Cathy Bickel, associate director of housing and residence life, said because it is an employment situation she is unable to say why.
An alternate pool of RA candidates, as well as students in the EDHI 200 Introduction to Personnel Services in the Residence Halls class that is required for those interested in being a RA, were chosen to fill the positions. The two positions have been filled, Bickel said.
“[RAs being fired] is not unusual, and BSU probably has a lower rate of RA turnover than most universities,” Bickel said.
CHALLENGES OF BEING AN RA
Brooke Sturgell, a former RA in Elliott Hall during the 2013-14 school year, said she believes some RAs struggle because the job is incredibly demanding.
“There were times when I felt so soulless because it felt like the job was all I had,” Sturgell said. “People crack under pressure, and that’s what I think tends to happen.”
Sturgell said both the RAs she worked with took full responsibility of their job and were very helpful. However, there were times when they all did not fulfill the duties and shrugged the job off onto another RA.
“I think, sometimes, the staff and directors would forget that we were kids with little to no social existence outside of our halls,” Sturgell said. ”That would take a toll on everyone.”
The hardest thing about being a RA for Sturgell was balancing being assertive and being seen as likable from her residents.
"It hurt my heart when the kids didn't like me or got mad at me for being assertive," Sturgell said. "You know, in the position, you want to be likable and everyone's 'favorite.'"
She said there is a lot of pressure to sell yourself, but it can, in turn, take a negative toll on remaining true to yourself.
"Mentally, I was overwhelmed," Sturgell said. "Every spare second I had was spent trying to maintain healthy and fulfilling relationships with residents."
As a result of the mentally demanding position, she decided one year was enough. However, she built a lot of lasting friendships and learned that being "likable" isn't necessary to feel good about yourself.
Brogan Drumm, a former RA in Woodworth Complex, said the job is demanding, and there were days when the staff was not doing their job.
She said there are various reasons why they would not, including being overwhelmed, being lazy or realizing the job was not what they expected it to be.
“I definitely think that if there are RAs who are consistently not doing what they are supposed to be doing, then they should be asked to leave, and others who have more of a work ethic should be put in place,” Drumm said.
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