Written by Tatiana Craine
Every floor in each dorm hosts a resident assistant that lives with students and assists them with any needs they may have. Most dorm residents have a happy relationship with their respective RAs, but there are situations that arise when an RA needs to step in and assert his or her power. The three most common reasons RAs might “write up” a student include: noise levels after quiet hours, underage drinking, and drug-related offenses. Often, more than one of these three situations are combined, which makes penalties a little more severe. RAs will need to call security (especially for drug-related offenses), and they make up a sort of good cop/bad cop duo. With that being said, RAs aren’t out to get students or ruin anyone’s fun; they’re students, too, and being an RA serves as their student employment, so they’re obligated to report certain situations to the administration.
Security guards at Macalester are generally friendly, helpful, and willing to assist students whichever way they can. They patrol campus at all hours, so don’t be surprised if you stumble into one of them as you walk through campus at 5 a.m. (walk of shame, anyone?). Happiness in the dorms depends on a matter of respect for the other people living in those close quarters, so for every person that likes partying hard on a Friday night, there are others that need to study in a quiet atmosphere or that are uncomfortable with certain substances. Students that want to have fun and party merely need to be responsible and discreet. Know how to mask that musky smoke, how to keep pingpong ball bouncing to a minimum, and how to turn down the music when you think there might be a reason for an RA to show up knocking at the door. Skating through dorm life unscathed isn’t difficult after mastering the art of the good cover-up.