Work for UT Housing

Resident Assistant - Recruitment

Position Description and Expectations

The Department of University Housing at the University of Tennessee seeks to develop a community living environment which will promote the academic and personal growth of each individual resident. The department strives to foster an increased awareness and appreciation of individual differences and to assist the residents' integration into the University and Knoxville communities. The department's staff seeks to maintain attractive facilities that are safe, comfortable, and affordable and to create a community atmosphere where respect and responsible behavior are encouraged. The Resident Assistant assumes a role of leadership in all aspects of residence hall living. The following comprise the principle duties and expectations for the Resident Assistant position.

Community Development

The Resident Assistant (RA) is expected to establish good relationships with students in the living area by actively getting to know them early in the semester and by maintaining frequent contact with them throughout the year.

Promote a sense of community on the floor or living area by encouraging residents to become acquainted with one another and by creating opportunities for them to participate in decisions concerning floor activities and events.

Be visible and accessible to residents on the floor/section. (A minimum of 4 nights each week.)

Learn each resident's first name, last name and hometown by the middle of September.

Be responsible for a floor/section in a residence hall. How well the RA manages the floor, its functions, and its residents' issues has a direct impact on student development in personal areas, consumer satisfaction, and retention. If an RA fails to maintain standards insuring a healthy and safe physical environment, the potential for injury and illness exists.

Mediate conflicts that may occur between roommates and among residents.

To educate residents about their responsibilities as members of the community.

Assist and support the Hall Association and United Residence Hall Council by attending meetings and functions regularly.

Programming

The RA is expected to promote a community atmosphere for individual and group development by encouraging and facilitating programs in the residence hall.

Our programming model is based on a needs assessment philosophy. To support this philosophy, we are obligated to consider the student's variety of needs and to offer programs that meet those needs. A needs assessment tool should be used at the beginning of each semester to help plan the semester's programs.

Programming Areas

Social Programs - This is the process of building on shared experiences of the members of the floor to develop a sense of cooperation and of commitment to the group's welfare. This can be accomplished through: facilitating communication, encouraging cooperation and nurturing respect amongst group members.

Educational - This is the process of designing and encouraging the presentation of programs, which challenge students to expand their level of self-interest and their knowledge and involvement of thought-provoking issues.

Requirements

• Every RA is required to do two (2) planned programs a month - one social and one educational program.
• One substance abuse and one human diversity program is required each semester.

Other

• Please refer to the Resident Assistant Handbook for a more detailed description of the programming model and the resources available.
• Support significant other events on campus such as Welcome Week, Black History Month, etc., by developing programs and bulletin boards to support resident involvement.

Peer Helper

1. Serve as a peer helper when residents have a concern or problem.
2. Establish effective communication with residents through listening and response and with an attitude of concern and support.
3. Serve as the first level of intervention in crisis situations and conflict mediation and to act as a referral agent as necessary in such situations.
4. Be familiar with and practice proper protocol for emergency response situations.
5. Serve as a resource person and referral agent for university and community services such as the Counseling Center, Black Cultural Center, Student Health Services, Career Services, etc.
6. Advise HD/AHD of any resident concerns or conflict; ask for assistance and support.
7. Document any incidents on an Incident Report.
8. Maintain confidentiality, as appropriate, related to resident issues. Do not promise complete confidentiality, because others may need to know.
9. Do not transport students to local hospitals. Contact UTPD to provide transportation if a student is ill or injured.

Enforcement of Policy

1. Abide by, educate resident about, and enforce all University rules, regulations and policies.
2. Comply with the policies and procedures contained in the most current versions of the Resident Assistant Job Description, Hilltopics and the University Housing Guidebook-Calendar, and expectations of the Hall Director and Area Assistant Director. The RA is subject to the same disciplinary sanctions as other residents for violations of residence hall rules as set in the University Housing Guidebook-Calendar or any other applicable University rule and regulation. In addition, the RA may be subjected to staff discipline, including termination, if the behavior that violated rules, regulations, or policies also calls into question his or her fitness to be an RA.
3. Contact the Hall Director or Area Coverage on duty to ensure appropriate action if the situation involves the five (5) P’s (Police, Paramedics/Personal Injury, Parents, Property Damage, and Press).
4. Be responsible for thorough and accurate documentation of all violations of University Housing policies, regulations, and Standards of Conduct. Documentation must occur at the time of the incident must be submitted to the Hall Director by 9:00 am on the following day.
5. Confront all student behavior or infractions which disrupt the environment in a positive education and professional manner.

Professionalism an Ethics

1. Convey a positive attitude toward the RA position and its duties and responsibilities.
2. Act as a positive role model both for fellow staff members and residents by not participating in questionable or unethical behavior.
3. Do not speak to the media, press, or parents in the official capacity of a Resident Assistant for the Department of University Housing or The University of Tennessee without permission from the Hall Director, Area Assistant Director or Executive Director of University Housing.
4. Respond quickly to residents’ requests.
5. Refrain from gossip, complaining and negative comments about residents, the RA position, University Housing and other staff members.
6. Be friendly and helpful, find channels through which complaints can be corrected or explained.
7. Work cooperatively with other staff and share duties equally.
8. Perform duties without complaint.
9. Carry out to the fullest any responsibilities you assume.
10. Be honest with residents and staff.
11. Exercise authority wisely – avoid using positions to further personal agendas, such as religion, values, etc.
12. Avoid preferential treatment of residents or other staff members.
13. Demonstrate mature, responsible decision making.

Administrative Duties

On-Call Duty

• Weeknight and weekend duty entails being accessible by phone or walkie-talkie at all times during your specified shift.
• A semester schedule will be provided to the RAs at the beginning of each semester so that they will know when they are on duty.
• Specific tasks must be completed while an RA is on duty. These tasks include, but are not limited to:
  • Completing thorough hallwalks
  • Responding to discipline, emergency situations or resident concerns and all follow up information.

