The Role of the RA

In this Issue: Today’s Daily Deac is a Q&A with Dr. Stephanie Carter-Atkins, Executive Director, Residence Life and Housing, about the role of the RA (Resident Adviser).

Stephanie brings nearly 20 years of experience in the residence life and housing arena, so I wanted to get Stephanie’s perspective on what our RAs do, as this might be especially helpful for new families whose students will be moving in soon.

Q: Tell me what the role of the RA is, particularly in reference to new students adjusting to college in the first few months on campus.

A: The RA role is multifaceted. Literally no other student leadership position is like the RA role. This means a great deal of expectations are levied upon those in the role, but often they pick up other expectations: some from their residents, some from their residents’ parents/families, and truly the list could go on. 

One of the main responsibilities of an RA is building community. How they accomplish this looks very different depending on the RA, the community makeup, and a few other factors. Often, parents and family members desire the RA to be more than they have capacity for, as they are full-time students themselves. 

Yes, the RA is there to help residents make connections with one another or with resources on campus, but the RA cannot force students to be friends with each other; we cannot create that sort of expectation. Some RAs may have an open invitation for residents to join them for lunch at the Pit, but not every RA will offer this as an option, as it is not an expectation of them in the RA role.

We fully understand that not every student will find their niche right away on campus and may think retreating to or hiding out in their room is the best option. Honestly, we hope that the RA sees the signs of this, but sometimes that doesn’t happen organically. In those cases, it simply means the RA may need some help in identifying this student. I would love for each RA to be everywhere at the same time, but that is just not possible. They do their very best to be attentive to all the residents on their floor, but they aren’t perfect.  

Our office enjoys working in partnership with parents and families because you may notice these concerns before we do. Your student’s Community Director (CD) can be a great resource for families as well. If you happen to notice issues with your student not adjusting to Wake over a prolonged period, or needing extra support, particularly if they don’t know who to turn to, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their building’s CD. If by some chance you cannot reach the CD and this is a more pressing matter, please consider reaching out to 336-758-CARE.  At Wake Forest, all roads will lead you to the right person, whether that is the CD or someone else who can assist your student. 

Wake is one of the most caring institutions, and when our systems of care are alerted to concerns, we do all we can to help. This could be targeted RA outreach, walking students to resources on campus if need be, or whatever support can help students get back on track. Knowing that even the best RA cannot catch all of the concerns their 25+ residents could present on any given day, we are grateful for family outreach to let us know if there are serious concerns. Assistance and help are truly just a phone call or email away. Again, always remember 336-758-CARE is readily available for you!

Q: What does “develop relationships with residents” mean to you? Are RAs expected to spend individual one-on-one time with each resident? Do they have to make individual contact with residents?

A: The RA’s job is to get to know residents as best as they can. Your student probably won’t become instant besties with their RA, but I want them to develop enough of a relationship that your student trusts them enough that when issues or concerns arise (in the halls especially), the RA is the person they turn to. 

The RA may not be the last person your student speaks to; the RA’s job is to get your student to the right resource they need, whether that’s a CD or another staff member or office on campus. I don’t want any student to ever say ‘I didn’t have anyone I could turn to.’ That means we haven’t presented ourselves as the resources that we are. 

Q: What if several weeks have passed and a resident doesn’t feel like they have ever connected with their RA? What should that resident do?

A: Relationships require two people to be actively involved. This is true for family, friends, or any other type of relationship you’re in. So yes, this rings true for the relationship your student wants with their RA. RAs are literally paid to make connections with students; some RAs are naturally better at it than others. RAs are students who are still learning and growing themselves and learning to be para-professionals.

So it may take more effort from your student to get to know their RA, and then things start to click more – and that’s ok. Your student needing information, help, or connection with the RA is what RAs are paid to do. If things truly don’t seem to be clicking with your student and their RA after repeated attempts, then please encourage your student to talk to their CD. 

Q: One of the challenges some first-year students have is adjusting to sharing a room with someone. If a resident is having an issue with their roommate, what is the RA’s role, and when is it time to bring the RA into the situation?

A: We require each roommate pair to fill out a Roommate Agreement together as an important step in setting shared expectations for their living space. If challenges arise or there are concerns about how these agreed upon boundaries are working, the RA is a great first resource to help navigate the conversation and support a positive resolution. The RA can help walk the pair through each question and will ask for honest answers to be shared. Urge your students to be honest in that Roommate Agreement: if they don’t want someone using their stuff, please make that clear from the outset. Don’t say ok just to not ruffle feathers (but secretly be fuming every time your roommate touches something). Clarity is kindness and honesty is always the best policy. 

