Meet the Resident Assistants
What is an RA?
An RA is a student leader who works as paraprofessional staff member for the Office of Residence Life. RAs are full-time students who live and work in the residence halls to assist the resident students in making their adjustment to college life successful. These leaders are extensively interviewed, selected and trained by the professional Residence Life staff. At the beginning of each semester and throughout the year, RAs learn to troubleshoot a variety of problems from mediating roommate conflicts to placing work orders.
RAs serve as resident counselors, activity planners, policy enforcers, and;are the eyes and ears of the College Administration. There is at least one RA on each floor of the residence halls and they perform many tasks. These duties include: getting to know the students in the building by face and;name, planning social/educational programs throughout the academic year, helping with openings and closings of the residence halls, reporting incidents within the residence halls to their RD, weekly staff meetings and being "on-duty" in their buildings.
RAs are on active duty every night in the residence halls on a rotating schedule. Duty involves hourly rounds, "open door" hours and safety-watch to ensure the security of the buildings. RAs truly have the pulse of the student body and the professional staff rely on their knowledge and advice to advocate on behalf of the students and set policies and procedures that are appropriate for the community.