Become an RA

The Resident Assistant directly reports to the Resident Director of the hall area to which s/he is assigned.

The six basic roles of the Resident Assistant are:

1) Community Facilitator:

• Be available and accessible to the students by spending quantity and quality interaction time in assigned residence hall.
• Establish and maintain at least a basic relationship with all the students on assigned floor by the end of the second week of classes.
• Within first six weeks demonstrate the growth of relationship with residents.
• Respect and maintain confidentiality of staff and students.
• Develop a responsible living environment by helping the residents enforce community standards.
• Consistently encourage responsible behavior by the residents.
• Respond to emergency situations quickly.
• Keep all bulletin boards and/or hall decorations updated with theme displays or current information.

2) Team Member:

• Attend and participate in all staff training.
• RA training sessions as scheduled – frequency depends on the month and time of semester.
• Attend weekly staff meetings and individual meetings as determined by Resident Director.
• Maintain consistent presence and availability in their residence hall during the week.
• Develop staff community by working cooperatively, supporting, and displaying a positive attitude toward all staff.
• Negotiate all outside activities in clubs, sports, etc., with Resident Director in terms of time management.

3) Administrator:

• Be available for the opening and closing of the residence halls as follows: August 22-24, 2025; December 12-14, 2025; January 1-4, 2026; February 27, 2026; March 8, 2026; May 1-3, 2026
• Be available for special staffing assignments: Thanksgiving Break and Easter Break; others as assigned by Residence Life.
• Participate in the staff duty schedule. Understand that frequency of duty is based on the number of staff in a particular duty group.
• Complete administrative tasks—submit maintenance requests, weekly logs, incident reports, program evaluations, room condition reports, duty rounds sheets, etc.—as assigned and in the time frame specified by supervisor.
• Share in the check-in/check-out duties and all other scheduling of hall staff.
• Carry master keys only during duty or designated time periods dictated by your Resident Director.
• Participate in the 2026-2027 Resident Assistant Selection Process as designated by Residence Life.
• Check CUW email daily and keep work-related communication professional.
• Check Res Life mailbox daily.

4) Programmer:

• Facilitate programs for assigned floor/hall each semester as defined by the Residence Life programming model.
• Work with Resident Director to set program dates and meet deadlines.
• Submit the Program Planner/Evaluation form in conjunction with each program.
• Submit program form for budget approval to the RD, at least two weeks before the program.

5) Policy Advocate:

• Actively confront all disciplinary situations and document them, as articulated in the RA Manual.
• Uphold and exemplify all policies and programs of Concordia University Wisconsin and Residence Life.
• Articulate University policy and procedures to residents.
• Title IX Mandatory Reporter – as a university employee, you will be trained in the proper federally required response in Title IX situations.

6) Referral Agent:

• Document and report all emergency situations to Resident Director and the Director of Residence Life immediately.
• Refer students to different campus offices and community agencies for personal, social, and academic concerns to on-campus resources.
• Keep residents aware of University happenings by posting current information on the floor(s).

Compensation: Compensation will be the equivalent to the cost of the room, and will be divided per pay period.

If RA resigns or is terminated, that RA will have to vacate the RA room and any roommate(s) will be required to vacate as well.

Applicant must:

• have been a full-time student at CUW for at least one semester within the last two years
• have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and be in good academic standing
• maintain a 2.5 semester GPA during time of employment
• be a full-time student (12 credits) during time of employment
• be able to commit a full year of service (fall & spring terms) and be available during all important dates and training days
• have their off-campus time commitments approved by their supervisor (not to exceed 10 hours per week)
• commit to only working the RA job (students cannot have 2 on-campus jobs)

1. Apply: the online application takes between 30–45 minutes to complete
   • Be prepared to provide contact information for 2 references (current RA and a Concordia faculty/staff member, i.e. coach, professor, etc.)
   • Deadline for applications will be Friday, February 7, 2025 (applications must be fully completed and submitted by this time or they will not be accepted)
     
     Click here for the online application.
2. Participate in Group Process: you'll work in teams on different activities
   • The group process will take place Saturday, February 22, 2025
   • Plan on setting aside 3.5 hours of your day (the morning session is 8:15 - 11:30 AM; the afternoon session is 1:00 - 4:15 PM)
     
     Please contact the RA Selection Coordinator as soon as possible if you will miss Group Process.
3. Individual Interviews: applicants will sign up for an individual interview during Group Process
   • Individual interviews will take place Mon-Wed February 24-26, 2025
4. Candidates Notified: applicants will be notified of position offers Friday, February 28, 2025

• • RA Application
  • Online Recommendation Form
  • Career Services online resources
  • Residence Life Professional Staff
  • Important dates for 2025-2026 RAs to be on campus