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For some strange reason, the Resident Assistant (RA) group process and interviews occur less than a week before housing deposits are due. Talk about bad timing.

The emails, which tell people whether they got the RA position, an alternate spot or were rejected, got sent out the day before the housing deposits were due.

I think Residential Life means well by having the RA process coincide with the OL process. This way, people trying out for both would know which one they want to pick or which one(s) picked them for the job.

However, the housing deposit has to be in QCash, which is annoying for many people to put on their QCards.

Furthermore, the housing deposit email says the money is non-refundable. But, nowhere in the email does it mention what people should do they if they are waiting on the RA decision.

According to Associate Director of Residential Life Melissa Karipidis, if a RA candidate has paid the housing deposit, and then gets hired, the deposit goes to his or her spring 2017 bill as long as he or she is a resident at the time. This application of the deposit is in accordance with university policy, she said in an email to The Chronicle.

All of this information was not given in the original housing deposit email. My point is, Residential Life is not clear and the timing of RA selection is unneeded stress, for Residential Life and for the students who are unaware of their living situations.

When you are stressed about whether or not you got the RA position, the last thing you need is to be worrying about is making the deadline for a $500 deposit. –A. Kasam