Challenges
Have you ever had to deal with anything RA related before 5 in the morning?
I actually had a lockout at 4:30 in the morning which was a great day to start off my day.
Do you think you can improve upon this year as a first year RA?
I always think there is room for improvement and I think I can get better as I become more experienced and get more time under my belt.
Do all of the residents in Maria know you?
I would like to say yes but a resident who was locked out and saw me in the hallway said "Tim can you let me in I am locked out." After I said my name was Anthony and not Tim, I told him I would get the keys. He responded with " Thank you, and my bad you look like Tim that's why I called you that."
Do you have any events this semester you plan on doing with another RA?
Has anyone residents mom ever messaged the duty phone to do a checkup on her son?
Yes, one of my first nights on duty I had to check in on a resident because his mom said he had not answered her for hours which was out of character for him.
What is something simple that you struggle with as an RA?
My bulletin boards tend to be pretty lame, I lack creativity but I plan on making sure those get better.
What do you look forward to while being an RA?
I enjoy my events and I also enjoy just being in a position to help others because I know how important it can be.
Have you had any roommate conflicts?
Not a true conflict but I sensed a little tension between one of my teammates and his roommate, I told him to have a conversation with his roommate about staying up so late and maybe they can come to an agreement. Also to let me know if it does not go well, thankfully that is the worst "conflict" I have had on my floor.
How can you promote better teamwork for the staff you are with?
I think we work well together as is but maybe by checking in more and switching up who we do events with we can promote a better team chemistry then we already have.
How many Incident Reports have you had to write?
Five for the whole year, three of which actually came between Tuesday the 11th and before 2 am Wednesday the 12th.
Is it hard to know your residents on a personal level?
Truthfully yes for a couple reasons, first, sometimes they do not want to share about themselves which does not give me a chance at times. Second, it is hard to find a good time to learn about people when our schedules do not line up. Third, it can be hard to remember everything people told me about themselves especially with so many residents. But I am working on getting past all of these obstacles.
What makes you want to be a good RA?
Simply caring about residents and wanting the best for them encourages me to do everything I can to give them the best experience possible.
When you are not on campus how do you stay involved with your duties as an RA?
Many of the residents I am friends with in Maria have my number and actually just text me when they are locked out and then I text our Maria Hall group chat to ensure they can get let in.
For one of your dorm events what did you contribute?
For our most recent one Tim and I went to pickup the pizzas and I also helped raise attendance by spreading the word to people about our event incase they missed an email or flyer.
How do you balance being an RA and a student-athlete?
By managing my time and planning out what I have to do I can ensure I do not miss anything that is on my schedule. I also set a lot of reminders on my phone.
Is it hard to get people in trouble when you have respect and are friendly with them?
Honestly yes, to elaborate on this I had an incident Tuesday where a baseball player was in the bathroom with a Surfside and I knew he was not 21. I went through the whole process of writing him up and him dumping it but it was tough because I see the student in the gym all the time and working hard in class. Still, I knew I had to do the right thing and report him.
Does being an RA relate to what you want to do after graduation?
Without a doubt, I am becoming a police officer post-graduation and I think being an RA helps prepare me for that in different ways. From monitoring the campus and making sure people are following the rules to community building it is great preparation for what is to come in my future.
How have you demonstrated to your residents that you care about them?
Have you had to assist a staff member after they struggled to deal with an issue?
Do you have any cool events planned for the future semester?
I have been getting asked by quite a few people on campus to do an official Spikeball tournament on the weekend once it gets warmer and I am looking forward to that. I am going to try to reserve the turf for that on a weekend when it is available.
What has been the biggest challenge as an RA and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge for me has been getting over the metaphorical "hump" of getting residents to understand that yes I am looking to see if they are breaking any rules but showing them that I also care about them and their well-being. (Elaborate)
Why do you want to be an RA again?
I want to be an RA because it allows me to bring people in the GCU community together and also allows me to make sure everyone can have fun safely.
Name an incident where you had to deal with a TCS student.
One night when I tried to get Elise to go to bed she basically laid down in front of her door and stopped responding. (Elaborate)
Name a time when you did not necessarily want to help out a teammate or staff member but went out of your way to?
The Super Bowl event that I took over for Tim is a good example of this for a couple of reasons. I knew Tim had an important reason he could no longer have the event so I wanted to help him out. Second, I knew that some students on campus would like a fun environment where they could watch the event with fellow students and I did not want them to miss out on that.
Why do you think you should be rehired?
I think I should be rehired because I have dealt with incidents as they have occurred around me. I have also had great attendance for a first year RA as I believe I was somewhere between 4th-6th for event attendance which I think is pretty good for this being my first year. Finally, I believe the residents like me but also respect me in that they recognize if something happens I cannot just turn the other way.