RAs Live the Fish Philosophy

By: Kim Osborne
Posted In: Entertainment

Be there for people, make their day, choose your attitude, play. This is the Fish philosophy, a way of life for those who are a part of Salve’s office of residential life.

“If they can embrace these four concepts, they are on their way,” said Van Pham, assistant director of residential life, of next year’s newly appointed resident assistants.

After extensive interviewing and evaluating, the office of Residential Life has narrowed down the pool of potential RAs to 43 individuals best suited to carry out its Fish philosophy.

The most important part of the selection process, according to Pham, is watching how students interact with one another during group activities. Pham said that she advises students to be themselves, because a large part of being an RA is how a person interacts with others and that you may only set yourself up to fail if you are hired based on personality traits that are not truly your own.

Pham said that residential life does not discriminate against anyone who is interested in applying for an RA position, even hiring students who have been written up in the past. Pham understands that college students make mistakes.

“We are all about educating outside of the classroom,” said Pham.

According to Pham, judicials have gone down significantly since RAs have been reaching out more often to their residents.

“Confronting your peers on their behavior is difficult,” said Dennis Delgizzo, director of residential life. Delgizzo believes that this, along with a serious time commitment, is the hardest part of an RA’s job.

Delgizzo said he also believes that many RAs have the ability to help their residents realize the importance of being a responsible part of the university community.

While confronting your peers and working every other night may seem anything but the ideal job for many college students, it does have its rewards. Free room and board along with a $50 stipend every two weeks can add up to about $9000 at the end of the year.

Aside from all things business, RAs meet many new people and learn skills that will carry on into their lives beyond Salve.

“You can never get enough leadership experience,” said Bobby Gondola, Jr., a junior returning to his RA position for the second year in a row next year.

Gondola said that being an RA has helped promote his own personal development, as well as, helped him give back to the community. He also said that he has formed lasting friendships with many of his residents.

Another student eager to meet new people is Kristen Bain, a transfer student training for her first gig as an RA next year. Bain believes that being an RA will prove to be an important part of her college career.

“I’m just excited to get involved in another aspect of the university,” said Bain. Based on what former RAs have said about the experience, she should be.