Your Residential Advisor can be one of the most important aspects of your freshman year at Princeton. I know that my RA greatly helped me to acclimate to the our little world here in New Jersey. She answered questions like How do I drop a course? Where can I go to get my haircut? or When should I schedule my precepts?
My RA also answered questions pertaining to the social life at Princeton. What are the clubs like? How did she choose hers? I asked what it was like to go to the 'Street.' She could answer my questions because she participates in the social life on Prospect Avenue, just as the majority of our campus does. This open dialogue about social life and alcohol and the problems and related concerns helped me prepare for what to expect of Princeton and how to deal with it.
What disconcerts me, then, is hearing about certain people whom I would consider to be wonderful RA material, but were not offered a position because they were, perhaps, too involved in the 'Street' scene. It seems to me that a criterion for being an RA is being a model citizen, a person who does not involve him or herself too heavily in the Princeton social scene. In my opinion, RAs should be picked by how well they will be able to deal with freshmen's problems and by how much they will be able to relate to students new to the University.
It seems to me that there is a trend to find an RA that will be more of a policeman, rather than a confidant. I know this is true at other universities, where students must hide from and lie to the very people who are supposed to be helping them. I find the somewhat more open system of advising that we have at Princeton — where I can go and tell my RA about what I did at the 'Street' the night before without risking punishment — beneficial not only to the students but also to the advisors themselves. Both people are free to say how they really feel or what they really think, without living in fear of getting themselves or anyone else into trouble.
I am not, however, saying that RAs should promote alcohol use, by any means. Alcohol, however, is a reality that must be faced. RAs are forced to deal with this issue and, in my opinion, should know where the freshmen are coming from. If freshmen know that their RA understands the social scene and is 'on their side,' as it were, then they will feel more comfortable raising the important issue of alcohol to the RA and coming to the RA for help if any problems do arise.
I understand, too, that alcohol and social questions are not the only concerns for RAs and freshmen. They are, however, large concerns, ones that are important and need addressing. Therefore, I think it is important that potentially wonderful RAs not be disqualified simply because they are part of Princeton's social scene. Firsthand knowledge of what freshmen are going through is meaningful, when considered from an advising point of view.
I was glad that my RA could answer my questions about the 'Street' and alcohol. I had a much more positive experience because I could comfortably talk to her about these things. Most RAs will know how to drop a course, when the best precept times are, and where people go to get their hair cut. It is, however, important that they also know how to deal openly with the social aspect of our university. John Lurz is from Lutherville, Md. He can be reached at johnlurz@princeton.edu.
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