When attending college right out of high school, most students decide to live in the dorms if they are not commuting from home. In those dorms, students find many other residents who can help make living in college easier.
Residence Hall Director, Lindsey Holub
Some of the residents located in dorms are titled “Resident Assistants”, who make beginning life in the dorm much easier to manage. Some choose this position strictly to help students while others use this to help save money for their college tuition.
For the Resident Assistant 2024-2025 positions at Kent State University, applicants are being acknowledged they will need to wait a while longer before confirming if they got their position. On January 25th, 2024, University Housing sent an email to all applicants “to have decisions out the week of February 26 – March 1.”
“I was very frustrated, there was just such little communication.”
Erin Dingler, Resident Assistant Applicant
This was the second time the applications would be delayed, for the original date to announce positions was to be between January 29th and February 2nd. These delays have been heavily affecting some students’ mental health.
“We panicked that we wouldn’t get the position so we renewed our contract in our current dorm,” Kent State Sophomore, Erin Dingler said. “We renewed after the second delay and there were only a couple of rooms left in McDowell.”
Without answers from University Housing as to why the delays have been happening, students began to suspect “what is taking so long.” Director of Residence Life, Leah Shaw, mentioned it was mostly due to the high increase of applicants since last year. “Many students indicated in their applications and their interviews having a strong connection to the KSU community and wanting to give back to a community that’s given so much to them.”
Korb Hall, Location of the University Housing Office
“Ideally, we would’ve completed our hiring process in early February, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it had to be rescheduled.”
Leah Shaw, Director of Residence Life
While this extra time is being taken to hand-pick the correct assistants for specific dorm halls, students have no choice but to wait for another email to be sent their way.
“There’s that anxiety in my brain that’s telling me I didn’t get the position,” Dingler said. “I’m trying to plan out my year regarding finances next year, but I don’t know anything. We have to think about loans and scholarships, I don’t know if they understand that.”
The aspect of communication towards students is something that they believe needs to be improved. “They just kinda left us hanging,” Resident Assistant applicant Zoe Griffith said. “I’m grateful I got to interview, but I would appreciate more communication.”
“Give us an estimated timeline, the only reason I knew they would reach out to us in January is because I asked.”
Zoe Griffith, Resident Assistant Applicant
As the students get closer towards the end of February, they now anxiously wait to hear what University Housing has to say about the new Resident Assistant positions. Until then, applicants will now continue through the Spring semester uncertain where they will live in the fall semester.
