BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — As Western Kentucky University prepares for incoming students, resident assistants, also known as RA’s, are being trained weeks prior to the school start date. 

What You Need To Know

  • Resident Assistants oversee floors of dorms at WKU.

  • Resident Assistants are made up of students.

  • Resident Assistants will be trained to assure their residents are safe by checking for student IDs and overseeing camera footage.

  •  WKU’s academic season will begin on August 21, 2023.

Grace Carter, who’s been an RA for three years, says the lectures they attend will outline the specific duties she and other resident assistants will handle. 

There are several vital responsibilities but one of the most important is prioritizing the safety of students

“When students come in, they’ll tap their ID to ensure they live here,” Carter said. 

“If it’s red, it’ll indicate to us that they don’t live here and so they either need to check in or we need to let them out the door. If it scans green, then they live here and they’re all good to go.”

At the front desk, they will oversee security cameras throughout the building to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is going on.

“We have security footage of basically any of the main entrances or study rooms where most people occupy,” Carter said. “And then another computer will show behind the desk, and when somebody will scan their ID, it will show their name to let us know who it was.”

RA’s also make sure student keep the noise down, are following rules, and help boost student morale by designing bulletin boards with certain theme such as academic success.

“Usually for me, when I do a bulletin board on academic success, I give tips and tricks on the becoming the best student you can be, such as going to class, studying using campus resources like tutoring centers and stuff like that,” Carter said.

According to Kirsten Hooks, the marketing coordinator for WKU’s Housing and Residence Life, WKU will have 130 RA’s this year, and will grant them a sweet deal for their work.

“They now have their housing provided to them for free, no matter what resident hall they live in, and they’re paid on top of it,” Hooks said. 

“It’s a great benefit for students looking for an on-campus job to be able to have that financial stability and get to help residents while they’re at it.”

All of this is on top of having a job to make sure students are happy while at WKU.

“It’s someone who is there to give you honest advice to make sure your time at Western is like 100% the best,” Carter said.

WKU’s fall semester begins on Aug. 21, 2023. Residence Halls open on Friday, Aug. 18 at 8:00 a.m. Students can move in on either that Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

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