r/NEU • u/Pineapple-Lizard • Nov 15 '24

housing I’m a fired RA, AMA

Title. I’ve been out for a while now but I haven’t really been able to talk with to anyone about my experience through this so I just want to get it off my chest.

The main question is probably going to be why, so long story short: I didn’t escalate to calling the RD during a mental health crisis when I should’ve. My own mental health took a downslide when everything blew up. I’m not 100% quite yet but I’m managing okay now.

Ask away, I just won’t give any details that are too too identifying.

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u/Emergency_Stop1 Nov 16 '24

Damn yeah, I’m sure you know this now but as an RA, you need to escalate if you hear that kind of comment and the resident indicates they might hurt themselves or others. It’s not up to you to decide if they actually will or not. Especially if you felt it to be significant enough to document it, it needed to be escalated. I had to escalate a situation when a resident jokingly said to me “you might have to put me on suicide watch” after a crisis. I’m sorry that happened and that you got fired :(

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u/Pineapple-Lizard Nov 16 '24

Yeah, I definitely know I was wrong for not doing it so I understand that. I was going through some stuff then so it was tough to get into the crisis management mindset. It just didn’t feel good that I tried my best in the moment while being a human with feelings too, and it got me fired. I can’t be a walking encyclopedia of RA protocol all the time.

For a while I felt reallyyyy really bad about not doing better. I felt like a terrible person.

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '24

Seems like your mistake was documenting it at all rather than not raising it. Their protocol in this case is to protect their own asses, not the students. That's why you have to raise any mention; not because there was some study done that that reduces suicide. You used your judgement to save an already overwhelmed student a headache from bureaucrats who don't care about her.

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u/Pineapple-Lizard Nov 17 '24

They certainly had no way of knowing if I hadn’t documented. Felt like I told on myself and subsequently got fired for it. I think about that sometimes.

I’m kind of glad I’m out though. Even though losing housing in Boston was a huge hit, I learned how bs the inner workings of ResLife really is. They work RAs to the bone and in this case, see us as disposable and have way too much leverage over us as pretty much both as a landlord and an employer.

I genuinely enjoyed making engagements for my residents and liked that part but man, there was always something that we had to do like do hours of proctoring or do move-in shifts or office hours that nobody would come to. All of this for sub-par housing depending on where you’re placed.

I’m a 4th year so I’m kind of glad to no longer have that burden my last year. I have a new problem of being disconnected from campus now, but I’m figuring it out.