If you live on campus, then you should be familiar with the student position of Resident Advisor, RA. However, you may not know what it is that an RA does and why they are needed.
There are RAs in each of the SNU residence halls: Chapman, Bracken, Snowbarger, and Hills. RAs live in the dorms and serve as a guide and friend in your college experience. In an interview with a Bracken Resident Advisor, Rakae Sibley, answered the question of what it means to be an RA. “Our purpose–we are really here for you” Sibley stated. She continued saying, “An RA is a person who is available to be reached out to if you need them.” The list of duties she described included resident rounds, or visiting students’ dorm rooms to check on their physical and mental well-beings, and cleaning rounds, which ensures that communal spaces are kept clean and respectful for everyone who uses them. RAs help create a friendly and safe environment in the dorms and around campus.
To get a student’s perspective, Kadee Tiner, a resident of Bracken Hall, spoke in an interview about her thoughts on RAs. “A good thing about having an RA is it’s just one of your friends and they’re just holding you more accountable.” She continues describing the importance of the job saying, “Being an RA, you are the first person students meet, especially freshmen when they first come in. And you are what starts their perspective on school and the people of that school.” It is through the influence of RAs that many other students consider interviewing for the job themselves.
The ability to help students, meet new people, and create friendships are some of the major draws to this job. However, this job is a serious undertaking. An RA invests a lot of time and energy into their residents on top of their schoolwork. They act as friends and mentors to their residents and try to walk with them through life. Tiner commented on this, saying “Thank you to the RAs, you’re doing great.”
If you live on campus and need advice, have questions, or just want someone to talk to, find your RA and ask about their hours of availability. They have time set aside specifically for helping and talking with students and are more than willing to be there for you if you just ask.