Grow as a Leader… Become an RA!
A Resident Assistant (RA) is an undergraduate or graduate student staff member who
lives in the residence halls. They help support the academic success, social development,
and personal growth of students by creating programs and experiences within a diverse
community of learners that involve students, faculty, and staff.
Benefits
The benefits of being a Resident Assistant at Southeastern include a scholarship in
the amount of the student’s room, default meal plan charge, and stipend each semester.
Arguably more important are the intangible benefits of the RA position, which include
training in crisis management, negotiation, advocacy, time management, etc. RAs are
often prepared to make successful transitions from the college environment to the
job market since they can demonstrate leadership training, management skills, and
community involvement as part of their collegiate experience.
Qualifications
- Full-time enrollment in a degree program
- Be in good academic (not on academic probation), financial (not in arrears with your
University account) and student conduct (not on conduct probation or have any outstanding
sanctions) standing with the University - Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
Responsibilities
Resident Assistants are responsible for office functions, administrating, and participating
as a team member within their residence hall. RAs are responsible for performing
a variety of front desk, clerical, and customer service functions.
The description of duties, which follows, provides a general outline of the responsibilities
of a Resident Assistant. RAs are assigned to one of the University residence halls.
Specific duties assigned vary depending on the needs of the residence hall and student
population.
Community Building
Resident Assistants are required to plan and facilitate events for the residents in
order to enhance the living community within the hall. These programs can take almost
any form, ranging from community service projects, to social events such as games
and outdoor events, to educational programs where a topic is explored or a skill (ex:
cooking, laundry, time-management, etc.) is taught. These programs follow the SLU
Programming Model: Spontaneous Programming, Learning & Educational Programming, and
University Life & Campus Involvement.
Administrative Duties
- Maintains and enforce residence hall and university policies
- Assists in opening and closing of the residence halls
- Complete room inspections
- Complete weekly office/satellite hours
- Participate in an on-call duty rotation
- Maintain awareness of problems residents may be experiencing and assists as appropriate
- Responds to emergency situations
- Possess a working knowledge of campus facilities, services and resources
- Serve as a mediator when a roommate conflict arises
Participating as a Team Member
- Participate in fall and spring RA training
- Fall Training Session in August
- Spring Training Session in January
- In Service Trainings when need
- Communicate on a regular basis with your Area Coordinator (AC) and building staff
members - Attend 1 on 1 meetings with AC and weekly staff meetings
- Shows knowledge of, personally abides by, and helps enforce the university’s policies
and procedures - Aligns priorities so that the job responsibilities take precedence over personal commitments
- Maintains standards of personal and professional conduct and serves as role model
for students and other residence hall staff.
Overall, RAs are college students who have chosen to accept a heightened degree of
responsibility for enhancing the college environment, while taking the opportunity
to influence the overall wellbeing and Southeastern experience for the resident student
population.
Conditions of Employment
- RAs must complete all training programs required by University Housing. These training
programs include but are not limited to: Fall Training, Spring Training, and In-Service
Education. - RAs are required to report prior to other students arriving and stay after the residence
halls close. RAs may be expected to work through University holidays including, Fall
Break, Thanksgiving, Spring Break, Mardi Gras and Easter. - All RAs must have taken LT 301 prior to their first semester as an RA and complete
the course with no less than a C or 70%.
If you are interested in gaining permission to take the RA class, Leadership Training
301, please send an email to [email protected]. Enrollment for the RA class is limited, you will be notified if you are given permission
to enroll for the upcoming semester.