Resident Life is cutting training for resident assistants and community assistants this summer after student feedback revealed parts of the training were too long-winded or self-explanatory.

The move will save the Department of Resident Life the cost of providing meals for RAs for those two days, said Donna Metz, assistant director of Resident Life. During the summer training period, Resident Life provides two meals a day to 135 North Campus RAs and about 111 South Campus RAs.

“We’d be remiss if we were not trying to be fiscally responsible,” South Campus Associate Director Cindy Felice said.

But the department is not sacrificing quality for a smaller price tag, she added. The training will still feature the most important elements, while trimming the more excessive and time-consuming parts.

Training for RAs typically begins two weeks before the semester starts, but this year it will begin  Aug. 15 — two days later than usual — to make training more efficient, Felice said.

“We probably spent more time on things than we needed to,” she said of the old schedule. “[RAs] would like to extend their summers as much as they can because they have jobs or internships.”

The majority of cuts eliminate filling out paperwork during training, which may be done online instead, she said.

Other reforms include reducing the amount of time RAs examine each room for furniture damage.

“We’re not cutting training for things they need to have, like safety stuff and fire alarm procedures,” Felice said. “We’re pulling the training apart and looking at it differently. We’re putting it back together again in another, shorter window.”

While Cumberland Hall RA George Hernandez said he never minded the length of RA training, he agreed with the department’s decisions to make the time invested more efficient.

“It forces the Department of [Resident Life] to choose the most essential things we need — to be more thoughtful,” the junior government and politics major said. 

Easton RA Josiah Davis said it’s the extra vacation and preparation time he’ll appreciate.

“It will give people more time to be wrapping up their summer,” Davis said. “I know personally that I take a family vacation between finishing my summer work and starting my RA training, so it will give me more freedom in my schedule.”

korkut@umdbk.com