The residence life “RA” can go by many names… Resident Assistant, Resident Advisor, Community Living Assistant, Community Advisor, Resident Mentor, etc. Finding quality materials and resources related to the “RA” position in residence life and college student housing can be difficult. The following are curated resources to help you improve your practice.

If you have a resource that you think we’re missing, let us know. We aim to keep this as up-to-date as possible.

Roompact Topics - Residential Curriculum and Curricular Approaches

Roompact Topics - Living Learning Communities

Roompact Topics - Resident Advisors Research Training and Selection

Roompact Topics - Residence Life Interview Question Banks

Example Questions for Roommate Suitemate Agreements

Roompact Topics - ACUHO-I Internship Resources

Roompact Topics - Door Dec and Bulletin Board Ideas

Roompact Topics - COVID-19 and Residential Education

The RA Position

Blog Posts and Web Articles

This blog series features different writers responding to the prompt, “What is the future of the RA role?”

Read Posts From The Series

Dissertations

Crandall, P. D. (2004). Future role of resident assistants in housing programs at public, four year colleges and universities [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
Crivello, K. A. (2020). The management of secondary trauma experiences for resident assistants in housing and residence life (Document ID No. 27993544) [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.
Hodge, L. (2016). Vicarious trauma, emotional intelligence, and the impact on job satisfaction in residence life staff [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
Maten, L. (2020). Stress, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue among resident assistants at the University Of Mississippi [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS.
Owens, E. W. (2011). The resident assistant as paraprofessional counselor and crisis interventionist: A study of lived experience (Document ID No. 854985673) [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.
Parries, M. J. (2014). Resident assistants’ self-efficacy for participation in counseling activities (Document ID No. 1594569297) [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.
Stoner, J. C. (2016). Understanding the perceptions of mattering, feelings of burnout, and job satisfaction of resident assistants at four-year midwestern universities (Document ID No. 1878293536) [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.

Books, Research, and Journal Articles

Journal of College and University Student Housing Resident Assistants Theme Issue. Volume 43, Issue 3.

