Home > Residence Life > What is an RA

What is an R.D. or an R.A.?

Residence Hall Director (R.D.)

Residence Hall Directors are staff members educated in counseling and/or student services. They focus on ways to help students adjust to college and teach life skills. Specifically, the Residence Hall Director is responsible for the overall operation of the hall; the advisement of educational, social, academic, and cultural programs undertaken by the hall; the discipline and redirection of students' inappropriate behavior; the supervision of student staff and the individual counseling of students. Residence Hall Directors have a private office adjacent to the general office so he/she is available for your personal and academic concerns. The Residence Hall Director lives in the residence hall with the students so that after working hours he/she can be available for emergencies.

All Directors have posted office hours Monday through Friday. If these hours are inconvenient for you, your Director can arrange a time that is suitable for you both.

Resident Assistants (R.A.)

Resident Assistants are carefully selected each year on the basis of their sensitivity to others' needs, their abilities to handle various forms of emergencies- health, safety or emotional- their academic records and their potential to develop and present innovative and interesting programs to the hall community. Their training has taught them to deal with all types of behavior of students experiencing anxiety and frustration.

There are so many requirements involved in becoming a Resident Assistant because students have many adjustments to make. Your R.A. won't be able to solve all of your problems, but you'll always have someone to go to for help. Remember, your R.A. is a student too, and had to make all the adjustments you're making. A Resident Assistant is a valuable resource.