by Heather Morales
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Long hours, hard work and dedication are some of the qualifications it takes to become a Resident Assistant (RA) in the school’s residence halls. The RAs at the University have been through hours of training in order to be qualified for the positions.
Being a resident assistant requires being a part-time professional staff member for the Housing and Residential Life Office. There are currently 18 RAs—four in Brandt Hall, five in Studebaker-Hanawalt (Stu-Han) Hall and nine in the Oaks.
Students have to be a full-time student with at least sophomore standing and a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5, have previous student leadership experience and have lived on campus before becoming an RA.
RAs say that one of the hardest parts of the position is being friends with people in the area they supervise.
According to Becky Martinez, area coordinator for the Oaks, the RAs have a saying “I am not an RA until you make me one.”
Many of the resident assistants find that it is difficult to be a friend and an RA when a friend is causing trouble.
“First and foremost, I am a friend, and when they act up is when they know that I have to play a role,” said junior Javier Harvin, RA for the second floor of Brandt.
Meeting new and different people, getting to know them and how they interact with each other is what sophomore Helen Rocha likes best about being the RA for Stu-Han, wing five.
The RAs have to be three things to their residents—a peer counselor, a role model and a programmer.
Being a peer counselor means that they have to be available for their residents if they need or want to talk and be open-minded and listen, instead of just always being a counselor.
The programming aspect of the job is called upon when the RAs put on programs for their residents. Whether it is a social event or an educational event is up to the individual resident assistant.
“We let them come up with inventive things,” said Martinez.
Some of the programs presented this year are a multi-cultural forum, a gay, lesbian and bisexual forum and “Bigg Papa’s Coffee House.”
“We encourage them [the RAs] to look beyond the social programming,” said Martinez. Instead, they are encouraged to program both social and educational events.
RAs balance their duties with their class and work loads and social lives.
Junior Shelvin Lal became an RA because he felt that it was his next step at La Verne in student leadership.
“This is something that is a 24-hour leadership position. It is something that would challenge me to the fullest of my abilities, and I have lots to give,” said Lal, RA in the Oaks, E-Bottom.
RAs can take no more than 16 units and can only have one night class, unless they receive the permission of the area coordinator.
Finding time to study in between classes, being on duty, being a role model and peer counselor is hard.
“I have to know when to say, ‘no,’ when to say, ‘not right now, I’m kind of busy’ to my residents if I am trying to study,” said Harvin. “I like to keep my door open, and I want myself to be accessible to them.”
