Resident Assistant Position Description

RAs are live‑in student team members in the Residence Education and Housing Services department. RAs assist in supporting an on-campus residential community and have specific responsibility for connecting with students in a particular area. RAs work to establish inclusive communities that foster student academic and social success. The primary strategies for fostering student success include supporting students’ academic achievement through referrals and recommendations for academic resources, serving in an on-call/emergency response capacity and connecting with community members through various engagement strategies.

RAs are responsible for assisting students individually and in groups. An RA's primary role is to facilitate the creation of a positive environment that supports students' academic and personal success. For these environments to develop, RAs must make significant connections with their residents, help residents get to know each other, and connect residents to resources and opportunities within the University. Strategies for success include maintaining individual and group contact, having a thorough knowledge of campus resources, building rapport and connections with residents, planning and implementing activities and responding to community and individual concerns.

Most RA positions are located in traditional residence halls for the academic year. There are a small number of RA positions located in Owen Hall, Van Hoosen Hall, and 1855 Place (which includes University Village) that have slightly different requirements/conditions.​

RA Expectations  

To meet expectations of the role, Resident Assistant’s will strive to consistently meet the following expectations for each value category. Please note, failure to meet expectations may activate the staff performance management process.  

Community Development – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Be visible, available, and accessible in their community  
• The RA role is not a role that operates during traditional workday hours. RAs will interact with their residents during times that they are most active, which could be in the evening hours    
• Develop relationships with residents by demonstrating care and concern  
• Discover their boundaries and what they need to be successful in and outside of the role. RAs can and should communicate these with care to their community.  
• Boundaries are a particular course of action that individuals take care of themselves when a particular set of circumstances arises. Boundaries revolve around one’s actions and redirections. Treat residents respectfully, justly, and in accordance with duty protocol, MSU policies, federal and state regulations, and Residential Care and Community Expectations policies.  
• Encourage interaction between residents by facilitating all parts of the Residential Learning Experience and engaging in duty responsibilities  
• Utilize communication and active listening skills to support residents and refer them to appropriate resources  
• Encourage residents to take responsibility for themselves and their community  
• Create opportunities for residents to discuss floor issues as relevant or directed  
• Utilize Alternative Dispute Resolution tools, such as mediation to resolve conflict  
• Communicate with supervisor when away from the building for an extended period  
• Partner with Neighborhood Intercultural Aids (ICA), when present, to meet the comprehensive needs of the community  
• Facilitate an inclusive environment within their community including collaboration with building partners  

Administrative Skills – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Submit projects and paperwork accurately and on time; work with their supervisor as they encounter potential obstacles and provide alternatives to ensure goals are met.  
• Support Live On retention efforts by timely communication of material provided by the department  
• Follow directions of REHS staff members  
• Attend all required meetings and training for the entirety of the session(s) including:
• RA Team Meetings: Thursday evening 6:00pm-8:00pm  
• One on One meetings with supervisor  
• Be prepared and on time for meetings, training and required events  
• Help with departmental interviewing as determined by REHS and neighborhood leadership  
• Utilize effective communication skills, both written and verbal and follow incident response expectations  
• Maintain responsibility responsible for the nametags, keys, as well as any other issued materials—any lost RA-specific keys are to be reported immediately to supervisor  
• Post and update bulletin boards and door decs in accordance with departmental requirements and in accordance with deadlines established by the community leadership team  
• Uses technology as directed during meetings and trainings, including not using technology if required by the community leadership team  

Safety and Security – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Report and thoroughly document incidents according to policy and procedure  
• Review and meet all duty expectations including addressing all incidents requiring RA response and documentation. Demonstrate critical thinking and consult duty resources when responding to incidents; utilize duty chain when unsure about duty response and as required through duty protocol  
• Carry Out Traka Box Key expectations appropriately  
• Assist with lockouts or other door access issues when desks are closed. Follow mandatory reporting procedure as outline by Michigan State University  
• Follow-up appropriately with individuals or the floor community following incidents where appropriate and/or as directed  
• Address Level 1 facilities concerns as outlined in duty protocol  
• Be proficient in the 3 R’s of incident response, Recognize, Respond and Report  
• Understand and maintains confidentiality and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)  
• Interpret and explain university and housing policies to community residents  
• Respond to any safety and security needs regardless of being on duty or in assigned building; minimum response when an RA is not on call is to call the duty chain to report the incident and/or campus police, as the incident may require  
• The RA is expected to serve in an after-hours on-call (duty) rotation. Schedules will be set and approved by the direct supervisor of the area. RAs are to adhere to duty protocols established by REHS.  
• Duty coverage begins daily at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 a.m. Duty rounds are to be completed as outlined by Residential Care and Community Expectations (RCCE) and are as follows:
  • Weekday (Sunday-Wednesday)  
    • 7:00 pm    
    • 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm  
    • 11:00 pm – 1:00 am    
  • Weekend (Thursday-Saturday)
    • 7:00 pm    
    • 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm    
    • 11:00 pm – 1:00 am    
    • 1:00 am – 3:00 am

