Dorming With Benefits
May 19, 2015
I have been attending New Jersey City University for four years working towards a
bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Along with taking fourteen credits this semester, and I am
beginning to get involved on campus in many different ways.
I am the editor of the Opinion / Editorial section of The Gothic Times, a Rising Knight
Peer Mentor, and Vice President of Advertising and Promotion for NJCU’s Collegiate Chapter of
the American Marketing Association / Business Society. As much as I am on campus, and the
workload I took on this semester, you would probably assume that I am a dorm resident.
I actually live with my parents and little brother exactly twenty minutes away from the
university. This has become my downfall because I don’t have the opportunity to interact with
other students who live on campus. In addition, I am not learning how to live independently by
living with my parents.
I heard certain students say that they are Resident Assistants (RA) in the Co-Op, Vodra
Hall, and 2040 dormitories. I never thought of the reasons why they chose to have those
positions, and I also didn’t know the benefits of living on this campus.
However, after looking at videos and pictures on Instagram and Snapchat of the activities
that take place in the dorms, I became interested in becoming an RA because of the freedom and
responsibility I will gain by having that position.
According to the Director of Residence Life, Tamar Lawson-McPherson, there are 207
resident students: 103 in Vodra Hall and 104 within Co-Op Hall, including seven RAs. In
addition, there are currently three RAs and fifty-eight students living in the dormitory at 2040
Kennedy Boulevard.
Next semester, I plan on becoming an RA to provide students with a positive living
experience during their time at NJCU. Prior to attending NJCU, I spent a semester at a university
in Bridgeport, Connecticut as a dorm resident. I established a good relationship with my
roommate at the beginning, but later on it got complicated.
We didn’t see eye to eye with certain things, such as her asking me to wake her up so she
could do her laundry—as if I was her mother. She liked sleeping with the television on, and I
didn’t. I kept my side of the room clean and organized, while her side was always messy. I took
my time getting ready for class. She woke up, and went straight to class.
I couldn’t tolerate living with her, and I put in a request to live with another student.
After I moved in with the other student, the situation got worse. My new roommate allowed her
friends and random people to come in her room whenever they wanted to, without considering
the fact that I was there.
They were rude, loud, and randomly talked about me while I was sleeping. She never told
them to stop or try to defend me in that situation. At that time, I wanted to go home, and stay
there because I didn’t fit in with the other students who were living on campus.
I would like to prevent this from happening to other students by using my experience of
how I was living. I don’t want any student to be in that situation, and make the decision to
transfer out of NJCU.
As students of NJCU, we all need to get involved on campus – whether we are a
commuter or dorm resident. For example, a commuter can go to an event prior to going to an
evening class to enjoy themselves, or attend to a black-and-white formal as a reward for working
so hard in the semester. A dorm resident can attend events during the day without being late for
their class, and have fun.
Being involved on campus is important for everyone because it can open up a lot of
networking gateways with other students, as well as faculty and staff. The connections you have
while you’re in college can help you get your foot in the door when you’re starting your career,
and be ahead of everyone else.
Even if I become a part of dorm life or not, I will continue to take steps to be involved in
the NJCU community. How about you?