Resident assistants (RAs) Brea Jackson, Kristen Woodard and Will Dunson hosted a paint and poetry slam night on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in The Grille.

RAs hold events every weekend to make sure students are always engaged and have something to do.

As students came in, there was music, snacks and tables set up with painting materials on them.

Each table had a large banner with the graduation years of each classification. Using paint and other supplies, students competed to see who could decorate their poster the best.

Nursing major Nkechi Ntagu was one of the first students to come in and paint.

“I enjoyed how intimate the setting was,” Ntagu said. “You were really able to bond with people over a paintbrush.”

Students also had the option to paint whatever they wanted on a smaller canvas.

Instead of sharing poems, students talked with RA’s about what their goals are for school.

They were also able to vent about some of the things that they were struggling with.

One of the students told everyone how she was unsure about whether or not she should change her major.

“I felt like they actually cared about what was going on with us,” Ntagu said.

As employees of housing, it is the RA’s job to help build a sense of community among the students.

A lot of the students leave and go home or to other places, and the department of residence life wants students to be able to stay on campus and enjoy themselves during the weekend.

“As a housing and residence life staff member, we want our residents to get out of their dorms on the weekends and have fun right here on campus,” Jackson said.

RAs are constantly trying to find ways to learn more about the students who live on campus and engage with them.

“We wanted students to express their personalities through creative canvases,” Jackson said.

The RAs collaborate with each other to host weekend programs in order to get students from different majors and classifications to come out.

While students painted, RAs talked with them about their goals and what their hobbies were.

Students said they found it easier to get involved and come out to events when they realized the RAs are students just like them.

“I liked how the RAs were really welcoming and chill,” Ntagu said.