Going to college is a daunting task. Living on campus is even more daunting. However, there is a person who can help make this experience a more pleasant one. This person is a called a resident advisor. A resident advisor is an older student who is responsible for helping younger students living in a college or university resident hall. Resident advisors are trained to check-in and check-out students who are entering and exiting the resident hall. They are also responsible for checking guests as well. Resident advisors are responsible for creating a sense of safety among the students. They are considered a counselor, administrator and disciplinarian. They provide information on campus resources as well as encourage the students to participate in floor and hall activities. Resident advisors must uphold and enforce residence policies put forth by the college or university. These are things that a resident advisor should be responsible for. Yet, they have become lax on their duties. A resident advisor must be stricter with their responsibilities. Although students are considered adults, there are many dangerous things that can happen on school campuses. The possibility of something bad happening increases because of students living on campus. Even though college students are adults and do not need such strict supervision, resident advisors need to be stricter because of the chance of sexual activity and the possession of drugs or alcohol among the students in resident halls. Sexual activity is defined as any type of activity that is associated with sexual intercourse. …show more content…
Apparently, sexual activity happens among all humans and at anytime. However, college or university resident halls are places where many people are located at one time. This environment makes for an increased opportunity of the chance of sexual activity among students. High school students transiting to college students have the naivety of the can do anything without consequences attitude. We all know at this age sex is a big part of the thought process. This is where resident advisors come in to play. They are responsible for periodically checking the dorm rooms and hallways. Evidently, this is not being done. A now pregnant college freshman says, “She was able to enter and exit her boyfriend’s dorm room at anytime without a resident advisor acknowledging her presence.” Obviously, the lack of supervision is a contributing factor as to why this happened. Resident advisors are also responsible for making sure illegal drugs and alcohol are not on the premises of the resident halls. High risk drinking happens among college students all the time. Alcohol is brought on the premises and into the dorms by the students. The U S Department of Education has evidence that at least 84 college students have died since 1986 due to alcohol poisoning. Furthermore, illegal drugs are brought onto campuses as well. According to the website CBS Pittsburgh a Penn State student was jailed on charges he sold marijuana wax and anti-anxiety prescription drugs from his dorm room. Resident advisors should closely observe each student as they enter and exit the premises. The students will then think twice about bring the drugs or alcohol into the resident halls. Some people do not agree that resident advisors should be stricter. They feel college students are adult enough to handle campus life. They feel the student is old enough to make their own decisions. Consequently, this thinking