The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2 - 86

Diane D. Everett • Zachary V. Loftus

ers and friends. Reducing role conflict requires changing the social structures and other organizational features that create it. This understanding has implications for RAs’ training and roles that differ from other authors’ recommendations and emphases on RA selection, supervision, support, and student development (e.g., Schaller & Wagner, 2007), rather than on changes to organizational structures and processes.

Another recommendation to reduce role conflict is to eliminate undergraduate RAs’ role in the disciplinary process. Some schools have adopted a community standards model in which RAs no longer play a rule enforcer role (Schaller & Wagner, 2007). Instead, this model emphasizes RAs’ facilitative and support roles

Recommendations for Practice
One recommendation is for RAs’ training sessions and materials to explicitly acknowledge role conflict as a common condition deriving from undergraduate student RAs’ structural positions in the university, not from individual psychological or personality factors. RAs’ training should equip them to recognize it and provide them with specific solutions for addressing it—solutions beyond the official, but unrealistic, stance that all violators should be treated in the same impersonal matter, according to university regulations. Role playing during training sessions is one way to illustrate role conflict. Training should incorporate scenarios in which “RAs” are required to confront “friends” for various types of policy breaches. Pairing veteran RAs with new ones can facilitate the demonstration of successful resolutions. Moreover, because the nature of the RA-resident relationships is likely to change over time (Rubington, 1990), it is important for training to be ongoing and for professional housing and residential life staff members to monitor and support RAs’ efforts to balance their incompatible roles as rule enforcers and peers/friends throughout the academic year.

Role playing during training sessions is one way to illustrate role conflict . Training should incorporate scenarios in which “RAs” are required to confront “friends” for various types of policy breaches. Pairing veteran RAs with new ones can facilitate the demonstration of successful resolutions .

as counselors, educators, and role models to enhance the sense of community among residents (Schaller and Wagner). Reducing the type of role conflict discussed here should also decrease undergraduate RAs’ job stress and increase their job performance, job satisfaction, and satisfaction as a student (Deluga & Winters, 1990). A related solution is for graduate students or other professional staff members to serve as RAs. Although their greater differences in age and social experiences from residents’ may al-

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2