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2023-2024 Resident Advisor Position Description
Remuneration:
RAs receive a single room free of charge while they are on campus and acting in their role as RAs. In addition, all RAs receive a board credit equal to a full Silver Meal Plan.
 
Summary: Resident Advisors (RAs) are full-time juniors or seniors who live on a residential college floor or in a residential community and serve as a resource for residents assigned to that floor/community. Under the supervision of a Residential College/Community Director, RAs are expected to assist in the development of community, engage students with various programming, enforce policy, and report inappropriate behavior. RAs provide support in emergencies and times of personal stress.
 
RAs are responsible for developing a strong sense of community among students living in the residential communities. RAs facilitate the general safety and well-being of the community. Serving as an RA is a challenging and rewarding experience, with opportunities to develop skills in many areas including leadership, communication, programming, counseling, crisis management, and other transferable skills. Much of this development is obtained through training activities (August, winter, and Monday nights) as well as weekly staff meetings. RAs are expected to take an active role in departmental initiatives, including but not limited to committee involvement, CS40, and campus events. As representatives of the Office of Residential Life, RAs must abide by and uphold University and Residential Life policies. 
 
Minimum Qualifications: The following conditions must be met in order to serve in the RA role.
·      Enrollment Status: RAs must be a full-time, registered junior or senior at Washington University throughout the duration of their appointment. RAs in a 3-2 or 4-1 program can only serve as RAs in their 3rd and 4th years as an undergraduate student at the University. All RAs must have and maintain a minimum semester and cumulative 2.75 Grade Point Average prior to and throughout the duration of their appointment as an RA..
·      Disciplinary, Financial and Academic Standing: RAs must be in good academic, financial and disciplinary standing at Washington University, as determined by the Office of Residential Life and OSCCS, prior to and throughout the duration of their appointment as an RA.
·      Visa Status: All RAs must be U.S. Citizens, Permanent Residents, or holders of an F-1 or J-1 Visa.
·      Commitment to Community: RAs must role model and demonstrate strength of character, good judgment, flexibility, responsibility, involvement and commitment that is consistent with the mission, policies, and procedures of Washington University in St. Louis, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of Residential Life. RAs must foster an environment that is respectful of and conducive to intellectual discourse among all members of the community. To support this, RAs must also role model healthy academic behaviors while fostering a culture that values multiple styles of learning and engagement academically within the residential colleges/communities.
Holidays, Breaks and Vacation Periods: RAs may be required to serve on duty for a portion or all of holiday breaks when University offices are closed; these include but are not limited to Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break.
 
Time Commitment: RAs are appointed for a full academic year. RAs are generally expected to spend a minimum of 20 hours per week of contact time within the residential college/community and Residential Life. Due to issues and conditions within a particular college/community, the 20 hours may vary per week, as well as the given tasks and responsibilities.
 
Other Activities: RAs may not hold any positions (e.g., employment, assistantships, internships) or participate in other co-curricular activities that interfere with trainings and/or RA responsibilities. All co-curricular activities and other roles must be approved by the RA's RCD. In August or at the RA’s earlier request, the RA and their RCD will have an initial conversation regarding any co-curricular activities and additional roles to ensure they will not interfere with the RA role.
 
Community Development:
·      Develop a personal understanding of identity, equity, diversity and social justice, and foster an inclusive community respectful and accepting of multiple identities;
·      Become acquainted with residents to understand their emotional, physical, academic, and social needs;
·      Work with residents to create a living and learning environment that promotes academic growth, personal responsibility and community accountability through activities such as floor meetings, programs and intentional one-on-one conversations;
·      Facilitate resolution of interpersonal conflicts among residents;   
·      Implement the Residential Education Model;  
·      Support the assessment of program effectiveness and learning outcomes by submitting proposals and evaluations for each programmatic initiative;
·      Collaborate with the faculty involved in your residential college/community, as well as seek opportunities to collaborate with other campus partners
·      Serve as an ambassador of the Office of Residential Life and support all departmental initiatives;  
·      Support and promote the mission of College Council and CS40;
·      Assist the First Year Center during Bear Beginnings;
·      Fulfill other responsibilities as assigned by the supervisory RCD or other Residential Life staff.  
 
