Time is flying past us, and soon it will be December 1st, 2015: the day that the House Advisor job application becomes available for the school year of 2016-17. Being an HA is a yearlong commitment to a residence hall and a team of community members who are dedicated to supporting their peers. The role of the HA is to assist the Residence Life department in accordance with our mission statement:
“The Department of Residence Life facilitates a residential experience in which students feel supported in their academic pursuits, personal growth, and participation in an interdependent community. We envision a vibrant, safe, and inclusive living environment where every student is actively engaged. It is our intention that students develop a sense of pride and investment in Reed.”
That may be a daunting chunk of text. What does a supportive, vibrant living environment look like in practice? It can look like a quiet residence hall where dormies can study together and share meals. It can look like rowdy communal dinners. It can look like dorm-wide SEEDS trips on the weekends. It can look like barbecues, discussions about consent, stress-relief crafting nights, Q&A with the NightOwls, guest speakers, and home-away-from-home holiday celebrations. The activity of the residence hall takes shape around the people who live there, and it will invariably look different each year.
If you are thinking that you want to apply because you care about your community, because you enjoy supporting and listening to your peers, because you want to work as part of an encouraging team, then I have a few pieces of advice for what not to worry about while thinking whether or not to apply:
Don’t worry about applying as a first year. Many HAs start as sophomores, and the job gets easier once you have practice!
Don’t worry about having to sacrifice your grades for the job. You are first and foremost a student. Your supervisors and fellow HAs are there to help you when you are struggling with work-school-life balance. Reedies have been active community members while being HAs, they’ve gotten through Organic Chemistry while being HAs, and they’ve written theses while being HAs.
Don’t worry if you are an introvert. The team is comprised of introverts and extroverts and people who would identify as falling somewhere in-between.
And for my last chunk of advice, I say to get started on applications sooner rather than later. The app is available on December 1st and due Tuesday, February 2nd at noon. This application calls for a resume and references. Resume bootcamps will be scheduled before the application deadline where you can bring a draft and get some feedback. References will include an evaluation from your current or past HA, and an evaluation from a faculty or staff member. When choosing who to ask for a reference, remember to ask well in advance and be clear about what you are asking for. The best references tend to come from other student services employees or from professors that you have had in a smaller setting than a large intro class. Click here for more information about references.
Lastly, as an anecdote, being an HA has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had at Reed. Aside from feeling valued in my residence hall, I have felt supported and empowered by my friends at Res Life, inspiring me to be a more outspoken and compassionate community member.
