Nine Resident Assistants in a group photo smiling wearing red and green UArts shirts.

Resident Assistant Job Description

Overview & Qualifications 

The Resident Assistant (RA) position is a one academic year, on campus leadership opportunity. RAs encourage and support residential students in their academic, social and personal growth while working to facilitate a safe, caring, and inclusive learning community. RAs assist professional staff in management of the residence hall including responsibilities to inspect, monitor, and evaluate persons and property to enhance residence hall safety and security. Specifically, the roles of the RA include: facilitating community development, providing support and serving as a referral agent/information provider, creating student engagement/programming opportunities, enforcing policy, inspecting residential halls for safety, and serving as a positive academic and social role model. 

The RA is a member of the Campus Life staff and is directly supervised by the Area Coordinator and the Graduate Assistants for Campus Life

Candidates and RAs Minimum Qualifications: 

  • Be a current full-time matriculated Undergraduate student at University of the Arts. 
  • Have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 at time of appointment and 30 calendar days prior to the start of Fall training and 14 calendar days prior to the start of duties when starting the position at any other time of year. 
  • Be in good financial standing with the University during the employment period. 
  • Be in good standing with the University prior to and during employment period (cannot be on disciplinary probation). 
  • Be able to fulfill a full academic year appointment. 
  • Have completed two full-time semesters of college by start date. 
  • Able to serve as a positive role model on and away from campus. 
  • Work to provide support and establish and maintain a positive rapport with a diverse group of residents and demonstrate a willingness to learn and grow when interacting with students different from themselves. 
  • Be able to conduct rounds and to respond to specific locations to assess, inspect, monitor, and report emergency situations. 

Preferred Qualification

  • Have previous experience living in a traditional college residence hall for three (3) or more months by the time of employment. Experience does not need to be at University of the Arts. 

RAs must be able to: 

  • Move furniture, supplies and/or equipment of approximately 25 pounds, 
  • Operate keys and door hardware 
  • Use and operate duty phones and computer systems 
  • Satisfactory review and completion of criminal background check. 
  • Able to work late nights and weekends.

Employment Period and Time Commitments 

RAs are appointed to the position for one full academic year (consecutive Fall and Spring semesters). The employment period includes all designated training periods prior to residence hall openings as well as designated closing periods at vacations and following final exams. 

The RA’s primary responsibilities are building connections among their residents, instilling a sense of community on their floor(s) and helping to maintain the health and safety of the residential living environment.  To do so, the RA must:

  • Attend and actively participate in all RA Training sessions, Staff Development programs, and other meetings as assigned, remote or in-person. This includes Fall training, (approximately two weeks prior to new students moving in for the Fall semester) and Winter training (approximately one week prior to the beginning of Spring semester). 
  • Be widely available and accessible to students when not in class or academic assignment (e.g. internship, etc.) and encourage residents to seek help when needed. Availability includes days and evenings on weekends as well as weekdays, both in person and remotely. 
  • Be present and available to work all residence hall opening and closing duties as directed. 
  • Plan a schedule which emphasizes academic work/internships first, RA responsibilities second, and social/other interests and other employment third. Additional new outside commitments, including employment, clubs and organization involvement  are subject to approval of the Area Coordinator and the Director of Residence Life & Housing.
  • Participate in weekly staff meetings and individual meetings with the Area Coordinator or Graduate Assistants. RA also will attend a monthly meeting with the entire team for in-service trainings 
  • RAs participate in an On Call rotation with the other RAs within their building. While on call, RAs must be physically present in their assigned residence hall from 8pm-8am. During weekends and on days the university is closed, RAs must be within 5 minutes of their hall, when on call. 
  • RAs are responsible for seeking approval to be away from campus for more than two consecutive days. This request must be sent to the Area Coordinator for approval and must be requested in advance. 
  • RAs are expected to commit 7-10 hours a week toward programming, community building, and administrative duties. They also are expected to commit to being on duty for approximately 17 weekdays a semester (8pm-8am) and 9 weekend duty days a semester (8pm-8pm - a 24 hour period of time). These time commitments are estimates and do not cover the time commitments required for move-in/hall closings and training. Number of duty days are also estimated and may change due to staffing needs, emergency university closings, etc. 
  • In the event of emergency related University closings, it is expected that the RA remains available. The RA on Duty hours are extended to cover office closings.

Duties and Responsibilities 
Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

  • Student Support Resource and Referral Agent. 
  • Has thorough knowledge about campus support services. 
  • Effectively communicates and reports student issues and concerns to appropriate members of the professional staff in a timely manner. Many times, this will include an incident report which should be filled out immediately, but no later than by 8am the day after receiving the information.
  • Keeps the AC informed of potential concerns in a prompt and timely manner. If the AC is unable to be reached during business hours, notification should be made to the Professional on Duty (POD).
  • Contacts and informs the Professional on Duty (POD) immediately for emergencies.  
  • Treats information with extreme sensitivity, while understanding that information must be shared with the properly designated administrator(s), including health information. While the RA can assure a student that information will be treated with great sensitivity, no RA can guarantee confidentiality to students. 
  • Coordinates referrals in a timely manner to the AC, the POD, or to others as appropriate and/or directed. 
  • RAs are considered mandatory reporters. This means they have a responsibility for reporting any behavior that has the potential to be discriminatory or harassing.  RAs that become aware of sex discrimination as defined in the Student Handbook, Appendix A (including sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking on the basis of sex, dating/intimate partner violence or sexual exploitation), regardless of whether the recipient of the behavior is a student, employee, volunteer or visitor of the University must report the incident to the University via the online incident report system or by contacting the University’s Title IX Coordinator and POD.
  • Serves as a Campus Security Authority (CSA) in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
  • Reside in the room they are assigned. If circumstances warrant, RAs may be reassigned to a new building and/or floor at any time. All RAs will be assigned to a shared apartment unless they have been approved for accommodations through the Office of Educational Accessibility.