Arvidson, C. (2003). A new role emerging? Re- viewing the literature on RA roles. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 31(2), 31–36.
Benjamin, M. (2007). Role construction of residential learning community peer mentors. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 34(2), 31–42.
Benjamin, M., & Griffin, K. A. (2013). “Pleasantly unexpected”: The nature and impact of resident advisors’ (RAs’) functional relationships with faculty. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 50(1), 56–71.
Bliming, G. (2003). The resident assistant: Applications and strategies for working with college students in the residence halls (6th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
Brecheisen, S. M. B. (2015). Paraprofessional staff in transition: The sophomore RA experience. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 41(2), 194–210.
Brown, W. F., & Zunker, V. G. (1966). Student counselor utilization at four year institutions of higher learning. Journal of College Student Personnel, 7, 41-66.
Carns, A. W., Carns, M. R., & Wright, J. (1993). Students as paraprofessionals in four year colleges and universities: Current practice compared to prior practice. Journal of College Student Development, 34, 358–363.
Cousineau, L., & Chambers, L. (2015). How expectations do not equate with practice: The gendered reality of the female resident assistant. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 41(2), 28–43.
Deluga, R. J., & Masson, S. (2000). Relationship of resident assistant conscientiousness, extraversion, and positive affect with rated performance. Journal of Research in Personality, 34(2), 225–235.
Deluga, R. J., & Winters, J. J., Jr. (1990). The impact of role ambiguity and conflict on resident assistants. Journal of College Student Development, 31(3), 230–236.
Deluga, R. J., & Winters, J. J., Jr. (1991). Why the aggravation? Reasons students become resident assistants, interpersonal stress, and job satisfaction. Journal of College Student Development, 31, 230–236.
Denzine, G. M., & Anderson, C. M. (1999). I can do it: Resident assistants’ sense of self-efficacy. Journal of College Student Development, 40(3), 247–255.
Dickson, G. L. (1981). The resident assistant stress inventory 1975-1979: A national study. Journal of College Student Personnel, 22(4), 362-367.
Eichenfield, G. A., Graves, W. H., Slief, K., & Haslund, S. (1988). Resident advisor performance evaluation: A second look. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 18(1), 34-38.
Everett, D. D., & Loftus, Z. V. (2011). Resident assistants as rule enforcers versus friends: An exploratory study of role conflict. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 37(2), 72–89.
Foubert, J. D. (2013). Lessons learned: How to avoid the biggest mistakes made by college resident assistants (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Fuehrer, A., & McGonagle, K. (1988). Individual and situational factors as predictors of burnout among resident assistants. Journal of College Student Development, 29, 244–249.
Greenleaf, E. A. (Ed.), (1967). Understanding students as members of the residence hall staff. Bloomington, IN: National Association of Women Deans and Counselors.
Greenleaf, E. A. (1974). The role of student staff members. In D. A. DeCoster, & P. Mable (Eds.), Student development and education in college residence halls (p. 181-194). Washington, DC: American College Personnel Association.
Hardy, S. E., & Dodd, D. K. (1998). Burnout among university resident assistants as a function of gender and floor assignment. Journal of College Student Development, 39(5), 499–501.
Harper, S. R., Davis, R. J., Jones, D. E., McGowan, B. L., Ingram, T. N., & Platt, C. S. (2011). Race and racism in the experiences of black male resident assistants at predominantly white univer- sities. Journal of College Student Development, 52(2), 180–200.
Healea, C. D. (2006). Character education with resi- dent assistants: A model for developing charac- ter on college campuses. Journal of Education, 186(1), 65–77.
Hetherington, C., Oliver, M., & Phelps, C. (1989). Resident assistant burnout factors of job and gender. Journal of College Student Development, 30(3), 266-269.
Johnson, V. D., & Kang, Y. S. (2006). Assessing differences in resident assistant confidence in addressing issues of cultural diversity in predominantly white universities. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 34(1), 31–42.
Letarte, C. M. (2013). Keepers of the night: The dangerously important role of resident assistants on college and university campuses. Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice, 2(2), 1–24.
Longwell-Grice, R., & Kerr, K. (2013). Counselor, teacher, role model, cop: Understanding RA satisfaction through the use of metaphor. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 39(2), 90–103.
Lynch, R. J. (2017). The development and validation of the secondary trauma in resident assistants scale. The Journal of College & University Student Housing, 44(1), 10-29.
Lynch, R. J. (2019.) Work environment factors impacting the report of secondary trauma in U.S. resident assistants. The Journal of College & University Student Housing, 46(1), 62-78.
Manata, B., DeAngelis, B. N., Palk, J. E., & Miller, V. D. (2017). Measuring critical aspects of the resident assistant role. Journal of College Student Development, 58(4), 618-623. doi:10.1353/csd.2017.0046
McCarthy, K. (2020). Resident assistant secondary trauma and burnout associated with student nonsuicidal self-injury. Journal of American College Health, 68(7), 673-677. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1590374
Nowack, K. M., Gibbons, J. M., & Hanson, A. L. (1985). Factors affecting burnout and job performance of resident assistants. Journal of College Student Personnel, 26, 137–142.
Paladino, D. A., Murray, T. L., Jr., Newgent, R. A., & Gohn, L. A. (2005). Resident assistant burnout: Factors impacting depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and personal accomplishment. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 33(2), 18–27.
Shelton, J. L., & Mathis, H. V. (1976). Assertiveness as a predictor of resident assistant effectiveness. Journal of College Student Personnel, 3, 368-370.
Swanbrow Becker, M. A., & Drum, D. J. (2015). The influence of suicide prevention gatekeeper training on resident assistants’ mental health. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 52(1), 76-88. doi: 10.1080/19496591.2015.996055
Upcraft, M. L., & Pilato, G. T. (1982). Residence hall assistants in college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Winston, R. B., Jr., & Fitch, R. T. (1993). Paraprofes- sional staffing. In R. B. Winston, Jr., S. Anchors, & Associates, Student housing and residential life: A handbook for professionals committed to student development goals (pp. 315–343). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Wu, M. B., & Stemler, S. (2009). Resident advisor general intelligence, emotional intelligence, personality dimensions, and internal belief characteristics as predictors of rated performance. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 45(4), 980–1011.
Wyrick, T. J., & Mitchell, K. M. (1971). Relationship between resident assistants’ empathy and warmth and their effectiveness. Journal of College Student Personnel, 21(1), 36-40.

RA Interviews, Hiring, and Selection Resources

Video

Being Intentional With Your RA Hiring, Journal of College and University Student Housing

Magazines and Other Published Pieces

Building (and Finding) the Better RA (ACUHO-I Talking Stick, July/August 2020) by Matt Venaas and Cate Morrison

Books, Research, and Journal Articles

Berg, S. A. (2016). Selecting resident assistants: The relationship between candidate assessment and job performance. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 43(3), 26-35.
Jaeger, A. J., & Caison, A. L. (2006). Rethinking criteria for training and selection: An inquiry into the emotional intelligence of resident assistants. NASPA Journal, 43(1), 144–165.
Ostroth, D. D. (1981). Techniques for selecting resi- dence hall staff: A review of the literature. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 11(1), 24–29.
Stoner, J. C. (2019). Reverse-engineering the RA hiring process: Weighting hiring components to increase future job performance predictability. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 45(2), 48-66.