Q: If a student has an issue with their room – like a lightbulb is burned out or the sink is dripping – who do they contact? The RA? Or do they fill out a work order with Facilities, Real Estate and Planning (or call the Facilities help line)?

A: We definitely want the students to go to Facilities, Real Estate, and Planning first, and either call or use the online work order system. Most work orders are addressed within 48-72 hours unless it’s over the weekend. It is not written in the RA’s job description that they take work order information for the students and report it. Some will undoubtedly do so, but it is not a requirement. So your students need to report it themselves.

Q: RAs are expected to work 25 hours a week, in addition to being full-time students. But not all of those 25 hours are meant to be engagement with their hall – sometimes they are making rounds, sometimes they are on call, in meetings or trainings, etc. Is there any sort of guideline about how much interaction an RA should have with their hall in a given week? 

A:  There is no specific guidance. We remind our RAs that visibility in their role is essential, but that doesn’t always mean they will be in their room or in a hall lounge. The RA could let their residents know ‘I’ll be at the library on the 3rd floor…come find me for a study break or something.’ or ‘I’ll be at the Pit from whatever time to whatever time, come grab a bite with me.’  

RAs are expected to regularly connect 1-on-1 with each resident to build relationships, just to see how things are going, and to spend some quality time with their residents. The last thing I or any professional staff member wants to hear is, I don’t know who my RA is or they have never stopped by my room. If that’s the case, please reach out to the Community Director and let them know. 

Q: Do RAs have ‘office hours’ or times they are supposed to be free for their residents? If not, how are residents supposed to connect with their RA if they need to talk to them?

A:  No, RAs don’t have specific office hours. Some RAs will list their schedules on their doors or share information in a floor Groupme, GChat, or some other format. Most share their contact information with residents and make arrangements one-on-one with someone. 

Q: How many in-person programs are RAs supposed to plan for their residents each semester?

A: Our RAs help residents build relationships, find their place on campus, and make the most of their residential experience. As part of their role, they plan and host programs, some for the entire residence hall and others designed specifically for their floor, that bring residents together and create a sense of belonging. In addition to this, they hold several in-person conversations with residents each semester called a Deac Chat. These intentional conversations are meant to connect with residents on a deeper level and check in with students on their experiences within the hall, within the classroom, and just how their student experience is going in general.

Q: One of the RA’s responsibilities is to document infractions of University policies. What should students know about this part of their relationship with their RA?

A: RAs are trained to report issues to keep all of our students safe. If a student is doing something that is unsafe for them, or unsafe towards others, the RA is going to step in and stop the behavior (if it is actively happening). RAs also remind students that we have state laws that must be followed and we want everyone to be safe, bottom line. 

There are no hard feelings involved, and an infraction will not make the RA look at a student differently. I also don’t want residents to look at RAs differently, as they are just doing their job and making sure community standards are being upheld. 

Q: I know the Community Directors manage the RAs and provide general assistance to students with residential concerns. What are reasons a new student would reach out to a CD?

A: Gosh, there are so many reasons you might need to reach out to your CD.  If there are residential concerns that cannot be fully resolved after outreach to the RA, the CD is the next step to take the concern. CDs can help with roommate concerns or mediations. They can help connect you with resources outside of the residence hall as well. If the CD cannot answer the question posed to them, they can most certainly point a student in the right direction for an answer. 

Q: The first year on campus tends to be a high-need time for residents. Do the job expectations for an RA for upperclass students look different from being an RA for first-year students?

A: The RA position description is standard no matter where on campus you reside. In practice, that looks different only in the ways in which our students tend to interact with their RA when they move to the Quad or North Area of campus as sophomores and beyond. 

Typically our students feel they need their RA less after the first year because they know the lay of the land and our RAs may not be right down the hall anymore (your student may have to go a floor up or down to find them, but there is an RA in the community). 

While I mentioned the job descriptions are the same for the RAs across campus, the number of residents they support varies depending on the community. RAs working primarily with our first-year students typically have an RA-to-student ratio of 1:25 (give or take a few people), while RAs in our upperclass communities may have a ratio of 1:40-60 residents. This distinction is important because interactions may look different from a student’s first year into their second year and beyond. RAs remain deeply committed to supporting their residents and fostering meaningful connections, though the ways they do so vary based on the number of students they serve.

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing this perspective!