What does a Resident Assistant do?

Residence Life Staff works to develop co-curricular education by cultivating transformational relationships and enriching programs. Under the supervision of the Resident Director, the RA contributes to developing community and relationships in the Residence Halls through:

  • Intentionally engaging peers in conversation
  • Developing relationships with residents
  • Providing opportunities for residents to interact and form friendships
  • Planning programs that promote growth
  • Being an accessible campus resource
  • Administering care in conflict and crisis situations

Important dates

  • Application Opens: February 1, 2024
  • Application Deadline: March 1, 2024 before noon
  • Group Process: March 16, 2024
  • Individual Interviews: March 18-20, 2024
  • Offers Made: March 22, 2024
  • RA Decision Due: March 26, 2024

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact:
262-243-4571
quinn.roekle@cuw.edu

Next steps

Job Description

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 4-22, 2024; December 13-15, 2024; January 2-5, 2025; February 28, 2025; March 9, 2025; May 2-4 2025
  • Be available for special staffing assignments: Homecoming Weekend, Thanksgiving Break, Spring Break, 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 2025-2026 Resident Assistant Selection Process as designated by Residence Life.

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.

Eligibility

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
Application Process
  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, March 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM (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, March 16th, 2024
    • Plan on setting aside 3.5 hours of your day (starting at 8:15 AM or 1:00 PM)

  3. Individual Interviews: applicants will sign up for an individual interview during Group Process
    • Individual interviews will take place Mon-Wed March 18-20, 2024

  4. Candidates Notified: applicants will be notified of position offers Friday, March 22nd, 2024