RA terminology

Sometimes, when I walk into a restaurant, I hear all sorts of ridiculous names being parlayed back and forth between waiter and cook. I am so jealous of their pseudo-language. But then again, any specialty work develops specific slang in relation to the work. Listed below are some terms that are common usage for HRL (HRL?? See below) employees, but greek to everyone else.

HRL - Housing and Residential Life - basically the "powers that be" to RA's; our employer and ultimate authority

RESI - short for "resident", may refer to a resident of the building or more specifically, that RA's hallway/section

SISTER BUILDING/Building Pair - every building is paired with one other, in hopes of spurring more community building. Each building pair has one GA and one HD living in either of the halls.

HD - Housing Director - this person is in charge of two buildings (a building pair). They relay orders to the second in command (GA) and basically run one building and intervene with the other to handle extreme circumstances.

GA (sometimes GAHD) - Graduate Assistant Hall Director - this position is open to grad school applicants. While the HD position is indefinite, GA positions are limited to two years. GA's run one of the two sister buildings and defer to the HD on greater matters.

ON-CALL - This is when an RA must stay in the building from 8 pm to 7 am. They post a sign with their contact information and take a special phone for emergencies. They are available to students at all hours. RA's must complete "rounds" while on-call. Freshman buildings usually have RA's on call in pairs, but smaller staffs stick to one RA on call.

ROUNDS- This is a circuit of the building made by RA's during on -calls. Ideally, it is to every corner of the building - but let's be honest. RA's use this time to bust up bumpin' parties and rag on drunk assholes.

BACK UP - Exactly what it sounds like. When shit hits the fan, call for back-up.

HENRY - a generic vacuum that all buildings have. It has a face on it. Residents can borrow this if they leave collateral to ensure its return

FRESIDENT - this is a special resident that the RA treats as a friend rather than a resident. This term is usually used to describe a resident that an RA parties with. Beware HUGE conflicts of interest.

HALF- SHEET - Also known as an "incident report", this is the RA's interpretation of what went down. Don't be an ass to the RA because that goes right into it.

WRITE-UP - Caught partying? This is the report RA's must write to explain your shenanigans. They suck and you suck for making us write them.

AC - Alcohol Citation - a special write-up that involves a inherent admission of guilt. Basically, when you're caught, you're caught, and you admit it and pay the fine. It's easier for everyone

Those are just a few terms you might here bandied about in the RA world, I'll add on as I think of them.