“Roll-tide.”
“That one crazy night of Monopoly.”
“We’re like vitamins…”
Only the resident assistants of Lee and Fricker halls know the meaning behind these inside jokes.
Sophomores Tommy Kagan and Katie TeVrucht are the co-resident assistants of Lee Hall second floor. Every Tuesday night, Kagan and TeVrucht have staff meetings with every RA in Lee and Fricker halls, including sophomores Wes Stuckert and Brian Froemming, junior Ethan Duetsch and senior Chris Smith.
As RAs, they are forced to work together on a daily basis. Luckily for them, they’re all best friends.
A week doesn’t go by when these RAs aren’t in each others rooms. Whether in Lee or Fricker halls, this group can most often be found planning a floor activity, eating lunch or even hitting the gym together.
“I don’t see it at all like a working relationship,” Kagan said. “The work aspect is always there, but they’re definitely friends first.”
The group seems to always be laughing about an inside-joke, trying to “steal” each others residents, or just hanging out.
“The time we get to spend with one another on and off the job is extremely enjoyable,” Stuckert said.
Kagan and TeVrucht have what they call “co-dates,” which are times the two of them do something together that isn’t related to the floor.
“Sometimes we’ll go to UC breakfast or grab lunch at P. Street,” Kagan said.
One of the things Kagan said was a reason the group became such close friends is due to the fact that he knows they’re always around.
“I can just run down the hall whenever I need something or someone to talk to,” Kagan said.
These RAs are only a couple of the many RAs on-campus with such a good relationship.
“I feel like I have made friends that I will probably keep for a lifetime,” TeVrucht said.
A common misconception
When freshman Justina Kruser first moved into Lee Hall, her idea of an RA was a “snobby” person.
“I thought they were going to be stuck-up and rude,” Kruser said.
Little did Kruser know that her RA, TeVrucht, would soon become her best friend.
“She has definitely become my best friend on the floor,” Kruser said. “We do everything together.”
TeVrucht said that she felt like a freshman herself this year because she was new to Lee Hall and didn’t know anybody, but has made friends that she will “keep for a lifetime.”
As a freshman, having misconceptions about RAs is common. Many students think their RA is going to be a blood-sucking upperclassman that will write you up any chance they get.
Yet this is the farthest thing from an accurate description, including TeVrucht.
TeVrucht said that her favorite part of being an RA is connecting with her residents and making new friends.
TeVrucht also knows what it’s like to juggle many different things at once just like many other students.
“It’s challenging sometimes to decide priorities,” TeVrucht said. “You have to find a balance though.”
As an RA, TeVrucht has a list of responsibilities including staff meeting, floor activities, being on-duty, connecting with her residents, creating hallway decorations and making sure her residents are in a safe, fun environment.
If this wasn’t enough to keep TeVrucht busy, outside of the dorm, TeVrucht has classes and extracurricular activities that she said she considers very important.
“Although I have duties as an RA, I am a student first,” TeVrucht said.