M: I think I’ll apply for resident assistant. The cost of campus housing is going up again. I’d sure like to live on campus for free—and in a private room.
W: Are you sure about that? It may not be what it seems.
M: A private room with no rent? How could you go wrong with that?
W: I only know what my friend told me. She was an RA last year, and she said it took up a lot more of her time than she thought it would. It’s that part about “managing routine problems of residents.” She said there were people knocking on her door all hours of the day, with all kinds of problems—feeling homesick, complaining about their roommates— things like that. It was impossible for her to study in her room because there were so many interruptions.
M: No kidding. It was really like that?
W: That’s what my friend said. The stress of being RA really affected her schoolwork too. She even had to drop a course because she couldn’t keep up.
M: Wow.
W: And I’m suspicious about the job description, you know, the part where it says that RAs have “other related duties.” You never know what that means. It could mean almost anything. I mean, what will they make you do for free rent?
The woman expresses her opinion about being a resident assistant. State her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
