1996_12 Insight December 1996

              Lifestyle
DECEMBER 11. 1996 ■
Campus home to 850 dorm-dwelling students
I Popular among
internationals and
fresmen
by Candace Cline
Staff Writer
At the end of the day, when most
people are headed off campus to their
homes, more than 850 students are
already there.
The residence halls at Fresno State
have been through a few changes in
the last few years, but thc goal is the
same. To provide an inexpensive,
safe and academic community for
students.
The glue that helps hold this community together is the student staff.
Residence Life Coordinator Sarah
.Jacoby oversees the staff of the residence halls.
Staff members live in the residence
halls. The student staff consists of
four resident directors, four associate resident advisers. 17 resident advisers, and five community service
officers.
Jacoby, residence life coordinator
at Fresno State for two years, said her
student staff learns a lot about life
during their tenure as peer advisors.
"You can't help but grow in this
job." she said. "It's a living, learning
environment. It's about relationships
and relationships challenge us and
make us grow."
For many, the idea of living on
campus conjures up scenes from the
movies "Animal House" or "PCU."
But the reality of on-campus living
at Fresno State is quite different from
Hollywood's versions.
"That is not whal college life is
really like." Jacoby said. "We offer
so much more here for the students."
Co-ed halls
On-campus living at Fresno Slate
consists of 10 buildings. There are
three community style halls and six
residence suites. The maximum capacity of the halls is about 1000 students.
The community halls. Baker,
Graves and Homan. are lhe classic-
style residence halls. The majority of
the rooms are double occupancy wilh
a common bathroom in each wing.
The halls are co-ed. men live in one
wing, women in another.
The residence
suites. Aspen, Sycamore, Ponderosa,
modem models of
campus living.
The suites consist
of one. two or three
bedroom
common     living
room and bathroom.
The tenth building of the complex,
the Atrium, is thc
heart of thc complex.
Thc residence offices and 24-hour
information desk
are housed in the
Atrium. It also offers a recreation
center, fitness center, lounge and com-
PUTheResident di- with nothin8 to do on a rainy day, Roni Keithley {second from right) and friends hang out in her
room in Baker Hall. "I wouldn't know any of these people if I didn't live here," Keithley said.
rectors are responsible for the day-to-day operation of
their halls. They oversee 200 to 400
students each and supervise the other
hall staff.
Counselors, confidantes
"They are thc foundation," Jacoby
said. ''Generally, they have no life because they give their lives to their
jobs, to the studenls. Most RD's
doors are always open."
A new position on the resident staff
this year is the assixriate resident adviser. His or her job is to act as a right
hand to thc RD.
They help to coordinate the resident advisors and the student government of each hall.
The staff members with the most
direct and continuous interaction
with the residents, though, are the
resident advisors.
Thc 17 RAs design educational
and recreational programs, advise
students and enforce hall policies.
But thc job goes far beyond that description.
"You learn a lot as an R.A.."
Jacoby said. "Social issues. life. love,
emotions, you name it and they deal
wilh it."
Each RA is in charge of a floor or
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a section of suites.
They arc expected to develop personal relationships with their residents so that they can assist them
with personal, academic and social
concerns. They also act as confidential counselors and help to resolve
conflicts.
At the administration level, the
RAs meet weekly to discuss concerns
or share information, they conduct
"You learn a lot as an
RA Social issues, life,
love, emotions, you
name it and they deal
with it."
— Sarah Jacoby,
Residence Life
Coordinator
health and safety inspections and
work from 6 to 11 several nights a
month at the hall's front desk.
RAs receive a monthly stipend of
S25 for the first year. $50 the second
year, and $75 the third.
RDs arc paid S350 a month the first
set that aside. It's
thc job."
Thc RAs and
other student staff
members participate in a training
program before lhc
school year begins.
The training includes workshops
on mediation, listening skills, discipline philosophies,
confrontational
skills and levels of
student develop-
The resident staff
is also put into
mock situations to
help build confidence in their abilities to handle difficult situations.
"We put them in
the most intense
The ex-
: of thc ex-
,** Jacoby said.
They will probably
like
year on the job. $450 the second and
$550 thc ihird.
In addition to the stipends, staff
members arc given a single room at
no charge, a value of $2054.48. and
free meals valued at $1152.60.
Kristen Haynes has been an RA for
two years.
"It takes a lol of time and energy
to be an RA," said Haynes, a 19-year-
old philosophy major. "Not only are
you dealing with your life and your
school but 40 other people's lives as
well."
Discipline's the hard part
One of the more difficult aspects
of the job is thc enforcement of hall
policies.
"You do get people who talk back
to you. There is sometimes resistance. But for the most part, the residents respect the RAs." said Haynes,
who is an RA for the third floor of
Homan Hall.
Joshua Witbeck. 20, is a first-year
RA in Baker Hall. He agreed that
discipline can be a difficult part of     stand her staff and thc problems they
ihe job.
"Il can be hard 10 enforce the rules
when you know the people." said the
recreation major. "But you have lo
never have to face
these. But they will know how.'
Experience counts
Jacoby said the training helps to
build a better resident staff.
"Some of the RD's deal with discipline better than high school principals," she said.
Jacoby. 31, also lives on campus
with her husband.
She lived in the residence halls
while she was attending college and
worked as an RA. and an RD before
earning her master's degree in edu-
Jacoby also spent a summer as a
resident supervisor of 89 13- to 19-
year-olds at a boarding house in England.
"I loved it," she said. "I'd do it
again in a second."
Besides her years as an RA and
RD, Jacoby brings with her more
than five years of experience in a live-
in administration-position. Her experience helps her to better under-
facc.      0
"RAs become RAs because they
care about people and I think that's
why their job can be so difficult,"
Jacoby said. "When you care about
someone and see they're having a
hard time or breaking the rules you
still have to be able to deal with that."
Peer mediation
Jacoby said that most of the problems that develop in the residence
halls are solved through ihe mediation of the RAs.
Conflicts between roommates or
suilemates are a common problem.
RAs are usually able to step in and
resolve the conflict wilh little fuss.
When it comes to enforcing housing policies and confronting rule-
breakers, the staff tries to resolve
each incident on an individual basis.
"Wc are dealing with human beings here." Jacoby said. "We treat
them as individuals. We get all of the
information and make the best judgment we can."
When discipline is called for, there
are various options.
Sometimes offenders are required
to write a letter of apology. Other
times they must participate in a social or educational program relevant
to their offense.
In severe incidents, a student may
be expelled from ihe residence halls,
but Jacoby said thc need to take that
step is rare.
Safe, friendly environment
Jacoby said the important point is
that there are options.
"Some students resent some of the
rules —or think they do— but others appreciate the structure," Jacoby
said. "Off-campus they wouldn't
have as many options. They wouldn't
have anyone to help them."
Jacoby said thai, for thc most part,
the halls are a safe and friendly environment that help students take advantage of the benefits of living on
for two years, said there arc "tons"
see CAMPUS LIFE, page 8
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