By Maria Geis

There to keep things running smoothly and provide a good experience for everyone, it could be said that resident assistants (RAs) are the backbone of the Casper College Residence Hall. 

There is quite a list of responsibilities an RA takes on when they sign their contract. They happily provide service at the front desk to assist with questions, sort and distribute mail, complete check-ins, check-outs, roommate agreements, and a lot in between. 

It’s not often that students forget their ID card and lock themselves out of their room, but if, or when that time comes, RAs are there to help out. Providing help in the middle of the night is a challenge that comes with the job, although it’s explained as not being too difficult for being one of the harder tasks. “It’s really easy to roll over and go back to sleep,” Lead RA Travis Scribner explained, “But we signed the contract. We agreed that this was something we were willing to do.” So, even in the middle of the night or on the weekend, someone is always on call to help students out.

While many might think that RAs are the “dorm police,” the RAs are simply just trying to help provide a good experience for everyone. “There’s the people that really like to have a good time,” Scribner said,  “and we’re there to make sure that they don’t interfere with other peoples’ experience.” When talking with another resident assistant, Taylor Dye, she had a similar answer saying RAs are often made out to be bad guys who are there only to get residents in trouble. “We don’t want to get you in trouble,” Taylor Dye said. Though RAs do enforce policies to keep the halls safe and orderly, they like to focus more on providing a great experience for all of those staying.

Keeping the hallways a fun environment to walk through, each hall has a different theme showcasing the interests of the RA while also catering toward something that everyone in the hallway can enjoy. However,  RAs claim that it is hard to figure out a good theme that is suitable for everyone. “I try to make it fitting for everybody.” Dye said. Dye’s hallway is currently “Buckles and Banners” which reflects her personality and relates to the residents in her hall because many of them are students on the Livestock Judging team or are students from an agricultural background. 

Each month an event is put on by one of the RAs and usually takes place in the Multi-Purpose Room of the residence hall, across from the front desk. These are great opportunities for students to get out of their room and comfort zone, make new friends, and have fun in a safe environment. The games and activities are meant to be not only social, but educational as well. 

Scribner mentioned how choosing an activity can be difficult, “It’s not too bad to come up with an idea, it’s just challenging to find one that can be educational and fun.” Playing Mario Kart while wearing drunk goggles was a previous hit, “It is super fun and gives insight on the dangers of drunk driving,” Scribner explained. Another hit program in back-to-back years is having emotional support and service dogs come in for students to play and hangout with. 

Dye says her activity taking place during the end of September is “Race Chair National Finals Rodeo.” The “rodeo” is happening in the Multi-Purpose Room. Participants will compete in multiple events, one being to race around barrels in the rolling chairs. 

Kylie Wheaton, a student who currently lives in the Residence Halls, thinks it’s great that RAs put on monthly events in the dorms. Wheaton explained that her friends participated in some activities and heard they are fun. The sophomore resident witnessed some of the excitement first hand, “I walked by the event room and everyone was singing Sofia The First as loud as they could,” she said. Wheaton also thinks the decorations RAs hang in the hall are cute and fun. “My favorite thing is when a new name tag shows up on my door!” She exclaimed. 

On top of providing lots of fun and educational events for students who live in the Residence Hall, RAs also provide customer service in many ways. Whenever an appliance like a washer, dryer, or things like air conditioning are not working, RAs are typically the first people who are notified. From there, the RAs contact other people to ensure that repairs are made or are scheduled to be made.

RAs agree to wear lots of hats in their position and hope that they are not seen as just the police of the Residence Hall.