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2024-2025 Resident Adviser Position Description

The Resident Advisers (RA) support students residing in university housing and are members of the Housing and Residential Experience department. They are responsible for fostering an environment on the floor 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 2024 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 2024. 
  • 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. 

Mandatory Info Sessions: 

New RA candidates must attend a mandatory info session to be considered for the position. 

  • Monday, November 13th, 7-8 pm in Commons 235
  • Wednesday, November 15th, 7-8 pm in Sarratt 189
  • Tuesday, November 28th, 7-8 pm in Commons 235
  • Thursday, November 30th, 7-8 pm virtual
  • Monday, December 4th, 7-8 pm virtual
  • Wednesday, December 6th, 7-8 pm in Sarratt 189
  • Tuesday, January 9th, 7-8 pm in Commons Center 335 A&S Classroom
  • Wednesday, January 10th, 7-8 pm virtual

Resident Adviser Recruitment Process Key Dates: 

  • Application Open: Monday, November 13th, 2023, at http://vanderbilt.erezlife.com/
  • Application Close: Monday, January 15, 2024 at 11:59pm CST
  • Notice of Job Status: February 2024
  • New RA Staff Meet & Greet: Tuesday, April 9th, 7-8:30 pm in the SLC Ballrooms

Mandatory Dates for 2024-2025: 

Tuesday evenings, 7PM – 9PM – Recurring weekly

Time block held for concurrent area staff meetings and RA development.

Fall Semester (August 5, 2024 to December 15, 2024)

  • RA: August 5-16
  • First Year Move In: August 17
  • November Break Closing: TBA
  • Semester Closing: December 15

Spring 2025 (January 3, 2025 to May 10, 2025)

  • Spring Training: January 3
  • Semester Closing: May 11

Compensation: 

  • Contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine how the role may affect you specifically. 
  • RAs 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 2024-2025 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. 

Employment Responsibilities:  

General Administration

RAs will: (1) Submit timely and completed paperwork (programming reports, duty logs, incident reports, AnchorLink event submissions, etc.); (2) Attend meetings with HRE staff, 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. 

Community Development

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. 

Accountability and Student Care

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. 

Event Management

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. 

Duty Responsibilities

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. 

Staff Development

RAs will (1) Participate in meetings with HRE staff, training workshops, in-services, etc.; (2) Establish effective working relationships and collaborate with fellow RAs, faculty members, supervisors, and others within and beyond Housing and Residential Experience; (3) Serve as a team player by compromising for the good of RAs 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. 

Time Commitment

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. RAs should properly balance the responsibilities of this position as well as their academics.  Extra-curricular or off-campus activities should not interfere with an RA’s ability to complete job responsibilities. RAs should communicate with their supervisor if situations arise that would conflict with the completion of these duties.

Other Duties as Assigned

All RAs 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 Adviser 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.