Free room and board sounds like a dream to many college students, but it's a reality for all resident advisors.
The University of Memphis's Residence Life Department is accepting applications today for students interested in becoming resident advisors for the spring 2001 semester. The theme for this year's selection process is "Kick' N The Millennium as a RA."
"We're looking for hard-working and focused students," said Adrienne Christian, assistant area coordinator of the Carpenter Complex student apartments. "We don't know exactly how many positions are available, but there are vacant slots."
Applicants must have a minimum of 2.25 GPA and be a full-time student. All resident advisors receive free room and board, a 25 percent discount on books, a $1,000 stipend for the semester and five meals per week from Richardson Towers Cafe.
"We're encouraging students to take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity," said Dana Copes, assistant director of Conference Housing and Dining Services. "Being a resident advisor is one of the hardest jobs a person can have, but it is also one of the most rewarding."
Resident advisors are required to sponsor two programs per month, one educational and one social, and complete duty nights and safety checks once a month.
Duty nights require resident advisors to be in the residence hall two or three times per week from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to monitor the flow of activity in the dorms. Resident advisors are also required to complete safety checks in the residence halls and ensure visitors leave when visiting hours end.
"Many of my friends think resident advisors don't have lives, but we live just like other college students," said Ashley Haralson, resident advisor at Carpenter Complex. "We have to manage a great amount of responsibility -- that's not always easy -- but you get better at it each time."
"The hardest thing that I've had to do as a resident advisor was to write up incident reports on people that I really knew -- some of them have even been my friends," said Shronda Watson, a resident advisor at the Carpenter Complex student apartments. "But you have to do your job first and be a friend later."
Watson encourages students who meet resident advisor qualifications to fill out an application.
Students interested in a position should stop by Residence Life, in Richardson Towers, and pick up an application.
