By: Mara Nolan
Intern
River Crossing Campus Housing is hiring new Resident Assistants (RAs) for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year as the spring semester comes to a close.
“All positions are open,”Loni Oehlwein, Assistant Director of Housing, said. “We are looking to fill eight RA positions and one Senior RA position.”
According to Oehlwein, only returning RAs can apply for Senior RA positions.
There are many benefits to becoming an RA including a free room and bi-weekly stipend. This position provides a unique opportunity to develop interpersonal and leadership skills, including facilitation, collaboration, organization, planning and many others.
The perfect RA candidate is a fulltime student who is highly responsible, outgoing and willing to overcome challenges and help the community grow and thrive.
“I would say: willing to learn and be flexible, good time management, good handle on their academics, outgoing or willing to be outgoing at times, positive and supportive towards others, creative, a genuine care for people and someone who is willing to try new things they probably have never tried before,” said Oehlwein when describing the traits of a solid RA candidate.
RAs must also be strong students who maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher and are in good judicial standing with the university.
River Crossing Campus Housing RAs undergo extensive training to ensure that they are well equipped to support and guide students as they adjust to college life and residential living. RAs must attend training sessions two-three weeks prior to the start of the fall semester, in-service sessions throughout the year, weekly staff meetings and a mandatory winter training program. It is essential to the success and wellbeing of students that their leadership models have the skills they need to combat possible issues that arise from life on campus, and to serve as sources of support and encouragement within the community.
It is highly important that RAs make themselves visible, available and present to their community. RAs are required to aid in housing issues, offer emotional and academic assistance, confront inappropriate behavior, aid in conducting safety and security procedures and carry out many other administrative duties like the monitoring of maintenance needs. Along with this, RAs are expected to facilitate extracurricular activities that draw students into deeper involvement with IU South Bend campus life.
Photo // Alyssa Foster
