When Emily O’Hara walked into her first floor meeting freshman year, she was intimidated. She didn’t know anyone and everyone in the room was shy.

But when Cliff Jacobs, her resident adviser, walked in, that all changed.

“The one thing I liked the most about Cliff was that he really brought our floor together as a community, making us really close,” the sophomore English and textual studies major said. “He was very outgoing and talked to us all in an informal, friendly tone that made us feel welcome and comfortable.”

Resident advisers are students chosen by the Syracuse University Office of Residence Life to live in the dorms with their peers. They act as guides for freshmen transitioning from high school to college — whether that means having a person to talk to about homesickness with or having a study buddy.

O’Hara, a resident of Shaw her freshman year, said she couldn’t have asked for a better freshman experience thanks to Jacobs and his exuberant personality. He started as a mentor and educator, but quickly became friends with his “babies,” or residents.

One of O’Hara’s favorite memories with Jacobs was living next door to him. Jacobs and his friends were being loud, and she wanted to let him know.

“I could always hear what him and his friends were saying,” she said. “We wrote a note to him and slipped it through the crack in the wall that separated our rooms. He then responded to the note and sent a piece of paper back through the wall. It was too funny.”

Hannah Visnosky, a junior sport management major and former Lawrinson Hall RA, said resident advisers also address university standards through creative programming on their floor. She would bring her residents together by planning floor dinners and floor events, like movie night.

Visnosky said another role of RAs is to enforce residential rules and the student code of conduct. They document students if the rules are violated, and call in back up if necessary. One of the most common rules violated among freshmen is underage drinking.

A large part of the job of an RA is to keep their floor peaceful and without conflict. If roommates have disagreements with each other, the RA will act as the mediator to work out any problems.

Sophomore Kaitie Wilkers was one of Visnosky’s residents last year, and considers her to be one of her best friends at SU. Wilkers said that Visnosky was a resource to her floor and always had an open door to talk, but stepped into an authority role if she needed to.

“We nicknamed her ‘Mom’ as a joke, but it wasn’t like she was there to get us in trouble,” the health and exercise science major said. “We knew that she had to do what she had to do, but we respected her.”

A large misconception among freshmen is that the RAs are on the floor to strictly supervise the underclassmen. While the advisers are in charge of their residents’ safety at all times and must abide by the rules, the RAs are also their peers.

Visnosky assisted students with their problems — emotionally, socially or academically. She said she would help them find a solution, or direct them to specific resources that could give them answers. Visnosky made it her goal to connect with each of her residents at least once a semester.

Wilkers said Visnosky pushed her to try out for Orange Pulse dance team after learning she was a dancer. Wilkers added that without her RA’s knowledge of campus activities and groups, she wouldn’t have made as many friends as she did her freshman year.

“I was very open with my residents and most of them came to me at least once to discuss personal issues or problems they were having,” Visnosky said. “Just being thanked once made it all worth it.”

O’Hara, the English and textual studies major, said that freshmen should get to know their RAs and treat them with respect. They are the easiest source to go to with questions about campus life and transitioning from home.

“If I could give any advice to freshmen about relationships with their RAs, I would say definitely get to know them,” O’Hara said. “I don’t think my first year experience would have been nearly as great without getting to know my RA.”

Published on August 20, 2014 at 1:05 am

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere