For most first-year students, living in residence seems like an awesome gig, and it really is: nice rooms near your friends, homecooked meals three times a day and loads of activities that make you feel so at home. Residence life has so much to offer, yet sometimes loneliness and sadness from being away from home can still hit. Obviously, our heavy workload keeps us busy and helps to keep our mind from straying away, but it can be quite challenging to keep a healthy work/life balance. To overcome this, students often feel compelled to get involved in sports, clubs or societies, but even those can take a hefty chunk out of our already busy schedule. A great way to help compensate for that is to get involved in your residence! You’re already at home, and usually the commitments are not as heavy as with other engagements around town or campus. 

The most evident way to get involved in residence is to have a spot on the residence team. This group of hard-working students help ensure that residence life flows like a well-oiled machine. They are committed to have students be happy, healthy and loving their new homes. The team includes house executives such as president, vice-president, social chairs and secretary/treasurer. These members of the house take their time to plan entertainment, theme nights, activities and much more. Other members of the house team are the Academic Mentors. They help with any academic trouble students may face during their time at MtA. They even plan salons, workshops and invite guests into residence to aid students with many problems they may need to work through. Finally, Residence Assistants and Assistant Dons are there to help ensure safety and wellbeing of the house residents. They spend lots of time ahead of move-in to train and make sure they are at their best for the incoming students. In the Winter Semester, applications for house team open up, so don’t miss your chance to apply! 

That’s not the only way to get involved in your home; first-year students can also lend a hand in making their residence a warm, welcoming environment for others! At the beginning of the year, students are invited to apply for various representative positions throughout the house: Health Rep, Birthday Rep, Spirit Rep, Intramural Rep, Indigenous Rep, Food/Housing Rep, International Rep, and so many more! Students get to organize activities and represent their house throughout the year! This is a great way to get involved without a hefty commitment, but still get a taste of residence involvement. Being in a representative in your respective house is helpful in making the choice to apply for a house team position for the upcoming academic year! 

Having a residence team that wants the best for your house is a great way to help other residents stay motivated and enjoy their time in residence. How cool is it that you can play a part in helping other students love their residence! Being an RA in Campbell Hall this year has been very rewarding so far, helping me make many new friends and giving me life experiences that would be impossible to get anywhere else!

Photo: During Move-In Day 2020, my friend Fiona and I were so excited to be helping new students move into their new home!