Resident Assistant's Office | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University (WSU) students debate the diversity of the Residential Assistants (RA) as diversity and inclusion become emphasized.
Diversity opinions
Some students felt the RA staff was not diverse enough.
“When I worked there we had like three Asian, maybe two Hispanic and then a handful of African American people work with us. It’s very limited,” former RA Isabelle Hardesty said.
Other students felt there was a measure of diversity among the RAs.
Divine Eziolise is a freshman computer science major who lives in the dorms. For Eziolise, the staff does have diversity.
“In terms of gender, I think it's diverse. I've seen women but I haven't seen any person of color like an Asian or black person, so I can't really tell,” Eziolise said.
Currently, the majority of the RA staff is Caucasian with approximately a third of RAs being men. WSU is a predominantly white institution, and often RA applications can reflect that.
“When I first became an RA there was a CD that was diverse and the rest of them were white. It made you feel more welcome, seeing that person, especially considering that I’m not white,” Alyana Barrera, former RA and computer science major, said.
Having diverse staff and student leaders can contribute positively to students. A recent article by the Association of American Colleges & Universities looks at the effects of diversity on campuses.
“Coethnic peers not only helped students feel like they belonged, but also served as role models, showing students that people from their ethnic group could succeed in college,” according to the article.
Hopes for the future
One hope for emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion in housing staff apart from hiring new students is the trainings that RAs go through.
According to former RAs, they had several trainings, including diversity and inclusion. However, some felt a video or presentation was not enough. Instead, reaching out to student organizations was preferred.
Barrera also hoped that inclusion trainings would extend beyond racial diversity and include trainings to support queer students, students with disabilities and other identities.
“There was one training about diversity, and it was talked about by a white woman who was a doctor. And it was like, okay cool, but that's not the most diverse person you could ask,” Barrera said.
Overall, some students hope for more diversity in housing staff and their training but still want to acknowledge the work RAs do for campus and for students.
“They do a lot, they are like the hands and feet of campus,” Lauren Onianwa, a current student and former RA, said.
