Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1 - 83

Working-Class Resident Advisors
Due to their unique blend of involvement and employment,
RA positions might be particularly valuable gateway roles
for working-class students on campus to access financial
resources and leadership positions.
and employment, RA positions might be particularly valuable gateway roles for working-class
students on campus to access financial resources and leadership positions.
Simultaneously, working-class RAs can be tremendous assets to residential life units
as they provide diverse perspectives, serve as role models to working-class residents,
and further social justice goals. However, our analysis shows that these positions at
times fall short of their full potential in supporting working-class students and in
addressing the classism embedded in residential life. We offer these points of tension
for residence life professionals to consider how they can support working-class
students more holistically and attempt to counter some of the embedded social class
disparities within higher education. 
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80 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2020.0015 https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2020.0015 https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2020.0041 https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2020.0041 https://doi.org/10.7275/pm4x-r359 https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1872288 https://doi.org/10.7275/pm4x-r359 https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1872288

Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1

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