Imagine posting a story where you complain about some aspect of serving residents. Maybe you caption it, “If one more person knocks on my door I’m quitting.” Or, imagine you and your Resident Advisor (RA) friends dancing to a viral sound. The text on the screen reads, “Getting called out at 3am to clean vomit for free housing!” Maybe you think, “It’s not that deep!” They’re throwaway moments of venting, meant to be funny for your friends or fellow staff. But now, imagine the residents you let follow you on that app. Or, maybe, the algorithm starts showing your posts you never intended for them to see. When these residents encounter a real problem at a seemingly inconvenient time, they will remember that post. Residents may hesitate to reach out to you so as not to bother you. Or, worse, they may stop feeling like you’re a safe person to go to.
I admit that RA-tok is always exciting to come across on my feed! Being a live-on staff member is such a unique experience, so there’s something really fun about seeing folks across the nation post this niche content. From memes about roommate conflicts to skits about people not showing up to your programs, it feels validating to know you’re not the only one in your shoes.
However, one of the toughest aspects of being Housing Student Staff is that you live in a “fishbowl”. Because you live and go to school where you work, you are a visible member in your community. Residents, supervisors, and campus members can come across you physically or virtually. Now, I don’t say this to instill fear! It’s to shed light to the fact that as a student leader you have an extra responsibility to be a role model and uphold behavioral guidelines. The way you present yourself online will impact how you are approached in your role.
Here are some things to think about:
- Posting FERPA-sensitive information is universally not allowed! Refrain from posting content that reveals names, places, etc. in an effort to protect privacy/safety, preserve trust, and be compliant with the law.
- Not everyone may be in on the joke. For that reason, it may invoke some misunderstanding!
- The reputation of the RA role has varied over time and across campuses! There are a lot of misconceptions about the work they do. It is important not to contribute to negative perceptions.
- Even if the content has nothing to do with Housing or your role within it, it can still be seen by someone you rather didn’t. Be wise about who you let follow on what social media accounts and when. I always recommend to the RAs I supervise that they should consider letting their residents follow them on spaces like Instagram AFTER move-out!
- Your supervisor may encounter or be sent your post, which may result in job action depending on its content.
- Alternately, some Housing departments may already have – or are open to – social media accounts. See if this is something you’re interested in contributing to or helping start!
So, how can you determine what is and is not okay for your school? Talk to your supervisor! This will show initiative on your part that you care about being a good role-model for your community.
All of this is not to say you shouldn’t be authentic or that you should never post again online! I would just invite reflection as to how you can be more intentional about how you show up and who you allow yourself to interact with online.
