Even off campus, RA-figures plan events

Future residents of the Radian who plan on escaping all aspects of College House life might be disappointed. In at least one way, the Radian - a 14-story apartment building under construction at 39th and Walnut streets - shares a major resemblance to on-campus living. Radian residents will include a group of employed students known as mavericks, whose jobs are similar to those of the residential advisors in College Houses. These students will be trained to "assist in leasing office management and provide concierge-like benefits to the residents by managing activities such as tailgate parties, movie nights and group outings," according to Rachel Kihn, the vice president of marketing for Radian's developer, Inland American Communities Group. "Mavericks serve as the 'go-to' person for the residents, keeping them plugged in to what's happening at the Radian and in the local community," she wrote in an e-mail. In exchange for their work, mavericks are paid a monthly stipend, in addition to living at the Radian for free. Students who will be living at the Radian next year said they still don't know how the mavericks will compare to RAs. "My opinion of them is that they are a more disguised version of an RA," said Engineering freshman and future Radian resident James Michael Ottavi-Brannon. "I don't envision them patrolling the hallways. At least I hope they won't act like hall police." The maverick program is in place at each student housing project that IAC has developed. It began in 2005 in response to "the fact that today's students have been engaged in structured group activities since childhood, and they place a high value on staying connected with their peers," Kihn wrote. Engineering freshman Erica Harkins said she thinks the program is "more of an event-planning kind of thing then a mother hen." Mavericks will be chosen based on an application process among the students expected to live there, particularly those who can demonstrate "superior leadership skills," Kihn wrote. Mavericks aren't the only analogies students have drawn between College Houses and the Radian. "It's going to be all college kids, so I'm viewing it as basically living in a high rise with bigger rooms, and nicer furnishings," Harkins said. Ottavi-Brannon agreed, saying, "I'm not expecting it to be that different [from a Gollege House], it's still a bunch of students living together." The Radian, which will include luxuries such as an HDTV lounge, a fitness center, individual washer and dryer units and yet-to-be-determined retail, will open in August.

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