What are Resident Assistants? The Dean Daily Insight

Dean Residence Hall Members. Photo Courtesy: Dean Res Life Instagram

The Residential Assistants, otherwise known as the RAs, here at Dean College provide authority and connections while you live on campus. They have many responsibilities to keep the campus under control and safe. These include making sure everyone follows the rules in the residence halls, enforcing policy violations, and nightly rounds. Nightly rounds are when at least four RAs are on duty walking around the campus to make connections and to be the community police.

Being an RA also allows them to have specific experiences that a normal student doesn't experience. Dean Hall RA, Matthew Harkey stated, “I have many different experiences doing fire and safety, opening and closing, and just answering general questions.” As an RA, they know more about the campus and how it runs, so they know how to answer any of the questions you could ask them. Opening and closing are a big part of the job of an RA as well. They must arrive before all the students to make sure the residence halls are set to open and to be there after the residents leave for breaks to close and lock up the halls.

Dean Hall. Photo Courtesy: Richard Thorne.

On why Matthew became an RA, he stated, “It is fun. It’s just another thing to do; I get some benefits as well, and you get to connect and meet new people not only in the residence halls, but also within the Res Life team as well. And the effect you can have on people.” The RAs just want to help all the residents here at Dean College have a good college experience and to connect with everyone around the campus so everyone can feel welcomed.

If you want to become an RAs in the future, you can look on hiring apps like handshake and LinkedIn to see if applications are up for next semester. Or you can email Janasia Hinkle, the Assistant Director of Residence Life, and she can help you get all the information you need.