Meetings/Communication

• The RA is expected to attend all staff training activities including, but not limited to, spring training, fall training, in-service requirements, building/departmental committees and participate in staff selection.
• To attend all building staff meetings (minimum of one per week), one-on-one meetings with the Hall Director/Assistant Hall Director, and all staff development activities.
• Maintain an open line of communication with the Hall Director regarding events on the floor or living area.
• Hold periodic floor meetings with the living unit for general communication, sharing information, and generating enthusiasm.

Paperwork

• To turn in all paperwork in a timely fashion.
• Conduct health and safety inspections
• Distribute and collect surveys of the residential populations
• Assist in room check-in and check-out
• Post approved flyers/signs on floors in a timely manner
• Update bulletin boards on a monthly basis.

Time Commitment

• The RA position is the RA’s principle non-academic activity. Extracurricular activities should not conflict with the time needed to perform effectively as an RA throughout the entire year.
• Be available – provide appropriate supervision of residents on your floor.
• All RAs will return to campus early in the fall and must stay late after spring semester to complete any administrative requirements. All Residence Halls remain open during Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Easter Friday. A few halls (Apartments and Gibbs) will remain open for all or part of Winter Break and Spring Break.
• RAs are required to work an average of six (6) hours per week of front desk duty.
• Obtain approval for all overnight absences from assigned floors.

Team Player/Relationships

1. Be a productive and positive member of the staff team comprised of the Hall Director, Assistant Hall Director, Resident Assistants, Desk Assistants, Hall Clerks, Housekeeping and Maintenance personnel in your building.
2. Discuss any disagreements openly and reasonably. Deal with problems as they arise, before they become compounded.
3. Develop a relationship of trust with your Hall Director in which concerns affecting the welfare of the residents and the hall can be discussed honestly, openly and fully.
4. Make an effort to promote staff unity and harmony with all university staff members. Be interested, concerned, and willing to help other staff members and to ask for help when it is needed.
5. Assist the housekeepers, maintenance personnel, and other University Housing staff in providing a clean, efficiently operated and well-maintained environment. Help promote respectful understanding of the responsibilities of both the residents and University Housing personnel.
6. Utilize resources in the area office whenever you can. Stop by the area office and develop a supportive relationship with the Area Assistant Director and the Area Graduate Assistant.

Academic Standards

• Maintain an environment that is conducive to academic pursuit, provide students with academic information, and encourage and support academic achievement both by personal example and with programming opportunities.
• You should strive to create a good academic atmosphere in your hall and encourage your residents to develop strong study habits, attend classes regularly, and keep up with daily course work. Students whom you perceive to be having trouble should be approached and assisted if possible.
• It is a departmental policy that all Resident Assistants maintain a minimum cumulative grade point of 2.50 and not have two consecutive semester GPAs below 2.50 while employed as a Resident Assistant. Resident Assistants must be above average students to do a good job. Someone in academic difficulty does not have enough time to devote to his/her studies if he/she is a Resident Assistant. In addition, Resident Assistants should encourage residents to take their academic responsibilities seriously.
• Grades for all Resident Assistants will be checked each semester to insure that the minimum GPA requirement is being maintained.
• Resident Assistants who have worked at least one semester whose grades fall below a cumulative GPA of 2.50 but remain above a 2.25 will be placed on probation. Following the semester of probation, the RA will be dismissed if the cumulative 2.50 minimum has not been met.
• Resident Assistants who fail to achieve a 2.5 semester GPA, while their cumulative GPA remains above a 2.50, for two consecutive terms will be terminated.
• If, during any grade check, it is determined that a Resident Assistant’s cumulative GPA has fallen below a 2.25, they will be terminated effective immediately. Notification of termination will be made prior to the beginning of the semester for which the termination is to become effective.
• Resident Assistants must be enrolled in a minimum of nine (9) semester hours of classes for fall and spring semesters. The Area Assistant Director must approve any exceptions.
• To limit semester course load so that both job performance and academic program expectations are met.

Terms of Employment

Resident Assistants are hired for a term of employment of one academic year. A RA may be rehired for another term of employment based on his/her past work performance and meeting the job duties and responsibilities.

Evaluation

• RAs will be evaluated at least once during the academic year. The Head Staff will formally evaluate the RA on his/her job performance and will use information from the resident surveys.
• RAs will be required to fill out a "Request to be rehired"application during the spring semester. Criteria used to determine which RAs shall return will include floor community, evaluations, and job performance.

RA Infractions

The following items below represent specific infractions or breaches of job performance.

• being late for staff meetings
• unexcused absence from a staff meeting
• being late for duty
• missing duty
• being late for desk hours
• missing desk hours
• not doing or being late with paperwork
• failure to report incident reports in a timely manner
• violating university or housing policies
• violating the expectations of your supervisor
• leaving the building while on hall

Understand that such areas of poor overall performance, lack of availability, and lack of staff support, will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Probationary status shall increase potential consequences if further infractions occur.

All responses to infractions will be noted in RA’s file.

Remuneration/Benefits

Stipend - All RAs receive $652 (new) or $677 (returning) in monthly stipends; August - May.

Housing - RAs are provided a private room at the double occupancy rate.

Leadership/Teamwork

• Not hold assistantships, accept other employment, accept any major elected or appointed office, or initiate a pledge period with a fraternity or sorority. Rare exceptions will only be granted by the Area Assistant Director as determined in conjunction with the Hall Director.
• Assumes other responsibilities as deemed necessary by the Department of University Housing.