Junior Counselor Position Description 2008-2009

Applications and Reference forms are available at the bottom.

The Junior Counselor (JC) position is a developmental program for student leaders.  Junior Counselor positions are open to any member of the Class of 2010 who is in good academic standing.  The Student Staff program is considered to be an integral part of the Residence Life Office.  Individuals selected to be JCs possess strong leadership skills and a commitment to student life at St. Olaf.

A person serving as a Junior Counselor must possess qualities essential to the fostering of individual and community development for residence hall students.  Such as:

1.     Demonstrating emotional maturity necessary to cope with day-to-day decisions involved in maintaining healthy living conditions within the building.

2.     Having a sensitivity and concern for others as individuals, as well as a personal and professional commitment that goes beyond outlined responsibilities.

3.     Having a working knowledge of all aspects of St. Olaf College to appropriately assist, advise and serve as a liaison between students and other members of the St. Olaf community.

Responsibilities
As a Residence Life Staff member, a Junior Counselor assumes a number of roles in order to facilitate a healthy quality of life in college residence halls.  With primary responsibility as a resource person for the residents in his/her hall, a JC’s role includes:

1.     Community Development - A Junior Counselor is responsible for helping to develop an atmosphere in the residence hall in which students have a concern and respect for the rights and responsibilities of others as well as their physical surroundings.  They also work toward developing a positive personal relationship with their residents.

2.     Programming – A Junior Counselor facilitates the planning, implementing, evaluating, and documenting of programs. This encourages the development of students and serves as a catalyst to initiate and promote activities that develop community in the residence hall.  These include social programs, educational programs, and bulletin boards. The Junior Counselor also assists with the implementation of "Week One" activities.

3.     Peer Advising - A Junior Counselor makes an effort to be aware of student attitudes, academic difficulties, and health problems and utilizes helping skills to assist in the resolution of student concerns.  Within the limits of training and capability, they advise and counsel students on academic, personal, and social matters, making referrals when appropriate.  Junior Counselors should be sensitive to existing or potential individual and/or group behavioral problems.

4.     Role Modeling - A Junior Counselor acts as a role model to first-year students in academics, personal habits, and general areas of community living.  JCs do this by being committed to personal growth, self-improvement and allowing ample time for study, work, and relaxation in their personal schedules.  This commitment includes participation in on-going evaluation as a personal and professional development tool.  Staff members must role model appropriate behavior not only to residents but also to other student staff members. They are required to abide by and enforce all College policies on a campus-wide basis.  Failure to do so is considered a serious breach of the Junior Counselor responsibilities, and may result in dismissal. 

5.     Conduct Facilitation - A Junior Counselor helps students develop standards of behavior necessary for maintaining an atmosphere conducive to study and healthy community living.  During "Week One," JCs assist students in becoming familiar with St. Olaf’s policies and the rationale behind these policies.  JCs confront policy violations within the residence hall and alert appropriate staff of violations in other halls.  JCs also help students understand the realistic consequences of their behavior when confrontations are made.

6.     Administrative - A Junior Counselor is responsible for assisting the Area Coordinator with tasks related to effective building management; i.e. weekly reports, keys, check-in/out procedures, paperwork, break safety inspections and other duties related to the position as delegated by the Area Coordinator.

7.     Other Responsibilities - A Junior Counselor should have a familiarity of the residence hall's physical design in order to deal with maintenance and emergency situations.  JCs assume supervisory responsibilities in the residence hall when the Area Coordinator is away.  JCs also participate in hall coverage and various residence life responsibilities, such as student staff selection.

Time Commitment
There is a substantial time commitment expected of Junior Counselors.  This includes being "on-duty" from 7:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m. in the residence hall on a rotational basis with other members of the staff.  It is expected that Junior Counselors are not away from the hall every weekend. It is also expected that Junior Counselors be available to students in the building, and provide informal contact in order to get to know (and understand) the people in the hall.  Emphasis is placed on Junior Counselors spending time with their corridors and also investing time in building a strong staff team in their building and with their Area Coordinator and, if applicable, Student Hall Coordinator.

While it is difficult to give an hour/week expectation, time requirements will demand skill in time management to allow optimum academic and co-curricular participation.  As such, academic good standing is a must, as is flexibility toward outside commitments.  Dismissal may result if a Junior Counselor is placed on academic probation.

