Something that has been frustrating the heck out me recently is my residents and their misunderstanding of what I actually do as a Resident Assistant. The RA role may vary from school to school, especially depending on how big your university or college is; I'm an RA at a D2 school, and being a Resident Assistant can be very difficult at times. I don't think a lot of our residents realize how busy we actually are and that we are students, just like they are. Now, don't get me wrong. I absolutely love all my residents and love doing this job. It is just, at times, I can get very frustrated with people who think I am completely disposable to their needs 24/7. I am here to set the record straight for RAs everywhere (and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). Here are some things I would love to let my residents know.

1. You are an adult now.

I cannot tell you the number of times where I've had to deal with roommate conflicts that were over very petty things. Yes, sometimes I will have roommate disputes that are important and that need my help with figuring everything out. I am down to help any one of my residents out with their problems. However, if this is a fight over the fact that your roommate likes the room colder than you like it, TALK TO YOUR ROOMMATE. How do you expect me to help when you can't even communicate with the person you'll be living with for at least a year? You are an adult now with your own responsibilities. I am not here to be your mom... just sayin.

2. We're not out to get you into trouble.

I've never really understood the stigma against RAs. A lot of people think that when they get to college, the RAs are the police officers of college. I am here to tell you that that is absolutely not the case. Yes, part of our job as an RA is to enforce the policy side of things in the residence halls. However, that doesn't mean we enjoy getting you into trouble. If anything, I hate getting you into trouble because that means confrontation and paperwork to document the incident for me. There are some Resident Assistants out there that have different styles of enforcing residence halls policies and may be more strict about that stuff. When it comes to my style of being an RA and lots of other RAs I know, we like talking to you and getting to know you, not getting you in trouble.

3. We like it when you come to our programs.

I am sure that all of you know to some degree what an RA program is. More often than not, it is an event where free food is provided for you! I could publicize for weeks for a program that I am super excited about doing for my residents, but there is always a fear that no one will show up. I really take the time to plan out events to make sure my residents are having the best experience possible at their school. If you don't come to my programs, it just makes me feel like you don't want to get involved or get to know the people in your dorms.

4. I actually put a lot of work into my bulletin boards.

I still cannot wrap my head around why is it so freaking fun to tear an RA's bulletin board down. Bulletin boards are part of our job descriptions and the information is there for you! Just imagine for a second that if you came up to me and asked me to look at a project you worked really hard on. Now imagine me taking that project from you and destroying it...doesn't feel too great does it? Just please, please, please stop ripping bulletin boards down.

5. No, I don't like it when you bang on my door at 3 a.m. because you're locked out.

There shouldn't need to be an explanation for this one. Why in the actual hell would you like for someone to come to your door at three in the morning to wake you up when you can call a duty phone for that? We have people on call for a reason, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could all put some sort of duty phone number in your phone. If you really are out of options and you managed to make this very heavy-sleeper actually wake up, then I will help you out.

6. Yes, I know you're under the influence.

I promise you that I am not stupid. College kids do go out and party. That is completely okay with me. I am just here to make sure you're safe... and that's it. I am not here to judge you in any shape or form. It is actually quite hilarious when residents see me at the front desk of the residence hall and they try to hide that they are drunk or high. As long as you're not throwing up a lot or completely reek of weed, we're all good here. You're allowed to go out and have fun, I promise!

7. We have lives too.

I cannot stress this one enough. We are humans! We RAs are here at school to get a degree, just like all of you. I also have a social life and many other things to juggle in my life. So I really cannot stand it when you complain about me not being in my room 24/7 to be at your disposal for whatever you happen to need at the moment. All I have to say about that is please refer back to #1 on my list.

8. At the end of the day, we are here for you.

While I'll admit that this was a little bit of a vent sesh for me, I want all of you to know that your RAs truly do care about you. Most of us signed up for the RA job because we love making connections with people and absolutely love helping all of you out! I really do apologize if you still have a bad taste in your mouth about RAs. I just want you to know that we really are here to make sure you get everything possible out of your college experience, especially since these are supposed to be some of the best years of your life. I just want to remind you that we are here for some of the best years of our life, too. At the end of the day, you are the best part of our jobs and we want to keep it that way.