By Timothy Metcalf
Staff Writer
At the resident assistant informational meeting Tuesday, the residence staff told several dozen interested applicants that the RA position is a ministry to the students of Bryan.
“The main thing we view an RA as here is a ministry,” said Jon Slater, resident director of Woodley-Ewing.
According to Bonnie Spallinger, RD of Arnold, the residence staff is looking for “people that have a servant heart,” and “people with authenticity.” An RA must have love and compassion, yet still have the ability to confront people when necessary.
Kim Tuttle, RD of Robinson, said the application for the position is due Feb. 1. After that, potential candidates must undergo a series of interviews.
After that, Slater introduced current RAs Luke Morris, sophomore, and Lily Cannon, junior, who spoke about their experiences in the position.
“God made me for lifestyle evangelism, and that’s what being an RA has meant for me,” said Cannon.
She described her favorite experience as a resident assistant. One time, when she was watching a movie in her room, the girls on her hall joined her. Before they left, they all hugged each other goodnight, just as would a family.
Morris emphasized the relationships that he and his boys had formed. He spoke to a darker side of the relationships, though, describing how he had shared the burdens that his boys had struggled with throughout the semester.
The meeting moved into a Q&A time, moderated by Matt Williams, RD of Long.
One question was, “what are the sacrifices you’re going to have to make [to be an RA]?”
Matt responded that it depends on how much you love yourself. The RAs on this campus are superb at not loving themselves too much, he said.
“Seeing the way they minister, I wanted to be a part,” said James Hostetter, sophomore, who hopes to become an RA next year.
