Students build leadership skills by taking on positions as RAs

Assistant resident advisors at Newman Hall, start a resident advisor meeting on Monday by discussing their favorite childhood movies. The RAs usually start their meetings with a fun question.
Trevor Greene The Daily Illini

Mary Kate Norton, junior in LAS, stands in the deserted fifth floor hallway of Newman Hall, 604 E. Armory Ave., in Champaign, on the day prior to move-in. After spending two and a half weeks training to become a Resident Adviser (RA), sitting through multiple seminars and bonding with fellow RAs, the time has come to test her skills as a leader.

Mary Kate Norton, junior in LAS, stands in the deserted fifth floor hallway of Newman Hall, 604 E. Armory Ave., in Champaign, on the day prior to move-in. After spending two and a half weeks training to become a Resident Adviser (RA), sitting through multiple seminars and bonding with fellow RAs, the time has come to test her skills as a leader.

After the craziness of moving has subsided, a typical day for an RA consists of keeping the peace on the floor, building community among the residents and carrying out different tasks when on duty, Norton said.

RAs at Newman are on call for one 24-hour period for one weekend a month, said Art Hanley, Newman Hall Resident Director. There are two RAs on-call at a time, he added.

When on call, an RA makes rounds at 5 p.m., 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., Norton said.

“While we are doing the rounds, we have to make sure the building is in order, everyone is quiet during the appropriate hours and that people’s doors are closed when they need to be,” Norton said. “We enforce the rules but try not to send out an ‘I’m in charge’ message.”

Not only are RAs required to do rounds every so often, but they are also responsible for maintaining a sense of community on their floors, Hanley said.

“We plan at least one floor activity per month, whether it be a food crawl, movie night or a competitive event,” Norton said.

Whether on duty or not, an RA is always there to support the residents on their floor and to assist them with anything they may need, Hanley said.

“An RA may spend a few minutes a day doing their duties, or several hours a day, depending on what the students need and if there are any special situations going on,” Hanley said.

Although RAs do get free room and board, Norton points out that there is more to it than just saving money.

“What I like most about being an RA is that I get to have direct involvement with the people here and show freshman the ropes of college life,” Norton said.

Also on the list of duties is a weekly meeting that all of the RAs attend.

“The purpose of these meetings is to get everyone together, hear feedback from the RAs and answer any questions they may have,” Hanley said. “They also serve to discuss events in the dorm that may be coming up.”

Grace Abernathy, freshman in ACES, highlights why she is considering applying to be an RA in the future.

“I want to become an RA because I am dedicated to what goes on here and support what they teach,” Abernathy said. “I love living here so I thought, why not get involved?”