When people apply to be Resident Assistants, or RAs, they look forward to the connections they will have with residents, the events they will host on their floor, and the general community that they are able to build. Confronting policy violations is one of the least glamorous aspects of the RA role and for good reason: no one wants to be referred to as “the fun police” by their peers. It can also be a difficult responsibility to do well. Given the amount of unknown variables that can arise in the process, your head can start spinning with potential what-if scenarios. To aid you in this process, follow these ABC steps and you will be able to handle most situations that residents put you into.
Before we jump into the ABCs, let’s set the stage with a scenario. Let’s say that you’re going on rounds with your duty partner. It’s 7:00pm on a Saturday and it seems like the building is a bit more active than normal, buzzing with some friendly rowdiness and energy. It’s when you get to Room 117, part of a first-year community, that you hear many voices, loud laughter, and the conspicuous clinking of bottles. While every institution’s alcohol policy is a bit different, it’s reasonable to assume that most RAs would be tasked with intervening at this point. So what do you do?
A – Announce. Make sure that you announce yourselves so that the residents and guests of the room know who is at the door and, to some extent, understand what is happening. Given the volume of occupants and the actions of what was happening in the room, it’s likely that most residents will know that this isn’t a social visit from the RA. As a former Hall Director, the emphasis I placed on staff at this point in the process was that there were no surprises. We needed to be clear about our intentions and informing residents who were at their door was an important aspect of that. I would recommend that you knock with a medium strength and firmly announce, “hall staff” or “RA.” Your knock needs to be loud enough that they actually hear you over what’s happening in the room but not so loud that it startles them. If they don’t respond, try again after 10 seconds. It’s normally clear if residents hear you as voices become hushed and the music volume goes down.
B – Because. Once the residents open the door, you’ll need to explain who you are and why you knocked. Especially if these are not students you are familiar with, start by sharing that you are a staff member in the building and where you’re located. This provides some context to the residents about who you are and establishes some credibility (anyone can pull a joke by knocking on someone’s door and saying they’re a staff member). It’s also helpful to build some rapport with the resident: comment on decorations in their room or what they’re watching on tv. This can help put the resident at ease throughout the interaction. From there, address why you needed to knock on the door and have an interaction with the resident. Less is more when you’re doing this. In this case, you heard what sounded like glass bottles clinking, so that’s a good place to start. Let the resident fill in the blanks in terms of why you heard what you did. Maybe they’re having glass bottles of Coca-Cola and were toasting the end of a busy week (hey, I know what you’re thinking: there’s a first time for everything). By not jumping to conclusions and assuming that they were alcohol bottles you heard, it prevents the situation from escalating and provides the resident with an opportunity to explain what actions led to your observations.
C – Confirm. You want to confirm if there is actually a policy violation taking place. This step is dependent on how cooperative the resident(s) will be with your intervention. Most of the time, at this point in the process, students show some humility and will be honest about what has happened. That makes this step significantly easier: if they admit to having alcohol, have them put it all in the center of the room and move to the next step. If they are more difficult, they may claim that nothing had happened and find an explanation to end the situation. Trust your gut: if you heard bottles clinking, have the residents walk you through their space and have them open their fridge. This will give you a better idea on justifying if what you observed was truthful or not. Make sure to follow the directives of your supervisor and department with this as each institution has different procedures you should follow. The one that comes to mind is that you, as the staff member, should never be opening refrigerators or going through the room; have the resident do it for you and note if they refused to do so. Your goal is only to confirm whether or not there’s a policy violation taking place, so follow the directives from your supervisor and department on what is acceptable to ask of residents.
D – Decide and Document. This one is a two-fer: you have to make the call on whether or not a policy violation is present and you need to take comprehensive notes on your actions and observations from the situation. This situation is clear: there’s either alcohol in the room or not. If there is, follow the steps as instructed by your ResLife department. Most of the time you will want to take a picture of the alcohol bottles to include with the report, have the resident pour the alcohol down a nearby drain, and dispose of the bottles. If there’s not, you will still want to make a report of what you observed and how you handled the situation. If your Hall Director has received several reports about clinking bottles in 117 and no alcohol has ever been found, they will likely want to meet with the residents to at least have a conversation about staff observations. To help take the heat off you, you can note that you’re just documenting the situation but the decision on who is responsible ultimately lies with your Hall Director or another administrator within ResLife. When the situation is more in a gray area or there are other variables that blur the lines, you will want to add that as clearly as possible in the incident report documenting the situation for your supervisor (or whoever will be receiving the report).
E – Exit. This is likely the easiest step in this process if you have put in the right amount of effort on the other steps. You will be writing some form of report in this scenario, so share that with the residents and that someone from ResLife will be reaching out with more information. Ask the resident if they have any additional questions or if they have any information that could be helpful when writing the report. The goal, to some extent, is to provide some reassurance. If your Hall Director has business cards, those could be helpful in providing residents a direction for questions that may come up down the line. If there aren’t any additional questions, you’ll leave the room and continue on with your business.
F – Follow-Up. A lot of staff members skip this step as they are nervous about the perceptions of the students. My RAs in the past have noted that they don’t know how those residents perceive them and that there may be some resentment from the residents. First, I always point out that the resident is responsible for their own actions and that staff just documented their observations; the resident has no one to be upset with but themselves. Second, it’s important to empathize and turn the tables: the resident may not be sure what the RA thinks of them and assume that they have been labeled a troublemaker. That’s why staff reaching out to confirm there is no residual beef is paramount. It helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page moving forward rather than living in silent discomfort.
While confronting policy violations are typically not the main motivator for someone accepting the RA position, it is a critical element in creating a safe, cohesive community. Learning to confront issues effectively is an important life skill and, when done correctly, it does not mean it will inhibit the relationships you are creating with residents. The next time you knock on a door, keep the ABCs at the forefront of your mind to help create an effective experience for all.