Student Engagement, Community Building & Programming 

  • Has thorough knowledge about campus engagement opportunities. 
  • Plans and executes at least six (6) quality programs, consistent with departmental programming guidelines, each semester. 
  • Develops a positive relationship with residents who live on the floor and make significant quality contact with each resident through scheduled interactions (knocks and talks, programming, floor meetings,  etc.).
  • Documents regular resident interaction as directed. 
  • Spends quality time in the hall and is generally available, including weekdays and weekends, daytime and evenings. 
  • Supports academic success and a positive learning environment. 
  • Supports diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence in the community. 
  • Encourages residents to participate in University and community events and keep floor members informed through periodic floor meetings, postings on bulletin boards and knock and talks. 
  • Creates and maintains bulletin boards as directed. 
  • Obtains, delivers, and/or sets up programming materials and spaces.
  • Models a positive image of the Office of Campus Life and the University of the Arts, on and off campus and on social media by upholding all University and residence hall policies and through espousing the values of the university.

Administrative 

  • Inspects and monitors for safety, proper function, and compliance with policies in all areas of the residence hall facility including floors, laundry rooms, entry areas, emergency exits, stairways, and lounges. 
  • Prepares for and works at all hall openings and closings. 
  • Works/supports (a) the Room Selection Process and (b) RA Selection Process (c) Audition Days (d) Open Houses  (e) Admit One and/or other campus events as assigned. 
  • Assists with residence hall room and lounge set up by arranging furnishings. 
  • Serves on Campus Life committees/workgroups as directed by their AC. 
  • Assists with Health & Safety inspections at the direction of the AC.
  • Demonstrates thorough knowledge of, and ability to communicate, interpret, enforce, follow, and/or act on the rules, regulations, protocols, standard operating procedures and information and policies contained in the Student Code of Conduct and University Catalog and information given during pertinent training sessions, staff meetings, and other departmental communication. 
  • RAs are responsible for a master key, staff issued keys, and following all key control protocols. RAs must ensure that the master key is not carried outside the building. RAs are responsible for locksmith costs incurred for loss or mishandling of keys. 
  • RAs are expected to check school email accounts daily and respond as necessary.  RAs are also expected to check the RA mailboxes daily. 
  • Complete a resident verification roster within one week of receipt once per semester.
  • Efforts should be made to write and submit incident reports immediately after an incident but no later than 8am on the day following the incident in accordance with departmental policy. 
  • Exercise proper care for all ID cards, emergency go-bags/first aid equipment, office/craft supplies, and other materials issued by Student Affairs.
  • Delivers materials to residents as directed. 
  • Shares responsibilities as a member of the team. 
  • Supports the policies and protocols of the University and department in word, action, and spirit. 
  • Accept other assignments and duties consistent with the nature of the RA position.

On Call Related

  • Provides “on call” duty coverage in hall as assigned by the AC or designee, minimally from 8:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m., and as otherwise assigned. This requires the RA to be present and available in the residence hall(s). 
  • Holds the on call phone for response to hall issues on weekends and days when classes are not in session. This requires the RA to be present on campus and available to respond in a reasonable time if contacted. 
  • Complete required paperwork including daily duty logs submitted to Campus Life by 8am after their night of being on call, and other paperwork as directed.
  • Inspects and monitors the residence hall environment as directed. 
  • Confronts, solves, and reports policy violations as directed. 
  • Contacts and consults with the AC or POD with problems beyond the scope of the RA’s training and responsibility. 
  • The RA must update the shared Google Calendar when a change has been made to the duty schedule immediately. Any changes must be confirmed via email with all RAs involved and cc’ing the AC.
  • RAs should not make any travel plans or outside commitments during Fall and Spring Break until the Duty Calendar for that time period has been created.
  • In emergency situations that result in University closure (snow closings, floods, natural disasters, blackouts, campus disturbances or special events, etc.), the RA on Duty assumes 24 hour rotation (i.e. Weekend Duty).

Role Modeling and General Demeanor 

  • Acts as a positive academic and social role model. 
  • Acts as a positive representative of the University and Campus Life staff at all times. This includes attending classes regularly, utilizing academic support services when experiencing academic concerns, modeling good emotional management and self-care, abiding by University and residence hall policies and protocols in action and spirit. 
  • Supports and abides by all rules and policies of the department and University. 
  • Establishes and maintains harmonious relationships with residents and staff.  Behaves in an ethical manner, including exhibits personal integrity and routinely treating others with respect.
  • RAs may not develop intimate relationships with residents in the buildings that they complete duty rounds in as this can lead to (real or perceived) conflicts of interest and power imbalances. Such situations may limit an RA’s judgment and objectivity, resulting in a loss of credibility with residents and/or peers. If an RA is considering or inadvertently does develop an intimate relationship with a resident in one of the buildings they complete duty rounds in, they must report the relationship to the Title IX office by emailing titleix@uarts.edu.  Please see Consensual Relationship Policy for more information.
  • RAs must monitor and maintain their professional online presence (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) and uphold university policies and values in their online presence.

Other 

  • Other related duties may be deemed appropriate and assigned by the Area Coordinator, Director of Residence Life & Housing, Senior Director of Student Engagement, and/or designee.

Compensation & Benefits

RAs receive remuneration for housing costs and receive a Gold meal plan for the fall and spring semester. 

How to apply

Applications for the RA position opens every December and students will be emailed with links to the application. Students may also request a link to the application by emailing reslife@uarts.edu