The Office of Residential Life introduced a seemingly dramatic change last year when it announced that for the first time ever, Resident Assistants (RAs) and House Presidents (HPs) were going to receive compensation for their work. This announcement came after a long campaign supported by many RAs and HPs that sought compensation for residence staff workers, as Wellesley was one of the few colleges in the country that viewed these jobs as volunteer positions. The decision to compensate RAs and HPs was, to many, a much needed change. However, this change has not wrought the difference that one might think.
Shawn De Veau, Interim Director of Residential Life, explained that the decision to compensate has not impacted the formal job description of RAs or HPs in the slightest. “The job description has not changed. It was formalized last year, by a committee, as part of the compensation process.”
De Veau also commented on the expectations that he has for residential staff workers. “As this is my first year on campus, I cannot comment on past expectations. My expectations for the students in the roles are to do the job to the best of their ability, meeting the points found within the job description.”
Julia Leslie ’19, an RA in Pomeroy Hall, agrees that there hasn’t been a change in RA’s official duties in connection to compensation. “I don’t think it’s changed significantly, because there’s a lot of work that RAs were already responsible for . . . I have to keep an eye on the floor, I have to pay attention to anything going on. I have to report maintenance requests. I get to do floor programs and go to res staff meeting and House Council. I have to mediate conflicts and provide resources to residents.”
Yet while the official policy has not changed, the nature of the job has undoubtedly undergone a few alterations since last year. One noticeable change is the number of students who are applying for residence staff positions. Maggie Calmer ’18, a second time RA in Cazenove Hall, believes that this was due to an increase in applications. “I definitely think it was a little more competitive to be an RA this year.”
Certainly, compensation enables more students to apply for the job who would not have been able to otherwise. Leslie stated that compensation has made all the difference for her in regards to her ability to do the job. “I feel like if I wasn’t compensated, I wouldn’t be an RA. It just wouldn’t be economically viable in terms of the amount of time it takes because I’d have to work more in addition.”
There are changes to the job from last year that RAs maintain are not connected to compensation. For example, RAs must now attend in-service trainings to aid them in their ability to conduct residential outreach. Additionally, Leslie stated that Remix and Marathon Monday patrols have been implemented this year. “We had duty and times that each of us had signed up to patrol the halls to make sure that everyone’s okay and that didn’t end up happening because Remix was canceled, but it will probably happen for Marathon Monday.”
Additionally, student residential staff workers are now being evaluated for their work. Calmer suggests that this is a significant change from last year. “I know other RAs are nervous. They don’t want this to affect their job, their compensation . . . I’m a little worried about the anonymity of the evaluation.”
Calmer maintains that beside the evaluation process, compensation has not significantly changed the atmosphere of the job. In fact, she indicated that many RAs have adopted the attitude that the job is not about compensation. “At the beginning of student leader training there was this attitude and ambience [among the students] that‘ we’re not here for the money.’ People really wanted to push that.”
But she also stated that there is nothing wrong with people who apply to the job for money. “I think it’s okay. We had this one training session about class, and people were talking about things in their life that have been impacted by their class, and some people stood up and told stories and said ‘not that I’m here for the money, but compensation really helps’ and so after a couple of those comments I stood up and said ‘I just want to say that it’s okay to say that you’re here for the money’ . . . It’s okay to say that I needed a job, and this seemed like a good one.”
Calmer is worried about what compensation is taking away from the job. “RAs previously got a higher lottery number, even if they decided not to come back to the job, than other residents. It was like a tradition. They announced during student leader training that they’re taking that away in lieu of compensation.”
In fact, as a second year RA, Calmer is disappointed with the lack of change that compensation has wrought. “The fight is not over. We’re getting paid, and it’s better than it was. They keep saying ‘you’re getting paid, you’re being compensated,’ but we’re still really not being compensated . . . I think it’s silly in a way to call what they’re giving us compensation. So the difference is there from last year, but it has only sparked people’s desire for justice more.”
