It’s coming to the end of the school year, finals are coming and no one can stop that. Soon it’ll be sunscreen and sunglasses instead of coffee and empty highlighters. This is when everyone wants to give up and watch a season of Netflix instead. It’s even harder when you are juggling more than just being a student.
Being a Resident Advisor is a whole other job. Doing room checks, putting up your new bulletin board, and studying for my own crazy finals. We do a lot behind the scenes that most never see. We are the in between of students and administration, with that we get a lot of stereotypes slapped on to us. Having been a resident and an RA, I’ve seen both sides and have a few things to share to clear the air of what we do as RAs:
1. We don’t want to be the bad guys:
If you ask any RA why they became an RA the answer will never be “to get people in trouble.” Instead, you would find “because I care about my residents” or “I wanted to make a difference”. Sadly, making sure people are following the rules is a part of the job. So remember that this is our job and we aren’t doing it because we are out to get you. Our jobs are not to report you to piss you off, but to keep you safe. If what we think you are doing will hurt you it's our job to fix that
2. We want to spend time with you:
We put on events for you! We spend hours filling out paperwork, making Pintrest boards, running from store to store, and setting up programs so you learn and have fun! If you don’t like the programs tell us what you would like, or help us put on a cool event.
3. We are humans too:
Our job is to deal with everyone's problems sometimes and we know that too. It’s a part of why we love our jobs, helping you! Though remember that sometimes we can’t always be there. Sometimes we get sick, or we are having a bad day too, or life has gotten really hard, so don’t forget to give us a break too.
4. Our jobs can be hard:
it can take a lot out of you when its 3am and you are still up on a weekday documenting an incident. The long hours can make our social lives hard so it’s always nice to poke your head in a say “Hi” every once in a while (we especially love you if you bring us food). Any showing of appreciation makes us feel like we are doing well and that staying up is all worth it.
5. I take my job seriously and you should too:
We can be friends, but even if we are friends my job is extremely important to me and you need to know that. So please do not put me in the situation where I have to document you. Being friends with an RA doesn’t mean we will give you a break, it means we hold you to a higher standard to respect the rules. If you respect me, everything will be smooth sailing!
.6 Your safety is the most important thing to me:
I want to return you to your family the way you came in, in one piece. So if you are put into a sticky situation come find me! Ignoring the signs of alcohol poisoning won’t make it go away if you are feeling depressed, I am here to listen. It’s my job and I truly care about every single one of my residents. It doesn’t take much, just pop your head in and say help and I’ll be there. My door is literally always open; especially when you need me, don’t deal with whatever it is alone.
7. See me as an older sibling:
Just like an older sister I am here to protect you, make sure you are taking care of yourself, but I also have to tell on “mom” when you are being bad, don’t see me as a police officer (I’m not that cool). I’m the one you can call about anything you need to talk about, except I really don’t need to know everything… if you catch my drift.
8. Being an RA will forever change you:
When you are an RA, everyone looks and treats you differently. That’s why you find a lot of us RA’s hang out with each other. Though, throughout all the hard parts of my job, everything has been worth it! I find that I am a better leader that I can stand up for myself and my skin has gotten a little thicker. If I had a chance to start over I absolutely would be an RA every single time, because I know in a small way I am making a huge difference in people's lives whether they know it or not. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
