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An Open Letter To New Residents From An RA

I'm super excited to meet all of you.

Ian M. Raugh
Aug 29, 2016
University of Maine
89
An Open Letter To New Residents From An RA
Her Campus

Dear Residents,

I'm super excited to meet all of you. Your personalities, passions and enthusiasm for what you study are a huge part of why I enjoy being an RA. Some of you might make my life difficult, while others are going to be so quiet that I have a hard time remembering that you live on my floor. Some of you are going to face tremendous challenges this year, while others are going to coast by without a problem. Regardless of what your conditions are like, I want you to know a few things:

1. I'm here for you.

No matter what's going on in your life, I'm always happy to lend an ear and talk for a while, even if you don't want my help to solve the problems you tell me about. If you do want help solving a problem, I'll do whatever I can to help and make sure you talk to the people who can help most.

2. I care.

I care about what you do and what you're interested in. I also care that you are being safe. Every rule I enforce is in the name of someone's safety or comfort. Maybe it's yours, maybe someone else in the hall, but everything I do I do because I care.

3. I'm not looking to get you in trouble.

I don't walk down the halls thinking "who am I going to get in trouble tonight" while stroking my beard menacingly. I walk down the halls listening and observing, both good and bad. I notice when a hallway smells particularly nice or if there is a nice message written on someone's whiteboard. I listen for anyone who may be having trouble. I also notice when trash is left where it shouldn't be, or when a door decoration is in bad shape. When I'm walking around I am doing simply that: walking around. I never look for trouble.

4. I have a life outside of being an RA.

I have a lot going on and I do my best to keep that from affecting my role as an RA, but I might not be around when you most need to talk or be super busy with homework when you feel like chatting. I do my best to put all that aside, I just ask for some understanding that I'm a student here too.

So to all my residents, please keep those in mind. I want to make sure everyone on my floor, including me, has a great semester. I'll do whatever I can to further that goal. I can't promise I'll always make people happy, but I can promise to always act with your needs in mind.

Sincerely,

Your RA

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