Mississippi State University’s department of housing and residence life is looking for a few good men and women to serve as resident advisers and lead the next generation of MSU students.
Today is the last day to turn in applications to be considered for a position as an RA. RAs fill a vital role while serving fellow students and being a student themselves. More than just living in a residence hall, an RA helps new and transfer students get their feet wet and expose them to what MSU has to offer. In return, RAs live on campus for free and receive a monthly stipend while serving in the position.
Jackie Mullen, an area coordinator for leadership and community development for the department of housing and residence life, said the opportunities presented by being an RA helps a student far beyond one’s college years. Mullen also said her experience as an RA during her undergrad years was a deciding factor in choosing her current profession.
“As an RA you could impact so much more than you could in other ways. It gives you leadership experience, which still serves me today, and you can give another person an experience you had as and undergrad,” Mullen said.
MSU RAs are engaged to foster community development within the residence halls so that the halls feel more like home and less like a “dorm.”
Tam Nguyen, in his fifth semester of serving as an RA, said that RA’s are many times the face of the university for many new students. As a freshmen, he did not know many students when he first came to MSU, but his first RA, Mike Gill, took Nguyen under his wing. Nguyen said that made an impact on him that later fostered the idea to become an RA himself.
“We’re the front line in meeting residents and keeping them here at MSU,” Nguyen said. “We try to let them know that this can be a home away from home.”
For Willie Brewster, serving as an RA offered him a chance to get outside his comfort zone he said.
“First and foremost it’s an awesome experience to engage and be exposed to cultures you might not normally be exposed to,” Brewster said. “It puts you in trying positions, and you have certain issues that you have to sometimes address.”
For anyone considering applying to serve as an RA, Brewster said that the job is challenging but has many rewards.
“Evaluate how you want to grow as a person. If you really want to be around a large range of people and exposed to new things it’s great. Also, it’s a great job to balance with school work,” Brewster said.
Candidates that apply are required to have MSU cumulative GPA of 2.5 and have no criminal record or judgements against them. To apply visit the department of housing and resident life’s Web site at ra.housing.msstate.edu. Applications are due today.