1. We dislike mandatory hall meetings just as much as you.
We didn’t plan them just to waste your time, or because we don’t have anything better to do at 8:00PM on a Tuesday night (cough cough, homework). We have important information to give you! So. Just. Come. To. The. Meeting.
2. We spent hours on that hall decoration that you just tore down.
We know you probably didn’t do it to try and offend us personally. But still, we’re all grown ups here, and it would be really cool if you respected other people’s hard work (especially when it was made to make the hall more homey for you to live in).
(RIP Doodlebob)
3. We don’t go around the halls looking for parties to bust.
It’s not like we WANT to stay up late and fill out all that paperwork that comes with busting residents. So, we’re really sorry we had to bust you that one time–but we were doing our jobs. Don’t hate us for doing our job while you were breaking the rules. That being said…
4. We don’t hate you after we’ve busted you.
You are still a resident and that means we still care about you and wanna make your college experience awesome! Plus, we’re human and we make mistakes. We’ve all been there. So don’t dart your eyes away when we pass you in the hall with a smile and a “hey, what’s up?!”
5. We want to get to know you.
So don’t be afraid to hang out with your RA! We want to know what you’re interested in, what you’re involved with, and how your life is going. Don’t be weirded out when we ask you questions like that.
6. We want you to get to know us, too!
How weird would it be if we knew a lot about you but you didn’t know anything about us? Plus, it’s so much easier to talk to someone you really know well about tough stuff. Which leads me to the fact that…
7. We actually want to help you.
It’s why we’re here! We want you to feel comfortable enough with us so that you can come to us with anything you may be facing. Whether it’s roommate issues, academic stress, issues back at home, or ANYTHING at all; we are going to listen to you and support you. Your RA seriously has you back and can help you get through times where facing it alone just isn’t quite enough.
8. We get worn out.
Being an RA means there’s lots of behind the scenes work going on that residents don’t know about. Some weeks are brutal. Being an RA on top of being a student is a full load within itself–not to mention that many of us are leaders on other parts of campus as well. On days where we’re not hanging out in the lobby like usual, we’re most likely just recharging! Go easy on us when we aren’t at our peak!
9. We love our jobs!
Sure, being an RA is really great in terms of the financial aid we receive. But it’s you guys, the residents, that make our job so awesome! Late nights on the floor lounge when everyone is hanging out and having a great time in the community that we’ve worked so hard to build, that’s what makes us want to keep doing it year after year!