Last week, Annie Tao, along with an anonymous resident assistant
informant, described the changing student staffing structure on the
Hill as “stupid” and going “downhill”
(“Too many roles, too little time,” Jan. 31). As
someone who has frequently enjoyed Tao’s writing, it was
unfortunate to see this particular piece because of how it
negatively and inaccurately portrays what should prove to be a very
important development for students living on campus.
I have had the opportunity to live and work on nearly every type
of staffing model on the Hill. In my first two years at UCLA, I was
a student leader in Dykstra Hall, which then had one resident
assistant and one program assistant per floor. As a third-year, I
served as one of two RAs on a floor in De Neve Plaza’s
Evergreen. Currently, I am a single RA in De Neve’s Fir,
without another RA or PA present on the floor. Of all these models,
I found that it was extremely beneficial to have the support of a
second RA when trying to know and to serve 80 residents (or more)
in a meaningful way ““ for more reasons than just
programming.
As Tao stated, a two-RA model significantly improves the
resident-to-RA ratio. While that might sound slightly less exciting
than improving programming, it is far more important. Residents who
return to the Hill do not come back because of a guaranteed
“four programs a quarter,” no matter how good those
programs are or who is putting them on.
They return because of the unique community that is created by
living there ““ of which access to quality programming is only
one part. Residents live on the Hill because they know it will be
safe and secure with the constant presence of RAs on their floors
walking the halls. They return because they know that they can have
any personal issue, no matter how sensitive or dangerous, addressed
with seriousness and care by a well-trained RA. And they know that
they will be able to meet and befriend dozens of fellow residents
on the Hill, some in the context of a preplanned program, but often
just through the normal course of relationship-building that occurs
on any given floor.
I find it quite inaccurate to suggest that RAs cannot, and have
not, put on quality programming of all types and sizes over the
years. In fact, even in buildings where an RA-PA model exists, all
RAs have to implement some type of programming on their own anyway.
From personal experience I understand that it can be challenging at
times for an RA to do all the programming required each quarter
because of other time commitments the RA might have. However, RAs
are very well-compensated for their service (including living on
campus for no charge). Creating four successful programs a quarter
isn’t hard if RAs plan their time accordingly. Additionally,
RAs can always work together, use the support of their supervisors,
and even give eager residents the opportunity to step up and help
out ““ now that’s leadership development.
Furthermore, the RA role is not, nor has it ever been, simply
about being an authoritarian. Yes, you can’t go drinking with
your residents for obvious reasons, but I would sincerely hope no
one views that particular activity as the only way to build
meaningful relationships with residents.
The co-RA model also allows for greater flexibility. The two RAs
are often of different genders, allowing residents to seek out
whomever they are most comfortable with. And regardless of gender
or other factors, having two RAs means twice as many individuals on
the floor who have gone through a spring RA class and dozens of
hours of training, all for the purpose of making residents’
experience on campus the best it can be.
I love PAs ““ those that fill this role are some of the
most enthusiastic and passionate students working on the Hill, and
many go on to become excellent RAs. However, a resident’s
ability to access the knowledge and mentoring skills of an RA is
the most important part of living on campus. The Office of
Residential Life changing its focus from PAs to RAs will make it
easier for residents to do just that.
Gruenberg is a fourth-year political science and history
student.