Copping out

Being a resident assistant is a tough balancing act to pull off. It’s never easy trying to be a friend and an authority figure at the same time. It’s kind of like reconciling totalitarianism with Mr. Rogers. For example, how can a college student - not much older or sometimes even younger than his or her residents - turn them in to be punished for breaking dorm policies or doing something blatantly illegal and still maintain their trust? Will students still turn to their RAs for advice and support if they called the cops on their roommate and got them expelled? \nThe answer is no, probably not. This dilemma has plagued RAs for untold years and will most likely continue to plague them for years to come. RAs are afraid to act as what amounts to agents of the police, issuing citations that could amount to big trouble for their residents. As a result, RAs are hesitant to turn them in, and because of this off-putting battle of loyalties, they report far less use of illegal substances than actually occurs.\nIn response, the powers that be at the University of Maryland at College Park have decided to reduce the penalties for students caught in minor marijuana infractions as well as giving more discretion to the initial decision-makers. The thought process behind this decision was that, knowing their residents will be put in less jeopardy once they are turned in, RAs will more likely act when they discover that someone on their floor is toking up.\nWhile we do think this decision was made in the best interest of RAs, and ultimately of students, we have mixed feelings about it. No RA wants to be at odds with their residents, and as it stands, turning a student in will likely keep others from confiding in the RA and going to him or her with issues and concerns in the future. For most students in dorms, college represents their first time living away from home. If they don’t feel like they have anyone to talk to about their problems, the results could be disastrous (think roommate conflicts and bad breakups; those never end well). If this new policy ends up turning RAs from being “bad guys” to advocates and friends, then we’re definitely in favor of it.\nStill, we also stand firmly behind the principle that a dorm should not be run like Stalinist Russia. Even if the penalties for messing up are softer, it’s an RA’s responsibility to consider all the circumstances surrounding the busted resident and to take a look at all the options (the “pour it down the toilet” policy or some form of probation) before he or she throws a resident’s entire future into the hands of a third party unfamiliar with the situation. College students are still basically kids, after all, and an RA is not a cop. That said, if this new policy is not abused, we think it has potential. And if it turns out badly? Pour it down the toilet!