Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those that are held by Her Campus at UCD.
Author’s Note: This piece was written almost exactly a year ago when I was nearing the end of my Resident Advisor position. It was originally written solely for myself, as a means of catharsis. Since then, I have experienced some much-needed distance from the position, and feel I am better able to reflect on this period of my life. Despite this passage of time, however, my opinions remain the same. It is by no means objective – my experiences are utterly personal, and it is impossible to separate myself from them.
I think, somewhere along the way, representatives from the Student Housing Administration at UC Davis were mistold the definition for “Resident Advisor” and were instead given the definition of “indentured servitude.”
I am not speaking as a disgruntled employee. I am also not speaking with a bitter or vengeful personal agenda in tow. I am speaking solely to give myself the opportunity to speak, for I feel it has been profoundly deprived over the past year.
Of course not blatantly. But subtly. And a bit not-too-subtly. Just enough so that you continually feel suppressed, so the possibility of speaking out becomes something you would never dare to undertake.
I reached that point. Over the course of my experience as a Resident Advisor at UC Davis, I feel as if I went through the proper stages of emotion. Excitement with a hint of fear. Overwhelmingness with a twinge of fulfillment. Powerlessness. Invisibility. Determinateness immediately succeeded by hopelessness. It’s these last few stages that began to worry me.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Resident Advisors (RAs) do not receive monetary compensation for performing their job duties, but rather they receive their payment in the form of a room with access to meals. Most people – especially those who apply for this job position in the first place – are well-aware of this factoid, and accept it. I accept it too; I wholeheartedly agree that it is just for RAs to be compensated in this manner for doing their job. However, under the current system, I do not believe RAs are being properly reimbursed for the amalgamation of jobs they complete.
I love the job that was originally laid out in my employment contract. I love the Resident Advisor position and its potential to assist and impact others. I do not love the job that I have been completing over the course of this school year. My original intent to interact with and aid residents has been concerningly overshadowed by instructions from numerous supervisors, telling me to complete tasks off of a checklist and to disregard actions that do not further the completion of these tasks.
From the outside, UC Davis’ Student Housing department has proven itself to be a picturesquely-perfect organization. The opposite perspective, however, paints a very different picture – especially from a much lower, less-respected perspective.
Resident Advisors are ultimately puppets. Which, logically, would make UC Davis Student Housing the puppet master. While this analogy is already troubling, it becomes even more so when you notice the puppet master’s complete disregard for the welfare of its puppets. As RAs, we were replaceable – at least, that is what we were constantly told. We weren’t part of a team, we were workers whose well-being meant absolutely nothing.
The poster child for diversity, Davis’ Student Housing flaunts this image at every possible opportunity. RAs are to create bulletin boards relating to diversity topics almost every cycle and discuss different topics during weekly staff meetings. This approach would be excellent if its purpose was to actually educate our residents while simultaneously educating ourselves.
UC Davis Student Housing is unequipped to handle any actual issues. Mental health was seen as a non-issue among RAs. If an RA was open about this to their supervisors, they were sent to one of the heads of Student Housing, who unflinchingly and tactlessly suggested this job may not work out for them. Sexual assault toward RAs was blamed on RAs themselves. Resources had to be sought out, and the university wished to have as little part in it as possible. In my opinion, it is UC Davis Student Housing’s immense failure and absolute disregard in these two core areas which were the most troubling.
It is always disheartening to realize that the agendas of others contrast deeply with your own. An invaluable lesson I have taken away from my experience is to not take everything someone says to heart. Appearances are scarily deceiving, and hypocrisy lies within all aspects of life, whether that be in the government or in a single Student Housing administration.