Resident Assistant Tells
What It's Like To Be One

By Abby Buell
CyberNews Staff Reporter

February 20, 2002

Wild nights. Loud music. Unforgettable memories. Being a resident assistant at Drake University...the real truth. Liz Cashman (B2), RA on the fourth floor of the Goodwin-Kirk residence hall, shares an insider's look at the truth behind being a RA.

"It's been a very positive experience. One of the most exciting things about it was gettting to work with other RAs. I didn't know most of them before, and now most of them are my best friends. There are things you can't handle by yourself so you need to have other staff members you can depend on in situations you can't do by yourself. That's been one of the positive parts of being a RA," she said in an interview earlier this week.

According to a Drake Web site, a resident assistant is defined as an upperclass student whom is responsible for establishing a feeling of community on the floor, advising individal residents and maintaining an academic atmosphere. The RA is specially trained to help with any concerns that residents may have. RAs take on the role of helper, programmer, hall/floor government adviser, policy implemetation and staff member.

Cashman elaboated on her responsibilities: "We have to be on duty six to eight times a month (meaning if something happens we are the first people who are questioned). We are required to work two hours a week at the front desk. We have staff meetings weekly. We are required to do two door decorations per semester and a bulletin board every month as well as planning social events for our hal. We have to do a variety of paperwork. In the beginning of the year, we came back two weeks early for training and came back three days early for second semester, and it is our responsibility to take care of problems and issues on the floor."

She continued by confessing that she "didn't expect it to be as difficult or as much work as it is. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that you don't know about. First semester I struggled and so did my my grades, but I managed to get through it," Cashman said.

Through thick and thin, Cashman and other have come a long way to hold their positions. According to Cashman, the application process takes about a month and a half. This consists of personal information as well as answering seven essay questions, getting two faculty recommendations and one from your current RA. Then prospective RAs go through what is known as group process, where all of the applicants gather and meet one another and play various games. This is done so that the committee deciding the new RA's (the director of RH life, Tom Tronick, the assisstant director of RH life, Jen Fox, and three complex directors) can get a feel of how students interact with one another. Following this, two-thirds of the applicants are called back for a second interview. And then around the time of spring break, students are notified as to whether or not they were chosen.

Every year there are about 50 RAs on campus. The number of incoming RAs accepted differs depending on the number of open positions. This year there are 25.

After experiencing the life of an RA one semester, Cashman admitted she's had weeks where she thought "'what have I gotten myself into? I don't want to do this, I don't want to be here. But the most important thing about being a RA is that you have to treat the residents with respect. If you can get them to respect you and each other, then you'll have the best floor you could possibly have. I can honestly say that I like everyone on my floor in their own way. If I were just a random person, I probably couldn't say that. But there is a level of respect that comes along with my job."

"It's a positive experience through all that you learn about yourself. You learn a lot of social skills, patience, you learn how to act with people in a civil and respectful manner. There aren't too many people who have relationships with such a wide variety of people as RAs do, and that's one of the coolest parts," Cashman said.