RAPP's on-campus home for the past half-dozen years has been in 669 Steger Student Life Center.
The office was originally Diversity Education's. When RAPP became its own independent functional area in
Student Activities & Leadership Development (SALD) in 2008 with the financial support of the
Diversity Council, we began sharing the office. Beginning in 2010, Diversity Education was no longer a coordinated area of SALD with a dedicated Program Coordinator - instead the concept of it was shared under several programs coordinated throughout SALD.
With that change, the office became solely RAPP's. It also began to be open much more throughout the week since our RAPP
Public Ally and interns worked primarily out of the space. It is now kept open nearly all day Monday through Thursday and Friday afternoons by our great team of Public Ally and interns.
We took a lot of things down for last spring's
25 Year Reunion and have been slowly reorganizing the office since then. I'm happy to say that we've got some great things finally finished that I encourage everyone to come check out!
New RAPP Sign
Our previous Public Ally Kinsey started a project involving several RAPPers to create some art for our office. Our current Public Ally Marjorie finished the main painting over the break and we hung it for all to see!
Check it out below (my camera-phone doesn't do it justice).
Re-Hanging of RAPP Photos
One of my favorite parts of the RAPP Office has always been the display of photos of all the groups.
In 2008, the Diversity Education Program Coordinator and I rehung all the photos around the top of the room because the wall they were on ran out of space for the new photos. I loved that we were encircled by our history!
When we hung them in 2008, we knew we'd run out of space for photos in 2011. I already had hopes for the reunion to be that year, so it was an accepted issue. We took all the photos down for the reunion and they have been stored in the office since waiting for us to find a new way to hang them all.
Over the break, Marjorie laid out a design and she and I put some hanging tools to use! The photos now encompass the entire east wall of the office and we've made room for them to be hung in this way through RAPP XXXI (which is hopefully when the 30 Year Reunion will be held!).
Though you can see all the photos on
our history site, it's amazing to come and see photos of all 26 groups and three reunions in one space.
RAPP XXVII Photo Rosters
I don't know whether this was done in the past, but since RAPP XXIV I've enjoyed putting up photo rosters of the RAPP groups in our office. My hopes are it helps people learn names, it highlights who is going through the process, and it previews who will be added to the photo wall above.
Marjorie prepped the posters and we got them back over the break. They're on display in the RAPP Office now so that RAPPers current, former, and future can stop by and see who is doing the great work that is participating in the RAPP process. Check out our 66 current members and eight leaders below!
Still Ahead
Nothing is ever really finished - there are still different projects ahead in the office. Keep an eye out the rest of the academic year for:
- An award display that highlights the many ways RAPP has been recognized since 1986.
- A RAPPORT photo section.
- A framed RAPP I sweatshirt, thanks to a generous donation of his sweatshirt by RAPP I member Reed Adler.
- More homemade artwork highlighting RAPP's mission & mottos and possibly more!
This office hopes to continue striving to be small but mighty! Thanks to the amazing folks over the years that have made it what it is!
-Rebecca
