Thursday, October 31, 1991 Life on the front lines: Classes, courses and 3 a.m. phone calls RAs balance roles as students and disciplinarians b Danette Parrett The Collegian Resident Assistants (RAs) are students just like everyone else. They carry the same class load, have the same stress, and keep the same number of friends. However, there's one difference that separates an RA from the average student. They have taken on the responsibility of caring for and supervising an entire floor, suite complex, or apartment building. The selection process for becoming an RA is tedious, but rewarding. To begin the process, a student must fill out an application and then participate in a group interview. If the student is chosen to continue, he or she would next participate in an individual interview. After these interviews, candidates are evaluated, and the remaining students are invited to enroll in a preparatory class. After this selection process, the selected students are required to take a three-credit training course. The course 'r6iiiAt .. irlitHe hopefuls is designed to introduce ' the RA candidates to the Resident Life Coordinators and to help develop a sense of what is to be expected of the students once they become RAs. Pam Peter, an RA for the apartments, felt that she benefited a lot from the class. "It taught me to share my ideas. I came from the city, so I learned a lot about people from smaller towns. It changed a lot of my views on things like homophobia, racism, and sexism." Greg Berckmiller, the RA on first floor Niagara Hall, described the course as "one of the most practical classes offered. It teaches people how to deal with problems and communicate. I used to be really shy, but I've changed." The opportunities presented through the class can be summed Craig Braes/The Collegian Talk to me: Resident Assistant Greg Berkmiller, one of 28 RAs on campus, lends an open ear to a fellow student's problems in the Niagara Hall duty office up wtien Mike Kongejka r the RA once a year after completing the across some of your underage on tb r Nine,. says, trairungtourse. The expectations friends drinking, you have two - Thiii4oo • Iftit, - • "Even if you don't become an may seem difficult, but they offer alternatives: either you walk RA, you benefit. You have a benefits also. away, or you uphold your duties world to gain and nothing to Ron Rebel, the RA on second and refer them. Most RAs would lose." floor Niagara, says, "You refer them, and your real friends After the students have definitely learn to manage your would understand. You have a job finished the course with at least a time. You find out you can't to do and they'll realize that." C, they arc then As a part of chosen and the RA job, the assigned to an RA "You definitely learn to manage RAs are expected position. to attend weekly As part of the your time ... you've already made building meetings RA position, the a commitment" and individual students not only meetings every have to supervise -Ron Rebel other week with other students; Resident Assistant the coordinator in they must also charge of their maintain certain residence hall. requirements to insure that they procrastinate. When you're With the exception of Perry keep their positions. needed for something you have to Hall, the RAs are expected to be Once accepted into the resident be there. You've already made a on duty at least one night a week. assistant program, the student commitment." In Perry Hall, because there aren't must maintain a 2.25 grade point Rebel also thinks that by as many RAs, they have duty average, have a good conduct becoming an RA "...you learn more often. While on duty, RAs standing with the university, and who your real friends are. If you are expected to perform rounds attend courses at Behrcnd at least have a situation where you come from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Features What do free cases of beer, lingerie from Victoria's Secret, 900 party lines, Beatles CDs released in mono, wide-collar velour shirts, VCR tapes in the letterbox format, condom distribution in bible-belt middle schools, candy corn and the U.S. Army have in common? I'm not really sure either, but they certainly did help fill this awkward space... Page residence building they are responsible for. Also, they are responsible to be on duty on alternating Friday and Saturday nights. It may seem that a lot is expected of the RAs, but as Rebel explains, "There's tons more that go into the job. Being disciplinarian is not the only job. A lot of people think you have to be 'Super RA.' It's not like that. I've never met anyone who regretted it." From residence hail to suite to apartment, the job varies. "It's harder to reach the students when you're not in the dorm," Pam Peter explains. "Here [the apartments] you have to go out and find the people. It's harder to pick programs that interest the older students." Amy Jones, another RA in the apartments, thinks , "In the dorms you deal more one-on-one emotionally. In the apartments you deal more with policy." The university offers benefits to students who become RAs. The remuneration this year consists of free housing, a free pre-chosen meal plan, and two hundred fifty dollars toward tuition each semester. The remuneration package varies from year to year. If the material benefits aren't enough, there are also many personal benefits to gain from being an RA. "A lot of people look up to you," Bcrckmiller explains. "You accumulate so many friends. Every year you're in charge of a new bunch of people. I know I make at least a dozen new friends each year." Jones believes the best feeling is "...when someone comes to you with a problem they can't discuss with anyone else. When you help them, and see it through to the end, it gives you a great feeling." Danette Parrett, a first semester communication major, is a weekly cartoonist for The Collegian.
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