Conn is the only school to call floor leadership Floor Governors instead of RAs. Why did Conn choose to call them Floor Governors? Every floor is assigned a Floor Governor. At the beginning of orientation, I was introduced to my House Fellow and Floor Governor, as all other first-years were. Throughout orientation week, scheduled floor and building meetings served to inform us of general residential life rules; however, the specifics of what House Fellows and Floor Governors do were never clarified. I was left wondering what the difference between a House Fellow and Floor Governor was, and whether one was in charge of another. It was unclear whether we should treat them as an authority figure or peer. Yes, they were ‘in charge’ in some capacity, but how so?
The first Floor Governor I talked to was Ben Chin ‘26. Ben is the Floor Governor of Branford House’s third floor. I first asked him why he wanted to be a Floor Governor. Ben quickly answered, “money.” Following up, I asked him why he had such a definite answer, as I did not expect that response. He explained, “We don’t get two credits… [and] we don’t even get free housing;” for Ben, he saw no other point to being a Floor Governor. Surprised, I asked why he finds issue with solely receiving monetary compensation if that is the reason he wanted the job. He clarified, “At Tufts [where my sister goes, RAs] get free housing, some free meal swipes.” There certainly is a disparity between Conn’s and Tuft’s compensation. Although the point of a job is compensation, for a job dealing directly with students, one would hope that House Fellows and Floor Governors are primarily there for the community.
I also spoke with Aaron Saporito ‘25, the Floor Governor of the Branford House basement. When I asked Aaron what his motivation was behind becoming a Floor Governor, he said, “Initially, I was looking for a consistent job on campus. Additionally, I had a handful of friends who were already on staff who recommended it to me”. Weighing in on the compensation of the job, Aaron said, “Overall the amount of hours we work compared to the wage is sub-minimum wage. We are paid using a stipend, not hourly. Overall, I’m okay with it since it seems to be the best I can do on campus”. Aaron is embarking on his second year on the job, however this year with a more refined goal. He explained, “When I reapplied, it was with the goal of helping to build a smaller community on campus.” Ben shares Aaron’s community sentiment, saying, “I genuinely care about every single person in our building, and that’s important to me”. Despite the obvious compensatory benefits of the job, it seems that Ben and Aaron speak for the masses of Floor Governors in their dedication to the community.
I also asked them what their job description entails. Ben said, “Floor Governors’ hours are split up into a coordinated group calendar. As a Branford Floor Governor, Ben collaborates with Smith-Burdick House: “On weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) and Sunday, only one person is on call. Whereas, on weekends (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), two people are on-call”. According to Ben, what Floor Governors do on their rounds is “walk through floors, check in bathrooms for vomit, check for noise complaints, smell of marajana, underage drinking”. Aaron said, “The primary job is to keep an eye on the residential halls and generally look out for everyone around us.”
Next, I asked them what their hours are. Are they ‘on the clock’ all the time, or do they have specific hours that they must be on their floor? “Technically, our weekly hours are 12 hours per week,” Ben said. “On non-weekends, you are supposed to do rounds at 8 p.m., 10 p.m., and midnight. On weekends, we have to do rounds at 10 p.m., midnight, and 2 a.m..” In regard to hours, Aaron said, “I typically have one to three on call shifts a week, usually one weekend and one weekday. In our area we have consistent weekdays that we do, some buildings do it in a more random way. On Sunday through Wednesday, on-call is from 8-12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, there are two of us on-call and we work from 8 p.m.-2 a.m.” Their responses were consistent. Ben adds, “At the end of the night, you have to submit an on-call form”. This on-call form is a detailed summary of their hours on duty. As mandated reporters, Floor Governors must report any illegalities that they witnessed while on duty.
The role requires great commitment. Ben said, “When I’m on call, I have to stay in my room or area. I can’t go to the library, I can’t go to the bar, I can’t go to the carnival, anything. In terms of that, it’s a little bit difficult.” In addition to rounds, Floor Governors have other responsibilities including running and planning community events and making bulletin boards. All of these responsibilities add up, and it’s clear that the job takes significant commitment. Despite this, in my conversations with Ben and Aaron, both displayed gratitude for the lessons about responsibility they’ve learned being Floor Governors. I’m thankful to have dedicated Floor Governors who both care for their residents and take their jobs seriously. While the role of Floor Governors may often be overlooked, or even criticized, the position is not only valuable to the individuals who undertake it–but to the campus as a whole.
