ON COLLEGE CAMPUS

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR RESIDENT ADVISOR

Help Is Down The Hall

By JoAnna Haugen

You’ve piled your belongings into your room. You’ve kissed your family good-bye and told them you’ll see them at Thanksgiving. You’ve met your roommate and other people living on your floor have dropped by to introduce themselves.

College is steeped in new experiences, and making the decision to live in a residence hall is no exception. It can be overwhelming, especially on that first day when everything is completely unfamiliar. Luckily there’s someone living right down the hall from you that has been through what you’re feeling and wants to help you start your college career on the right foot.

Meet your resident advisor, known at some colleges and universities as community advisors.

RAs sometimes come prepackaged with bad reputations as people who want to clamp down on fun, get residents into trouble, and otherwise act as Big Brother for college students. The fact of the matter, though, is that RAs go through a rigorous application process that usually includes hours upon hours of training and classes so they can serve as mentors and in-house resources rather than babysitters. An RA’s job is to ensure that you live in a safe, secure, and comfortable environment, and if you meet your RA halfway by respecting the rules and guidelines of your hall, you are sure to discover a wealth of information that this live-in resource has to offer.

As an incoming student, you are bound to have questions about campus and college that you didn’t even know you had. Need a map of the campus? Not sure where to buy a parking permit? Want a copy of the cafeteria menu? Can’t remember what services the student health center offers or even where to find it? Feeling lost with your school’s library system? Ask your RA. Chances are he or she has the answer to your question or knows how to get you in contact with someone who can help you.

Resident advisors are required to live in the halls for at least one year, explains University of Missouri-Columbia community advisor and student Christine Lammert, “and they know how almost everything works on campus.” Sounds like a good deal for all your first-week questions, doesn’t it?

But what about after that? Being an RA is basically a full-time job, and your in-hall staff has a plethora of tricks up their sleeves to keep you moving in the right direction academically, educationally, and emotionally. They’ll throw in some fun stuff, too.

RAs organize speakers, seminars, outings, activities, and round table discussions that deal with just about every topic imaginable, and you’re welcome to join them all. Programming normally falls under four categories:

• Academic programs allow you the opportunity to develop yourself for college success through good study habits, time management, and organizational skills. If you’ve chosen to live in a learning community, RAs will usually help organize study groups for students taking similar courses. These programs are focused solely on academic success.

• Educational programs teach you something new about yourself or the world you live in, and can include issues such as body image and rape awareness. During student body elections, your RA may organize a forum for you to talk directly to candidates about campus issues that are important to you. A common but fun program that a lot of halls sponsor is the mocktail party which mixes information about alcohol use with an alcohol- and stress-free party.

• Cultural programs provide you an opportunity to learn about people, places, and ideas that may be different from yours. Sometimes this is done through speakers or movies in your residence hall, and sometimes halls organize groups of residents to attend on-campus cultural events such as for the Chinese New Year or Black History Month.

• Social programs are just for fun. Some colleges leave this programming to an in-hall government, but in other institutions this is left to RAs. These activities would include movie nights, holiday celebrations and fun contests. RAs sometimes up the ante with massage, yoga and other stress-free activities around exam time.

In addition to ongoing programming, RAs will provide you with information by posting relevant flyers and newsletters on a bulletin board located on your floor or in the lobby of your residence hall. Bulletin board themes change often and address a multitude of campus-related topics–where to find tutors, which intramural sports are available when, how to vote in upcoming campus and local elections–as well as general topics such as local attractions and world news. Some bulletin boards are interactive: Who did you vote for as the next American Idol? Post a favorite joke. Are you available for car pooling over the holidays? Respect the time and effort your RA has put into programming and bulletin boards, and you’ll be rewarded by what they have to offer. In fact, suggestions or ideas for either are always appreciated by your residence hall staff.

Perhaps the most important part of living in a residence hall is the personal growth you will experience. This may be the first time you’ve shared a bedroom or bathroom with anyone. You and your roommate may have conflicting hours, or perhaps you have different tastes in music, different feelings about cleanliness, or different beliefs on who or what should be allowed in your room. As an adult, it is up to you to work out problems with your roommate. That said, your RA has been trained in mediation techniques and is available to work with you and your roommate to find a solution if the need arises. If you personally are having problems with homesickness, depression, or otherwise not feeling like yourself, you can turn to your RA or the RA on duty day or night. Though not formal counselors, RAs have been trained to deal with common issues that incoming students experience. If your situation goes beyond this training, your RA can refer you to a professional.

Though new and strange at first, RAs have chosen this particular job because they want you to enjoy college as much as they do. “I think when residents first come to school, they see their (resident advisor) as just the enforcer of the rules,” says Lammert. “But once the school year progresses, I believe they begin to see them as a person who is like them in a lot of ways and wants to help them succeed. They want to help their residents have a happy transition into their college lives.”

*Story from Fall 07 issue