Pima RA, residents Îtin foil' fellow RA's entire dorm room

What started off as an April Fools' prank ended with the firing of a Pima Residence Hall RA.

Around 8 a.m. on April Fools' Day, Phillip Chavira and two other students entered the room of another Pima resident assistant and used 400 square feet of tin foil to cover the entire room.

"We tin-foiled the contents of her room: her TV, books, shoes," Chavira said.

Chavira received notice Wednesday from Residence Life that he either had to resign from his position as an RA at Pima or be fired.

"We wanted to get her back for toilet-papering our doors," Chavira said of the RA who he and the other students played the joke on.

Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life, declined to comment. The victim of the prank also refused to comment.

Chavira said the RA had toilet-papered his door and six others in his hall about a month before April 1. Afterward, Chavira and the two students began planning a payback and decided to do it on April Fools' Day.

Peter Reifsteck, a political science sophomore, took part in the joke and said he and the other students entered the RA's room around 8 a.m.

Reifsteck said the RA's suitemates let them in.

"We never really thought that we were breaking the law or anything," he said.

Jason Calio, an agriculture and life science freshman, also took part in the joke and said he thought the RA would think it was funny.

Chavira said they were careful about the items they wrapped.

"We didn't wrap any religious artifacts of hers or any personal items," he said. "Our intention was just to be funny."

But Chavira said the RA, who he was on friendly terms with before the incident, was upset Chavira entered her room and touched her things. He said the RA notified the Pima hall director and then called the police.

Chavira said he was not expecting any action taken against him.

"I was just expecting another joke from her," he said.

Reifsteck said when he came back from class on April Fools' Day, he found two Residence Life officials and a UAPD officer waiting for him.

Reifsteck, Chavira and Calio were told they could face charges of trespassing, littering and disorderly conduct if the RA pressed charges.

Although the RA decided not to press charges, Residence Life officials set up code of conduct meetings for Reifsteck and Calio, while Chavira was asked to resign.

"When the incident happened, I was told that I would get a chance to discuss my side of the story. I was never given that chance," he said. "A decision was just made. There was no chance for me to appeal."

Chavira said although he has not been given an exact date when he needs to move out, he expects he will have to be gone within a week.

Reifsteck said he and other Pima students who were upset about Chavira's firing started a Web site in hopes of saving Chavira's job.

Calio said he helped Reifsteck tell their story on the Web site.

Viewers of the Web site are asked to sign a petition that calls on Residence Life officials to not fire Chavira.

"Since it's been up, it's been almost impossible to access it because it has gotten so many hits," Reifsteck said.

As of 11 p.m. yesterday, the petition had 58 signatures.

Calio said he is still hopeful Residence Life will give back Chavira's job.