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RAs of the Month – February

Central Area: Sam Rule (Massey Hall)

For the month of February, Massey Hall’s stand out resident assistant was Sam Rule. Sam took on the tremendous task of balancing classes, RA responsibilities as well as taking the LSAT exam. Sam did an incredible job with community building on his floor this month. He found the best place to reach his residents being the elevator lobby. He utilized furniture from the kitchen, elevator lobby and his own room to turn the elevator lobby into a fun, welcoming and relaxed environment for the residents of his floor. Sam also held a life skills program where each resident was given a quiz about basic life tasks including: changing a flat tire, opening a bank account and balancing a check book. The quiz had prizes associated with correct answers which inspired competition that brought a lot of residents together to compete. Along the lines of competition Sam brought his floor together to watch an EPSN documentary about the upcoming NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament. Sam again transformed the lobby into a family living room environment that allowed residents to sit back and relax after midterm season and get excited for the NCAA Tournament. With Tennessee’s team doing so well this year they were also able to feel the Vol Pride and talk about the potential seeding for the team and speculate how far they would go into the bracket. For all these reasons and more Sam deserves the title of RA of the month.

East Area: Michael Butler (Brown Hall)

Michael is a first-year resident assistant who has gone above and beyond his duties as an RA, including reflective goal setting, completing an additional program this month, and bettering himself in his role as an RA. Head staff can count on Michael to come to them about essential information, but also for advice on best practices on how to handle serious situations. He is very dependable and responsible. The staff enjoys his authentic demeanor and he is willing to be supportive of his staff. He also took note of a culture on the floor around harmful language for people who are not neurotypical. He did extensive research to find a program that was educational and fun. He held an event that allowed residents to reflect on the language they use and how it might impact people around them, while also examining their own prejudices. Consistently Michael has gone above and beyond to develop community, support his residents, and keep head staff informed. We are happy to nominate Michael Butler for March’s RA of the Month!

West Area: Jada Blackwell (Stokely Hall)

Jada is a second-year resident assistant who we have seen improve in her leadership and communication skills during the month of February. Jada has taken the lead for Hotel Stokely, a large program that the Reese/Stokely staff has done for 3 years. Jada organized prices and new menu items to present to the rest of the RAs at staff meeting and even had handouts to demonstrate the changes. Jada is an accounting major who has a passion for professional development. Jada helped her fellow staff members develop their resumes during the month of February. Before RA interviews in early February, Jada presented to the other RAs about the appropriate female and male business casual dress code. Jada has stepped up her game this past month in efforts to prepare for her 3rd year as an RA, and we want to recognize her for her contributions to our team!