When incoming freshmen are tasked with deciding between living on or off-campus, one factor that may be overlooked is the value of resident assistants.
Transitioning into college life can be stressful and challenging. One of the benefits of living on campus is having an RA as a mentor and someone to look up to. And when freshmen decide to live off campus, they may not consider what they lose by not having an RA.
Deja Gray is a freshman studying marketing that lives at 191 College.
“I didn’t really think about RAs, to be honest," Gray said. "I didn’t think about what I would be missing out on. People make connections with their RA’s and I feel like that will always be a life-long mentor.“
Gray also said she feels like an RA would be someone she could always talk to. She's tried asking her roommates, two of which are sophomores, about aspects of college life, but because they haven't lived on campus, they often can't answer her questions.
Deja explained that some people decide to live off campus to avoid overbearing RAs who excessively check on residents.
“Some people just want to do it themselves," Gray said.
In contrast, Ryan Johnson, a freshman studying building science who lives in Lane Hall, said RAs are typically not overbearing. The environment they've created is not strict and allows their residents to be social and enjoy their time, Johnson said.
"I would definitely say my RA has made an impact on me," Johnson said. "If I have questions or need help in calculus I can text her or ask her, and she’s always there to help.”
Johnson said he considers his RA a friend now.
Elaine Shankute, a sophomore studying psychology, is an RA at Little Hall.
“One thing I am really passionate about is being an asset to students, so if I have any experience that I could pass onto other students, I think it’s really important that I am doing my part of being a resource to them,” Shankute said.
Shankute said her RAs were super helpful to her for her freshman year, and the impact they left on her is what made her want to be an RA. She hopes to be to her residents what her RAs were to her, she said.
Another crucial role that RAs hold is the development of community in resident halls. Shankute said her hall has a really great felling of community, and residents are often in the lobby spending time with one another.
Shankute also explained that one of the biggest parts of building community in the resident halls is about the relationship between RA’s and residents.
“Me and my co [RA] are definitely on the same page, we know that if they’re comfortable with us, they’re more likely to come to us about real things, and we don’t want them to ever be afraid of what's going to happen,” Shankute said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
