Monetary perks
Free room and board
21-meal plan
$1,300 stipend
Steps to become an RA
1. Student staff info night: An open information night for students interested in becoming a resident assistant, multicultural assistant or community assistant
2. Apply: Applications are due Jan. 2 and are available online
3. Sign up for EDHI 200: The one-hour, required course focuses on residence hall leadership
4. First round of interviews: This 30-minute interview will be conducted by staff members of their current hall and one other building
5. Second round of interviews: Those that pass the first interview take part in another 30-minute interview with two to five hall directors
6. Notification letter: This is where students will find out if they are accepted or rejected
source: bsu.edu
• New resident assistant gave up plans to lead Dance Marathon and rush for sorority for position.
• University hired 129 new and returning RAs.
• RAs get free room and board and $1,300 stipend from university.
Despite all of the challenges faced every day by resident assistants, the position draws a large number of applicants who want to help their fellow students.
Ball State hired 129 RAs for the next school year, more than half of which are returning RAs, said Cindy Miller, assistant director of Housing and Residence Life for Marketing, Communications, and Technology.
Aside from gaining experience with planning and working with students, RAs receive free room and board, a 21-meal plan and an additional $1,300 stipend to compensate for their time working for the university.
Hannah Merk, a freshman education major, said she decided to become an RA because she enjoys being around people and helping them.
“I really wanted to help residents feel welcome at Ball State, and I really wanted to become a bigger part of Ball State as whole,” Merk said. “As an RA, you’re not really a counselor to your residents, but you help them out and form bonds with them.”
RAs act as positive role models for students in their hall, according to the online job description. They also have to ensure their residents don’t break university rules and try to encourage the growth of student communities.
Merk said her new job will be a big change that will require some sacrifices.
She had originally planned to try to get a leadership role for Dance Marathon or rush for a sorority this fall, positions her commitment to her new job won’t allow.
Freshmen accounting major Will Leonard found out he made the cut the week before Spring Break. While he is excited for the reimbursements, they weren’t the reason he took the job.
“At some point, I want to own a hotel,” he said. “That’s part of the service industry, so there are a lot of similarities between the two.”
Free room and board and the extra stipend opened up more opportunities for Leonard, who plans to get an unpaid internship now that he doesn’t have to work over the summer to make extra money.
He decided to become an RA even before he came to Ball State and enrolled in the required class, EDHI 200 Introduction to Personnel Services in the Residence Halls. He was one of a few freshmen taking the course during the fall, he said.
The class is required for any student who wants the job and focuses on developing leadership roles in the residence halls.
After completing the class, students must fill out an application and make it through two rounds of interviews.
Merk said she thinks the hardest part of being an RA will be budgeting her time around helping her neighbors, doing homework and taking care of herself.
“I know there are going to be times where I want to be with my residents and interacting with them, but I know that I have to focus on myself first, school second and being an RA third,” she said.
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