Dear College Student living in a residence hall,
We all know college is a time in your life where you have this newfound independence. We also know this is a time and place where you will want to explore this freedom and try new things and such. As a Residence Advisor, (RA), we encounter many different things over the years and want to take this moment to share with you some things we think you should know. These things may not only help your college experience but could also keep you out of trouble too.
1.) Don't pour your cereal or ramen noodles down the drain. Not only does it clog the drain, it will start to stink and that's gross.
2.) Keep your door open. When you're in your room, keep the door open as much as possible. It will allow you to meet so many new people. Who knows, your next best friend may live right next door but you will never know if you don't take the chance to meet them.
3.) Take hall meetings seriously. Chances are if there is a hall meeting, it is because there is some important information that you need to know. The more you cooperate the faster your meeting can go.
4.) Attend the hall programs. Your RA works extremely hard to create and put on programs for you to enjoy. Go to the programs, try new things and meet new people.
5.) Go to Welcome Week. Your school puts a lot of time, money and effort into these events. They are a great way to connect with your peers on campus. Not to mention they are a blast and free!
6.) Call home every once in a while. While you may be excited to be off on your own, your family misses you more than you would ever imagine. Calling home would make your family's day.
7.) Read the vaping policy. Seriously, nobody wants to evacuate the building in the cold at 3 a.m. because you tried to secretly vape in your room and set off the fire alarm. Seriously, don't do it.
8.) We know that clinking in your backpack is not books. We also know that you are not going to the library at 11 p.m. on Saturday night. However, we aren't going to stop you from going out and having a good time, but we do want you to be safe. So make sure you always have a designated driver or a backup plan.
9.) We don't want to write you up!!! We are students just like you and the last thing we want to do it write our peers up. Not only is it not fun for you, its just even more work on our part. So please, be courteous of the rules and it will make everyone's lives much easier.
10.) Us RA's are students like you. Odds are when we are not on duty your will see us around campus, at starting events, and some even at parties. Like I said before, we aren't here to get you in trouble, so don't be afraid to stop and say hi to us.
