Rising at 6 a.m. Bill Swisher, a head resident at Thompson Point, stumbled through Bailey Hall waking up three resident assistants in training to begin a day that would not end for another 16 hours.

Swisher, a graduate student in college student personnel from Stroudsburg, Pa., said 10 long days of training were exhausting but beneficial.

All RAs were required to go through a training program from Aug. 6-15 to prepare them for the range of circumstances that might occur living with a multitude of students,Tony Earls,coordinator of resident life for Thompson Point, said.

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It was definitely challenging because there was so much to learn, Dan Massie, a senior in predentistry from Sesser, said. We went to sessions all day long and worked through the night, but we still had to get up rise and shine the next morning.

Not only do they have to be here the 10 days before the students start arriving, they also take classes for eight weeks which counts as two hours credit, Earls said.

The RAs listened to speakers and discussed procedures for problems ranging from roommate fights to fire drills, Mike Shanks, training coordinator for resident life, said.

They learned where everything is at, he said. They learned how to respond to student problems and when and where to refer the students to if they need anything.

Steve Kirk, assistant director of housing for resident life, said there were experimental workshops and readings that went with the lectures.

It’s difficult to train the RAs because you can’t go very indepth because there is so much to tell them, Kirk said.

Keith Massie, a senior in philosophy and speech communication from Dupo, said there are benefits to being an RA besides free housing.

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It gives you valuable mediation and confrontation skills for life and you meet a lot of people, he said. It always looks good on a resume too.

Shanks said RAs make the dorms a home and not just a place to live.

They’re the first person that a student will talk to, he said. They are there to help the students, which makes a good impression on University Housing and the University in general. It makes the difference on whether somebody comes back.