Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Dorm moms & dads

HILLARY DAVIS and The Arizona Republic

Tucson Citizen

As young adults make the transition from mom and dad's place to dorm life at the University of Arizona, a crew of dedicated campus housing specialists awaits.

The most visible to students are resident assistants. Also known as RAs, these are fellow undergraduates who live among, and guide, students on individual dormitory floors or wings.

Then there are hall directors such as Nina Rea, live-in professionals who continue a university lifestyle as they supervise the RAs and students.

Rea, who oversees hall directors and 19 resident assistants in the Graham-Greenlee and Hopi Lodge halls, describes herself as "an RA for the RAs," mentoring her younger colleagues about classes, relationships and their dorm communities.

Rea, 26, has a master's degree in counseling and aspires to be a dean of students at a small university. She'll pursue a doctorate in higher education at UA, after marrying her fiance, Pete Pereira, 26, Kaibab-Huachuca's hall director.

A typical part of Rea's day involves addressing hall violations, such as breaches of quiet hours or fire safety regulations, or having or consuming alcohol or illegal drugs.

She recalled a recent case in which a young woman caught with a can of beer in her room tried to defend herself by showing Rea a Cosmopolitan magazine article that suggested using beer as a hair conditioner.

"I just giggled to myself because I had read that same article," Rea said, adding that because of student privacy she could not divulge how she resolved the problem.

The university's 23 hall directors supervise 22 dorms with about 6,000 residents. Hall directors at UA pull in salaries of $27,000 for 12 months, plus a $1,500 meal plan and $1,000 for professional development, along with a furnished apartment and free parking, according to UA's Web site.

All dorms have at least one apartment, often in the middle of the dorm.

Placed in the thick of things, the directors have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their residents.

"If someone is really into the notion that they want to touch the lives of students, the hall director position, I don't imagine, can be beat," said UA director of residence life Jim Van Arsdel.

At Arizona State University, David Humphrey walks the fine line between peer and boss. He has a baby face, gel-spiked hair and thumb ring, but his demeanor is mature.

"I see all around me the different levels of development of college students. I can hear people talking, this is going on and I relate it to when I did the same thing," said Humphrey, 25, community coordinator at the Commons @ASU. "A lot of times I'll take my experience, (saying) 'I was a typical college student, and what helped me learn and get to this point now was someone who helped me be accountable, helped me grow up.'"

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