YoUR Support System
Meet the guys and gals who are there for you no matter what throughout the freshman year journey!
Resident Advisors
Once upon a time, I left my keys in my dorm room. Fortunately, my RA Fiona came to the rescue with her master set of keys. Your RA has your back for any logistical, residential life issues that may arise. RAs are very talented; they have skills in community building, counseling, emergency services, etc. Fiona is amazing—she even attended the ADA Step-Out Walk to Stop Diabetes to support me this October. What an incredible resource and friend! Fiona inspired me to apply for a RA position next year, so we will see how that goes. Here’s Fiona (left) with her past and present freshmen:
D’Lions
Sunday nights out at Applebee’s, blood drive pizza parties, stress-relief activities during midterms… All of the above are fun-packed pastimes that our hall’s D’Lion, Jackie, has organized for us. Here is Jackie’s personal take on this unique aspect of our University:
“There is a lot that goes into being a D’Lion; we are essentially your cheerleaders, your first best friend. As a D’Lion, I thoroughly enjoy engaging with my residents and asking them how they are doing, what’s going on in their lives, and fundamentally encouraging and providing them with the support that every college student needs and craves.”
D’Lions are in charge of promoting hall pride and school spirit. You can count on your D’Lion to remember your birthday and build a close dorm community. Check out how Jackie decorated each of our doors:
Freshman Fellows
When course registration rolled around, I was a nervous mess! My poor roommate had to witness me panic for a good hour. Fortunately for the both of us, Tim came through with awesome directions to guide us during the process. Freshman Fellows (FFs) are upperclassmen who live in freshman dorms and provide us with guidance, particularly on all the programs and resources that our campus has to offer. I really liked Tim’s description of his experience:
“For me, being a Fellow is kinda cool since you get to relive freshman year—but this time as someone who helps answer the questions instead of asking them.”
If you’re looking for a role model, you’ve found the right people for the job. Here’s Tim in his Freshman Fellow tee:
My experience as a freshman
Here’s one example to illustrate just how kind our RAs, D’Lions, and FFs are: On Halloween, these mentors hosted “Sue Boo” Trick or Treating, where all the freshmen could go knocking on their doors for candy. I mean, talk about generous, giving up time and candy! I feel really fortunate to have three upperclassmen who are immediately willing to help me out in any time of need, from being locked out of a room to wondering about Greek life, to asking about bus schedules and inquiring about the best local restaurants. It is encouraging to have a safe environment to ask inevitable freshman questions, and I appreciate these mentors for all their hard work, advice, and support (especially these three on Hollister 5!).
And now in the wise words of Jackie, “With that in mind, cue exit music: ‘Oh, I think that I’ve found myself a cheerleader!'”