by Raechel Fittante
Staff Writer
Selection of the 18 resident assistants for the 1995-96 school year has begun. The Resident Assistant (R.A.) Selection Committee will issue initial notifications for new R.A.s in late March.
The new R.A.s will serve the three residence halls on campus, Stu-Han, Brandt and the Oaks.
Leah Caro, area coordinator for Stu-Han and Brandt, is chair of the committee and head of the selection process. The committee includes Gary Myers, assistant area coordinator for Stu-Han and Brandt, and Cheri Martinson, area coordinator for the Oaks and conferences. Helena Gerstenberg, director of Housing and Residential Life, has a say in which candidates will be best suited for the positions.
This is the first year that there have been changes made in the selection process for R.A.s who want to return to their positions in the fall. Returning R.A.s no longer have to reapply, as first time applicants do.
“In past years, returning R.A.s got put in with the newcomers. This gave returning R.A.s an edge because they went through the same process already once before, and they knew what the committee was looking for,” said senior Christina Ramirez, R.A. of Wing Five, Stu-Han.
Those R.A.s who wished to return next year had to organize a formal presentation and present it to the Presentation Selection Committee. The presentation includes answers to set questions given to the R.A.s by the committee. After the presentation, each applicant has a private interview with Gerstenberg.
“I’m really excited about the changes made in the selection process,” says Caro. “It’s selection through training. I really enjoy seeing the growth of the R.A.s since last year; it’s amazing.”
“We’ve got a really good group of people applying as well as returning,” said Gerstenberg. “We look forward to seeing what happens.”
The deadline for first-time applicants was last Friday. According to Caro, there have been about 30 new applications.
After the initial written application, all applicants then meet individually with Gerstenberg or one of the area coordinators. The next step is Group Process Day when the future R.A.s get hands-on role-playing experience and training.
Once the R.A.s are selected, they go to a four-day summer retreat to educate and train them for the job. By becoming R.A.s, students automatically become members of the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) organization. Activities for LEAD include a one-day retreat and two LEAD tracks.
“Aside from the required 2.5 grade point average, we are looking for dependable, responsible and mature individuals,” Caro says.
Some of the responsibilities of being an R.A. include Duty nights and Duty weekends, which require 24-hour hall occupation, paperwork and being on call.
Ramirez describes the job as “stressful but rewarding. It’s a really good experience because you prove to yourself that you can do it. It feels good to achieve interactions with residents and other R.A.s. You not only feel needed, but wanted,” she said.
R.A.s get free room and board, which averages out to be about $4,500 per year.
“If you’re in it for the money, then don’t do it because it is not worth it. The residents will know this and not take you seriously,” Ramirez said.
Being an R.A. requires heavy reliance on the entire staff and an open mind to experiences. Also needed is the ability to handle problems with different issues, such as gender, cultural and sexual relations.
“You have to be a team player,” Ramirez said. “It’s like a community. We’re little fish in a big pond in the dorms. It’s nice to have something familiar.”
