Collegiate Times

Everyone has experienced on-campus housing once in the course of his or her college career. Whether you got stuck with an annoying roommate, a person who is now your best friend, living on-campus was probably a worthwhile experience.

After sharing a tiny room with another individual, you soon come to realize how luxurious it is to live in your own room. But what?s better than living in your own room? Getting paid to live there. Roy Loso, senior mechanical engineering major and house manager in Oak Lane, has lived in his on-campus fraternity for three years and this year decided to take a leadership role. ?I kind of wanted to fill a role as far as the fraternity goes, and also at the same time, have a good resume builder for a leadership position,? Loso said.

Loso?s room, compared to the other brothers? rooms, is palatial. His enormous king-size loft overlooks his spacious living quarters.

Underneath his bed lies his work lair, a desktop computer along with a bookshelf and plenty of walking space. The rest of his room is very open, leaving plenty of space for his large TV and futon. To receive the job of house manager or Resident Advisor (R.A.), applicants must turn in an application and then interview with a supervisor.

They are also required to take a class the first semester of working, entitled Residence Life. In accordance to the regular duties as house manager or R.A., keeping up the house or hall and catering to residents? needs, R.A.s and house managers must complete a set of programs.

In Loso?s case, he knew all of his residents fairly well prior to move-in. Despite this, he must uphold his duties regardless of friendship, and if a situation occurs where he has take disciplinary action, he must do so.

He has no complaints about the job except for coming early and staying late for openings and closing, and admits even that isn?t too bad.

Both R.A.s and house managers must fulfill the requirement of being ?on duty.? For a house manager, this means staying in from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. to help any residents who live in Oak Lane or to be on call in case of an emergency.

For R.A.s, the same applies, except they only have to be on duty once a month, and alternate from weekdays to weekends ? each building regulates its schedules differently. Not such a terrible sacrifice in return for free rent.

Loso admits he experienced some pretty crazy residents. Loso admits one time when closing for Thanksgiving break, he had a resident who just didn?t want to leave.

?When we were closing for Thanksgiving break, we encountered a resident who didn?t want to leave when she was supposed to, which was noon that Saturday. Our supervisor had to get called. She just wasn?t prepared ? I?m not sure why she didn?t read the notice on her door that said she had to be out by a certain time, but we actually woke her up when we knocked on the door at 11:30 and she had to be gone by 12:00,? he said.

Responsibility plays a key role in the job of an R.A. or house manager, something that can be quite overwhelming. Any R.A. or house manager will tell you, this job is definitely a learning experience.

Loso recommends the job to anyone looking to get involved or searching for a leadership role. ?I?ve learned quite a bit about getting people organized and doing things, which can be a really hard thing to do, especially in a collegiate setting. I think that?s really going to help me out in the future,? Loso said.

Whether you?re looking to get more involved or save some money on rent and earn a little pocket change, being an R.A. or a house manager is a beneficial experience in more ways than one.