Just down the hallway
September 14, 2026 12:09 PM
Most first year students living in residence have probably already met at least some of the residence life team. RAs, or Resident Assistants, are the guys or girls who help with room check-ins and are generally the first people to meet upon arriving in residence.
Since first year students have never lived in residence before, the acronym RA is probably quite foreign, apart from what Hollywood depicts. This will clarify what the role of an RA is. An RA is a full time student, just like every one else who attends StFX. In exchange for a pay cheque that arrives bi-weekly, the Resident Assistant performs a number of functions.
Responsibilities of an RA include planning events in residence, responding to questions and concerns that residents have, breaking up fights, cleaning up puke and ensuring that the community is kept safe for those who enter the respective residence.
RAs are not on duty all of the time. While they still have the authority to respond to situations that occur directly in front of them, they aren’t expected to have to use super powers to enforce things like quiet hours at all times.
All members of the residence life team have duty schedules posted on their doors and every day from 8 pm to 8 am, a member of the residence staff who is on duty will be in possession of a duty cell phone.
The duty cell phone number is posted in all residences and the RA on duty will respond to situations reported via this phone.
RAs do not do what they do to be jerks. While each RA has a different reason for signing up for the job, the most obvious is financial compensation. As with any other job, if they do not perform the required tasks, they will not be paid.
While some RAs develop more laid-back reputations, as an employee, an RA does not have the right to pick and choose what rules they feel like enforcing.
If a student is breaking a rule, the RA is obligated to document it or else they are failing to do their job.
Since RAs are students who live with and are friends with the people they have to discipline, the job is very difficult.
It is much easier for everyone if the students who are caught breaking the rules act with maturity and understand that RAs document incidents solely to fulfill what they were hired to do.
Often, they face more serious consequences for not documenting incidents than rule violators will face for being documented.
“The best bit of information I can relay about RAs to new students is that [they] aren’t out to get you,” says Josh Scott, a former RA in Cameron Hall. “They are there to promote safety and to ensure you have a great year. It might suck sometimes when an RA has to step in and some people get written up but the alternative could, in some scenarios, end up being a lot worse.”
RAs are there for the safety of the students living in residence. Do not be afraid to approach an RA with any problems or concerns, because they want the environment in which they work to be a positive one.
If people in your hallway are being rude and disruptive, politely let them know about your concerns.
If you want help organizing a house or floor activity, such as a dinner or charity event, let them know as well.
Resident Assistants are there to assist in every aspect of residence life, and their role extends much farther than simply the enforcement of rules.
