For the past few decades, movies and television have given the representation that your RA is your worst nightmare. They’ll write you up for something that you didn’t even do, just to spite you. Kill your vibe and pull quiet hours on you when you were just trying to live your life through T- Swizzle's 1989. I’m here to end the negative stigma that has been thrust upon the RA community for far too long. We love our jobs and love you.

Let’s break the ice, shall we? Because, ya know, icebreakers are one of our favorite things.

Residents,

We want to be your friend, for the most part. Sure, we applied for this job for the free room and board but also for the student interaction. We’re people persons, and we like to talk a lot… just not particularly at three o’clock morning. We want to hear about your classes, friends, if we can help you with anything and whatever show you’re currently binge watching. We might want to get on that Scandal train, ya know? Sometimes it’s just nice to have a third party without any particular interest in the matter to vent to about things, and quite honestly we like being that person.

We aren’t out to get you. We promise we don’t stalk you out in the residence halls for violations just so we can write you up. You’re college students, you’re adults, which is actually terrifying, but you are and we prefer to treat you as such. Unless you decide to act like children, then we’ll treat you like children and send you to the principal’s office, and by that I mean the office of Student Conduct. You don’t want to find yourself there, nothing good comes of it.

Programming is like pulling teeth. We give you free food and sometimes free stuff, but you just don't want to come to the lobby. We work really hard to put on programs because we enjoy spending mad department money to make it fun for you. We search the dark, dark corners of Pinterest for hours to find programs to cater to your building needs and we want you to enjoy yourself. So just come to our programs, you’re at least getting free pizza and maybe even free pita pit on a good day.

We aren’t perfect. We’re actually far from it. We make mistakes just like you, so don’t be afraid to come and talk to us about them. Whether we can fix the problem or not, we’re always there to hear you out and lend you some wise advice. We’re students too and college is hard. We aren’t always going to have it together, but hey, we’re only human.

We don’t know everything. Sure, we’re a campus resource but sometimes we just don’t have what you need. We’ll work as hard as we can to find what you need but just bare with us. Like I said, we aren’t perfect.

We have lives and friends, though most of them are RAs too. We aren’t all weird, hermit crabs that hide away from civilization. We do the same things that you do on a daily basis. We like to have a good time and live life. We’re always down to hangout with you, after all, we do want to be friends with you.

We care more than you think. Usually, we just get caught up in awkward small talk about your classes, but we actually care about those classes. We want to see you going to class every day and finding what you’re passionate about. We want you to feel comfortable talking to us about anything and know that we are a safe space for you, no matter what. Bottom line: we want to see you succeed, in all of your endeavors.

We aren’t just your RA for the year. We are here to make lifelong connections. Whether you need us for a résumé, or we become one of your best friends, we’re always there for you. We love our jobs and you all make it worth it. So thanks for being the best ever.

Side note: If you ever need an extra bridal party member, we got you. Weddings are where we thrive.