POSITION PURPOSE:

Resident Assistants support the mission of Residential and Dining Services to be a purposeful, just and sustainable community by fostering safe, healthy, inclusive, and thriving living environments on campus. We further define this ideal community as an environment in which individuals are positively engaged, respect each other’s values and beliefs, feel a sense of belonging, and focus on academic success.  

DIMENSIONS:

This is a 10-month position beginning no earlier than September 1, 2015 and ending no later than June 12, 2016. The RA position is a stipend position based on an average of 19 hours a week with the number of hours in any given week fluctuating greatly. 

NATURE AND SCOPE:

RAs are paraprofessional student staff members who work for RAD and live in the residential community on campus. There are two primary areas of responsibility for RAs: 1) working in the first-year residence halls with approximately 20-40 freshmen and transfer students; 2) working in the apartments with approximately 30-60 returning students and transfer students. The RA position requires an individual to have effective time management and organizational skills in order to balance their responsibilities as both an Evergreen student and a RAD staff member. The RA position is a valuable leadership role which provides many excellent opportunities for personal and professional development. Some of the core responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the Essential Duties listed herein.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

1. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

• The RA is responsible for facilitating the development of a healthy, safe and inclusive community, primarily within their area of responsibility and secondarily to the entire housing community. 
• The RA is expected to act as a role model on campus, within their community, and when on duty, demonstrating a healthy lifestyle and promoting healthy choices with their residents. The RA must address and report policy violations and health or safety concerns observed both on and off duty.
• The RA is expected to maintain regular contact with all of their residents and develop an in-depth knowledge of their residents, reporting potential concerns to their supervising Resident Director (RD) and/or other professional Residential Life staff.
• The RA is expected to refer individuals experiencing academic, personal, emotional, or other challenges to their RD and/or appropriate campus or community resources. These may include but are not limited to: issues with time management or study skills, alcohol or other drug abuse, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, mental or physical health issues, financial issues, roommate conflicts, etc.
• The RA is expected to follow the departmental Engagement Model which outlines requirements for community development. This model includes a hybrid of having one-on-one conversations with residents and facilitating group community gatherings within their area based on the needs of the residents. RAs are encouraged to collaborate with various campus partners and services in planning and implementing these events.
• The RA is expected to promote involvement opportunities within housing and the Evergreen community to residents. RAs will be aware of individual resident interests and needs and make connections to people/organizations, involvement opportunities, and leadership positions.
• The RA is expected to perform other duties as assigned.

2. ADMINISTRATIVE

• The RA is required to assist residents with the development of their living environment by facilitating Living Learning Agreements (LLAs) with roommates, mediating roommate conflicts, notifying the RD and front office staff of potential room transfers, and forwarding pertinent resident information to an RD.
• Each RA manages a programming budget. The RA is responsible for requesting programming funds in advance using the online Programming Request Form (PRF), spending as approved, saving all receipts, and submitting receipts and paperwork as required. The RA should not exceed their allotted programming funds and, if needed, may seek additional funds from their RD.
• The RA is required to make entries to the RA Duty Log by 10:00am on the day after their duty shift and to file all Incident Reports (IR) no later than the same night of the incident. 
• The RA is required to attend all weekly staff meetings and in-service trainings. These meetings and trainings will occur every Wednesday from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. No academic classes, field trips, or other meetings should be scheduled during this time. Requests to miss a scheduled meeting or training must be submitted to the supervising RD in advance and are not guaranteed.
• The RA is required to attend a scheduled weekly individual meeting with their RD to discuss community issues, staff development areas, problem solving and regular performance feedback.
• The RA is required to submit an online Weekly Report to their RD prior to the weekly RD meeting.
• The RA is required to participate in the Residential Life mid-year evaluation/feedback process.
• The RA is expected to assist with departmental processes including but not limited to quarterly opening and closing of housing, quarterly fire drills, quarterly Health and Safety Inspections, RA hiring, Preview Day and Admitted Student Day, etc.
• The RA is expected to perform other duties as assigned.

