While many students are just starting to think about whom to live with next year, some have already decided to live with freshmen. As the Feb. 22 deadline to apply to the Residential Peer Leader program approaches, current freshmen are sizing up the opportunity and current counselors are contemplating spending another year in the units.
Undergraduates can apply for a variety of positions in the RPL program. They can be Residential Counselors or Women's Peer Counselors living in a freshman unit, or they can become Community Assistants and be assigned to an upperclassman housing area. Students who have already participated in the RPL program can gain more responsibility and become RPL Representatives - experienced RPLs who oversee a group of counselors.
Sabrina Boyd '11 said she has known since arriving at Brown that she wanted to be a Residential Counselor. She said her plans were reinforced by "getting to know my own RCs and WPC," who made the adjustment to campus life easier.
Other students said they too were motivated to join the program by their positive first-year experiences.
"I got a lot of guidance from my RCs, and if I could help freshmen next year, that would be good," Steven Holman '11 said.
"It's hard to say there is one ideal set of characteristics" when it comes to selecting RPLs, said Natalie Basil, associate director in the Office of Residential Life. The program strives to be "a representation of the larger community as a whole," she added.
But she said RPLs need to be engaged in the community, understanding of others, good listeners and must have strong leadership qualities. ResLife looks for candidates who show opportunities for growth, not just past experience.
The primary requirement is that RPLs have "a sense of caring for the students," she added. "They are the eyes and ears of the community."
Current RC Ben Lowell '10 speaks with pride about running into "his" freshmen around campus.
"You see your positive presence have an effect," he said. "You see how you're helping freshmen get connected and feel comfortable at Brown."
The RPL application is now available on ResLife's Web site. Students are required to complete short-answer questions and provide two recommendation letters. One must be from a Brown-affiliated individual - a current RPL is strongly encouraged. Following a round of interviews by ResLife staff and current RPLs, applicants will be informed of decisions by March 14.
Students can request specific dorms on campus, but Basil said ResLife concentrates on building what they believe would be "strong teams."
"We want communities getting exposure to all different types of people," she said.
Counselors are generally happy with their placement.
"You build a community of friends within the RPL group," said Rebecca Fein '10, a current RC.
Fein has been so happy with her experience that she plans to reapply, which "shows the success of the program," she said.
Basil said more and more RPLs are returning each year, which is integral to program. Her ideal staff would be composed of half new and half returning counselors, as it would "add to the depth of leadership skills," she said.
Having counselors of different ages and experiences makes the program more valuable and useful to students in the residential halls, Basil said.
"Our RPLs are students as well - they can relate what they're going through," she added.
Because RPLs are close in age to the students in their units, they often become friends with those they oversee in addition to being helpful resources. Boyd said she considers her WPC to be one of her closer friends.
Fein said that in the midst of her busy schedule, she probably would never have bonded with students in the Class of 2011 had she never been RC, one of the perks of the job.
"You become part of a community you wouldn't otherwise be a part of."
