icture this.
It’s 2:30 in the
morning and you
are trying to
sleep, but you
hear a lot of
noise coming
from the floor
downstairs. You
get up, call
security, and go
down to check it
out. You find
the source of
the noise, knock
on the door, but
no one comes.
You get your
master key out
and let yourself
in. Fourteen
people are
there, in a tiny
dorm room, with
what seemed like
smoke billowing
out. Was it a
fire? Were they
trapped and
yelling for
help? No, they
were laughing.
As a strobe
light lit up the
room and music
blared, Kurt Hassenpflug’s
residents were
having a dance
party, complete
with fog
machine.
This is just one
of the many
different things
he has
encountered
during his time
working for
Residence Life
at the College
of Saint Rose.
At first, Kurt
was unsure of
how the
responsibilities
of being a
Resident
Assistant would
affect his daily
life, or if he
was even ready
to handle such a
demanding job.
Feeling that he
needed more time
to mature, he
waited until he
finished his
sophomore year
before
applying.
Wanting to make
sure he was
ready, Kurt took
on a lot of
commitments
other than his
already
demanding
English
Education
major. He
became the
President of the
College
Democrats,
assisted in the
creation of
Americans for
Informed
Democracy, and
wrote for the
school
newspaper, along
with his
part-time jobs
of teaching
swimming lessons
and lifeguarding.
“I wanted to see
how my grades
and everything
would hold up
and I found to
some extent I
flourished under
the pressure.”
This is when he
knew he was
ready for the
challenges of
being an RA.
The job of
Resident
Assistant is a
thankless one,
at least from
the majority of
the student
body. Most
college kids who
live on campus
see RA’s as the
people who get
them in trouble,
whose sole
purpose is to
ruin their good
time and act as
a stand-in
parent. But for
Kurt, who is
currently in his
second semester
as an RA, the
job is much more
than that. It
has allowed him
to find out a
lot about
himself and his
limits, as well
as prepare him
for future
endeavors..
As it is with
any application
and interviewing
process for a
job, the path to
becoming an RA
is a
nerve-racking
one. After
filling out a
lengthy written
application,
complete with
letters of
references and
multiple essays,
prospective
students are
interviewed by
various members
of the Residence
Life staff,
including area
coordinators and
current RA’s.
After a question
and answer
portion, the
applicant must
do a creative
presentation,
highlighting why
they are right
for the job.
Many students
choose to do a
power point
presentation,
however, this
wasn’t Kurt’s
style. “I wrote
and performed a
song on guitar
for my
presentation,
listing some of
the scenarios I
might encounter
on the job but I
added my sense
of humor into
it.” The
purpose of the
interviews is to
showcase
applicant’s
personalities,
and Kurt feels
he did just
that. He got a
lot of laughs
from his
interviewers and
he couldn’t have
hoped for more.
Not long after
their
interviews,
students
participate in
what is known as
“RA Group Day”
in which they
interact with
their fellow
applicants in
different team
building and
problem-solving
activities.
This gives the
selection
committee a
chance to see
how the students
handle various
situations and
how they work
together.
“You
definitely get
the feeling that
you are being
scrutinized very
heavily.” But
he realizes this
is necessary
based on the
importance of
the position.
Kurt didn’t find
out if he had
gotten the job
until about a
month later,
leaving him with
plenty of time
to think about
his interview
and interactions
at Group Day,
and wonder how
he did. Not
surprisingly,
his nerves were
evident. “I
think that's
always the case
with this sort
of thing,
particularly if
you have a
strong desire to
win the
position.”
Considering the
relatively large
applicant pool
that the Office
of Residence
Life had to
choose from,
Kurt knew that
there might have
been someone
more qualified
than himself,
someone more
suited for the
job. However,
after what
seemed like
forever, he
found out that
he was in fact
going to be an
RA the following
semester. “I
was extremely
happy when I
found out,
although I was a
little surprised
as well.
Everyone did
such a great job
at my group day
that I was a
little unsure of
whether or not I
stood out
enough.” Unsure
or not, Kurt
excitedly took
on the new
responsibilities,
however, it
turned out to be
a lot more work
than he had
first imagined.
Most
college students
mainly worry
only about
themselves,
about their own
problems and
issues. RA’s on
the other hand,
have to worry
about all of
their residents
and deal with
whatever
troubles they
are having on
top of setting a
good example for
them. In Kurt’s
case, this means
worrying about
44 male and
female residents
and how what he
does affects
them. “I think
that I'm more
conscious of my
own actions. As
an RA, I'm
supposed to be a
role model on
and off campus,
so I really want
my behavior to
reflect that.”
He is also
responsible for
making door tags
for every
resident’s door,
submitting
maintenance
requests,
helping
residents switch
rooms if needed,
and be ready to
handle lock-outs
when they occur,
which is often.
He must also
attend staff
meetings every
week and go to
other RA’s
programs and
events. “It's
not easy. It's
definitely
stressful trying
to juggle
everything, so
every once in a
while it's good
to just unplug
and read a book
or play guitar
for a while.”
As a result of
the major time
commitment of
being an RA,
Kurt has had to
drop out of
Americans for
Informed
Democracy and
has since
stopped writing
for the
newspaper.
For some, the
stress and
responsibilities
that come with
the Resident
Assistant job
can be too much
to handle, but
not for Kurt.
“I like the
challenge. I'm
the kind of a
person that
needs to be
challenged in
order to be
successful, so
this is great
because I'm
constantly
challenging
myself to manage
my time
effectively.”
Sure, there are
times when he
would rather be
hanging out with
friends and
relaxing, but
instead he must
go to meetings
or do what seems
like endless
amounts of
paperwork.
This does not
dissuade him
from
recommending the
job to other
students,
however.
Although
cautioning that
the position is
not right for
everyone and to
research and ask
questions of
other RA’s
before applying,
Kurt feels like
it is a learning
experience and
is a great
preparer for the
future. “I'm
planning on
being a teacher,
so being able to
manage time
effectively, as
well as be in a
leadership role
are crucial to
me.”
Kurt is looking
forward to his
senior year of
college, student
teaching, and
being an RA
again. He will
continue the
balancing act
that is his
life, knowing
that it will pay
off after
graduation.
~
