| << Front page | News | March 7, 2008 |
Off the Cuff: First-Year RA Arlo Herrine
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| Arlo Herrine, one of four first-year RAs the College has hired this semester. | |
For the first time in Oberlin College history, ResEd has had to hire first-years to fill RA vacancies. We spoke to one of four hired, Dascomb RA Arlo Herrine, about the perks of the job, what it’s like to police first-years as a first-year and what to do with 2,000 condoms…
What made you apply to be an RA?
I don’t know any other jobs that pay $2,000 a year! It’s also kind of nice to have a super single, which is obvious. But also, we had this really cool program where we played poker with 2,000 condoms as chips. You have the funding and ability to do things like that as an RA…People don’t realize how big numbers get. I mean, 100 [condoms], that’s a lot. And ten hundred. That’s 1,000. We had two of them! And that’s a lot!
And I assume that those were taken home at the end of the night?
Oh yes, most of them by me, actually.
So I take it you’re still having a fun freshman year?
Yeah, I guess you could say that.
Did you apply directly to be an RA for a first-year dorm?
I did actually say that I wanted to be in a freshman dorm. I’m a first-year, so it’s easier to be an authority figure to someone you are at least as old as. Also, you couldn’t do a program like the condom program in South. People are way more enthusiastic about stuff in a freshman dorm.
Were you in Dascomb last semester as a resident?
No, I was in South.
How does Dascomb compare?
It’s certainly louder.
What has the dynamic been like with your residents?
I haven’t had to be that much of an authority figure. The only policy issues I’ve had are about breaking quiet hours. Everyone’s been really fine about it, so it’s not really that big a deal. I just tell them to be quiet and they move on. I’m not sure everyone knows I’m a freshman, either.
So your residents take you seriously?
Yeah, I mean — being an RA, you have to balance between being an authority figure and just being with the people you live with. You don’t go to work, boss people around and go home. You get up, boss people around a little, socialize, boss people around a little more. It’s not an authority figure in the same way as a teacher or a boss.
Are there any drawbacks to being a first-year RA in a first-year dorm?
There is a certain amount of programming points you need, which is kind of a problem. You need 35 in a semester, six a month. It’s hard for me to sit down and say, “Okay this is what I want to do in a couple weeks,” and plan a whole event.
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in your role?
You know, it hasn’t been long enough for anything really funny to happen. Once I heard “A Portrait of Tracy” playing next door. They play it all the time, and it’s one of my favorite albums. It’s nice being in a community where people like the same thing I like.
There must be something scandalous you want to tell the Review.
My friend has a pretty awesome full-wall projector. Does that count?
No, not really.
What made you apply to be an RA?
I don’t know any other jobs that pay $2,000 a year! It’s also kind of nice to have a super single, which is obvious. But also, we had this really cool program where we played poker with 2,000 condoms as chips. You have the funding and ability to do things like that as an RA…People don’t realize how big numbers get. I mean, 100 [condoms], that’s a lot. And ten hundred. That’s 1,000. We had two of them! And that’s a lot!
And I assume that those were taken home at the end of the night?
Oh yes, most of them by me, actually.
So I take it you’re still having a fun freshman year?
Yeah, I guess you could say that.
Did you apply directly to be an RA for a first-year dorm?
I did actually say that I wanted to be in a freshman dorm. I’m a first-year, so it’s easier to be an authority figure to someone you are at least as old as. Also, you couldn’t do a program like the condom program in South. People are way more enthusiastic about stuff in a freshman dorm.
Were you in Dascomb last semester as a resident?
No, I was in South.
How does Dascomb compare?
It’s certainly louder.
What has the dynamic been like with your residents?
I haven’t had to be that much of an authority figure. The only policy issues I’ve had are about breaking quiet hours. Everyone’s been really fine about it, so it’s not really that big a deal. I just tell them to be quiet and they move on. I’m not sure everyone knows I’m a freshman, either.
So your residents take you seriously?
Yeah, I mean — being an RA, you have to balance between being an authority figure and just being with the people you live with. You don’t go to work, boss people around and go home. You get up, boss people around a little, socialize, boss people around a little more. It’s not an authority figure in the same way as a teacher or a boss.
Are there any drawbacks to being a first-year RA in a first-year dorm?
There is a certain amount of programming points you need, which is kind of a problem. You need 35 in a semester, six a month. It’s hard for me to sit down and say, “Okay this is what I want to do in a couple weeks,” and plan a whole event.
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in your role?
You know, it hasn’t been long enough for anything really funny to happen. Once I heard “A Portrait of Tracy” playing next door. They play it all the time, and it’s one of my favorite albums. It’s nice being in a community where people like the same thing I like.
There must be something scandalous you want to tell the Review.
My friend has a pretty awesome full-wall projector. Does that count?
No, not really.
Interview by Madeline Kaye
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