Elijah Calzada, a community assistant at Slippery Rock University, stands outside the student center on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. Eddie Trizzino/Butler Eagle

SLIPPERY ROCK — When he first arrived at Slippery Rock University from his home near Odessa, Texas, Elijah Calzada became integrated into campus life in part thanks to his community assistant.

Calzada said his first community assistant, a term SRU uses instead of the typical title of university resident assistant, inspired him to go for the job his second year of college.

Calzada now spends his free time at school “working,” although he doesn’t consider what he does to be very labor-intensive.

“It's around-the-clock ... I don't consider it work when a resident just comes to talk,” said Calzada, who is a second-year parks and resource management major at SRU. “You being able to guide them just makes me happy to be that mentor.”