Resident Advisor Position Description

Revised: 12/7/2022
Status: 20 hours/week, Leadership
Department: Residence Life and Housing
Supervisor: Area Coordinator

Primary Purpose

The Resident Advisor (RA) is a student-leader in Residence Life and Housing. RAs are leaders and resources for their residents and community. RAs interact with their community members and respond to student and community concerns. The Residence Life and Housing team advocates for an inclusive community through understanding, enhancing, promoting, and celebrating the residents’ and team members’ experiences and identities. RAs promote students’ learning and development by helping to facilitate a safe and healthy environment. The RA position requires dedication, flexibility, commitment, time management, and enthusiasm, as RAs are required to respond to changing needs and situations. RAs support the missions of Willamette University and the Division of Student Affairs by developing community, fostering inclusion, and encouraging students’ learning.

Residence Life and Housing commits to inclusive excellence by responding to historically unjust systems with practices and policies that prioritize equity and value diversity. Our team is its best when it includes the multitude of experiences and backgrounds in our community, and so we encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented and/or underserved racial/ethnic groups, women, neurodivergent people, disabled people, veterans, LGBTQ+ community members, and all people who value creating a diverse and inclusive community. Residence Life and Housing is committed to providing accommodations in the role and interview process to support a team member’s success; this is a collaborative process between the department and student. Please contact Aaron Hukari at arhukari@willamette.edu to discuss accommodation needs in the application process and/or the RA role.

Essential Functions

The RA’s duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following functions, which are not listed in any order of importance or significance:

1. Support community development and residents’ sense of community ownership and responsibility. Use semesterly intentional conversations, semesterly door decorations, social engagements, and monthly bulletin boards to create a welcoming community.
2. Serve in an on-call rotation during the semester; on-call is scheduled to cover when most campus offices (e.g., Residence Life and Housing) are not open. On-call RAs are often the first layer of response to needs including but not limited to lockouts, medical emergencies, and facility problems. RAs are expected to contact additional support resources for resolution as needed. RAs When on-call, RAs are required to be able to respond within 15 minutes between 6 AM and 9 PM; they must be in their assigned area between 9 PM and 6 AM. RAs must be able to respond to incidents consistent with the expectations established by the department. RAs on duty will also complete walks, also known as rounds, of their community each night: once on weekday evenings (Sunday - Thursday) and two times on weekend evenings (Friday - Saturday). Each team has one RA on-call per night, and teams have approximately five to twelve members.
3. Be available, visible, and responsive to the residents in on-campus housing.
4. Assist with roommate agreements; mediate conflict in an unbiased manner.
5. Promote a safe and healthy environment using a team approach with Facilities, Campus Safety, student governance bodies, and other campus partners.
6. Assist with the opening and closing of on-campus housing, the selection process of new team members, and the room change process.
7. Support the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and encourage residents’ leadership skills development.
8. Proactively provide resources to residents and address issues that may negatively impact the community.
9. Support residents as they work to understand their student rights and responsibilities.
10. Role model positive community behavior by abiding by and addressing violations of the Student Code of Conduct, Residence Life and Housing Contract, and other University policies Including local, state, and federal laws.
11. Maintain and uphold appropriate standards of confidentiality. In the RA role, this most commonly applies to educational records as defined by The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). For more information about educational records, please see Willamette University’s Education Records Policy.
12. Complete semesterly health and safety inspections for all assigned rooms.
13. Attend weekly 30-minute or biweekly 1-hour meetings with their supervisor.
14. Attend weekly 2-hour staff meetings.
15. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualification Standards

Required Qualifications/Experience

1. Enrolled as a full-time Willamette student (12 or more credits).
2. Enrolled in no more than 19 credits in a semester without their supervisor’s prior approval.
3. A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA, maintained each semester of employment.
4. Availability to work, on average, 20 hours per week during the academic year with evening & weekend hours required.
5. Must live in assigned University housing. Hall and room assignments may shift during the academic year as determined by community and staff needs.
6. A demonstrated commitment to, or interest in, inclusion, equity, and social justice.
7. Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with students, staff, and faculty.
8. Effective interpersonal communication, planning, organization, and administrative skills.

Dates of Position and Remuneration

Dates of the position

• Anticipated Start Date: Should be prepared to start as early as August 1, 2022
• Anticipated End Date: Through May graduation, 2023
• Fall and Spring Breaks: There are occasions when primary university offices are closed, however, residential areas are still open to residents. During these times, minimal staff presence may still be required. We will make every attempt to keep coverage of these periods a shared responsibility and allow staff break time as much as we are able.
• Winter Break: RAs are expected to stay through residential area closing (anticipated in mid-December) and are expected to return early for Winter Training (anticipated in early January)

Time Commitment

• Fall and Spring Training attendance: All new and returning staff will participate in an intensive training session in August and January. RAs cannot have any other commitments during training dates. Dates for training will be announced at the time of appointment. Typically, fall training is three weeks before new residents arrive and spring training is three days before residential areas open for the spring semester.
• Monthly all-staff meetings or workshops (in-services) will be required each semester during the academic year.
• Attend weekly staff meetings (Tuesdays 7-9 p.m.) and regular individual meetings with assigned AC.
• Attend and contribute to staff team development programs as designated by the AC.
• Maintain a presence on floor/in the area available to residents each week beyond the required on-call shifts during the year. RAs are not expected to be in their communities at all times. However, they must be present and engaged to develop relationships with and between residents, build community, and serve as a resource to students.

Remuneration

A remuneration will be equal to the cost of the assigned room and a 19-Meal dining plan. All remuneration is issued as financial aid. Students should consult with the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@willamette.edu to evaluate how being an RA will affect their financial aid package.
Because of the type of private conversations RAs need to have with community members, RAs may not have roommates unless overall occupancy rates necessitate.

RAs may change their meal plans to the 14 or 10 plan when changes are permitted for all other students, typically the first week of classes each semester. Any difference in meal plan cost will remain on the student’s account and can be refunded, if there is a positive balance.