Next year there will be even fewer program assistants in the
on-campus dorms as the Office of Residential Life continues to
increase the number of resident assistants and decrease the number
of PAs as part of a multiphase restructuring.
Director of ORL Suzanne Seplow said ORL has been reviewing the
student-to-staff ratio for the last three years. Through focus
groups, input from on-campus groups, student feedback from the
annual ORL survey, and reviews of national models, ORL determined
that the current RA-student ratio of 1-to-85 is too high.
As a result, ORL been steadily decreasing the number of PAs and
increasing the number of RAs so that each floor will have two RAs
and no PAs, Seplow said. According to national averages, there
should be one RA for every 35 residents, Seplow said.
Seplow said since RAs take on many roles for their residents,
including counselor and community builder, it is best to have two
RAs per floor instead of one. The RAs will still live in single
rooms so that they have the space to help and advise students.
But Seplow added that ORL’s goal in the restructuring was
not to eliminate PAs. It will cost more to double the number of RAs
because twice as many RAs will be compensated with free room and
board for a year.
PAs receive a smaller stipend for their work on floors.
Therefore, ORL is helping to compensate for the additional expense
by reducing the number of PAs, Seplow said.
“We have been doing whatever we can to cut costs in other
places,” Seplow said.
Also, she said because of vacant PA positions and a surplus in
applicants for RA positions, it will not be difficult to fill all
the new RA positions.
Two years ago, Hedrick Hall was the first residence hall to
transition from having an equal number of RAs and PAs to having
twice as many RAs and no PAs.
Within the last year or so, Dykstra Hall, De Neve Plaza, Rieber
Vista and Hedrick Summit have also been following the co-RA model
where there are two RAs to a floor, Seplow said.
Next year, Rieber will begin to follow the co-RA model as well,
she said.
Though these changes have begun to take shape, many students
prefer the old RA-PA setup.
Vivien Yu, a second-year Japanese studies student, said she
believes the RA-PA model is more effective than the co-RA model
because RAs tend to be busy and harder to contact. PAs are easier
to reach, Yu said.
She added it will not make much of a difference to have another
authority figure because RAs are “pretty lenient,”
especially when dealing with alcohol violations.
Seplow said the only places that will continue to have PAs are
Sunset Village and Hitch Suites.
Jackie Lemus, a second-year economics student and Sunset Village
resident said she prefers having an RA and PA instead of two RAs,
since she believes a PA helps to build community.
“I just think that two RAs is kind of useless,”
Lemus said. “It’s just another authority figure that is
not needed.”
RAs and PAs were not available for comment on the matter as they
were instructed to not speak to the press on behalf of ORL.
Throughout the University of California system and throughout
the country, the position of PA is almost nonexistent, Seplow
said.