Planning GYRADS, organizing floor events and enforcing open hours were just a few of the responsibilities of Biola’s Resident Assistants presented to interested students Monday and Tuesday night. Sutherland auditorium was filled for the informational meeting, which focused on the requirements for being a Resident Assistant (RA) as well as the RA application process for the 2008-2009 school year.
On average, every year about 150 students apply to be RAs and 79 students are hired. Freshman Kristin Oscarson was one of the students who attended Monday’s meeting.
“My RAs have really influenced me, and I wanted to find out more about it,” Oscarson said.
When deciding whether an applicant should be an RA, ResLife looks for students who have a heart for serving others. They prefer applicants who have previously lived in a residence hall on campus so they are already familiar with Biola’s community expectations.
Other qualifications that the ResLife directors look for include a commitment to uphold and follow Biola’s policies, the ability to take a special leadership class during the fall semester and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5.
The mission statement of ResLife is “to direct communities of life transforming influence,” Beth Born, one of the assistant directors of Residence Life, said. The Resident Directors (RDs) and RAs of ResLife strive to support and connect with the approximately 2,600 students that live on Biola’s campus.
Being an RA is a time-consuming but extremely rewarding experience, according to some students who are currently RAs.
“Being able to love on the girls and pray for them in ways that they don’t even know makes [being an RA] totally worth it,” said current Alpha East RA Katherine Howard. “I would definitely do it again.”
Howard believes the most important quality in an RA is sincere concere for the residents.
“You really need to care about the souls and hearts of the students because it is on the floor that faith is tested and where it grows,” Howard said.
Resident Assistant applications are due on Feb. 20 by 5 p.m.
