Comments to RAs and CDAs

February 26, 2002

First, thank you all very much for accepting my invitation to come to this discussion tonight. Next Tuesday, you will make a decision that is extremely important to the University, to the students living in the residence halls, and to you as Resident Assistants and Community Development Assistants. As in all elections, the two most important elements are an informed electorate and voters who go to the polls and cast their votes. I know you will take every opportunity to consider the issues involved here from a variety of perspectives, and I appreciate your coming here tonight to hear my perspective as Chancellor of this campus.

As some of you may know, I came to UMass after several years at Michigan State University. MSU has a very large and successful residence life program, which I experienced both as an administrator and as a parent, since our son lived on campus there for three years. As I have learned since coming here eight years ago, the UMass program, OUR program, is second to none. We have an impressive array of living-learning communities. We do extensive work in educating students about social justice and diversity. Our residential academic and special interest programs are outstanding, and there is ample research to demonstrate that they have very positive effects on students, including better academic performance and higher retention rates.

UMass operates the 5th largest residential housing program in the country, and doing so is, as you know as well as anyone, an enormous challenge. We meet that challenge so successfully because of the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in the residence halls: the Residence Life Management staff, the RDs, the ARDs, and the RAs and CDAs.

In a letter that I sent you earlier this month, I said something to the effect that I didn’t consider what you do a "job." I have since then heard from several of you who were offended by that statement. In re-reading my letter, I understand why you reacted that way. I did not communicate my intentions well. Let me clarify my view of the RA and CDA position:

What you do is clearly of great importance. You are the ones in this program who work most closely with students. In fact, UMass could not provide the residential experience our students value so highly without you. You are critical to your fellow students, from the moment you welcome them to campus as new students and help them feel less isolated, through your service to them as advisor, counselor, and shoulder-to-cry-on.

What you do is hard. In fact, I have heard many stories, from my first moments on campus, about the difficult situations you face as RAs and CDAs. Dealing with negative student behavior, like rowdy, loud, or drunken fellow students is not pleasant; dealing with students who are in trouble; who are struggling academically, emotionally, or socially; who are depressed, or even suicidal, is heart-wrenching. I know some of you have had to deal with students trying to cope with the death of loved ones, including even fellow students.

What you do requires a complex array of skills and talents. You must have outstanding listening and communication skills; you must possess excellent judgment and decision-making ability in difficult situations; you must be compassionate and understanding of a wide variety of people and situations.

What you do requires personal sacrifice. I know you devote many hours every week to your position; that you sometimes give up your personal time, and even your sleep, to help your fellow students.

You make an enormous contribution to the University. But you do so not just by "working," but also by serving as a leader among your peers, as an advisor to your peers, and as a role model for other students. These unique roles distinguish your position from all others on this campus. You are selected as RAs and CDAs on the basis of your academic performance and demonstrated leadership potential. You retain these positions through your continued adherence to high academic and behavioral standards. There is an inseparable relationship between your status as students and your positions as RAs and CDAs. On behalf of the University, I am grateful for the enormous range of your contributions, and I salute you for the skill with which you carry them out.

I also hope that through the RA experience, you have the opportunity to develop your skills and talents to a new level, and that the RA experience itself will prove to be an educational experience that will enhance your leadership skills in ways that serve you well throughout your personal and professional life. I believe that the Residence Life Program on this campus provides enormous benefits to the University and its students, and I hope it provides significant benefits to RAs and CDAs as well.

I am proud of the Residence Life Program on this campus, and I am proud of all the people who serve in it and have served in it. I believe that our best hope of preserving all that is good about this program is to maintain our current collaborative, collegial approach. I do not believe that a change to collective bargaining would be good for the program nor for the people involved in it. You and the rest of the Residence Life staff make this program the model that it is by collaborative problem-solving, by working together for the benefit of our students. I certainly do not mean to suggest that the Residence Life program is perfect or issue-free. I readily acknowledge that there are and always will be issues and challenges to address. I honestly believe, based on my experience and my instincts, that you, Residence Life, and the students who live in the residence halls will be best served if we continue to work together.

As you know, the decision next Tuesday will be made solely by those who vote. And your vote will affect not only you, but all the RAs and CDAs who will follow you in years to come. I am sure you have other commitments that day, but I hope you will make every effort to go to Room 1001 in the Campus Center and cast your vote, based on what you think will provide the most positive future experience for RAs and CDAs and the students you serve.

Thank you again for coming here tonight and providing me this opportunity to talk with you. I would like to devote the rest of the evening to any questions you may have, to which Vice Chancellor Cevallos and I will do our best to respond.