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4 Doors Down By
Emma Slayton
I'm lucky. So far, I've gotten along really well with my roommate and my suite-mates, the neighbors in my particular section of the dorm.
I don't, however, get along with my suite-mate's boyfriend, Carlos. Every couple of weeks, Carlos shows up for a visit and ends up staying in our midst for days at a time. My roommate and Ifeel like we have to lock up our stuff when he's here, and I'm afraid of taking a shower in case he walks into the bathroom, which is used by the four women in the suite.
I have no problem sharing my space and compromising with my neighbors. But there are some things-like a suite-mate's boyfriend overstaying his welcome-that I just can't deal with, and Idon't feel I should have to. At the same time, Ididn't want to do anything to poison my relationship with my suite-mate. Luckily, I had someone to turn to, someone who not only was sympathetic but also helped me get my bathroom back: Laura, the RA. RAs, or resident assistants, are upperclassmen who govern a dorm floor and generally look after the welfare of the residents. With no parents around, it's the RAs who are charged with enforcing the rules found in our student handbook. They hand out visitor passes and contact maintenance if you need something repaired. And they try to promote interaction and community among students in the dorm, such as the "Jews in Japan" sushi party Laura threw earlier this year. They're also available to help resolve roommate problems, to provide information about campus resources and, sometimes, to just listen. Not an Easy Job Being an RA isn't easy. There's an application and an interview process just to be selected. The training is intense. RAs must learn CPR and practice drills for various emergency situations before their residents arrive on campus. "RAs need to be able to call an ambulance without thinking," says Laura, and they must know enough about the campus to guide freshmen effectively and keep them out of trouble. There's an RA on call 24/7, and when I knock on Laura's door at midnight with a question about a class or a burned-out light bulb, she dutifully answers. A good attitude is key. People who are best suited for the job are those who are "assertive, good communicators, people who have the ability to work successfully as a team," says Sheldon, a hall adviser who supervises a group of RAs. The benefits aren't bad. At Pitzer, RAs receive compensation amounting to $10,446 a year, including the cost of their guaranteed single room. Beyond that, having this job on your resume is a big advantage, because it shows that you can be a responsible and effective leader. "It's dynamite on an application," Laura says "The reason I got my job had a lot to do with me being an RA." I'm not ready to think about being an RA. But knowing what it takes, I do make sure to treat Laura well, and to keep on good terms with her and the other RAs in the building. I know Laura has the power to make my life easier, like the time she helped me fix my thermostat, or made a call to maintenance to expedite a repair request. If your RAs like you, they are more likely to help you find funding for an event you want to plan, point out the best teachers to take or refer you to contacts for a nice campus job. RAs know campus administration better than any other students on campus and can help you get to the people you really need to talk to in any office on campus. Important for Freshmen In passing one day, I complained to Laura about my academic adviser on campus, who I feel hasn't taken enough interest in my education. During registration, I told her, I was left on my own to choose courses and figure out whether or not Iwas meeting graduation requirements. Laura heard me out, then gave me the names of all the good writing professors and the name of her own adviser, who she said could help me find a teacher more suited to my personality. She was right, and I'm a lot better off now academically. It's great to have her just four doors away. A lot of RA work is pretty mundane. One RA I spoke with says she occasionally gets called on to help a resident fix a broken light fixture-which she typically resolves by flipping on the switch. But whatever they do, RAs fill an especially important role for us freshmen, who are still getting used to sharing small quarters with a stranger and functioning as adults without the guidance of our parents. Roommate Conflicts Roommate conflicts, in particular, are big for RAs. A lot of first-year students I know have had trouble getting along with their roommates. Take Ben, a first-year here at Pitzer who was regularly getting kicked out of his own room by a roommate who demanded his privacy. "I didn't get any time in my room," says Ben. He was prepared to seek a new room assignment, which can be pretty disruptive in the middle of the year. Ben went to his RA, who agreed to mediate and set up a meeting with Adam, the roommate. Together, the three of them worked out a resolution that not only got back Ben back into his room but also preserved a good relationship between the two students. Another coup for the RA. So after gritting my teeth over Carlos's latest visit-a five-day invasion-I knew just where to turn. My roommate and I appealed to the RAs on duty, who quickly gave us a rundown of all the options. We had already tried one of the options-talking with the suite-mate about it- without any success. So we asked the RAs if one of them could help us get him out by the next day. Laura took it from there. She went around and talked to everyone involved on my behalf, but without once mentioning my name. It was quick, discreet and successful. And it has made taking showers so much less creepy. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
