Good communication skills. Ability to manage time well. Commitment to academic success.

These are three of the requirements it takes to become a resident assistant.

About 140 resident assistants at Iowa State help lead and organize the houses of the residence halls. The large commitment of being an RA gives students a chance to assume a leadership position in the university.

Brandon Tate, junior in mechanical engineering, has been an RA since the fall of 1997. He lived in Towers Residence Halls for two years and is currently the RA of MacDonald House in Helser Hall.

Tate said he wanted to become an RA because it was an opportunity to have an impact on residents’ lives.

“The RA is a liaison between the Department of Residence and students,” Tate said. “You answer questions on policy, set the tone for the floor and are in a position of leadership.”

Applications for RAs for the fall of 1998 were available in late February and were due before spring break, said Christopher Barker, hall director of Wilson Hall.

Prospective RAs must have a 2.25 grade point average and must have lived in the dorms for at least one semester. Other requirements include completion of 15 credit hours at ISU, a sophomore classification and no discipline record, although these requirements are somewhat flexible.

Three letters of reference and two to three essays on various topics were part of the standardized application form, Barker said.

The interview process includes both a group interview and an individual interview.

In the group interview, about six to eight applicants go through scenarios in which they must work with others, communicate effectively and think in an innovative way. This is done in the presence of a hall director.

In the individual interview, the hall directors are one-on-one with the applicant to learn more about the individual.

Barker said about one out of three or four applicants are selected for the job of resident assistant, depending on the demand that semester.

Applicants interview according to where they wish to be an RA. Although the three residence associations do not share candidates, they do have a uniform interviewing process.

There are many personality traits which hall directors seek in an RA.

“We look for an ability to organize time, connect with other students and work well with others,” Barker said. “Leadership is a must and the individual needs a commitment to their own academic success.”

RAs receive free room and board and a monthly stipend.

RAs at Towers Residence Halls are on night duty about once every two weeks and are on 24-hour weekend duty about once every five weeks, Barker said.

Barker said the job takes about 20 hours per week depending on the floor’s needs.

Carol King, resident assistant on Merchant House in Oak-Elm, said the RA’s job is “24 hours, 7 days a week.”

King, junior in psychology, has been an RA in Oak-Elm since the fall of 1996.

“In one word, the RA is an adviser,” King said. “RAs are here to answer any question residents need answered.”

RAs also work with their house government, direct social activities and discipline residents, Barker said.

Tate said he often deals with residents who are locked out of their rooms and residents who need clarification on classes or registration.

Underage drinking, loud music after quiet hours and roommate problems are also situations RAs confront.

“As an RA, I have gained a better appreciation for the rules,” Tate said. “I now understand why they are implemented.”

Both Tate and King agree that disciplining residents is not fun, but it is part of the job.

“We tell our residents that we are not writing them up, but we are writing up what they are doing,” King said. “At the beginning of the year we let them know the terms and conditions.”

If a resident is written up because contests they are not guilty, King said, they can appeal it.

“It is important to communicate with the person you are writing up,” Tate said. “Nine times out of ten they know better.”

In addition to interaction with residents, Barker said, RAs also have a high degree of interaction with the hall directors.

“I have biweekly meetings with each RA and every week we have staff meetings,” Barker said. “I feel we have a very strong informal relationship. They visit frequently, and I also visit them.”

Both Tate and King are involved in other extracurricular activities.

Tate is involved in Multi-Cultural International Network, Black Student Alliance and the National Society of Black Engineers.