Whether students live on or off campus, they’ve more than likely come across a Resident Assistant (RA) at one time or another. RAs serve an important role within the Keene State College community by being model students and working to keep everyone safe.

Students have often had an RA at one point throughout their college experience, desired to fulfill the role, or have friends who do just that. They are seen making door tags, performing Individualized Interactions (IIs) and health and safety checks, as well as putting on building-wide programs.

But is this the bulk of what they really do?

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

KSC senior and film major Nathan Brown explained that most students don’t fully understand what RAs do for their community.

“In my opinion, and I may be completely wrong, I feel like most interactions with RAs are during incidents, so students may have some certain skewed ideas of what they might think RAs do and they think that all we do is go out and get people in trouble,” Brown said.

He continued, “Making sure they’re [students are] safe is only one aspect of it. We also want to make sure that they’re doing well in school. We do check-ups every couple months, depending on what area you are in, but it’s to make sure that they’re getting the most out of their college experience that they can….We are there as a resource for them to better their college experience.”

Serving as a mentor and resource for students is only one aspect of an RA’s job.

Brown also said that the job is incredibly rewarding for the fact that they can make a difference in someone’s life, whether it be small or inspiring them to do something bigger and better that they didn’t think they were able to do.

RAs are given the opportunity to form close relationships with each other, their residents and other figures on campus.

KSC sophomore and elementary education and studio art major Inja Diamond said she has enjoyed meeting new people and getting to know the different people in her building and around campus.

“I think it’s given me a lot of connections with different people that I wouldn’t have necessarily gotten to know and it’s really great because I’ve gained a really good support group with my staff and meeting other staffs and getting to know the different people that work on campus and in residential life,” Diamond said.

Brown said that becoming an RA has given him a solid friend group that he clicks well with.

“I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t become an RA and I’m incredibly grateful that I actually did apply. You learn all sorts of things like how to intermingle with other people who have different styles of working together, especially when you’re on rounds,” Brown said.

KSC senior and criminal justice and occupational safety major Patrick

Rose also agreed that he has been able to meet more people and gain valuable life skills.

“It’s made me more responsible. It kind of makes you catch up with the work load which is a good thing. I think it’s been a maturing experience…I’m a lot more organized now. I have an agenda and I actually use it which is pretty cool because I’ve never done that before,” Rose said.

Brown and his two classmates, junior film production major Aubrey Paul and junior film production major Evan Moniz, are in the process of filming a documentary called “Behind the Door Tag.”

The film is a look at behind the scenes lives of RAs and what most students won’t necessarily see RAs doing.

Brown said they want to show that there is a wide variety of personalities that go into this job and what actually goes on behind the scenes is different from what most students would expect.

Paul and Moniz are not RAs, but said they have been filming footage while Brown is on duty.

Paul said, “I think what we really wanted to show is who the RAs really are and they’re more than just their job. They have the job, but they are people. They’re not out to get you in trouble. That’s not what their end goal is. Their end goal is to make you safe and make the campus safe. End all be all, that’s what it is.”

The film is set to debut on May 1, at The Colonial Theater, along with films from other members of the crew’s production class.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

Want to travel around the world for a semester? Or take classes at an international university? You’re in the right place.

Countries from all around the world took over the Student Center on Wednesday, Feb. 10. From Australia, Japan, England and so many more, students explored their options at the Study Away Fair in the Student Center.

Students who have traveled to various international universities set up tables, posters and spoke with prospective students about traveling for a semester abroad.

Keene State College student representatives who spent their semesters at more than 18 destinations provided information, insight and advice to those who showed interest in traveling through the Global Education Office (GEO).

KSC senior and film major Alex Scholz-Karabakakis studied in Japan during his sophomore year.

Karabakakis said his mother had always told him he needed to study abroad and as soon as he saw the study away posters hung in Morrison Hall during his first year at KSC, he knew he needed to to take advantage of the amazing opportunity.

colton mckraken / Equinox Staff

“Going to Japan through Kansai Gaidai [University] and especially through GEO was especially accessible for me.

They definitely try to streamline the process [to make it] as easy as possible.

The application process for students who want to study abroad is literally one or two pages and it takes like twenty minutes to do…It wasn’t as hard as it was time consuming.

It’s something you just have to plan ahead of time and well in advance,” Karabakakis said.

When it comes to the language, Karabakakis said it was hard to get around at first, especially in international airports.

He said he immediately met up with friends who were traveling to the same university and they all learned katakana, the Japanese basic alphabet.

He said this enabled him to read all Japanese street signs and locations in bus stations, which was immediately helpful when it came to getting around.

The excitement of studying away is something that fills every student before they embark on a new journey.

KSC senior and holocaust and genocide studies major Emily Robinson said she had studied away at sea in a gap year between high school and college, but decided to travel to England in college as well.

She said it’s important for students to realize that there is a bigger world out there and that Keene is only a small part of it.

“You can talk about it all day long and you can get excited about it, but once you get there it’s going to be totally different than what you expected and that can be good and bad, and I think both are important,” Robinson said.

When it comes to the skills she learned while away, the list was endless.

“I got really good at mapping, understanding how to travel, how to get to and from a place, not getting scared of getting lost or being by myself, exploring new things and really spending the most amount of time that I can outside of my room and trying to immerse myself. If you don’t do it, you’re not necessarily losing out, but if you’re not studying abroad, you’re not necessarily expanding your horizons.” Robinson shared.

Many students have aspirations of studying away in foreign countries during their time at college. KSC sophomore and early childhood education and English double major Emma Ayotte said she was interested in studying away.

She spent six months in Japan last year and hopes to study somewhere in Europe next.

“I hope I can gain a better understanding of other lifestyles. I hope I can learn new points of view or opinions that I’ve never heard. I hope I can gain some really cool stories,” Ayotte said. She continued, “I think studying abroad is one of the easiest, most affordable ways to travel. I might not have the same opportunities later in life, so I’m definitely going to take advantage of them now.”

Ayotte said she also feels as though studying abroad gives people the opportunity to make new friends, grow and mature as a person, as well as take part in an experience that may help people in their future career.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at  jricard@kscequinox.com