RA Training and Development Resources

Blog Posts and Web Articles

Video

MACUHO Webinar: Creating Virtual RA Training

ACUHO-I Online Coures

Developing and Refining a Resident Assistant Training Program (for professionals) – Requires Payment
RA 101 and RA 201 Online Courses (for RAs) – Requires Payment

Magazines and Other Published Pieces

Green, D., Bollinger, J., Blattner, A., & Gonzalez, J. (2011, September-October). Rethinking resident assistant training. Talking Stick, 29, 44-46, 51. Columbus, OH: Association of College and University Housing Officers-International.

Dissertations

Czopek, A. F. (1974). The training of resident advisors as primary interventionists (Document ID No. 302686840)[Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.
Garlic, B. (2017). The impact training has on the self-efficacy of resident assistants (Document ID No. 1910854507) [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.
Kennedy, D. F. (2009). Exploring how resident advisors create meaning of their paraprofessional fall training and its transfer: a constructivist case study [Dissertation]. University of North Colorado, Greely, CO.
Koch, V. A. (2012). An exploration of current practices in curricular design of resident assistant training programs (Document ID No. 1040725736) [Doctoral dissertation]. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Thesis database.
McConnell, K. J. (2018). Resident assistant training design: A narrative analysis [Doctoral Dissertation]. Northeatern University, Boston, MA.

Books, Research, and Journal Articles

Bowman, R. L., & Bowman, V. E. (1995). Academic courses to train resident assistants. Journal of College Student Development, 36, 39–46.
Bowman, R. L., & Bowman, V. E. (1998). Resident assistant training: Current practices in in-service and retreat-based formats. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 27(1), 20–26.
Elleven, E. K., Allen, J., & Wircenski, M. (2001). Resident assistant training: A Southwestern perspective. College Student Journal, 35(4), 609–619.
Hipple, J., Weston D., & Harris M. (1975). Sex differences in resident advisor training programs. Journal of College Student Personnel, 16(1), 34-39.
Jaeger, A. J., & Caison, A. L. (2006). Rethinking criteria for training and selection: An inquiry into the emotional intelligence of resident assistants. NASPA Journal, 43, 144–156.
Peterman, D., Pilato, G., & Upcraft. M. L. (1979). A description and evaluation of an academic course to increase interpersonal effectiveness of resident assistants. Journal of College Student Personnel, 20, 348-352.
Petryk, T., Thompson, M. C., & Boynton, T. (2013). Building multicultural residential communities: A model for training student staff. In S. K. Watt & J. L. Linley (Eds.), Creating successful multicultural initiatives in higher education and student affairs (New Directions for Student Services, 144, 69–78). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. doi: 10.1002/ss.20070
Schilling, K. L. (1977). Impact of a training course on personal development of resident assistants. NASPA Journal, 14, 33-37.
Schroeder, C. C. (1976). Adventure training for resident assistants. Journal of College Student Personnel, 3, 30-32.
Servaty-Seib, H. L., & Taub, D. J. (2008). Training faculty members and resident assistants to respond to bereaved students. In H. L. Servaty- Seib & D. J. Taub (Eds.), Assisting bereaved college students (New Directions for Student Services, 121, 51–62). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Taub, D. J., & Servaty-Seib, H. L. (2011). Training resident assistants to make effective referrals to counseling. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 37(2), 10–24.
Taub, D. J., Servaty-Seib, H. L., Miles, N., Lee, J. Y., Wachter Morris, C. A., Prieto-Welch, S. L., & Werden, D. (2013). The impact of gatekeeper training for suicide prevention on university resident assistants. Journal of College Counseling, 16, 64–78.
Thombs, D. L., Gonzalez, J. M. R., Osborn, C. J., Rossheim, M. E., & Suzuki, S. (2015). Resident assistant training program for increasing alcohol, other drug, and mental health first-aid efforts. Prevention Science, 16(4), 508-517. doi:10.1007/s11121-014-0515-x
Wesolowski, M., Bowman, R., & Adams, V. (1996). RA training: A comparison of cognitive, vicarious, and experiential modalities. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 26(1), 30–38.