Are You The Missing Piece?

Bluff Woodland Prairie Cougar Village Are You The Missing Piece?

What’s in it for me? • Benefits of being a Resident Assistant: • Free private room and bathroom in the Residence Halls, or room in Cougar Village. • Bi-weekly paycheck. • But wait! There’s more! • The RA position is one of the most challenging and rewarding student leadership positions available on campus. • Stands out on resume when applying for future positions. • A chance to improve upon communication, research, management, creativity, empathy and analytical skills.

Fun On The Job(It happens) • Getting to know the residents on a personal level. • Programming • Theme Duty Nights • Flashlight tag • End of the year banquets

Is this position right for me? Use these questions to evaluate yourself? • What am I looking to take away from this position? Is it financial or monetary benefit? • What will I bring to this position? • What has my RA done for me, or those around me? • How do I react in emergency situations? • Will I be able to make hard decisions? • What is the fishbowl effect?

So you want to be an RA? • Basic Requirements : • At least 2 letters of reference. • All five essays completed. • All portions of the application completed. • Attended ONE of six RA Info Sessions. • Lived in University Housing for TWO semesters. • GPA of 2.5 or higher. • Completed an online job referral at Student Employment. • Be in good financial, academic, and disciplinary standing with the University.

[ ] Stories from the front lines! The names have been changed to protect the innocent, but the facts are all real.

School: A college in Virginia OOPS! Well, I'm a new RA and have been trying to get to know my residents. To do this, I've been trying to get a lot of face time with them. I was going door to door to say "HI!" and to tell the residents about an upcoming program. I knocked on the FIRST door and heard, "Come in. No! Wait! Who is it?" I paused and said my name. Then I heard, "Um....Just a minute!“ About two minutes later they came to the door and would only open it part of the way. We chatted for a minutes and they gave me some excuse about not being dressed, etc... I finished up with them and moved to the next door down. The two girls I had just spoke to went into their suitemates room. Mind you, the door was WIDE open and I was only about 10 feet away from it. And I hear, "Oh my god! You guys won't believe what just happened. We were sitting there studying and the RA came to the door. We only had like 6 or 7 candles burning!" (which is a violation at our school). She went on to say, "Yeah. And I spilled one of them all over me as we tried to hide it. I went to the door and I had candle wax all over my shoes, hands, and sleeves! I couldn't believe it!" Well, I couldn't believe it either! Hadn't they ever heard of SHUTTING THE DOOR?! I walked back around the corner and said, "Hi ladies!" I thought one of them was going to pass out! Moral: Be careful what you say because you don’t know who’s listening.

School: University of Illinois I had gone to bed early because I had pulled an all-nighter the night before. I must have been super tired or something, because I forgot to put on any pants! well, wouldn't you know, but someone pulled the fire alarm that night. So, i jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway to get my residents to evacuate the building...well, nobody would leave the hallway cause they were too busy laughing at me!! there i was standing in a t-shirt and underwear! it was very funny. now every time i walk down the hallway i get cat calls and everything!! my residents will never let me forget that one :) Moral: Always be aware of your surroundings!

School: UCLA • One day I was on duty responding to an emergency call. When I arrived there was a girl sitting on the floor with a bloody gash on her head. Concerned, I radioed for the EMT's (Emergency Medical Team). While I was waiting for them to arrive I asked some of her friends what happened. One the friends proceeded to tell me that they were bored and decided to make a bet. The bet was that the girl could not jump from the top of one bunked bed to the top of the other lofted bed on the other side of the room. Well, the girl succeeded in making the jump but miscalculated her velocity and acceleration due to the fact that she hit her head on the wall which caused her to fall backwards out of the bed. Imagine me trying to be calm and reassuring when I just wanted to explode with laughter. When the EMT's and police finally arrived, I went into the stairway for a second and laughed hysterically. Moral: Always remain professional even if you want to yell, or laugh, you cannot.

Ice Breakers That Really Are Fun! COMIC STRIP CHAOS • Rules: • Each participant takes a turn at picking a comic frame out of the large container. After the entire group has each chosen one, the participants begin to search for others with the same comic strip sequence. After the participants have found everyone in their group, they must arrange themselves so that the sequence of frames are in chronological order to form the comic strip correctly. Upon completion of sequence, the newly formed group sits down together. Great game to break large group into smaller groups.

Tips for the Process • Be yourself. • No one likes a phony. Be truthful in your responses because if how you behave and what you say do not match; it’ll show. • Be confident. • It’s only an interview. On the job you’ll be faced with much tenser situations. • Be social. • As an RA one of your main goals is to build community. • Think about what you think a good leader should be. • Do you fit your description? • What can you change to better fit that description? • Re-evaluate that description periodically. • Be a team player.

Display Created By: Ankur Patel Resident Assistant Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

Are You The Missing Piece?