This blog series features different writers responding to the prompt, “What is the future of the RD position and role?”
Guest Post by Erin Brown, Residence Life Professional
As the RD role continues to grow, both in the number of residents overseen and the number of bullet points in our job description, so does the need for an updated approach to building community with the newest generation of residents. After the pandemic (because everything connects back to the pandemic), our residents returned to us changed. They’re more self-reliant and don’t form connections the same way they did before COVID-19. Many residents gained perspective due to world events and the growth of social media; they have broken through the illusion that one college degree will land them their dream job and allow them to buy a house. With attending university becoming a harder sell, RDs and the Housing & Res Life teams we’re a part of have to listen to what our residents want and what will keep them here.
One aspect I believe the RD role provides and should be emphasized in other Higher Ed roles is empathy. We see residents in every possible life situation, and we see our RAs trying to balance their workload with the other aspects of their lives. Without incorporating empathy into our processes and with our student staff, we are going to continue to see high levels of turnover and lower numbers of residents who want to return to on-campus living after their requirement has been met. The excuse of “this is the way it’s always been done” isn’t enough anymore, and our RAs and residents today are vastly different than the ones who lived in the halls ten years ago. Continuing to supervise and follow procedures that haven’t been updated in that time is to the detriment of RDs and their areas.
All RDs know the infamous line “other duties as assigned.” “Other duties as assigned” is not limited solely to RD job descriptions but is one that I think we need to remove from Higher Ed expectations as soon as we’re able. For an RD to be able to build community, they have to a) have the time to put in that effort and b) stay in their position long enough to see change happen. With “other duties as assigned,” RDs become burnt out faster than any other full-time position on a campus – we can’t exactly leave work at the office; if I do laundry and see a vandalized bulletin board, I’m back at work. Other duties are included on that list so that an employee can’t say “That’s not my job;” however, over the years that has morphed to “I do everyone’s job.” Removing this last line from our job description would give us a defined list of tasks and would help us manage our responsibilities and communities more reliably.
Everyone leaves the RD position at some point, which is supposed to happen. We’re considered entry-level, and the hope is that we progress to bigger and better things. For the future of the RD role to stay bright, I believe this progression should be acknowledged and worked towards. My current department is fortunate to have a supervisor who pushes us to do more and be more; not to stagnate in the position for more than 3-4 years. Working with RDs when they’re planning to leave is the best way to make progress as a department – helping the RD gather useful info or templates for their coworkers and successor, helping their RAs transition from one supervisor to the next, and having supervisors that are flexible when the RD has interviews or requests a letter of recommendation.
Being a Resident Director means that you have a significant impact on others’ lives. I’ve seen RDs whose staffs adore them and RDs whose staffs wish they were assigned to anyone else. The residents we oversee often don’t realize the impact RDs can have, but that influence still exists. RDs exist as a bridge between leadership and our RAs and as a guide for our constantly changing and challenging halls.
I may be biased because I am one, but as long as we have residence halls, we need RDs. We know how to open the door when the key gets stuck (my old school had a lockout hammer for that specific purpose), we know what to include in trainings, how to submit billing charges, and when a resident isn’t being completely truthful. We know it’s our responsibility to advocate for our RAs, who have been given enormous responsibility while they’re still figuring out who they are, and we know how to respond to almost any situation when the on-call phone rings. Just as we need residents for our job to stay relevant, the residents need us – and they need us to work harder.
