The positive energy and excitement students bring to living spaces were on display at a one-day retreat organized by the Resident Assistants' Council for old and new Resident Assistants (RAs) on January 18, 2020.
The event is organized every semester and serves as an induction for new RAs, according to final-year Software Engineering major and President of the all-student Council, Nsikak Imoh.
At the event, two of the Senior RAs, Ms. Keren Makanto, and Abuoma Offia, gave a presentation on the Roles and Responsibilities of an RA. They classified the roles into four: managing residents, facilities, relationships, and workflow with Resident Directors (RDs).
Ms. Makanto told the RAs that while it is good to be nice to residents, they will need to be firm in ensuring that they maintain the code of conduct.
Mr. Offia stressed the need for the RAs to be familiar with the rules and regulations themselves. "Ignorance is really not an excuse." "Bad relationship affects communication."
The presenters also presented case-study scenarios where participants shared their various perspectives on what to do.
A senior RD, Aminu Musa, gave a presentation on conflict management/counseling & confrontation skills where he detailed the various causes and types of conflicts and how to manage them. One of the ways to manage conflicts is to be calm. "What leads to conflict is escalation."
Also during the morning session of the retreat, another RD, Ms. Onyebuchi Noshiri, gave a presentation on report writing, sending and responding to email.
The Residence Assistant job is one of many leadership opportunities where students gain work experience. It exemplifies how AUN halls of residence are a living-learning environment.
Reported by Omorogbe Omorogiuwa