During a resident advisor information session held at BGSU, employees that work for the Office of Residence Life discussed what all being a resident advisor entails. This includes the advisor’s duties and responsibilities, the benefits the job entails and how one who is interested
can balance this job with extracurricular activities.
According to the university’s website, about 6,000 students live on-campus at BGSU, and it takes many contributors to ensure these students are safe and happy during their time living in the residence halls.
“The resident advisor is supervised by the residents’ hall director and the graduate hall director,” Madeline Loso, a graduate hall director at BG said. “They always keep their supervisors informed if anything is going on in the halls, such as problems and activities, basically making sure the community is staying safe here at BGSU.”
Other than ensuring the residents are safe, Loso said community development is also a vital part of the resident advisor job.
“One of the RA roles you’ll have is the community development, creating a positive and strong relationship between not only your own residents, but the entire hall in general,” Loso said. “You build community engaging with all the residents through interactions that you have with them.”
With roughly one third of the student population at BG involved in a student organization, concerns around the time commitment of becoming an RA were prevalent in the meeting. Loso assured potential applicants there is work-life balance as an RA and they would have time for everything they loved.
“You can still be a part of all of those activities,” said Loso. “A lot of RA’s are very involved on-campus and it’s a great outlet to just get away from the residence halls for a little bit and have your own life too.”
According to BGSU resident advisor Joe Varga, this job is more than just the handbook duties that have had a positive impact on him.
“So far with being an RA, it’s really helping me with my confidence and a lot of things,” Varga said. “Overall it’s a really good experience and I highly recommend it.”
With there being different sides to the job, aspiring resident advisors get the chance to learn a variety of skills that can help them with several aspects of their life.
“I think it’s really a great opportunity to learn skills such as conflict-resolution and leadership,” Mara O’Connor, another resident advisor at BG said. “There can be some stressful situations, but I think the training really helps you stay calm and collected and be able to make a decision with pressure. It’s also a great opportunity for connections, and so I think it’s just a great way not only to meet other people but also make friendships.”
This is just one of the resident advisor information sessions BGSU plans to host during the 2024-25 academic year. The RA application is open through 8 a.m. on Nov. 15.
For more information about how you can become a resident advisor or how you can attend the next session, visit their website.
