Dorms keep pulse of campus life

August 30, 2018

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News

As week two at college comes to a close, a dozen Aggie leaders are helping new and returning students settle into their home-away-from-home.

Twelve resident assistants, or RA’s, oversee daily life in three residence halls at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture campus in Curtis.

Ten RA’s are Nebraskans while two hail from Kansas and Texas.

“I am thankful for a great RA team of students, with lots of experience in our residence life programs,” said Erika Arambula, NCTA resident life coordinator.

NCTA residence assistants are employees, with room and board provided in exchange for their responsibilities of supervising campus residents.

RA’s for 2018-19 are Sadie Christensen, Arnold; Morgan Curran, Holdrege; Lennae Eisenmenger, Humphrey; Haley Farr, Cambridge; Sidney Higgins, Valentine; Rosa Jurado, Omaha; Kyler Kroeger, Doniphan; Jordan Phropher, Falls City; KayLee Rasmussen, Burwell; Logan Van Anne, Gering; Damian Wellman, Prairie View, Kansas; and Chris Whitfield, Katy, Texas.

Duties for the second- and third-year students range from answering questions about dorm life and getting newcomers acclimated, to overseeing housing policies.

“I am typically on duties every Tuesday night in my dorm Aggie West and one week every semester for the entire campus,” said Logan Van Anne of Gering.

The third-year Aggie with a dual major in diversified agriculture and agribusiness explains, “On duty means I am the ‘go-to’ for any resident in the halls/dorms that may need assistance for any reason.”

Creating a helpful, friendly environment is important in starting the new semester for all students.

Freshmen are required to live on campus, unless they live with their family in their hometown of Curtis, or have special circumstances such as being part-time students and commuting.

The residence halls are more than just “dorms” with single rooms or double occupancy, Arambula said.

Bonding as groups are important for new students to become part of the campus population, sharing experiences with new friends both within and outside of their major areas of study.

“You may spend the majority of your academic time within a certain building or two where you have most of your classes so a residence hall provides that organized, yet informal, social, living and study atmosphere,” she said.

Third-year student Sadie Christensen of Arnold is in her final year as a head RA, after living on campus her first two years, and serving as an RA last year.

“I’m generally a people person, so applying to be an RA was an obvious choice for me,” says Christensen, who was named the 2018 Aggie of the Year in May. “I enjoy helping and welcoming new students onto the NCTA campus.

“Being an RA for the last two years has helped me stay connected with events happening on campus, and I can make some pretty awesome friends along the way,” she adds.

 With increasing enrollment at the college and a large freshmen class, the three residence halls are nearly filled to capacity this semester with 190 residents, Arambula said.

Official enrollment numbers of all University of Nebraska campuses will be announced in early September.

Students have a 3-day weekend coming up with Labor Day, and will be back at classes on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the break gives on-campus residents a chance for social activities or volunteer work at the Nebraska State Fair with other NCTA students.

“My favorite thing about being an RA is it allows me to make new memories with new friends,” said Van Anne, who plans to transfer in 2019 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and complete a four-year degree.