The Omnibus

Issue date: 4/15/04 Section: Feature

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Junior Resident Assistant Andrea Applegate at Southwest Baptist University encourages communication among her Beasley Fourth West residents on a regular basis with a Web page she created through MSN last winter.

Media Credit: Mandy Waller A hall in Beasley can communicate this year online thanks to senior RA Andrea Applegate.

Quality contact with each other is sometimes difficult to maintain even with the best of intentions, especially when students leave campus for breaks. Applegate, who is serving her sixth and fnal semester as an RA, decided to change this pattern on her hall by creating the MSN "group" before the women left for Christmas break last year.

"It's a great way for them to keep in touch," Applegate said, "and that is how I keep in touch with them."

The Web page has been running since December. At the beginning of each semester, she has had all the women on her hall join the on-line "group." Other than serving as a primary source of communication during breaks from school, Applegate also uses the webpage for specific announcements and reminders, such as room check dates.

"We can keep in touch without having to post things on a wall," she said.

Among the features of the MSN webpage is a message board where each girl is provided the opportunity to post prayer requests, questions or encouraging words. The women have also appreciated the opportunity to "post" emails or forwards, instead of having to send them individually to each hall member.

Most members of Beasley Fourth West have embraced it.

"I think every girl has posted at least something on it," Applegate said.

Completing the project took some work and time investment on the part of Applegate, who will be leaving her RA position next year so she can work as a licensed emergency medical technician.

"I probably spent around 15 hours setting it up," Applegate said, "But now with just maintenance, I spend about one hour a week."

Applegate believes MSN to be a great service for her Web page. To begin a "group," the company provides a basic page template, and the user is able to make their own choices of colors, lines and other details in the set-up.

MSN also supplies effective protection so those who join the group are in no danger of providing personal information to strangers, and unknown persons are prohibited from posting messages where they have no membership.

This technology incorporation has set an example and precedent for other RA's and authority figures at SBU. Applegate has made it clear that the position of RA at SBU, when taken seriously, becomes a way to make a difference, not just a job description.

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