One of the most important aspects of college is a student’s living situation. For many freshmen on college campuses, living in on-campus housing, such as dorm halls, is common and recommended. Living in a dorm can provide a safe, supportive environment to foster a smooth transition in moving away from home. Resident Assistants (RA’s) are a key factor in ensuring students are comfortable and content in their dorms and their dorm hall. But what makes a fantastic RA?
Giana Nardelli is a junior at Florida State University and has been working as an RA this school year for the first time. I got the pleasure to talk to her about her new experience!
Her Campus (HC): Hi! How do you feel about your time being an RA?
Giana Nardelli (GN): I think it’s the most fun I’ve had since coming to college. It’s really great.
HC: Becoming an RA is a great responsibility, but also comes along with tremendous rewards. So, what motivated Giana to decide to become an RA?
GN: My freshman year RA encouraged me a lot! She was awesome, always extremely helpful and considerate. She allowed me to see what good could come from this role, and I wanted to make other people’s experience as great as mine was.
HC: RA’s get creative free-range when deciding what decorations they wish to install and display in their assigned hall for the school year. Decorations are a fun way RA’s get to express themselves and establish a common theme for their residents. What decorations did you choose for your floor?
GN: I chose plants! I went back and forth all summer picking a theme, but I finally decided on this theme, I think it’s cute, and there’s a lot of creative things I do with it.
HC: With most college freshmen living without parental supervision for the first time ever, there is no doubt that sometimes residents can get out of hand. Luckily, not every hall gets that unruly. Have you dealt with a lot of unruly residents?
GN: Thankfully, my hall is pretty relaxed, there isn’t too much of anything crazy that goes on.
HC: Living in close proximity with peers means sharing common spaces, utilities such as a laundry room and kitchens, which means students typically form close bonds with their fellow residents. Creating a tight-knit community can help acquaint students better with on-campus living and even produce life-long friendships. How do you help the residents bond?
GN: Bonding between residents really depends on the residents themselves—I like to create comfortable public spaces (like in the hallway for example) where my students can come talk to both me and each other. I’ve seen some good connections form between floormates this way.
HC: Having an available, involved RA can make a huge difference in a student’s transition to college life. RA’s can help bring their floor together through floor events. What floor events do you help plan?
GN: I actually had my first event last week, which went really well. But for the future, I’m not entirely sure what events I will have coming up, but I definitely want to do a movie night at least once, we have some movie buffs in our hall!
HC: RA’s get to witness many great interactions and bonds, seeing memories between residents being made all the time. But RA’s also get to have lots of amazing times of their own. What has your fondest memory been since becoming an RA?
GN: So far, my fondest memory has to be from about a month ago; I was putting up a bulletin board, and a few of my students from all across my hall came out to say hi to me. They began to talk with each other, and after that, seeing my residents connect with each other was a really positive sight.
A great resident assistant can make an enormous difference in the lives of students who are residents on their floor. Whether it is hosting floor events or simply being a welcoming presence, RA’s can help connect students and cultivate an enjoyable living experience.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!