By Amanda Valentovic Staff Writer
Every students who lives on campus has a resident assistant who works to keep track of everyone who lives in a building or on a floor while also planning activities and answering any residential questions people may have. The Chronicle sat down with La Rainne Pasion, an RA in the Netherlands complex, and the sophomore economics and global studies major talked about the importance of the job.
Hofstra Chronicle: Why did you want to be an RA?
La Rainne Pasion: I wanted to be an RA because in my first year I had a really good RA, and he really helped me integrate into the Hofstra community, so I thought that was really important. I’m an international student, and I thought it would be hard to adjust and he was really great. So I wanted to be that person to help people to adjust to college. And it’s been fun!
HC: What are some of the responsibilities that RAs have?
LP: No two days are really the same, so every day there are tons of different things that you have to do, because you never know what issues that you have to deal with. There’s actually a lot of administrative work, we have to do paper work and every week we do a report outlining our floor with concerns and maintenance issues. Another big thing we have to do is be on duty, we’re in the office from 6 to 9 every night and we answer questions and get mail, and then we do rounds of the complex, making sure everything is okay. And then we help the residents out if they have roommate issues, if they’re homesick, if they need help with personal issues and other things like that.
HC: What is the interview process like?
LP: There are actually 3 phases. The first phase is an online application, you submit a resume, answer some questions related to the job, and a personal statements, and you need recommendations from two people. The second phase is a group process, and it involves you being in the room with maybe ten other applicants, and you do activities with other RAs. They’re to see how you would perform as a leader, and to see how you would handle certain issues, and you interact with the other people. Then there is a five minute creative presentation where you talk about what would make you a good RA. It’s pretty cool, you can get creative. Some people sing, some people dance, you can make posters, really anything goes to say why you would be a good RA. If you get through the group process, you go to the individual round, and it’s just RDs [resident directors] and RAs asking you about the job.
HC: How do you come up with ideas for programs and events?
LP: They’re planned by the RAs. It depends on the complex that you’re in, but normally you have a programming partner, and you plan for programs a month in advance. It’s up to you what type of program that you want to do, but there are areas that you have to cover. We have programs that are educational, community development, community service, and LLC [living learning communities] if you’re in those houses. All of that is planned out by us, it’s all our ideas. We try to get our residents input into what kind of programs they want, but otherwise we kind of just come up with things that we think would be fun for our residents. There’s one that we haven’t done yet that I’m really excited about, on March 14 for pi day we’re going to have pie your RA day. If you bring in a can or nonperishable food, you get a whipped cream pie that you get to throw at us, so I’m really excited for that!
HC: How do you stay organized when you’re keeping track of so many people?
LP: I rely on my planner a lot. I write all of my deadlines, I keep lists and it definitely helps to have everything written down. I would say that helps keep me on track.
HC: Do you think being an RA is a good skill to have for the future?
LP: I would say it’s a very big plus to have that experience, because first and foremost people like to see that you’re a student leader. The skills that you learn as an RA are good, you can apply them to anything. It keeps you patient, you work with professionals, because you work with the RD and it helps to be comfortable with that. A big part of that is learning how to be confident.
HC: What advice would you give to people who are interested in becoming an RA?
LP: If they want to do it, definitely go for it! I think it’s a really good opportunity. I would say if you’re thinking about applying, get experience on campus, and be a part of your Hall Council program, that’s a really good resource. Be confident!
While being an RA is a big responsibility, there are also a lot of advantages to applying. Not only are important skills learned, but there is also a lot of fun to be had! “I would definitely encourage people to apply,” said Pasion. “It’s an awesome experience.”