Applications for resident assistants, the students who help maintain a safe and friendly environment in the residence halls, are due this Friday, March 27, by 5 p.m.

“Their room and meal plan will be provided as well as stipends for working,” said Angie Reay, associate director of housing and dining. Reay also said another benefit for them is working with their peers.

Resident assistants work for the housing office and save anywhere from $2,400 to $3,375 depending on where they live on campus. The jobs that the resident assistants have are the same in every building.

“I work in the office, help residents out, and I’m on call once a week to provide assistance,” said Mark Davis, assistant hall director for Sunwatcher Village. “Both school and work take a long time but they each have a lot of benefits that reward you.”

With students graduating, leaving, or being fired from the position, the housing office must constantly find new students to fill the positions every semester. Needing to fill this position on a frequent basis, it can be hard to see why they keep hiring students instead of a full-time employee that they could keep in that position.

Reay said they are a mentor for new students, and they help with the transition from high school to college. “It is a resource for new students to relate to and they are really good role models and they often have other leader roles,” Reay said.

Students that make it through the application process will then go on to the selection process.

“One Saturday morning applicants participate in ice breaker, team building and critical thinking activities, and after that the hall directors hold interviews to choose the new resident’s assistants,” Davis said.

Normal Dorm Rates Per Semester:

Killingsworth and Pierce: $3,230
McCullough-Trigg: $3,375
Sundance 2 BR: $2,850
Sundance 4 BR: $3,160
Sunwatcher 2 BR: $2,760
Sunwatcher4 BR: $3,120
Mustang Village: $2,400

Dorm Rates Per Semester for RAs:

All resident halls and apartments: $0