RAs get many benefits, responsibilities with job

You see them in the halls, in the food courts and in class. You talk to them in your rooms, at floor meetings and when you see them around campus. They are the resident assistants of IU's 11 residence halls.\nMany wonder not only what these people do, but how they can balance an RA's responsibility with school and sometimes even another job. The 197 RAs in the dorms come from all backgrounds and complete a myriad tasks every day.\nBob Weith, director of Residential Operations for the Residence Halls Association, said RAs are a source of support for students.\n"(The RAs are) the people who are the most significant resource for students, especially freshmen, to go to when they are having trouble," Weith said.\nOne of the main jobs of an RA is to build a community on floors, said McNutt RA and junior Jerin Harvey. \nWith similar sentiment coming from other RAs, junior Dennis Perkins from Ashton Center said they oversee what goes on in the residence halls.\n"We supervise residents and make sure they follow residence hall policies," Perkins said.\nWith other duties including coming up with program ideas and making sure people don't have conflicts with their roommates, it takes up a lot of time and energy. Sometimes sleep becomes a factor, said senior Kathy Wolf of Read Center.\n"Some of our biggest problems include the 3 a.m. fire alarms -- especially when I have a test in the morning," Wolf said.\nAlong with fire alarms, sometimes duty calls in other ways during the middle of the night, such as when roommates fight, when someone comes back to the dorm after a long night out or when someone is depressed from earlier events in the day.\n"We are like a counselor or a therapist," Wolf said.\nOther times, it is a matter of respect, said junior Alex Bruce from Wright Quad. \n "We show them that there is still a way to let people study and sleep, but they can still have fun while being a little more respectful," Bruce said.\nRAs might just be ordinary students, but Weith said being an RA comes with the longest job description in the RHA.\n"We are like every other student around campus, we just have a title that goes along with it," Perkins said. They have to go room to room, asking how things are going, hold "office hours" a few times a week and have center desk duty two to three times a week, as well. \nRAs can be extremely busy at times. Some, like Perkins, also have multiple jobs to deal with alongside school work. But, many view the job as very rewarding.\n"You're a part of the IU community and the best part is, you meet so many cool people," Harvey said. \nWith so many demands, the dorms need a great staff to help the RAs with things such as packages, sorting the mail and answering other questions students need help with that RAs might not have enough information to answer. For these types of tasks, students can see people such as the residence manager, the office services assistant and the department secretary. \nAlong with getting free room and board, and a little extra cash per month, many personal benefits come with the job as well. \n""It teaches you a lot more than being an authority figure and you learn just as much about yourself," Wolf said.\nBut for Bruce, it's about the opportunity.\n""I love it. It's a great experience. I'm really glad to get this opportunity," Bruce said.\nThe benefits might not lie solely within the RAs themselves, but also with the people they help. RAs can help their residents by giving advice and information. \n"What these people do is simply unbelievable," Weith said. "They manage their lives, their job and their studies so efficiently that it helps me out, also." \nAnd the RAs enjoy what they do.\n"It's a really good job -- I'm lucky to have it," Bruce said. "It's a great part of my life." \n-- Contact staff writer Ryne \nShadday at rshadday@indiana.edu.