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| Vol. 17, No. 28 | April 23, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 28 | April 23, 1998 |
UD staff members who made the RA Road Trip include
(from left) Carlos Hervas, Rob Longwell-Grice and Julie Bowsell.
This year, Rob Longwell-Grice and Julie Boswell, residence life, along with Carlos Hervas, Student Life Television (SLTV), took that trip, spending two days traveling through Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York to interview several alumni from the University's RA program. According to Longwell-Grice, there are 179 RAs on staff, and each year 90 new RAs are hired to fill vacant positions.
The 20-minute video, created from the trip, named To Be Or Not To Be...An RA, will be shown on SLTV. A seven-minute version will be shown at the information sessions for any students interested in becoming RAs.
The alumni interviewed on the trip were selected based on interest, location and, most importantly, being part of a well-balanced representation of alumni who were RAs during their years at the University.
"More women than men are RAs," Longwell-Grice said. "We wanted to show as wide a spectrum of people as we could. We were searching for a balance. The interest in the program was very strong, and there were just too many people to interview in one trip."
Those interviewed included a politician, chemical engineer, bank executive, school teacher and business owner. Each of the former RAs commented on what the RA experience taught them, such as self-confidence, decision making, public speaking skills, listening and patience.
Seven were included in the final video, Longwell-Grice said. He added that the alumni shared comments about how being a RA changed their lives. "It will be a neat experience for current RAs to see and hear this information," Longwell-Grice said.
While on the road, the crew spent a morning in the audience of The Today Show in New York City. According to Longwell-Grice, they walked up to people in the audience to ask if they had been an RA in college. Even if they had not been, he said, they all had a story to tell about one of their own RAs. "I think that exemplifies the universality of the position and the impact RAs have on college life," Longwell-Grice said.
They also spent time at the Delaware General Assembly, to talk to legislators who lived on campus and record their experiences with RAs.
RAs, located on every floor in the residence halls, organize educational and social programs, serve as a resource for students and have authoritative and disciplinary roles. Before classes start in the fall, RAs attend a week of training in listening, mediation and confrontational skills.
Longwell-Grice said he plans to use some of the video footage for an SLTV show similar to MTV's Road Trip.
-Gail E. Walford
Photo by Jack Buxbaum
