It has been nearly 60 years since the first Resident Assistant position was created at Iowa State, and the tradition is still evolving today.

When the first peer advisers appeared patrolling the dorm hallways, they weren’t even called RAs, but instead were called head residents, according to “The First 100 Years of Residential Housing at Iowa State University 1868-1968” written by J. C. Schilletter, a former director of residence at Iowa State.

The head resident position was instituted at Iowa State in the 1940s after a transfer student from the University of Wisconsin brought the idea to an administrator’s attention, according to Schilletter’s book.

Bruce Widstrom, who brought the idea to Iowa State, had seen a head resident position in action and thought the idea of a head resident held potential for the over-staffed residential halls at Iowa State.

At the time, there was approximately one peer adviser for every 10 to 15 students, with all of the male peer advisers receiving a free room.

It was decided having this many peer staff members gave away too many free rooms, and creating a new system would be beneficial.

In 1948, the first house system including head residents was given a trial run. By 1949, the house system had become a permanent establishment in several ISU residence halls.

The house system was widely thought a success and continued to evolve, according to Schilletter’s book.

In “The First 100 Years of Residential Housing at Iowa State University 1868-1968,” head residents are described as having six roles to play: friend, counselor, leader, disciplinarian, example and administrator.

The RAs of today carry the same main principles, but have now become more focused on specific needs of students, said Sarah Holmes, a resident life coordinator for the Department of Residence.

Now, there are not only RAs, but in the Fresh Start program, the RA role has been split between the new positions of Community Advisor and Academic Resource Coordinator, Holmes said.

CAs focus on community development, while ARCs focus on academic development, she said.

Adam Kuban, an ARC for the 2003 school year, said the hardest part of his job is confronting fellow students about bad behavior. He said it is tough to approach someone nearly the same age as he and assume an authoritative role.

“We take classes, we go to football games, we hang out nights at Perkins — we’re students, too,” said Kuban, former resident assistant and junior in meteorology.

He said he has to remember, however, he has a job to do.

Over the years, the job of RA at Iowa State has evolved into the “jack-of-all-trades” position that exists today.

Kuban said both of those branches still maintain a heavy workload, due to new responsibilities on an individual basis. As an RA, Kuban said he dealt with a wider range of responsibilities, but now as an ARC, he meets one-on-one with each of his about 110 residents twice a semester to discuss their academic success.

“I work really closely just to make sure my residents are achieving the goals they hoped to achieve,” he said. “It really brings down the ratio of residents to staff.”

Heather Phillips, resident life coordinator for the Department of Residence, said the staff to student ratio is about 1-30 in halls with the Fresh Start program. She said this is not the case in other halls, which could have a 1-200 or 1-300 ratio, depending on the needs of occupying students.

Some halls are designed specifically for upper-class residents who don’t need as much guidance and adjustment help as incoming freshmen, Phillips said.

In the past, numbers of advisers per student were nearly uniform, but now the university understands different people require different interaction, she said.

The most prevalent changes in the RA job description from 20 years ago is a larger academic focus and an increased level of “emotional baggage” carried by students, said Ginny Arthur, associate director for resident life for the Department of Residence.

Arthur said students have always had emotional issues to deal with, but today there are more of them and they are more severe.

For example, diversity issues are addressed differently now than they were 20 years ago, and an increased awareness of harassment has become a large issue, Arthur said.

World events also spur changes in how RAs operate, Arthur said.

“When 9/11 occurred, [RAs] immediately had new roles,” she said.

Arthur also said RAs in the past were not expected to confront students about academics. Today, RAs take an active interest in whether students are meeting their own academic goals.

“The primary role of RAs twenty years ago was to build a community,” Arthur said. “It wasn’t an expectation that RAs routinely meet with students about academics.”

Originally, head residents had to work their way up a ladder, beginning at a $10-per-month stipend plus room, to full room and board compensation by proving themselves responsible, according to Schilletter’s book.

Today, all RAs receive a $115 stipend four times per semester, plus room and board, according to the Department of Residence Web site, www.iastate.edu/~dor.

To train for the position of RA, students today are required to take the Resident Life Leadership Series and also arrive early in August to prepare for incoming students, run drills and get to know other staff members, Arthur said.

“One of the biggest things we teach RAs is to know when to refer [students to residence hall directors],” she said.

“Some problems … can’t solve themselves.”