University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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Pearson ' s Resident Coordinator ' s Assistant Julie Capote answers the phone at her desli. Michelle Lutman Eaton Resident Assistants Tracy Bonday, iorge Brito and Angela Burrafato meet with Resident Coordinator K. C. White. 22 Residence Halls

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dence of culture shock from sharing space. From my past roommate prob- lems, I knew what to do and what not to do, Carol said. It takes a lot of adjust- ments to make rooming successful. Consideration for the other plays a big part. Carol is really considerate and we work so hard to keep from stepping on each other ' s toes, Suzanne said. Consideration extends to the han- dling of delicate etiquette situations, such as entertaining visitors of the op- posite sex. The path is tricky and strewn with embarrassing blunders. Carol and Suzanne have developed a system where if one has a guest, the other will call first before coming home or make a lot of noise in the hall on her way to the room. Thank goodness I ' ve got loud keys, laughs Carol. Personality conflicts are a major source of dissension between room- mates, but when two people click, it en- sures a cohesive environment that can only make a challenging academic life easier. When asked to tell what they liked most about each other, Carol and Suzanne thought for a moment. Su- zanne said the thing she appreciated most about Carol is that she could make her laugh. She ' s also the most consid- erate, kindest, unselfish person I know. She ' s the person I admire the most. Carol summed up what made Su- zanne a great person to live with. She ' s not just a petite flower of a female. We ' re both pretty aggressive people and I can ' t deal with the delicate type. The only negative press that Carol gives Suzanne is that she smokes in the room. Suzanne could not think of any- thing that detracts from Carol. Carol doesn ' t smoke so there ' s nothing. Su- zanne smiles. With all the time spent together, roommates usually pursue opposite di- rections in extracurricular activities. But once again Carol and Suzanne share an interest — the Band of the Hour. Carol, the band captain, ranks above Suzanne, who is a section leader. They are both careful to limit the competition to band involvement. According to Suzanne, We ' re really roommates first and fore- most. On the rare occasions when some- thing that one does irritates the other, it ' s quickly resolved. Usually, if some- thing is wrong, we joke about it and the other one will get the message, Carol said. To sum up their time together as roommates, Suzanne smiles and is the first to say, It ' s great. If we were still here (next year), I ' d want the same ar- rangement. Carol is quick to agree. I can ' t imag- ine not being roommates with her, she said. It ' s going to be strange moving out. TEXT BY: MONTRESE HAMILTON Spending time in ttieir room are Suzanne Watson and Carol Muklewicz. Roommates 21

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Resident Assistants Desk Assistants Behind the Scenes Resident assistants and desk assis- tants are vital sources of information that students who live on campus de- pend on. RA ' s are full-time undergraduate or graduate students w ho live in residence halls and apartment areas. They w ork with students, faculty members and staff to develop a community atmo- sphere which supports the students ' in- tellectual, social and cultural growth. The responsibilities of being an RA are many. RA ' s, who are assigned a cer- tain group of residents for the fall and spring semesters, are role models for their residents. They are also responsi- ble for actively integrating the on-going academic and social life of students by providing programming for residents three times a month. Some of the more popular programs are movie nights and home cooked meals. These valuable people also provide counseling for students with personal, social and academic concerns, main- taining confidentiality of residents at all times. They also monitor the academic environment in their residence area by maintaining an environment conducive to studying and the development of suc- cessful study habits. RA ' s are also responsible for educat- ing students about safety. They encour- age students to act rsponsibly in the care of their environment and act as a liaison between the housekeeping- maintenance staff and residents. RA ' s also enforce University policy by con- fronting students who violate communi- ty standards. In conjunction with provid- ing residents with a general orientation to the campus, RA ' s provide information concerning roommates and room changes. Students who wish to become RA ' s must be either a graduate or an under- graduate student with a minimum cu- mulative GPA of 2.75 at the time of ap- pointment. RA ' s must have one year of group living experience and be in good Eaton Resident Assistants Marli Voigts and Randi Clein prepare a Halloween bulletin board in the lobby. Michelle Lutman Residence Halls 23