Housing and Residential Life at the University of Rhode Island plans to remove the resident academic mentor position beginning next year, replacing it with additional resident assistant roles.
The RAM position, or guides for first-year and transfer students to manage college life within their chosen area of study, is still listed under the University of Rhode Island website. HRL has yet to release a statement to explain the decision.
The position change was communicated informally among student staff, according to a fourth-year student and RA, who requested to stay anonymous.
“I’m assuming [HRL] told RAMs that they would be removing the position for next year and then I found out,” the RA said. “Our hall directors also mentioned it to us when they informed us about reapplying for RA positions next year.”
RAMs promote academic success by living in first-year Living Learning Communities, which are residential communities that group students of similar academic or professional interests together, according to the HRL website. They organize academic events and help students with their adjustment to college-level work, focusing only on academics rather than residential disputes.
“RAMs are very important,” The RA said. “They don’t have your typical RA responsibilities like being on call or having to respond to roommate conflicts. Their purpose is to be the academic person for the LLC. Freshman year can be an overwhelming adjustment, both academically and residentially.”
HRL’s updated plan is to assign the academic mentor responsibilities to the senior resident assistant, according to the RA. HRL intends to align RA majors with each LLC in hopes of having them support students through that connection.
Removing RAMs could thin the amount of academic support available if SRAs have extra responsibilities, according to the RA. HRL may need to consider adding more RAs per building in order to balance the workload.
The search for next year’s RAs is underway, according to the HRL website. RA’s work an average of 20 hours a week and receive free room and board, as well as a taxed stipend, but must pay for their own meal plan.
Third-year student Mackenzie Johnson, who utilized RAMs during her first year, said she believes that the role is still very important in supporting students.
“When I needed advice about academics, RAMs helped me a lot,” Johnson said. “They understood what freshmen were going through and helped make things feel less overwhelming.”
Having a RAM in her hall made her feel more “supported and comfortable,” according to Johnson.
“Having someone there with academics made college feel more manageable,” Johnson said. “I don’t think RAs will have the time to focus on that the same way.”
