program, but trying to implement a general fun program such as diversity events attracts more of the residents to come out. Thus, considering their expectations of the residents in planning for an event is vital.

My greatest concern about the topics covered in this session is promoting a suitable and favorable community for the residents through programming. Even though, the RAs are also expected to do lock-outs, help the residents, ensure that the rules are obeyed, and announce crucial information to the residents, making the students feel at home getting to know one another through fun programs is the best means of building a good community.

In conclusion, planning, in a big picture, provides a means to achieve a fair turn-out in programs. In essence, planning for a program involves a lot of processes, which if carried out properly results in successful events. Considering the expectations of the resident also makes the planning aspect easier to implement.

Question:

• 1.

which method do you suggest as the best means to know of programs expected of the residents, creating surveys or asking individually?

There are several methods to finding this information. There are surveys you can have your residents complete at the beginning of the year and you can ask. What I would suggest is doing a combination, because you will not get surveys back from everyone and you will not be able to talk to everyone either. Also, you must realize that like anyone, your residents’ will change over the course of the year, so you will want to stay on top of their ever changing interests.

2. Do you think it is very necessary to provide food before students can be attracted to your events?

No, it is not necessary. All too often, RAs believe that food is the only way to attract residents to programs. However, if you know what your residents are looking for in programming, they will come no matter what is provided.

3. I know that RAs sometimes program in groups of two, three or more. Are they allowed to program in groups throughout the year?

Depending on your supervisor, you may be able to do this. There may be specific stipulations.

4. Do you think it’s a good idea for the RAs to implement events where they take the students out to places such as amusement parks, gaming such as mid-night bowling and such?

These are fantastic programs which require a lot of the planning you were talking about, because it is difficult to get residents off campus sometimes. You would want to think about transportation, because it is liability for the department if you or any RA is transporting residents for a program. Also, sign ups ahead of time are good so you can see how many are interested in going.

5. Sometimes when the budget is too much, the RAs ask for sign-up fees. For example, the residents pay half of their fee to go out for a movie night in the theatre. Do you think doing this may draw more people or less people to the program?

Great events off campus can cost more than an RA’s budget can provide if he wants to take his whole floor, so they may cut some of the cost and ask the residents to pay the rest. The way to attract residents to the program is bringing up how much the discount is and really pushing the benefits of the program.

RA/AA Class 03-18-08

I’ve always loved to play the role of a leader in my community, and being offered the job to become a resident advisor (RA) in University at buffalo Resident hall makes me see myself achieving that goal. From my past experience leaving in the dorms, interacting with other students and participating in the hall council, I knew certain responsibilities expected of the RAs. In spite of this, I still believed that attending the training was a better means to gain more skills about the position. Today, Tuesday 18^th, I had my first RA class training.

At first it seemed like a lecture, but afterward when everyone began to share their opinion, the class was more interactive than just having one speaker in the room. In the training, I learnt a lot about the RA position. For example, a more descriptive and brief explanations of the position, what is expected, a way to build good community in the dorms, and so on was presented by the instructor.

Although this first class was more like an introduction to the job, having a good knowledge and comprehensive meaning of the position was beneficial to me. Amongst everything that was mentioned in the training, the most advantageous aspect of the class was the lecture on how to build a good community.

Initially, I had little opinion about building a strong community of people. Talking to people, knowing their names and being friends with them was my definition of strong community, but during the lecture I learnt that a good community is more than just people living together and it develops as a result of every resident being able to interact freely with one another in any circumstance. Specifically, I understood that in order to ensure good interpersonal relationship and ease of communication among the residents, the RAs should plan social events which might foster communication among students. For example, diversity events where students get together to learn about other cultures.

Some RAs in my building had a sport event last semester called Soccer tournament and Barbeques party. This was the best event I ever attended because I learnt a lot, and made so many friends. The atmosphere was very welcoming and so many students came out to eat, have fun and watch the game. At the end, I had so much fun watching the game and speaking to a lot of student who I had never interacted with.

My greatest concern as an RA about the areas of the positions covered in class today was being able to know more about the job, and approach certain situations prepared. For example, when I have problems, I could schedule to speak to my resident hall advisor because I know he is in charge of the building and the coordination of the RAs. This in turn makes it easier for me to cope in the position. In the past, I’ve wondered what the RAs would do suppose they suddenly face a problem that had never been taught how to handle. Who to speak to, where to go and how to explain the situation also ties into the concern being an RA. Clearly explaining the different aspects of building a good community has improve my knowledge towards becoming a better RA.

In conclusion, this first RA class has impacted so much on my knowledge of building a good community among the resident and being able to know what to do, who to talk to and how to approach some situations in the resident hall.

Question regarding the topic:

1. Sometimes it’s hard to be readily available to the residents especially when you have a previous commitment to follow up. What is the best way to handle situations or complains that may come-up when you are in hurry or extremely busy doing something else if you are not on duty?

Sometimes it is very hard to find a balance between all the responsibilities of the position. Things arise that need your attention when you have other things on your mind; such as tests, duty, etc. There are always people you can ask for help in any situation you do not know how to handle. There is a good support structure in the position where if you are having a hectic week in class and need understanding in areas of your life, it is there for you.

2. I understand that some people are naturally shy to talk, while some are wild as to disobey the laws because the hall doesn’t feel like home for them. In the process of building a good community, how would I try to make everyone feel at home other than programming and putting up events?

The best tool to accomplish this goal is communication. If you have a conversation with someone and get to know who he or she is, where the people come from, etc, you will have an easier time knowing how to plug them into the community. It is a good topic to bring up and hopefully over the next couple weeks and your training with your staff in August you will get the tools necessary to start this process.

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