Duty. This is a basic component to the Resident Advisor job, RA's from all over the country and maybe even the world ought to know a thing or two about duty. Yeah, duty varies from campus to campus, but there are certainly some words I have about duty here at San Diego State University.
I can assure you nothing has made me feel like more of a grandma that being on duty in a freshman residence hall. There's this weird thing that occurs when I'm on duty that suddenly makes my body so sleepy, but of course it's the night where I can't sleep too sound because before I know it I'll be answering the phone at 2 f***ing AM---- "RA on Duty this is Katie, how can I help you?" Then I throw on pants, a sweatshirt and come running down the (7 flights of) stairs ready for an incident.
I dearly adore being a RA, but I must say duty is probably my least favorite component to the job. No one really likes the be the bad guy, but on duty it is our job and obligation. We enforce and maintain the safety of the building. There's a variety of components we are prepared for, but basically anything goes down, we'll get a call. Sometimes it's nothing really and we just get up to double check something, other times we wake up and someone's life really can depend on it. I have always considered myself a heavy sleeper, but there's something about being on duty that I am ready for anything. I've put together a little list of quick advice tips a person should know if they're ever going to be on this thing us RA's call "duty":
1. Don't shower on duty.
Okay I know this might potentially sound silly, but mind you when you're on duty--- you can literally get a call at any given time and you have to rather quick to make action. If you are naked and wet, well this can become a little more complicated. Sure, there's the chance that you wouldn't get a call, but on the chance that you will you would wish you hadn't got it the shower in the first place. I would take greasy hair over leading residents out the building during a fire alarm in a towel.
2. Don't Procrastinate homework and save it for a night on duty.
You know that 10 page paper that's been assigned to you all semester long, and you're just waiting for the last possible moment to do it. Yeah okay procrastinate if that's your method, you do you...but do not save it for your duty night. Duty calls again do not happen ALL THE TIME, but somehow the duty gods know how much work you do and suddenly everything in the halls will break loose. For your grades, and own sanity, would 10/10 not recommend.
3. Don't hunt for incidents, let them come to you.
Yes, as a RA it is our job to report incidents as they come, but it is not our job to hunt down incidents. Issues that are really a problem will become evident to us as we take our walk. Like if walking down a wing you hear someone shout "I'm so drunk," that is a direct call to action and we must act (also yes, I have LITERALLY heard a resident shout that before you think it wouldn't happen but trust me it does), but don't try to be a hunter. There might be floors that have more issues, and true it might be a bit more likely for the incident to occur there, we mustn't target a certain group of people and think the worst, plus you can't forget sometimes...it's always the quiet ones. HA, but point being don't go hunting them out, residents don't want you to be someone who is eager to bust them, but at the same time, if something happens it's time to bust, but still remember to follow up and show kindness to the residents despite the trouble they might have caused.
4. Keep a united front
This goes with pretty much every co-worker, as we work together in the building it is important that we don't backfire on one another by not agreeing on decisions. This is especially relevant to duty situations with your partner. You will often have different partners throughout the year and you have to act fast in the case of a situation. It is important to not talk over each other and assume positions of one who will discuss with the residents and another who will keep note of everything going on in the situation for the report to be later written. Approaching a situation together makes you a stronger team and more prepared for what's a hand. It's very quick thinking on your feet and the jobs might adjust as needed if someone needs more support, but it's like High School Musical says, "we're all in this together," it should never been good cop, bad cop, but two RA's striving to handle situations to better the community of the residence hall.
5. Believe in yourself --- Fake it till you BECOME it
You were given this job for a reason, you deserve the role and are capable of handling these issues. Sometimes it's really weird to think that we are trusted with certain situations, after all I just turned 21 and I'm maybe 3 years older than there residents and yet I am qualified and prepared to deal with whatever a night of duty presents me, but I have to believe I am. Before starting this job, there is an immense amount of training and protocol to go over, we do practice situations to feel out approaching a variety of issues and being a 2nd year RA I've gone through this training twice now. Truthfully, training does not prepare you for everything. It can't because all situations are at least a little different and we can never really completely gauge how a situation might end up. I never imagined having to deal with the wide variety of things I have on duty, like sending someone to jail, homeless people living in a residents room , or even someone's appendix bursting. There is no time for doubt, so you simply step up to the plate, you swing your bat and you hope that your training prepared you to hit a home run. I'm sure you've hear of fake it till you make it, sure that ought to help you, but you still got a year more of situations to deal with and I'd highly encourage living by the mantra of Fake it till you BECOME it. A mantra sharing that you are capable of being whatever you want, never stop believing in yourself.
Despite the need to crash parties and call the University Police when there is a loud smell of weed in the hallway, there are still some moments that I really enjoy on duty. The 7pm walk can be pretty slow (for insight: we take walks at 7pm, 9pm and 11pm) anyways, no one is really wildin' at 7pm....thank goodness for that. Nonetheless it allows us the chance to get to be present to residents on other floors than our own, we can greet them and see what's going on. Sometimes it's a simple "have a good night" but still it's a chance to get better exposure to the variety of residents in the building.
There is also some reward in being able to help people when on duty. Some very bizarre things can occur while on duty, and we are trusted to handle it. One resident had a medical issue this year around 3AM while I was on duty and we helped her get assistance to go to the hospital arranging for the medics to come to the residence hall. She was so grateful for our help she wrote my partner and I a note expressing how thankful she was and appreciated our help. I was touched. I am also always impressed by the residents who help gather to help residents in need. Even the first weekend of school when some residents were perhaps a bit more drunk than they should be, other residents helped about ensuring they were drinking water and eating something. It is quite touching seeing the friendships formed where residents are sometimes willing to risk missing class for their friends. (note: missing class is never encouraged, but sometimes desperate times come for desperate measures) and I love seeing community forming in the residence halls.
I will end this with one situation on duty that made me laugh this year. Duty is really interesting and so unexpected, when I get a call at 2AM (or ideally earlier) I could potentially be answering the phone to really anything. Based on confidentially of situations, I'll keep this rather vague, but it was a moment I'd like to remember.
It was a Tuesday, my typical duty night and I had fallen asleep only to be waken up by a particular call at around 2:15AM. It was my partner who instructed me to come down to the lobby because there was a girl who appeared intoxicated and was being rather defensive and aggressive. I prepared myself for what was potentially going to be in store. I headed down and what I approached was not really what I would expect.
The moment I got down there I met my partner and I saw the girl far off in the corner. She apparently lived in another building and we needed to escort her out because she could not be in our building alone. I walked over to the resident to ask what she was doing in the building, much to my surprise she was really kind to me, in fact she even gave me a hug. I was able to obtain a bit more information and found out where she actually lives and asked her if we could walk her home. She accepted and linked arms with me and my partner as we walked into the cold outside in order to get her to her building.
On the journey to the resident's building we happened to pass the police in which she pulled us closer into her and said something along the lines of "ugh I hate them," my partner and I laughed. We got to her building and then she just ran and lied down on the lobby couch. We were a bit confused because she was in her building so she could now go to her room. I went and got her and told her she could go upstairs, she gleamed and was so happy to hear that news HA. Then as she went to run up the stairs she turned back to be and said "text me." Silly drunk girls are funny. And I was pleased that somehow my presence was able to change her mood.
RA on Duty, this is Katie, I'm ready to handle anything the duty gods throws at me.
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