Resident director for fun
Justy LaRue comes back to Bethel’s campus to do what he loves: making college an experience people can enjoy.
By Sarah Bomhoff and Samantha Wurm
Justy LaRue stepped back onto Bethel University’s campus during the first week of the fall 2023 semester. Just a few weeks prior, he accepted the position to be the Resident Director of Heritage Hall.
Having a natural interest in art, LaRue graduated from Bethel in 2019 with a degree in graphic design. However, he quickly realized that a job in that field wasn’t for him. For hours, he’d sit behind a computer not having much interaction with anyone else. He wasn’t loving what he was doing, but he remembered how he loved his time at Bethel.
Seeing that there was a position open for a resident director, he decided to call up his longtime friend, Daniel Parkin, the Resident Director for Edgren Hall to see if there was a way he could apply a week before classes started, and on the first day of class, LaRue started his first day as a Resident Director.
At the time, LaRue was living with his parents in White Bear Lake. One night, during Welcome Week, before he was totally moved into his apartment in Heritage Hall, he wanted to stay later to watch a movie with his residents. However, his clothes were soaking wet from a slip and slide and he didn’t have an extra change of clothes. So LaRue made the 20 minute drive to White Bear Lake to grab some clothes, came back to campus, hung out with his residents and crashed on a bare mattress in his apartment.
Every night until one or two in the morning, LaRue will hang out in Heritage Hall’s “Shack” — a communal area where residents from the hall can come play games, watch movies, or simply just engage with each other at the end of the day.
But besides eating bowls of cereal from the dining center everyday, playing intramural volleyball with students and lingering around campus with his skateboard accompanying him, LaRue also can be found at home Timberwolves games — but not as a spectator. Instead, he’s a part of the Slam Squad, an acrobatic team that provides entertainment for spectators.
Just like his quick application to be a Resident Director, he also quickly applied to be a part of the Slam Squad. Knowing one of his friends had a connection to the Timberwolves, he gave them a call. Now he can be seen at halftime at Target Center dunking basketballs off trampolines.
“My main goal outside of making sure everyone is safe. It’s like, let’s just make this an experience everyone can look back on and enjoy.” — Justy LaRue, resident director
Next year, LaRue will be making the move over to Bodien Hall — a freshman dorm. He doesn’t exactly know how long he’s going to be doing this job, but he knows that he loves it. Everyday feels like he is back in college again — and to him, he is.
“My main goal outside of making sure everyone is safe,” LaRue said. “It’s like, let’s just make this an experience everyone can look back on and enjoy.”
