The University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 18, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Page: 4 of 16
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4 — March 4, 2008
News
The University News
Inside the lives of resident assistants
Zofia Kaminskf
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Few students are as well known on
the University of Dallas campus as
Christopher Black. Well known for
his George W. Bush impersonations and
assorted hilarious antics, Black is first and
foremost familiar to many as a residence
assistant.
Resident assistants play a key role at
most college campuses, and the University
of Dallas is no exception. An RA can be
viewed as a friend, or as a part of the loyal
opposition to those students under their
care. For homesick freshmen, an RA can
be integral to helping newcomers through
their first few weeks away from home.
To those who break "open house hours,"
the RA is an annoyance and a cause for
inconvenience. For those involved with
underage drinking or any other serious
violation, a write-up from an RA can cost
a ticket to Rome.
Black, who has been the RA of
Madonna Hal I for two years, says, "It's a lot
Above, Rafael "Papa Bear" Carrasco, and Chris "G.W."
Black, right, are just two of the Univeristy's resident assistant
staff.
of work and it's very hard. You need to do
lot of paperwork and [have] organizational
skills, I wouldn't recommend it to most
people. I would recommend it for a select
few, people who are self-disciplined and
can take on many challenges."
A junior can apply to be an RA and
those selected
can must go
through a rigorous
screening process
with the Office of
Student Life.
Rafael
Carrasco, the
RA in Gregory
Hall, has been
nicknamed "Papa
Bear" by his
hall residents.
They made him
a T-shirt and
a Facebook
Group.
"Being an
RA gives you the
chance to meet the freshmen, whereas
most upperciassmen don't," Black said,
adding that he has had many positive
experiences with his residents.
"I love being a role model and
being there for them," he said. "I love
spontaneous conversations in hall at 11:00
p.m., just talking about guy stuff, random
stuff, school and teachers while trying
to be quiet and usually failing." He also
knows how important an RA can be for a
freshmen, recalling "I had a really good
RA; he was source for inspiration in my
decision to be an RA."
The position includes some financial
consideration. "Initially most people
choose to be an RA because of free room
and board," Carrasco said. Resident
advisers receive room and board in
exchange for their work, a savings of
$7,615 a year. That's a significant savings
for the RAs. "I chose to be an RA for
financial reasons -- free room and board
— as well as something for my resume,"
Black said.
As with any job, there are
drawbacks. Carrasco said one of the less
pleasing tasks is writing up students for
violations, but it's part of the job. "Major
write-ups, when alcohol is involved or
belligerence — you wish that wouldn't
happen," he said. "Major ones are a
see INSIDE page 7
encing club greets
new members
John Bloch
NEWS EDITOR
Students looking for an
exciti ng way to have a good
time on campus may be
interested in UD's fencing club.
The club held an informational
meeting for new and returning
members on Thursday evening.
JuniorToni Whalen, president
of the fencing club, started the
club in the spring semester of
2007. There had previously
been a fencing club at UD, but it
disbanded after its founder left the
university. Whalen predicted that
UD students would receive the
idea of a fencing club well
"A lot of different things
prompted me to start the club,"
said Whalen. "I really missed
the atmosphere I had in my high
school's fencing club, i also
missed doing a sport and dragging
yourself to the gym is no fun.
Having something to do with
your brain and your body is really
good. I also thought it would go
V
well with the UD setting."
Whalen estimated that the
club currently has about 20
members. They meet three times
per week, from 7:00—9:00 p.m.
onTuesdays and Fridays and 10:00
a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The
club meets in Jerome basement.
According to Whalen, the club
used to meet on the patio outside
the cafeteria.
"It was kind of bad, because
we would get rained on
sometimes," said Whalen. "I'm
very grateful for the fact that the
Jerome basement is available."
In the meetings, members
who have no prior experience
will learn to fence and those
with experience will have a
chance to keep in practice.
Whalen anticipates that the club
will mostly fence with foils this
semester. Foil is a style of fencing
in which one scores points by
stabbing. Sabre is a style of
fencing which uses both swings
and stabs. Epee is a style similar
to foil which differs in that it is
more difficult.
"We don't have many
experienced fencers, so we're
going to start out doing foil.
Possibly, next year we'll move on
to sabre, and maybe even epee,"
Whalen said.
"Some time in the future, we
might go to tournaments," said
freshman David Jasmin, vice
president of the club. "For now,
we're just doing it for fun."
According to Whalen, the
club is open for anybody who is
interested in joining. Students
who have questions can e-mail
Whalen at awhalen@udallas.
edu.
"Anybody who wants to join,
just show up at class," said Whalen.
"We take beginners and we take
people with experience."
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Crotty, Sarah. The University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 18, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 4, 2008, newspaper, March 4, 2008; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201471/m1/4/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Dallas.