When I asked my friend Ricardo Belizaire about rooming with him this year at school, I did not comprehend what I was getting myself into. I knew that he was chosen to be a Resident Assistant (RA) this year at our school, Fairleigh Dickinson University and that living with him would be a very different experience for the both of us. But, my end of the deal brought more than I had hoped and feared.

RA's have significant responsibilities, including dealing with roommate conflicts, helping residents in need, creating a fun and welcoming community in your living space, and most importantly, being a role model. This last piece is especially prevalent for my friend Ricky because we live in the freshmen building and all of our (sorry, his) residents are new freshmen.

Notice how I said our residents by accident? That's because sometimes I forget that I'm not an RA as well. This is because I have had to step up and fulfill some of these responsibilities some of the time, just because I live with Ricky. Ricky is very involved on campus and is out of the room often. This can frequently leave residents knocking at my door, with questions about how to survive in this new environment. Not only that, but I am obligated to accommodate the resident's confidentiality in case I happen to witness something that was meant only for Ricky's eyes or ears. Basically, I'm an RA without the perks.

Okay, that's not completely fair. RA's do way more than I in Ricky's absence. But it is not only that I am put in an elevated position as a fellow role model and helping hand to the new freshman - I have to deal with Ricky himself. Ricky's job is pretty tough sometimes, and I'm often his figurative, and literal, shoulder to cry on. It can be stressful, no judgment here. And while Ricky is not allowed to tell me anything about resident issues, or the trouble people get into, I can tell when he's dead tired after dealing with a situation for hours. I try my best to help cheer him up when this happens.

Let's not forget that it has been a mere two weeks of living with an RA, and I have already gotten more than enough of a taste for this life. But I have absolutely no regrets. Not only am I loving living with one my best friends, but I am enjoying the practice I am getting as the second line of defense. I hope to be an RA next year, and I know that this situation is giving me great experience. It feels nice to help out the new students too.

I recently drew a poll on the whiteboard hanging on our room door. It says, "Has Spencer has helped you more than Ricky/Do you like Spencer more? Check under yes or no." So far the results are... in his favor. I guess Ricky is just doing a great job.

I'd also like to give a huge shout out to my former suitemate Brian Deahl, who I lived with all of last year. He was also an RA, but the experience was different in a suite situation. Either way, Brian helped me significantly during my first year of college, so thank you Brian.