The daily routine for a residential adviser may not be as easy as people think.
“On any given day an RA will handle emergencies, mediate conflicts within roommates, develop activities to get other residents involved and allow them to learn new skills, and even counsel peers through difficult situations,” said Vanessa Ramos, assistant residential life coordinator at West Campus Apartments.
Students who would like to become residential advisers for the spring semester are urged by Residential Life to fill out an application for the position.
Applications are available at the front desk of every residential hall and need to be turned in no later than Nov. 5, Ramos said.
Ramos said there are approximately 20 openings across campus for the spring semester, with more openings to develop in the fall.
Interested applicants must have lived in a residence hall for at least one year, at LSU or at another institution. They also must fill out the application that has a few short essay questions, Ramos said.
Shyunika Charles, a West Campus Apartments RA, said working as an RA provides students with a better opportunity to develop a relationship with people inside the residence.
Charles also said being an RA is not all fun and games.
“You have to be a person who has patience because with this job ‘patience is a virtue,’ but also you have to understand that this is a job and just like any other job you are responsible for taking care of certain things,” Charles said.
Ramos said RA applicants must possess certain personality qualities.
“They must be a leader and interested in being consistently challenged,” Ramos said. “And they must be interested in the well-being of others.”
Delores Mack, WCA RA, said being an RA has made her a better student because of the strict time management she has had to enforce.
The job of an RA extends beyond the information desk in the hall’s lobby. RA’s also must interact and act as mentors to residents.
Sarah Murphy, a political science junior, said the relationship she had with her West Laville RA was “awesome.”
“She was mainly just a friend that you could go talk to,” Murphy said.
Ramos said once all applications are turned in applicants will be interviewed by Residential Life Coordinators from each hall.