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Being a Senior RA - Beating the Slump!

Hello everyone! I hope everyone has had a productive and fun first part of the semester. If you're like me, when you started in August, you were probably ready to jump right into the new year. However, now that it’s already the middle of October, you may be feeling the senior RA slump. "What's the senior RA slump you ask?" Well, that is when RAs who are coming back for the second, third, or even fourth years start the year off great, but once classes begin auto-pilot takes over and they tend to take on a "going through the motions" approach to the job. Yet, fear not! For those of you returning RAs, I have a few tips to help you retain the same enthusiasm for the RA position you had when you first started all year long. 

Tip #1 - Become a Big Brother / Sister within Your Staff : As a returning RA, newer members of your staff are naturally going to look up to you as leader and mentor. Utilize this to help form your staff into a better team. Remember when Greg and Marcia Brady would help guide their younger siblings? Use your leadership to help new staff members learn from your experiences. In addition, being a veteran RA on your staff, you are more likely to achieve success when planning staff development activities. Coordinate a night at the movies, or an afternoon of miniature golf. If you plan it, they will come. 

Tip #2 - Challenge Your Programming Accomplishments : Each year, your programming activities should change, even if your community is brand new and has yet to experience them. Programming also serves a purpose as a leadership development exercise for you. Plan new activities this year. Work harder to plan activities that may not have been as successful during a previous year. Be creative! 

Tip #3 - Assume New Responsibilities : Most Hall Directors and other direct Supervisors will often always be open to your assuming new roles within your community. Maybe you might want to assist in advising the hall government, work with your superiors to develop more efficient methods of hall administration, or even work with your residents to decorate and improve the quality outside of your individual hall or wing. You will feel more of a sense of accomplishment within your hall and you will be gaining valuable experience. 

Finally, Tip #4 - Strive to Conquer the Impossible : From the first day you started the RA position, does it seem that there is one aspect of your hall that just can't seem to get any better? Sometimes you would like to fix this, but it seems as though the problem is just too overwhelming. Well, this is your year to change things. RAs for generations to come will thank you and you will have such a great feeling of accomplishment. 

And there you have it. Four tips to keep the year going well, and believe me, there are more if you think about it. In conclusion, I want to wish everyone a successful rest of the year, filled with many accomplishments and fun memories that make this job so meaningful.

Jason Borges, Resident Assistant at Arizona State University