Photo courtesy of Jinsung Choi
A Liaison that Connects Students and the University
BY JIN SEONG CHOI, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Twelve student staff members have been newly appointed by the Office of Student Affairs for the Fall 2018 semester in order to enhance the overall life quality of students living on campus. Known as Resident Advisors, or RAs, they will devote themselves to representing the need of students and developing a sense of community within the residence halls.
Along with other student leadership positions such as the Student Council and Peer Advisors, the RAs are responsible for building a social and communal atmosphere among students. The advisors especially focus on being the main contact for residents who are struggling with any kind of conflict in their residence halls. The residential assistants will be hosting monthly meetings for their floormates where advisors will open their ears and minds to the residents so students may express their thoughts and concerns on personal issues. Afterwards, the RAs have a conference with staff from Student Affairs to deliver resident concerns to the university and suggest ideas that could foster a better living environment for the students. Moreover, RAs are in charge of encouraging their students to actively participate in school events, ultimately enhancing the community spirit of Mason Korea.
Joshua Cho, class of ’21, a sophomore in Global Affairs and former student intern at the Office of Student Affairs, mentioned, “I believe Resident Advisors are largely contributing to the positive and well-organized environment of residence halls. They are an indispensable communication channel that connects students and the school, and best represents students’ demands and interests as RAs live right next to our doors,” Cho said. He further stated, “I especially love the monthly floor meetings. I was able to get feedback on my suggestions that I had made during the last meeting, and that made me feel engaged,” Cho said.
In addition to their role as a liaison, RAs participate in duty rotation in order to promptly deal with emergency situations. They are further responsible for reporting residential policy violations and facility maintenance problems that they confront during their duty rotation. In other words, they are there all the time for the sake of all dormitory residents of Mason Korea.
As a compensation for their hard work and devotion, Resident Advisors receive a Community Service Scholarship that is worth 750 USD and free housing during their tenure. For more information on the roles and services of Resident Advisors, contact the Office of Student Affairs at mksa@gmu.edu.
