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2023-2024 Resident Adviser Position Description

The Resident Adviser (RA) is a paraprofessional student staff member for Housing and Residential Experience. RAs assume responsibility for fostering an environment where all students feel supported in pursuing their academic and personal development. RAs work closely with our Area Coordinators, Head Residents, and Residential Faculty to create a premier environment where students can learn and grow. RAs accomplish this through our hallmark technique: Meaningful Conversations. RAs engage in meaningful conversations with their residents, which are intentional opportunities to get to know members of their communities and develop specific experiences and activities for their residential populations. RAs host educational and social events, provide mentorship and serve as a resource to students on their floors. The position requires dedication, flexibility, commitment, and enthusiasm. 

Qualifications: 

  • Must be a full-time, undergraduate, degree-seeking student at Vanderbilt University by the application deadline. 
  • Must be a full-time, undergraduate, degree-seeking student with at least second-year student status at Vanderbilt University by the start of the Fall 2023 semester. 
  • Must have at least one semester of living in an on-campus, residential community at Vanderbilt University or another college or university. 
  • Must have a cumulative 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) by the end of Spring 2023. 
  • Must have a United States Bank Account for direct deposit enrollment to receive payment as required by Vanderbilt University. 
  • Must be in good standing according to the Vanderbilt University Student Handbook. 
  • Maintain all qualifications throughout the appointment period. 
  • Compliance with all aspects of the Resident Adviser position description. 

Resident Adviser Recruitment Process Key Dates: 

  • Application Open: Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at http://vanderbilt.erezlife.com/
  • Application Close: Wednesday, January 11, 2023
  • Notice of Job Status: February 2023

Mandatory Dates for 2023-2024: 

Tuesday evenings, 7PM – 9PM – Recurring weekly

Time block held for concurrent area staff meetings and in-service development opportunities.

November Break Closing – November 18, 2023; 9AM    

Flight arrangements should be made after 3PM on November 18th to allow for the mandatory completion of all Health & Safety Checks.

Winter Break Closing – December 17, 2023; 9AM          

Flight arrangements should be made after 3PM on December 17th to allow for the mandatory completion of all Closing Procedures.

January Spring Training – January 5, 2023        

A meal will be provided the evening of January 4th for student staff. All student staff are required to return for training by January 5th, 9AM.

Compensation: 

  • Contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine how the role may affect you specifically. 
  • Student staff members will receive a single-occupancy space within their assigned community. If you are assigned to a community with suites or apartments, this means a single-occupancy space within those community types. 
  • The compensation rate is approximately $235 paid monthly at the end of each month worked for nine months, beginning in the middle of August through the middle of May. Note that both August and May will each be partial-month payments. 

Notice: 

Housing & Residential Experience reserves the right to change required dates, employment responsibilities, and compensation based on departmental and university operation changes. Housing & Residential Experience will provide notice to the 2023-2024 Student Staff Team of those changes and options available to them should they exist. 

Housing & Residential Experience will work to make appropriate changes to the responsibilities below to align with any guidelines provided by Vanderbilt University. 

Residential Advisor Responsibilities:  

<strong>General Administration</strong><br />

RAs will: (1) Submit timely and completed paperwork (programming reports, duty logs, incident reports, AnchorLink event submissions, etc.); (2) Attend RA meetings, in-services, and other departmental engagements as appropriate; (3) Maintain open communication with Area Coordinator (AC) and Graduate Area Coordinator (GAC); (4) Assist with the opening and closing of the residence halls at the beginning and end of each semester and break periods including Health and Safety inspections; (5) Follow P-Card policies and procedures as outlined by the Housing and Residential Experience; (6) Ethically use departmental funds, programming spaces, and programming supplies to support the mission of Housing and Residential Experience; (7) Ensure ethical and timely usage of Housing and Residential Experience and Vanderbilt technologies, systems, and processes including, but not limited to, Maxient, Building Duty Report, RoomPact, and The Housing Director (THD); (8) Appropriately manages the usage of access cards and keys as outlined by the Area Coordinator, Graduate Area Coordinator, and other Professionals on Duty. 

