Housing Ninja Equiped with the Awesome Power of Common Sense
Wed, May. 30th, 2007 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spiraliciousIt has occurred to me that as often as I talk about work, I have never really told you what I actually do.
It's under a cut because it's long and boring
First some preliminary explanations:
DA = desk assistant (my job title)
ADS= area desk specialist (my supervisor's title)
RA= resident assistant
CD = complex director, they are in charge of the RAs and there is one for each residential building
CW= custodial worker
DPS= department of public safety (campus cops)
MB= the DAs' and ADS' boss in main housing office
SD= MB's boss
Area Desk= Were I work. There are three of them; the H desk, the L desk, and the B desk. It is sometimes referred to as a mail desk because we receive mail and have the mail boxes for the residents in the residential buildings we service. An area desk is basically a mini satellite main housing office.
The B desk is the smallest and only serves the 2 smallest residential buildings that are about 6 blocks off campus.
The H desk is not the biggest but is the busiest. It is the busiest because it gets the most foot traffic. It is in a building that has 5 of the 8 places residents eat on campus. It only services, 2 residential buildings but one of them is the one I live in and it is the largest on campus, housing 700 of the about 3000 residents. I worked at the H desk last year.
The L desk is the new desk in the new residential building. It replaced the C desk, which by next fall will be completely demolished. It is the largest in both size and the number of residents is services. It services, 4 buildings.
What does a DA do?
Well it is a unique job. We are the only department in housing, except of course the main housing department, that works directly with all other departments of housing. We have to work with the CWs, the RAs, the residents, the CDs, main housing, food services and catering, summer programing, the post office, DPS, and any one else that crosses our path. Also any bit of paperwork that is involved in living on campus crosses our path at some point. I don't think I can explain the amount of paper work involved in every bit of housing. ADS' do most of the processing of the paperwork but sometimes DAs do the processing and it is the DAs job to get all the paperwork ready for the ADS to process. We deliver all the residents' mail and sign for all the residents' packages. We also do most of the stuff a normal post office would do, such as forward mail, return to sender mail, and dead mail. They made us write up the process of forwarding mail for the newbies and there is about 25 steps (when there is nothing unusual) and takes between a half an hour to two hours depending on how much of it there is. We are there to answer all of the residents' questions, housing related or not. We have maps, bus schedules, and phone books behind the desk because most of our non-housing related questions involve how to get somewhere in town or the phone number for a restaurant that delivers. Most of the job is equipment checkouts and key loans. Most of the equipment we check out are movies but we also have volley balls, footballs, screwdrivers, croquet sets, rubber mallets, pool equipment, ping-pong equipment, tvs, dvd players, playstations, vacuum cleaners and various other things. The residents get to check them out till 5 the next day for free and if they are late they get charged a late fee. For key loans, we keep an extra key for each room and several for each building that we service. So if you lock yourself out of your room and you live at one of the 2 buildings serviced by the H desk you cannot get a spare key from the L desk because they simply won't have a copy for you. You get to keep the loaner key for 2 days and if you don't bring it back on time and don't talk to us about it we wait a day and then we try to contact you. If we still can't get the key back and don't have a valid reason for it we have to call the locksmith and change your locks. We are also responsible for the residents' safety in a similar capacity that the RAs are. Basically if something happens we are responsible for contacting the proper people to take care of the problem, usually the CD or DPS. We also have to do audits. DA audits are when we have to take the roster (a list of everyone that lives in a building, what hall and room they live in and mail box and id numbers) and the PRCR ( property & room condition report, you fill it out when you move in and sign it again when you move out, it has all your housing related info on it) and we compare them to make sure everyone has a PRCR and are where they are supposed to be, (okay the RAs do the part of the audit that checks to make sure everyone is where they should be but we have to deal with the resulting paper work). We also field calls from upset parents. Some how I always get the parents who don't speak English. We do other things too but thats most of our job. We say we don't do anything but we really do a lot and aren't really appreciated.
Are there perks?
There are a few. When I worked at the H desk, I got my mail as I was delivering it instead of having to wait. Now that I work at the L desk I get little notes in my mailbox from the H desk staff. When I check out a movie I get to keep it till my next shift without late charges because I am checking it out as a staff member instead of a resident. We have Area Desk groupies. I get to take home dead magazines.
You have fans?
Yeah, there are people who hang out at the desk for fun. There are people that leave notes for their favorite DAs and come by to find out when they are on shift so they can visit. There are people who ask for you by name or description. I'm told that people come by the desk wanting to talk to "the blue haired girl that never sleeps." There were these 2 girls last year that always came by to talk with me at the H desk and this year they live in a different building that is serviced by the L desk, where I work this year. They were excited that I was working at their new desk and used to have breakfast with me when I got off work, when I worked weekends.
