Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

R.A.s ALWAYS READY TO HELP There were the ups and downs of the living opportunities at OSU. Each aspect had something good to offer while at the same time didn ' t quite live up to a stu- dent ' s expectations. Those students who had the chance to experience life in a resi- dence had a little bit of the good life as complemented by the guidance of their resident assistants. Commonly known as " R.A.s, " these special people made it a point to help the students living on their floor adjust to any problems or discuss any matters that meant anything to them. " I ' m here to help people relate to one another, build up a comfortable atmo- sphere outside of the class, " said Wilson R.A. John Wentworth. " Whenever any- thing comes up regarding the boys in this hall, I think that it ' s important that I have some personal background on him. " " It ' s a well-respected job, " claimed Christy Gailland, R.A. for Callahan Hall, " and I love working with the students. " The process of becoming a resident as- sistant was not an easy one. Applicants were made to go through two interviews during winter term. The first of these in- terviews involved presentation before a panel including the Hall Director, two resident assistants, and two students who lived in the residence halls. " They asked us questions that could help them get a feel for our personality, " stated Gailland. " They wanted to know how we would go about handling different situations. " The second interview involved getting the prospective R.A.s into groups and seeing how well they performed certain tasks. " It was an exercise that showed the ways we functioned as a group, " ex- plained Gailland. " They wanted to know how well we could work together. " Once qualifying for the position, stu- dents were required to take a Resident Leadership and Training class offered only spring term. A great deal of preparation was re- quired to finally be a resident assistant. Classes in CPR, First Aid, and counseling were a necessity and many workshops on communication and time management were taken advantage of. " It definitely helps out with my com- munication skills, which is a must in the field of study I ' m pursuing now, but most- ly I think having all of this responsibility has helped me learn how to organize my time and myself, " he said. Gailland, who was inspired by her R.A. sister to look into the program, felt that the experience related to her area of study, elementary education, as well. " The students here aren ' t children, " Gailland noted, " but the responsibilities and disciplinary action we come across make this job a lot like a teaching job. The big difference is that it ' s 24 hours a day! " " It ' s rewarding to see friendships grow, " Wentworth acknowledged. " That means that people are comfortable enough to start building something that lasts. " Benefits were countless in this job and the lucky students that were allowed to gain from the knowledge and experience of their resident assistants were clear on how much of a good thing Oregon State housing could be. D by Lindy Humphreys r WILSON 5. First Row: Chuck Batson, Rich Reidlinger, Darren Gibbs, Grant Hammersly. Second Row: Mike Schleisinger, Shawn Barnum, Dennis Conser, Joe Darden, Dwain Cain, Cominic Wenzell, Brian Crum, Charlie Flores, Robert Entena, Loren Schonchin. Third Row: Fajeev Reddy, Dave Fung, Jake Carter, Ernie Nichols, Mark Schoch, Mike Murray, Steve Peterson, Wes Young, Jason Balderston, Mike Kinney, Brad Pershing, Doug Warren. Fourth Row: Brian Wright, Spencer MacPerson, jeb Dunlap, Mikio Yoshizawa. WILSON 6. First Row: Ronald Sapp, Trenton Jeong, Kacha Lu, Brian Ku, Byron Kitabayashi, Craig Fox, Mike Mortenson, Dale Keene. Second Row: Kevin Loso, Mike Erdmann, Frank James, Tedrich Reimann, Jesse Tupaz, Dale Medlyn, Tony Velasquez, Scott Soderquist, Lee Mua. Third Row: Kenneth Foote, Todd Carpenter, Kenneth Ackerman, Jeffrey Tatom, Thomas Kim, Daron Wall, Chad Mundello, Joel Hoff, John Rabenstein. Fourth Row: Rodney Marsch, Charles McMurry, Terry Sandstrom, Ed Bargles, David Lippert, Mark Neitro, Richard Weingarz, Jose Lopez, Jeff Ivie. Fifth Row: Curtis Miller, Bryon Daley, Edwin Coburn, David Fenn, Travis Carlson, James Graper, Jeffrey Ivie, Paul Martinez, Neil Philipsen, Mark Wheelhouse. 264 -WILSON 5,6