The topic of on-campus housing resident assistants (RAs) and their involvement with residents is a vast discussion, depending on who was interviewed, what their involvement in campus was, and how long they have lived on campus for. Overall, when asked through a variety of social media platforms like Yik Yak and Instagram, between 30-40 percent of Stockton residents that voted did not know who their RA is. When living on campus, it is important for residents to understand who their building’s RA is and how to get in contact with them. For example, if a student were to get locked out of their dorm, RA’s are able to let them back into their room.

When asked about the purpose of an RA besides holding events for students in the collegiate community, Mikaili from Housing 5 (Ivy) stated, “My job position involves me maintaining an environment that is safe and welcoming for my residents and giving them access to different resources they may need” The focus of an RA is to make sure that residents are able to access resources if needed and to make sure that the buildings are a safe environment to live in. For example, if there is an issue between two roommates, they might be able to figure out a solution and serve as a mediator.

RA’s are also able to get involved and connect with their residents through the changing of billboards to share information in a manner that resonates with the student population. In Housing 5, these billboards can be seen in the residential hallways through the building, helping connect students to resources while they pass through their own dorm buildings.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a decrease in the number of RA produced events, specifically for students that went from first-year housing to upperclassmen housing. When asked about what events RA’s should hold, one junior student that wishes to remain anonymous stated, “ I wish that there were more events that got the whole floor involved even for something as simple as a study group.”

A survey being sent out to students from Stockton could be beneficial in understanding what students would like to see to help them be more involved. There are events that RA’s post in their building group chats, and a senior from Housing 4 stated that their RA posts events that are happening across campus to their building group chat. These events are not all necessarily hosted by those who run housing or are involved in housing, but they do help to spread the word about what is happening on campus. Sometimes, the RA’s are also attending the events and suggest for the building residents to attend so that they can all hangout as a way to destress from the college workload.

Later on in the interview, Mikaili had stated, “My favorite part of the job would definitely be the people that I meet, whether that is residents or coworkers, and being encouraged to get out of my comfort zone.”

Being an RA is an important and rewarding job position at Stockton University, from keeping people safe to helping students become a part of the Stockton Community.