University of Idaho junior Ashlynn Lambert sat down with The Argonaut and discussed her previous experience of being an RA in the freshman dorm, Theophilus Tower. Lambert returned to the Tower after living there as a first-year. She has since retired her RA badge to focus more on her international studies major.
Why did you decide to become an RA?
Coming in, I had a whole identity crisis. I switched into international studies and I realized that I wanted to be doing the things that I’m good at and want to help people in my community. So I became an RA.
There are so many big mistakes that people make their first year, and I wanted to help in the ways that I could…especially because COVID was still going on and I felt like my experience was valuable.
What was the hardest part of being an RA?
Every RA has their own journey they go on. The hardest part for me was my social anxiety, living on a floor with 40 people and kind of having “big sister expectations” of like, being everybody’s buddy. You still have to make sure they’re following rules and stuff. I think that’s kind of hard.
Because like, when I was a freshman in the tower, I was just a freshman…but (as an RA) when you open your door and you leave to go somewhere, you are the RA until you leave the building.
What is the purpose of a RA?
I like to think of RAs as like, the floor or building guide. We’re not cops, we’re not your professors. We’re going to understand where you are because we were there one or two years ago. We’re students going through the same thing.
How would you describe the communal living of the Tower?
The biggest word is community; you feel your whole floor with you as you’re navigating (this new experience). You do floor things together, they’re like your first friends.
(As a freshman) we all went to lunch and dinner together for the first three weeks so they’re like your first family. And I think that’s super cool.
What’s a common mistake you see freshmen make?
I know a lot of my residents struggled with their interactions with Greek Life. Especially partying because every freshman wants to go party. They want to find the frat parties, go to the frat parties, have fun. Yeah, a lot of holding kids’ hair back, you know, that kind of thing.
From a place of love – it’s a freshman thing to do.
Would you recommend students be paired with random roommates?
I think it’s worth it. I think it’s hard and brave, personally. But most of the people I talk to on my floor in my residence – they made it work.
It’s important sometimes, especially if you’re afraid of having a double room, because you learn how to live with people. And it’s hard coming in from living with your family… to living with totally other people with different cultures, different norms.
What kind of experiences can you get from living in the dorms?
I think people gain a lot of experience, bending the rules and policy a little bit. I don’t know if that’s good for me to say.
I think you rarely experience that community anywhere else. Like apartments, you have roommates, Greek life, you kind of have that, but the residence halls are just people exactly like you. You didn’t choose to live with them, but you can make them lifelong friends.
Final advice for freshmen?
Bring shower shoes and a fan. (Other than that) I think, like any interpersonal connection, get ready to make compromises and sacrifices, ready to learn from so many people and make friends, especially in the Tower.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq