The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 105

On Becoming Batman

Heroism Imparted
The first theme, heroism imparted, addresses
the role that hero imagery played in socializing new RAs into TUE's residence life staff via
the staff's training theme and a speech given
by the VPSA. Imagine, if you will, the shadow
of a city skyline (resembling the outline of
TUE's residence halls) against a black night
sky. A yellow beacon of light cuts through the
darkness, ending in a circle of light over the
buildings with the letters "RA" clearly emblazoned in the middle. Each year, TUE's residence directors were charged with developing
a theme for RA training. This fall, the theme
was "superheroes," and the image described
above was the cover art for the corresponding
RA manual.
TUE's vice president of student affairs
further extended the hero metaphor in his
opening remarks by drawing parallels between
the superhero theme and RA work. He noted
that two types of superheroes exist: Supermans
and Batmans. The distinction between the two
is that "Superman is a guy with natural ability
and Batman an ordinary guy with tools he has
acquired." Wrapping up his introduction, the
VPSA left the RAs with a challenge for the upcoming academic year:
Superman was a hero of his own birth. His
ability to help people relied on his inherent
superhuman powers. In contrast, Batman was
a regular human who became a hero through
careful training and the use of special tools.
The upper administrators in student affairs
and residential life do not expect RAs to be
superhuman. They expect that the RAs will
engage in training, learn about their tools,
and use them wisely in the interest of their
residents.

Whether intentional or unintentional, training
themes can convey important messages about
shared identity and work expectations, especially for inexperienced practitioners in residential
life. As such, it should come as no surprise that
traces of these lessons learned can be evident in
decision-making practices later on.

Heroism Internalized
When Batman dons his cape, he is strong, invincible, and confident about his charge. However,
Batman's alter-ego, Bruce Wayne, often provides a glimpse into the way that heroes struggle with challenging pasts, dichotomous values,
and competing loyalties. The second theme,
heroism internalized, takes up where the disguised superhero imagery leaves off, providing a glimpse of early-career practitioners from
behind the mask. When asked to reflect upon
their roles in emergency response in a private
setting, behind closed doors, early-career staff
members similarly grappled with conflicts
related to identity, intention, and action.
For example, an upper-level residential life
administrator who was regarded by the staff
as the "emergency guru" challenged me to ask
any staff member to recite TUE's "number
one rule of emergency response." As he anticipated, nearly every RA and RD could, in
fact, repeat the rule confidently and verbatim:
"Keep yourself from danger." Although the
mandate was clear and the value obviously
shared among staff, conversations that probed
further about keeping to the rule revealed a
more conflicted view. Sean confessed,
The thing with the "keep safe" [rule]-I would
definitely tell everyone else that. But honestly,
say someone had a gun, I don't know what I
would do. I know to keep myself safe, but I
think I would really try to intervene.
V O L U M E 4 2 , NO. 3 * 2 0 1 6

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3