Advice to first-year students from their RAs: Don’t be afraid to lean on someone for help. Get involved. Get engaged. Take risks. Reach out. Say hi to the person next to you.

URI’s resident assistants will be well prepared by the time their first-year students move in over Labor Day weekend. They’ve been in intensive training for nearly two weeks, learning about building community, mental health first aid, gender inclusivity, sustainability, inclusive language, and safe zones. They’ve also been posting to Instagram and Snapchat accounts, calling first-year students, checking rooms, and creating signs and bulletin boards to make the campus feel like a second home. The year’s theme: journey.

The RAs have enthusiastically taken to the training.

“We have to mold ourselves first before we have interactions with our residents,” said Eric Bergen ’19, an RA at Fayerweather Hall. “I want to contribute something to URI and to my residents’ experience here.”

Yes, resident assistants do receive a free room and a stipend, but RAs care deeply, said Meropi Maranda ’19, a resident assistant at Hutchinson Hall. “If you have an exam at 8 a.m. and a resident has a problem at 11 p.m. the night before, you’re staying up.”

Kayla Mosko, assistant director of residential education, says RAs want to contribute. “We look for people who want to make a difference. They’re relatable. They want to build a comfortable, welcoming environment.

“Generally, we’re looking for people who want to do good things.”

The RAs excitedly talk about the FISH! Philosophy, an approach to work developed by the Seattle Pike Place Fish Market. There are four pillars: Choose your attitude; play; make someone’s day; be there. At the fish market, there’s a lot of throwing of large fish involved. At URI, the idea is to use all means available to quell anxiety and build community, said Frankie Minor, assistant vice president and director of the Office of Housing and Residential Life.

“The biggest fear a first-year student has is, am I going to fit in,” he said. 

“Parents are anxious, too,” said Barbosa ’20, a senior resident assistant at Barlow Hall. “I had a great RA. My RA built relationships with residents.

“I want to create a family environment in my hall.”

Follow RA stories on Instagram at #jouriny and @rhodyreslife.