As Nehemiah Guinn walks into the Bowld for his shift behind the desk, I wave and introduce myself. He grins at me and apologizes for being late, even though he is on time.
Guinn is a resident advisor for the men’s quads and a senior accounting major. He’s also a super friendly guy. He invites me to come behind the desk, take off my coat and sit right across from him.
“It’s pretty chill back here,” he says as he leans back in his chair. He is comfortable and confident behind the desk, which makes sense because he has been a summer and J-term RA since right after freshman year, and this is his second year as a regular semester RA.
Guinn is taking his senior year to focus on academics, an off-campus job and his residence life duties. He loves being a resident advisor and sees it as an opportunity to create a home for the guys in Watters 3.
According to Guinn, one of the hardest parts of the RA job is balancing being a friend and peer, but also an authority figure to his residents. It can be weird to navigate how to enforce rules to your equals. He works hard to establish relationships with the men in his building that are uplifting and encouraging, while also taking care of problems when they arise.
“There are 52 guys in my building,” said Guinn. “Can I actually know every minute of what they’re going through? No, I can’t.”
However, creating a home and a safe community where the residents of Watters 3 are looking out for each other helps reduce the number of people who feel lost and alone.
“If I can at least create a building where the guys that live next to each other also feel comfortable with each other, then at least I can know they are also watching out for each other,” said Guinn.
His strategy for creating the type of community that is hospitable and fun? Anything that gets the guys outside with food, from pancake nights to firepit cookouts. Guinn’s favorite event so far has been the hot dog night he held for the Watters 3 residents last semester.
“Anytime you get to have a fire and sing the ‘no bellybutton’ song with a group of guys and then blow up Axe body spray cans in fire pits, that’s a great building event in my opinion,” said Guinn.
When Guinn graduates, he will miss the close proximity to the guys on campus the most. He is a big fan of the spontaneous, close community that can develop when you live less than five minutes away from your friends and roommates.
“I have known Nehemiah since we were kids,” said Samuel Sadler, senior philosophy major. “We’ve roomed together 3 out of 4 years at Union, and he is an incredibly patient and gracious roommate, but never afraid to challenge me when I need it.”
