by Jeff Peters
Coordinator of Residence Life

In the U.S, resident assistants came into the spotlight when an RA at Seton Hall University in New Jersey was honoured recently for saving the lives of a number of freshmen on his floor during a fatal fire in January 1999.

That opportunity for heroism fortunately hasn’t come up at Concordia, where six student Resident Assistants are hired each year to aid in the transition of 144 new students to university life.

Student RAs juggle full-time studies with what equates to more than a full-time job, as they live where they work and work where they live. This is all done for minimal pay. In fact, it has been jokingly calculated many times by RAs across the country that their pay works out to about 17 cents per hour, by no means a stretch.

The dedication these students show to incoming students is extraordinary. In late August, they are trained in basic counselling skills, mediation and conflict management, first aid and CPR, and, most importantly, attentive listening, as home sickness and second-guessing decisions to move away from home are two of the biggest dilemmas that our students face.

This year’s staff comprises Tammy Edson (Studio Arts), Audrey Lefebvre (Communication Studies), Ann Marie Brescio (Spanish), Ian Reimer (Mechanical Engineering), and Josh Lewis (Theatre). Paul Murphy (Education, TESL) has come back for a second year and is the Senior RA.

RAs have to put their lives and schoolwork on hold many times throughout the course of the school year to help out their fellow students. They get little recognition, but these six students will leave lasting impressions on every student who lives here. I cannot thank them enough for the fantastic job they do day in and day out. They are wonderful people.

The training of the RAs would not be possible without the generosity of Counselling and Development, Environmental Health and Safety, and Health Services. Residence now falls under the care of Health Services Director Melanie Drew. The staff will be working with Health Educator Owen Moran to implement new educational programs for the benefit of all residents.