Life for college students can be a handful at times – especially for Resident Assistants in the
dormitory buildings. But, the upside of being an RA is it provides a very rewarding experience for students who choose that path, according to Assistant Dean of Student Services Chris Hardie.

The Residence life staff has made significant changes to their staff for next year. They have recently hired 15 new Resident Assistants for the 2018-2019 school year, according to Hardie. He also said that being a first year RA doesn’t mean that those students will be in their sophomore year of school as that has become the common trend.

“Not all of them are sophomores,” said Hardie. “But, it will be there first time in that role.”

Hardie also said that the application process starts early in the school year with different meetings to gain interest
from students.

“If somebody wants to be an RA but they don’t know what the process is like they attend one of these kickoff meetings,” said Hardie. “Then from there the application goes live in the first part of February.”

The application is online and requires a resume, cover letter,
reference and essay questions to be answered, according to Hardie.

“You have to attach all that information,” said Hardie. “There is a self-reflection basically on their leadership style.”

With many opportunities for students to get involved around campus, Hardie believes that
being an RA is a mentoring opportunity for students as well as building leadership skills.

For sophomore business management major Bill Mullins, being an RA has helped him connect more with people.

“It’s made me more of an open person,” said Mullins. “I’ve made a lot of friends out of it and I know everyone in the building because last year I knew like 10 [people] in my building.”

According to Mullins, balancing school and the life of an RA is not always the easiest thing to do. He said that the class load and his duties as an RA overlap and as long as he was around and inside the building it
would be ok.

“Last semester was kind of rough,” said Mullins. “Because I had so many heavy classes, but I still made do real well.”

For the second semester however, Mullins has had an easier time handling his responsibilities and duties.

“This semester it was a lot easier because I didn’t have such a heavy
schedule,” said Mullins. “So, I’ve been able to interact more with the students and getting to know them on a personal basis.”

For freshman criminal justice major and future RA Isaiah Skeete,
applying for this position is a way to get more involved in campus activities.

“I’m a people person,” said Skeete. “I love meeting new people, I love talking to people and I want to have an impact in someone’s life and bring the community together.”

With the incoming year school year, Skeete realizes that being an RA will not be easy as he has just applied to be a Bonner Scholar. Much like Mullins he will have an increased amount of school work combined with the duties he will have to perform in his building.

“I did get the Bonner
scholarship,” said Skeete. “So, my work load will be pretty intense with my duties as an RA and my service hours for Bonner and I’m taking 18 credits, so it’s going to be a stressful year.”

Skeete believes that his leadership skills will suit him well as an RA and thinks that they will be tested like never before.

“I think that my leadership skills will be put to the test,” said Skeete. “And it’s really going to shape who I am.”