Despite free on-campus housing, Resident Assistants face various issues regarding their position. Photo by Sara Bhatt
By Sara Bhatt, Staff Reporter
On college campuses across the nation, it is very common to work as a resident assistant (RA) in return for certain benefits, such as free on-campus housing. However, with an incredibly demanding commitment, some RAs are finding their positions to be a hassle.
Here at California State University, Dominguez Hills, the RAs have certainly had their share of frustrations. The Bulletin spoke with four RAs who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of losing their jobs or housing. From tampering with their financial aid to being restricted from working off-campus jobs, being an RA has proven to be incredibly demanding and restraining. In just six months, five RAs have resigned from the position and others aren’t sure if they want to return for the next academic school year.
While working as an RA comes with the benefit of free on-campus housing, they are currently not receiving any income from the job, according to an RA who seeks to remain anonymous for fear of losing their job. Therefore, they must turn to off-campus jobs in order to receive any sort of income. This wouldn’t be an issue except that it is in their contract to not exceed working 15 hours a week for any other job, as they are expected to be accessible on campus and in the residence halls. This restriction on their availability affects much more than just the amount of money they are available to make.
In addition to issues with regulations, this same RA noted that there have been discrepancies with financial aid as a result of their job, which they described as “chaos.” The financial aid office determined that they don’t need housing assistance since they have free on-campus housing, thus reducing their financial aid. Although this made sense, the RA explained that their financial assistance decreased by a larger amount than what it costs to live on campus.
The RAs also find themselves restricted to being on campus. They are expected to be “on-call” and available to residents constantly. Although they aren’t being paid to be on duty, RAs must still request time off if they need it. This restricted time away from campus can easily become a negative thing for these RAs.
The anonymous RA described holding their position as “challenging” and creating “stress and anxiety” in their life. They even went as far as to say that their job tends to be “a toxic and frustrating environment,” which is why they will not return as an RA again next year.
In response, Addae Jahdai-Brown, CSUDH’s director for residential living and learning, said, “It sounds like the concerns are related to California’s limitations on student employment and Financial Aid guidelines, as opposed to something unique to University Housing at DH.”
These problems are not unique to CSUDH. In fact, resident assistants on college campuses across the globe have unionized or gone on strike for unfair labor practices. At the University of Southern California, residential assistants went on strike in December 2021 in which they did not report for work until they get fairly compensated after not receiving a response from USC about demands for better financial aid compensation. Last month, RAs at Boston University moved to form a union to address issues such as better compensation, administrative support when facing difficult situations and an improved supervisory process.
