Tuesday
Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
February 1,2000
Volume 101, Issue 87
Eitferakl
For most college students, there are two priori
ties: 1. Graduate 2. Get out of the dorms. (Not to
be completed in that order.) For the minority,
numbertwoisn’tas important. Some people love the
dorms so much that they decide to make it their living.
I’m talking about resident assistants. Applica
tions are due Feb. 15 for people who are relin
quishing their next year to the dorms. This begs the
question, why? Kids waking you up because they
locked themselves out of their rooms, whining
about how they miss their mommies and all the
other annoying things that you did to your RAs.
Why subject yourself to that?
The most common reason is the free room and
board. Even Carson Dining Hall food can’t seem
that bad if you aren’t paying for it. And
though you’re still in the dorms, you
have a single room. On top of that,
RAs get a $600 stipend for the year
and a refrigerator. As an RA you meet
lots of new people —- not just your stu
dents, but your fellow RAs.
So being an RA has plenty of perks. Now, I know
that you are all saying to yourself, “Wow! I’d be a
fool not to be an RA.” Hold your horses there. Not
just any Joe Slummer can be an RA. You must have
completed at least 45 credits (sophomore stand
ing), have a 2.5 cumulative GPA and have rosy
cheeks and a cheery disposition.
OK, I got that last line from “Mary Poppins.” But
you do have to work well in groups and help build
the hall community.
I spoke with my RA, Leah Rosin, a sophomore biol
ogy major, about her experience as an RA. Leah tries to
organize trips for us, she will always help out and
every now and again, she bakes us cookies. Sure,
sometimes they are a little burnt on the bottom,
but she has been a great RA. She
said she chose to be an RA be
cause she “hadn’t thought of
outside housing options” and
‘ ‘wanted a big single. ’ ’ In retro
spect, she is still positive about
her decision.
“It’s better than I
thought it was going to
be, ” Rosin said. “They try to scare you in the training. ”
Training, you say? Yes, potential RAs take a
class once a week during spring term and come to
school a week and a half early for more training.
Eric Banister, a freshman music education major, is
planning on being an RA next year. He said he wants to
be an RA because he wants “the chance to live with my
peers and have the ability to help them out, too.” Banis
ter likes the idea of being a leader and sharing his expe
riences with next year’s dorm dwellers. He said that
his RA played a part in his decision to apply for the job
and also inspired him to join both residence complex
government and the Residence Hall Association.
* Anybody who chooses to bean RA will have a re
warding experience, but be sure that you’re up to
snuff. I’ll use myself as an example: RAs must orga
nize programs for the students to participate in. My ac
tivities would be “Let’s clean the RA’s room” or “Let’s
do the RA’s laundry.” RAs must also go patrolling
around their building a few nights a month. I know
that it is their job to ask if they
can shut my door when I have it
open after 10 p.m., but that real
ly irks me. I would never shut
anyone’s door. The children
would run wild and the build
ing would decay into a state
similarto “Lord of the Flies.”
When some British kid gets
squished by a rock, I’ll be in a
heap of trouble.
Dealing with trouble is a con
Mason cem heavy on every potential
RA’s mind, but there really isn’t
yVCM_ anything to worry about. When
doing rounds, RAs are never
alone, and there are always other people that can be
contacted should a situation get out of control. Make
those Office of Public Safety people earn their keep.
The assistant director of residence life, Katie
Bryant, is the person at the head of the RA organi
zation. She works hard to ensure that all students
living in dorms are having a valuable experience.
The residence halls have organized such campus
wide activities this year as a cosmic bowling night,
a Hamilton Hall basement dance and the food dri
ve against Oregon State University, which raised
15,000 pounds of food. These are just the major ac
tivities, and each hall has organized many others.
“We want the residence halls to feel like home,”
Bryant said. She also added, “Basically, if you
have any questions, call me.” Bryant can be
reached at 346-5393.
So are you ready to be one of the few and the
proud? Well if you are, then you’re shipping out
with the Marines. But if you’re ready to be one of
the caring, the helpful, the influential, the eternal
ly patient... go be an RA.
Mason West is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emerald. His
views do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald. He can
be reached via e-mail at mwest1@gladstone.uoregon.edu
CORRECTION
The story “In a world of diversity, the University fal
ters” should have read: Jay Bresiow, the new coordi
nating diversity intern, said he isn't sure what needs
to happen to improve diverse faculty retention.
The Emerald regrets thererror.
c -
World Wide What
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journalism
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visual design
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