<strong>Community Development</strong><br />

RAs will: (1) Develop a sense of community among residents through involvement and developing relationships on their floor/section; (2) Create a friendly, respectful, and inclusive environment with residents on the floor/section; (3) Establish relationships with all residents on their floor/section and demonstrate availability and approachability to residents; (4) Maintain awareness of community needs including resident’s challenges, connections, and behavioral patterns; (5) Assess the interests and needs of residents through Meaningful Conversations and community development initiatives; (6) Ensure resources and opportunities from campus partners are accessible to residents; (7) Complete all requirements for their Community Development Plan; (8) Establish positive relationships and actively engages non-residential and residential faculty in the community. 

<strong>Accountability and Student Care</strong><br />

RAs will (1) Provide support to residents who experience challenges, which include, but not limited to, roommate conflicts, self-discovery, and personal awareness; (2) Refer students to the appropriate campus resources for assistance; (3) Confront inappropriate behavior in an objective, consistent, and respectful manner while providing the rationale for policies; (4) Appropriately document policy violations in Maxient within the appropriate timeframe; (5) Conduct student follow-up in a timely manner and provide thorough notes to supervisor team. 

<strong>Event Management</strong><br />

RAs will (1) Assess the interests and needs of residents to plan and implement community events; (2) Responsible for making resources and opportunities from other offices on campus accessible to students; (3) Encourage students to get involved on campus; (4) Complete all requirements of the Community Development Plan for the residential area; (5) Input accurate programming information to AnchorLink and other area-specific systems appropriately. (6) Submits P-Card requests promptly and returns P-Card to the Program Manager within the specified timeframe. 

<strong>Duty Responsibilities</strong><br />

RAs will (1) Pick up the duty phone and texts the Area Coordinator on Call (ACOD) or Graduate Area Coordinator (GACOD) by 5 PM on duty days; (2) Complete duty rounds of the building to promote the safety and security of the community as assigned; (3) Address behaviors and manages/refers issues; (4) Cover weeknight and weekend duty according to arrangements set by area; (5) Complete duty rounds of the community and submit duty logs on time; (6) Participate in Holiday Duty Rotations which includes: November Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break; (7) Coordinate holiday travel plans after speaking with their Area Coordinator regarding holiday duty coverage. 

<strong>Professional</strong><strong> Development</strong><br />

RAs will (1) Participate in meetings with Housing and Residential Experience staff, training workshops, in-services, etc.; (2) Establish effective working relationships and collaborate with fellow residential advisors, faculty members, supervisors, and others within and beyond Housing and Residential Experience; (3) Serve as a team player by compromising for the good of the residential advisors and developing positive working relationships; (4) Give and receive constructive feedback regarding job performance; (5) Take initiative to further one’s own personal and professional development. 

<strong>Time Commitment</strong><br />

RAs must not regularly exceed working 12 hours as an RA. This estimation can depend on what is happening on your floor during a given week.  RAs can work seven additional hours on campus with prior approval from their supervisor. Residential Advisors should properly balance the responsibilities of this position as well as their academics.  Extra-curricular or off-campus activities should not interfere with a residential advisors’s ability to complete job responsibilities. Residential advisors should communicate with their supervisor if situations arise that would conflict with the completion of these duties.

<strong>Other Duties as Assigned</strong><br />

All residential advisors are expected to adhere to other duties in line with the requirements and responsibilities of their position. This also includes the Housing and Residential Experience Residential Advisor Expectations Agreement in addition to area-specific expectations of the Area Coordinator and Graduate Area Coordinator Supervisory Team.

Questions? 

Email  Selection and Training at staffselection@vanderbilt.edu. Please allow for 72 business hours for a response.