An Anxious Arrival

        "Why are you so strict?" says Mikey, a student from Bloomsburg University, asked after his Community Assistant (CA) Cymphanie instructed him for the 10th time to turn down his music.  Some students resent abiding by any type of rules. It's unfortunate that the CA's have to carry the burden of enforcing the Universities policies. By doing so, they unconsciously acquire the label strict, which becomes synonymous with their name. Contrary to what some students believe, a CA's main job is not to get you into trouble, but to serve as a role model toward other students on their floor and all around campus. Cymphanie states, "There's a common misconception between students, that CA's try to look out and bust the students." She wants students to understand that they're actually here as a resource to help the students with their college life. As well as establish a trust between the students so that they have a role model or someone to talk to, as they embark on their career aspirations. CA's want you to be able to communicate with them about how you're transitioning to the college life if you're a new student, or even just simply have a conversation with you. CA's just want to have a great relationship with all of their residents, as Cymphanie exclaimed, "We're not the police."

Cymphanie Woody (Figure 1)

       Cymphanie Woody (Figure 1), a Psychology major with a minor in Biology, Aging Studies, and Spanish, at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, is in her junior year at the institution. She is a native from Reading, Pennsylvania, and has been a Community Assistant for 2 years now. She became interested in the program after her roommate informed her that she would make a great CA, because she demonstrated all of the qualities. Cymphanie, a short, black haired individual, with brown eyes, is a very vibrant person, who is extremely adamant about helping others reach their full potential. She is a very selfless individual who cares about the well being of others before her own.

        When Cymphanie applied to obtain a CA position, she understood that it would take a great deal of sacrifice, with aspirations of becoming a doctor, Cymphanie would have to make her grades first priority. In order to be admitted into medical school.  Even with her rigorous schedule, she still manages to pull off an astounding 3.51 GPA.

Front Desk of Elwell Hall (Figure 2)

       After finally receiving a CA position, on the 5th floor of the Elwell Hall, Cymphanie quickly became acclimated to the new environment. After coming from Lycoming Hall and Columbia Hall, the new experience had presented an immediate challenge, because for the first time ever she would not have a roommate in college, she rapidly adapted to the change. She stated, "not having a roommate was very strange at first, but overtime you begin to get use to it." As you walk into the Elwell, you will first notice a large front desk with many CA's throughout the building relaxing or perhaps doing work. The purpose of the CA's at the front desk is to help students with any questions they have regarding the campus, picking up mail, or to guide them to the proper place, in which their question will be answered, if they do not have enough knowledge on the question (Figure 2). The CA's are a very tight knit community, "they're my family away from home," Cymphanie explained enthusiastically. The Elwell Hall has recently been renovated, and was completed in the Fall of 2013. The renovation included student controlled air conditioning and heating units in each dorm room, new elevators, new lounge spaces on each floor, and plenty more. The Elwell Residency Hall name originates from three generations of the Elwell family. George E. Elwell was one of the first graduates from Bloomsburg University, and ended up being his father's (Judge William Elwell) successor on the Council of Trustees in 1887. George's son, G. Edward Elwell became a professor at the institution.

       Cymphanie has a very relaxed schedule in the summer. She claims that the only difficult part about it is the energy of the residence in her hall at nighttime. She says, "my residence are like owls, they always become very active during the night." This can be a very difficult time for CA's because they have to enforce the Universities quiet hour policy, which states on school nights residence must stay quiet from 9P.M-9A.M. This happens to be the most common violation that residents disobey. "Being too noisy is definitely the policy that is violated the most," recalls Cymphanie. During the Fall and Spring semesters being a CA can become very stressful, because they have to manage a full course load of fifteen credits, as well as, attending to their residents, and any incidence that happen during the night.

       "I remember last Spring semester there was a domestic abuse incident, in which a female student was choked up against a truck. About 10 CA's had to fill out incident reports, about what they saw and heard happened. This situation took about 3 hours to resolve," explained Cymphanie.

        Although being a Community Assistant may seem tough, but for the most part it's an experience you can always cherish. "Getting to know new people, and understanding different personalities is one of the best parts," explained Cymphanie. Cymphanie understands that being a CA will benefit her in the long run, since she wants to be a doctor. She knows that being a doctor requires you to be able to communicate with a variety of personalities, and being a CA has definitely helped her in that regard. Here is a video that discusses what being a CA entails, and how the experience is something that can benefit you for the rest of your life:

      The ultimate goal of a Community Assistant is to help college students with any problems they're having. Without CA's, it would be very difficult for college students to adjust to the very fast pace lifestyle of a college student. So, if you happen to be in college, next time you see your CA, just say hello, which might possibly spark a relationship of a lifetime!