When Media senior Justin Averill was a freshman, he had a tough time adjusting to college. Averill eventually overcame this, and he credits his success to the influence of the resident adviser on his floor.

“She made me feel really comfortable living at school, and she was always there for me,” Averill said. “Starting off here I really didn’t have that many friends. She was my first friend.”

Because of this influence, Averill is in his third year of being an resident adviser, and he said he loves the positive influence he can have on his residents.

“I had one resident at the end of (last) year that came up to me and was like, ‘You helped me so much, I was going to go home,’ and it just feels great that I can be a resource to help them,” Averill said.  

The process of applying to be an resident adviser or multicultural advisor is underway. This past weekend, applicants completed phase two of the three-phase selection process.

After filling out an online application as the first phase of the process, students attended an information session and panel to learn more about the positions.

The third phase, the formal interviews, begins in November. Applicants are interviewed by professional staff such as resident directors, program directors and area coordinators alongside current resident advisers.

Residence hall director Nathan Runnells said he looks for people who are involved in the residence hall and who are leaders, along with people with good organizational skills and a passion for social justice. 

“A thing that students think a lot is that there is a cookie cutter RA,” resident director Sarah Coyer said. “This is not because all of our residents are different, so we need a variety of staff members to connect with all the residents that we have. It’s more about being yourself and showing us what you bring to the table.”

Because there can be many types of resident advisers and multicultural advocates, Coyer and Runnells said they try to ask very specific questions in the interviews to help bring forth the qualities that make a good hall leader.

Coyer said they look for people who are “trainable” and have a passion for the job, which should be shown through in the interview.

“I think we can tell when someone is really invested and they want the job for the right reasons,” Coyer said.

Good time management skills are also a big part of the job for both resident advisers and multicultural advocates, she added. Many resident advisers are balancing their responsibilities with another job, clubs, academics and personal relationships.

“It’s like you’re juggling,” Averill said. “You just don’t know what’s coming and what’s going, and you’ve got to plan appropriately.”  

Along with the responsibilities of planning programs and upholding community standards, one of the biggest roles for resident advisers and multicultural advocates in the halls is building a community, Runnells said.

“It’s definitely the aspect of community building and trying to bring people together to create a community based around shared interests, as well as a community of diverse perspectives and backgrounds, which sometimes can be a challenge which I think is a fascinating challenge,” said Gregory Fabray, a freshman in Engineering who is applying to be an resident adviser.

With all of these prized qualities, Coyer hopes that the resident advisers and multicultural advocates can be role models for positive behavior and build a community where residents feel safe. By doing this and creating a safe, strong community, Coyer hopes the residents can learn from their resident advisers and multicultural advocates and keep their communities strong even outside the residence halls. 

“We talk about teaching people … (things) that they will take with them for the rest of their lives and being a good community member is something we hope they take away with them for the rest of their lives,” Coyer said.     

Miranda can be reached at [email protected].