Amazingly it seems like it was only yesterday when I was helping new freshmen move into Hess Hall for the Fall 2007 semester. I was beginning my first year as a Resident Assistant and a million thoughts ran through my mind. What kind of students would reside on my hall? What would their personalities be like? Would they get along? Would I be successful in culturing a good living environment for the new students?

    Students don't realize the planning that goes into their arrival on campus.Students don't realize the planning that goes into their arrival on campus. RA's are creating decorative boards for the hall, preparing the rooms, attempting to get settled in themselves and getting ready for a long year of new responsibilities. After a week or so of meetings and preparation the residence hall staff is finally (sort of) ready for the big day.

 The funny thing is that no person is ever ready for a challenge that great. Thousands of residents storm the doors around 7:30 a.m. on opening morning and no, I'm not kidding. Girls walk in with their entire life on carts going up to their rooms. Guys carry big televisions, video game systems and a few suitcases, basically the male life necessities. I remember residents with entire hanging stocks of all sorts of jewelry and clothing for every occasion. Its pretty hard to imagine when they possibly could have worn much of it, considering most of the time students are doing well to just crawl out of bed in time for their classes. Sure you can always stock enough carts and manpower to help these struggling dads and moms with arm loads of boxes but a staff willnever know what sort of questions parents will throw at them. It ranges from the normal to the outright bizarre. Questions can range from “Wow, these rooms aren't very big are they?” to “Can Jane get a room change? That other girl just looks crazy!” I guess they have forgotten that one never has enoughroom in a residence hall and that the whole experience is ultimately about meeting new people and becoming a more well-rounded, understanding and intelligent member of society. Thankfully room changes aren't given in the first few weeks or else move-in would be utter chaos.

In a whim of greatness and incredible forethought University Housing and numerous other campus life organizations have come up with great opportunities for students to get out and meet each other. For new students there is no better chance than this to make new friends in a huge college environment which can sometimes feel overwhelming. RA's post these events in the hall and often volunteer to attend them as an encouragement to the students on their hall. I did this myself and it was great to see the guys socializing,  getting to know others and making new friends. No matter how lame or boring another Welcome Week cookout may seem to be, there is always something new to do or new people to meet. New students should take advantage of this free time because in a week they will be looking back fondly upon these moments as they type thousand word English 101 papers. Welcome to college.

  Nothing can be more important, however, than the RA's role in cultivationg a positive, friendly environment on his or her hall. Nothing can be more important, however, than the RA's role in cultivating a positive, friendly environment on his or her hall. New students will notice the attempts, which can be anything from movie nights on the first week to video game LAN parties (a little more common amongst the male halls). As a first year RA I did what I knew. What 18-year-old guy wasn't playing Halo 2, Madden 2008 or NCAA Football 2008 obsessively at the time? I organized a huge tournament which took place on consecutive weekends. It helped  that we literally played Halo 2 every night for the first week. Now some people reading this right now would declare this activity to be a waste of time or a distraction from the preparations of a new, rigorous course load to come.

The results would have changed your mind. Anyone would have been amazed to see the reaction of the residents. Not only did they begin to bond with new students by first learning their sometimes laughable Halo screen names (i.e. SouthKnoxKilla, Stallion, Money MIKE and numerous others that probably can't be named in this publication) and talking trash with their miniature microphones, but they began to go into each other's rooms, actually talk and make friends. As an RA  there is no greater accomplishment than to see friendships grow on a hall amongst residents and to see them develop even further on the intramural fields, the classroom and other activities throughout the year. Many of the guys on my hall built lasting relationships. Some are rooming together in the residence halls this year while others moved off campus and got apartments together. Most  of them still continue to be friends and talk on a regular basis. I am thankful to have been a part of their memories and to have had some hand in their great experience at the University of Tennessee during their freshman year.

    The work that the tireless RA's do on campus in invaluable to the success of new imcoming classes every year. As they look down the barrel at the new year ahead, they do it with the confidence and the training to succeed. The work that the tireless RA's do on campus is invaluable to the success of new incoming classes every year. As they look down the barrel at the new year ahead, they do it with confidence and the training to succeed. New students can know that they have someone they can always go to no matter the situation at hand. If you are a freshman resident make an effort to be extroverted and friendly. Go meet new people, experience new outlooks and mindsets and develop your own viewpoints. These first few weeks will have a tremendous impact on your future college experience, so make it count and have a great time. Oh andif you live on the east side of campus and go to Sophie's (the best cafeteria in the world) to eat, tell Kit Pun I said hello.