About three weeks ago, another RA was terminated and I just could not figure out what was going on around here. RAs were dropping like flies and we were definitely expendable, I just wanted to keep my nose clean for the last two months of school.
This brings me to Thursday April 4th. On this night, Rick Cruz and I were on duty in the apartments and houses area. Apparently a situation took place in the apartments and House 6 between the hours of 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 am. During this situation that took place, neither Rick nor I could be found anywhere. In fact, I was told that we could not be found or contacted by phone or walkie-talkie between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Since we could not be contacted during these times and we were obviously being irresponsible, it was the right of our respective RDs to terminate our contracts as RAs here at Cabrini College.
If these accusations were entirely correct, we would not have had a problem with being terminated at all. The actual truth is that if it were so difficult to find us, why did the RD who was on duty call my room at 10:30 p.m. that night and have a phone conversation with me at this time? I have four witnesses who can place Rick and myself in my room until after 12 a.m., and two more witnesses that talked to both Rick and I in the apartment complex on the second floor until 1 a.m. There were claims that the RD on duty called our rooms several that night, but neither Rick nor I had a message on our phones. You would think that if there were a matter of such great importance going on, someone would have left a message on the phones so that we could get to the scene as soon as possible. The kind student who came to my room to tell me that I was needed at House 6 didn’t have a hard time finding me when she knocked on my room door. Lastly, none of the four people heard all of this activity on the radio when we were getting called. This could may not have worked for a couple of reasons, the most likely of the reasons is because at times the radios get bad reception in the apartment complex. Whatever the reason may be, I don’t think that Rick and I can be held accountable for faulty equipment. When we were informed of where the disturbance was taking place, we got there as soon as we could and assisted where needed. When asked where we were, we gave reasonable and logical explanations, the same explanations that are outlined here. I can only guess that we our explanations were “taken into consideration.”
When we were called in to meet with our respective RD’s on Monday April 10th, we were all set tell our side of the story and a fair chance to express what happened in our eyes, and by the way my back was still killing me. There was obviously no need for this because we were given our letters of termination without being asked any questions at all. I of course found this to be odd because I was fired after my first “offence” when most RA’s are at least given a second chance when, according to the Resident Directors, one of them does something wrong. I wonder why things were so different in my case. Do any of you readers have a clue? I was given a termination letter by my RD that basically stated that I am one of the more irresponsible people in the world. My question is that if I am so irresponsible, wouldn’t it have come out before now? Why would you hire someone for two years straight who did not do his or her job? I could tell that my RD, who I thought knew me well enough to believe that I wouldn’t do such a thing, had not even gone to bat for my character because she is the one who wrote this letter. Once I left her office I felt sick, not because I lost my job here, but because I wasn’t given a fair chance to defend myself and because I know have this incorrect letter of termination on my record.
The one good thing that happened that day was that my back finally stopped hurting and I figured out why it was giving me such problems in the first place. My back was hurting because I got stabbed in it, but I wasn’t stabbed with a regular knife, I got stabbed with a Bushido Blade and the inscription on the handle had the initials “SHS.” It seems that I was a victim of trusting the wrong people and it really hurts when you find something like that out. Well, now that the healing process has begun and life is getting somewhat back to normal, I have come to the realization that I am going to graduate in a month and I will have fun for the rest of my college career. It is just a shame that I have to leave this school, this great institution of higher learning, feeling so jaded. Jaded not towards the educators, but towards that same people who were supposed to make college the great living experience that it’s supposed to be. The only advice that I can give to those who are and will be taking my prior position here at the school is that you have to keep your heads up. Make the best of your situation and always be picky of exactly who you trust. As for me. I’m outta here May 19th baby!
