#residencelife

Residents the day after homecoming be like:

Res Life staff the day after homecoming be like:

And as a hall director. And still don’t know what I’m doing.

Let the fuckery begin.

Living the CA life

Becoming a community assistant is a gratifying and exciting experience, says Tessa Brennan, especially if you’re looking to meet a lot of new people and possibly change their lives.

Brennan — a CA in Boomsburg University’s newest residence hall, Soltz Hall — says one of the most rewarding aspects is helping new students transition from home life to college life.

“As a CA, you have the opportunity to work with friendly people as well as form bonds with students you may not have met otherwise,” says Brennan, a senior art studio major with a focus on graphic web design, also raving about the employees in residence life. “Being a CA is an important and rewarding job, with many benefits.”

Learning how to mediate tough conflicts and comfort someone when they are having a hard time are just a few of the irreplaceable lessons you learn in this job, according to Brennan.

For upperclassman wondering if it’s too late to join the residence life community, Brennan says being a CA as an older student is even better than starting your first year.

“It is easier to enforce policies when you have a little seniority over your residents,” Brennan says. “That way everyone can be safe and happy in their residence halls. As an older student you also have more knowledge and experiences than a younger student has and can use those experiences to guide your residents.”

While it can be a time consuming and stressful job, the benefits outweigh the struggles. Some students only do it for a year, while others do it for three.

“In the end I’m really glad I did it,” Brennan says. “I learned a lot about talking to people and being that safe space and safe person for the residents to talk to.”

Applications to be a CA for next year are due Tuesday, Feb. 6 by 4 p.m. Students must have at least a 2.4 GPA, as well as good judicial standing and availability for the full academic year. For details and to apply, visit reslife.bloomu.edu.

...Or at least in the residence life world.  Some might say it’s a calling, others might have been chosen into the matter. But for whatever your case might be, it is a pretty magical job. 

A lot of you might be wondering why? Well that’s simple,  Residence Life is more of a culture than it is a profession. And Residence Workers? Wether it’s a front line worker, to an upper management leader - they really do make magic happen every day. ... Hey you really do get to make a difference.

I think that is what I like about the job, it’s so different - and you get to wear many different (hypothetical) hats.  Like any profession out there, the job does have it’s ups and downs. The good days, are when operations are running smoothly, and you can actually make connections with your students (this doesn't happen all the time though). The bad days, are when you have to be that voice of reason and give your students some tough love (they might hate you in the moment, but come to thank you later).

My best days, and I mean the ones that keep me going are the days where you turn someone’s bad day, experience, or event into something good. Those are the days that I live for (and you should as well), because in those moments, you feel empowered and magical - like you can make a difference.