JOSH WYMYCZAK
Staff Writer
Today, seven RAs will find out the consequences of failing to remain on campus during last month’s fires, which will end the Housing and Community Living review that began in October.
As President Andrew K. Benton urged students to remain on campus during the Malibu Canyon Fire, the Housing and Community Living staff reminded RAs of their position on the Residential Emergency Response Team, (RERT) to “be available to participate as a member of the RERT in the event of a natural disaster or campus wide emergency,” as outlined in the RERT instructions.
During the summer training, each RA received a folder with emergency situation instructions and were made aware of their responsibility to “communicate with residents and provide assistance during an emergency,” according to Associate Dean of Students Stacy Rothberg.
“We were given information during training on how to respond to emergency situations,” said junior RA Erik Engellant, who is not under review. “At that point HCL told us that we are key factors in handling certain emergency situations. We are all supposed to be thinking of our residents before we think about ourselves.”
With the evident seriousness of the fires approaching campus, however, many RAs said they had to prioritize the importance of their responsibilities to their halls and their own safety.
“I really wanted to leave but I know it’s our job as RAs to be part of the team that responds to these types of emergencies,” said junior RA Michael Rennaker who is not under review.
But the seven RAs who left campus failed to fulfill their obligations of working for Housing and Community Living (HCL) and part of the emergency response team.
“Many of us felt that there was nothing we could do in a situation like that and it needed to be turned over to authorities,” said an RA who is under review and wished to remain anonymous.
Because these RAs did violate the policies set before them, many RAs say their meeting with the PRC comes with justification and to no surprise.
“If HCL is getting upset with RA’s it’s only because we are paid to help out the administration in these situations,” Engellant said.
Of the RAs interviewed, those under review by the PRC understand the necessity to go before the panel due to their violations.
“HCL handled the situation very well,” said junior RA Patrick O’Connor, who is under review. “They encouraged me that you can’t sign up to be an RA and expect to be perfect.”
Because the residents have two RAs per building, the absence of one RA did not leave them on their own.
“I really liked having my RAs there to get us up and take us to the cafeteria,” Freshman Joel Miller said. “I feel like without them I wouldn’t have known where to go or what to do.”
While some students had an appreciation for the help from their RA, others said they wouldn’t have minded if their RA’s weren’t present.
“Our RAs are students too and I feel like if they felt like they needed to go home, then they should,” freshman Jennifer Cole said. “With President Benton in the cafeteria students already felt safe, with or without their RAs being there.”
Regardless of the outcomes revealed today, some RAs are questioning the fairness of the Peer Review Committee (PRC), which “reviews situations where exemptions to the Leadership Agreement are requested, reviews time off requests, addresses concerns that are expressed about a student’s performance, considers situations where the Leadership Agreement is violated and also considers situations where the community standards are violated,” according to Rothberg.
The RDs and the Coordinator of the SLA program select RAs that are “good role models, mature, objective, clear-minded, and able to provide respectful feedback and wise counsel,” Rothberg said.
When a situation arises where an RA or SLA needs to go before the Peer Review Committee, four to six of the selected members are chosen based on availability and lack of a conflict of interest.
The job of the PRC is to listen to the issue with the RA or SLA as peers who know the standards these positions are held to and recommend consequences.
“If anyone besides RAs or RDs were on the review committee I wouldn’t feel comfortable because they are the ones who understand the responsibilities of what being an RA is and are the best suited to keep the RA’s accountable,” junior RA Hunter Stanfield said.
However, some RAs expressed concern about not being comfortable with judiciary decisions in the hands of their peers.
“I’m not sure why community living lets students recommend the punishments for other students. Many of the RAs felt violated by their friends and feel that it should be adults handling these situations,” said the anonymous source.
11-15-2007
