Being an RA at Stonehill

By Tristan Dunn

            Twenty year old Nick Falcone knows from experience that being a Residence Assistant is sometimes a lot harder than it looks.

            Falcone, a sophomore at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, who is a criminology and computer science double major is from the town of North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

            Falcone decided to become a RA or Residence Assistant at a Residence Life meeting aimed at recruiting students to become Ras. Falcone said he wanted to make an impact on the Stonehill community on a large scale and the best way seemed to be becoming an RA.

“The free room and board also helps” he said.

            One of the jobs of being an RA at Stonehill College is part taking in monthly policy checks where Falcone assists Residence Life inspect students’ rooms in his hall. During these policy checks, Falcone searches for policy violations and contraband in means of drugs and alcohol. Common policy violations include room damage and illegal decoration placement.

            Less formal tasks include running the dorm phone and answering calls while being on duty. When answering the phone, Falcone is often asked for guest registration and opening rooms for students who forget their key. Occasionally, Falcone has to call campus police when students either hurt themselves and they need medical attention.

Another task of “being on duty” extensive checks in the building halls and bathrooms for damages and other associated issues. In these checks, Falcone searches for missing ceiling tiles, floods in the bathroom and trash in the halls. Falcone is on duty for at least four or five days per month.

Falcone believes that the most important job is building a community. “Being an RA means being a resource and a liaison for the student to the faculty of residence life”, he said.

            Falcone said that he does enjoy being a Residence Assistant because of the good he is doing for the students he supervises. Falcone said every day he gives his students advice on class selection and scheduling so that they can fully enjoy their college experience.

Falcone does admit that there are down sides to being an RA.

Falcone says that he does not enjoy “being on duty late at night around 4 in the morning”.

Falcone also does not enjoy dealing with misbehaving students and roommate conflict. Many cases involve violated polices but Falcone said that most students cooperate with him to find the best solution. Falcone said that all of the conflict is “part of the job and I do not mind doing it”.

            Falcone says that anyone who would be interested in becoming an RA has to be invested in the job 24/7.

A Residence Assistant has to understand protocol, resolve conflict, and adjust to every day issues. A Residence Assistant must also be able to do the uncomfortable things for Falcone it was staying up late. Finally, an RA must be able to look at the positives and negatives at a situation and listen to both sides of a story.

            Today, Nick Falcone watches over his hall from behind a desk in his 3-man suite that he shares with two of the students that supervises.

Once a month, Falcone puts up decorations on the doors of the rooms and the boards in his hall. On the door for this semester Falcone has placed for sale signs, mummies, and bowling pins. The bulletin board for this month is of a Halloween theme where the board asks “What is your favorite candy?” Falcone also hosts game nights and events for the entire hall to form the ever important sense of community.