You're a returner, what's that like?
Well I'm only one of two returners at the L desk,there was 3 but he graduated in March, so I am one of the first people that is asked a questions when there are any, including questions from the new ADS that has only been working there for a month or so. I am asked to help out at the H desk sometimes. I know the staff a bit better, so there isn't the awkwardness that the newbies have. I have actually known most of the staff all 4 years I have been here not just since I have been at the area desk.
You worked at H desk last year, why do you work at L desk this year?
I absolutely loved my boss at H desk (she got a job else where in October this year)but it was bit creepy to know that much about the people you live with. Also the new desk is open 24 hours a day and they needed staff that could work overnights and I was the only returner that could.
Why was this year worse then last?
There were just a lot of problems: There is a new dorm building that hasn't gotten all the kinks worked out yet, same with the new desk thats in it.The other 2 area desks only have 7 DAs and over half of their staff are returners but at the new desk we have 24 DAs and only two of us are returners and training did not go well. The new DAs at the desk have gotten away with not working all year but now the new ADS is making them and they aren't happy about it. I'm frustrated with them as well because I have to clean up their messes and they get upset when I complain about it. Also they just don't care they are still screwing things up that they should have figured out how to do back in September. Most of them are not returning next year. The H desk has gone through 4 ADS' the L desk has gone through 3 ADS'. One of our staff members died this year. Two people quit at the H desk so other desks' staff are covering those shifts. We got new computer and time clock systems that both still don't work quite right. Basically most of it is that at the L desk, we have huge staff problems.
You have said you have gotten some recognition this year but its too little too late, what did that consist of?
Well last year I got an "award" for near perfect paperwork and for having a "unique outlook on life" (it means they think I'm a freak but like me anyway). Last year I was given the title of movie queen because I can always recommend a movie that pleases. That title continues this year from the new residents and the old ones that remember me. Little things from the residents and DAs last year and this year, that let me know I'm appreciated. When they were hiring a new ADS I was asked if I wanted to apply for it, I wasn't the only one ask and all DAs could of but it was nice to be asked. Also there were the ADS speeches at the last group staff meeting of the year, but I already spoke about that. It was all nice but there was too much bad shit going on this year to really make up for it.
website of the day: http://secretfunspot.com/unclelaff.htm
It's under a cut because it's long and boring
First some preliminary explanations:
DA = desk assistant (my job title)
ADS= area desk specialist (my supervisor's title)
RA= resident assistant
CD = complex director, they are in charge of the RAs and there is one for each residential building
CW= custodial worker
DPS= department of public safety (campus cops)
MB= the DAs' and ADS' boss in main housing office
SD= MB's boss
Area Desk= Were I work. There are three of them; the H desk, the L desk, and the B desk. It is sometimes referred to as a mail desk because we receive mail and have the mail boxes for the residents in the residential buildings we service. An area desk is basically a mini satellite main housing office.
The B desk is the smallest and only serves the 2 smallest residential buildings that are about 6 blocks off campus.
The H desk is not the biggest but is the busiest. It is the busiest because it gets the most foot traffic. It is in a building that has 5 of the 8 places residents eat on campus. It only services, 2 residential buildings but one of them is the one I live in and it is the largest on campus, housing 700 of the about 3000 residents. I worked at the H desk last year.
The L desk is the new desk in the new residential building. It replaced the C desk, which by next fall will be completely demolished. It is the largest in both size and the number of residents is services. It services, 4 buildings.
What does a DA do?
