Talking Stick - November/December 2008 - 45

fRom disciplinARiAn And pRogRAmmER to EducAtoR And cRisis mAnAgER, thE RolE of thE REsidEnt AdvisoR hAs bEEn, And is, A REflEction of thE timEs. by Chris McKenzie Willenbrock t he phrase “You wear a lot of hats” is often used to describe working in collegiate housing, and the resident advisor position is no exception. Many in the field can sympathize with the variety of job-related titles such as police officer, counselor, nurturer, community builder, social coordinator, substitute parent, and friend. How do they juggle all of this? Just as they instruct their own residents, they must learn to balance their academic, social, and professional lives. The role of the resident advisor has expanded far beyond a single descriptive title. If you were to follow the literature that documents the RA role, you can see a timeline emerge. In the ‘50s and ‘60s RAs acted as substitute parents, in the ’70s they became social programmers, and in the ‘80s and ‘90s they became promoters of community and wellness. Now they act as educators, peer counselors, and crisis managers. What influences the lives of students today – helicopter parents, computer technology, and campus violence, to name a few – not only creates a heavier workload for RAs but also forces them to juggle several different responsibilities at once. Winston McLean, a new resident advisor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, describes this attempt to maintain a balance: “I want people to think everything is fine … but on the inside I’m really struggling with this job, my classes, and everything else.” For professionals who supervise RAs, this struggle is expected, and they are there to help. Many a one-toone meeting is spent discussing the need for balance and time management, as well as the job of providing “RA therapy” and either heralding the successful community development effort or dissecting the failed one. The role of RAs in previous decades was much simpler and much more narrowly focused. Jack Collins, director of university housing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, recalls his experience as an RA in the late 1960s: “I was pretty much out there on my own … and there was not much in the way of expectations.” As an undergraduate RA, he worked closely with the dean of students, interacted with students daily, had minimal responsibility for policy enforcement, and occasionally connected residents to resources as needed. Now, however, RAs have complex and multiple roles with increased job responsibilities and a heightened level of accountability. They are conflict mediators, program and event coordinators, authority figures and role models, tutors, counselors, and – in some instances – first responders to crisis situations. Residence halls function as microcosms of our higher education institutions; as colleges and universities experience changes in student populations, RAs occupy the front line and bear the November + December 2008 5

Talking Stick - November/December 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2008