Junior Counselor's time commitments also include:

• Daily contact with the Area Coordinator.
• Attending JC pair/one-on-one meetings twice a month with the Area Coordinator.
• Being available to residents on a daily basis and providing weekly corridor meetings.
• Providing monthly corridor programs and also implementing, with hall staff, all-hall programs.  This includes regular documenting of programming efforts.
• Participation in the Fall Training Week.  This is a mandatory training and goes each day from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
• Being available to assist with one break inspection (either Fall, Winter, Interim, or Spring Break).
• Being available to assist with one break opening (either Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter, Interim, Spring, or Easter Break).  Staff involved in opening for a break must return to campus by the time designated by the Area Coordinator on the day of break opening.
• Being available to close down the Residence Halls in May and be on campus until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2009.
• Attending weekly staff meetings and submitting weekly reports.  Staff meetings typically are one to one and a half hours in length.  Weekly staff meetings take priority over other co-curricular activities.  It is expected that staff members be flexible in scheduling their weekly staff meetings.
• Attending Residence Life staff in-service sessions.
• Participation in student staff selection process for 2009-2010 staff.
• Being on campus first and second semester.  If both Junior Counselors of a pair wish to be away for Interim, they need to nominate a replacement for the month and work with their Area Coordinator and Associate Director of Residence Life in the interview process.
• Participation in ongoing evaluation of the Junior Counselor program, residence life procedures, and personal job performance.

 

Junior Counselor Relationships within the Residence Life Staff
1.     Area Coordinator - In all roles that the Junior Counselors will assume within the residence hall, the relationship with the Area Coordinator will be of primary importance.  A comfortable working relationship between these two people is crucial to providing support and developing a cooperative team approach to hall issues.  Open communication is also important to being an effective team.  Regular and continuous updates of hall activities and developments are emphasized.

2.     Student Staff - Student Staff members are expected to develop a positive working relationship with other student staff members in their own building, as well as become acquainted with those in other halls in order to build a more cohesive, productive, campus-wide residence life program.  Student staff members are also expected to work cooperatively with the Hall Receptionist staff and Building Assistants.

3.     JC Pair - The Junior Counselor pair relationship is crucial to the atmosphere of the corridor. Continuous communication is essential to a positive roommate and JC relationship and thus to a positively functioning corridor.  It is expected that each JC pair have quality time weekly to discuss their corridor and to maintain and build a positive relationship with each other.

Evaluation
The evaluation process is ongoing, with both formal and informal contact.  It is expected that daily communication between the Junior Counselor and the Area Coordinator will greatly enhance the overall relationship, resulting in an atmosphere of trust and honest feedback.

The Area Coordinator is responsible for one formal evaluation of the Junior Counselor in the fall.  The Area Coordinator will give written and verbal feedback based on written evaluations from the hall residents.  The formal evaluation process is included to promote self-understanding and growth, and as such, the Junior Counselor is expected to actively participate.  Student staff members will also be given the opportunity to give feedback to their Area Coordinator.  Upon review by the Area Coordinator and/or the Associate Director of Residence Life, a staff member may be dismissed from their position if his or her actions conflict with the policies and/or procedures of the Residence Life Office or the college.  This applies to all campus and Residence Life policies including appropriate relationships with residents, the alcohol, drug, noise, intervisitation, candles, pets, smoking, and hall sports policies.

Minnesota State law requires that an individual hired for this position must clear a criminal background check.  This check will be done after hiring at the college's expense.

Compensation
Compensation for the Junior Counselors is received in the form of a $1500 stipend.  If a JC is away from campus during Interim, they will not receive the compensation allotted for Interim ($150).  This stipend is credited directly to their bill, half for each semester. Compensation for the Junior Counselor position may affect their Financial Aid award and we encourage all that apply to work with the Financial Aid Office to determine how this will affect their financial aid.

At-will Appointment
Junior Counselors are employed with the College on an at-will basis.  The employer and the employee have the right to terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice.  JCs must maintain good academic standing throughout their time on staff or it may result in the loss of position.  Good academic standing is determined at the discretion of the Director of Residence Life.