RAs provide support system

For freshmen trying to get used to college, resident advisors can play a crucial role as friends, mentors, helpers and officials. Most resident advisers in the Quadrangle form close bonds with the two dozen or so freshmen on their floors. But for Wharton senior Marguerite Nguyen, the bonds go a little further than friendship. Not only has the area above the Quad mailroom been unofficially renamed "Margueriteville," but Nguyen affectionately calls her residents "my kids," while they call her "Mom." Nguyen and 48 other juniors and seniors have been coming to the rescue of this year's first-year students in the Quad since the beginning of September, helping them pick courses, find their way around campus and just deal with life in general. Instead of a salary or stipend, RAs get a Dining Services plan for five meals a week and don't pay rent. Starting this fall, however, the RA experience in the Quad will be a little different. First-year houses will be no more, as the University reorganizes all dormitories into 12 college houses with additional programming staffed by faculty members and graduate students. Many RAs said they had mixed feelings about the new residential system. College senior Kelsi Brown, an RA on the first floor of Butcher, said she thinks it sounds like a good idea. As a freshman at Syracuse University in New York, Brown lived in a dorm that combined first- and second-year students. Although the sophomores at Syracuse were just as eager to meet new people as the freshmen were, Brown said Penn juniors and seniors might be a little more intimidating to new freshmen. But if the new Penn college houses could "keep a sense of community for four years, that would be fantastic," she said. Other RAs, however, said they were strongly opposed to the plan. "I don't approve because I think that each house has its own culture and its own personality," said one RA who requested anonymity. "To mix that up would ruin the experience, particularly in the Quad.? Upperclassmen disrupt the sense of community because they're not involved and they keep to themselves." And Nguyen noted that the RAs' advisory capacity may be weakened by the new system because "my upperclassmen don't need me as a resource as much as my freshmen do." Wharton freshman Harlan Cherniak said the Quad plays a big role in attracting incoming students because it's safe, centrally located and allows freshmen to meet each other. But he said he would not remain in the Quad as an upperclassman because "it's time to move on. I'd rather have an apartment or house off campus. The social scene shifts away from the Quad as you get older." Even with the impending dorm reorganization, RAs will continue to play a role in the lives of their students. Residential Living officials are looking for "academic and social role models who can share their struggles and decision-making processes with younger students," according to Chris Dennis, director of academic programs and residence life. Dennis added that prospective RAs should know how to create a sense of community and bring students together for various programs. Dispute-resolution skills are also a plus. Most importantly, though, an RA must "be sensitive to the rhythm of the academic year," which includes leaving home, major exams, stress and fraternity and sorority rush, Dennis said. But RAs can't always figure out everything. Dennis noted that "RAs alone aren't responsible for solving all the problems on a floor." Still, officials want to make sure they get people who can handle the job. For the new college houses, candidates must fill out an application with short-essay questions specific to each program. They are also required to meet with students and staff members of the houses in an intensive interview process. Nursing senior Hillary Baker, an RA in the Graduate section of Spruce Street House, said a prospective RA should "be really motivated and want to interact with everybody." After living in the High Rises, Baker decided to return to the Quad. "If I could have one positive effect on a resident," she said, "that would mean something." Many students agreed that RAs play a vital role in shaping the Penn experience. Cherniak said his RA helped him get through some difficult emotional times. "When you really need him, he's there," the second-floor Butcher resident said. "He really gets involved with everyone on my floor." Cherniak said RAs are essential because "otherwise it would be a huge party. Someone needs to keep things in order."