Campus Life - Letters from Ohio State University

It's not easy being an RA

By Akio Iijima

寮生のライフスタイルは十人十色

Compared to Japanese teens who are overburdened with their high-school juken battle, high school for the average American teenager is a breeze. This can mean that the subsequent step from high school to the relatively demanding life at college is a shock for many incoming American freshmen. And so this is where the role of the Resident Advisor (RA) comes into play. An RA is an upperclassman who lives together with the younger students in the dorms and helps them adjust to college life.

Last year, I lived and worked in a dorm, working as an RA. The main reason why I applied for the position was that I wanted to become a part of American society, rather than just be a foreign student who comes to the United States for nothing more than a college degree. It was an experience that was not available in Japan, and it seemed to be meaningful and personalized work in which my own experiences of life would count a lot.

The duties of the RA vary considerably: some were fun and productive, such as organizing activities, like football matches, for the residents and advising students about their concerns and their needs, while others were irritating and laborious, such as keeping drunk residents under control and doing the rounds in the dorm, sometimes until 2 a.m. on weekends.

One of the most thrilling aspects of being an RA was catching underage drinking. Our job was to report any incidents to the Hall Director, who dealt with it rather than the police. The legal age for drinking alcohol is 21 in the United States, and this is strictly enforced. Repeated offenders are kicked out from the dorm. But I worked in a dorm filled with freshmen who were finally free from the hawk eyes of their parents: Drinking, for them, was a mark of independence. It was a busy job.

Busting people was thrilling not because it made me feel powerful, but because of the tact it required. RAs have limited authority, and, unlike cops, they have no authority to force open doors and search for drugs and alcohol just because they are suspicious.

Parties are normally carried out behind locked doors and are only noticeable through loud music and the smell of beer. Residents are careful to hide all the beer whenever there is a knock on the door. Many times, they will not even open the door.

More importantly, RAs live on the same floor as residents, and they can make an RA's life living hell if he or she proves unpopular. In the past, residents have flooded their RA's room with water through the opening under the door while he was out; it spoiled all his electric appliances, including his computer.

It is common for RAs to totally lose their residents' respect and control. Punishing people only leaves them aggrieved, aggressive and even less cooperative than before. Since keeping a good relationship with residents is the key to managing a floor well, the work of an RA requires a challenging degree of skill and sensitivity.

I persuaded my residents to comply quickly and smoothly without forcing them to do anything: "It's your fault if you make it obvious to us. You know our job. If you cooperate with us, my job will be easier, the report will be nicer, and you'll have less trouble later. So let's make things easy for everyone."

What I did was not something lifted from a textbook and it was an effective and peaceful solution, especially in my dorm, which was overcrowded with troublemakers. Confidence, calm and an ability to read the atmosphere were most important.

RAs play many roles: friends, educators, disciplinarians and entertainers. But the most important thing I learned was that you need to be flexible to respond to thousands of different situations.

Shukan ST: Feb. 7, 2003

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