Moving into the dorms is oftentimes college students’ first experience living on their own. Suddenly, they are completely responsible for their own well-being: waking up in time for class, eating healthily, maintaining the cleanliness of their space, and more. The role of a Residential Assistant is to ease students into this transition; to give them guidance and to provide them with a community to support them.
RAs are responsible for decorating their floors, holding monthly meetings to discuss residential information, establishing an open line of communication between themselves and the residents, and encouraging a sense of community amongst residents of their floor.
Community Director of Uptown Hall, Carly Hill, expresses her gratitude for RAs’ contributions to campus communities.
“Resident Assistants play a pivotal role in shaping the residential experience. They serve as one of the primary sources of information, support, and connection for students. As both peers and trained student leaders, RAs help students feel supported as they navigate college life,” she said.
According to Hill, her own experience as an RA when she was in college inspired her to pursue a career as a community director. As a community director, she collaborates with RAs daily.
“My current RA team continues to inspire me and is a major reason I remain passionate about this work,” Hill said.
Beginning on Aug. 1, RAs moved into their halls and began preparing for the arrival of their residents. In order to create a welcoming environment, they decorated their floors—posting nametags on each resident’s door, flyers introducing themselves as the floor’s RA, and creating informational bulletin boards.
When entering one of the dorms on campus, students can see the efforts made by RAs to create a welcoming and familiar space for their residents. The walls are covered in colorful decorations, with many floors having themed bulletin boards and nametags.
Throughout the semester, RAs are tasked with keeping up with their residents by holding monthly meetings, but also by establishing weekly “floor traditions.” These traditions are a chance for residents to bond with their RAs and other residents of their floor.
“For me, it’s Sundays at 7 p.m., and every one of my residents knows that, if they have a question, I’m going to be in the lobby doing homework,” said August Bay, a senior studying Religious Studies and an RA in Uptown Hall.
Bay is very passionate about making sure that the activities they plan for their residents are fun and educational. Last semester, they made a habit of making treats or drinks for each monthly meeting.
“I was making horchatas and teas—I made my own apple cider for them, coring the apples,” they said.
Bay explained that their bond with their residents is what drove them to put so much effort into hosting events and reaching out to residents.
“I don’t think I could be a good RA without the residents who live on my floor and the connections we are able to build with each other. Seeing them respond to my enthusiasm makes me even more enthusiastic,” Bay said.
Not only do RAs bond extensively with their residents, but they also form close friendships with their coworkers. Gabi Salinas, in her junior year studying political science and music performance, is an RA in Uptown Hall.
According to Salinas, her favorite part of the job is the community she’s built with the other RAs.
“All the RAs are pretty close, because we only have about 32 on campus, so we all know each other very well,” Salinas said.
While the benefits of free room and board are benefits to the RA position, the sense of community and belonging found in the dorms is what makes the job so rewarding for RAs.
“Honestly, my biggest regret is not applying at the end of my freshman year to be an RA. I’ll tell the people I’m close with: if this is something you think you could do, apply in a heartbeat,” Bay said.
