Residential Life Staff

So I know a lot of incoming freshman and prospective high school students see the terms Freshman Fellow, RA, GHR, D'Lions, Eco Reps, etc. thrown around by staff and current students. I decided to dedicate a post explaining these terms and what these positions are for. All of these positions are students who work for Residential Life, or more commonly shortened to Res Life.

RAs are found in every college with student housing in dorms. They are like the parents of the hall. They monitor activities, make sure everyone is safe and following rules. They take turns being on duty which just means they are the ones one would go to if they needed help and take rounds around their assigned buildings to make sure everything is okay. If they find a student breaking the rules, they are supposed to write them up. This just means they fill out paperwork and submit it to higher powers in the college and they determine warnings and consequences to be given. The RAs are not just a power position though. They are there for their residents for a lot of things. Emotional help, general questions about how things work at school, and even being a friend. They also are required to plan various hall programs every semester which usually are a lot of fun if everyone participates.

Freshman Fellows (which is what I am this school year) are specific to Freshman Housing, but also are unique to the University of Rochester. If you tell your friends about them who go to other schools, they will have no idea what you are talking about. Freshman Fellows are more like the Big Brother or Sister of their residents. They focus on academic support for freshman. If a student has questions or needs help with something related to their classes, registration, tutoring, etc, then the Freshman Fellow is there for them to go to and hey will help and point them in the right direction. Freshman Fellows are sort of like Assistants to RAs. They can't write up anyone, but they are supposed to collaborate with the RAs about what is going on. They are also there for counseling, mentoring, and being a friend when someone needs it. We all know how hard the transition to college can be, especially at a academic level as prestigious as the University of Rochester. Freshman Fellows are there to make it easier and fun. They also are required to do hall programs every semester as well. 

D'Lions (also unique to the University of Rochester) are the third component to Freshman Res Life Teams. They are more like the fun Aunt or Uncle in the family. They are in charge of decorating the halls and making the floors enjoyable and fun to live in. They have to throw programs as well, but unlike RA programs which are more community building or Freshman Fellow programs, which are more academically centered, D'Lions have a lot more freedom with what they do. From my experience, D'Lions are there to have a lot of fun and are the creative members of every floor. They are a lot of fun and can be great friends and mentors if you seek them out. 

Eco Reps are also incoming freshman, but they are still considered part of the Res Life Staff. They have responsibilities related to ecology and "Going Green." They are supposed to encourage recycling, energy conservation, and be there if anyone has questions or interests in the cause. They take an extra class their semesters about conservation and such. The University of Rochester respects the whole Green movement and tries to help it out as much as possible. Recycling is encouraged and now almost everything can be recycled, from batteries to old shoes. Eco Reps are a great way to introduce freshman to habits of conservation and sustainability.

GHRs are Graduate students and are the RAs' bosses. They are not specific to Freshman housing. Even the Fraternity houses on the Fraternity Quad this year have GHRs. They are just more reinforcement and who the RA's will go to at times to report incidents and other things. As a freshman, you will probably not ever see your GHR, unless you break the rules. 

These are very general descriptions of each position, but I feel like for what you need to know, it is sufficient. Each position has a lot of responsibilities on top of being a family member on a hall. RA's have the most paperwork, Freshman Fellows do community service and journal entries, and D'Lions have their own things too (I don't know exactly since our training is separated). Make sure when and if you come to the University of Rochester you make friends with these people and go to them if you need them. We are here to help you make your time here better, safe, and fun. But we can only do that with an establishment of trust, friendship, and responsibility. We want to be your friend and be there when you need it, so take advantage of the diversity of the upper classmen living with you and use them in your favor!