Senior Resident Assistant Position Description 2008-2009
Applications and Reference forms are available at the bottom.
The Senior Resident Assistant (SRA) position is a developmental program for student leaders. Students eligible to apply for an SRA position have completed a year on staff as a Resident Assistant or Junior Counselor and are in good academic standing. The Student Staff program is considered to be an integral part of the Residence Life Office. Individuals selected to be SRAs possess strong leadership skills and a commitment to student life at St. Olaf.
A person serving as an SRA 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.
- 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.
4. Having demonstrated a commitment to the residence life position through prior successful staff involvement.
Responsibilities
As a residence life staff member, the Senior Resident Assistant 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, the Senior Resident Assistant’s role includes:
1. Community Development - A Senior Resident Assistant 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 by initiating and promoting activities that develop community.
2. Programming – A Senior Resident Assistant facilitates the planning, implementing, evaluating, and documenting of programs. This encourages student development 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. In addition, SRAs are role models to other staff members on positive and effective programming.
3. Peer Advising - A Senior Resident Assistant 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, SRAs advise and counsel students on academic, personal, and social matters, making referrals when appropriate. Senior Resident Assistants should be sensitive to existing or potential individual and/or group behavioral problems.
4. Role Modeling - A Senior Resident Assistant role models by being committed to personal growth and self-improvement and allowing ample time for study, work, and relaxation in 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 a Senior Resident Assistant’s responsibilities and may result in dismissal.
5. Conduct Facilitation - A Senior Resident Assistant helps students develop standards of behavior necessary for maintaining an atmosphere conducive to study and healthy community living, including educating them on campus policies and procedures. SRAs confront policy violations within the residence hall and alert appropriate staff of violations in other halls. SRAs also help students understand the realistic consequences of their behavior when confrontations are made.
6. Administrative - A Senior Resident Assistant 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. Training – A Senior Resident Assistant assists with Fall and Spring Training. This involves arriving early in the Fall, presenting programs, and providing guidance to staff members. An SRA is a role model and valuable resource in the training of staff members. It is expected that returning staff members mentor other staff members in their positions.
8. Other Responsibilities – Senior Resident Assistants should have a familiarity of the residence hall's physical design in order to deal with maintenance and emergency situations. SRAs assume supervisory responsibilities in the residence hall when the Area Coordinator is away. SRAs will also participate in hall coverage and various residence life responsibilities, such as student staff selection. SRAs are expected to assist with spring interviews of student staff for the upcoming year.
Time Commitment
Senior Resident Assistants are expected to commit a substantial amount of time to their positions. 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 Senior Resident Assistants are not away from the hall every weekend. It is also expected that Senior Resident Assistants 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 Senior Resident Assistants spending time with their floors and also investing time in building a strong staff team in their building and with their Area Coordinator and 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 Senior Resident Assistant is placed on academic probation.
The Assistant Director of Residence Life, in consultation with the Area Coordinator, must approve all additional employment.
Senior Resident Assistant's time commitments also include:
1. Daily contact with the Area Coordinator.
2. Attending one-on-one meetings twice a month with the Area Coordinator.
3. Being available to residents on a daily basis.
4. Providing monthly floor programs and also implementing, with hall staff, all-hall programs. This includes regular documenting of programming efforts.
5. Participation in the Fall Training Week. This is a mandatory training and goes each day from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
6. Being available to assist with all break inspections at Fall, Winter, Interim, and Spring Break.
7. 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.
8. Being available to close down the Residence Halls in May and be on campus until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, May 25, 2009.
9. 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.
10. Attending Residence Life staff in-service sessions.
11. Being on campus first and second semester.
12. Participation in ongoing evaluation of the Senior Resident Assistant program, residence life procedures, and personal job performance.
Senior Resident Assistant Relationships within the Residence Life Staff
1. Area Coordinator - In all roles that the Senior Resident Assistant 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.
Evaluation
The evaluation process is ongoing, with both formal and informal contact. It is expected that daily communication between the Senior Resident Assistant 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 Senior Resident Assistant 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 SRA 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 Senior Resident Assistants is received in the form of a $3000 stipend. The room assignment will be a single room at no additional cost. If an SRA is away from campus during Interim, they will receive the compensation allotted for Interim ($300). This stipend is credited directly to their bill, half for each semester. SRAs may not hold other on-campus jobs. Compensation for this 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
Senior Resident Assistants 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. SRAs 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.