Crisis Response and Policy Enforcement:
·      Enforce and uphold all University and Office of Residential Life policies and procedures;
·      Respond to personal crises and emergencies of residents with promptness, dependability, and in a manner that shows care and consideration for individual needs in alignment with University and Residential Life guidelines;  
·      Report incidents of discrimination or harassment in violation of the University’s Policy against Discrimination and Harassment, including allegations of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or sex discrimination in violation of Title IX to the Office of Residential Life and to the Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance Office; 
·      Document crisis and emergency information in a timely manner into the incident reporting system; 
·      Be familiar with campus and community resources in order to provide information and referrals to residents;
·      Maintain confidentiality while working in coordination with University staff; 
·      Participate in duty rotation, which can include desk shift rotations at the duty desk and cell phone duty shifts (overnight).    
·      Ability to respond to situations that arise by being on site within 15 minutes of a call and be able to secure personal transportation for their shift if needed.
 
Administrative Responsibilities:
·      Understand RA role expectations, RCD expectations, and all Residential Life policies and procedures; 
·      Attend weekly staff meetings and/or trainings. RAs must have Monday nights from 7pm-11pm available for departmental meetings/trainings;
·      Attend weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with RCD, as well as two-on-one meetings based on residential college/community structure. Provide regular email updates regarding situations in the residential college/community to RCD ; 
·      Complete all required paperwork in a timely and accurate manner; 
·      Promptly post signage, pertinent community information, and regularly change passive programming; 
·      Identify and report maintenance concerns in community in a timely fashion;
·      Assist in opening and closing of residential communities at the beginning and end of each semester;   
·      Complete room inspections and living agreements;
·      Participate in the RA selection process for the fall study abroad process and spring process;
·      Collaborate and support other RA teams during peak transitional periods such as residential college check-ins and checkout processes;
·      Assume additional responsibilities as assigned by the RCDs, ARCD, Grad Fellow, and other Residential Life professional staff.  
 
Personal and Professional Development :
·      Participate in on-going training and staff development sessions throughout the year;
·      Demonstrate an understanding and commitment to social justice on an individual and communal level;
·      Pursue other departmental and certification requirements by the deadline laid out by the RA Training Committee; 
·      Support initiatives within their residential community and/or the Office of Residential Life;
·      Maintain an ethic and practice of self-care and encourage others on staff and in your communities to do the same. 
 
Social Media:
Residential Life is proud of the positive environment for living and learning in our residential communities, where members of the community treat one another with respect, and appreciate the value of conducting themselves in a responsible manner. This extends to online activities including participation on social media sites (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Reddit). As social media use is in the public domain, it is expected that all communication (including profile information) be appropriate reflections of the role modeling expectation of a Resident Advisorand members of the Office of Residential Life. RAs are asked to monitor their own profiles and blogs, and refrain from posting content which violates the University and Residential Life policies and/or the expectations of RAs, including those set forth for role modeling and leadership. This includes being mindful of online groups you are invited into and what you post within groups. Should RAs see any activity on Washington University affiliated pages or accounts using derogatory or harassing language or that may be in violation of the law, RAs are expected to share this knowledge with their RCD. Finally, if an RA creates any social media groups or pages for their residents, those groups or pages may only be created in a personal capacity and must not appear to convey information on behalf of the University or Residential Life. Failure to abide by these requests or follow university policies may result in further action taken by Residential Life, including possible dismissal.
 
Training and Development: RA training and development programs are important to the effectiveness and success of Residential Life and designed to strengthen the team. As such, RAs are required to attend and participate in these activities. Training activities are listed below. Development activities are held periodically focusing on leadership development and strengthening of skills related to the position. Training activities and dates are subject to change.
Semester Trainings:
·      RA Training
o  Prior to the fall semester: Fall Training
o  During the spring semester: Winter Training
·      RA Training Night:
o  Multiple Monday nights throughout the fall semester and spring semester. Exact dates TBD.

Important Dates (subject to change):
·      Fall RA Move-In: August 10th-14th, 2023
·      Participate in Fall Training, Move-In, and New Student Orientation: August 14th-27th, 2023
·      Departure for Winter Break: December 21, 2023 at 8:00pm
·      Winter Training: January 11th-14th, 2024
·      Year End Departure: May 16, 2024 at 5:00pm
 
Washington University in St. Louis is a community of diverse people brought together in the common pursuits of education, personal growth, and community development. Residential Life is committed to supporting and nurturing diversity through recognizing these shared endeavors and the uniqueness that each student, faculty, and staff member brings to them. Through the similarities and differences we find in our race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, religion, and national origin, we believe that our campus provides rich and unique opportunities to learn from one another. We believe that our diversity enriches and empowers the lives of us all.