Becoming an Residents Assistant is one of the most exciting things to happen to me in my college career so far. Although I won't begin my position until as early as Summer 2017, I've already started thinking about my future residents...
First and foremost, I hope I can be the most helpful RA that I can. Everything from academic to personal issues, I hope that I can always lend a listening ear to anyone who needs it. I can't promise that I'll always have an answer, but I can promise that I will help in anyway you need me to, and in anyway I can.
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I hope that I can be a fun RA. You'll notice that in your rooms, there will be little information sheets to fill out, with spaces to put your favorite music and movie genres, snacks, desserts, and kinds of activities. Of course, I can't make anyone fill those out, but hopefully, most will. I want to use these forms to plan small events centered around you. No one likes going to events with weird music, little food and no thought put into them. But, I'd like to plan fun activities that everyone can enjoy.
I don't want you to see me as an authoritative figure. I don't want you to see me as someone who's sole mission is to get you in trouble. I don't want you to see me as someone you should be avoiding. Although I'm there to make sure everyone is having a smooth and safe living experience, I'm also a student and a person. I like meeting new people and making new friends, which is part of the reason I wanted to do this. So say hi to me when you see me around campus, walk with me to class, join me for dinner or come swim with me in the pool. Becoming friends is one of my biggest hopes, and by being friends, I hope your trust in me grows.
With that being said, I want you to be able to trust me enough to come to me with any problems. Whether it's something small, like disagreements with a neighbor, or something big, like drinking with friends in your room and someone gets severely sick and don't know how to help them. I have stories that you wouldn't believe; my friends and I have gotten into trouble ourselves. But, when you don't seek help because of the fear of getting in trouble, things usually manage to get a lot worse. There are some things we'll be able to solve with no problem, and there are some things that we're going to have to seek other help for. I don't want you to hide a bad situation because I'm going to have to tell someone about it. Even if I do have to, I want to make sure you're safe before anything else.
When I think about it, my concerns sound like I'm trying to be the "mom friend" who just happens to live on your floor. I'm not going to be checking up on you to make sure you're doing your homework and going to class. I want to make sure you're living comfortably, getting along with other residents, coming to fun events, and staying safe. I want to create door decorations you're going to like, bulletin boards that are cute but offer important information you may need, and create a little family within our floor. I want to be the RA you and your roommates think actually cares. I want to be the RA you brag about to your friends living in different dorm areas. I want to be the RA that tries really hard, but only because I really care. I can't wait to meet all of you, and I hope my time as an RA makes you glad you chose to continue living on campus.