Educator – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Serve as an academic role model for residents by maintaining GPA requirements within the role  
• Know academic and university resources, makes appropriate referrals and follows-up  
• Implement Lesson Plans as reflected in the Residential Learning Experience (RLE)  
• Effectively assess the learning needs of the community and facilitate opportunities for student learning  
• Encourage and facilitates discussion and dialogue among residents about life experiences, academics, campus and national events.  

Team Player – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Support neighborhood/institutional partners and initiatives as directed  
• Contribute positively to the morale and functions of the RA team  
• Demonstrate respect, encouragement, support, and care and concern for other RA team members  
• Actively participate in team activities as directed by neighborhood and community leadership team members  
• Deliver constructive feedback appropriately and regularly to supervisor and community leadership  
• Utilize conflict resolutions skills to assist team members in resolving interpersonal conflict  
• Demonstrate a solution-oriented mindset when approaching conflict, disagreement, frustration, or process improvement  
• Support REHS departmental values and uphold mutually agreed upon community expectations with community leadership team.  

Leader – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Act with integrity and in accordance with all MSU and REHS policies/expectations as well as federal and state laws.  
•  Role model appropriate community member behavior as expected by MSU Spartans including social media responsibility  
• Demonstrate a commitment to their own academic success  
• Display a commitment to growth and development in all core value areas  
• Demonstrate support of supervisor, neighborhood staff, and departmental leadership and articulate any disagreement respectfully as outlined in Team Player  

Inclusive Living and Learning – A Resident Assistant will:  

• Maintain sensitivity toward individual beliefs and philosophies of all members of the residence community  
• Encourage and challenge students to explore new ideas and concepts  
• Create an inclusive environment where all residents feel safe and respected  
• Prevent, discourage, and respond to issues of bias and harassment as outlined by duty and institutional protocol  

BONA-FIDE OCCUPATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

The applicant's sex as designated in the StuInfo system is a determining factor for placement in same-sex residential communities (i.e., male residential wing requires male-in-StuInfo RA). Students are responsible for providing and updating their gender information in the StuInfo system through the Registrar’s Office. The Department of Residence Education and Housing Services is dedicated to providing safe and comfortable living environments for all students, including those whose gender identity and/or expression differs from the sex assigned to them at birth.

CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT

• The Resident Assistant must be enrolled in a degree granting program at MSU.
• The GPA requirement is a cumulative 2.5. Resident Assistants are expected to meet that requirement and to maintain it during their period of appointment. (The GPA requirement for MSU Law Students is a 2.2)
• Resident Assistants must have completed at least 12 credit hours.
• Once appointed, Resident Assistants are expected to be enrolled full time, however, Resident Assistants may request to drop below full time enrollment for specific circumstances and only with prior written approval from a supervisor.
• First semester Resident Assistants may not student teach or hold internships. After the first semester, experiences which will take the Resident Assistant away from their building for significant time blocks are discouraged, and must be approved by the Community Director and Assistant Director before they are accepted.
• It is understood that the resident assistant position cannot easily be translated into hours worked per day or week because of the unique nature of the position. The Resident Assistant position requires regularly scheduled responsibilities and times at which Resident Assistants are available and accessible to floor residents.
• Resident Assistant position offers are for the full academic year (fall and spring semesters). Resident Assistants may request to return the following year, and reappointment is based on their performance.
• Resident Assistants may be required to provide duty coverage over break periods.
• A criminal background check will be conducted on candidates who accept a resident assistant appointment.

REMUNERATION 

Remuneration is a single room with board while school is in session. 
NOTE: In instances where housing demand exceeds availability, RAs may be temporarily assigned a roommate.