Breanna Balleby
To all of you living on campus this year, welcome! Yesterday (Wednesday, September 24) marks the final day of move-in and we are well on our way into CONNECT Week. Something to keep in mind as you transition to life on campus is your hall staff. They are here to support you and it’s important you know how they can help make this year a great experience!
First off, I encourage you to get to know your RD (Resident Director). Each hall has an RD who helps to manage the building and the hall’s community. This person has at least a master’s degree and is a full-time professional staff member. All RDs host weekly office hours where you can meet with them individually regarding most aspects of university life.
RD Tip: stop by your RD’s office hours sometime during Week 1 or Week 2 to introduce yourself!
Secondly, many of you might be familiar with the acronym RA which stands for Resident Assistant. These are peers who live in the hall with their residents and help address student concerns. Being students themselves, RAs are a great in-hall resource and they can support you in a variety of ways. Their goal is to create a safe, intellectual, and well-connected community and they do so by assisting students on a day-to-day basis as well as through event programming.
RA Tip: when you see your RA at the main desk of your building say “hello” and ask them about some of the things you can check out from behind the desk
Next up, the CRFs (Community Relations Facilitators) are also peers who live on campus. There are seven CRFs campus-wide this year so about every other hall has a CRF. This position is built into residence hall life in order to promote social justice and help residents create an equitable and inclusive community. The CRFs will host facilitations surrounding topics such as diversity, social justice, etc. just about every month. They also host office hours so students can chat one-on-one with a CRF if they wish.
CRF Tip: keep an eye out for an upcoming CRF facilitation and plan to attend at least one facilitation this term
Finally, each hall on campus has one ALA (Academic Learning Assistant). As current students, the ALAs know quite well what it’s like to balance the components of college life. ALAs will plan academically-focused events in the hall and they will also have office hours throughout the week. They can help you improve your study skills, find resources on campus, understand how to utilize online resources (such as online registration or the Valley Library website), and generally help you towards your definition of academic success.
ALA Tip: find out when your ALA’s office hours are by stopping by their room or asking them the next time you see them in the hall
