SOURCE: Senate Resolution 9899-53 Jeremy DeLuca / THE POST

After surveying Ohio's Mid-American Conference schools, Ohio University's Student Senate found that OU Resident Assistants receive the second lowest benefits.

Jeff Owens, senator for Residence Life, conducted the survey with the hopes of pushing OU's Department of Residence Life to bring RAs' benefits to a more competitive level. Last night, the senate passed a resolution that urges the department of residence life to increase RAs' benefits.

"Every other school receives free room and board," Owens said. "We only get half of the cost of room."

RAs have many responsibilities at OU, which include planning programs, making bulletin boards, conducting in-services and floor section activities, going on rounds and distribute mail. They also have to spend hours working during Halloween weekend with no extra pay, Owens said.

"We got a free pizza coupon," he said. "So basically we got $7 for working 20 hours."

Other times, Owens said RAs should be reimbursed for the time spent working before and after classes start.

"We always come in 10 days before everyone else for orientation," he said. "We are always the first to come and the last to leave."

Besides monetary benefits, Owens also would like to see RAs who live in single rooms have the chance to move into double rooms.

"I think that it is a really good cause to fight for," Owens said.

The debate is not new. Members of residence life staff began discussing the possibility of getting free parking, and free room and board last quarter, said Catherine Marsh, True House RA.

"We discussed it, but there just isn't money in the budget for it," she said.

Despite the lack of money, Marsh said that it would encourage more students to become RA's if there were more benefits.