For Loretta Moate, senior biochemistry major and resident assistant in the LLCs, being a RA means building friendships, making connections and helping people.
“Your community will influence you and you will influence your community,” Moate said.
Brandon Miller | Argonaut
Students at an RA meeting
Applications are open for RA positions for the 2015-2016 academic year. Jill Powell, assistant director of Student Engagement, said the position gives students an opportunity to be a resource, supporter and advocate for other UI students.
Fulltime students enrolled for at least a semester with a minimum 2.5 GPA are eligible to apply online by noon Jan. 30, on the University Housing website.
“Any personality type, any character can be a leader in a hall,” Powell said.
A resume, cover letter, references and attendance at an interest session are required for applicants in addition to the online application. Three sessions are scheduled over the next two weeks, which Powell said allows flexibility for potential applicants. She said students are encouraged to attend an interest session before submitting their resume and cover letter because part of the session will cover the expectations for both documents.
Moate has been an RA for three different living communities on campus. She said typical RA duties include attending staff and community meetings, creating programs for residents and occasionally being on-call, which means RAs need to have some availability in their schedule. Powell said RAs are an immediate resource for students in crisis.
Both Powell and Moate said there are numerous benefits of being an RA, such as free room and board and textbook scholarship compensation.
“It always helps out the RAs with their education,” Moate said.
After going through three different RAs in her freshman year, Moate said she decided to apply.
“I had kind of seen the entire scale of different people and was like, ‘I think I could do this.’ I would love to be able to give everyone a good experience,” she said.
RA applicants will be interviewed in both group and individual formats the weekend of Feb. 6. Selected applicants will then be invited to participate in a training class beginning Feb. 19 and running through the rest of the semester, Powell said.
During the training process some applicants are offered positions and some are put on the alternate list, which Powell said is used for many purposes, and some withdraw their applications.
“The class is a great opportunity to figure out if this is really what you want,” Moate said. “If you’re thinking about it, you should do it.”
Although there are approximately 50 RAs per year and Powell said they receive between 65 to 80 applicants.
“We’re really trying to focus on getting the right people in the right position and getting our returning staff in the right positions as well,” Powell said.
For Moate, she said forming new friendships and helping build ones between her residents is a rewarding aspect of being an RA.
“I get to see them, I get to interact with them, I have all these people to talk and hang out with,” she said.
Powell said RAs are encouraged to keep a credit load below 16 credits and minimize outside job and club activities in order to be successful academically.
However, Moate said it’s more about the individual students’ needs. She said she has become skilled in time management.
“If you have to take like 20 credit loads, I wouldn’t suggest something like this,” she said. “It won’t eat your life unless you let it.”
Applications are also available for academic peer mentor positions, who help mentor students with coursework and studying. APM applications are due at the same time and applicants must have a 3.0 GPA in addition to the RA requirements.
“They’re that peer mentor that helps students understand that we are here to go to school,” Powell said.
APM applicants will give presentations instead of participating in individual interviews, but must also attend an interest session to be considered.
“We try to assist our first year students in learning how to study, how to focus on academics, have academic conversations,” Powell said.
Katelyn Hilsenbeck can be reached at [email protected]