3. ON DUTY

• Each RA is expected to participate in the on-duty rotation for the residential community. Weekday duty shifts occur from 4:45pm to 8:00am Monday through Thursday, and weekend duty shifts occur from 4:45pm on Fridays to 8:00am on Monday.
• The on-duty RAs must attend a daily on-duty meeting with the RD on duty at the time of sign-on to cover updates and other pertinent information.
• The on-duty RAs are required to wear RAD provided apparel when on duty.   
• The on-duty RAs are required to conduct multiple walkthroughs of the entire housing area.
• The RA duty responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: operating the front desk from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on week nights, engaging residents, checking the condition of community spaces and locking designated community spaces, ensuring the health and safety of residents in the community, ensuring that campus and residential policies are upheld and confronting policy violations, following up with students of concern, responding to resident emergencies, responding to residential building alarms, providing backup support for fellow on-duty RA(s), and partnering with the on-duty RD, Resident Maintenance (RM) staff, and Police Services staff.
• The RAs are required to document incidents involving policy violations or health and safety concerns in the RA Duty Log and/or by Incident Report.
• The on-duty RAs must remain on campus at all times. RAs may change duty assignments in advance by following the duty shift change guidelines.
• The RA is expected to perform other duties as assigned.

COMPENSATION

The compensation for this position is approximately the equivalent of $873 a month, which includes cost of rental of a furnished residence and a stipend, or a stipend plus a meal plan, depending on placement. Other benefits may include staff retreats, opportunities to attend regional RA conferences and staff exchanges with other campuses, and ongoing training.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

To be eligible to be hired for and keep an RA position, a student must:

1. Have lived on campus at Evergreen or another post-secondary institution for at least one full academic term, or have related/transferrable experience.
2. Be enrolled as a full-time student of The Evergreen State College and registered for a minimum of twelve (12) academic credits and no more than sixteen (16) academic credits each quarter during their employment, unless approved for an exception by the Assistant Director for Residential Life. The student must not be planning to study abroad during the academic year for which the department is hiring in order to eligible for an initial hiring placement (***see Exception for Study Abroad below).
3. Prioritize the RA position over all other responsibilities except academic coursework.  Academic requirements take precedence when conflict arises between the two responsibilities, however, the RA expectations must be met or the RA may be relieved of them. RAs may participate in other activities or co-curricular opportunities, not to exceed 20 hours per week, with written approval by the supervising RD.  RAs must notify the RD in advance of any major commitments (i.e., paid employment off campus, holding an office in an organization or club, field placement or internship, involvement in a sport, participation in a theater or dance group, etc.).
4. Be in good academic standing at the College and maintain that academic status during the tenure of employment as an RA.  “Good academic standing” is defined as not being on academic warning or a required leave of absence at the time of hire or during the year of employment, not receiving a status of incomplete for any coursework at the end of a term while employed, and earning at least 75% of attempted credits for each academic term during employment.  Hired RAs who do not meet the academic performance standards may be subject to both academic disciplinary action by the College and employment action, including possible job termination.
5. Be in good conduct standing at the College and maintain that conduct status during the tenure of employment as an RA.  “Good conduct standing” is defined as not having any open or outstanding student conduct cases or sanctions. Students with previous conduct violations who have met with a hearing officer and completed any required sanctions will be considered for an RA position. RAs incurring conduct violations during their term of employment may be subject to both disciplinary action through Student Conduct and employment, including possible job termination.
6. Live in the residence hall or apartment area to which the RA is assigned. As a general rule, RAs are expected to be present in their community of responsibility and sleep in their designated rooms on a regular basis in order to maintain visibility and availability to residents and staff members.  Specifically with regard to weekends, RAs must be present in their community for at least 2 weekends each month.  RAs must remain on campus the weekends immediately preceding each academic quarter, the weekends following weeks 1 and 2 of fall quarter, and the weekend following week 1 of winter and spring quarters.
7. Attend and participate in all required meetings, trainings, and departmental processes as outlined.
8. Exercise sound judgment in upholding established policies and protocols of the College and Residential and Dining Services; support and obey all federal, state, and local laws and ordinances; and obey all College regulations. If concerns arise as to appropriate action, the RA must consult with an RD.
9. Not use the position as a platform to advance personal, political, commercial, or religious enterprises.
10. Provide proof of identity and employment eligibility within three (3) days of beginning work and pass a background check.

*** Exception for Study Abroad: A student may still apply for an RA position if they plan to study abroad for one or more quarters during the academic year for which the department is hiring. The student will not be eligible for an initial hire, but will be considered for possible placement in the alternate candidate pool for hiring mid-year if a position becomes available.

Note: An RA who has been terminated will be required to move out of their residential space after a short transition period not to exceed one month. The terminated RA will be required to pay a prorated balance of the remaining room and board bill. The terminated RA must return provided RAD work apparel and keys within 24 hours of their dismissal.