Day in the life of a Residence Life Warden

There is no typical day for a Residence Life Warden! I’m here to provide pastoral support and oversee discipline within a residence, so the day-to-day support is tailored to the needs of The Tannery

I’m a non-resident Residence Life Warden, so I work closely with the site team and check in with them daily to see what’s going on and if there are any updates or issues I should be aware of. It is always much easier to talk to students about a problem while it is still small so that we can deal with it together. 

I have regular meetings with my fantastic team of Residence Life Assistants who are current students living at The Tannery. They help to maintain a positive environment for our students and provide out-of-hours peer-to-peer support on issues such as homesickness, noisy neighbours, problems with flatmates and any other concerns. They provide a key link to what’s happening on-site, and I’m only a call away if they need any further support.  

One of my favourite parts of the role is working with the Hall Execs, our student volunteers, to organise events and help develop The Tannery community to ensure there is always something for our residents to get involved with. Together with the site team and the central Residence Life team, we organise a great range of events from BBQs, axe throwing, ponies and pet therapy to giveaways and flat activities.  

The role of Residence Life Warden is diverse – one day I can be organising an event to help build community and the next I can be having one-to-one meetings to discuss personal problems. I’m here to listen and support all of my students and that is why being a Residence Life Warden is such a rewarding role! 

Jemma Stern – Residence Life Warden at The Tannery