Dalhousie has 2,200 students who live in residence, and each of them has access to a residence assistant, or RA 鈥� someone who鈥檚 available to answer questions, offer support and build community through the year.
But what of the university鈥檚 other 17,000 or so students, those who don鈥檛 live in residence? These students may be first-years living off campus, or perhaps they moved out of residence at some point in their studies. Some may even be from the area originally and living at home. But unlike residence students, they don鈥檛 necessarily have that one-stop resource to call upon, or a space on campus to call their own. 聽
Enter Dal鈥檚 new CAs.
No, not 鈥渃hartered accountants鈥�; these students aren鈥檛 there to help with math homework. They鈥檙e 鈥渃ommunity assistants鈥�: sort of like an RA but for students living off-campus, available five days a week in the Student Union Building (SUB).
Housed in the new Dal Off-Campus space in the SUB鈥檚 fourth floor, five student staff members will be hosting office hours weekday afternoons and early evenings through the school year. If off-campus students have questions about resources on campus, or issues they run into living in the neighbourhood, the CAs are there to help. They鈥檙e all trained to help with academic referrals as well as offer peer counselling.
But their space is more a lounge than an office: with comfy couches, a microwave, board games and more, it鈥檚 a place to chill out, to have lunch, or to check out some of the many events the CAs will be planning.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about creating a space like this,鈥� says Landon Getz, a second-year Microbiology and Biochemistry student and one of the CAs. 鈥淓ven if you don鈥檛 need anything from the CA on duty, it鈥檚 a place to kick back and relax on campus.鈥�
A space for off-campus students
Dal-Off Campus is organized by the Student Life office, and Student Life Manager Melissa MacKay says the idea for the initiative has been around for some time.
鈥淭his year, the timing was right: between the Restorative Justice Pilot and our Dal After Dark events, there鈥檚 been a real appreciation building among our team, and our partners like the DSU, of the need for more support for off-campus students,鈥� she explains.
The plan is for the CAs to organize events through the school year: evening activities like the Dal After Dark series, study skills workshops, social events for special occasions and more.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a diverse and engaging set of events, I think, because we鈥檙e all quite different,鈥� says Jack Bennet, a second-year Music and Sustainability student. 鈥淲e all have different approaches.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a living room for off-campus students, but with support,鈥� adds MacKay.聽 鈥淪ometimes, students just need someone they can talk to low-key, someone who鈥檚 able to connect more casually than, say, booking a formal appointment somewhere.鈥�
Events, support and more
To say the student CAs are eager to get going would be an understatement: they鈥檙e all incredibly keen to start working with off-campus students and hosting events.
Zahraa Cherri, a fourth-year neuroscience student, saw the job posting for the CAs and was excited by the opportunity to form more of a community among students who live outside of residence.
鈥淔or students in residence, campus is like home to them, but often for off-campus students it鈥檚 more just 鈥榞oing to school,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淭his is a way to help form that community, and building community is something I鈥檓 really passionate about.鈥�
鈥淚 lived in residence, and I wanted to bring that kind of experience to students who were off-campus,鈥� adds Rebekah Boscariol, a third-year kinesiology student.
Brianna Smith, also a kinesiology student, says the students she鈥檚 talked to so far are eager to learn more about the Dal Off-Campus team: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e excited about being able to have more students reaching out.鈥�
The CA team will be hosting an official opening for its lounge space on the SUB鈥檚 fourth floor later this month. They鈥檙e also hoping students drop by and share their ideas for what the space, and the CA team in general, can offer off-campus students in the weeks and months ahead.
For more info, or to keep up-to-date with the Dal Off-Campus team, like them on Facebook at or follow them on Twitter