“It is a challenge, but I really like it,” said first-year RA Valerie Jones, Rockford sophomore. “It is a big responsibility, but I like helping people. It also gives you the opportunity to live in a residence hall with a different perspective.”

The general responsibilities include duty nights, she said.

“The responsibilities for staff members is a little different for every hall,” Jones said.

Staff members make rounds on each floor to make sure there are no problems.

There is an informational meeting Oct. 25 geared toward the January openings.
The application for those positions are due on Nov. 12.
On Nov. 18 and Nov. 28 there will be informational meetings for fall 2002 positions. Applications for these are due Jan. 10

Resident assistant and multicultural advisers must attend hall-wide staff meetings, she said.

Most staff members have floor partners who meet with each other and discuss plans and problems on the floor. Finally, the assistants and advisers must meet with their residence hall director for one-on-one consulting and discussion.

RAs and MAs also are responsible for performing room inventory before residents move in for the year, completing an inventory sheet for every room on the floor, Jones said.

Staff members also work with their residents’ roommate agreements at the beginning of the year. Everyone living in a room discusses and writes down rules they want for the year.

Assistants and advisers refer to the signed agreements if problems arise, Jones said.

The staff members must report to the residence hall director what occurred on the floor or the activities staff members have done with the residents, she said.

Multicultural Adviser Cynthia Diamond said the primary responsibility of an MA is to cater to minority residents and make sure they are comfortable.

“I also make sure their transition from home is smooth,” said Diamond, Detroit senior. “Minority students often come from towns where there are not a lot of Caucasians, and I try to help them adapt.”

Diamond said MAs also put on diversity programs to inform people about minority residents.

“I try to make the minorities comfortable and make the majority comfortable with the minority,” she said.

The application process for students interested in RA or MA positions begins with an informational prospective staff nights and a written application, said Kim Voisin, Office of Residence Life assistant director.

Students can get information on the positions, ask current RAs and MAs questions and pick up an application at these meetings.

Following the written application, most candidates go through a group process activity that involves a group of three or four candidates asking different hall directors and staff members questions, said second-year RA Doug Laur, Houghton Lake senior.

“We do this activity to get a feel for what roll the individual plays in a group,” Voisin said.

Following the group process activity, applicants still being considered go through a panel interview process where residence hall directors and members of the Office of Residence Life ask questions, Laur said.

Students must have their grades checked and cannot be on probation with the Office of Student Life to be eligible, Voisin said.

The final step in the selection process is reference checks.

“It is not too stressful a process, especially if you really want to do the job,” Laur said.

Voisin said RAs and MAs have to be able to handle many situations.

“The first thing we look for is the ability to develop community,” she said. “They have to be able to interact with other people and understand the many differences between people.”

Personality is one of several aspects of the selection process, she said.

“We look to see if they have been involved on campus both academically and with extracurricular activities,” Voisin said. “The more involved they are the better because then they can be a good resource for other students.”

RAs and MAs receive free room and board as compensation.

“Most staff members say the job is not worth room and board because you have to do so much,” Voisin said. “The professional skills that you can’t get at any other job on campus is why they do the job.”

Most students who take the job consider benefits rather than pay, she said.

“They get to make a difference,” Voisin said.

After his RA experience, Laur said he wants to be an RHD.

“For me, there is nothing better then to be able to work with students,” he said.

Laur said it is more of a lifestyle than a job.

“You definitely have to give a lot of things up, but you gain so much in return.”