Well it is a unique job. We are the only department in housing, except of course the main housing department, that works directly with all other departments of housing. We have to work with the CWs, the RAs, the residents, the CDs, main housing, food services and catering, summer programing, the post office, DPS, and any one else that crosses our path. Also any bit of paperwork that is involved in living on campus crosses our path at some point. I don't think I can explain the amount of paper work involved in every bit of housing. ADS' do most of the processing of the paperwork but sometimes DAs do the processing and it is the DAs job to get all the paperwork ready for the ADS to process. We deliver all the residents' mail and sign for all the residents' packages. We also do most of the stuff a normal post office would do, such as forward mail, return to sender mail, and dead mail. They made us write up the process of forwarding mail for the newbies and there is about 25 steps (when there is nothing unusual) and takes between a half an hour to two hours depending on how much of it there is. We are there to answer all of the residents' questions, housing related or not. We have maps, bus schedules, and phone books behind the desk because most of our non-housing related questions involve how to get somewhere in town or the phone number for a restaurant that delivers. Most of the job is equipment checkouts and key loans. Most of the equipment we check out are movies but we also have volley balls, footballs, screwdrivers, croquet sets, rubber mallets, pool equipment, ping-pong equipment, tvs, dvd players, playstations, vacuum cleaners and various other things. The residents get to check them out till 5 the next day for free and if they are late they get charged a late fee. For key loans, we keep an extra key for each room and several for each building that we service. So if you lock yourself out of your room and you live at one of the 2 buildings serviced by the H desk you cannot get a spare key from the L desk because they simply won't have a copy for you. You get to keep the loaner key for 2 days and if you don't bring it back on time and don't talk to us about it we wait a day and then we try to contact you. If we still can't get the key back and don't have a valid reason for it we have to call the locksmith and change your locks. We are also responsible for the residents' safety in a similar capacity that the RAs are. Basically if something happens we are responsible for contacting the proper people to take care of the problem, usually the CD or DPS. We also have to do audits. DA audits are when we have to take the roster (a list of everyone that lives in a building, what hall and room they live in and mail box and id numbers) and the PRCR ( property & room condition report, you fill it out when you move in and sign it again when you move out, it has all your housing related info on it) and we compare them to make sure everyone has a PRCR and are where they are supposed to be, (okay the RAs do the part of the audit that checks to make sure everyone is where they should be but we have to deal with the resulting paper work). We also field calls from upset parents. Some how I always get the parents who don't speak English. We do other things too but thats most of our job. We say we don't do anything but we really do a lot and aren't really appreciated.
Are there perks?
There are a few. When I worked at the H desk, I got my mail as I was delivering it instead of having to wait. Now that I work at the L desk I get little notes in my mailbox from the H desk staff. When I check out a movie I get to keep it till my next shift without late charges because I am checking it out as a staff member instead of a resident. We have Area Desk groupies. I get to take home dead magazines.
You have fans?
Yeah, there are people who hang out at the desk for fun. There are people that leave notes for their favorite DAs and come by to find out when they are on shift so they can visit. There are people who ask for you by name or description. I'm told that people come by the desk wanting to talk to "the blue haired girl that never sleeps." There were these 2 girls last year that always came by to talk with me at the H desk and this year they live in a different building that is serviced by the L desk, where I work this year. They were excited that I was working at their new desk and used to have breakfast with me when I got off work, when I worked weekends.
You're a returner, what's that like?
Well I'm only one of two returners at the L desk,there was 3 but he graduated in March, so I am one of the first people that is asked a questions when there are any, including questions from the new ADS that has only been working there for a month or so. I am asked to help out at the H desk sometimes. I know the staff a bit better, so there isn't the awkwardness that the newbies have. I have actually known most of the staff all 4 years I have been here not just since I have been at the area desk.
You worked at H desk last year, why do you work at L desk this year?
I absolutely loved my boss at H desk (she got a job else where in October this year)but it was bit creepy to know that much about the people you live with. Also the new desk is open 24 hours a day and they needed staff that could work overnights and I was the only returner that could.
Why was this year worse then last?
There were just a lot of problems: There is a new dorm building that hasn't gotten all the kinks worked out yet, same with the new desk thats in it.The other 2 area desks only have 7 DAs and over half of their staff are returners but at the new desk we have 24 DAs and only two of us are returners and training did not go well. The new DAs at the desk have gotten away with not working all year but now the new ADS is making them and they aren't happy about it. I'm frustrated with them as well because I have to clean up their messes and they get upset when I complain about it. Also they just don't care they are still screwing things up that they should have figured out how to do back in September. Most of them are not returning next year. The H desk has gone through 4 ADS' the L desk has gone through 3 ADS'. One of our staff members died this year. Two people quit at the H desk so other desks' staff are covering those shifts. We got new computer and time clock systems that both still don't work quite right. Basically most of it is that at the L desk, we have huge staff problems.
You have said you have gotten some recognition this year but its too little too late, what did that consist of?
Well last year I got an "award" for near perfect paperwork and for having a "unique outlook on life" (it means they think I'm a freak but like me anyway). Last year I was given the title of movie queen because I can always recommend a movie that pleases. That title continues this year from the new residents and the old ones that remember me. Little things from the residents and DAs last year and this year, that let me know I'm appreciated. When they were hiring a new ADS I was asked if I wanted to apply for it, I wasn't the only one ask and all DAs could of but it was nice to be asked. Also there were the ADS speeches at the last group staff meeting of the year, but I already spoke about that. It was all nice but there was too much bad shit going on this year to really make up for it.
website of the day: http://secretfunspot.com/unclelaff.htm
