Western Oregon Journal

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It's hard to balance student life with the life of an RA," said Shelby Self, a resident assistant in Barnum Hall.

Self just started as an RA this year, but has been actively involved with school and community ever since she went to Sprague High School in Salem. While she was enrolled there, she was a peer mentor and a Big Sister for the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America. Since coming to Western, Self joined the PLUS Team and became president of Arbor Park.

When asked what an RA actually does, Self answered with, "A lot of planning." Also, on any given duty night, which lasts from 7 p.m. until about 1 a.m., she will have to make rounds twice. Each round requires going to every room in every pod to "make sure everything is going well."

Weekend duty is a little more work-intensive than regular weeknight duty. Along with checking the rooms, Self is required to solve all conflicts within the dorms. Because she is on duty often, there is not much opportunity for her to go home. She also has to uphold all the policies and make sure that the residents are obeying all rules. This can range from noise violations all the way up to more serious offenses, like drug and alcohol abuse.

These are not just skills that Self already knew. There is a lot of training that takes place before one is able to perform the duties of an RA. Once accepted as an RA, there was a class that Self had to take last year during spring term. There was also an intensive training that took place two weeks before New Student Week to complete the training that she needed.

One of Self's favorite reasons for becoming an RA is that "It's fun to work with the staff," but there are down sides too. Unfortunately, she cannot have a job outside of being an RA because she has so much work to do. She can, however, use her leadership skills in a few clubs. Self is, in fact, president of the NRHH (National Residence Hall Honorary).

Even though being an RA is a lot of work, Self is glad to do it. She says with a smile, "I meet so many people, and that is great."

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