By Tara Stanzione | Managing Editor
Are you a leader? Do you truly care about others? If so, you should think about becoming an RA. Resident Advisor’s develop leadership skills, form friendships, and give students someone to go to when they don’t know where else to turn. They provide a safe and comfortable living environment for all students, and are willing to accept the commitment necessary to make a difference in their resident’s lives.
Applications to become a Resident Advisor went live online February 9th and will be available until 4pm Thursday, March 5th. After submission there is a two part interview process. The first part is a group interview on March 21st. Candidates will rotate through a number of group activities which challenge their leadership skills, ability to work in teams and problem solving.
The second part is an individual interview where the candidates will meet with a member of the Campus Life staff and some current RAs to learn more about why the candidate is motivated to become an RA.
Laura Field, Area Coordinator, states that the Office of Campus Life is looking for “motivated students who care about others and want to uphold the mission of the Office of Campus Life and the University.”
She adds that the office loves “having a diverse team full of students who come from different places, have different experiences and bring a different dynamic to the RA position.”
David Fairchild, Salve Regina freshmen, is interested in the job because of the possibility to be the person students go to when they need something.
“I just really like people and being an RA means you get to connect with, live with, and support a whole building instead of the usual one or two roommates,” Fairchild says. “As I got more involved and started meeting more RAs I realized it’s something they really love doing.”
Though Fairchild is excited about the individual interview, he is a little nervous about group processing.
“I don’t know what that entails — what if I suck at playing icebreaker games? Instant rejection. What if I don’t respond to questions the way I’m expected to?”
Sarah Jodrie, Senior RA in Greystone, states that the advice she would give someone going into the interview process would be to “just relax and be you. Smile, laugh, enjoy it, and know that applying and showing up is an accomplishment in itself and that you should be proud of yourself regardless of the outcome.”
To submit an application go to Campus Life in Offices and Services in the MySalve portal. If you aren’t sure about applying or want more information from current Resident Advisors there will be an interest session taking place in the Miley Garden Level classroom Monday, February 16th at 4:30p.m. and an interest session in the 1st floor common area in Watts on Wednesday, February 18th at 7p.m.
For more information visit http://salve.edu/campus-housing/resident-advisors. Questions about the RA position should be directed to campuslife@salve.edu.
