Purdue student housing leaders serve community as well as students
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University's entire staff of newly hired and returning residence hall assistants launched this semester by volunteering at nonprofit organizations in the community.
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A complete list of the resident hall assistants and their hometowns can be found online.
"We want to give back to the community. We're interested in issues such as the environment and social justice," said Sarah Casares, the Hilltop Apartments residential life manager who created the project. "This also gives residential life staff an opportunity to get to know each other better and practice teamwork."
Resident assistants are degree-seeking students who are at least 21 years old. They are part-time employees of the university and receive free room and board, partial tuition remission and a stipend. Resident assistants serve as role models to residents and provide counseling and counseling referrals. Assistants help ensure that residents adhere to university rules and policies and also are expected to develop a sense of community and foster leadership skills.
The volunteer part of the assistants' training is expected to serve as a model that the assistants can implement as they develop activities and educational programs for the on-campus residents they serve and supervise. Purdue University Residences can house almost 12,000 students, making it the largest program in the nation that does not require students to live on campus. More than 6,900 freshmen will move in this semester — the largest number ever at Purdue.
"We are always looking for ways to increase the quality of life for our students," said Tom Paczolt, director of residential life. "Serving others is an excellent way to accomplish this. The potential for thousands of energetic young people to help create a stronger community is exciting."
Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Sources: Tom Paczolt, (765) 494-1000, tpaczolt@purdue.edu
Sarah Casares, (765) 494-2396, scasares@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: A complete list of participating students, including students from your area, is available online. Additional photographs of the event may be available by contacting Jim Schenke at jschenke@purdue.edu.
Related Web site:
Purdue University Residences
PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue University resident assistants (R-L) Drew Sittley, of South Bend, Blake Ratajack, of Munster, Ind., and Richard Ham, of Bartlett, Tenn., install new safety surface material at a playground in Lafayette. More than 270 university residential life student employees volunteered at community nonprofit organizations during the service-learning training exercise "Extreme Makeover: Community Edition." (Purdue News Service photo/Jim Schenke)
A publication-quality photo is available at: http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2006/ravolunteers2.jpg
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