By: Katie Burke | Staff Writer
Most people wouldn’t dream of being a residence assistant, also known as an “RA”, but all of the RA’s at Salve Regina really embrace their job and do it with enthusiasm. In order to get a better understanding of the RA life I talked with Seth Dyess and Lauren Packer.
Currently the RA on the second floor of Reefe Hall, Seth Dyess chose to be an RA because he had a great connection with his own RA during his freshman year.
“My RA was really a good friend to me,” says Dyess. “She went above and beyond the call of duty being an RA, so that really motivated me to go through the interview process and become an RA.” The interview process for becoming an RA involves written interviews in March and then interviews in person in April. Their responsibilities include looking out for the general well-being of their residents, which can range from 20 and 50 students. Another important job is to make sure all the freshmen are transitioning into college well and that each RA has 7-10 nights on duty.
Dyess says being an RA is fun, and they even get to plan activities on campus and watch how they play out. Salve Regina residence assistants also receive many benefits such as free room and board, an 11 meal-per-week meal plan, and a check for about $40 every two weeks. When asked if it is hard to balance everything such as school and activities, he responded, “It’s not very difficult because duty shifts technically start around 9pm so I just make sure I get everything done before then.”
After interviewing Dyess, I wanted to get a second opinion, so I headed over to the third floor of Hunt Hall to ask Lauren Packer the same questions. When asking Lauren why she chose to become an RA, she said, “I chose to be an RA because I really wanted to make an impact on my community of residents. I wanted to help freshman through the hard transition of coming to college as well as build relationships within my floor. I have always loved helping those younger than me especially through hard transitions like this one!”
Though this is her first year being and RA, she already loves the job because she not only helps others, but she helps herself as well. “I have really opened up more as a person and have really learned so much more about myself,” said Packer. Her responsibilities include reporting, documenting, and supporting her residents on the third floor of Hunt Hall. She also must hold community building events as well as many other duties.
Balancing school, work, sports, and a social life must be hard, as Packer is a member of the Salve Regina Softball team. When asked how she was able to balance everything, she said, “It is definitely still a work in progress. I am still trying to balance softball, RA duties, school, studying, and everything else. Having a tight schedule allows for me to get more stuff done in a smaller period of time.”
As you can tell, Dyess and Packer both love their jobs as being residence assistants. There are pros and cons to every job, but the benefits-both from the school and personally-seem worth it.
